Kirov Class CVLs?

Again for another one of my ASB TLs, but the Soviet Union in 1941 looking at the Pacific and seeing how big the USN is on using fast carrier task forces decides to take the two Kirov Class CLs its working on at Amur Shipbuilding Plant and turn them into CVLs to give them carriers in their Pacific Fleet.

Would this even be possible? If so what would the Kirov Class CVLs look like and how many aircraft would they be able to carry?
 

Deleted member 9338

Your first problem is getting them built faster. One is not ready till 43 and the other in 44.

Are these for post war use?
 
The Kirovs are about the same length as an Independence, but are 20' narrower. This would reduce the number of a/c both because of a smaller hanger and a smaller flight deck.

The nasty weather of the North Pacific may also prevent major use of deck parks further reducing the number of a/c.

The Independence class could carry 33 a/c. I'd estimate about 24 could be carried by a Kirov based CVL, less if the planes do not have folding wings.
 
So a dozen Yak-9s and a dozen Il-2s both with folding wings? That's not a lot of fire power. And giving how bad the North Pacific is, it will most likely be 9 of both aircraft.
 
The Chapayev class from what I seen is in the Baltic and Black Sea Fleets. But just for the hell of it, what would these CVLs look like?

About the same length (slightly longer), but 8' beamier the a Kirov.

A few more a/c then a Kirov CVL but not a significant increase.

It does look like a better conversion host though.
 
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NothingNow

Banned
It does look like a better conversion host though.

Yeah. They're like 5% longer than an Independence-class, and have a decently comparable beam. So a final carrier design on the Chapayev's hull would maybe displace about 10-15% more tops, and would be pretty quick, if somewhat limited, with about 25% more power than an Independence-class. She could maybe cart 36 aircraft below decks.

All in all, they'd be decent CVLs, and would probably be supplanted by a proper carrier in the 50's, while still putting in a long period of service.
 
In order for the Soviets to want to build any sort of aircraft carrier they need to be operating their navy outside of land based air coverage - not an issue in the Baltic or Black Seas, and minimally in the Northern Fleet in WW2. In the Pacific, there was no war with Japan until August 1945 - and by 1944 the what was left of the IJN was not of concern to the USSR.

It would take a good deal of effort to navalize Soviet a/c - you can't just slap a tail hook on & call it done. Not sure that the Soviet a/c industry was up to it it terms of spare capacity to do this at this time, also zero experience with the needs of naval a/c. Then there is training the flight crews, deck crews etc etc - some of the training might be done by the USN or RN. Even if ASBs delivered 2-3 CVLs and a complement of appropriate a/c in 1944, it would be some time before they could be operated in a combat environment.

Given the desperate straits of the USSR during WWII spending the effort to create a couple of CVLs and airgroups just is not worth it...and in reality I don't see any way they can do it it time to use them in any way during the war.
 
In order for the Soviets to want to build any sort of aircraft carrier they need to be operating their navy outside of land based air coverage - not an issue in the Baltic or Black Seas, and minimally in the Northern Fleet in WW2. In the Pacific, there was no war with Japan until August 1945 - and by 1944 the what was left of the IJN was not of concern to the USSR.

It would take a good deal of effort to navalize Soviet a/c - you can't just slap a tail hook on & call it done. Not sure that the Soviet a/c industry was up to it it terms of spare capacity to do this at this time, also zero experience with the needs of naval a/c. Then there is training the flight crews, deck crews etc etc - some of the training might be done by the USN or RN. Even if ASBs delivered 2-3 CVLs and a complement of appropriate a/c in 1944, it would be some time before they could be operated in a combat environment.

Given the desperate straits of the USSR during WWII spending the effort to create a couple of CVLs and airgroups just is not worth it...and in reality I don't see any way they can do it it time to use them in any way during the war.
Well this is for an ASB TL anyways. I just want to get feed back here though for the idea. The Soviet industry is going strong, so I was seeing what a CVL could do.
 
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