Need a Suggestion from One of the Navy Gamers

[Webstral]

After several years, I’ve warmed to the idea of basing a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier off Manhattan and using its machine shops and expertise to support a recovery in New York. This got me thinking about security v logistical arrangements and so forth. This got me thinking about permanently rigging the power plant to support an area on the shore like in Satellite Down. This got me thinking about the likelihood of a massive population wanting to move aboard and whether one could keep a small town aboard the ship in relative security and available for labor of all types. This got me thinking about Alameda in San Francisco Bay. This got me wondering about which nuclear carrier would be best to park off Alameda and rig for power to the shore.

So, can I get any suggestions as to which CVN should be permanently docked at Alameda?

[Matt Wiser]

ISTR many moons ago, when the carriers were discussed, it was Abraham Lincoln that was moored at NAS Alameda: her arresting gear had been wrecked by an ASM hit, but she was otherwise seaworthy.

[Webstral]

Abraham Lincoln sounds like a fine starting suggestion. I'll look her up. I don't really need for her to be seaworthy, though I don't have any particular objection that, either. Well, if she's seaworthy there will be some pressure for her to put back to sea at some point--even if only as a source of electricity for another location. Of course, those kinds of tensions make for good storytelling and perhaps otherwise unexplained sabotage events that only affect propulsion.

[Webstral]

Now, here's a thought. If you have plenty of electricity for a monster ship like an aircraft carrier, but you need to support much smaller vessels that might be used for mundane but important tasks like suppressing piracy and escorting fishing vessels, you might be able to turn electricity into fuel by using the Sabatier process to make natural gas from hydrogen and atmospheric carbon. I'll need to crunch some numbers to know what the chemists and engineers will be telling the admirals about this.

[rcaf_777]

The US Army bulit the MH-1A. It is a pressurized water reactor and the first floating nuclear power station.

It was retired from service in 1976 since the Army Reactor Program had been discontinued, and, as a unique prototype, operation cost for the unit was high. It was orginal bulit to supply power to the Pannal Cannal.

The power plant was removed in 1977 and the ship itself was placed in reserve in the James River Reserve Fleet. Not sure what happen the ship, but the power plant was placed in safe storage which means it could be dismatled until 2037. 60 years after it's defueling and shut down.

Here's some more info

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Army_Nuclear_Power_Program
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MH-1A

I think this could another option if you did not want to go with the carrier. You could have anchored at Fort Belvoir (The site storage site of it's old reactor)under refit for active service when bombs drop the base is far enough from Washington and maybe Camp David? The US Army also SM-1 reactor their which is also in Safe Storage.

I think the setting alone is good.

[raketenjagdpanzer]

I'd intended to do something similar with Key West and a nuc carrier; it'd tussled with the Soviets in the FL Straits, absorbing a couple of ASM hits that put it out of fighting shape, while its air wing plus Key West NAS and Homestead NAS basically extirpated all Cuban and Soviet air and sea power in a two-day battle.

She transfers her avgas to Key West to keep their handful of helos and pair of CAP F18s flying, plus a little for the "wing" (3x F16, plus a couple of Blackhawks) at Homestead AFB, then moors at Key West and basically keeps the town in electricity and fresh water.

The machine shop, hospital, etc. etc. basically mean that the Keys, up to and including Homestead, are a no-go zone for raiders and NA. The lone E2C is the biggest asset: it functions as a flying weather radar and provides some early warning on hurricanes, so it mitigates some of the damage the five that hit from '97 through 2000 by warning the communities up through Central Florida.

Yes I realize many of you would find that soooo canon breaking it'd wreck the game, so append a big "IN MY CAMPAIGN".

[Webstral]

The next item I need is a suggestion for a specific nuclear sub to be anchored in SF Bay. The sub definitely won't be seaworthy anymore, but her nuclear plant with be worth more than its weight in healthy seed corn. Thanks in advance.

[mikeo80]

I have never been in a T2K game that involved any Naval vessels.

Having said that, I think that in any campaign, having a nuclear powered carrier or sub could be an excellent "got'cha" for an adventure. Where do you find extra parts? Who is going to run the power plant? How long can the plant last? Nuclear fuel? How to keep any evil doers from causing damage? What capabilities, if any, does the vessel still have?

I could see an Ohio class sub being a REALLY interesting addition to a US or even overseas based adventure. What if the sub still has Trident missles? Can you imagine the chaos that would insue if MilGov or CivGov found out? What if they BOTH find out?

