Shipbucket

Well not in this alternate universe at any rate! Elsewhere....who knows?

G-class (US):


A progressive refinement of the F-class, the G-class continued the trend of US submarines that could not only serve with the battle fleet but also undertake independent patrols far from the US mainland. Laid down in 1919, they were commissioned during 1921. Five; G-1 to G-5, were built and carried hull numbers SS-20 to SS-24.

The G-class was 188 feet long, with an 18 foot beam and a nominal draft of 14 feet. They displaced 570 tons surfaced, and 696 tons submerged. They were armed with four 18” bow torpedo tubes with stowage for up to nine torpedoes and a Mk.14 3”/50 deck gun. Atlas-Imperial again supplied the diesel engines which produced 1,550 horsepower. Speeds were 16 knots surfaced and 12 knots submerged. Range increased to 5,000 nautical miles while surfaced and 200 nautical miles submerged. Normal crew complement was 32.

Following a brief stint in the peacetime fleet, the G-class continued in service through the War of the Americas – with two being lost; G-4 in 1923, and G-2 in 1925. Followed the war the class was caught up in the postwar draw-down of forces and were retired and scrapped beginning in 1928.

H and J-class (US):


USS H-1 (SS-25) was a one-off prototype which served as the progenitor of all US submarines built during the War of the Americas but never saw combat herself – serving until 1930 as a training vessel. She was followed by the very similar J-class (the letter I was skipped) which was not only the first to enter service after the outbreak of war but was also the first class with more than five boats ordered. Ten; J-1 to J-10 were built – all entered service by the end of 1923. Hull numbers ran from SS-26 to SS-35.

H-1 was 205 feet long, with a 20 foot beam and a nominal draft of 14 feet. She displaced 690 tons surfaced, and 842 tons submerged. She was the first US submarine to carry 21” torpedoes and mounted four bow tubes and was the last not fitted with a deck gun until the Swordfish class of 1950. Her diesel engines were rated at 1,900 horsepower. Speeds were 15 knots surfaced and 13 knots submerged. Range was 5,000 nautical miles and crew numbered 32.
The J-class was 205 feet long, with a 20 foot beam and a nominal draft of 14 feet. They displaced 700 tons surfaced, and 861 tons submerged. They were armed with four 21” bow torpedo tubes with stowage for up to nine torpedoes and were fitted with a Mk.14 deck gun forward of the conning tower. Horsepower was rated at 1,950 but speed and range remained the same as with H-1. Normal crew complement was 35.

As the first group of the so-called “fleet boats”, the J-class was heavily involved in the first half of the War of the Americas but was normally utilized as commerce raiders. Five; J-1, J-4, J-5, J-8 and J-9 were sunk, and one; J-7, was lost off the Marianas to an accident – most likely an internal explosion – in 1926. After the war the four surviving boats continued to serve until 1932, when they were sold to Peru, where they remained on active duty in limited commission until 1950.

K-class (US):


The highly successful J-class was followed by another group of ten boats. The K-class, which entered service in 1924, was a progressive refinement on the J-class differing primarily in mounting a heavier 4” deck gun and a stern torpedo tube for the first time. Ten; K-1 to K-10 were built. Hull numbers ran from SS-36 to SS-45.

The K-class was 227 feet long, with a 21 foot beam and a nominal draft of 15 feet. They displaced 890 tons surfaced, and 1,095 tons submerged. They were armed with five 21” torpedo tubes – mounted as four bow tubes and one stern tube – and a 4”/50 Mk.12 deck gun. Two Atlas-Imperial diesels rated at a total of 2,440 horsepower drove these boats to 16 knots surfaced while their electric motors were capable of 14 knots submerged. Range surfaced remained 5,000 nautical miles. Crew complement was 37.

Like their immediate predecessors, the K-class was used largely in commerce raiding missions and accounted for much of the Confederate shipping lost during 1924-25. They paid a heavy price, however, as all but three; K-1, K-2, and K-6, were lost to convoy escorts. When the war ended in 1927 the remaining boats continued to serve in the peacetime navy until 1934, when they were decommissioned and scrapped.

