Project X-4th Generation Akula II

[wayne frey]

The large buildings in Murmansk shipyard appeared through the night fog ahead. The captain was watching everything from the bridge. The tugs were pushing the large black hull in from out of the dark. Signals from the crew to keep the tugs from nudging the side sonar further damaging the combat vessel.
Damn! He hated to come in this way. Looking aft, the pod on the upper rudder was crushed on the left side, like a toy. The easy case of the exterior damaged also. They were lucky to bring her home.
Collisions had happend in the past, but never with one of the newer,more advanced attack submarines.
Shouting at the port tug, she was getting too close to the bow planes! The fool!
Behind him, out there somewhere, was another ship, also damaged, probably limping home. Both vessels were far from stealthy after colliding 200 meters down.
Damn!!
A year in the yard! A year!!
But things were different. Already, FSB staff could bee seen as shadows on the approaching docks. He had seen the orders. The Motherland had been working on some classified improvements that would make the world a little more cautious.
Smiling for only a moment when his first officer turned away, he mused at the changes coming..
The boat would be inside before daylight, then secured. Then the tasks of repairs and removal of the massive, once graceful screw, and the rear planes would begin.


My concept of what the Russians would do next. I will be back later to show how I have (I hope), overcome the Russian boat's larger turning radius, and the resistance a pumpjet adds to the turning of a boat to keep this one "combat nimble".

And so it beings:

[junglelord]

Now thats modeling genius.
http://www.subcommittee.com/forum/icon_cool.gif

Now thats modeling genius.

[redboat219]

What's with the cylindrical standoff

What's with the cylindrical standoff between the PJ unit and stern cone?

[pirate]

Wayne,
Why did you cut off

Wayne,
Why did you cut off the ring around the prop? There is a recess in the shroud for that ring so the water flow is not interrupted by the vortices on the ends of the blades. With the ring removed you are likely to lose a considerable amount of efficiency/power as the water flow gets caught up in that recess now.

[redboat219]

won't those "winglets" at the

won't those "winglets" at the end of the blades just do that?

[thor]

Take a look at the

Take a look at the pics of the SSN774 propulsor and you will see the reason......

[pirate]

Matt,
Can you direct me to

Matt,
Can you direct me to those pictures you're talking about?
Every shot I've seen has been covered in a tarp.
Thanks,
Pete

[thor]

Pete,

I have a couple of

Pete,

I have a couple of shots with a tarp, these are probably what you are referring too. If you zoom up and look at the blade profile on edge compared to the tip thickness, you can see a shape that is very close to what Wayne has created. There is a definite shape on the tip. If you like I can email them to you, but they are probably the same ones you have. I could certainly be wrong.

The ring information on the SSN21 impeller that I had at the time was conjecture based upon early tank test units. I nearly installed it on the last release of my SSN21 kit, but did not because, at the time, I did not feel comfortable relying on the tiny bit of information that I had. I have never seen any evidence to lend me to believe that a ring was ever installed on the unit. However, your unit came out much later than mine, so I am sure you had much better information than I ever did. We will probably not know for decades what the real unit looks like. For now, they are all conjecture.

You are correct about the loss of efficiency with the gap.

[pirate]

Matt,
I would appreciate if you

Matt,
I would appreciate if you emailed the images you have to me. I'm currently in the process of assembling one of my Virginia class models and it would be good to see what you have. Thanks.

submarineworks@verizon.net

[thor]

Sure thing, Pete. You have

Sure thing, Pete. You have mail.

Matt

P.S. Sorry, Dave. There is no ring....

[wayne frey]

