WesWorld

News seen in an article about the Dutch navy expansion...


(snip)
With the still recent completion of the De Ruyter class and keel laying of the Utrecht class battleships, and the planned modernization of the Destroyer Fleet, our navy expansion is a fact today. And it seems that the expansion will include a new class of ship in the navy's inventory, the aircraft carrier.

Under the terms of the Naval Treaty of Cleito, the Kingdom of Netherlands is allowed to build and operate up to 60000 tons of aircraft carriers. However, in the last years the concept of ship-launched aircraft has been seen with some degree of curiosity by the High Command and the Naval Design Boards, but was never seen as an interesting ship. It now seems that they have changed minds and recognized the new world of oportunities which offer a ship able to operate aircraft on the sea.


Recent interviews and informations gathered by this publication seem to point that the navy is about to dry-dock one of the two big "Hund" class colliers and rebuild it as an experimental aircraft carrier. The objective is to win experience in carrier building and carrier operations, once completed, and then use the experience won to see if building ships of this class would be worth the effort and expenditure.


The two Hunds are big ships, launched back in 1913, able to carry up to 10.000 tons of coal and operate at a relatively high speed of 20 knots. Their ample spaces previously used for loading coal allow for big hangars, storage and aircraft repair facilities, so the conversion seems to be an easy one. The fact that all the navy's most modern ships are oil-fuelled has left this two ships with little real tasks to do today, and while one of them will be kept in her intended role, the other probably will be in the future a much different ship undertaking very a different role.


It seems that the Dutch Navy is about to join the "Carrier club"."




Specs of the "Hund" class collier:

Hund, Dutch Collier laid down 1913

Displacement:
15.891 t light; 16.269 t standard; 17.536 t normal; 18.549 t full load

Dimensions: Length overall / water x beam x draught
517,39 ft / 508,53 ft x 75,46 ft x 21,33 ft (normal load)
157,70 m / 155,00 m x 23,00 m x 6,50 m

Armament:
4 - 3,94" / 100 mm guns in single mounts, 30,51lbs / 13,84kg shells, 1913 Model
Quick firing guns in deck mounts
on centreline, evenly spread
Aft Main mounts separated by engine room
8 - 2,24" / 57,0 mm guns in single mounts, 5,65lbs / 2,56kg shells, 1913 Model
Quick firing guns in deck mounts
on side, all amidships, all raised mounts - superfiring
14 - 0,51" / 13,0 mm guns in single mounts, 0,07lbs / 0,03kg shells, 1913 Model
Anti-aircraft guns in deck mounts
on side, evenly spread, all raised mounts
Weight of broadside 168 lbs / 76 kg
Shells per gun, main battery: 250

Armour:

- Armour deck: 0,20" / 5 mm, Conning tower: 0,98" / 25 mm

Machinery:
Coal fired boilers, complex reciprocating steam engines,
Direct drive, 2 shafts, 22.983 ihp / 17.145 Kw = 20,00 kts
Range 7.500nm at 10,00 kts (Bunkerage = 2.281 tons)

Complement:
761 - 990

Cost:
£0,858 million / $3,431 million

Distribution of weights at normal displacement:
Armament: 21 tons, 0,1 %
Armour: 131 tons, 0,7 %
- Belts: 0 tons, 0,0 %
- Torpedo bulkhead: 0 tons, 0,0 %
- Armament: 0 tons, 0,0 %
- Armour Deck: 117 tons, 0,7 %
- Conning Tower: 14 tons, 0,1 %
Machinery: 1.517 tons, 8,7 %
Hull, fittings & equipment: 4.722 tons, 26,9 %
Fuel, ammunition & stores: 1.644 tons, 9,4 %
Miscellaneous weights: 9.500 tons, 54,2 %

Overall survivability and seakeeping ability:
Survivability (Non-critical penetrating hits needed to sink ship):
19.362 lbs / 8.782 Kg = 634,6 x 3,9 " / 100 mm shells or 2,2 torpedoes
Stability (Unstable if below 1.00): 1,01
Metacentric height 3,3 ft / 1,0 m
Roll period: 17,4 seconds
Steadiness - As gun platform (Average = 50 %): 68 %
- Recoil effect (Restricted arc if above 1.00): 0,01
Seaboat quality (Average = 1.00): 1,71

Hull form characteristics:
Hull has raised forecastle, rise forward of midbreak, low quarterdeck
Block coefficient: 0,750
Length to Beam Ratio: 6,74 : 1
'Natural speed' for length: 22,55 kts
Power going to wave formation at top speed: 46 %
Trim (Max stability = 0, Max steadiness = 100): 40
Bow angle (Positive = bow angles forward): 5,00 degrees
Stern overhang: 6,56 ft / 2,00 m
Freeboard (% = measuring location as a percentage of overall length):
- Stem: 26,25 ft / 8,00 m
- Forecastle (20 %): 19,69 ft / 6,00 m (16,40 ft / 5,00 m aft of break)
- Mid (40 %): 19,69 ft / 6,00 m (16,40 ft / 5,00 m aft of break)
- Quarterdeck (20 %): 16,40 ft / 5,00 m (19,69 ft / 6,00 m before break)
- Stern: 16,40 ft / 5,00 m
- Average freeboard: 18,57 ft / 5,66 m

