GB2103157A - Missile firing sea craft - Google Patents

Abstract

Missile firing sea craft designed for the deployment and launching of MX and Trident missiles, from side bulwarks g, h, Pershing missiles, Cruise type missiles, and heavy anti- submarine torpedoes comprises hovercraft type equipment for high speed patrol, together with means for underwater concealment by the provision of submarine type equipment. Optionally the craft has aerofoils, take off and landing booster type rockets, and equipment for tactical flight manoeuvres from and above the sea surface. The craft are deployed in a number of parallel adjacent patrol lanes at right angles to coast lines with the construction at regular intervals along coastlines of sea craft servicing stations, being at least one for each patrol lane, the formation of sea craft squadrons, the dispersion at one hundred mile intervals of each sea craft, and the formation of undulating continental deployment belts across the patrol lanes by the various movements of sea craft squadrons. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Missile firing sea craft Technical Field The present invention relates to missile firing sea craft, and particularly to a small naval unit, requiring a minimum of production costs and a minimum of crew members, to permit the systematic deployment and launching at sea of MX intercontinental missiles, Pershing or Trident type missiles, the Cruise missile, some types of aircraft and helicopters; and anti-submarine torpedos; the said sea craft, when deployed in sufficient numbers, providing a relatively inexpensive alternative to conventional type missile carrying submarines, and providing an improved means of deterrence against nuclear attack.

Background Art The Western Powers are faced with the problem of how to provide nuclear missile defence systems which are unlikely to be destroyed by enemy nuclear missile attack. In several countries silo nuclear defence systems have been constructed. These have the disadvantage of being easily located and may be put out of action by surprise attack at the start of hostilities, thus largely preventing the possibility of any riposte. In America, the construction of an underground road system has been considered, upon which mobile inter-continental missile launchers would be constantly changing their geographical position, thus rendering their surprise destruction more difficult, and permitting the possibility of a riposte.

The disadvantages of such an underground road system would be the enormous cost, the operational time lag, and the fact that the tunnel entrance points would be easily detectable and easily destroyed, while blast effects along tunnels are particularly dangerous. The Multiple Protective Shelter project would have similar disadvantages.

One nuclear missile defence system which is at present employed by the Western Powers is the construction and deployment of submarines which carry nuclear intercontinental missiles.

The object of the present invention is to provide the Western Powers with a better design of submarine, being a very small and a very inexpensive general purpose craft, better adapted for large missile firing from better disposed firing tubes, the very compact design also providing decks from which Cruise type missiles may be very conveniently fired.

Invention Disclosure The disclosed design of sea craft may take the form of two buoyant bulwarks which may be square or cylindrical in section, connected by three or four decks. The outer surfaces or contours of the upper and lower decks may be streamlined to increase speed, particularly when submerged.

In a preferred very small version of the invention, each of the two bulwarks may contain one MX or one Trident missile, this small number of missiles per craft being sufficient in view of the proposed deployment of several hundred such sea craft.

The two bulwarks may be provided with hovercraft type aprons, providing a surface patrol speed of about one hundred miles per hour.

Means for producing thrust for high speed surface patrol may be provided. A very quiet submerged propulsion and steering system may be provided.

The lower equipment deck, positioned between the bulwarks, may be fitted with submersion and emersion equipment, propulsion equipment, thrust turbine motors, fuel tanks, diving tanks, and three torpedo tubes.

Engine air intakes, air outlets, orifices and apertures may be equipped with hydraulically operated seals which may be rapidly operated by remote control before sea craft submersion. The structure of the sea craft may permit submersion to a very moderate depth for a reasonable degree of concealment. Submersion may be very rapid.

The crew may be housed in a watertight operational structure from whence many loading and firing operations may be carried out by remote control, through the use of robot type equipment.

The ability to submerge will ensure protection against neutron type radiation. The sealed operational quarters will ensure protection against chemical, gas, and biological warfare.

The sea craft may be equipped with communications equipment and radar systems to warn of the approach of enemy ships and aircraft, as well as sonic anti-submarine equipment.

Defensive missile systems may be provided, including anti-submarine torpedos, and all other necessary combat equipment. The firing of defensive missiles may be operated from the protected command position.

Referring to Figure 1, which shows a version of the invention suitable for the protection of American coast lines, and which does not therefore include a hold for stowing and launching Cruise type missiles, the proposed design includes two bulwarks a/ and b/ measuring two yards square by twenty-one yards in length, each containing one MX missile firing tube. The two bulwarks may be constructed side by side, at a convenient distance apart, which may be three yards. The lower and upper surfaces of the two bulwarks may be connected by lower deck c/ and upper deck d/. The bulwarks may be fitted with hovercraft type aprons e/. Hovercraft thrust equipment, submersion and emersion equipment, propulsion means, fuel tanks, diving tanks, and three torpedo tubes may be placed between decks c/ and d/.The upper side of deck d/ may form the floor of the sealed operations quarters and the sealed crew living quarters, around which defensive missile systems may be placed. The vertical distance between deck d/ and the top of operations quarters f/ may be two yards. Thus in this version of the missile firing sea craft, the height of the craft will be four yards, the width will be seven yards, and the length twenty-one yards.