Eyestrain was getting to my

Eyestrain was getting to my eyes. I tossed the dossier on Capt. Crozier on the stack of others. He is good. The Americans have a lot of talent, and not to be underestimated. There were others, Porteus, who reportedly talks to his boat as if it were a woman, and his performance level is top shelf. The others of the Sub Ron 5 Battle Group are all highly skilled. The Americans have Thor, a master engineer, and Merrimen, the Rickover of submarines. Even with all the edge I am being given, they will be formitable.
Getting up from my desk I felt cramped up. A walk would do me good. I went out through the faded wooden door into the massive ship building where the boat waited.
Lighting up a cigarette, I walked slowly down it's length. Arching of the welders underneath and to the back was erie to see underneath the expanse of the massive hull. As I got to midships, the stern, now completely different, began to show itself.
It had been somewhat easy. Off the shelf technology, basically. Use the stern planes in an X configuration. X tail boats turn much faster. Something needed for battle dashing. It was decided to use two sets of stern planes, and not the origional rudders to take advantage of the increased area of 50 percent verse the rudders that were vertical. The politcal voices and design centers were reluctant to go with the full flying rudder. So staying with this made sense.
By now, I was standing under the inverted "V" of the lower planes staring at the pump jet. The Keppel design screw would make my boat quieter still.
It would be needed.
At the tips of the upper planes, the newly installed "Orca" towed array blended nicely to the fins. Newer technology. Smaller. Duel design for comparitive tracking. Yes, it should be interesting. Very interesting.
Turning to walk back to my office, I extingushed the cigarette under my boot. Over all the banging, and sounds of the arcwelders crackling away, I could see another worker walking away with another console part. The electronics were almost entirely being upgraded.
Walking past the keel, I was not concerned as the group of engineers were studying the next "upgrade". It was getting cold, and I have a bottle of Somergone hidden in my desk to take the edge off. It was going to be a long winter..


So here it is:
My answer to making the boat turn better. An X tail configuration. I acquired a second set of stern planes from Vladimir and put em on. I also mounted leds for lighting. There are pictures showing how I embedded the resistors ,permenantly, waterproof, and hidden in the rudders themselves. I borrowed an idea from an Enterprise starship build I am doing and used computer ribbon cable for wiring. It has potential. Flat,small, and paired as many as one wishes. Perfect!
I used straws filled with resin to make the towed array. Drilled one end, beveled it, and scribed a line, similar to the real thing, just back from the end. The rest of the build will be somewhat conventional,and may be a while before I post again.
The upper rudders wer badly damaged. My fault. They looked like they had been used as shirkens! One was broken in half, and both were chipped along the edges where the actual rudder moved in. I had to repair with resin, and sand. It took a Lot of time. If I had it to do over again, I would have ordered another set.
I think one can see why the cylinder transition to the pump jet now. Install it where the hull is wide enough, it would be too close to the rudders. And the taper, as it was , it way to small to mount a pump jet. In fact, I kept the distance the same as the original screw.
Enjoy!

[steveneill]

Just freakin great Wayne. I

Just freakin great Wayne. I love it!

Steve

[stark]

Really nice Wayne, got get

Really nice Wayne, got get me one of them kinda boats.

Brian

[wayne frey]

And if you look into

And if you look into the Abyss, it will look back at you...
Something wicked this way comes..
A prey's last moments


This is what I have been working on lately. I mounted the torpedo tubes. While I was there, I put in a set of Temporary Illumination Torpedo System in the smaller inside upper tubes. I do not have a torpedo system. But, I will put one in when one comes avalible. Meanwile, I will get the boat built, and at least have the lights to play with.

Here is how I did it.


I cut out a rough form from wood. I was sure to cut a straight line across the top, leaving plenty of room so air bubbles would not be a balance/dive problem. I then cast in clay the part. Tubes were cut to lenght and close to the size of the doors I opened. True to the real deal, the upper inside two are slightly smaller. The sole sample 1/96 torpedo I got from Merrimen years ago showed me the tubes are going to be much larger than what is required for the torpedo. If I were to make the tubes sized for the weapon, they would look too small. The actual reason for this is the Russian boats do have a smaller launch tube. The doors are larger for the mechanicals to swing out of the way of the real tubes inside the double hull.
I used Micro Mart's high strengh resin (it is a combat vessel). The Temporary Illuminated Torpedo System is laying in the picture. Leds with the resistors embedded, using a straw during a resin pour for shape. Again, using computer cable for wiring.


Test fitting the parts. I thinned the brace and slotted the center to reduce the weight, so I would spend my ballast lifting this.


I used playdoe to hold the resin around the brace and seal the outside of the tubes to the hull, and to hold the resin around the tubes on the inside.
Dry, grind, and reverse sides to fill. Then grind, file, sand, and prime. As Paul Crozier would say "there you go ".







I will be back later with more upper details/ mods.

[steveneill]

NICE!

NICE!