Pykrete Aircraft Carriers!

[wuzak]

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Pykrete - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Imagine an aircraft carrier that could launch and recover B-29s! Would have saved a lot of Marine lives, had it been able to have been built in time.

 

[GregP]

Saw that one!

What a concept! Might STILL work ... ya' never know, do you?

 

[Messy1]

I've heard and seen info about these before! Very cool! One can only wonder what if!

 

[norab]

some info on the real world test vessel

PYKRETE - ICE SHIPS IN THE ROCKIES!

 

[A4K]

Interesting idea, wonder what conditions would have been like on board.

 

[Timppa]

There was a "Mythbusters" episode on pykrete:
MythBusters (2009 season) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I think pykrete carriers would not have been a good idea, especially in the Pacific:
"Admiral, our whole pykrete carrier force just melted !"

 

[davebender]

Air temperatures were relatively warm when I served on the U.S.S. American in the Indian Ocean during 1983. A ship made of ice might be nice.

Until it melts.

 

[Alte Hase]

Apparently pykrete was very very very strong. A very clever idea, but as Timmpa said, maybe not in the pacific!

 

[Timppa]

Interesting idea, wonder what conditions would have been like on board.

Probably worse than this:
Ice hotel - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[Messy1]

I wonder how they would go about keeping sea water from building up and freezing on the hull? would this be a problem. If the ship had to be kept at or below freezing temp, would not the sea water freeze in contact with the exterior of the ship thus making the ship heavier, and heavier?

 

[futuredogfight]

Saw this in my book, "My Tank Is Fight!" I got on WW II inventions

 

[A4K]

Cheers Dave and Timppa!

 

[vikingBerserker]

On the bright side, beer would always be cold!

 

[davebender]

Someone from Finland should feel right at home.

 

[tyrodtom]

I wonder how they would go about keeping sea water from building up and freezing on the hull? would this be a problem. If the ship had to be kept at or below freezing temp, would not the sea water freeze in contact with the exterior of the ship thus making the ship heavier, and heavier?

Salt water has a lower freezing temperture than fresh water, so as long as the hull used fresh water, and the outside surface didn't go to or below the freezing point of salt water, they'd have no problem.

I think they'd have the opposite problem, keeping the hull cool enough, so that the seawater didn't constantly wear the hull away.

 

[vikingBerserker]

As Timppa mentioned the Myth Busters did an episode on it and it was surprising how successful it was. Of course it was a small boat vs a carrier but I would imagine a larger mass would do better.

 

[gjs238]

My understanding was that it would be a platform or "island," not a ship.

 

[davebender]

That's fine if you can park it in the mid ocean gap not covered by Allied ASW aircraft. It's big enough that you can operate land based ASW aircraft.

What would happen if KM Tirpitz shows up on a dark and stormy night and pumps several hundred 38cm shells into this giant ice cube? Would the mid Atlantic airfield become crushed ice?

 

[Shortround6]

Quite possibly. But then the KM Tirpitz has used 1/3-1/2 of her ammunition and is days from home. Not a good position to be in.

 

[Messy1]

I'd also assume this floating platform would have it's own defensive ability. It would need to be much larger than a aircraft carrier's deck. I am sure it would have defensive weapons figured into it's arsenal, not to mention aircraft to defend it as well. I do not think too many enemy ships would be too keen to come with in attack range of this thing had it been built. I'd guess it would have at least the same compliment of aircraft as the larger carriers of WW2 did, if not more, not to mention large guns as well. Space on something like this could be limitless. You wouldn't be dealing with the typical confines of weight and material such as a steel ships design.