Model Boat Mayhem

Mess Deck: General Section => Full Scale Ships => Topic started by: DavieTait on June 08, 2011, 03:43:32 pm

Title: China aircraft carrier confirmed by general
Post by: DavieTait on June 08, 2011, 03:43:32 pm
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-13692558
(http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/53307000/gif/_53307657_varyagcredit.gif)
The head of China's General Staff of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) has confirmed that China's first aircraft carrier is under construction.

Gen Chen Bingde refused to say when the carrier - a remodelled Soviet-era vessel, the Varyag - would be ready.

A member of his staff said the carrier would pose no threat to other nations.

The 300m (990ft) carrier, which is being built in the north-east port of Dalian, has been one of China's worst-kept secrets, analysts say.

Gen Chen made his comments to the Chinese-language Hong Kong Commercial Daily newspaper.
Symbol of power

The PLA - the largest army in the world - is hugely secretive about its defence programme.

The carrier was constructed in the 1980s for the Soviet navy but was never completed. When the Soviet Union collapsed, the rusting hull of the Varyag sat in dockyards in Ukraine.
Continue reading the main story
“Start Quote

    The giant, grey hulk of China's newest warship, 60,000 tonnes of steel, sits at a dockside in the port of Dalian, almost ready to set sail”

    Read Damian Grammaticas' report from Dalian

A Chinese company with links to the PLA bought the Varyag claiming it wanted to turn it into a floating casino in Macau.

The carrier is thought to be nearly finished, and is expected to begin sea trials later this year.

But the BBC's Michael Bristow in Beijing says that does not mean it will then be ready to undertake operational duties.

Learning how to operate it - and fly planes off it - will take a few more years to master, our correspondent says.

Lt Gen Qi Jianguo, assistant chief of the general staff, told the Hong Kong Commercial Daily that even after the aircraft carrier was deployed, it would "definitely not sail to other countries' territorial waters".

"All of the great nations in the world own aircraft carriers - they are symbols of a great nation," he was quoted as saying.

Lt Gen Qi said China had always followed a "defensive" principle for its military strategy.

(http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/53307000/gif/_53307659_china_aircraft_carrier_624.gif)
"It would have been better for us if we acted sooner in understanding the oceans and mapping out our blue-water capabilities earlier.

"We are now facing heavy pressure in the oceans whether in the South China Sea, East China Sea, Yellow Sea or the Taiwan Straits," he said.

China is engaged in maritime border disputes with several countries - including Vietnam and the Philippines.

The US, which has 11 fully-capable carrier strike groups, has also expressed concern about its rising naval ambitions.

The PLA has invested heavily in submarines. It is believed to be close to deploying the world's first "carrier-killer" ballistic missile designed to sink aircraft carriers while they are manoeuvring at sea up to 1,500km offshore, and it is building its own stealth fighter aircraft along with advanced carrier-based aircraft built from Russian designs.

All of these can target US bases, US ships and US carriers in Asia.

India is another emerging power pursuing a similar path - with an ex-Soviet carrier being modified for the Indian Navy, and work already under way on a first home-built vessel as well.

Over time, these developments will affect the maritime balance of power in Asia, says the BBC's defence and security correspondent Nick Childs.

China says other countries have nothing to fear, but its recent assertive diplomatic and military muscle-flexing has created waves in the region, he says.

(http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/53300000/jpg/_53300339_south_china-sea_1_466.jpg)
Title: Re: China aircraft carrier confirmed by general
Post by: DavieTait on June 08, 2011, 03:44:42 pm
Absolutely the worst kept "secret" in China's history lol

google image search... (http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=varyag&hl=en&safe=off&client=firefox-a&hs=btK&rls=org.mozilla:en-GB:official&prmd=ivns&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=mIrvTYjeB8-KhQfMx9TFCQ&ved=0CFAQsAQ&biw=1024&bih=586)
Title: Re: China aircraft carrier confirmed by general
Post by: john s 2 on June 09, 2011, 06:30:59 pm
And Britain is still giving China forein aid! Why? John.
Title: Re: China aircraft carrier confirmed by general
Post by: nhp651 on June 09, 2011, 08:51:09 pm

