Airlords of the Ozark Question

[kalos72]

Did anyone else every notice that there is no information on what the NA cell did with the S8W Westinghouse reactor the Columbia had originally? To me, thats a HUGE piece of technology just to waste...

I think I might need to add some plot line for that gem...

[Jason]

I never noticed that, but I found the idea of a nuke-powered dirigible to be crazy (Oh, the humanity!)...so I changed it to some new-fangled experimental kind of hydrogen fuel cell and high-end solar panels.

NA leadership used the fuel cells/panels to power the patchwork airships. Airlords is a pretty cool module, I really love the strong 'spy' type subplot.

[Targan]

Originally Posted by Jason

I never noticed that, but I found the idea of a nuke-powered dirigible to be crazy (Oh, the humanity!)...so I changed it to some new-fangled experimental kind of hydrogen fuel cell and high-end solar panels.

I like it. Why didn't I think of that?

[kalos72]

Come to think of it...

What about the 2 reactors on the USS Virginia in Satellite Down or the Los Angeles SSN in Last Submarine?

The Virginia has 2 150MW D2G's and the SSN had 2 165MW reactors...thats ALOT of energy.

[Legbreaker]

Originally Posted by kalos72

The Virginia has 2 150MW D2G's and the SSN had 2 165MW reactors...thats ALOT of energy.

Very true, although it is mentioned that no matter the outcome of the module, lack of parts and trained techs will at best result in outmatic shutdown of the reactors while any combat nearby could trigger something truely nasty.
While the reactors surely have safety mechanisms, the Virgina has been rather shredded. Who can say how that affected the reactors?

[Adm.Lee]

I was on another board when power generated from docked ships was mentioned. The USN did it with a carrier and a battleship or two after some West Coast earthquakes before WW2 (obviously not reactors).

I figured the reactor was either damaged or shut down, and NA didn't have anyone to fix or restart it. If they did, they would be using it as a static power generator-- I wouldn't risk losing it in the blimps!

[Targan]

The reactors aboard USS Virginia in Satellite Down are used for power generation. The module talks about it and from memory I think one of the maps even shows power cables running from the beached ship to the shore base they set up.

One thing I noticed years ago is that IRL the USS Virginia had a major refit in 1984 during which her helicopter hanger and hydaulic lift were removed. IIRC there was some kind of design flaw and they'd always had problems with the hydraulic lift anyway and the removal freed up space that helped with the fitting of Phalanx CIWS and Tomahawk missile systems. That may not have been the case in the Twilight 2000 universe. Correct me if I'm wrong (Satellite Down is about the only module I can't find in my collection at the moment)but one of the major personalities in the module is the ship's chief helicopter pilot or head of helicopter operations (something like that). I guess at the time of writing the module the writers weren't aware of the details of the refit. Perhaps in the T2K universethey were able to fix the problems with the hydraulic lift and keep the helicopter and its hanger. That may also have meant that the refit in the T2K universe resulted in the Virginia not having any or as many Tomahawks.

As for the nuclear reactor aboard the Columbia, the airship crashed into the side of a mountain. Even if the reactor showed no external signs of damage it would take a brave or crazy person to try and start it up again without a complete overhaul. Sure they are built with lots of failsafes but it is a case of low probability of catastrophic failure combined with incredibly severe consequences ofsuch a failure. Would you take the risk?

[Legbreaker]

Correct. The helicopter pilot was the highest ranking officer left at the end. They are also the head of the cult.

[kalos72]

About Columbia - The module states the damage was surprising light as it merely bulldozed a path through some pine trees leaving all cargo intact. Sounds kinda shady to me...

And Hans was "commander of the flight deck"...

[Legbreaker]

Meh, pilot, flight deck commander, whatever...
He had no business commanding a warship anyway (let alone starting his own cult!)

[kalos72]

But he is cool looking in those shades.

Back on topic...there is a reasonable chance the reactor was salvaged, maybe sent to Hughes himself to utilize?

[Targan]

Originally Posted by kalos72

Back on topic...there is a reasonable chance the reactor was salvaged, maybe sent to Hughes himself to utilize?

Well its just my opinion but I think they would have carefully taken the reactor somewhere to assess the damage and see if they could get it running, but then stored it away for later once anyone with any reactor experience told them how dangerous it would be to try to start it up without a complete stripdown and check.

As for moving it to Hughes I'm sure they would have planned to but I doubt it would have happened before Hughes died. How the hell would they do it?

[headquarters]

might be some hard to explain parts of that module I guess-like the reactors etc .

