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Old 19th Jul 2011, 22:10
  #71 (permalink)  
Not_a_boffin
 
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: Portsmouth
Posts: 529
Received 171 Likes on 92 Posts
Gentlemen.

If you look at the design you will see that the ships have always had a hoofing great port-side sponson, onto which can be painted an angled deck. During the design evolutions the need for deck area for parking drove this which, not entirely co-incidentally, facilitates an angled deck for arrested recoveries. You've got to break from the mindset that putting cats and traps on entails a fundamental change in design. That was true for our 50s built (and war-designed) ships, but not for this one. Despite all appearances to the contrary, some serious thought went into the design, particularly wrt the aviation arrangements.

There are no carriers running round with non-steam plants, but steam cats, nor have there been. However, the biggest challenge with a steam plant is matching the boiler to the accumulator. In QEC case, with no propulsion plant to feed, that challenge reduces significantly.

Personally, given that EMALS is busily shooting live loads at Lakehurst, I'd be quite relaxed about the hardware making it into service. The major risk is getting the UK ships power management software to balance the loads. Not beyond the wit of man you'd think, but then I've foregone the use of the word "surely" for many years now where MoD is concerned.......

Eagle and Hermes would be preferable names for me.
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