L-class (US):


The last war-built US submarine class – the L-class entered service between 1925 and 1926. They were based on the K-class design but were larger and heavier with additional spare torpedoes and increased storage for supplies allowing longer duration patrols. A total of forty; L-1 to L-40, were built. Hull numbers ran from SS-46 to SS-85.

The L-class was 242 feet long, with a 21 foot beam and a nominal draft of 15 feet. They displaced 965 tons surfaced, and 1,197 tons submerged. They were armed with six 21” torpedo tubes – four forward, and two aft – with storage for eleven reload torpedoes and a 4” Mk.12 deck gun. Two diesels (Eigner Motor Company in the first 20 boats; Atlas-Imperial in the rest) rated at a total of 2,670 horsepower gave this class a surfaced speed of 16 knots while submerged speed was 14 knots. Range was 5,000 nautical miles while improved batteries allowed a submerged range of 300 nautical miles. Crew complement was 40.

Unlike earlier US submarines, the L-class was usually deployed either with the battle fleet or on independent patrol far into the Western Pacific. Nearly half the class was stationed out of Guam supported by submarine tenders and saw considerable action during the Battle of Subic Bay. Sixteen; L-4, L-7, L-8, L-10, L-12, L-14, L-16, L-17, L-18, L-20, L-22, L-29, L-30, L-34, L-37, and L-38, were lost during the conflict. Following the armistice, the survivors continued to serve in the postwar fleet until 1938, when they were retired and scrapped over the next two years. One, L-23 (SS-68) – a veteran of the Battle of Subic Bay – was preserved as a memorial in Bremerton, Washington.

Next: Confederate capital ships

Cheers!
Stealthjester

Awesome work!

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MS State Guard - 08 March 2014 - 28 January 2023

The Official IJN Ships & Planes List

#FJB

Lafayette class (CSA):


Beginning in the late Teens, the Confederate Navy – led by its dynamic and progressive Secretary of the Navy Harrison Eaton – planned to take bold steps to addressing the numerical disparity between the CSN and its bitter rival – the US Navy. The 1930 Plan would significantly increase the size of the Confederate Navy and would – if completed – allow it to seriously challenge the USN. Two distinct programs were envisioned; the first would begin during 1920-21 and consisted of four battleships, four battlecruisers, eight “heavy” protected cruisers, and eight light cruisers – all scheduled to be commissioned by the end of 1925. The follow-on program would see additional, more advanced designs, and would be started sometime in the first quarter of 1926. The actual start date as well as the number of ships to be built would be determined by both the strategic as well as the economic situation at that time.
Eaton quickly secured funding for the “A” program from the Confederate Congress – quieting dissent with some more hawkish members by hinting that with luck the program could be completed as early as mid-1927 – and in February of 1920 the keels for two new battlecruisers were laid down, followed within eighteen months by other heavy warships – including two new battleships.
The program proceeded smoothly throughout 1922 and remained on schedule, although the new man in the Executive Mansion; Confederate President Claude Swanson, was about to throw a massive wrench in the works. Swanson, ignorant of the importance of a viable navy in carrying out the massive campaign against the US he’d inherited from his predecessor, Furnifold Simmons, was convinced the CS Army – led by new armored divisions and supported by the CS Air Corps – would carry the day. Needless to say, the Navy was completely blindsided when Eaton learned that Swanson and the CS Congress had agreed to a start date for war with the US no later than the following February.

