The US Navy is based on several "whales" - large series of ships of the same type (which, of course, does not exclude the appearance of experimental "white elephants" or making adjustments to the project, after the first units of the series were launched).
For example, the only mass-produced aircraft carrier is the Nimitz. The construction of 10 ships took 40 years, which entailed some differences between the original project and the last unit of the series (in total, the Nimitz have 3 modifications).
The only type of nuclear-powered multipurpose submarines is Los Angeles (series - 62 units, the only modification is Improved Los Angeles).
The only type of strategic nuclear submarine missile carriers is Ohio (18 units, 4 of them under the START Treaty were converted into cruise missile carriers - 154 Tomahawks in 22 missile silos + a module for combat swimmers at the site of the two missile silos closest to the wheelhouse).
3 main types of surface ships - frigate Oliver Hazard Perry (71 units, of which 51 are for the US Navy, there is a modification with a “long” hull), Aegis cruiser Ticonderoga (27 units, 2 modifications) and Aegis destroyer Orly Burke (62 units, 3 modifications). The destroyer largely repeats the Ticonderoga, being identical to the cruiser in a number of important parameters (we will talk more about this today). Modifications of surface ships usually do not affect the shipbuilding part of the original project, the structure of the hull and the power plant - they are limited only to the replacement of auxiliary systems (installation / dismantling of cranes for loading ammunition, new self-defense air defense systems, installation of helicopter hangars on the deck, etc.).
This approach dramatically reduces the cost of maintaining the fleet and simplifies the maintenance of ships. For example, all frigates, destroyers and cruisers are equipped with the same power plant! (only for the frigate the number of turbines was reduced to 2 instead of 4 on the destroyers, the rest of the GTUs are identical).
Naturally, the process of rearmament is constantly underway, new types of ships are serving on an equal basis with the old ones. Very often, when the number of "newcomers" reaches a certain limit, all "veterans" are removed from the fleet, because they are inferior to the new class in terms of combat capabilities, while seriously complicating the operation of the fleet. Among the promising recruits of the US Navy, we can mention the new multipurpose nuclear submarines of the Virginia type (8 units in the fleet, a total of 30 planned) and the coastal zone warship of the LCS type (a completely new class of naval weapons that combines the capabilities of corvettes, minesweepers and landing craft). The Littoral Combat Ship is being built on two projects at once. But despite the fact that Lockheed Martin's LCS are single-hull ships, and the General Dynamics project is a trimaran, they are structurally very similar to each other, have equal performance characteristics and weapons.
As for the main heroes of our today's story, they will be destroyers of the "Spruence" type. This project is the foundation of the modern American navy and rivals the emergence of the Nimitz-class nuclear-powered aircraft carriers in importance.
Cornucopia
By the beginning of the 1970s, the following situation had developed in the US Navy: there were about 30 cruisers with guided missile weapons (5 of which were nuclear) in the operational composition of the fleet. All of them were essentially escort ships with pronounced air defense skills. Their displacement, with the exception of 4 large cruisers of the Albany and Long Beach types, was limited to 7 … 9 thousand tons, which corresponded rather to a large destroyer. In addition to this armada, 4 more nuclear-powered URO cruisers of a new type were built. In general, this situation suited the command of the Navy, and more, with all the desire, the admirals could no longer afford.
Also, the naval forces had 46 Knox-class frigates, which had solid anti-submarine capabilities, but unimportant (due to their small size) seaworthiness and were defenseless from air attacks. Admirals increasingly thought about the possibility of replacing them.
Another touch to the picture of the American navy in those years was the Charles F. Adams-class destroyers. The project of the late 50s was laid by a series of 23 units, which performed well in operation and served until the mid-90s. Armament "Adams" combined both new missile systems (SAM "Tartar" and PLUR "ASROC"), and good old universal artillery - 2 five-inch Mk-42. The only major drawback, according to the sailors, was the lack of space to accommodate the ship's helicopter. Despite its rather high performance, by the mid-70s the Adams were undoubtedly already an obsolete type of ship. In the future, the backlog increased, and any modernization of the 4500-ton destroyers was not possible due to their small size.
The only thing that the Americans really lacked was a large universal destroyer, which was capable of providing anti-submarine defense of surface ships' formations, tracking enemy ships, and, if necessary, blocking the sea area or supporting the landing of troops with fire. The command of the Navy treated the project of the new super-destroyer favorably (the decision to build 30 units of the series was made even BEFORE the tests of the new ship!), They did not spare funds for the program to create a new destroyer, crazy geniuses were also available. In such conditions, wunderwales similar to the B-2 Spirit are usually born, but at that time the Americans were lucky - the destroyer, named Spruence, turned out to be really good, together with its numerous "relatives" became the most numerous type of warship in history with a displacement of more 5000 tons.
