Shipbucket

Hello everyone

That class needed a redraw anyway...

Caithreim, Thiarian Navy Conlan-class Battleship

The history of this class started in the late 1920s. Thiaria's economy, which had experienced a recession during the mid-1920s (the 'roaring twenties' were something that happened to other people), continued to behave against the global trend; fueled (literally) by newly found oil deposits, it went into a boom phase just as the rest of the world plunged into the great depression. This meant they were able to spend big time just as everyone else needed to be austere. To prevent an unchecked building spree, they were invited to the London naval arms reduction conference in 1930. The result seemed like a big diplomatic victory - aircraft carriers were no longer outlawed, the 20.000ts size limit on battleships was lifted and the normal 35.000ts limit now applied, and total battleship tonnage was set to 131.250ts. The limit however fell way short of Thiaria's ambitious plan to construct a navy the same size as France's, which seemed quite feasible in the current economic situation, and was not as enthusiastically received by the military and the political right wing as might have been expected. Moreover, Thiaria’s admission to the naval club was subject to special restrictions: they had to agree to a main gun caliber limit of 356mm for new battleship construction, which the British wanted to establish as a general limit for everyone; they had threatened to veto Thiaria’s new tonnage limit otherwise. The current government - a grand coalition between National Democrats (Daonlathas Naisiunta) and Labour (Lucht Oibhre) - was determined not to disappoint international goodwill and strictly ruled against any attempt to cheat concerning displacement or gunnery.

Requirements were 30 knots speed, 10.000 nm range at 15 knots, high freeboard to operate in any weather, dual-purpose secondary guns to keep down weight, and accommodation for six reconnaissance and spotting planes, which were considered essential for raiding. The design featured a long, slim, flush-decked hull with a bow bulb and a transom stern. Their hull was the most slender of all treaty-era battleships, featuring a length/width ratio of about 8,5. With a forward freeboard of nine meters and a half, averaging seven meters over most of the ship's length, and considerable flare at the steeply raked bow, they were very good seaboats and dry forward even under South Atlantic conditions. Their narrow beam however made them somewhat less steady than desired; the Thiarians needed some time to develop a fire control routine that could cope, and their gunnery was not really rated first class till mid-1942.Superstructure arrangement featured two widely spaced funnels, a pyramidal bridge structure and two pole masts, the forward one stepped against the bridge, and the aft one against the rear funnel. They displaced 34.990 tons standard (40.060 tons full load, 42.470 tons emergency war load). As Thiaria had ample deep-water ports, there had been no design restrictions on draught, which was a whooping 9,85 meters at full load. One point of criticism was the ship’s ponderous silhouette, especially when viewed over the bow, due to the massive hangars, which made identification easy for the enemy. On the plus side, they were spacious and had comfortable accommodation for their crew of 1.350 (wartime maximum 1.750).

Machinery was a 135.000hp three-shaft plant, with emphasis placed on sturdiness, reliability and accessibility over sheer power. The center shaft was served by one 45.000hp turbine set with four boilers forming a self-contained unit, while the wing shafts were coupled to two identical sets which were arranged en echelon (Starboard turbines forward, port boilers forward). Each shaft had its own rudder to minimize the effects of underwater hits in this location, and piping was provided for cross-feeding the center shaft from the flank unit boilers in case of heavy damage. On trials, the 30-knot design speed was secured at 95% power; at designed hp, they made 30,35 knots, and on max power trials, they touched 31,5 knots with 155.000 shp. They could steam at 27 knots at 2/3 power and sustain 25 knots at half power. With the center shaft only, they could sustain 20 knots (22 knots max). Range was 10.000nm at 15 knots; trial fuel consumption was according to expectations. At 20 knots travel speed, range nearly halved to 5.500 nm; traveling leisurely at 12 knots, it increased to 16.000 nm. Electrical power was provided by six turbo-generators (two per main machinery unit) and four auxiliary diesel generators placed in separate compartments, one in front of the forward main machinery unit, the other between them). Leak pump capacity was 5.000 tons per hour.