My $0.02

Mike

[boogiedowndonovan]

Hey Web,

I use this OOB

http://www.geocities.ws/orrin_ladd/cali1.htm

The Navy info may be a bit off but (7th fleet for example) but it does have the USS Baltimore in the bay area.

In my campaign, the USS Baltimore is tied up to docks south of San Francisco and the nuclear power plant is used to supply limited power to local industry, hospitals and a certain general's private residence.

that oob looks to be based off another OOB

http://www.geocities.ws/orrin_ladd/t2koob.htm

-bdd

[Canadian Army]

This got me thinking about the likelihood of a massive population wanting to move aboard and whether one could keep a small town aboard the ship in relative security and available for labor of all types.

This would work, after all most of the fighters, if not all; would be grounded due to lack of parts and fuel, which mean space would be available on flight deck for various types of temporary housing. You could also use Non-self-propelled Barracks Ships as housing. APL-2, APL-4, APL-5, APL-18 and ALP-15 are part of the CincPacFlt Berthing and Messing Program and are berthed at "Mole" pier, NavSta San Diego, CA. - http://www.navsource.org/archives/09/71/71idx.htm while APL-24 is in storage at the Suisun Bay Reserve Fleet.

Here is also something to keep in mind, when is comes to power generation.

Charleston Shipbuilders Inc. purchased seven decommissioned US naval vessels in 1994. The corporation planned to use the ships' power plants to generate electricity which they would then sell commercially. In theory, each ship would be able to generate approximately fifty megawatts of electricity, enough to supply approximately 150,000 households. (based on a Charles F. Adams-class guided-missile armed destroyer) - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Hoel_(DDG-13)

[natehale1971]

Believe it or not, back on the Ike (USS Dwight D. Eisenhower CVN-69 - Horah that magic number)...

We talked about things like this while playing Twilight 2000...

And the hangerbays are massive... enough that you can build a decent sized village composed of three story buildings. but you really won't need that since all the open bay berthings all through the ship would be capable of being used by even civies whom would be living on the ship... and it'd really be easy for those berthings to have someone keeping track of who comes and goes (we actually had to do this when women were brought on board as part of the ship's crew).

A nuclear aircraft carrier is a small city... we aren't exaggerating about this when we describe it. It's a massive amount of volume. And in such a sitatuion, there would be alot of people who would want to live on the ship since it would be a hundred thousands of times better than living in a near stoneage village on an island.

The carrier would be the closest that they could come to the world before the nukes started to fly. not just in shelter and security, but in comfort and entertainment. When I was on the ike we had six channels on the tv (two movie channels, a 24 hour news/weather channel, a 24 hour flight deck channel and a couple other channels that depended upon the desires of the ships command staff... usually playing old music videos off of MTV back when all they did was music videos).

But we also had several radio stations (each dedicated to a different genre of music) as well.

the medical department would be worth it's weight in gold. it has almost everything a modern hospital would have... back in the early 90s we didnt have a CAT Scan Machine, but from what ive been told, that's changed.. they even have MRI machines now. it's a complete high-tech medical centre onboard the carriers. The carriers medical centres have come along way from stablizing and transfering extreme medical cases to a shore medical facility.

The remaining crew of the carrier would find themselves in the position as operating as not just techs keeping the ships systems operating, but also filling roles for security & emergency services personnel.

The ship's machineshops, print shops and laundry would become worth alot of gold... they can fabricate almost anything you can imagine given the time and someone knowing how to build or design them. the ship's single illustrator draftsman would become one of the most important persons onboard since it would be up to them to start turning out the plans for each peice of euipment the machineshop would be making...

the crew wears color coded ID cards to show were they can and can't go... this would also extend to any civilians whom are onboard as well. heck to make it easier, the ship could easily draw from the paint lockers to get the paint to color code areas in question.

the master-at-arms department would have to be expanded big time... and actual ratings filling the role would be drawn from any of the navy enlisted ranks... something that happened all the time during deployments. because many crewmen illed multiple roles to make up for the lack of personnel. and in this kind of situation that would be the model.

but instead of naval personnel filling the gaps in the galley, civies could easily fill those roles as well as cleaning crews and the like.

I guess what i'm really saying is that life on a carrier in this kind of setting and condition, would be a highly desired goal of many. and this could be used to great advantage. if you do good work, if you show yourself worthy, a prized billet of living and working on the carrier would be the ultimate goal of many surivovors living in the area around where the carrier is located.