Referring to Figure 2, which shows a version of the invention suitable for the protection of European coastlines, and which includes a hold for the stowage and ramp firing or launching of Cruise type missiles, the proposed design includes two bulwarks g/ and hl, measuring two yards square by twenty-one yards in length, each containing one Trident missile firing tube. The two bulwarks may be constructed at a distance apart equal to the wing span of the Cruise missiles, less about three yards to take account of the width of bulwarks g/ and h/. The bulwarks may be fitted with hovercraft type aprons. The lower and upper surfaces of bulwarks g/ and h/ may be connected by deck i/ and by deck j/.Hovercraft thrust equipment, submersion and emersion equipment, propulsion means, fuel tanks, diving tanks, and three torpedos may be placed between deck i/ and deck/.

The upper side of deck j/ may form the floor of a hold for the stowing and launching of Cruise type missiles, where four or five Cruise missiles may be stowed upon a central firing ramp k/; hydraulically operated flap doors may open at each end of this hold for ramp launching. The width of this hold may conform to the wing span of the stowed missiles, and may be about eight to ten yards. The height of the Cruise missile hold may also conform to the dimensions of the missiles, and may be about two yards. The top of the Cruise missile hold, deck l/, may form the floor of the sealed operations quarters and the sealed crew living quarters, around which remote controlled defensive missile systems may be placed. The distance from deck I/to the top of operational quarters m/ may be about two yards.Thus in the Cruise and Trident version of the missile firing sea craft, the height of the craft may be six yards, the width may be from eight to ten yards, and the length may be about twenty-one yards.

In one embodiment of the invention a delta type of wing or another design of wing or wings or suitable camber may be fitted in a suitable manner to the sea craft structure, together with provision for booster rocket assisted take offs, booster type rockets for controlled rate of descent by downward directed thrust, and reverse thrust, for cushioned landing.

For tactical purposes, such as evasion from nuclear blast (before an expected explosion) booster rockets may be fired to increase the sea craft hovercraft speed from about one hundred miles per hour to more than two hundred miles per hour, to permit take off. The wings may include control flaps and landing flaps operated by servo controls. The period of booster rocket ignition time may vary the flight speed and the length of the flight. Flight speed may rise to a maximum of twelve miles per minute, and a flight may last for four or five minutes, or more. A sufficient altitude may be gained to permit a glide, and a suitable loss of speed for a safe sea landing.

Landing speed may be controlled by reverse rocket thrust, landing flaps, a convenient angle of attack, and a drag parachute, while the rate of descent may be controlled by downward directed rocket thrust. The two bulwarks of the design and the lower part of the hull may be somewhat keel shaped to reduce the landing shock.

Best Mode of Operation and Strategy The disclosed manner of deployment of the missile firing sea craft may provide the Western Powers with a greatly improved defence system and for the potential enemy a very strong deterrent against nuclear attack.

One object of the disclosed deployment system is to systematically draw a very large part of an enemy's directed nuclearfire power to sea areas, thus drawing this fire power away from land based military targets and away from Western inhabited land areas and civilian targets.

Another object of the disclosed invention is to provide the Western Powers with a very economical and efficient means of launching MX, Trident and Cruise missiles at enemy targets, in retaliation to an attack, during the approach of the enemy missiles. The high mobility of the described sea craft, compared to the relatively slow moving conventional type of submarine, and the hereunder disclosed deployment and concealment strategy by dispersion and submersion, which may be applied to a fleet of several hundred sea craft, may permit a significant number of them to remain operational after any long range nuclear missile attack which might be carried out in their supposed deployment area, thus permitting these sea craft to launch further salvos of missiles in retaliation.

The certain simultaneous destruction of most of the fleet of sea craft deployed in the disclosed manner will require a degree of fire power likely to be beyond the economic and industrial possibilities of any enemy.

The principal object of the disclosed deployment means is therefore to permit the potential enemy to realise, once a sufficient number of sea craft have been deployed according to the invention, that it has become economically and physically impossible to entirely destroy the disclosed defence system, since once deployed it will be maintained by the Western ability to progressively provide an unlimited number of cheap missile launching means in vast sea areas, permitting MX and Trident nuclear warheads to be directed from these naval launching means upon enemy land areas, with a much greater relative effect than that of enemy missiles directed upon the sea craft. Thus the present arms race may be partly brought to a halt, the potential enemy having realised that there will no longer exist the possibility of gaining an overwhelming superiority.

