WesWorld

Here is the finished design of the mail carrier Leonardo da Vinci. Will carry six FMA I.A.e 4 Courier twin-engined mailplanes in a hangar with single lift. Provision for hydlaic/compressed air catapult to be fitted later. Six arrester wires and two crash barriers.

Leonardo da Vinci, Argentina Express Mail Ship laid down 1933

Displacement:
11,490 t light; 11,752 t standard; 13,104 t normal; 14,185 t full load

Dimensions: Length overall / water x beam x draught
532.85 ft / 524.93 ft x 82.02 ft x 22.15 ft (normal load)
162.41 m / 160.00 m x 25.00 m x 6.75 m

Machinery:
Diesel Internal combustion generators,
Electric motors, 2 shafts, 40,510 shp / 30,221 Kw = 26.02 kts
Range 10,000nm at 15.00 kts
Bunker at max displacement = 2,433 tons

Complement:
612 - 796

Cost:
£2.682 million / $10.729 million

Distribution of weights at normal displacement:
Armament: 0 tons, 0.0 %
Machinery: 1,180 tons, 9.0 %
Hull, fittings & equipment: 4,310 tons, 32.9 %
Fuel, ammunition & stores: 1,614 tons, 12.3 %
Miscellaneous weights: 6,000 tons, 45.8 %

Overall survivability and seakeeping ability:
Survivability (Non-critical penetrating hits needed to sink ship):
22,897 lbs / 10,386 Kg = 212.0 x 6 " / 152 mm shells or 2.7 torpedoes
Stability (Unstable if below 1.00): 1.08
Metacentric height 4.3 ft / 1.3 m
Roll period: 16.6 seconds
Steadiness - As gun platform (Average = 50 %): 60 %
- Recoil effect (Restricted arc if above 1.00): 0.00
Seaboat quality (Average = 1.00): 1.82

Hull form characteristics:
Hull has raised forecastle
and transom stern
Block coefficient: 0.481
Length to Beam Ratio: 6.40 : 1
'Natural speed' for length: 27.25 kts
Power going to wave formation at top speed: 54 %
Trim (Max stability = 0, Max steadiness = 100): 33
Bow angle (Positive = bow angles forward): 15.00 degrees
Stern overhang: 0.00 ft / 0.00 m
Freeboard (% = measuring location as a percentage of overall length):
- Stem: 29.53 ft / 9.00 m
- Forecastle (18 %): 29.53 ft / 9.00 m (26.25 ft / 8.00 m aft of break)
- Mid (50 %): 26.25 ft / 8.00 m
- Quarterdeck (15 %): 26.25 ft / 8.00 m
- Stern: 26.25 ft / 8.00 m
- Average freeboard: 26.84 ft / 8.18 m

Ship space, strength and comments:
Space - Hull below water (magazines/engines, low = better): 79.6 %
- Above water (accommodation/working, high = better): 239.5 %
Waterplane Area: 29,315 Square feet or 2,723 Square metres
Displacement factor (Displacement / loading): 157 %
Structure weight / hull surface area: 99 lbs/sq ft or 481 Kg/sq metre
Hull strength (Relative):
- Cross-sectional: 0.91
- Longitudinal: 2.43
- Overall: 1.00
Hull space for machinery, storage, compartmentation is excellent
Room for accommodation and workspaces is excellent
Excellent seaboat, comfortable, rides out heavy weather easily

A compressed air catapult is probably better for your needs. You don't need to launch large amounts of planes so the time taken to recharge isn't a factor.

Any chance you could call her something other than Leonardo da Vinci? Wikipedia has a long list of famous Argentines.

I named it after the great artist because of his visionary outlook and tecnhical mind. What I'm aiming for is a revolution in quick express intercontental mail before the days of e-mail! His name reflects the company image and ethos of the concept behind it. Of course my huge steam-powered flyingboat might one day replace it...

If you really hate me using his name I could change it.

I think we already have mutiple ships with the same name.

It'll just get confusing having two aircraft carriers called Leonardo da Vinci.

Did a quick search on airmail history and several namesof pioneering airmail pilots come to mind...

Jean-Pierre Blanchard
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean-Pierre_Blanchard

Henri Pequet
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henri_Pequet

James Knight
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Knight

John Wise

Why 6000 tons misc weight?

For the hangar deck, for when they're converted into light carriers.

Lots of bulk mail and aviation fuel.

Ithekro has it right!

That weight is for the six mailplanes, lift machinery, spares and fuel and then all that mail, cargo holds too for larger goods, sorting rooms, extra crew accomdations etc. I never worked it all out but I felt 6000tons would cover everything.

Planned Operations
The ship sails from Argentina to Southampton/Far East non-stop (maybe FE route 1 stop in India) the planes deliver mail to countries nearby and bring more mail back to the ship which is sorted and flown off again to somewhere else. At final port the cargo is unloaded and the ship sials back along the US East Coast and then nearer Africa to do the same thing. The ship is just a floating sorting office while the planes are the postmen.

I'll think more about the name nearer the launch.