I read a recent thread that once again got me thinking about modern day aircraft carriers, but NOT navy aircraft carriers.
So, list of things it must have:
1) Nuclear Power.
2) Ability to share said power ship to shore.
3) Airgroup containing fixed and rotary wing aircraft and UAV's. (Non-combatant, no jets)
4) Must be able to haul massive amounts of goods of all kinds, from fuels, to food & water, and doctors & medicines.
Things that it would be nice to have:
A) Propeller powered seaplanes/amphibian aircraft in addition to helo's, if there is any gap that they can plug that rotary wing lack (range, speed, payload etc...), really good flying drone command and control craft, as well as drone carriers that can be used to take huge numbers of cheap, tiny little throwaway drones right into the area where they are needed most, no matter if such a location is beyond their own range, so think of small little drones all the way down to the size of delivering packs of cell phones, batteries, bottled water and medicines.
B) A really good engineering capability/force, capable of flying in and delivering mobile generators and fuel supplies to disaster stricken areas, anywhere within 100+ miles of the coastline.
C) Disaster relief supplies of all kinds, including medical.
D) and beyond, put in your own items for a wishlist.
So, I'm thinking about a US Coast Guard force, that gets one or more classes of 'aircraft carriers' that are mission specific to USCG needs, and NOT USN uses.
And if anyone is so inclined, posit situations, like Hurricane Katrina or other disasters, where one or more notional USCG carriers could have help in the aftermath, be that by providing doctors/medical treatment/supplies, or just tying into the downed local power grid from off-shore (one of the parts of having a large engineering capability/force), and getting the local hospitals up and running again ASAP.
Anyone interested?
So, list of things it must have:
1) Nuclear Power.
2) Ability to share said power ship to shore.
3) Airgroup containing fixed and rotary wing aircraft and UAV's. (Non-combatant, no jets)
4) Must be able to haul massive amounts of goods of all kinds, from fuels, to food & water, and doctors & medicines.
Things that it would be nice to have:
A) Propeller powered seaplanes/amphibian aircraft in addition to helo's, if there is any gap that they can plug that rotary wing lack (range, speed, payload etc...), really good flying drone command and control craft, as well as drone carriers that can be used to take huge numbers of cheap, tiny little throwaway drones right into the area where they are needed most, no matter if such a location is beyond their own range, so think of small little drones all the way down to the size of delivering packs of cell phones, batteries, bottled water and medicines.
B) A really good engineering capability/force, capable of flying in and delivering mobile generators and fuel supplies to disaster stricken areas, anywhere within 100+ miles of the coastline.
C) Disaster relief supplies of all kinds, including medical.
D) and beyond, put in your own items for a wishlist.
So, I'm thinking about a US Coast Guard force, that gets one or more classes of 'aircraft carriers' that are mission specific to USCG needs, and NOT USN uses.
And if anyone is so inclined, posit situations, like Hurricane Katrina or other disasters, where one or more notional USCG carriers could have help in the aftermath, be that by providing doctors/medical treatment/supplies, or just tying into the downed local power grid from off-shore (one of the parts of having a large engineering capability/force), and getting the local hospitals up and running again ASAP.
Anyone interested?