Hms Queen Elizabeth

[Stuart Galbraith]

https://ukdefencejournal.org.uk/hms-queen-elizabeth-preparing-to-operate-fast-jets/

After returning from rotary wing flying trials at the end of February, where a thousand deck ladings were carried out, HMS Queen Elizabeth is currently in Portsmouth undergoing work as part of her Capability Insertion Period (CIP) in readiness for the next phase of her introduction into service, say the Aircraft Carrier Alliance.

The manufacturers of the carriers, the ACA, discussed the progress of HMS Queen Elizabeth.

“When the ship first sailed from Rosyth in June 2017, it was always planned that some of her equipment and systems would be fitted subsequently. We are using this time to carry out a variety of work on the ship, including fitting the new funnel badges (her crest) and maintenance of the flight deck, hence how the islands are encased in scaffolding and tents cover parts of the flight deck. We are also improving the Junior Rates’ Scullery, doubling it in size to support the amount of demand on the area, and installing a new dishwasher conveyor system to get the washing up done more efficiently!

During her time alongside between the sea trials phases, additional equipment to support rotary wing, and now fixed-wing aircraft is being added. When the ship was originally designed in the early 2000s, some of the capabilities she requires had not even been conceived, and some were still under development when the ship completed initial construction. The hotly anticipated next phase of trials will see F-35 aircraft land on board for the first time which demands specific additional equipment.”

Hear from some of the ACA workforce on what is has been like for them being part of the HMS Queen Elizabeth journey here

[Stuart Galbraith]

Thought this was interesting too.

 

https://ukdefencejournal.org.uk/why-smaller-carriers-would-be-bad-idea-for-the-royal-navy/

[shep854]

After watching the docu episode, accomodation is somewhat moot; there's plenty of space for comfortable accommodations. My concern is how such a small crew can efficiently work the ship as all that automation starts going down--and it will, either through damage or wear. The USN is finding the small crews of the highly-automated LCS is struggling and wearing down, trying to get everything done on them.

[Stuart Galbraith]

And its a fair point. The truth is, we either did that, or we probably wouldnt have an aircraft carrier. The RN would seem to have a problem recruiting enough personnel as it is.

 

I dont disagree as it happens, I think its probably just something that has to be tried, and if it doesn't work out, try and man up accordingly. Ultimately its a problem thats going to have to be resolved sooner or later, as the worlds navies move towards more RPV warships. Which is something the RN has been mooting about, albeit for small expendable vessels.

Edited April 20, 2018 by Stuart Galbraith

[shep854]

More compartments than crew. Lots of space for hammocks...

[Harold Jones]

 

Ask the Japanese about how well putting the crew last worked out.

 

Could you give a clue about their issues?

 

They didn't consider crew comfort (especially enlisted crew) as having much if any importance so going to see for any length of time was a miserable experience. If I remember correctly from what I read, they planned on relatively short periods at sea due to the nature of the war they expected to fight with the US. If I can find the sources I read I'll start another thread and post them.

[rmgill]

And its a fair point. The truth is, we either did that, or we probably wouldnt have an aircraft carrier. The RN would seem to have a problem recruiting enough personnel as it is.

 

I dont disagree as it happens, I think its probably just something that has to be tried, and if it doesn't work out, try and man up accordingly. Ultimately its a problem thats going to have to be resolved sooner or later, as the worlds navies move towards more RPV warships. Which is something the RN has been mooting about, albeit for small expendable vessels.

 

Go to Nepal. Recruit the B-List Ghurkas who didn't make the grade for physical fitness of the Army Gurkhas but make the grade or a higher one for technical aptitude.

[Stuart Galbraith]

Ryan, how many Nepalese do you think are going to be qualified to a technical standard to strip down and rebuild an F35B? For that matter, to operate 21st Warships which must be a rarity in Nepal. They are some absolutely superb people, but lets not pretend their technical base is on the same level to provide people like that. It would be like bringing someone from the 1940s and expecting them grasp the complexities of a B2 stealth bomber. Im sure there ARE people that well qualified in their country, but I have to ask whether we really have a right to be removing them, when they really would do far more good pushing their own country forward.

 

The real problem with recruiting is very simple. We dont pay the services enough money to compete with the private sector. Back in the 1980s it was much more competitive, but like every other Government department they have had their pay held back because of austerity. With time this will probably change, but its not going to change overnight. Ive also read, the deindustrialization of the UK has also had an impact. It proved difficult to recruit the people of the technical standard to build the Astutes. The ones that were, my fathers generation, are rapidly retiring or dying out. Its an issue we go around with importing people from Europe and elsewhere, but now that pool is drying up and there seem no immediate solution to the problem. So anyone with those skills, really has several career opportunities, before they even look at the Royal Navy.

 

All that said, I am optimistic for the future, simply because the arguments ive noted about the security problems we face are also being recognised by those whom make the budgets. All they do now is have to unlock the funds, which at length I believe they will .It just wont be a quick fix.

Edited April 20, 2018 by Stuart Galbraith

[Stuart Galbraith]

Second episode 'In at the deep end'. Im afraid its back to front, possibly if you download you might be able to reverse it, if you cannot find it elsewhere.

