Quote:
Originally Posted by Wolfcat
I would definitely agree with you on VA's speed and physics. I think they just quote the info off Wikipedia and take it as official. A nuke attack sub with a top speed below 30? That's just lack of common sense.
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It's worth noting that Permit and Sturgeon both had top speeds below 30 knots. Speed didn't come back until the LA. The Virginia basically has the same external dimensions as an LA, so you'd expect quite similar drag, and the Virginia has 40000 shp compared to the LA's 35000 shp, which alone would result in a top speed of about 34.5 knots with a back-of-the-napkin calculation (assuming the LA has a top speed of 33 knots and the Virginia has the same screw and drag properties of the LA). However, I'm not sure what type of drag/efficiency penalties apply with a pump jet. I think it's reasonable to assume the Virginia is the same top speed as the LA or maybe a knot more, given how similar the boats are in other respects.