Us Navy USS Enterprise (CV-6) Yorktown-class aircraft carrier

[Bowie]

Yorktown Class: of which there were Three.

Only One of which even made it past the initial Solomon's naval battles, armed w/ Wildcats?

With the Essex Class already in process, the inspired choice would have been the Independence Class.

Of which there were Nine, w/ multiple in each Carrier Battle Group, all but one making it past the Philippines, and armed w/ Hellcats.

[ED_dropping_ball]

 

Nice Carrier, though.

 

 

Bowie

[Art-J]

Nah, can't agree about dropping the ball. Essex class is done by a 3rd party, which seems to be struggling with development pace in recent few years, so it may or may not come to DCS at all. Even if it comes, it may or may not have any extra features beyond very basic plane launching capability and it may or may not be maintained / improved / fixed properly further after release by said 3rd party.

I'm not surprised then that ED wants to have their own PTO plane and their own full size fleet carrier for creating '43-'44 scenarios. Yorktown class is "2nd best" and the most logical choice then because, with all due respect to light and escort carrier sailors, nobody except history geeks cares about these. It's the big vessels that are in spotlight.

[Northstar98]

4 hours ago, Bowie said:

Yorktown Class: of which there were Three.

Only One of which even made it past the initial Solomon's naval battles, armed w/ Wildcats?

With the Essex Class already in process, the inspired choice would have been the Independence Class.

Of which there were Nine, w/ multiple in each Carrier Battle Group, all but one making it past the Philippines, and armed w/ Hellcats.

[ED_dropping_ball]

I don't think I can agree about them dropping the ball here either.

I get that usually ED aren't the most coherent about things, but here it's not the case. We are still getting a relevant fleet carrier for 1944 and onwards operation (and the WWII Marianas map gets us close-ish to the Battle of the Philippine Sea). Enterpise is a pretty famous ship, taking part in more battles and having more battle awards than any other aircraft carrier and any other ship.

Enterpise did take part in the Battle of the Philippine Sea (as did 6 Essex and 8 Independence, usually 2 per task group), with Hellcats embarked as part of Air Group 10 (alongside Corsairs - which we are getting even if it might not be the right variant, Avengers and whatever the plural for Dauntless is).

The Independence only has numbers above the fleet carriers, but the fleet carriers are much more capable by themselves, being able to embark 2-3 times as many aircraft (though unlikely we'll actually be able to use anything like their full complement).

With all that said, it would be excellent to get an Independence, though right now I think what we really need to see are escorts to flesh out the task groups (though yes, the Independence would also flesh them out too).

[Gunfreak]

Big E was the most decorated  American ship of WW2, was at all the major battles. All the way to just weeks before the end of the war. Did night ops during Okinawa and during the "siege" ofJapan. 

Also photon torpedoes.

[AG-51_Razor]

11 hours ago, Art-J said:

"Yorktown class is "2nd best" and the most logical choice then because, with all due respect to light and escort carrier sailors, nobody except history geeks cares about these. It's the big vessels that are in spotlight."

Sorry Art-J but I have to disagree with the last part of your post here. History geeks notwithstanding, I do believe that there is a huge part of the DCS World customer base that are "Carrier Geeks" (myself being one) and I feel like there would be a tremendous attraction towards the Independance class CVL due to the smaller size and attendant degree of difficulty in operating from its smaller flight deck. Their flight decks were just slightly longer than a Jeep carrier's and actually a few feet narrower. Their only advantage being their ability to keep up with the fleet carriers. I, for one, would have been far happier to see ED develop any one of the CVLs in lieu of the famous, highly decorated Enterprise. But that's just me. 

[Bowie]

It's not that it's a bad choice.

After the Essex Class, it is a fine stand alone Carrier choice.

 

But, for the '44 PTO?

in lieu of the Essex Class, not the best choice.

May be corrected as we discuss, like the USS Forrestal showing up with the Super Carrier.

