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Subcontracting The US Navy Of Tomorrow
(original opinion)At the height of its 19th Century power, the British Navy would, as necessary, comandeer private ships for military purposes. Even as late as WWII, the US Navy would, as circumstances warranted, do the same. But today, with the impending retirement of the battleship, and the DD(X) destroyer many years away, a significant gap in naval firepower will exist for several dangerous years. Perhaps it is time for private enterprise to step forward and fill the gap. That is, some wealthy individual could have a private battleship built, with the express purpose of renting it to the Navy if and when they just had to have such a ship. Reasonably armored, and with a fast and powerful engine, a private battleship acts solely as a platform for 16" guns. It would not have to stay at sea when not being rented, and it does not have to contend with the possibility of fighting other battleships. It is strictly to attack targets on land with effective, long-range firepower. Such a ship would weigh far less, not needing heavily armored turrets. It wouldn't need the exceptional electronics and guided missiles and other such bells & whistles that the US Navy insists having on in its ships. In fact, its mission would be simple. Just steam to a destination, then fire "x" number of 16" rounds at designated targets, then go home. Other than that, protected against exocet-style missiles and able to stand off small raiders, it would be an unimpressive, low-tech ship. With modern design, it is likely that its 16" guns and their ammo would be significanly improved over their WWII counterparts. Of course, the ammo would be retained in government custody until needed. The cost of such ship could perhaps be as little as $100 Million. Its value would be so great that even in peacetime, they could rent it for $100 Million a mission. 100% return on its second mission. Navy procurement rules be damned. The owner could build the ship to any specifications he liked. And if the Navy didn't like the finished product, no problem. The owner could wait until the Navy's priorities changed, and they desperately needed what he had to rent. Posted by: Anonymoose 2005-12-16 |
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