AHC - Battlecarriers?

[RamscoopRaider]

Even so the Battlestars pack less of a punch than a comparably sized vessel dedicated entirely to lasers, mass drivers, and missiles; the reason they carry small craft instead is for increased range and flexibility. Small craft are not limited to line-of-sight like mass drivers and lasers and are more difficult to fool or intercept than missiles. The weapons the Battlestars carry are primarily intended to defend them from opposing small craft, and to support attacks by their own small craft.

Uh in both the New Series and Old Series Battlestars kicked plenty of ass by themselves, see Galactica's primary lasers in the finale and Pegasus's missiles in a Living Legend, and in the Reboot Galactica and Pegasus's heavy guns do a lot of work, in fact it seems more like the Vipers are there to keep opposing fighters off while the Battlestar pounds on the opponent, and to provide remote scouting capability, with occasional support roles or secondary strike roles

 

[NothingNow]

The weapons the Battlestars carry are primarily intended to defend them from opposing small craft, and to support attacks by their own small craft.

Dude, the NBSG Galactica and Pegasus' forward batteries were perfectly capable of wrecking a Basestar with a single salvo.

Her small craft are pretty much just there for scouting, CAS and screening, while the Battlestar herself closes in to use her primary batteries to destroy other capital ships or installations.
That in mind, it would not surprise me in the least if most of her broadside (by weight of fire) was flak. Raiders had a hell of a lot more versatile weapons load than a Viper.

 

[Artatochor]

Get the Ulyanovsk class built. Those were supposed to have missiles and some gun batteries. As for earlier BCV-s, well, an important naval battle or two would have to end in a strange way. A battleship managing to ambush 1-2 carriers and obliterate them. That would have to convince admirals across the world in the frailty of a standard carrier.

 

[BlairWitch749]

Graf zeppelin would have been a carrier/cruiser. Her cannons had the same range as a town class cruiser and she had so much armor that she weighed as much as the scharnhorst

 

[Artatochor]

Graf zeppelin would have been a carrier/cruiser. Her cannons had the same range as a town class cruiser and she had so much armor that she weighed as much as the scharnhorst

Seriously? She'd be hard to sink then, unlike American non-armored carriers. Germany missed out on a potentially good ship.

 

[RamscoopRaider]

Seriously? She'd be hard to sink then, unlike American non-armored carriers. Germany missed out on a potentially good ship.

She also had a tiny airgroup that would be outnumbered over two to one by the air wing of a similarly sized Essex class (10 fighters, 13 dive bombers and 20 torpedo bombers versus 36 fighters, 36 dive bombers and 18 torpedo bombers), which were better planes, and the Essex also had superior AA defenses

No she'd be easier to sink, she'd have a weaker CAP and strike escort, and weaker AA defenses, armor wasn't that much protection

 

[Simon Oliver Lockwood]

She also had a tiny airgroup that would be outnumbered over two to one by the air wing of a similarly sized Essex class (10 fighters, 13 dive bombers and 20 torpedo bombers versus 36 fighters, 36 dive bombers and 18 torpedo bombers), which were better planes, and the Essex also had superior AA defenses

No she'd be easier to sink, she'd have a weaker CAP and strike escort, and weaker AA defenses, armor wasn't that much protection

Of course the Graf Zeppelin wasn't designed to go up against ESSEXes, it's perceived opponents were a combination of ILLUSTRIOUSes, COUNTY-class cruisers, the occaisional R-class BB, and other convoy escorts.

 

[RamscoopRaider]

Of course the Graf Zeppelin wasn't designed to go up against ESSEXes, it's perceived opponents were a combination of ILLUSTRIOUSes, COUNTY-class cruisers, the occaisional R-class BB, and other convoy escorts.

True but he mentioned survivability vis a vis a US carrier, survivability is not just armor

An Illustrious while the smaller carrier has better AA, and as many or more aircraft, probably better ones

 

[victoria944]

The problem is that you have a ship with a split personality.

Against a surface combatant you have a ship whose battleship part wants to close with the enemy and whose aircraft carrier part want to run away and launch aircraft

Thats right it ends up being dysfunctional it cant perform as eithr, the Ise
was only going to carry floatplanes, it wouldn't have had a strike capability like Shokaku or other large carriers, it was an idea borne of desperation.

 

[RamscoopRaider]

Thats right it ends up being dysfunctional it cant perform as eithr, the Ise
was only going to carry floatplanes, it wouldn't have had a strike capability like Shokaku or other large carriers, it was an idea borne of desperation.

From what I recall the Ise was supposed to carry 8-11 D4Y dive bombers as well, they were to land on other carriers after use

 

[Zeph3r]

Raiders had a hell of a lot more versatile weapons load than a Viper.

How so? Where was this shown?

 

[NothingNow]

How so? Where was this shown?

From Hour one of the Miniseries. Raiders almost always sortie with anti-ship missiles. IIRC Vipers are never shown carrying missiles.

 

[Zeph3r]

From Hour one of the Miniseries. Raiders almost always sortie with anti-ship missiles. IIRC Vipers are never shown carrying missiles.

Sorry for the late reply, but vipers are shown using missiles in the episodes: The Hand of God, Home, Part I, and Exodus, Part II.

It seems ridiculous that Vipers would not be able to carry a variety of missiles and/or bombs.

The fanmade game Diaspora depicts vipers more realistically, with a generous selection of Fighter to Fighter missiles, as well as larger warheads for use against captial ships.

If you like Battlestar Galactica or flight sims check it out: http://diaspora.hard-light.net/