Can a Roland carry Marines?

kzt wrote:At worst you dedicate a small craft to the marines, so they leave their power armor etc on it. But I suspect the squadron briefing room is perfectly capable of storing a platoons worth of gear. Everything other then heavy weapons and power armor you can store in the quarters, where their armored skin suits would be stored.

ldwechsler wrote:

kzt wrote:At worst you dedicate a small craft to the marines, so they leave their power armor etc on it. But I suspect the squadron brie

A group of marines would effectively be imprisoned. No gym

Relax wrote:What ship does not have a gym or range today? None. What ship does not have a gym or range in the HV? None. As for the rest, what world do you live on? Nothing to do? Good grief, you must have no one you know in the military. As Cachat demonstrates in the HV, simulation can do most everything. Or you could figure out that the Marines on board USN ships or old school RMN ships in wooden hulls routinely "sail" around the world for 6 months at a time with "nothing" to do and no place in which to "do it". Open a book(suggest the library), or better yet, go meat(pun intended) a marine or army puke or rub a few braincells together outside your VERY narrow box mind...

kzt wrote:Talk to some members of Uncle Sams Misguided Children who spent a float on the wonderful accommodations of an old LSD. Somehow they were still capable of being effective.

robert132 wrote:My last ship (USS Nassau (LHA 4)) was something along those same lines but writ LARGE, about the size of a WWII Essex class CV; 820 feet long, over 40,000 tons loaded for bear, capable of landing and supporting a full battalion of Marines (1,800 officers and troops) AND all of their equipment and vehicles (including 12 tanks) for up to 30 days from ship's stores. We also supported up to 40 helos and Harriers.

kzt wrote:To revisit this for xth time....

I suspect the squadron staff consists of:

The squadron CO. O5 (1) Who is entitled to an orderly. (2) XO O4 (probably in another ship normally) with an orderly. The Operations officer O4 (3) Communications officer O2-3 (4) Logistics officer O2-3 (5) Personnel officer O2-3 (6) Squadron chief NCO (7) At least 5 enlisted clerks etc (12).

Then we have possibly the flag lieutenant O1-2, the tactical officer O2-3, the EW officer O2-3, a squadron astrogator O2-3, etc, most of whom have enlisted assistants. Are they supposed to run 24-7? Need more people.

So we have at least one 05, one 04, 3 O2-4, One senior NCO, 6 junior enlisted. We quite possibly instead have one O5, one O4, 6 O2-3, one O1, one senior NCO, two to four midgrade NCOs, eight to twelve junior enlisted.

I suspect you can accommodate 12 marines in the billeting designed for the 12+ members of the command staff.

How many marines could be accommodated in the normal CO quarters on ship? The one with the dining room, etc? How about the Operations officers quarters?

I suspect that you could accommodate at least two squads easily and possibly an entire platoon.

And since the CO's quarters has food storage and preparation capability they can feed the marines too.

You convert the flag bridge into the storage area for weapons and such. Battle armor might be a problem, but it all depends on have big the squadron briefing room/conference room is.

kzt wrote:How large is a Rolland? How does that compare in size? And how big was the swimming pool and gym on the Nassau?

robert132 wrote:

kzt wrote:How large is a Rolland? How does that compare in size? And how big was the swimming pool and gym on the Nassau?

Swimming pool? We had the whole bleedin' ocean. Swim call once or twice during the cruise and a number of gators will flood the well deck occasionally for the same purpose.

The workout room in the Nassau was located forward, just under the flight deck, was complete with Nautilus and free weights, 'bikes and the whole inventory of other modern "Gold's Gym" equipment. About 30 to 50 grunts and sailors could workout at a time in there, plus there were acres of flight deck, hanger deck and vehicle ramps to run on.

Note that this was a ship designed to carry marines. Space as set aside for them.

On a Roland, there was not that much space. Yes, there probably was a gym. Sailors can work out. But Marines will want to do even more. They need a place to hang out and they need work to do.

On US Navy transports, provisions have been made for that. Not so, almost certainly, for the Rolands.

Also, I am not certain that a commodore would have a chief of staff...not much staff, after all. And in tight spaces, the fewer the better.


The workout room was just the other side of a very thin bulkhead (wall) from my berthing compartment. Every time a jarhead dropped his weights ... And at sea it was in use 24/7.

kzt wrote:

robert132 wrote:My last ship (USS Nassau (LHA 4)) was something along those same lines but writ LARGE, about the size of a WWII Essex class CV; 820 feet long, over 40,000 tons loaded for bear, capable of landing and supporting a full battalion of Marines (1,800 officers and troops) AND all of their equipment and vehicles (including 12 tanks) for up to 30 days from ship's stores. We also supported up to 40 helos and Harriers.

How large is a Rolland? How does that compare in size? And how big was the swimming pool and gym on the Nassau?