Looking to replace the Avispon with a modern third carrier, Argentina's naval architects have dipped their toes into creating a modern carrier.
This is a first draft, armour is quite light and a full belt might be better.
Project 721, Argentina Aircraft Carrier laid down 1948
Displacement:
16,025 t light; 16,565 t standard; 19,112 t normal; 21,150 t full load
Dimensions: Length overall / water x beam x draught
705.18 ft / 688.98 ft x 96.78 ft x 18.37 ft (normal load)
214.94 m / 210.00 m x 29.50 m x 5.60 m
Armament:
8 - 5.04" / 128 mm guns (4x2 guns), 64.00lbs / 29.03kg shells, 1947 Model
Automatic rapid fire guns in deck mounts with hoists
on side ends, evenly spread, all raised mounts - superfiring
12 - 2.17" / 55.0 mm guns (6x2 guns), 5.08lbs / 2.30kg shells, 1947 Model
Anti-aircraft guns in deck mounts
on side ends, evenly spread, all raised mounts - superfiring
12 - 1.46" / 37.0 mm guns (6x2 guns), 1.55lbs / 0.70kg shells, 1944 Model
Anti-aircraft guns in deck mounts
on side, evenly spread, all raised mounts
Weight of broadside 592 lbs / 268 kg
Shells per gun, main battery: 450
Armour:
- Belts: Width (max) Length (avg) Height (avg)
Main: 2.76" / 70 mm 196.85 ft / 60.00 m 9.84 ft / 3.00 m
Ends: Unarmoured
Main Belt covers 44 % of normal length
Main belt does not fully cover magazines and engineering spaces
- Torpedo Bulkhead:
0.98" / 25 mm 508.53 ft / 155.00 m 16.99 ft / 5.18 m
- Gun armour: Face (max) Other gunhouse (avg) Barbette/hoist (max)
Main: 0.98" / 25 mm 0.79" / 20 mm 0.98" / 25 mm
2nd: 0.59" / 15 mm 0.59" / 15 mm -
3rd: 0.59" / 15 mm 0.39" / 10 mm -
- Armour deck: 1.97" / 50 mm
Machinery:
Oil fired boilers, steam turbines,
Geared drive, 2 shafts, 100,000 shp / 74,600 Kw = 31.16 kts
Range 14,000nm at 16.00 kts
Bunker at max displacement = 4,585 tons
Complement:
812 - 1,056
Cost:
£7.274 million / $29.098 million
Distribution of weights at normal displacement:
Armament: 87 tons, 0.5 %
Armour: 2,398 tons, 12.5 %
- Belts: 287 tons, 1.5 %
- Torpedo bulkhead: 315 tons, 1.6 %
- Armament: 39 tons, 0.2 %
- Armour Deck: 1,758 tons, 9.2 %
- Conning Tower: 0 tons, 0.0 %
Machinery: 2,444 tons, 12.8 %
Hull, fittings & equipment: 6,897 tons, 36.1 %
Fuel, ammunition & stores: 3,087 tons, 16.2 %
Miscellaneous weights: 4,200 tons, 22.0 %
Overall survivability and seakeeping ability:
Survivability (Non-critical penetrating hits needed to sink ship):
37,517 lbs / 17,018 Kg = 586.3 x 5.0 " / 128 mm shells or 6.1 torpedoes
Stability (Unstable if below 1.00): 1.20
Metacentric height 6.7 ft / 2.0 m
Roll period: 15.7 seconds
Steadiness - As gun platform (Average = 50 %): 70 %
- Recoil effect (Restricted arc if above 1.00): 0.04
Seaboat quality (Average = 1.00): 1.10
Hull form characteristics:
Hull has raised forecastle
and transom stern
Block coefficient: 0.546
Length to Beam Ratio: 7.12 : 1
'Natural speed' for length: 30.64 kts
Power going to wave formation at top speed: 55 %
Trim (Max stability = 0, Max steadiness = 100): 64
Bow angle (Positive = bow angles forward): 20.00 degrees
Stern overhang: 4.92 ft / 1.50 m
Freeboard (% = measuring location as a percentage of overall length):
- Stem: 31.00 ft / 9.45 m
- Forecastle (25 %): 31.00 ft / 9.45 m (21.00 ft / 6.40 m aft of break)
- Mid (50 %): 21.00 ft / 6.40 m
- Quarterdeck (15 %): 21.00 ft / 6.40 m
- Stern: 21.00 ft / 6.40 m
- Average freeboard: 23.50 ft / 7.16 m
Ship space, strength and comments:
Space - Hull below water (magazines/engines, low = better): 88.6 %
- Above water (accommodation/working, high = better): 237.7 %
Waterplane Area: 48,264 Square feet or 4,484 Square metres
Displacement factor (Displacement / loading): 157 %
Structure weight / hull surface area: 111 lbs/sq ft or 544 Kg/sq metre
Hull strength (Relative):
- Cross-sectional: 0.99
- Longitudinal: 1.12
- Overall: 1.00
Hull space for machinery, storage, compartmentation is adequate
Room for accommodation and workspaces is excellent
Ship has slow, easy roll, a good, steady gun platform
Class Names:
Belt is box armour around magazines
Endurance is 12,000nm at 15kts (3,954 tons), remaining bunkerage (631 tons) for aviation fuel (917,818 litres)
Hangar deck: 550 x 70 x 17.5ft
Served by two 55 x 44ft lifts with capacity for 30,000lbs
Two hydralic accelerators with capacity for 30,000lbs aircraft
Arrestor gear of 9 wires, 1 trickle wire, 2 forward wires and two safety barriers
48 aircraft usually carried (4x 12 aircraft squadrons)
2 crated spare aircraft carried for attrition replacement
Electric Equipment:
One Chilean surface search RDF set
One Chilean aerial search RDF set
One German main HA/LA director with RDF
Four German AA directors with RDF
HF/DF
VHF Homing Beacon
Misc Weight
2,400 tons for 48 aircraft
150 tons for lifts
500 tons for hangar equipment and aircraft stores
500 tons for aircraft ammunition stores
200 tons for fireproof partitions and fire-fighting gear in hangar
100 tons for electronics
200 tons for command spaces and CIC
150 tons for air conditioning and habitability