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x6idun7

[rmgill]

Ryan, how many Nepalese do you think are going to be qualified to a technical standard to strip down and rebuild an F35B? For that matter, to operate 21st Warships which must be a rarity in Nepal. They are some absolutely superb people, but lets not pretend their technical base is on the same level to provide people like that. It would be like bringing someone from the 1940s and expecting them grasp the complexities of a B2 stealth bomber. Im sure there ARE people that well qualified in their country, but I have to ask whether we really have a right to be removing them, when they really would do far more good pushing their own country forward.

How many British from the council houses are qualified to do a rebuild an F35B? Such qualifications are arrived at by training. Sounds awfully like you think third worlders can't do computers or component swaps or something.

[shep854]

Second episode 'In at the deep end'. Im afraid its back to front, possibly if you download you might be able to reverse it, if you cannot find it elsewhere.

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x6idun7

Reversing the imagery took talent...

[Stuart Galbraith]

Yeah, I cant work out how they did that either. They must have recorded it with mirrors or something.

 

Worth checking on youtube to see if a better version pops up, unfortunately the BBC thought police take it down nearly as quickly. Maybe they have commercial plans for this series.

 

Next week they exercise with the carrier USS George Bush.

[Stuart Galbraith]

[Stuart Galbraith]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SlsPp4I2POU

[shep854]

Yeah, I cant work out how they did that either. They must have recorded it with mirrors or something.

 

Worth checking on youtube to see if a better version pops up, unfortunately the BBC thought police take it down nearly as quickly. Maybe they have commercial plans for this series.

 

Next week they exercise with the carrier USS George Bush.

I checked YouTube, but all I could find were brief news clips.

[Stuart Galbraith]

Ill keep an eye open, it might pop up somewhere. Preferably the right way around.

 

The alternative is to setup an ISP blocker or thrower or whatever they are called, and sign up to BBC Iplayer and watch it on there. I gather doing that is not as easy as it was however.

Edited April 27, 2018 by Stuart Galbraith

[shep854]

No biggie; that's what the shakedown cruise is for

Stethoscopes would have been handy.

Edited April 27, 2018 by shep854

[Stuart Galbraith]

I love the fact they have a chief engineer called Scotty.

[Jeff]

 

 

Ask the Japanese about how well putting the crew last worked out.

 

Could you give a clue about their issues?

 

They didn't consider crew comfort (especially enlisted crew) as having much if any importance so going to see for any length of time was a miserable experience. If I remember correctly from what I read, they planned on relatively short periods at sea due to the nature of the war they expected to fight with the US. If I can find the sources I read I'll start another thread and post them.

 

I remember reading about a US crew taking a Japanese I-400 sub out after WWII for trials and being surprised to find the head was a hole in the deck.

[Jeff]

The UK is a great reminder of just how hard it is to build 1 or a few or a few dozen of something very complicated and then not build them for several years/decades and then try and build them again. They ran into the same thing with submarines. It is a very perishable skill.

[Stuart Galbraith]

Yes, 'The Silent Deep' does a very good job of probing into this very problem, describing loss of skill set, design capability among other things, which required an American team coming in to help design the Astutes. I do wonder if too much has been made of this though. It seems looking at the Vanguards, the last of the class, HMS Vengence, was launched in September 1998. The first Astute was laid down in January 2001. A gap to be sure, but less than 3 years. Hardly enough to create a massive atrophy in sub-building i would have thought.

 

Of course the capability for attack boats was a much wider gap, the last Trafalgar was launched in February 1991, a gap of nearly 10 years.

[Jeff]

Yes, 'The Silent Deep' does a very good job of probing into this very problem, describing loss of skill set, design capability among other things, which required an American team coming in to help design the Astutes. I do wonder if too much has been made of this though. It seems looking at the Vanguards, the last of the class, HMS Vengence, was launched in September 1998. The first Astute was laid down in January 2001. A gap to be sure, but less than 3 years. Hardly enough to create a massive atrophy in sub-building i would have thought.

 

Of course the capability for attack boats was a much wider gap, the last Trafalgar was launched in February 1991, a gap of nearly 10 years.

 

Not all skills are the same and even a gap of a few years can be enough. Are the companies going to pay people to sit around waiting for the next (may never come) contract? Are the workers going to live on assistance while they wait for their skills to be needed again or change to something else and never come back? And at least here, the list of subcontractors is HUGE and they usually have done their part in the construction years before the sub is commissioned. Even EB has had to reconstitute subcontractor skills from time to time and they've never stopped building subs. We are now well along in designing a new SSBN class with large sections of tech taken from the Virginias which we're building at 2-3 subs a year and it's painful getting back in the saddle again. People complain about "make work" on systems during lean years but there's some real merit to keeping skill sets alive. We used to build several jet fighters at the same time and did so with design to service in a few years. Now we build one every generation and we can't get the damn things to work with 15 years of fiddling. Complexity is part of it but a lot of it is just losing the ability to get the damn job done in a reasonable amount of time.

[shep854]

Maintaining worker skills was also used as a reason to keep the Abrams production line active.

[Stuart Galbraith]

Better version of episode 2 last week.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=2667&v=A7Zbdme0Gq8

 

Ill keep an eye open for episode 3 'Out with the old and in with the new'. It has some good footage of the flightdeck fire suppression system, which was pretty interesting, and a visit from a USN Admiral. 'So how does your new car drive?'

[shep854]

Good show, Stuart!!