Wednesday, July 13, 2022

The Degraded Warship

Officially, the Navy’s equipment is near perfect, almost flawless in its performance.  Why?  Because either the equipment is tweaked ahead of inspections and exercises or because the exercises are largely simulated and every piece of equipment works perfectly in simulations.  Thus, Navy leadership has no reason to believe that when real combat comes, the equipment won’t work perfectly.

 

You and I, however, know that it is an absolute given that when war comes, our systems will be degraded across the board.  We get hints of this when ships are forced to perform real operations (like sailing through a navigation channel) and wind up running aground or colliding and the incident reports inevitably wind up citing a litany of degraded or non-functional equipment that contributed to the incident.

 

The inevitable combat degradation may result from a variety of reasons:

 

  • enemy electronic warfare
  • battle damage
  • confusion (the fog of war)
  • panic (the Vincennes and Mason scenarios)
  • weather conditions (our technology hasn’t risen above the effects of weather yet)
  • lack of maintenance
  • self-imposed degradation such as from EMCON (Emissions Control)
  • degradation due to removal of expert contractor support
  • crew attrition due to battle casualties

 

Given the absolute certainty of degraded systems, the naval ship designer would be wise to design in degradation resilience.  How, you might ask, can we design a WARship that can function degraded?  What features and characteristics are needed?

 

Here are some features that will make a WARship more resilient in the face of inevitable system degradation:

 

Backups – Anything critical to combat must have at least one backup, meaning, an alternate (preferably, dissimilar technology) way to accomplish the same task.  When systems are degraded, having an alternate way to accomplish a task is a good way to increase the likelihood of success.  For example, when the ship’s radar is degraded due to jamming, lack of maintenance (no civilian contractors that we’ve come to depend on will be aboard ship during war), or lack of highly trained technicians (again, a fateful dependence on contractors) it will be critical to have a backup sensor like a 360 degree electro-optical and/or infrared scanning system to supplement or replace the radar.

 

Redundancy - When systems are degraded, having more than one of them is a good way to mitigate the impact.  For example, when the ship’s radar is destroyed, a second, redundant system could be the salvation of the ship.

 

Targeting – This blog has long identified targeting as the Achilles Heel of modern weapon systems.  A million mile missile is useless when all you have is a horizon targeting system.  We’ve also noted that modern ships have very few targeting systems, regardless of range.  For example, the trend towards collapsing all radar systems into a single radar is the opposite of what we should be doing with WARships.  Alternate targeting systems can provide targeting options and flexibility.  For instance, onboard optical sensors are an effective supplement to conventional radar targeting.  Add to that various sensors mounted on small UAVs that can extend and supplement the ship’s targeting sensors and you have the makings of a robust and flexible targeting system.

 

Armor – There is no better way to mitigate degradation due to battle damage than by the routine and extensive use of armor.  We knew this lesson in WWII and have forgotten it, today.

 

Manning - Increased manning is the only counter to battle casualties.  It is also the number one requirement for successful damage control

 

Internal Communications – Having ridiculed external communications (data links, networks, regional command and control, etc.), we must recognize that internal ship’s communications are vital during battle.  We need resilient internal comms using extensive sound powered phone circuits and hand held radios (kept sealed away until battle to avoid unwanted emissions).

 

Power – One of the most common and crippling conditions a ship can face is loss of power during battle.  We need an extensive and robust cross-connectable power grid throughout the ship.  The ship should be designed with hundreds of connection nodes so that power can always be quickly and easily re-routed around cable breaks. 

 

We need backup generators that are physically widely separated and scattered throughout the ship.  No single hit should be able to leave a ship without power.

 

UAVs - Organic UAVs can provide remote sensing and situational awareness when our regional networks fail and we can’t get outside data.

 

Propulsion – A backup propulsion pod, located on the forward half of the ship, for limp-home use will save a ship’s life.

 

Distributed Sensors – The current trend is towards having a single sensor replace multiple sensors.  For example, the Ford’s dual band radar was claimed to replace several separate radars.  This is a good business/budget case but an exceedingly poor combat case.  Distributed sensors provide resilience as battle damage occurs.  For example, the RAM launcher which depends on the ship’s main radar for targeting is a very poor choice for a combat weapon.  The better choice is the SeaRAM which, like the CIWS, has its own, self-contained radar sensor.  It doesn’t matter what happens to the ship’s main radar or any of the other sensors on the ship.  The SeaRAM will continue to function perfectly because it has its own radar.  We should have multiple, distributed, small radars (SPQ-9B or TRS-3D/4D, for example) dedicated to providing horizon targeting for the VLS system so that they can continue to function when the main radar is damaged or destroyed.  Optical systems tied into the VLS can provide yet another level of resilience for when the radars are jammed or degraded by enemy electronic warfare attacks.  We need to abandon the misguided trend of centralized sensors and the single, overarching, master sensor.