By this time construction of the four A Program battleships had begun. Designed after extensive studies of battleship combat (rare that it was) during the Great War, the new ships (and the battlecruiser class being built at the same time) were designed around a powerful new gun: the Tredegar Works 15”/45 Mk.I, which would prove to be a reliable and accurate weapon having very similar ballistics and maximum range to the contemporary US 16”/45 Mk.1 – albeit with weaker armor-penetration characteristics due to its lighter shell.
It was originally planned that the new ships – soon named the Lafayette class – would carry ten Mk.I’s in two twin and two triple turrets the latter were plagued by technical issues and were behind schedule. The decision was made to arm the ships with four 2-gun (individually sleeved) turrets and use the triple mounts on the B Program ships. Despite this, the Lafayette class was the most powerful warship design to enter service with the CSN. Unfortunately for the Confederate Navy, the outbreak of war February 20, 1923, forced an immediate halt to construction. Although all four had been laid down between 1921 and 1922, only the first two; Lafayette (B-23) and Mississippi (B-24), were far enough along to continue. Priority was given to the lead ship and she commissioned in 1924. Mississippi was launched by the end of June of 1923 largely to clear the building slip and languished for another month before she and her sister-ships; North Carolina (B-25) and Sierra (B-26) were formally cancelled on August 15th. North Carolina and Sierra were still on the slipways and were only 20-22% complete when cancelled – both being broken up soon after. Mississippi was seriously considered for conversion to an aircraft carrier or fast auxiliary and preliminary plans were drawn up, but the changing Confederate situation put those plans on hold. In the end she was scrapped as well, beginning in late 1925.

CSS Lafayette was 710 feet long overall, had a 105 foot beam, and a nominal draft of 30 feet. She displaced 35,528 tons normal and 36,855 tons full load. She was armed with eight 15”/45 Mk.I’s in four two-gun turrets mounted in super-firing pairs fore and aft. The secondary battery was quite advanced for the period and consisted of twelve Mk.XII 6”/50 guns in six two-gun turrets very similar to the ones mounted as the main armament of Centaur class light cruisers. Eight 3” AA and two submerged 21” torpedo tubes completed the weapons suite. Four sets of geared turbines producing 70,200 shp propelled the ship to a maximum speed of 25 knots while range was 8,500 nautical miles. Armor protection was heavy and well distributed with a 14” belt, 4” armored deck, 17” main turrets with 14” barbettes, 5” secondary turrets, and a 14” conning tower. Crew complement was 1,490.

Although commissioned in 1924, Lafayette saw no action well into 1925 as part of the Confederate disinformation campaign surrounding Operation Citadel. When that operation was launched, however, the ship was designated as fleet flagship and led the Havana Squadron tasked with supporting the seizure of the eastern end of the Panama Canal. On the First of August, 1925, the US squadron led by the USS Wisconsin caught up with the Confederate force and although all three US battleships took Lafayette under fire, the contest quickly turned into a running battle between the two equally-matched flagships. Both took severe damage before Lafayette and the other surviving Confederate ships escaped under cover of darkness. The next morning, the US scout cruiser Lake St. Clair and her escorts located the seriously damaged battleship which was limping at only 15 knots toward friendly ports in Nicaragua. After alerting the rest of the US squadron, the cruiser launched a series of series of torpedo attacks. Struck by at least five, possibly six (some reports say up to seven) torpedoes, Lafayette heeled onto her starboard side before sinking by the bow fifteen minutes later – taking twelve hundred of her crew including Rear Admiral J.L. Armstrong with her. The lost of Lafayette and the majority of the Havana Squadron marked the end of Operation Citadel and was a turning point in the naval war.
As for the B Program ships; they were fated never to be laid down. Few details have survived but what is known would have made these ships formidable opponents. They would have displaced in the 40-42 thousand ton range, carried twelve 15” guns, and been capable of 30 knots. They were cancelled at the same time as Lafayette’s sister-ships, making her the last battleship to fly the Confederate flag.

Cheers!
Stealthjester

No more battleships?! That royally sucks...was hoping to see a Confederate version of the Iowas or Montanas.

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MS State Guard - 08 March 2014 - 28 January 2023

The Official IJN Ships & Planes List

#FJB

Maybe a never where section in the AU?Because I'm curious how they might look like.

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Verusea Alternative Universe is starting to build up.

