kzt wrote:JeffEngel wrote:Ranging out further - Do you suppose conventional DN/SD scale CLAC's could benefit from being built around LAC bays in the core that open up through one or both hammerheads, instead of the sides? Or in addition to them? If you wanted a tougher CLAC that perhaps sacrifices launch speed and LAC complement, a core bay approach would let you armor up the sides and slather on point defenses there. You'd have the usual podlayer problem in case of a shot through the access. That access would be a lot wider for LAC's than for pods, but on the other hand, once you launch the LAC's, you can shut it and keep it shut til they come home.
Odd that you should mention that...
David had a post here a year or three ago about a design for a fleet CLAC that was designed to operate in direct support of a wall.
IIRC, the RMN was going to go to two types of CLACs, one very similar to the current model, just maybe bigger. The second was designed to closely support a fleet in heavy missile combat, so it was armored and designed to rapidly rearm LACs.
Can't remember how detailed he got, but sure this was after the great purge, so it should still be searchable.
Right, I recall that from a Fifth Imperium infodump. I'd figured the wall CLAC's were still built with broadside bays - they were to be better defended, perhaps at the expense of LAC capacity, but you may get that with (e.g.) thicker armor between LAC bays, more active defenses, more EW, or even going to much deeper armor and LAC bays buried deep inside the hull, so that you wouldn't in cross section have port external surface/port LAC bay/starboard LAC bay/starboard exterior, but instead port exterior/port-opening LAC bay/starboard exterior, then behind it port exterior/starboard-opening LAC bay/starboard exterior. (That last is what I'd figure you'd almost have to do for a realistic BC-scale CLAC.)
Brigade XO wrote:When you start talking about using multiple internal hangers, launching through the/a hammerhead and landing through another, you are sliding over into the Glactica or "through deck" carrier (Galactica had two hanger bays and a lateral series of launch ports, one set on each side and held off the main ship body)
You really would want to avoid that in the Honrorverse for at least 2 reasons: 1) you don't want to "land" damaged lack -with or without ordence - inside the armor of a CLAC or even just in the core of an unarmored ship. 2) In the Honoverse you don'the force-screening to allow the LACs to land into a breathable atmosphere and let crew work on them in the shirt-sleeve environment a large internal hanger bay imply (you also don't have the Star Treck type force screen)
As I recall, essentialy the CLACS have a lot of small hangers arranged along the broadsides of the ship which will let the LACs dock and internal work/rearmin done in interior conditions with the bay open or closed to space as situations dictate. Minor exterior work might be done by closing exterior bay door(s) and providing atmosphear or having someone go EVA in the bay. Major work is going to be handled in dedicated repair bays.
Good point. I suppose you could get a fair measure of protection with the internal armoring scheme around the core, but that that point, you've lost all hope of conserving space with the core hangar concept.
That does bring up another idea (poor thread topic, all lost out there) - Podlayers. They've got a couple defensive problems. First, those shots in the core hurt badly, both for the damage where they are tender and the chances of messing up a single critical hatch. Second, capacitor-fed pods when hit can go boom, very violently, and in that exposed area.
Why not design podlayers for broadside pod launching, like LAC's from CLAC's (for a larger "munition") or conventional warships (for a smaller one)? The pod launchers may be fed from a central pod magazine (I'd assume so, in fact), but instead of going out one critical aft hatch, get fed out one of many broadside hatches. If one goes, the feed system could presumably deliver them out another, though it would reduce the rate you could fling them out. The pods when charging would be in individual or small group armored cells (either the pod launcher itself or an adjacent chamber), so if one goes boom, the explosion can be somewhat contained. You wouldn't have to worry about armoring the outside and an exposed core, just the outside complete with hatches.
And if that would work, it may make for a much more viable BC(P) too, able to take hits like a Nike and still drop pods like an Agamemnon (though trading rate of pod launch for deeper pod capacity would be a sensible move there).