 

 

 

Conclusion

 

Degradation is the norm during war.  Heck, let’s be honest.  Degraded systems are the norm right now, during peacetime due to lack of maintenance, lack of contractor support, lack of spare parts, and lack of expert level trained Navy technicians.  Recall the Port Royal grounding incident where the ship had multiple degraded systems despite having just come out of a dry dock availability (see, “Port Royal Grounding Lessons”)!  Given our woeful current state, why would we think ships won’t operate degraded during war?  Of course they will !  It is our responsibility to design ships that can absorb degradations and still function with at least a reasonable degree of effectiveness.  We have to stop designing ships to budgets and business cases and return to designing to combat requirements.


29 comments:

  1. Good ship design criteria and trade off space. No we jsut need to find some folks that want to design a warship.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Far from the craziest thing you've ever written! Too bad our aluminum (read: flammable) ships aren't designed this way.

    Are our likely adversaries (China and Russia) doing any better in this regard, or are their fleets equally defective and disposable?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Nobody really knows!
      All China does is to publish glowing propaganda pieces about their incredible, game-changing achievements, and those are not worth the paper they're printed on.
      The problem is that USA has adopted the same practice.

      Delete
    2. We don’t know about the robustness of Chinese ship designs, but you can be fairly certain they will fully man there ships.
      MA

      Delete
  3. Like so much of what CNO posts here, it's just common sense.

    But it is only common sense if you are thinking about the ships fighting shooting wars, not budget wars.

    Lutefisk

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. "it's just common sense"

      Just common sense ???!!!!! Einstein 'just' proposed wild ideas. Michaelangelo 'just' carved rocks and painted pictures. Leonardo da Vinci 'just' doodled with sketches. Ben Franklin 'just' flew kites.

      'Just common sense' ??!!!!!!!!

      :) 'Just' havin' some fun !

      Delete
    2. "Like so much of what CNO posts here, it's just common sense."

      Way to knock me down! :)

      Delete
  4. I contend that it's the highest form of compliment.

    Love your blog. I hope it's reaching at least some of the right people.

    Lutefisk

    ReplyDelete
  5. Actually, as I think through this, it's really more than common sense. It just feels like common sense once you hear it.

    Armor, EMCON, targeting, etc etc etc..

    It all seems so obvious once it's laid out there, but to look at a problem and come to the solution that is unique and not just more of the prevailing 'wisdom' is anything but common.

    Lutefisk

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'd like to take credit for brilliant thinking but, honestly, we had most of this figured out in WWII and all I'm doing is adapting it to modern times ... you know, like the Navy should have been doing all along.

      Delete
  6. On an semi-unrelated (?) subject, I just watched a USNI panel Q&A with the NavAir commander and two other admirals. Its on Youtube, on Ward Carrolls channel, hes the moderator, if interested...
    The interesting snippet woeth sharing is that one of them briefly discussed Ford and her shock trials. He stated that the ship only had 20% of the damage compared to the early Nimitz class shock trials, measured in number of hours to repair, and that 85% of that was repairable by the crew. Since so little has come out about the results, thought it was worth sharing.
    PS- not being allowed to sign in again😖... This is "Jjabatie"

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. "thought it was worth sharing."

      Just bear in mind that the Navy raved about the LCS shock trials until DOT&E reported that the trials used reduced explosive loads and the final, closest trial was skipped. So, I don't believe anything the Navy has to say about the trials.

      "PS- not being allowed to sign in again😖... This is "Jjabatie"

      I'm sorry that there's nothing I can do about it. Most of the time it seems to be a user-related problem. One common explanation I've heard is that it's related to cookie permissions. You might check on that.

      In the meantime, signing your username at the end of the comment works just fine.

      Delete
  7. "So, I don't believe anything the Navy has to say about the trials."

    Sure... Everyone from the admiralrys been fast n loose with facts a lot, for a while it seems, and obviously on much more than just the Ford. I just thought it interesting as being said in a public forum today...
    - Jjabatie

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  8. I really feel as though modern warships ae essentially constabulary vessels designed for presence and not much else - basically old style protected/unprotected cruisers, sloops, frigates (19th century definition) and avisos.

    Not only do they lack redundancy, targeting, survivability etc, they also lack punch.

    Eg your average 8500 ton destroyer packs measly 8 anti shipping missiles, 6 ASW torpedoes and a single gun (and a lot of SAMs) - basically self defence. They do have limited land attack with Tomahawks but most of the European and allied Asian ones lack this ability and in any case if you're destroyers are out doing land attack they're not doing any of those naval
    missions like sea control, ASW, anti shipping etc.

    (I still think the Ohio class SSGNs actually offered the best land attack capability for Navy as it was a dedicated asset with a very large capacity).

    At best they are air defence assets.

    The above all makes sense given carriers are meant to be the primary surface combatants. Except the carriers are now far less capable and far less numerous than the 1980s. F/A-18E/F might be easier to maintain than an F-14/A-6 but the F-14/A-6s range meant they could truly strike enemy warships from a relatively safe range.

