The Soviet Union Did Have Plans To Build A Supercarrier

Paul Richard Huard, War is Boring: The Soviet Union Tried To Build A Supercarrier

Had she ever sailed, the Soviet supercarrier Ulyanovsk would have been a naval behemoth more than 1,000 feet long, with an 85,000-ton displacement and enough storage to carry an air group of up to 70 fixed and rotary wing aircraft.

With a nuclear-powered engine — and working in conjunction with other Soviet surface warfare vessels and submarines — the supercarrier would have steamed through the oceans with a purpose.

Namely, to keep the U.S. Navy away from the Motherland’s shores.

But the Ulyanovsk is a tantalizing “almost” of history. Moscow never finished the project, because it ran out of money. As the Cold War ended, Russia plunged into years of economic hardship that made building new ships impossible.

WNU Editor: This Russian aircraft carrier was never built because they ran our of money .... that sounds like a familiar story.

The USS Theodore Roosevelt Makes A Visit To England

Daily Mail: 100,000 tons of U.S. firepower too big to dock at Portsmouth: Aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt anchors off Hampshire coast after arriving into UK for five-day visit

* USS Theodore Roosevelt anchored off coast of Hampshire because it was 'too big' to dock at Portsmouth dockyard
* Giant U.S. aircraft carrier, which measures 1,092ft in length, docked off Stokes Bay in Gosport for five-day UK vist
* Thousands of spectators lined banks of River Solent to welcome the aircraft carrier before it heads to Middle East

She weighs in at an impressive 100,000 tons and is longer than The Shard is tall.

And today the mammoth USS Theodore Roosevelt was anchored just off the coast of Hampshire because she was simply 'too big' to sail into the Royal Navy's historic Portsmouth dockyard.

Thousands of stunned spectators jammed roads and lined the banks of the River Solent to welcome the 1,092ft-long floating city as it arrived for a five-day visit to the UK on the first stop of a global deployment.

French Submarine Sinks A US Aircraft Carrier Group During War Games Off Florida

MT @MarineNationale #COMPTUEX du #CSG Theodore Roosevelt : Le #SNA #Saphir en chasse http://t.co/2Gv7BNBKCP pic.twitter.com/1xrGtKyDFr
— Marquis de Seignelay (@FauteuilColbert) February 17, 2015

The Aviationist: U.S. aircraft carrier and part of its escort “sunk” by French submarine during drills off Florida

If you thought aircraft carriers were invincible you were wrong.

On Mar. 4, the French Ministry of Defense released some interesting details, about the activity conducted by one of its nuclear-powered attack submarine (SNA) in the waters of the North Atlantic Ocean.

According to French MoD website (that is no longer online, even if you can still find a cached version of the article titled “Le SNA Saphir en entraînement avec l’US Navy au large de la Floride”), the Saphir submarine has recently taken part in a major exercise with the U.S. Navy off Florida.

WNU Editor: I am sure this raised a few eyebrows .... in the Pentagon, France, other defense ministries. I would also love to know who ordered the deletion of this news on the French MoD website .... was it U.S. pressure?

More News On A French Submarine 'Sinking' A US Aircraft Carrier Group During Wargames

French Submarine 'Sinks' Entire US Aircraft Carrier Group During Wargames -- Sputnik
French delete evidence US carrier was 'sunk' by sub in drill -- RT
French Submarine Sinks US Aircraft Carrier During Drills -- MINA

Top 10: Carrier Deck Mishaps

WNU Editor: Ouch! But on a more serious note here is a good discussion on the future of aircraft carriers .... The Carrier Debate (Information Dissemination).

A 'Glimpse' At China's Future Aircraft Carriers

Have We Just Glimpsed China’s Vision of Future Aircraft Carrier Designs? -- Andrew S. Erickson

Andrew S. Erickson, “Have We Just Glimpsed China’s Vision of Future Aircraft Carrier Designs?” China Analysis from Original Sources 以第一手资料研究中国 (6 December 2014).