Being designed as raiders, their armour scheme emphasized protection against plunging shells and bombs. The main belt of 310mm thickness was external and inclined 15° inward; it was topped by an upper strake of 145mm. A layer of 80mm protected the waterline forward and aft of the citatel, protecting it from anything below 152mm shells, another requirement for raiding missions where loss of speed by flooding forward from a destroyer shell could mean a mission kill. Horizontal protection was among the strongest ever installed on a capital ship up to that time. The main armoured deck was 140mm above magazines and 115mm above machinery, topped by a 35mm upper deck to initiate bomb fuzes and de-cap shells striking at oblique angles. Forward and aft, the armoured deck was extended along the upper rim of the belt at a thickness of 45mm, with 180mm boxes over the rudder machinery. The 45mm torpedo bulkheads were 4m from the outer hull at the broadest part of the ship and built into the hull structure to save weight; protective space comprised two void compartments (with the option to fill them with water for counterflooding), interchanging with two compartments filled with ebonite mousse for reserve buoyancy, mirroring French practice. Its width was generally considered insufficient against 533mm and larger fish; Conlan was once torpedoed to near disastrous effect, but her tight compartmentation proved sufficient to contain flooding. Caithreim just got lucky.

Main armament consisted of three turrets mounting three individually sleeved 340mm L/50 guns each, with an elevation of 35°. The turrets were considered relatively cramped in service, and the designed RoF of 2 rounds per minute was not attained in practice (although at the typical engagement ranges she had to fight, more than one round per minute was not possible anyway). As completed, the guns fired the standard 600kg APC shell, but magazines and hoists were designed for the new 720kg extra-long super-heavy shell; the latter became available in early 1940. Two main artillery directors were provided. In service, the main gunnery of these ships was very satisfactory. Long-range accuracy in particular was considered first class, especially with the super-heavy shells, due to the relatively limited muzzle velocity of 760 m/s, compared with 850 m/s for the old shell. For the secondary armament, the Thiarians followed the French lead towards DP guns, using the same caliber. Their 130mm L/45 pieces were in use on contemporary destroyers already (although only in LA mounts) and had a good reputation. They had much better RoF and more carefully designed turrets than their French counterparts, with 85° elevation and higher training speeds; they were very good against ships and reasonably good against air targets. Although better antisurface weapons, they were inferior to the US 127mm L/38 as AA guns, however. The entire DP battery of six two-gun demi-turrets was concentrated aft in three superfiring pairs, one on the centerline and two as far outboard as possible, allowing the upper wing turrets to fire nearly ahead (5° off-axis). This arrangement gave the specified broadside of eight guns at very modest weight, although the low total number of guns was criticized in the Thiarian press. Conlan and Caithreim had, in fact, the weakest secondary batteries of all capital ships of the 1930s. The DP battery was served by three directors – two at the rear end of the bridge pyramid, one aft on the centerline, fully covering the DP gun’s arcs. To keep down weight, the DP directors were entirely unprotected. As flimsy as the DP battery was, their intermediate caliber flak battery was exceptionally powerful. It consisted of 32 fully automatic 37mm L/70 barrels in eight hemispherical self-contained, gas-tight quad turrets with 85° elevation, four forward and four aft, in superfiring pairs. The guns were jointly developed with France and had a tremendous RoF of 180 rounds per minute, which was governed down to 150, that being the maximum their barrels could stand. Barrel life still was only half the figure attained by US built 40mm Bofors (6.000 rounds rather than 12.000), but in exchange for that, these guns offered somewhat better range and accuracy than the Bofors. The mounts were equipped with internal hoists directly connecting them to their own magazines, ensuring a steady supply of shells and enabling them to keep up their RoF even in prolonged engagements. In service, the guns proved deadly, especially as each group of two was coupled to its own radar-guided director. Thiarian capital ships repeatedly repulsed intense air attacks and scored several dozen kills, two thirds of them with the 37mm L/70. The flak battery was completed by eight quad 13mm MG mounts, four on top of the hangar and four aft alongside the aft main gun director. Six searchlights were provided, carefully arranged for all-round coverage. Their employment as raiders required torpedoes; two quad 559mm tubes with a full set of reloads were provided on the weather deck amidships. Due to the importance of scouting and long-range spotting, no less than six aircraft could be carried, four in two hangars alongside the forefunnel, and the other two on platforms abaft the catapults. The hangars had large shutters for ventilation and could be accessed by platforms extending to the catapult mounts; the platforms were equipped with rails upon which the airplanes could be moved to the catapults. Most of the boat complement was stowed amidships between the aviation handling platforms and served by two heavy-duty cranes mounted far outboard at the rear end of the hangars. The boat complement was relatively austere; newer Thiarian ships relied on large numbers of rescue rafts in cases of distress.

