Sloop of War minimum specifications
Length 90 to 250 foot
Beam 20 to 40 feet
Draft 5 to 15 feet
Bridge clearance 20 to 40 feet
Displacement 500 to 2,000 tons
Speed 20 to 30 knots
Radar cross section normal yacht or less
Crew 20 to 50
Range 2000-4000 nautical miles (preference for being able to cross Atlantic or to Pearl Harbor from West Coast without a tender)
Cost $50 million for procurement and conversion (about 3 Abrams tanks)
Naming conventions: dangerous land animals (the larger more rounded sloops), counties (smaller specialized), creeks (small specialized, reserve built), large trees (larger specialized), local Civil War veterans (larger specialized, reserve built)
Core Sloops of War crew: 4 Officer (can have warrants), 18 Enlist (4 NCO), 7 Marine (1O, 1 NCO, 5E): total 29 but 44 beds
Officer
1. CO LT. Commander to CMDR
2. XO LT to LTCMDR
3. *GUNS (marine) 2nd LT to 1st LT (can be warrant officer)
4. CHENG LTJG to LT (can be warrant officer)
5. Second Officer ENS to LTJG
NCO
1. Senior Chief Bosun (deck)
2. *Gunnery Sergeant (Marine, guns)
3. Chief EOD (weaps, mines)
4. Chief Engine (engine) (can be warrant)
5. Chief Supply (stewards) (can be warrant)
Ratings all PO1, 2, or 3s
1. electrician mate cross-train crypto
2. damage control-man cross-train hull
3. engineman cross-train machinist
4. Machinists mate cross-train engine
5. Sonar-man cross train intel
6. Culinary specialist cross-train gunnery
7. electrician mate cross-train information specialist
8. quartermaster cross-train corpsman
9. operations specialist cross-train engine
10. Corpsman cross train quartermaster
11. missile technician cross train guns
12. information systems specialist cross train electrician
13. hull maintenance tech cross-train machinist
14. machinist mate cross train damage controlman
*Marines
1. Admin and supply
2. rifleman
3. weapons specialist (guns)
4. weapons specialist (drones)
5. rifleman
Armory
40 handguns (30 normal 9mm but also ten 5.7s)
10 590A1 shotguns
10 7.62 rifles or 5.56 rifles
10 P90 5.7s or 9mm PCCs
25 M1917 cutlass
10 Mameluke swords
7 officer straight blades sharpened
5 shoulder launch systems for air intercept and drone killing
Armament
1 to 5 inch deck gun (automate-able)
2 40 MM bofors, 25 MM Bushmaster, 20 mm CWIS (automate-able)
4 dual rail mount .50 Browning (automate-able)
2 .30 cal browning machine guns
2 lightweight torpedo launcher/decoy/mine launcher
20 cell mini size: (would be great if all these are the same missile)
anti air
surface hunt (surface ship and shore target)
ASROC
mine killer
1 large or 3 medium drone, 10 small drones
1 smoke screen generator
1 dazzler laser
hoses riggable for fire fighting and repelling boarders
1 decoy system (air and torpedo)
2 flamethrower turrets (these sloops will not be boarded)
Sensors
RADAR surface and air
SONAR
All spectrum listening and broadcast
Infrared and night vision
targeting laser/fire director
AN/SLQ-32 electronic warfare suite
Armor
Steel, Kevlar, asbestos (or equivalent fire retardant) steel to block up to 20mm armor piercing, resist up to 3 inch gun. Deck and super structure hardened to resist shaped drone charges.
Spaces
Engine
Bridge
Information Center
Mess/sick bay
Wardroom/long term sick
Armory/gym/marine country
3 NCO berth (3 each)
3 Rating berth (8 each)
1 CO/XO shared (2) stateroom with office space
1 officers shared (4) stateroom
1 Marine berth (8)
dry stores, magazine
Auxiliary bridge
Machine shop/printer
Electricians shop
Ashore spaces
Barracks
Officer house
More robust maintenance shop
Extra armory
Offices (CO, XO, NCOs, JOs)
Marine course, field, range
Squadron
1 CO Captain
3 section leads commander
9 LT commander normal Sloops
1 MM tender
Larger Surface Strike Group
DDG (captain, leads screen)
CVE (commodore) part of Marine port def
2 FFG (commander)
CA guns (captain) part of Marine port def
CA missiles (captain)
4 SWS (each with Commander)
Marine reserve port defense batt
2 Air defense company (shipping containers)
1 artillery company standard howitzer but mountable to decks
2 inf company standard ground force
1 HQ company
2 amphib transport ships
2 DDE
1 DDG
1 CVE (flagship of marine component)
1 CA guns (flagship of naval component)
Possible ships if not bought from auction:
https://sysyachtsales.com/yacht-search/1982/custom-displacement-twin-screw-sanssouci-star/9290015
https://sysyachtsales.com/yacht-search/?make=&model=&lmin=90&lmax=223&pmin=90000&pmax=10000000&ymin=&ymax=&type=Power&category=&state=&country=&condition=&boat_name=&fuel=&hull=&engines=&boats_added=&sortby=&v=&vp=6
CVE
Aircraft: https://scaled.com/portfolio/vanguard/
Convert from merchant ship maybe an OSV?
