by Hall, Gerald
We want to send rockets to the Moon and beyond. We know that in Father’s time, there were people willing to do anything to stop advanced space travel. How can we assume that eventually there will not be similar groups in our timeline as well? It would do well for our security if we could ensure that we had an effective air defense network here.” Beatrice insisted.
“Would we market these missiles only to the Australian Army, Beatrice?” Judith asked.
“We could, if we wanted to. But I would also suggest that we propose the same system to England, at least. They already use the CMS-2 and CMS-3 missiles systems on their naval vessels. It would only make sense to adapt that technology for land-based systems as well. All of this would save money in the long run for both ourselves and our customers. This is money that we can ultimately reinvest in our space projects. Doesn’t that make sense to all of you?” Beatrice vigorously replied.
“Actually, it does. Security for our space launch facilities is very important for us to achieve our father’s goals. But we still do need to try to focus less on our military production. There is no guarantee that there will be a market for it. By the same token, we should still continue an adequate amount of research and development on military projects or at least on those technologies that are potentially dual-use in nature. This way, we can take that technology, that is appropriate, can be quickly be translated into production items.
Certainly, the rocket technology that we are developing for our guided missiles can be considered dual-use in some aspects. It also can be employed in certain space launch vehicle elements at the same time. But this does not apply to everything that we do. We also need to continue to take great care in who will have access to advanced technologies, whether it is for military purposes or if it merely might be applied to such an end. OK?” Judith explained.
“Fair Dinkum. It does make sense to go ahead with the development of the land-based versions of the CMS-2 and CMS-3. I’m all for it. After all, the Germans have been fielding land-based surface-to-air missiles since shortly after the armistice. The British military does need its own equivalents to help defend the Home Islands in the event that there is another war in Europe.” James agreed.
Chapter Eight:
Admiralty Headquarters
Whitehall, London
March 4, 1955
Tom Franklin had been preparing to present the latest proposal from the British subsidiary of Cavill Industries to the Royal Navy. Like most nations, work in the defense and shipbuilding industries was becoming quite scarce. But the management in London had received instructions directly from the late Harold Cavill’s children. They were to put together an offer that the Royal Navy could not refuse. Along with those instructions came a few ‘suggestions’ along with diagrams and technical specifications on equipment that Cavill Industries was in the final stages of development. Eric and the red-haired young man standing there with him were waiting now for their scheduled meeting with the civilian head of the Royal Navy. Both men each carried a large cardboard tube full of blueprints and other printed media.
“Mr. Franklin, you and your companion please do come in.” Lord Louis Mountbatten, First Sea Lord told his visitors from Cavill Industries. The head of the Royal Navy had been quite intrigued by a written proposal that Cavill Industries had sent regarding the modernization of the fleet. This was of particular interest to the First Sea Lord in view of the dramatic reduction in the number of ships in the Royal Navy after the end of the Second World War. Cavill Industries had sent their senior engineer from their London office to meet with Lord Mountbatten and provide additional details about the proposal.
“I understand that Cavill Industries has purchased the old Vosper shipyards at Portchester and incorporated it into your overall industrial conglomerate?” Mountbatten asked.
“Yes, Sir. We have already started to expand the facilities there at Portchester. We also have a controlling interest in the John I. Thornycroft & Company facilities. In both cases, we are providing significant financial support to both keep these companies viable but also to make it possible for them to work on much larger vessels. We believe that they will provide the Royal Navy with services and facilities that will allow the service to affordably update their current vessels.” Tom quickly replied.
“It’s a good thing that you want to specialize in refitting existing ships rather than building new ones. I don’t that the Admiralty is in any position to order any new vessels for quite some time. Even so, the Exchequer will be quite reluctant to spend large sums of public funds on vessels that many people consider to be relics of a bygone era, Mr. Franklin.”
“I’m sure they would be under ordinary circumstances. But these are most certainly not ordinary circumstances. This is why I brought with me someone to help explain the situation from our perspective a little better.
This is James Cavill, Harold Cavill’s son. His presence should be a symbol of just how important this is to us.” Eric said as he stepped aside for the young Cavill to step forward, hand outstretched.
“I am very pleased to meet you, Mister Cavill. I’m sorry that I had not recognized you right away. I had met with your father a couple of times during the war. His help was invaluable in helping upgrade our defenses in time for the war with the Axis.”
“Thank you, Sir. My father simply wanted to ensure that as few people died as possible while the threat from the Axis was dealt with. After that, his wish was for a more peaceful, prosperous and just world to flourish along with the freedom that humanity needed so badly.”
“Amen to that, Mister Cavill. I have a feeling though that your father still believed in the old Roman adage that if one wanted peace, that it was still necessary to prepare for war.”
“I’m afraid that you are right, Sir. Though we have started focusing on other endeavors that are both peaceful and promise to improve the lot of all humanity at the same time.” James politely explained with a smile.