The first ship was approved in the 1933 budget and laid down in February 1935 at the Abernenui Naval Yard. Deviating from the usual Thiarian practice of naming battleships for famous historic personalities, it received the abstract name LT Conlan (Endeavour). Construction took slightly longer than four years, and she was ready for service in April 1939. Her sister, funded by the same budget, was laid down in July 1935 at the Nuatearman Naval Yard and received the name LT Caithreim (Triumph). Building her took somewhat longer, and she was commissioned in February 1940. Conlan was fully worked up when Thiaria entered the war in January 1940, while Caithreim was undergoing acceptance trials. After missing the initial engagements of the war, Caithreim had her combat debut in the battle of Poncportan in early June, after the British had withdrawn many assets for the battle of Norway. Unlike Conlan, she was already equipped with main artillery fire-control radar and the new 720-kg shell, doing most of the damage that sunk the big British battlecruiser HMS Howe. It was the first entry in the war record of the most successful capital ship on either side of that conflict. Caithreim would engage in nine major engagements and participate in the sinking of four capital ships belonging to four different navies, plus an escort carrier, a cruiser, three destroyers, and 22 merchants. She traveled nearly two hundred thousand miles, ranging deep into the Indian Ocean several times, twice reaching the equator in the central Atlantic and once crossing it in the eastern Pacific during the famous Panama raid. Her most remarkable achievement however was losing only 85 crewmembers over the whole course of the war (in stark contrast to her sister, who was regularly shot up beyond recognition). Apart from HMS Howe, Caithreim’s victims included the Brazilian battleship Sao Jorge da Mina, the US battlecruiser USS President, and – when she served with the co-belligerent squadron sent to the Pacific after Thiaria’s swap of sides – the Japanese battlecruiser Kongo. The Americans were so impressed with Caithreim’s performance that they allowed her presence at the Japanese surrender in Tokyo Bay. After the war, she belonged to the Third of the Axis fleet claimed by the Soviets; she reached Archangelsk in 1948, to serve for another twenty years with the Soviet Navy, nearly coming to blows with the US during the Cuban crisis. She was as popular in the Soviet navy as in Thiaria’s; although her design more properly placed her in the category of early-1930s battlecruisers with subpar gunnery (like the French Dunkerque, the German Gneisenau and the Italian dreadnought rebuilds), she was always considered a full-blown treaty battleship of well-balanced properties, repeatedly trading blows with ships rated much superior on paper, and surviving to tell about it. After her final refit in 1967 – 1969, when she received Osa-M SAMs and new radars and electronics, the Soviets did not re-commission her, because her large crew was needed for the new aircraft carriers. Leonid Brezhnev handed her back to the Thiarians in 1970 as a goodwill gesture; she was never recommissioned, however, and in the 1980s became a museum ship in Thiaria's largest maritime museum at Nuatearman. She remained on the Navy's reserve list, from which she was not struck before 1992. Over the years, she featured in about a dozen movies, some of which show her moving under her own power and firing her heavy guns; the latter are sealed these days, but her engines are reported to be still operable, to the lasting fury of the comptroller of the Navy, who has to spend twice as much money on the ship’s upkeep than comes in through selling admission tickets to tourists.



The drawing shows LT Caithreim in December 1942 during a raid against a Commonwealth convoy south of Madagaskar, which succeeded in sinking ten merchants, a Recherchean light cruiser, two escort destroyers and a corvette; one of the destroyers and four Merchants were credited to Caithreim’s weapons. It was the last mission for which she wore a raider blue livery; the deck planks were also painted blue, but the anti-slip coating on the shelter deck and higher levels remained gray. Three white bars across the forecastle as visual IFF (usually painted over for raids) had been retained, because the carrier Realtbhuion accompanied the raid. By that time, Caithreim was fitted with a first-generation air surveillance radar (80cm wavelength) on the mainmast, whilst the foremast carried a surface search radar (recently upgraded to a second-generation 5cm wavelength set), an IFF interrogator and transmitter, a radar jammer, and HF/DF. All directors (for main battery, DP guns and 37mm AA guns) were fitted with first-generation fire control radars. The quad 13mm HMGs had been replaced by twin 20mm Hispano-Atlantach autocannon, and two more mounts had been added on top of the hangar. Two of Caithreim’s six airplanes are shown: An Aerelar M2E Caracara spotter plane with folded wings on its readiness spot and a CSCA M6S Fulmaire reconnaissance aircraft on the catapult. Three of each type were carried (the hangar accepted one of each type or two Caracaras, but not two Fulmaires). The catapult would swivel outwards by 45° to launch the aircraft.


