Beyond The Sprues
Current and Finished Projects => Physical Models => Sea => Topic started by: Alvis 3.1 on February 01, 2014, 03:24:16 PM
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In the late 1970s, forward thinking Soviet Naval officers began to realise the potential benefits of "Force projection", but how would they ever break the stranglehold the imperialists had with their supercarrier battlegroups? One of their intrepid admirals pushed through a pet project of his: the Submersible Carrier. It was hoped to not only break the Soviet Union into worldwide naval force projection, but would once again catapult them into the technological lead.
Using the basic hull (albeit a bit stretched) of the upcoming "Typhoon" class missile subs, the Project 344 would carry a complement of 8 Yak 141s and a single Kamov Ka-32 helicopter. This eliminated the potential of at least 32 MIRV capable SLBMs, for a minimal weapons carrying capacity at a very short range.
After a protracted development the Project 344 set sail on August 11, 1990, and began her shake-down cruise. A single Yak 38 was carried aboard to test the launching and recovery capabilities, and it was found that basic takeoffs and landings were fairly straightforward, but no weapons were carried. The deteriorating economic and political situation at home caused the cruise to be cut short, and the Project 344 was tied up in Vladivostok on August 23, 1990, never to set sail again.
While officially never named, the Type 344 was most likely to be named after a famous Soviet Arctic explorer, Admiral Phrozenutov, best known for his repeated attempts to sled to the North Pole, and to discover a direct link from Moscow to the Pacific. He got lost twice in Gorky Park during vicious snowstorms, and was forced to eat his sled dogs to survive. It is unknown how somebody with such poor navigation skills was able to rise to the rank of Admiral in the Soviet Navy...
The colossal cost overruns for developing such an ambitious project helped to bring about the economic collapse of the Soviet Union. Long believed scrapped, recent information has come to light that it was quietly sold to China, who promised to develop it as a deep sea tourist liner.
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g102/Alvis3_1/AlvisStuff0013_zps44320a13.jpg) (http://s54.photobucket.com/user/Alvis3_1/media/AlvisStuff0013_zps44320a13.jpg.html)
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g102/Alvis3_1/AlvisStuff0012_zps8364277d.jpg) (http://s54.photobucket.com/user/Alvis3_1/media/AlvisStuff0012_zps8364277d.jpg.html)
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g102/Alvis3_1/Frozedeck_zps733b1d09.jpg) (http://s54.photobucket.com/user/Alvis3_1/media/Frozedeck_zps733b1d09.jpg.html)
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g102/Alvis3_1/AlvisStuff0014_zpsc9dd887b.jpg) (http://s54.photobucket.com/user/Alvis3_1/media/AlvisStuff0014_zpsc9dd887b.jpg.html)
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g102/Alvis3_1/Image018_zps7e14a4e8.jpg) (http://s54.photobucket.com/user/Alvis3_1/media/Image018_zps7e14a4e8.jpg.html)
I used two Dragon 1/350 Typhoon subs to make this. The ski ramp was built up with sheet styrene. The planes were from Trumpeter, and the little peoples are from Fujimi.
I got the idea from a video game in 1989, called "F-18" It was an Amiga system game, and involved defending San Francisco from various attacks, one of which was from a submarine carrier off the coast. I always wanted to make something like it, and the idea began to percolate...
Alvis 3.1
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WOW what a build. Love how you did what no model company stepped up to do :-*
Never heard of project 344 ??? Learn many things here at BTS.
Considering so little reference material available from time of economic collapse of the Soviet Union; congrats on your research as well as build :)
Knew zilch about Soviet admirals but now have a start !
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Looks great. Nice work
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Wow! I mean, seriously WOW!!! :) :)
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Yet another Wowser !!!!!!!!!!!!!! :-* :-* :-* :-*
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Great work, love it :-*
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What he said....... Wow!!
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Glad you re-posted this beast! Its still awesome and I love the working elevator :)
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I'll make it a third on "WOW!!" That an awesomely gorgeous piece of work. I can just see a US/British equivalent using Harriers and Skyhook on a stretched Ohio-class hull.
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best thing I've seen done with this kit yet - very well done!
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Now build a 1:1 scale and set it loose in the Victoria inner harbour one foggy morning. ;)
Excellent work Alvis.
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Build one ten feet long and set it loose on the fishermen at the local lake!
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OMG! LOL! YGSM! LOL!
An absolute scream and a whiff wonder to behold!
Now I need to clean off this monitor. I really should know better than to drink coffee while checking out the latest Alvis creation!
Brian da Basher
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But: how to land?
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But: how to land?
Vertically, of course!
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Nice. Looks like Jack Ryan missed one coming out of the barn!
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I have no WORDS!!! :) :) :) :) :) :-*
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Nice. Looks like Jack Ryan missed one coming out of the barn!
The model proudly rests on Admiral Greer's office mantleplace... so no, Sir Jack didn't miss one coming out of the barn. :)
Great model, great concept. Would make a good companion for one of the Soviet's proposed submersible landing ships.
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O.k, vertically..., but then: why to start conventually?
(Yes, theoretical questions..., nevertheless: a rrreally good job!)
Norbert
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O.k, vertically..., but then: why to start conventually?
(Yes, theoretical questions..., nevertheless: a rrreally good job!)
Norbert
Because a STOVL mission profile enables the carriage of a larger fuel and weapons load, the load fractions are
far smaller in a pure VTOL mission. Plus in VTOL mode you double the jet-blast wear on the deck structure, it's
exposed to the full engine efflux at both ends of the sortie.
Ski-jump takeoff and skyhook recovery would be a hypothetical best setup.
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Thank you, jcf, now I see the advantages of STOVL.
Honestly, I'd hadn't the problems of load-capacity by VTOL in my mind.
Norbert
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Cool concept, nicely done.