“So I have heard, Mister Cavill. But at the moment, the issues that I must deal with involve ensuring that the Royal Navy is still a viable military force at sea in spite of its substantially reduced numbers. The work that your people have been doing for us has been extremely valuable towards that end.
However, there continue to be developments in other nations that could threaten our fleet and therefore endanger the United Kingdom. The lighter vessels of some navies, include that of the Germans, are now beginning to carry guided rockets that have the destructive potential of even the heaviest artillery projectile. They can reach ranges of over twenty miles. You do remember what the German air-launched guided weapons did to HMS Warspite shortly before the armistice, I’m sure.” Mountbatten explained.
“It is very important to my company that we remain well informed about our competitors and any possible threats to our customers. The developments in Germany and elsewhere in the world are a continuing concern for us. This is why we put in the extra effort to ensure that you have the most capable and survivable platforms possible.
For example, a heavily armored ship like HMS King George V has the highest probability of surviving a hit from one of these new guided weapons. Likewise, our battleships also have the space and weight available to mount guided antiaircraft weapons of their own that can reach out and destroy enemy aircraft before they can launch guided bombs against our ships. Those same antiaircraft rockets can also be guided to devastating effect against an enemy’s vessel before our adversary can launch its own weapons.
We would also add other equipment like small rocket launchers to fire decoys near your ships to divert enemy guided rockets and bombs away from their intended target. Likewise, the modifications to your warships would also include electronic countermeasures like radio jammers to block the radio control signals of incoming guided weapons.”
“Go on, Mr. Cavill. But I would like to know first how you plan on installing these new antiaircraft weapons and defensive electronics onboard our battleships? Even our battleshi
ps have little room for additional weapons at this point.”
“Well, first the battleships would have to give up their aft main battery turret. The superstructure would then be extended aft to provide platforms for the missile guidance radars and the traversing mechanisms for two twin rail missile launchers. The aft magazine would have to be converted to provide storage for twenty missiles for each of the launchers. The battleship’s secondary armament would also have to be reduced along with its light antiaircraft battery.
These modifications would not only free up sufficient space for the new missiles, but they would also significantly reduce the manning requirements for each of these warships. I know that in this age of fiscal austerity, personnel expenses are a major element in the Royal Navy’s budget. Of course, each capital ship’s secondary battery and remaining lighter weapons would be modernized to increase their effectiveness. The regular aircraft facilities would be deleted, but a landing pad and perhaps a hangar for a helicopter would incorporated on the stern.
The battleship would still have its six forward-mounted fifteen-inch naval rifles. This gets the vessel considerable offensive firepower, both against other ships and also against shore targets.”
Mountbatten leaned forward in his chair, his eyes keenly focused upon his visitor. The First Sea Lord had been pondering what he could do with the ships that he still had. Even now, discussions were underway to further reduce the number of aircraft carriers in the Royal Navy. The last of the eight-inch gunned heavy cruisers, worn out after years of combat, had gone to the breakers, leaving only the carriers, a handful of light cruisers and a much reduced force of destroyers in the active ranks of the Royal Navy. Mountbatten had to find some way to increase the firepower and reach of the fleet.
“How much of a reduction in manning are you talking about for the battleships after the modifications have been made?”
“We believe that we can reduce manning to a level that is very close to that of one of your larger cruisers. As I mentioned earlier, they would have a significant increase in their antiaircraft capability. They would be able to provide a defensive umbrella over an entire formation of ships if necessary. The reduction in secondary guns would be made up by the fact that the missiles could be used to engage and destroy destroyer-sized opponents far beyond torpedo range and probably even far enough to prevent successful firing of anti-ship missiles by defeating them on the launch rail. In other words, by killing the enemy ship before it can even fire its own missiles.”
“Will this be a substitute for an aircraft carrier?”
“No, Sir. Of course, a modernized battleship can certainly supplement a carrier in many circumstances. But if a carrier is not available, the antiaircraft missiles mounted on a modernized battleship can provide far improved defensive fire for the group of ships around her. The extensive command facilities aboard a modernized battleship would make it an excellent flagship for a task force. The heavy armor on a battleship still makes it one of the most survivable platforms available.”
“This all very true as well. There is still the issue of her operating costs. Our battleships have always been rather thirsty in terms of fuel consumption, especially in comparison with the capital ships of the German and United States Navies. If we are going to have any of these ships reactivated, we have to address this issue as well.” Mountbatten noted.
“Of course, Sir. The King George V class and other Royal Navy capital ships were designed during a period when ship designers were very conservative in terms of steam pressure. They worried more about reliability than about power plant size or fuel consumption. But we feel that we have an answer to your question.
