soc.history.war.world-war-ii

> kenney@cix.compulink.co.uk> wrote in message
> news:aK6dnUX7zMaM4yjanZ2dnUVZ8selnZ2d@pipex.net...

> Habbakuk was not designed as a solid block but as a huge ship. Internal
> space was needed for motive power and aircraft storage for a start.


Here are some photos of the prototype.
http://www.de220.com/Strange%20Stuff/StrangeStuff.htm


Design commenced while workers built a smaller prototype of the Ice
Carrier at Patricia Lake in Jasper, Canada (see photos). The 60-foot long,
3--feet wide, 1100-ton prototype Habakkuk took 15 men two months to
construct. To maintain secrecy, the prototype was roofed over and disguised
to look like a boathouse.
The lessons learned during the construction of the prototype revealed the
full size Habakkuk (designed to be 2000-feet long, 190-feet high, and
weighing 1.8 million tons) would need over 280,000 Pykrete blocks and take
over 8000 men eight months to complete. Suddenly, "free" ice wasn't so free
anymore...
By this time (late 1943) Allied production of war materials was catching
up and more conventional carriers were coming available ("jeep" carriers,
another ingenious idea spawned by necessity).