First, last Saturday, the USN commissioned its newest submarine. Normally, I would not bring this up, but SSN-797 bears the name Iowa. This is slightly bittersweet, as my ship is no longer the one and only, but I wish the new Iowa and her crew all the best as they take the name back into the active fleet.
Second, apologies for missing the OT two weeks ago, though I may drop the frequency to monthly given the low traffic they typically see.
Third, the Naval Gazing meetup starts in exactly four weeks. You should come, because it will be a lot of fun.
Overhauls are my review of Dayton, Auxiliaries Part 5, the South Dakota class and for 2024, Air Attack on Ships Parts one and two, Aurora 2.2+ Missile Warfare, Aurora Beam PD Allocation and my attempts to find out what AI thought about me.
Comments
Just watched a video about the new French frigate, the FDI. It has an "étrave inversée" or wave-piercing bow, like the USN Zumwalts.
These were a thing in the late 19th century, at least for French armoured cruisers, but disappeared AFAIK in the 20th C. Can anyone explain why they are making a comeback?
I know for the Zumwalts it was part of the stealth system. The FDI doesn't look like it has nearly the stealth of the Zumwalts, so I'd guess it's part of a modern trend towards wave-piercing bows that can also be seen in other places, most notably a number of oil platform supply vessels. Advantages claimed include a smoother ride (plausible) and better fuel economy (not sure exactly why, either wasting less energy on pitching or longer relative waterline length).