According to a CNO message dated 18 November 2003, “USS Kitty Hawk (CV-63) will be redesignated as USS Kitty Hawk (CVL-63)” I’m sure your wondering why this will happen as are all of us on board, but especially the junior enlisted. Their reason for wondering is that all unit identification code or “UIC” patches will shortly be incorrect. This is the patch worn on the right shoulder telling what ship you are with. They will have to be changed, necessitating all the uniforms in one’s sea bag to be modified. Also, ship hats will have to be changed. If you have a CV-63 hat, it will become a collector’s item very soon. And of course the Personnelmen (PN) and Yeoman (YN) on board will be up to the wee hours of the night changing all documents to reflect this change also. As the last two US wars have shown, the Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) units of the US Navy are more or less useless, and that the primary Anti Aircraft missile system of the US Navy, Tomahawk {Ed: see my note below}, is the only weapon really needed or used, with a little help from aircraft. USS Kitty Hawk (CV-63) is currently in dry dock in Yokosuka, Japan, and will emerge as a new and better weapons platform. Coinciding with this will be the decommissioning of two Improved Spruance class DDs, USS Cushing (DD-985) and USS O’Brien (DD-975). Both Mk41 Vertical Launching Systems will be removed from them during decommissioning, and then be installed in Kitty Hawk. The two Mk41 Vertical Launching Systems will replace both bow mounted catapults. This will have a major effect on the number of planes that can be carried on board. Carrier Air Wing Five (CVW-5) will no longer have four fighter/fighter attack squadrons, only two. This will change the designation of CV-63 to CVL-63. Aircraft will no longer be able to park on the forward deck space because of the launchers. Rules Changes 3.3.5.5.1.1 CVL Flight Decks. When aircraft land on a standard CV,they head to the forward part of the ship,if she is not launching from those catapults.However,all aircraft will now have to be lowered to the hangar deck after landing.This will increase the recovery time to one and a half minutes between aircraft or two aircraft per Tactical Turn. 3.3.5.7.1 Post VLS launch Ready Times. Launching from the VLS leaves behind dangerous amounts of “FOD,” or “foreign object damage ” material,,as it is called by aviators.Before any flight operations can be held, whether moving,launching or landing aircraft,a FOD walk-down will have to be performed by the crew.This will take approximately 10 minutes;this will be modified by the following.One way to minimize the amount of time is to launch when the wind is from the port or starboard side. This reduces the cleanup time by D6 minutes.Having the wind from fore or aft will increase the time dramatically, add 2D6 minutes. Kitty Hawk CVL Displacement: 60100 std In class: 1 Acoustic Counterm: None In Service: 2003 Electronic Counterm: 3rd Gen J ESM: 3rd Gen Propulsion: Steam Crew: 5400 Size Class: Large Signature: Large/Loud Weapons: ROF D, E1 D/Intl F&A(61)2 Mk41 VLS w/61 weapons (20) S/SB(21)2 Mk49 w/21 RIM-116A RAM (10) P&PQ/S&SQ(8)2 Mk29 NATO Sea Sparrow w/8 RIM-7M//4 Mk95 (15) D P&PQ/S&SQ(R)2 Mk15 Phalanx w/5 bursts C 2 Catapult — 4 Elevators — Sensors: SPS-48E, SPS-49, Mk23 TAS J Remarks: Can launch 6 small/med helos at once. Mk41 can carry any version of Tomahawk or RUM-139A VLA. Armor: CHP rating is L for flight deck, hangar, engineering, sensors, CIC. Air Group: 2003: VFA-192 Golden Dragons; 12 F/A-18E. VFA-195 Dam Busters; 12 F/A-18E. VAQ-136 Gauntlets; 5 EA-6B, VAW-115 Liberty Bells; 4 E-2C. VS-21 Beef Stakes; 10 S-3B. HS-14 Chargers; 3 HH-60H/3 SH-60F. Damage and Speed Breakdown: Dam Pts: 0 280 559 839 1006 1118 Surf Speed: 33 25 16 8 0 Sinks Notes: The number of crew has yet to be calculated Reducing the number of squadrons will reduce it by several hundred, while adding the Firecontrolmen (FC) and Gunners mates (GM) for the operation and maintenance of the Tomahawk and VLS will only increase the number by about 20. All photos, drawings, and message copies for this article were confiscated. Naval officials cleared this article. V/R FCC(SW) Doty Ed Note I should have run this piece of fiction in the April (as in Fool’s) issue of a different magazine. Andy is a Firecontrolman for the Tomahawk missile system and thinks highly of the role they have played in the US Navy’s power projection mission. To answer an immediate question many will raise, Andy’s description of Tomahawk’s "antiaircraft” role is meant in terms of its use against airfields. I should mention that if the ship is fitted with CEC, as all carriers will, then the Mk41 VLS can fire SM2 SAMs which can be guided by another ship and its designation is actually “CVLG.” BT Back to The Naval Sitrep # 25 Table of Contents Back to Naval Sitrep List of Issues Back to MagWeb Master Magazine List © Copyright 2003 by Larry Bond and Clash of Arms. This article appears in MagWeb.com (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other military history and related articles are available at http://www.magweb.com