It will of course remain possible for both sides to maintain a totally destructive fire power, but it will no longer be possible for Russia to attain a decisive superiority of fire power.

The deployment area for the sea craft deterrent force may extend up to two thousand miles from the ocean coastlines which are to be protected.

For the protection of Canada and North America the deployment area may extend approximately from Alaska to Los Angeles and from Greenland to Florida, while for the protection of Western Europe the deployment area may extend from the north of Norway to Portugal and from Gibraltar to Cyprus.

A three thousand mile long line of sea craft positioned at one hundred mile intervals on each side of North America would require a fleet of sixty craft, while a two thousand mile line off Norway and another in the Mediterranean would require the positioning of another forty craft.

By the progressive addition of further lines of sea craft, these deployment lines may be built up into wide deployment belts, each line being positioned at a hundred mile interval from the other lines. Thus three lines of sea craft extending down a coastline to form a deployment belt will provide the belt with a width of two hundred miles.

The sea craft may be locally grouped into small squadrons, each squadron having a small beach servicing base. The servicing bases may be positioned at intervals of five hundred miles along coast lines, and may serve as communications relays and radar observation and early warning stations. Thus if the deployment belt consists of three lines of sea craft, each craft being at one hundred miles distance from the other craft, then each servicing base will serve a squadron of fifteen sea craft. Of three such squadrons, patrolling a thousand miles of patrol lane, one may remain submerged and patrol at slow speed, thus leaving the enemy in ignorance of its positions, while the two other squadrons, using the hovercraft technique, each cover the thousand mile distance about once every ten hours. Thus with two surface squadrons the partol lane may be covered about once every five hours.

A squadron of from fifteen to twenty-five sea craft may be deployed within a two thousand mile perimeter square. Each squadron may patrol in a line at right angles to its base coastline, while advancing up to two thousand miles from the coastline, in the general direction of enemy land based launching sites.

The fifteen to twenty-five sea craft which may be deployed in a two thousand mile perimeter square may advance and retire as a squadron independently of the movements of the squadrons in the other perimeter squares of the deployment belt, although all movements will of course be coordinated. The two to four thousand mile long deployment belts may therefore be constantly undulating, leaving vast areas of sea within the usual patrol lanes empty of these naval units at unpredictable times and for unpredictable periods, when the patrol lanes are sufficiently extended in length, up to two thousand miles. The deployment system may be further complicated should each squadron regularly weave in and out of the lanes of its adjacent squadrons.

The sea craft on surface patrol, cruising at a speed of about one hundred miles per hour by means of hovercraft type equipment, will be constantly covering considerable areas of sea within fairly short periods, thus requiring of an enemy very accurate tracking or very wide area attacking means.

Refuelling and revictualling may take place at sea.

These described tactics may render unlikely or very difficult the simultaneous destruction of the whole deterrent fleet, and a very strong riposte deterrent value may therefore by created and maintained by the large scale construction of the disclosed invention.

Claims (4)

1. A missile firing sea craft, designed to carry and to launch at a target long range missiles equipped with nuclear warheads, both from the sea surface and while submerged, comprising missile stowage space, missile firing tubes, means for firing MX and Trident missiles, or other similar missiles, a launching ramp or catapult, means for firing or launching Cruise or aircraft type missiles, an aircraft or helicopter landing platform, means for navigation, means for radio communication, means for detection by radar, sonic detection equipment, a system of remote controlled defence against ships and aircraft, means for firing heavy anti-submarine torpedos, and all means appropriate to naval combat units, the structural design mainly comprising an angular or a convex shaped armoured steel ship structure, forming a single, double or triple hull, provided with watertight doors or hatches, able to resist moderate or high water pressures, and able to operate upon the surface or while submerged; said structure provided with submersion and emersion equipment, very quiet submerged propulsion and steering equipment, powerful turbine motors for hovercraft type thrust, hovercraft controls, means for crash diving, hydraulic means for rapidly sealing by remote control all air inlets, air outlets, apertures and orifices before submersion, an air conditioning system, and ail necessary items of equipment for hovercraft and submarines; comprising also a lower hold for heavy equipment, an upper hold provided with hydraulic doors and a ramp for the launching or catapulting of Cruise or other aircraft type missiles, said hold serving as missile stowage space; sealed operations Quarters and sealed crew living quarters; wherein the improvement comprises the compactness of the design of sea craft and a design from which MX or Trident type missiles and also Cruise and aircraft type missiles may be conveniently fired and launched, according to their respective launching requirements, and wherein the improvement also comprises a sea craft designed to operate both as a missile firing fast moving surface patrol craft of the hovercraft type, and also, when submerged, as a missile firing submarine:

2.A missile firing sea craft, as claimed in claim 1, designed to carry and to launch at a target long range missiles equipped with nuclear warheads, both from the sea surface and while submerged, comprising missile firing tubes, means for firing MX and Trident type missiles, an aircraft or helicopter landing platform, means for navigation, means for radio communication, means for detection by radar, sonic detection equipment, a system of remote controlled defence against ships and aircraft, means for firing heavy anti-submarine torpedos, and all means appropriate to naval combat units, the structural design mainly comprising an angular or a convex shaped armoured steel ship structure, forming a single, doubla or triple hull, provided with watertight doors or hatches, able to resist moderate or high water pressures, and able to operate upon the surface or while submerged; said structure provided with submersion and emersion equipment, very quiet submerged propulsion and steering equipment, powerful turbine motors for hovercraft type thrust, hovercraft controls, means for crash diving, hydraulic means for rapidly sealing by remote control all air inlets, air outlets, apertures and orifices before submersion, an air conditioning system and all necessary items of equipment for hovercraft and submarines; comprising also a hold for heavy equipment, sealed operations quarters and sealed crew living quarters; whereiii the improvement comprises the compactness of the design of sea craft and a design from which MX or Trident missiles and torpedos may be fired; and wherein the improvement also comprises a sea craft designed to operate both as a missile firing fast moving surface patrol craft of the hovercraft type, and also, when submerged, as a missile firing submarine.

3. A missile firing sea craft, as claimed in claim 1, designed to carry and to launch at a target long range missiles equipped with nuclear warheads, both from the sea surface and while submerged, comprising missile stowage space, missile firing tubes, means for firing MX and Trident missiles, a launching ramp or catapult, means for firing or launching Cruise or aircraft type missiles, an aircraft or helicopter landing platform, means for navigation, means for radio communication, means for detection by radar, sonic detection equipment a system of remote controlled defence against ships and aircraft, means for firing antisubmarine torpedos, and all means appropriate to naval combat units; the structural design mainly comprising an angular or a convex shaped armoured steel ship structure, forming a single, double or triple hull, provided with watertight doors or hatches, able to resist moderate or high water pressures, and able to operate upon the surface or while submerged; said structure provided with submersion and emersion equipment, very quiet submerged propulsion and steering equipment, powerful turbine motors for hovercraft type thrust, hovercraft controls, means for crash diving, hydraulic means for rapidly sealing by remote control all air inlets, air outlets, apertures and orifices before submersion, an air conditioning system, and all necessary items of equipment for hovercraft and submarines; comprising also a lower hold for heavy equipment, an upper hold provided with hydraulic doors and a ramp for the launching or catapulting of Cruise or other aircraft type missiles, said hold serving as missile stowage space; sealed operations quarters and sealed crew living quarters; wherein the improvement comprises the compactness of the design of sea craft and a design from which MX or Trident missiles and also Cruise and aircraft type missiles may be conveniently fired and launched, according to their respective launching requirements, and wherein the improvement also comprises a sea craft designed to operate both as a missile firing fast moving surface patrol craft of the hovercraft type, and also, when submerged, as a missile firing submarine:: and wherein the improvement also comprises the provision of equipment for rocket assisted flights, including the provision of lift-producing aerofoils, rearward thrust booster rockets, descent-rate retarding rockets, wing control flaps, landing flaps, rudder type flaps, servo flight controls, drag landing parachutes, and keel or float shaped surfaces beneath the described bulwarks or hull, said equipment permitting tactical flight manoeuvres and glides to be carried out by sea craft from and above the sea surface.

4. A wide dispersion deployment method for missile firing sea craft, by which a nuclear defence deployment means for the North American Continent and for Western Europe may be formed, wherein the improvement comprises the use of parallel adjacent patrol lanes substantially at rightangles or lateral to the coastlines to be protected, their widths extending longitudinally throughout a considerable length of these coastlines, and their length extending laterally, for a distance out to sea of up to two thousand miles; and wherein the improvement comprises the positioning of a number of regularly spaced servicing stations along the length of these coastlines, there being at least one servicing station for each patrol lane, for the servicing of small squadrons of said missile firing sea craft, one or more squadrons being deployed within each adjacent patrol lane; the squadrons being formed of sea craft spaced at intervals of up to one hundred miles; and wherein the improvement comprises the formation of undulating continental deployment belts, formed longitudinally the length of these coastlines by the coordinated dissynchronized lateral movements of the series of adjacent squadrons, thus providing a very extensive overall patrol area, which the squadrons may cover every few hours by hovercraft type surface patrol, while if desired leaving vast patrol areas void of these sea craft at unpredictable times and for unpredictable periods.