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The limitation is in the ability of the ports to supply/service/handle them
Any well designed ship can be built to any size, but where can it be docked? Building a port capable of berthing it would be cost prohibitive at some point.
If a navy wants a mega sized ship, it will accept tje costs that come with it.
I am wondering if there is a limit for the size of it due to structural limitations.
The USN decides to dredge the ports these vessels will dock at.
Yep..there's a certain point where size actually puts limits on any benefitsWiki entry on the seawise giant says it couldnt pass up the English channel.
Many places to go for refitting or maintenance.where are they going to dry dock it? sooner of later it will need to go in for repair and maintenance...
If we ignore the above posts about harbors/docks/Panama Canal size limitations then buoyancy is your only limitation in a calm sea. Now as wind and waves increase we have more problems to solve so, I guess the question to ask here is: Under what conditions? Consider waves: A ship has to "span" (like a beam) between the crests of waves while subject to torsional (twisting) and shearing forces. There are tremendous dynamic loads from the sea and wind. The unsupported center could easily break/buckle. The Edmond Fitzgerald may have sunk in such a manner. The bigger the ship the stronger it has to be. I can easily see how you could reach a point where the ship needs so much structure that it's all beams and trusses.
I think we'd have to look at how they solved the problems with the supertankers and giant cargo ships.My question is in regards to structural limitations. Not the pro's and con's, nor expenses of such a warship.