We are also including in our modernization proposal a significant upgrade to the battleships’ boilers and steam turbines. We have already constructed quite a few units of our high-pressure steam power systems for Cavill Industries, both land-based and shipboard. Therefore, we believe that we can significantly improve the power density and fuel consumption for the steam units onboard your battleships and the fleet aircraft carriers that remain in Royal Navy service. Our systems are guaranteed to be significantly more reliable than the high-pressure power plants used by the Germans during the war as well. This has already been proven with similar units in use in the Australian aircraft carriers, Canberra and Australia. The savings in fuel alone will pay for the upgrades within just a few years of service. The reduction in size of the units will allow you to choose between utilizing the newly freed volume for other items, including fuel, or to increase the available power for higher speeds instead.” Eric interjected. James and Eric had agreed beforehand that Eric would still present most of the information to Lord Mountbatten. James had wanted this because he did not want to accidentally reveal just how advanced the technology is that he is personally familiar with.
“Very good. You have made many excellent points, Mr. Franklin. Now, how much of the upgrade work would be done here in the United Kingdom?”
“With the exception of a small percentage of specialized components that are only produced by our Australian facilities, all of the work would be done here, Sir.”
“Excellent. That fact alone will overcome many of the objections of the politicians, I believe. I will need a detailed listing of the direct costs and a schedule for completion of the modifications if they are approved, Mr. Franklin. Then I will have to present this to the various bureaucrats in an attempt to convince them to approve your proposal.
Personally, I believe that this program would greatly benefit the Royal Navy. I agree with you that the incorporation of the newest electronics and guided missiles into our warships is the way of the future. While I may not be able to get approval for the production of new warships beyond a handful of destroyers or other escort vessels, I believe that I can get approval for the modification of existing ships.
I would also be very interested in proposals for perhaps making similar modifications to our remaining cruisers, especially the most recently produced vessels. If your anti-aircraft missiles can be incorporated into these vessels, even with a somewhat reduced number of launchers and ordnance, I believe that it would also greatly enhance the capability of the Royal Navy.”
“I will certainly look into that, Sir. On the other hand, your remaining cruisers and even your battleships will eventually need to be replaced. Today, it would virtually impossible to build a new battleship with its thick armor plating and heavy naval rifles. Even the skilled workers whose experienced hands built these specialized components have virtually all retired or have passed away.
We have started development of new destroyers and cruisers that would easily take the place of the existing warships of the Royal Navy. The new destroyers and cruisers would be larger than the vessels that they would replace. However, we believe that they would be able to defend a larger area, attack enemy targets at much longer ranges, all the while requiring far fewer crew and fuel on a ton for ton basis than ever before.” Tom said as James stood back and allowed the American-born mechanical engineer to explain the company’s proposals.
Tom then picked up one of the tubes, removed the end from it and then pulled out a large set of blueprints that he laid on top of a quickly cleared table in Mountbatten’s office. Images in blue and white were soon revealed that depicted warships that were at least a generation more advanced than anything that had ever sailed the ocean. James was the only person in the room who knew that the forms of these advanced warships were all derived from information inside Harold Cavill’s 21st century computer database.
The centerpieces of Tom’s proposed new warships were a fifteen-thousand ton guided-missile cruiser and a five-thousand ton guided missile destroyer. Both warships employed the medium-range CMS-2 as their primary antiaircraft armament, though the cruiser carried a pair of twin-rail launchers while the destroyer only was equipped with a single twin-rail launcher. Both warships also carried powerful anti-ship missiles as well as facilities to store and operate rotary-wing aircraft. The cr
uiser design also carried CMS-3 short range antiaircraft missiles for inner layer defense and a single auto-loading six-inch naval rifle for anti-ship and shore-bombardment duties. The destroyer designs either used an auto-loading twin four-inch caliber turret or an autoloading four and a half-inch single barrel gun mount.
One of the more revolutionary elements of these warships was their propulsion system. Existing Royal Navy warships relied on conventional geared steam turbines that turned long drive shafts connected to their propellers. The Royal Navy had always been very conservative in their engine designs, sacrificing fuel, mass and volume efficiency by using much lower boiler pressures than the Americans and Germans. The Admiralty preferred reliability and ease of design instead. But the new ships detailed in Eric’s blueprints and schematics drove their propellers with powerful electric motors that did not require long heavy driveshafts and expensive reduction gearboxes. Boilers and steam turbines were replaced by fuel efficient marine diesel engines for cruising and gas turboshafts for rapid bursts of speed. Any combination of diesels and turboshafts could employed to generate the electric power needed for the required speed. This also provided redundancy that made the warships’ powertrains very damage-tolerant. Damage that would have left a traditional steam turbine-powered warship dead in the water could easily be bypassed to permit one of Tom’s new designs to remain mobile and still combat-capable. The motors and generators did not have the superconducting electrical systems that ship designs from the mid-21st century featured. So, while the powertrains that these warships used were very efficient for the late-fifties, they were still not nearly as stingy as vessels built in James Stevenson’s time.