WesWorld

of course, I won't plan to launch all of them in one row...I would space the construction of the ships in something like 6 years...the first year one big CV and one little CV, then 2 years later another big CV and another little CV , then another big, another small ,and after 6 years start the latest big CV (or maybe include it in the previous batch if I have resources and yards available).

The reason I made all the ships with the same year in mind is that those ships would be planned since the start of the building program. Of course as time passes by one could make some modifications to the original design takin advantage of better engines and technology, and in the latest batches, of experience gained in the previous years of exercises with the new carriers.

on this question...
"Obviously with say 90,000 tons there is no way you will get 8 hulls of maximum size so you biggest question is what limitation are you willing to except, lower numbers or size? "


I think it's plain to see that I'm going with both at the same time...decent (but not the biggest) size AND numbers thanks to very small carriers . I think that a core of 4 fleet carriers of 19000 is a force to reckon with, and with 22000ton carriers that is all you would get...those 4 19000 tonners give you the chance to build three more 5000 ton carriers, so bassically you're sacrifizing 44 aircraft for 12000 tons of construction (in fact 15000 tons) that gives you another 60 planes.

I think it's not a bad deal. the design will prove cramped and not too spacious but as I said, even if for WW2 standards its air wing is reduced from 20 to 12 aircraft, those ships will still be able to perform their duties properly. They're not required to strike, just to carry some fighters for self protection and some scout-attack planes for scouting and maybe light attacks on undefended shipping or land objectives. And for those 2 purposes I think that 12 planes are, if barely, enough for it.

of course one should also think in the planes that those carriers would have...depends on the kind of planes I havem I might go with somewhat bigger ships, or go "the british way" (ships with relatively low airwing capabilities but very well armored). But If I'm blessed with proper aircraft the "4x19000tons, 3x5000 tons" plan doesn't strike me as a bad one.

Remember, also, I'm not using hindsight here, so I'm not using lessons from WW2 to orientate myself. I'm trying to put myself in the skin of a 1925 navy admiral and trying to decide the best for my fleet with little fact and too much especulation

"Remember, also, I'm not using hindsight here, so I'm not using lessons from WW2 to orientate myself. I'm trying to put myself in the skin of a 1925 navy admiral and trying to decide the best for my fleet with little fact and too much especulation "

Pardon me, but aren´t you doing exactly that - using hindsight? Looking at my sourcebooks I can´t even find a trace that any nation thought about small carriers. In fact, having small carriers that offer local air defence saunds very much like hindsight to me, like lessons learned from WW2´s parcific war. In the 1920s most thought of big carriers, not small ones. Nobody was interested in cruiser-like/sized carriers as it seems - instead they put floatplanes on every cruiser for scouting and sub patrols - maybe because they noticed quite early that such a little and light hull would be of little use.

Just my interpretation of carrier design history of course...

HoOmAn

Other than Hermes, Langley and Hosho all of the carriers were over 15,000 tons at least up untill the thirty's. Other early carriers like Argus (14,000 tons) were heavier still. The germans having no carriers to work with decided early on that a fleet carrier should displace around 22,000 tons with Graf Zeppelin and were only prepared to go lower with that due to hulls suitable for conversion.
I suppose the preferance for a larger carrier was a result of the Washington treaty and the worlds navy's looking for a way to increase their offensive capability's due to the Battleship limitations. My biggest point is if war does break out your navy will find it very easy to find merchant hulls suitable to convert to your 5000 ton CVL concept in addition to equiping BB's and cruisers with floatplanes for reconicance so it would be far better to use your tonnage for larger carriers.

Quoted

Originally posted by thesmilingassassin

My biggest point is if war does break out your navy will find it very easy to find merchant hulls suitable to convert to your 5000 ton CVL concept in addition to equiping BB's and cruisers with floatplanes for reconicance so it would be far better to use your tonnage for larger carriers.

that's a pretty good point, however the merchant hulls don't steam at 31knots...

Hummm maybe I'd go with the mid-size carriers after all...still not sure

Slow escort carriers conversions are just the thing for convoys. They've no need to go any faster than the ships in their charge.

....and those mid size carriers are a good way to get the maximum ammount of hulls in the water while still maintaining a decent indevidual size. Those 5000 ton CVE's will be sacrificing something to carry say 20 aircraft AND speed along at 31 knots and thats likely armor and AA. They had an alternate explanation to the abreveation CVE during the war, cumbustable, vulnerable and expendable and at 5000 tons they would ber VERY easy to replace.

5000t escort carriers with 20 planes are not realistic. Historical designs were about 15000t and had ~20 planes.

Thats exactly the point I'm trying to make, most were around cruiser size in displacement at their smallest.

well that's something I also asked before, but noone questioned the size of the airgroup comparing it to the size of the ship itself...so I assumed it was allright

There's no doubt then, that I'll go with a combination of 19000ton and 12000 ton carriers

....and I thought you don´t like mid-sized carriers....

Quoted

Originally posted by HoOmAn
....and I thought you don´t like mid-sized carriers....

I think 12000 ton CVs can be called mid-sized carriers, but 19000ton CVs not (at least if the top displacement is 22000 tons ).

think of it as something like the Ark Royal