For what it’s worth, this is what Springsharp thinks of the design:

Conlan, Thiaria battleship laid down 1935

Displacement:
33.183 t light; 34.966 t standard; 37.799 t normal; 40.066 t full load

Dimensions: Length (overall / waterline) x beam x draught (normal/deep)
(816,12 ft / 791,01 ft) x 93,50 ft x (30,84 / 32,30 ft)
(248,75 m / 241,10 m) x 28,50 m x (9,40 / 9,84 m)

Armament:
9 - 13,39" / 340 mm 50,0 cal guns - 1.587,33lbs / 720,00kg shells, 90 per gun
Breech loading guns in turret on barbette mounts, 1935 Model
3 x 3-gun mounts on centreline ends, majority forward
1 raised mount - superfiring
12 - 5,12" / 130 mm 45,0 cal guns - 67,62lbs / 30,67kg shells, 450 per gun
Dual purpose guns in deck and hoist mounts, 1935 Model
4 x 2-gun mounts on sides, aft evenly spread
2 raised mounts - superfiring
2 x 2-gun mounts on centreline, aft deck aft
1 raised mount - superfiring
32 - 1,46" / 37,0 mm 70,0 cal guns - 1,72lbs / 0,78kg shells, 4.000 per gun
Anti-air guns in deck and hoist mounts, 1935 Model
4 x 2 row quad mounts on sides, forward deck forward
2 raised mounts - superfiring
4 x 2 row quad mounts on sides, aft deck aft
2 raised mounts - superfiring
32 - 0,51" / 13,0 mm 80,0 cal guns - 0,09lbs / 0,04kg shells, 12.000 per gun
Machine guns in deck mounts, 1935 Model
8 x Quad mounts on sides, evenly spread

Weight of broadside 15.141 lbs / 6.868 kg

Main Torpedoes
8 - 21,7" / 550 mm, 22,97 ft / 7,00 m torpedoes - 1,624 t each, 12,993 t total
In 2 sets of deck mounted side rotating tubes

Armour:
- Belts: Width (max) Length (avg) Height (avg)
Main: 12,2" / 310 mm 446,19 ft / 136,00 m 11,52 ft / 3,51 m
Ends: 2,36" / 60 mm 344,49 ft / 105,00 m 11,52 ft / 3,51 m
Upper: 6,50" / 165 mm 446,19 ft / 136,00 m 8,01 ft / 2,44 m
Main Belt covers 87% of normal length
Main Belt inclined 15,00 degrees (positive = in)

- Torpedo Bulkhead - Strengthened structural bulkheads:
1,57" / 40 mm 446,19 ft / 136,00 m 28,84 ft / 8,79 m
Beam between torpedo bulkheads 70,54 ft / 21,50 m

- Gun armour: Face (max) Other gunhouse (avg) Barbette/hoist (max)
Main:14,6" / 370 mm 9,45" / 240 mm 11,8" / 300 mm
2nd: 1,97" / 50 mm 0,79" / 20 mm 0,79" / 20 mm
3rd: 0,79" / 20 mm 0,79" / 20 mm -

- Armoured deck - single deck:
For and Aft decks: 6,10" / 155 mm
Forecastle: 2,36" / 60 mm Quarter deck: 4,72" / 120 mm

- Conning towers: Forward 14,57" / 370 mm, Aft 0,00" / 0 mm

Machinery:
Oil fired boilers, steam turbines,
Geared drive, 3 shafts, 135.000 shp / 100.710 Kw = 30,36 kts
Range 10.000nm at 15,00 kts
Bunker at max displacement = 5.100 tons

Complement:
1.355 - 1.762

Cost:
£15,117 million / $60,468 million

Distribution of weights at normal displacement:
Armament: 2.967 tons, 7,8%
- Guns: 2.941 tons, 7,8%
- Weapons: 26 tons, 0,1%
Armour: 13.372 tons, 35,4%
- Belts: 4.060 tons, 10,7%
- Torpedo bulkhead: 750 tons, 2,0%
- Armament: 2.488 tons, 6,6%
- Armour Deck: 5.721 tons, 15,1%
- Conning Tower: 353 tons, 0,9%
Machinery: 3.835 tons, 10,1%
Hull, fittings & equipment: 12.808 tons, 33,9%
Fuel, ammunition & stores: 4.617 tons, 12,2%
Miscellaneous weights: 200 tons, 0,5%
- Above deck: 200 tons