DDE
purpose built submarine hunter because air defense is done by Marines and shipping containers
CA guns
Purpose built gun platform, 12 inch guns
CA missiles
Purpose built high number VLS tube shipboard
Tender and transports
SWS tender carries fuel, munitions, repair shops, and shore component of squadron, reserve squadrons take one from storage but active ones maintain it
Marine transport is amphibious capable but uses containers on top for air defense, these unload to a truck when ashore.
Tanker for range and for CVE fuel
Swords:
Every sailor on board a sloop of war must be qualified seaman in all aspects of the vessel even beyond his rating (seamanship, engine, gunnery). Every officer must be a pinned SWO and also know the practicals of fighting a sloop of war. Beyond this are these requirements for earning the right to wear a sharpened sword (cutlass for enlisted, uniform straight sword for officer):
- MCMAP Green Belt
- 85 PT score
- pass sword drill manual
- Expert in pistol, rifle,
- Mobile ranges qualified
- shotgun and machine gun qualified
- PCC qualified
Marines Active
The Marines on the sloop are part of a larger formation based in the squadron HQ element. Every 4 sloops is a platoon and every 12 sloops a company, the companies world wide are taken care of by a singe Marine Sloops of War regiment with as many battalions as needed. Under what I envision here there would be four battalions:
1. Pacific
2. Atlantic
3. West reserve
4. East reserve
Marines would have their own internally determined skills for wearing a sharpened Mameluke sword beyond the SWs, although shipboard fighting skills are necessary to it.
Construction process
When a squadron location is found and acquired a SeaBee company is dispatched to build these facilities:
- 4 dry docks
- sufficient docks for max length sloops
- dockside warehouses that double as offices, machine shops, and armories
- barracks and for active units duty officer housing
- small airstrip if none is nearby
- Marine facilities if needed
The SeaBees will coordinate local labor and materials if needed. Active duty facilities should have a mind toward flexibility and future expansion. Reserve facilities should have a mind toward being self contained resources for rapid growth of the Navy if needed later. For example having training facilities for more than SW rates, fuel storage, sensors, security, intelligence, and local command and control.
When an initial hull is identified for conversion a CO, XO, Senior Chief, CHENG, and Marine officer are tasked with standing up a unit.
2-4 weeks interviewing and processing crew for 4x the size of the final ship.
2-8 week time frame a plan is made for conversion including what will be stripped and what will be needed to construction, anything that can be acquired on their own is and everything else ordered.
4-12 weeks stripping
8-20 weeks modifications
12-24 weeks testing and final fitting out, 3/4 of crew is sent to be core of new 3 new units standing up
16-26 weeks training and commissioning
6 months first 4 ships
12 months 16 ships (20 total)
18 months 64 ships (84 total)
24 months 192 ships (276 total for 23 squadrons: 8 active 15 reserve)
Squadrons At 2 Year Mark
1st Sloop of War Squadron Pearl Harbor Hawaii - Active Duty
2nd Sloop of War Squadron Pearl Beach Michigan - Reserve Duty
3rd Sloop of War Squadron Norfolk Virginia - Active Duty
4th Sloop of War Squadron San Diego California - Active Duty
5th Sloop of War Squadron Wickliffe Kentucky - Reserve Duty
6th Sloop of War Squadron Mobile Alabama - Reserve Duty
7th Sloop of War Squadron Panama City Florida - Active Duty
8th Sloop of War Squadron Tulsa Oklahoma - Reserve Duty
9th Sloop of War Squadron Wilmington North Carolina - Reserve Duty
10th Sloop of War Squadron San Jose California - Reserve Duty
11th Sloop of War Squadron Portland Maine - Reserve Duty
12th Sloop of War Squadron Groton Connecticut - Active Duty
13th Sloop of War Squadron Milwaukee Wisconsin - Reserve Duty
14th Sloop of War Squadron Richland Washington - Reserve Duty
15th Sloop of War Squadron Peoria Illinois - Reserve Duty
16th Sloop of War Squadron NS Kitsap Washington - Active Duty
17th Sloop of War Squadron Houston Texas - Reserve Duty
18th Sloop of War Squadron Yokosuka Japan - Active Duty
19th Sloop of War Squadron Boston Massachusets - Reserve Duty
20th Sloop of War Squadron Rota Spain - Active Duty
21st Sloop of War Squadron Savannah Georgia - Reserve Duty
22nd Sloop of War Squadron Los Angeles California - Reserve Duty
23rd Sloop of War Squadron Duluth Minnesota - Reserve Duty
Follow on squadrons at: Alaska (A), Tennessee (R), South Carolina (R), Maryland (R), New York (R), New Hampshire (R), Ohio (R), Indiana (R), Arkansas (R), Nebraska (R), Iowa (R), Louisiana (R), Mississippi (R), West Virginia (R), Pennsylvania (R), Vermont (R), Delaware (R), then reserve units with the active ones for total of 48 but make it 50 because of our number of states. Total of SWs would be 600 ships, men would be 120,000 reserves and 3,600 reserves
Active duty
An active duty sloop of war squadron would be tasked with an AOR to maintain air defense and presence in while also being deployable with their tender. A reserve squadron would then substitute for air defense. A reserve ship will also activate while an active one is in a maintenance period. The squadron will have a shore support element that deploys with the tender.
