The Ship Model Forum

What will future replenishment ships (Oilers, Ammo ships, etc.) look like? How will they be developed? What new methods of replenishment for Naval vessels will be used? Feel free to discuss and share all info. here.

Introducing the Lewis and Clark Class Dry Cargo Ship. One stop shopping: AFS, and AE all in one. Kaiser AO still carry the lions share of Navy Distillate and JP5. After the Cole attack A fuel bunker was added. The 4 Supply class AOE are in commission, and a new AOE(X) is somewhere in the procurement cycle.



Maximum Dry cargo weight: 5,910 Long tons
Maximum Dry cargo Volume 783,000 cubic feet
Not exactly dry:
Maximum Cargo Fuel weight: 2,350 long tons
Maximum Cargo Fuel Volume: 18,000 barrels or 2,900 cubic meters

Also has potable and non-potable fresh water. Frozen food, ammunition, and lots of other stuff.
Class got off to a rough start, but ships are working fine now.

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║ Seasick║
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Seasick hit the the basics, The big thing I think the USN needs to focus on is reestablishing the concept of replenishment groups which are escorted. CLF ships are certainly a juicy target in war time, and incredibly vulnerable to terrorist attack the way we do business now.

I think the Germans have a great idea in including repair capability and cranes in their Berlin and Elbe class ships. The USN has walked away from repair ships.

Future technology? I think we are more likely to see an evolution, rather than new technology. The whole sea basing idea seems to have merit, but that is more about power projection and disaster relief, not underway replenishment. The USN needs to use heavy lift helicopters (H-53s, H-47s, perhaps even a modernized H-54, or the foreign 101) instead of H-60s for VERTREP. It may also be possible to employ hybrid air vehicles (rigid airships with lifting aerodynamics) to extend range and payload.

AOE(X) at 50K+ tons seems to be too big. Two smaller AOE would be more expensive to build, man and operate, but could conduct the actual replenishment task faster: 4 ships could be alongside 2 ships, rather than 2 ships alongside one, and the loss of a single ship would not be so catastrophic.

If you have a collection of modern warships its incomplete without modern logistics ships. I'm waiting for trumpeter to ship a T-AKE-1 class kit even if I wait years.

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║ Seasick║
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I guess they'd look more stealthy to begin with. Not sure how they can make that RAS equipment and fueling dericks more stealthy, but for sure there is a way.
If I remember correctly the Dutch have some stealthified replenisher already. The Amsterdam class has a stealthified aft part, eventhough she's already built back in 1995. The forward superstructure was left old-style though.
Even the Soviets had the Berezina with some sloped parts and Obvious care for stealth in its design. The cranes and demands on that ship did make an overall less stealthy ship.
I don't really see any big changes coming though. They still have the same requirements of speed versus storage capacity.
I guess going more towards an LPD design would be an option, much like a converted San Antonio (again) or De Witt/Rotterdam/Galicia design. The only problem there is that you're practically not allowed to have accomodation on top of cargo tanks (fuel). I'm not sure if that requirement is currently present on Naval ships, but if it is, an LPD with a big accomodation like Rotterdam would be a impossible.
I'm talking of making the well deck closed to mount perhaps a differnt propulsion and use it for fuel tanks. Use the excess of accomodation (for marines and landing party) into storage capacity for ammo/dry stores and keep the huge hangar for a good amount of helos. with the stores stored in front and perhaps one level on top of that hangar.
Making sloped sides on the hull of a replenisher Always makes you lose cargo capacity unless you go for a double sided ship with ballast tanks on the sides, as done on some ships nowadays.
I think the Dutch are currenlty designing something like a mixed replenishment/LPD with both capacities in one ship.

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The merchant shipyard