 

 

Bowie

[Hawkeye60]

USS Enterprise: How a Navy Nuclear Power Aircraft Carrier 'Struck a Rock'

 

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/uss-enterprise-how-a-navy-nuclear-power-aircraft-carrier-struck-a-rock/ar-AA1nLPpz

[Andrew8604]

On 4/13/2024 at 12:35 PM, AG-51_Razor said:

Sorry Art-J but I have to disagree with the last part of your post here. History geeks notwithstanding, I do believe that there is a huge part of the DCS World customer base that are "Carrier Geeks" (myself being one) and I feel like there would be a tremendous attraction towards the Independance class CVL due to the smaller size and attendant degree of difficulty in operating from its smaller flight deck. Their flight decks were just slightly longer than a Jeep carrier's and actually a few feet narrower. Their only advantage being their ability to keep up with the fleet carriers. I, for one, would have been far happier to see ED develop any one of the CVLs in lieu of the famous, highly decorated Enterprise. But that's just me. 

In support of the Independence Class CVLs, they carry fewer aircraft and have fewer guns.  That might be easier on our PC's.  These CVLs typically carried 24 Hellcats and 9 Avengers by October 1944.  They appear to have had 2 quad-mount 40mm guns (one at stern and one at bow) and 5 dual 40mm mounts along the port side and 4 dual 40mm mounts along the starboard side...each mount with its own Mk51 (lead computing optical sight set for 5,000 yards).  And at least 10, up to 22, single 20mm mounts with iron sights (I think).  With AI Hellcats and Avengers, players could operate some of the Hellcats...until, if ever, we get a flyable Avenger.

But what I think would make exciting WWII Pacific Theater, Naval Operations missions for DCS is to somewhat authentically simulate the operation of the 40mm and 20mm anti-aircraft gun mounts.  You don't normally man the 40mm mounts, unless you want the fun of placing clip after clip of 40mm ammo into the feed locks in support of their firing.  I'd imagine that would get boring really quick.  Instead, if you want to shoot at enemy planes incoming, you man one of the nine Mk51 directors!  The AI CIC watching the search radar (and lookouts with binoculars) will notify over intercom of "raids approaching," numbers of targets, bearing and range.  You would then have to see those "specks" and start sighting them and tracking them in your Mk51 sight.  When in range, start pumping tracers out there and correct your fire.  Your Mk51 could have maybe from 1 to 3 twin mounts linked to it for directing, if you wanted (or whatever the officer in charge ordered).  The 20mm mounts would be "hand" aimed through iron sights, I believe, or possibly Mk14 lead-computing sights.  Players in the mission could take up whichever directors or mounts they wished, and the AI would operate the rest.  And operation of these directors and guns should be compatible with VR.  You can get a little taste of this right now in DCS by boarding the Samuel Chase and setting up a mission with some modded Fletcher destroyers and Iowa battleships around.  Then use Fw190's in IJN skins to do some glide bombing.  Takes some work to set up but makes quite a show.

Additionally, a Cleveland class light cruiser could be added to provide more air defense.  Coincidentally, the Independence class carriers were built upon Cleveland class cruiser hulls and machinery.  Besides the cruisers' 6-inch main battery, they also carried 6 twin 5-inch turrets directed by two Mk37 directors, 1 forward and 1 aft, with radar ranging and ballistic computing.  And they also had 4 quad 40mm mounts with Mk51 directors, plus 4 to 8 twin 40mm mounts with Mk51's...and ten to twenty-one single 20mm mounts.  Add to that some Fletcher class and Sumner class destroyers and you have a modest carrier battlegroup.  Not sure if DCS could handle any more than that plus AI aircraft raids of dozens of A6M Zeros, D3A2 Val dive bombers, B5M Kate torpedo bombers and G4M Betty torpedo bombers.  Plus, fighter-screens of Hellcats.

But I sure would like to see the Enterprise and Essex class carriers, too.  Eventually, the 1942 version of Yorktown class carriers with Wildcats, Dauntlesses, and Devastators for a Battle of Midway map.  But that would be way down the line...like 2030...if at all.

Edited January 15 by Andrew8604
Add info.