Deployment roles include:
- escort of merchant ships
- working with Marines
- scouting
- covert work
- presence and showing the flag
- mine clearing
- mine laying
- picket duty
- fishery protection
- diplomatic duty
- mobile missile defense, can be radar for merchant ship with missile containers
An active duty squadron typically is concentrated protecting a single port, usually it would be either economically important or a military installation. Deployed there is a preference for SeaBee and marine joint deployments.
Reserve duty
The reserve sloop maintains a crew sufficient to man the ship fully every weekend and with a skeleton crew during the week if every sailor reports for the required amount of time per USNR regulations. These sloops provide anti-drone and anti-missile security in important coastal ports, river ports, and Great Lake ports. They are not tasked with the roles of the USCG for SAR, customs enforcement, and border security except when asked by the USCG. Though the law of the sea holds for emergencies such as man overboard. The reserve squadron provides ships when active duty ships are in maintenance, they also cover for the whole squadron if it gets deployed. A reserve squadron should not be deployed as a whole lightly, an individual ship on the other hand should be considered before the active duty one. A reserve SW squadron will have 5 sites to protect to leave room for two ships to be in training or maintenance.
R Weeks: Weekend
1. Crew 1.25: Crew 1, 2
2. Crew 1.25: Crew 3, 4
3. Crew 2.25: Crew 5, 6
4. Crew 2.25: Crew 7, 8
5. Crew 3.25: Crew 1, 2
6. Crew 3.25: Crew 3, 4
7. Crew 4.25: Crew 5, 6
8. Crew 4.25: Crew 7, 8
9. Crew 1.5: Crew 1, 2
10. Crew 1.5: Crew 3, 4
11. Crew 2.5: Crew 5, 6
12. Crew 2.5: Crew 7, 8
13. Crew 3.5: Crew 1, 2
14. Crew 3.5: Crew 3, 4
15. Crew 4.5: Crew 5, 6
16. Crew 4.5: Crew 7, 8
17. Crew 1.75: Crew 1, 2
18. Crew 1.75: Crew 3, 4
19. Crew 2.75: Crew 5, 6
20. Crew 2.75: Crew 7, 8
21. Crew 3.75: Crew 1, 2
22. Crew 3.75: Crew 3, 4
23. Crew 4.75: Crew 5, 6
24. Crew 4.75: Crew 7, 8
25. Crew 1.9: Crew 1, 2
26. Crew 1.9: Crew 3, 4
27. Crew 2.9: Crew 5, 6
28. Crew 2.9: Crew 7, 8
29. Crew 3.9: Crew 1, 2
30. Crew 3.9: Crew 3, 4
31. Crew 4.9: Crew 5, 6
32. Crew 4.9: Crew 7, 8
33. Crew 5.25: Crew 1, 2
34. Crew 5.25: Crew 3, 4
35. Crew 6.25: Crew 5, 6
36. Crew 6.25: Crew 7, 8
37. Crew 7.25: Crew 1, 2
38. Crew 7.25: Crew 3, 4
39. Crew 8.25: Crew 5, 6
40. Crew 8.25: Crew 7, 8
41. Crew 5.5: Crew 1, 2
42. Crew 5.5: Crew 3, 4
43. Crew 6.5: Crew 5, 6
44. Crew 6.5: Crew 7, 8
45. Crew 7.5: Crew 1, 2
46. Crew 7.5: Crew 3, 4
47. Crew 8.5: Crew 5, 6
48. Crew 8.5: Crew 7, 8
49. Crew 5.75: Crew 1, 2
50. Crew 5.75: Crew 3, 4
51. Crew 6.75: Crew 5, 6
52. Crew 6.75: Crew 7, 8
53. Volunteers fill this week and weekend, the remaining crews of 7.75, 8.75, 5.9, 6.9, 7.9, and 8.9 (about 44 men) are available either to substitute when needed in other crews or are made available to training or active Navy for their two weeks.
A single reserve sloop has 232 men assigned to it, a squadron of 12 would have 2,784 men not counting the shore, admin, and tender component, all total probably 3,000 men per formation. The Marine component is a company per SW and they are part of the Marine port defense battalion and can be similarly spread across the 5 sites they protect as part of Golden Dome units.