The total displacement of the destroyer is 9000 tons. The Spruance's hull had a classic shape for American warships, with a forecastle, a clipper nose and a transom stern, extended aft. Often criticized for its bulky and static layout, the Spruence, thanks to these design solutions, had a significant advantage: the "straight" shape of the superstructure and the presence of a long forecastle, which made all the decks of the destroyer parallel to the structural waterline, radically simplified the installation and operation of the equipment.
"Spruance" was created under the influence of the "stealth" fashion, which led to increased attention to reducing the level of electromagnetic fields and acoustic noise. In addition to noise-absorbing coatings and covers of mechanisms, the ship used such unusual systems as PRARIE (it supplies air through the holes of the incoming edges of the blades and around the propeller hub) and Masker (to level the acoustic noise caused by the friction of the underwater part of the hull against the water, the system supplies air through holes located in the plane of the frames).
The General Electric gas turbine power plant, a combination of four LM2500 turbines, provided an output of 80,000 hp. with. The time required to reach full power from a cold start is estimated at 12-15 minutes. The service life of the turbine is 30,000 hours. The highly automated power plant is equipped with a self-test system and automatic interlock to prevent accidents in the event of auxiliary equipment malfunction. Specific fuel consumption at full power - 190 g / hp. in hour. In this mode, the Spruance's cruising range was 3300 nautical miles at a speed of 30 knots. In the economic mode, a cruising range of 6,000 nautical miles at 20 knots was achieved.
In terms of structural protection, the ship had local armor of 25 mm aluminum-magnesium alloys to protect the most vulnerable compartments and equipment. All important waveguides and cable routes were enclosed in armored channels. Structural protection of combat posts was additionally provided with layers of Kevlar.
The ship's hull was divided into 13 watertight compartments, and the insulating bulkheads between the fire zones in the superstructure were designed for 30 minutes of exposure to open flames.
Open fire
We come to the most interesting moment - the peculiarities of the Spruance's weapons. At first, it did not arouse interest among foreign specialists, moreover, Soviet experts considered the ship's armament to be unacceptably weak and, simply put, disgusting.
Judge for yourself - on the spacious decks of a huge 9000-ton ship, the 8-charge launcher for launching ASROC anti-submarine rocket torpedoes was bored alone. At the stern, a "box" of the "Sea Sparrow" self-defense missile launcher was quietly hidden, designed for only 8 anti-aircraft missiles (+16 missiles in the missile cellar, effective firing range - 20 … 30 km). The dreary picture was a little brightened up by 2 newest 127 mm Mk-45 naval guns (with a lightweight design and a single-gun turret made of reinforced aluminum). A more attentive observer could have noticed the hatchways on the sides of the destroyer for firing Mk-32 anti-submarine torpedoes (total ammunition - 14 torpedoes) and the Falanxes' radio-transparent hoods at the corners of the superstructure. Perhaps the main "highlight" of the "Spruence" was a gorgeous hangar, which housed two SH-60 helicopters at once. The helipad, located in the middle of the ship, close to the geometric center of the hull, significantly improved landing conditions (the amplitude of oscillations of the ship's hull in the vertical plane is much less here than in the stern).
In any case, the weapon of the "Spruance" was INcomparable with the weapon systems of Soviet missile cruisers and large anti-submarine ships, rebalanced in terms of firepower. The contemporaries of "Spruence" - BOD pr. 1134B "Berkut-B", was equipped with 4 anti-aircraft missile systems, including the medium-range air defense system "Storm" with ammunition of 80 missiles and a powerful complex of anti-submarine rocket torpedoes "Blizzard", with a range of PLUR - up to 50 km, for comparison - the first versions of the American ASROC (Anti-Submarine Rocket) flew only 9 km. Of course, there is an objective explanation for such a five-fold difference - the Americans believed (and still believe that the flight range of the modern version of ASROC-VL is limited to 12 … 15 km) that it makes no sense to increase the range of anti-submarine missile systems more than 10 miles - all the same for a greater the range of the sonar station's power is not enough to ensure accurate target designation, and since the submarine cannot be detected, what is the point of shooting so far? As a result, the American sailors preferred to save on the size of the anti-submarine complex: the ASROC launch weight does not exceed 450 … 600 kg, while that of the Blizzard reached 4 tons!
It can be argued that the Americans do not have powerful GAS like our "Polino", which, under favorable conditions, in some sectors of the survey is able to "grope" an underwater target at a distance of 40 … 50 km. On the other hand, rather than mounting a huge GAS weighing 800 tons (!) And the same cyclopean PLUR, it is much easier and more efficient to lift a pair of anti-submarine helicopters with torpedoes on board into the air and check the direction of interest at a distance of one hundred kilometers from the ship.
The only thing that domestic experts and analysts did not take into account when assessing the "Spruence" was the margin of safety and stability, as well as the reserved volumes of the destroyer hull, intended to accommodate advanced weapon systems. Already in the early 80s, 7 "Spruens" were armed with cruise missiles "Tomahawk", placed in two armored box launchers ALB (Armored Launch Box) in the bow of the destroyers, ammunition - 8 "Tomahawks". Around the same time, the Harpoon anti-ship missiles entered service, making the destroyers truly versatile ships.