But I love the whole airship concept in a T2K enviroment .

Prompted me to make a bunch of the best ships that never could be thing .

Right now I am more into nitpicking with the players about how manyrounds is left in their one pistol magazine and if the filter on their mask is giving ou or not..hehe

[Dog 6]

http://www.united-states-navy.com/cg/cgn38.htm


"General Characteristics: Keel laid: August 19, 1972
Launched: December 14, 1974
Commissioned: September 11, 1976
Decommissioned: November 10, 1994
Builder: Newport News Shipbuilding Co., Newport News, Va.
Propulsion system: two D2G General Electric nuclear reactors
Propellers: two
Length: 585 feet (178 meters)
Beam: 63 feet (19.2 meters)
Draft: 31,5 feet (9.6 meters)
Displacement: approx. 11,300 tons full load
Speed: 30+ knots
Aircraft: none and no helicopter landing capability
Armament: two Mk-26 missile launcher for Standard missiles (MR) and ASROC, two Mk-141 Harpoon missile launchers, two armored box launchers for Tomahawk ASM/LAM, Mk-46 torpedoes from two triple mounts, two 5-inch/54 caliber Mk-45 lightweight guns, two 20mm Phalanx CIWS, four machine guns
Crew: 39 Officers, 539 Enlisted"

[Legbreaker]

It's possible that once all the high tech missiles had been expended, the flight capability was restored....

[Targan]

Originally Posted by Dog 6

"General Characteristics: Keel laid: August 19, 1972
Launched: December 14, 1974
Commissioned: September 11, 1976
Decommissioned: November 10, 1994
Builder: Newport News Shipbuilding Co., Newport News, Va.
Propulsion system: two D2G General Electric nuclear reactors
Propellers: two
Length: 585 feet (178 meters)
Beam: 63 feet (19.2 meters)
Draft: 31,5 feet (9.6 meters)
Displacement: approx. 11,300 tons full load
Speed: 30+ knots
Aircraft: none and no helicopter landing capability
Armament: two Mk-26 missile launcher for Standard missiles (MR) and ASROC, two Mk-141 Harpoon missile launchers, two armored box launchers for Tomahawk ASM/LAM, Mk-46 torpedoes from two triple mounts, two 5-inch/54 caliber Mk-45 lightweight guns, two 20mm Phalanx CIWS, four machine guns
Crew: 39 Officers, 539 Enlisted"

Those are the specs for the ship after 1984. Before that the Virginia had a helicopter hanger and elevator. The following is an excerpt from The Encyclopedia of Modern US Weapons (1998 edition) about the Virginia-class cruisers:

"As in the Californias, the flush-deck design has a split superstructure set relatively far aft with each block topped by a tapered, plated mast. As originally built, the ships had a stern hangar with a folding hatch cover and elevator arrangement to accommodate a single SH-2F LAMPS (Light Airborne Multipurpose System) helicopter.
After encountering problems with the elevators, and in keeping the hangars watertight, the Navy deleted the helicopters in the early 1980s in favor of two Tomahawk Armored Box Launchers (ABL) on the fantail, aft of the second Mk 26 launcher. Earlier proposals to provide a Vertical Launch System (VLS) for Tomahawk missiles in place of the hangar were dropped. Side-by-side Phalanx Close In Weapons System (CIWS) mounts were added abaft the tower foremast during refits."

Wikipedia says this about the USS Virginia:

"In 1984, she entered Norfolk Naval Shipyard for her single major overhaul and was converted to the Navy's first strike cruiser with the addition of the Phalanx CIWS, Tomahawk missile and the SM-2 extension of her surface to air capability. During this overhaul, the aft helicopter hangar and elevator were removed and the space refitted with 2 Armored Box Tomahawk cruise missile launchers (4 missiles each) on deck and an Engineering Department training space below."

What I'm thinking is that the designers of T2K either weren't aware of the Virginia's overhaul or didn't know the details (at the time the details may not have been public knowledge). In the T2K timeline the Virginia could have retained its helicopter facilities I suppose, in which case she wouldn't have carried the Tomahawk launchers.

[Legbreaker]

You'll also note that it wasn't just "light" helicopters which were able to operate from the vessel.



That's a bloody great Chinook on the stern!!!

[Targan]

Originally Posted by Legbreaker

You'll also note that it wasn't just "light" helicopters which were able to operate from the vessel. That's a bloody great Chinook on the stern!!!

Indeed. But its pre-1984 hanger could only accommodate a light helicopter. Obviously the helicopter landing area can handle a much larger aircraft.