    And with retirement of S-3 and ASW frigates with no replacement and massive reductions in attack subs, the fleet is now not only more vulnerable to enemy AShMs but also enemy submarines.

    Oh and the death of MCM fleet plus short range means those carrier groups have to operate closer to enemy shores/waters and thus minefields!

    Plus there's no "cheap and cheerful" ASW corvettes/sloop/frigates left for all those mundane duties you don't need a carrier group eg convoy escorts, picket ships etc etc.



    So I would argue the issues you mention with the surface combatants wouldn't be such an issue if the navy maintained even a modicum of its 1980s structure (larger, long range carrier air groups, larger numbers of lighter ships and attack subs, a MCM fleet) as well as shipyard and self sufficient capacity to maintain it.

    Instead the navy has declined in all these areas.

    If the navy had maintained the above, China's still largely green water navy would not have been such an issue.

    But Chinese advances + US declines = gradual convergence of capabilities.

    As it stands I'd say the USN is out of the fight in a meaningful way in South China Sea and would struggle in East China Sea. Chinese geographic limitations and lack of true blue water capabilities still limit it in Philippine Sea and Indian Ocean. However US itself is constrained in Indian Ocean as well.


    Atlantic is still very much a US playground - the Russian Navy is in terminal decline regardless of Ukraine. Russians can't build large surface ships and most of their surface navy is ancient and in the same decrepit state as Moskva was.

    Russian submarines still pose a massive threat.

    ReplyDelete
  9. The Russian navy is NOT in "terminal decline" but is playing a different game than you are -- strategic missile attack platforms, not "show-the-flag (but please not the rust)" assets. Small Russian ships can pummel nations/ airbases/ etc from long distances away and could be classified as "strategic" assets. USN ships are mainly close range self-defense and could be classified as "Victorian gunboats".

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. "strategic missile attack platforms"

      What strategic missiles are you referring to?

      Delete
  10. If the navy had just followed these guidelines, imagine how much better off they'd be? Instead it's just never ending damage control on every model of ship they put out, some of which had great promise but through requirements attrition and worrying about the cost factor versus killing other Navy's factor (latter seems more important if my a** was on the USN ship). Great points. While we are at it, maybe they should just uparmor the hell out of a Freedom class, and make it an escort ship for merch ships. I mean, make it almost automated with very little crew and just have it act as a secret service to the president mode, in other words it's expendable, take the hit for the merch ship. Beats rusting in the mothball fleet and it will break down on occasion once it goes over 15 knots, so why not use it the way it can be used. Of course it's all snapshot missiles, no SM-2 or 6, but somebody has to escort those merchs and there is not enough DD or Frigates to do it. I know, stupid idea...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. "uparmor the hell out of a Freedom class"

      The Freedom class is at or over its weight limits, stability, and margins. It is not possible to add armor. The ship would have to have been designed for armor from the beginning.

      As an escort, the LCS lacks range and would require frequent refueling which is not currently possible for an unmanned ship.

      Delete
  11. "...if the navy maintained even a modicum of its 1980s structure..."

    I've often wondered whether the modern US Navy, even with all of the technological advancements or the last 30+ years, could win if it went up against the 1980's US Navy.

    Lutefisk

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    Replies
    1. I wonder if it could win against the 1945 Navy !

      Delete
    2. Might be a topic for a fun post.
      No armor seems like a pretty suicidal choice going against old-fashioned warships, although modern ones have extra range.

      Delete
    3. Oh absolutely!!! I think a 2022 vs 1945 fiction could be fun and informative too!!! Might not have a rapidly decisive ending, and it could honestly go either way depending on rules and scenario setup for the "wargame"... But it could be very eye opening for supporters of both teams!!!
      - Jjabatie

      Delete
    4. For instance, recreating a Midway scenario, with one team being modern, vs say, a Savo Island, or North Cape battle could be quite a shocking comparo!!!
      -Jjabatie

      Delete
  12. Modern against the 1945 navy?
    Modern, and it wouldn't even be close.

    Those WW2 shells and bombs would pass right through those rusty modern hulls without even detonating. WW2 navy wouldn't stand a chance.

    Lutefisk

    ReplyDelete
  13. On the other hand, without damage control a 16" hole in a hull lets in a lot of water over time.
    Advantage 1945 navy?

    Lutefisk

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Would the new navy captains know to bob n weave and use their speed and maneuverability to dodge shells?? WWII captains learned and dodged torps and shells reflexively and often. Would the new crews know their advantages and weaknesses, and use them???

      Delete
    2. "Would the new crews know their advantages and weaknesses, and use them???"

      Well, like all military personnel, they'd fall back on their training so ... no.

      Delete
    3. That brief and factual response is so depressing...
      -Jjabatie

      Delete
    4. The 1945 navy would have a major advantage: they can sail in a numerous fleet without colliding after ten minutes.
      The 2022 navy would have three collisions per minute.

      Delete

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