Finally, the US Navy adopted the Mk-41 universal vertical launcher. The long-awaited "toy" immediately took its place in the bow of the "Spruens", where a place was prudently left for it. Of the 64 cells of the launcher, 3 were given under a crane for loading ammunition, the remaining 61 could receive missiles in any proportion. The destroyer's typical ammunition consisted of 16 ASROCs and 45 Tomahawks, which provided the Spruence with exceptional striking power. Also, during the modernization, a 21-charge SeaRAM self-defense air defense missile system was mounted next to the stern gun. The destroyer is fully "formed". But this was only the first stage of evolution.
Thirty-one warships of the "Spruance" class have served their deadline without comment, having taken part in all armed conflicts of the 80s - 90s. At the moment, one of the destroyers has been turned into a training ship, the rest have taken a "heroic" death - they were sunk during exercises as targets, and the destroyer "Arthur Redford" ended her career as an artificial reef.
The Spruance became the base for two types of warships - the Kidd-class destroyer and the Ticonderoga-class missile cruiser.
The 4 Kidd-class destroyers are a complete copy of the Spruence, the only difference being the Mk-26 double-boom launchers, instead of the usual ASROC and SeaSparrow “boxes”. "Kiddas" were created by order of the Iranian Navy, but after the Islamic Revolution, the contract was canceled and all 4 ships became part of the US Navy. Sold to Taiwan after 25 years of service under the Stars and Stripes. They are still in the ranks under the designation "Ki Lun".
Ticonderogs
In 1983, a new type of warship entered the vastness of the World Ocean, outwardly almost indistinguishable from the well-known Spruance. At the stern, a huge banner fluttered in the wind "Stand by admiral Gorshkov:" Aegis "- at sea!" (Watch out for Admiral Gorshkov! Aegis at sea!) It was the missile cruiser Ticonderoga, equipped with the Aegis (Aegis) combat information and control system. Structurally, the "Taikonderoga" was a "Spruance" with a modified superstructure (on the outer surfaces of which the "grids" of the AN / SPY-1 phased radar were now mounted.
The main weapon of the ship was the Standard-2 anti-aircraft missiles (Medium Range and Extended Range). Keeping the basic dimensions of the Spruance, the Ticonderoga, nevertheless, thanks to the Aegis system, was promoted to a cruiser. The first five ships, in addition to the standard set of weapons "Spruens", were equipped with universal launchers Mk-26. The sixth, Bunker Hill, and all subsequent ships, received the Mk-41 UVP - 122 launch cells capable of accepting Standard-2, Sea Sparrow, ESSM (Evolved Sea Sparrow Missle), anti-satellite missiles (marine element ABM) Standard-3, advanced SAM Standard-6, Tomahawk cruise missiles, ASROC anti-submarine PLUR … The number of Ticonderoga-class cruisers is 27 units. 22 of them are in the current composition of the fleet and will remain in it until 2020.
Orly Burke
Nothing lasts forever under this sky. The Spruance was supposed to make way for new ships, but what should a modern destroyer-class ship look like? The customer - the US Navy - gave a clear answer to this: the destroyer should have 2/3 of the price of Ticonderogi and 3/4 of the cruiser capabilities.
The Orly Burke-class Aegis destroyer was the final chord of the Spruance's long history of modernization. In technical terms, this is in many ways a different ship - with an all-steel hull, stealth elements and a modified layout. Nevertheless, the Orly Burke is another representative of the Spruence family. Why do I think so?
First, it is the cruiser Ticonderoga (i.e."Spruance") was chosen as the base point in the design of the Orly Burke.
Secondly, a very important point: "Spruance" and "Orly Burke" have the same power plant and weapons complex. The shape of the body also reminds of a close relationship: again a long forecastle, a clipper nose …
If we are talking about the "Orly Burks", it is necessary to mention their numerous Japanese and South Korean clones - URO destroyers of the Atago, Congo and King Shojong the Great types. These ships are also part of the giant Spruance family.
What is the bottom line?
The construction of ships of the "corvette" and "frigate" classes has intensified at Russian shipyards. Therefore, it is quite logical to expect an early laying of destroyers. What will be the promising Russian destroyer? In my opinion, domestic shipbuilders had enough time to study the experience of the US Navy in this area. Undoubtedly, many of the ideas implemented in the Spruance project deserve attention. Standardization and unification (including with ships of other classes), carefully designed BIUS, universal underdeck launchers … There are already some advances - the domestic universal firing system UKSK and the Caliber family of missiles. The main thing is not to repeat past mistakes and do everything on time - after all, the modern world is similar to the fairy tale "Alice in Wonderland" - "you must run to stay in place, and to move forward, you must run twice as fast."