A member of his staff said the carrier would pose no threat to other nations.


urmmmhhh...just why are they building it, then, {-) {-) {-) {-) {-)
Title: Re: China aircraft carrier confirmed by general
Post by: Navy2000 on June 09, 2011, 10:23:24 pm
Here is a sight for when the ship was converted by Russia. Lots of photos and 3 pages of them.

http://www.navsource.narod.ru/photos/02/164/index2.html#200

Duane
Title: Re: China aircraft carrier confirmed by general
Post by: DavieTait on June 09, 2011, 10:57:57 pm
Different ship Duane thats the on-of-on again rebuild for India that "should" be delivered in 2012. Think her original name was Minsk and she was one of the Kiev class cruisers. The way they've grafted on the bow ramp means in any sea I'd be worried incase it rips off... just look at the break in the bow and the huge step in the hull...... very very dodgy !!!
Title: Re: China aircraft carrier confirmed by general
Post by: pugwash on June 09, 2011, 11:39:41 pm
The ship the Chinese are finishing is the ex-Russian ship Varyag which was never completed - about 60% finished
and then it languished in a Ukrainian port for several years before it was towed to China (in their words to convert
to a casino) It was in a right rusty state and they have had to do a lot of rebuilding - I think they have been at it
for about ten years.

Geoff
Title: Re: China aircraft carrier confirmed by general
Post by: Bryan Young on June 10, 2011, 12:38:55 pm
If the Chinese work force was anything like the ones we used to employ in Hong Kong the job would have been done in a fortnight! But I suppose asking cleaning ladies and painters to build/overhaul a set of aircraft carrier engines would be asking a bit much. I wouldn't scoff too much though. We haven't got much to crow about where carriers are concerned. BY.
Title: Re: China aircraft carrier confirmed by general
Post by: The long Build on June 10, 2011, 01:12:28 pm
Different ship Duane thats the on-of-on again rebuild for India that "should" be delivered in 2012. Think her original name was Minsk and she was one of the Kiev class cruisers. The way they've grafted on the bow ramp means in any sea I'd be worried incase it rips off... just look at the break in the bow and the huge step in the hull...... very very dodgy !!!
Thats not the name on the stern of the ship, Looks Like Adimaral Popwkoz ?.

http://www.navsource.narod.ru/photos/02/164/02164137.jpg
Title: Re: China aircraft carrier confirmed by general
Post by: DavieTait on June 10, 2011, 02:59:29 pm
She was built as the Baku then renamed Admiral Gorshkov

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soviet_aircraft_carrier_Admiral_Gorshkov

Geoff the Varyag never got as far as having her engines installed. She was basically a shell when she was towed to China , the Chinese navy has had to design a power system for her. Some analysts think she will be powered by large commercial diesels to give a top speed of only 20 knots but I have read recently that the Chinese have developed ( or more than like stolen the plans for ) gas turbine power train so if she has 4 gas turbines I'd expect at least 28 knots.

Will be a few years before she's fully operational as well. With China having no previous experience in carrier operations and apparently limited help from Russia ( something to do with China "acquiring" 2 SU-33 fighters and copying them.... ) it will take anything up to 5-8 years before she's really capable of projecting power. We're lucky to have the US Navy and the French navy to train our pilots and deck crews with so eventually when the Queen Elizabeth gets aircraft we should only take 2 years or so to get her fully operational.
Title: Re: China aircraft carrier confirmed by general
Post by: john s 2 on June 10, 2011, 06:07:07 pm
I understand that we have a Carrier laying around doing nothing. Upon which many millions of pounds was
recently spent on a refit. Why not give this to China? Along with the millions of pounds of aid they receive
from Britain. You know it makes sense?. Doesnt it? John.