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[Perks842]

Hello all, was wondering if anyone knew of a place to get hold of either a full/semi kit or hull for the current HMS Ocean, preferably 1/200 or bigger please.

[gingyer]

you can only get the drawings for it at present in 1:96scale from Jecobin

[snowwolflair]

Ther is a working model sailing with the Broomfield club in London.  I dont know if it was a moulded or a one off hull.  Might be worth making contact.

[Bowwave]

A 1:96 scale model of   HMS Ocean was built by  A Joe Millward of Yorkshire  with the aid of Jecabin plans and is seen here at  the Potteries Navy Day 2004 . The model also had  Sea King helicopters that could   lift off via wires  from the flight deck and could also lower one of the LCVPs  . Looking through Model Boats magazine of the period July –September  there was extensive photo coverage of the model and the full size  ship . through the Range Finder column and centre fold pictures .Hope this helps.


Bowwave

[Perks842]

thanks guys, what a nice model

[tony52]

There is a Model Boats magazine with an item on HMS Ocean currently on ebay.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/MODEL-BOATS-MAGAZINE-JUL-00-H-M-S-OCEAN-/270580771953?pt=UK_Magazines&hash=item3effdeec71

Tony.

[Perks842]

As that is 2000 I would expect it to just show the idea of her I dont require info on her. Just wanted to know about kits and plans. thanks Tony

[warship1]

I have the Jecobin plans for her at home and they are very well detailed for building a hull which I will be getting round to a somepoint in the near future. I have wanted to build her since I first saw her towed in to pompey dockyard in 98.

[adam_goodin]

I second that Warship1 ... Ocean is an incredible ship, a mate of mine served on her for 4 years...if i can reach him when it comes to anyone building her, i'll see if if i can get some pics for you guys.
 Personally i'd love to build her, nowhere near good enough to build my own hull though. I do have another large warship however in build... HMS Illustrious, as she was in 2000.
 Hope you manage to find the info you need Tony.

[Colin Bishop]

I took a lot of photos of Ocean at Plymouth Navy Days last year if anyone needs them. A very impressive ship in many respects but maybe a tad too slow.

Colin

[Perks842]

shes a very cheap and poor ship really but looks very nice, when she comes back in from sea I can get photos for anyone if needed.

[Colin Bishop]

shes a very cheap and poor ship really

That's an interesting comment. I know that her hull was based on Invincible with a topping of commercial car carrier but does that actually make her a poor ship as such for the job she is intended to do? I got the impression that she is actually quite versatile but let down by her lack of speed. Also, she was damaged on launching - are there any knock on effects from that?

Colin

[Perks842]

her budget was half the usual allocated amount to prove that ships could be built cheaply. In the result was the car ferry design which they claimed had hints of invincible hull design also decks and bulk heads are a lot thinner than normal and equipment initially installed was at the cheapest available. shes basically falling apart 

[Colin Bishop]

The latest Defence Review information suggests that it is a toss up whether Ocean or Illustriious should act as the interim flight platform until the new carriersr are built. I know Ocean was originally slated to be 'retired' fairly soon anyway so does that suggest that Illustrious, although smaller, would be the better bet?

Colin

[Perks842]

only smaller by very small technicalities however I was on the service side of those defence results and altho no 100% decision they seem more interested by the idea of re-oling lusty for an LPH. Ocean was never built to last long tho, believe it was 15years expected hull life. but in the end could be either

[Colin Bishop]

That's an interesting insight.

A couple of months back I was aboard RFA Argus which was originally requisitioned as a commercial vessel for the Falklands War and was struck by her excellent condition for her current role as casualty receiving ship anhd helicopter training vessel. She has only just undergone an extensive refit and is pushing 30 years old.

15 years hull life for Ocean seems very short. Comparable merchant ships would expect to see 30-35 years service. I regularly travel on a Western Channel ferry which is 25 years old and has had a very tough service life but there is plenty of mileage left in her yet and she is still regarded as one of the best ships in the fleet.

Colin

[Perks842]

the short hull life was due to the cheap budget and her only being present until a better solution (CVN)'s. but we shall see.

[gingyer]

I had heard from guys in the ship yards the Ocean was just to test a few theories
such as
1) Cheap large boats
2) does the navy need a dedicated LPH and are they value for money

A lot of my friend worked on it whe being built (infact.....I was the only one out my old team who didn't )
but all said the electrics were put in as quickly and cheaply as it could be compared to normal naval practice

[Colin Bishop]

Yes, that confirms the impression I had.

I've also been told that the main difference between Naval and Commercial construction is that the former is 'hardened' and able to absorb battle damage etc. with the extra cost that entails - is that correct? The big RFAs seem to be very versatile ships operationally but of course they are not intended to operate in a hot battle zone, or if they do, should be protected by escorts. (not that there are likely to be any in future!)

Colin

[Perks842]

I had heard from guys in the ship yards the Ocean was just to test a few theories
such as
1) Cheap large boats
2) does the navy need a dedicated LPH and are they value for money

A lot of my friend worked on it whe being built (infact.....I was the only one out my old team who didn't )
but all said the electrics were put in as quickly and cheaply as it could be compared to normal naval practice

1= Backs up what I said about building cheaply, I just forgot to say it was to prove it was possible. And not just large SHIPS boats but any.
2= When built she was just to open the options of the amphibious group but now they have seen what she can do they want to keep a ship available to be an LPH anytime.

[Shipmate60]

Colin,
Naval vessels were always built to NES (Naval Engineering Standard).
This applied to the Hull, Main Engines, Generators, in fact any part of the ship.
It was introduced to increase "survivability" and therefore fighting ability.

It has been diluted more recently but still exists and is why RN hulls are dearer than say a bulker.

Bob

[Colin Bishop]

Thanks Bob, confirms what I thought.

Colin

[derekwarner]

mmmmmmmmm.... newer grades of high tensile steel plate enable a lighter construction mass whilst essentially maintaining the same strength 

In the grand scheme of things [hull construction].....hardened plate only offers greater resistance to abrasion & would not offer any significant strength against penetration by a large projectile....  ....Derek

[sailorboy61]

That's an interesting insight.

A couple of months back I was aboard RFA Argus which was originally requisitioned as a commercial vessel for the Falklands War and was struck by her excellent condition for her current role as casualty receiving ship anhd helicopter training vessel. She has only just undergone an extensive refit and is pushing 30 years old.

15 years hull life for Ocean seems very short. Comparable merchant ships would expect to see 30-35 years service. I regularly travel on a Western Channel ferry which is 25 years old and has had a very tough service life but there is plenty of mileage left in her yet and she is still regarded as one of the best ships in the fleet.

Colin

Commercial sips are generally built ofr a 25 year seavice life...after that, though they do still run, it becomes much more complicated/expensive due to surveys etc required for insurance. The RFA vessels generally last longer as they are get a drydock/refit every couple of years unlike the 5 year cycle of a money earning commercial vessel. Having work on both, a well maintained commercial ship can easily be in the same league, however, these days with accountants running shiups as everything else, that is very difficult to achieve (though typically still expected by owners/operators!!). A hull may have a long life (as proved by many well found examples around the world, but it just comes down to what is put in time/effort wise in the early years. The problem with many newer vessels is that their construction is such as to minimis cost, therefore as thin as possible steel etc.... again, cash rules and you get what you pay for. I have worked on old ships that have been scrapped in better condition than some of the newer ones I have been on.