Overall survivability and seakeeping ability:
Survivability (Non-critical penetrating hits needed to sink ship):
58.929 lbs / 26.730 Kg = 49,1 x 13,4 " / 340 mm shells or 6,8 torpedoes
Stability (Unstable if below 1.00): 1,07
Metacentric height 5,1 ft / 1,6 m
Roll period: 17,4 seconds
Steadiness- As gun platform (Average = 50 %): 59 %
- Recoil effect (Restricted arc if above 1.00): 0,90
Seaboat quality (Average = 1.00): 1,19

Hull form characteristics:
Hull has a flush deck, a straight bulbous bow and small transom stern
Block coefficient (normal/deep): 0,580 / 0,587
Length to Beam Ratio: 8,46 : 1
'Natural speed' for length: 30,25 kts
Power going to wave formation at top speed: 51 %
Trim (Max stability = 0, Max steadiness = 100): 50
Bow angle (Positive = bow angles forward): 35,00 degrees
Stern overhang: 3,28 ft / 1,00 m
Freeboard (% = length of deck as a percentage of waterline length):
- Forecastle: 20,00%, 31,17 ft / 9,50 m, 23,79 ft / 7,25 m
- Forward deck: 30,00%, 23,79 ft / 7,25 m, 22,97 ft / 7,00 m
- Aft deck: 35,00%, 22,97 ft / 7,00 m, 22,97 ft / 7,00 m
- Quarter deck: 15,00%, 22,97 ft / 7,00 m, 24,28 ft / 7,40 m
- Average freeboard: 23,94 ft / 7,30 m

Ship space, strength and comments:
Space - Hull below water (magazines/engines, low = better): 85,7%
- Above water (accommodation/working, high = better): 175,3%
Waterplane Area: 54.422 Square feet or 5.056 Square metres
Displacement factor (Displacement / loading): 113%
Structure weight / hull surface area: 190 lbs/sq ft or 928 Kg/sq metre
Hull strength (Relative):
- Cross-sectional: 0,97
- Longitudinal: 1,29
- Overall: 1,00
Adequate machinery, storage, compartmentation space
Excellent accommodation and workspace room

Cheers
GD

KAGA-CLASS BATTLECRUISERS
Number of ship planned -5
Number of ship built - 4
Kaga (class name sake)
Hizen
Yamashiro
Shikishima
Satsuma (Canceled)

Builders - Kalash dockyards
Operator - JhX , Schattenmarine
Laid Down - February 20th, 1930
Launched - September 19th, 1934
Commissioned- January 30th, 1935
Decommissioned - September 9th, 1950
Fate - 3 scrapped, 1(Hizen) museum ship
Displacement - 34,500 tons standard load
Length - 222.4m
Draft - 9.2m
Propulsion - 3x Kapon Geared Steam Turbines, 4 Shafts
Speed - 28.5 knots
Range - 7830nmi (14,500 km) at cruising speed of 14kn
4550 km at full speed of 28.5kn.

Torpedo defense- 2 out of 4
Belt armor- 14.5inch-5inch
Deck armor- 6inch-3inch

Armaments
● 4x2 14inch/45 mark2 guns with rangefinders
● 6x2 5.5inch/45 mark3 dual purpose guns with rangefinders
● 6x2 4inch/50 mark3 Dual purpose guns
● 16x4 20mm autocannons in mark4 mounts
● 26x2 12.7mm anti-air guns
Complement of 1900 sailors and officers

Planned right after the Arthur-Treaty in 15th july 1929 which limited the maximum displacement to 35500 tons construction started in May 1930 in the Kalash dockyards in JhX , sometime in 1931 the secondary Armaments were redone for the current doctrine and the layout was chosen to get atleast 8 guns sec battery per side with out using 4 twin turrets per side they previously has casements in the 1929 plans. The construction of the 4 ships finished on September 1934 and commissioned in the navy on January 1935 thier crew training completed in December 1935. The ships carried High-Explosive and ArmorPearcing-Balastic-Capped ammunition for its 14inch guns to achieve armor penetration level of larger guns.

The ships were used extensively in the JhX-Nordlandian war and were in the part of the naval blockade of major Nordland ports , with them earning 41 Battlestars combined among 4 with Hizen earning 19 out of the 40 for her impressive performance against the Nordlandian forces at the end of the War the class was given the nickname of Bird-Killers as they 4 had a combined total 305 aircraft kills in the 5 year war . They were decommissioned from the navy in 1950 with HIZEN preserved as a museum ship. Not the most awarded ship of the War but the 4 ships acted as the pillars of Victory against Nordland.