Ship space, strength and comments:
Space - Hull below water (magazines/engines, low = better): 88,3 %
- Above water (accommodation/working, high = better): 145,2 %
Waterplane Area: 32.139 Square feet or 2.986 Square metres
Displacement factor (Displacement / loading): 137 %
Structure weight / hull surface area: 108 lbs/sq ft or 526 Kg/sq metre
Hull strength (Relative):
- Cross-sectional: 1,16
- Longitudinal: 1,41
- Overall: 1,19
Hull space for machinery, storage, compartmentation is adequate
Room for accommodation and workspaces is excellent
Excellent seaboat, comfortable, can fire her guns in the heaviest weather




One of the planned designs for conversion of one of the "Hund" class colliers into an aircraft carrier (assuming the conversion is done in 1925). Conversion includes modification of the freeboard, different placement of weapons, raised top speed and machinery change from coal-firing triple expansion engines to oil-firing steam turbines:


Hund, Dutch Carrier (conversion) laid down 1913 (Engine 1925)

Displacement:
15.641 t light; 16.018 t standard; 17.536 t normal; 18.750 t full load

Dimensions: Length overall / water x beam x draught
518,20 ft / 508,53 ft x 75,46 ft x 21,33 ft (normal load)
157,95 m / 155,00 m x 23,00 m x 6,50 m

Armament:
4 - 3,94" / 100 mm guns in single mounts, 30,51lbs / 13,84kg shells, 1913 Model
Quick firing guns in deck mounts
on centreline, evenly spread
Aft Main mounts separated by engine room
8 - 2,24" / 57,0 mm guns in single mounts, 5,65lbs / 2,56kg shells, 1913 Model
Quick firing guns in deck mounts
on side, all amidships, all raised mounts - superfiring
14 - 0,51" / 13,0 mm guns in single mounts, 0,07lbs / 0,03kg shells, 1913 Model
Anti-aircraft guns in deck mounts
on side, evenly spread, all raised mounts
Weight of broadside 168 lbs / 76 kg
Shells per gun, main battery: 250

Armour:

- Armour deck: 0,20" / 5 mm, Conning tower: 0,98" / 25 mm

Machinery:
Oil fired boilers, steam turbines,
Geared drive, 2 shafts, 103.590 shp / 77.278 Kw = 29,00 kts
Range 7.500nm at 15,00 kts (Bunkerage = 2.732 tons)

Complement:
761 - 990

Cost:
£1,130 million / $4,520 million

Distribution of weights at normal displacement:
Armament: 21 tons, 0,1 %
Armour: 131 tons, 0,7 %
- Belts: 0 tons, 0,0 %
- Torpedo bulkhead: 0 tons, 0,0 %
- Armament: 0 tons, 0,0 %
- Armour Deck: 117 tons, 0,7 %
- Conning Tower: 14 tons, 0,1 %
Machinery: 3.363 tons, 19,2 %
Hull, fittings & equipment: 9.125 tons, 52,0 %
Fuel, ammunition & stores: 1.895 tons, 10,8 %
Miscellaneous weights: 3.000 tons, 17,1 %

Overall survivability and seakeeping ability:
Survivability (Non-critical penetrating hits needed to sink ship):
27.629 lbs / 12.532 Kg = 905,5 x 3,9 " / 100 mm shells or 2,5 torpedoes
Stability (Unstable if below 1.00): 1,04
Metacentric height 3,6 ft / 1,1 m
Roll period: 16,8 seconds
Steadiness - As gun platform (Average = 50 %): 62 %
- Recoil effect (Restricted arc if above 1.00): 0,02
Seaboat quality (Average = 1.00): 1,22

Hull form characteristics:
Hull has a flush deck
Block coefficient: 0,750
Length to Beam Ratio: 6,74 : 1
'Natural speed' for length: 22,55 kts
Power going to wave formation at top speed: 66 %
Trim (Max stability = 0, Max steadiness = 100): 51
Bow angle (Positive = bow angles forward): 6,00 degrees
Stern overhang: 6,56 ft / 2,00 m
Freeboard (% = measuring location as a percentage of overall length):
- Stem: 29,53 ft / 9,00 m
- Forecastle (20 %): 29,53 ft / 9,00 m
- Mid (40 %): 29,53 ft / 9,00 m
- Quarterdeck (20 %): 29,53 ft / 9,00 m
- Stern: 29,53 ft / 9,00 m
- Average freeboard: 29,53 ft / 9,00 m

Ship space, strength and comments:
Space - Hull below water (magazines/engines, low = better): 82,5 %
- Above water (accommodation/working, high = better): 237,5 %
Waterplane Area: 32.139 Square feet or 2.986 Square metres
Displacement factor (Displacement / loading): 175 %
Structure weight / hull surface area: 178 lbs/sq ft or 871 Kg/sq metre
Hull strength (Relative):
- Cross-sectional: 1,62
- Longitudinal: 5,36
- Overall: 1,83
Hull space for machinery, storage, compartmentation is excellent
Room for accommodation and workspaces is excellent
Good seaboat, rides out heavy weather easily


Air group: 51 aircraft.

...but you need to re-arrange the main armament. Otherwise, looks like a great little ship!