US Navy launches new type of ship

[phavoc]

The USN is getting ready to launch the USNS Lewis Puller, a new class of forward bases afloat. It's an interesting design, starting life as a tanker, and then it got a massive flight deck added to the top. Instead of enclosing the area beneath the flight deck it's left the area open on purpose so it can handle ovesized cargo and even deploy small boats. It's ugly as hell, but for the job it's very well suited. It's mission is going to be acting as a forward base-afloat, so other units can retrieve supplies and such. The primary difference with other sealift command supply vessels is that this one is only a boat to get from point A to point B. It's a logistical spider in the middle of it's supply web. It will certainly make it easier to deploy forces further forward where land bases aren't always available.

http://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/12402/the-navys-gargantuan-new-sea-base-is-on-its-way-to-the-middle-east

 

[h1ro]

It would be interesting to me (hahahaha) to combine this thread with the battle riders and no capital ships threads.

Self contained fleet operations far from home. The jump tenders limited in size to X kdT and able to sustain combat for a prolonged period of time.

I can see some very interesting designs coming from the limitations. The big question of how to fuel it I think can only be answered by looking at the fleet in situ, the locations from which fuel can be harvested and the doctrine to do so. Would such a fleet be specifically designed for use in certain subsectors or clusters of worlds?

 

[AnotherDilbert]

The design system isn't all that detailed. That ship would basically be a bog standard freighter with an oversized boat bay in Traveller.

It's difficult to make the fleet train interesting.

 

[phavoc]

One thing the article mentioned was that the ship has ZERO native defenses, not even ECM. One mention in the article was that the USN might develop some sort of modularized/container style defenses to be deployed.

Though it wouldn't be a lot of effort to add some weapon sponsoons on the lower deck and a mast with radar. CIWS or Evoloved Sea Sparrow launchers would be sufficient. It doesn't need any offensive capabilities.

 

[h1ro]

The design system isn't all that detailed. That ship would basically be a bog standard freighter with an oversized boat bay in Traveller.

It's difficult to make the fleet train interesting.

For sure. But when you look at the fun and games the U boats had picking off supply shipping in the Atlantic, you know it's a sound tactic and one that any force will look to do.

 

[h1ro]

One thing the article mentioned was that the ship has ZERO native defenses, not even ECM. One mention in the article was that the USN might develop some sort of modularized/container style defenses to be deployed.

Though it wouldn't be a lot of effort to add some weapon sponsoons on the lower deck and a mast with radar. CIWS or Evoloved Sea Sparrow launchers would be sufficient. It doesn't need any offensive capabilities.

It seems to me that this ship is a product of asymmetric warfare. When your enemy takes delight in lobbing mortars and RPGs into your bases, the natural thing to do is move your bases. Taking it off shore when your enemy has no navy to speak of and far enough from the coast to be immune to small arms, RPGs, mortars and ATGW is just common sense. Were the enemy known for raiding commercial shipping in coastal waters with small boats and AKs then you might see the ship equipped with CIWS, 50 cals and light anti shipping missiles.

The ship is a perfect staging point for special ops and smaller raiding parties.

 

[phavoc]

Update - the USN has decided to convert the ship from civilian to a full warship (USS) classification. They made the decision after the ship left so it will be officially commissioned once it arrives on-station.

https://news.usni.org/2017/08/16/navy-commission-expeditionary-sea-base-lewis-b-puller-uss-warship

From a Traveller perspective an enterprising ref could have a group of gamers operating their ship under contract to a system, or even Imperial navy (perhaps they are doing so under duress from a bureaucratic threat??), and then it gets formally commissioned by a navy and they get stuck with a new ship's captain and deployed to a warzone. Would work well for a subsidized merchant that is operating as a supply ship. It would allow a referee to install an NPC to get the characters into all kinds of situations they may not normally put themselves in.

 

[SSWarlock]

Update - the USN has decided to convert the ship from civilian to a full warship (USS) classification. They made the decision after the ship left so it will be officially commissioned once it arrives on-station.

https://news.usni.org/2017/08/16/navy-commission-expeditionary-sea-base-lewis-b-puller-uss-warship

Interesting that the article mentions that a similar ship, USS Ponce, was used to field-test a ship-based laser weapon system while stationed in the Arabian Gulf and that the weapon won't be removed after testing.

 

[baithammer]

USS Ponce is due to be decommissioned in 2018, it'll be interesting to see whether the laser system was as functional as was predicted.

As to getting drafted in a traveller campaign, scout ships would probably more interesting.