Havana class (CSA):


Although the four A Program battlecruisers were based on the Lafayette class dreadnoughts, construction began on them first. Two; Havana (BC-8) and Surigao Strait (BC-9) were laid down in 1920, but limited shipyard availability led to Guam (BC-10) being laid down during 1921 and Marianas (BC-11) a year later. Falling victim to the unexpected early start of hostilities with the US, the first two were fitting out and were the only members of the class completed as designed – commissioning by the end of 1923 – while the second pair was cancelled in August of that year. The Marianas was only 19% complete and was soon scrapped, but Guam was further along and the decision was made to complete her as a seaplane tender. Rechristened CSS Kissimmee (AV-4), the former battlecruiser was commissioned in mid-1926 and for the next decade was the largest of her type in the world.

Havana and Surigao Strait were 755 feet long overall, had a 91 foot beam, and a nominal draft of 30 feet. They displaced 30,682 tons normal and 31,956 tons full load. They were armed with six Mk.I 15”/45’s in three two-gun turrets mounted in a super-firing pair forward and one aft. The secondary battery consisted of eighteen Mk.IX 4”/50’s in shielded single mounts and the ships also carried eight 3” AA and two submerged 21” torpedo tubes. For the first time, a turbo-electric propulsion system was fitted; McKenzie Engineering supplied both the turbines and electric motors. The system was rated at 158,340 shp (118,125 Kw) and could propel these ships to a design speed of 32 knots – making them among the fastest capital ships in the world at that time. Range was 8,500 nautical miles. Armor consisted of an 8” belt, 3” armored deck, 9” main turrets with 8” barbettes, 3” gun shields, and an 11” conning tower. Crew numbered 1,332.

Both ships were heavily involved in the War of the Americas but unfortunately for their crews often found themselves in the line of battle due to the shortage of Confederate battleships. Surigao Strait was sunk in the famous encounter with USS Essex during the Battle of Subic Bay in 1926. During the intense one on one duel with the US battlecruiser, both ships were reduced to flaming wrecks and were later sunk by torpedoes from CSN destroyers – their surviving crews left behind as the remains of the squadron sailed north to rendezvous with the main body of the Confederate force. It was only the dispatch of the cruiser Des Moines and the destroyers King and Stewart to pick up survivors of the two sunken battlecruisers by Admiral Eberle that prevented hundreds of deaths. To this day he is honored by the Confederate Naval Veterans Association for his actions – the only US officer so recognized.
Havana wasn’t present at Subic Bay as she was still under repair in the comparative security of the Galveston Navy Yard following the Second Battle of the Chesapeake two months previously and only re-commissioned late in October. By this time however, the tide of war had turned against the Confederacy and the battlecruiser was kept close to Galveston seeing no action. When the war ended, Havana was decommissioned and scrapped under the terms of the Treaty of Montreal.
Although it is likely battlecruisers were included in the B Program of the 1930 Plan little is known about them today. If final plans were completed they were destroyed by the Confederates after the war ended and thus the particulars of their design remain largely conjecture.

Next up (after a break): CSN aircraft carriers and heavy cruisers

I thought I'd take a moment to address the earlier comments. I am very appreciative of the interest in both the ships and the background history and value all comments highly. However, this AU is planned to go only through 1930 and then its off to other projects. Having said this, I may return to this world down the road and may even tackle the Great Pacific War (1942-1948) someday, although that will be an even larger project due to the number of nations involved. Truth be told - I'd like to see a Confederate Iowa myself - but time and energy will tell.

Again, thank you all for your interest and comments!
Stealthjester

Awesome work! Sad to hear this AU is about to end, but it's been a great run.

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MS State Guard - 08 March 2014 - 28 January 2023

The Official IJN Ships & Planes List

#FJB

I am really sad to hear your AU ending right now. But boy, your creations are way good! Keep going lad, don’t give up.

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R.I.P, Paranormal-Thingum’s profile pic maker used to make my profile pic...