A high-caliber model manufacturer may just have provided a unique glimpse into the Chinese vision of aircraft carriers to come. To stimulate discussion in China-watching circles, it is useful to assess the commercial enterprise’s three new indigenous carrier models critically and consider their possible significance before watching for other indicators of how things will ultimately unfold in reality. At very least, this offers a great solution for last-minute holiday gift shopping.

The dimensions and specifications of China’s first aircraft carrier CV16 (Liaoning) are well-known. Based on the Russian Project 11436 hull Varyag, it was long visible under refitting in Dalian Naval Shipyard before finally going to sea in 2011.

Read more ....

My Comment: I am willing to bet that they already have the plans for this type of aircraft carrier .... and it is something "like this" that will be sailing on the oceans (probably) within 20 to 30 years.

For The First Time Since The End Of The Second World War There Will Be No U.S. Aircraft Carriers In East Asian Waters (For About 4 Months)

The aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan travels through the Pacific Ocean with other ships assigned to the Rim of the Pacific 2010 exercise, north of Hawaii, July 24, 2010. U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Dylan McCord

East Asian Waters To Be US Aircraft Carrier-Free For A Time -- Nikkei Asian Review

TOKYO -- Defense policymakers in Japan and the U.S. are privately voicing concern about the total absence of U.S. aircraft carriers from East Asian waters for four months next year.

Budget constraints at home, combined with the rise of the Islamic State group in the Middle East, are limiting the American fleet's ability to operate in Asia. Temporarily at least, not a single aircraft carrier will be deployed in East Asia.

Japanese and U.S. officials fear having no U.S. carriers, which have long been the bedrock of the region's stability, could tempt North Korea and China to take advantage of the power vacuum to initiate a military adventure.

Read more ....

My Comment: The wrong message to send to countries like North Korea, China, etc.. But here is an easy prediction .... this four-month absence of U.S. aircraft carriers will probably prompt Japan to start developing its own fleet of aircraft carriers .... and fast.

Are U.S. Aircraft Carriers Too Big To Fail?

The Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) transits up the Elizabeth River as it passes the downtown Norfolk waterfront after completing a successful and on-time six-month Planned Incremental Availability at the Norfolk Naval Shipyard in Portsmouth, VA. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Tyler Folnsbee/Released)

The U.S. Military's Ultimate Fear: Are Aircraft Carriers Too Big To Fail? -- Henry Holst, National Interest

Various defense pundits, scholars, and journalists have spent a considerable amount of digital ink debating the various threats to America’s carrier fleet while avoiding a more central question. In the cliché phrase of our time: Are carriers too big to fail? Clausewitz tells us, “war is the continuation of politics by other means.” Is there any political situation of such gravity that losing a carrier would be deemed an acceptable risk? In other words, how expendable are carriers? The answer to this question has large implications for the tactical and strategic options available to U.S. policymakers.

Total security from all risk is impossible. The aircraft carrier is not invulnerable to attack. The new U.S. Ford-class aircraft carrier will be a floating home to over 4,000 sailors and comes in at the hefty price tag of around $12 billion dollars. In light of the development and proliferation of anti-access/area-denial (A2/AD) weaponry, does this enormous investment of human resources narrow U.S. tactical and strategic options? What are the implications of the sinking of a U.S. carrier?

Read more ....

My Comment: In a hypothetical major war against China .... my prediction is that U.S. carriers will stay far away from China's shores .... or they may actually stay in port. Everyone knows too well that the sinking of a U.S. carrier would be a terrible blow .... both to the country's morale and to the perception of the U.S. in the eyes of the rest of the world. Keeping them far away from the conflict zone and/or having them stay in U.S. waters will decrease the possibility of a successful attack against a carrier strike group .... but it will also raise other questions .... like why did we spend all of this money to have a carrier groups .... but we are too afraid to use them.