_________________
RAIDer1_1

Windsor Class Battlecruiser (1937)


General Characteristics
Displacement - 34,975 tons
Length - 242.09m
Beam - 27.4m
Draft - 7.9m
Propulsion - 4 Shafts, 4 Geared Steam Turbines
Speed - 27knts
Range - 6512nmi (12,060 km) at 15knts

Armament
8 x 15" guns in four twin mounts
4 x 4.7" guns in four single mounts
6 x 48 40mm 2pdr AA guns in six octuple mounts
4 x 24 0.5" AA guns in six quadruple mounts

The Windsor's would be the biggest and most powerful ship in Canada's Navy during World War II. The 4 ships that where built would also be one of the last Battlecruisers built. The class includes - Windsor, Chatham, Ridgetown, and St.Catharines. During there service in WWII, they would see action across many fronts, including the Atlantic, Pacific, North Sea, and the English Channel. During the war 2 ships would sink, St.Catharines in the Mediterranean and Chatham in the Pacific. When the war was over Windsor and Ridgetown where left. Windsor would be scrapped in 1949 and Ridgetown converted into a Museum Ship in 1954 at Windsor.

_________________
"The further you are from the sound of guns, the less you understand."
- General Walter Natyncyk, CAF

Project list -
realstrange
USN Hellcat sheet
Greek F-16's
USAAF B-24 Liberator mega sheet (Europe, Italy/North Africa, and Pacific)

Westlandian treaty cruiser NS Lynchester (1926)



After the end of the First Great War, the new United Republic of Westlandia and Wubbeland took over the late United Kingdom's position as primary power in the Pelagic Ocean. It inherited a relatively large and modern fleet of capital ships, as well as an adequate force of light cruisers built during the war, but the armoured cruisers built before the advent of the battlecruiser were hopelessly obsolete and in violation of the terms of the new naval treaty. A new class of cruiser was designed to fulfill Westlandia's obligations around the world while strictly adhering to the terms of the treaty. The result was the City-class, a class of eight ships built in two batches, each armed with eight 20 cm guns in two sets of superfiring turrets. The ships had a design speed of 32 knots and a long range of 7500 nm, which combined with their excellent seakeeping qualities made them well-suited to operating around the world. Armour was adequate, with a 100 mm thick armour belt, and the ships carried some four 10 cm dual-purpose guns in addition to eight 40 mm AA guns and eight 12.5 mm machine guns, as well as eight torpedo tubes in two rotating launchers. They also carried a floatplane and a catapult amidships.

_________________
I am colourblind, so please let me know if my colours are off.

The HMS Stratford
Displacement: 31'230 Tons
Armament:
6x BL 15 inch Mk I naval guns
4x QF 4.7 inch Mk VIII Anti-Air guns
2x QF 12-pounder 12 CWT naval guns

Aircraft:
2x Supermarine Seagull flying boats
1x Fairy III Seaplane

Boats:
1x 55 foot Thornycroft Coastal Motor Boat
10x 25 foot cutters
1x 25 foot steam cutter

As soon as the Washington Naval Treaty had been signed, the Empire of Great Britain saw an opportunity. Following the losses suffered in the Death Charge of the High Seas Fleet in 1918, they would be able to fill a single battleship at 31'000 tons within the treaties limits. They also had by far the largest battleship fleet on earth, so another this battleship was to be something that would give the empire much flexibility on top of still being a very serious naval threat. After going through various designs, a basic concept was settled on and construction began. The base hull was an internal refit but otherwise one identical to a Revenge Class, being the last type built in British shipyards, which needed to simplify production following the loss of so many skilled workers in the First World War. Likewise, the majority of the superstructure were almost identical to the Revenges. However, in armament and role they differed greatly.

The Stratford was to be a battleship that operated in any typical battleship role, but also act as cruiser leader, colonial command ship, and a supporting arm to other battleships, fleets, or to act as amphibious, or diving operations support ships.

Armed with 6x15 inch guns in three twin turrets, it was deemed enough to engage cruisers and smaller, as well as bombard the shore. They would also be valuable as adding firepower to the other battleships it operated with (when it did operate with others). For Anti-air purposes they are armed with the newest British gun, 4x47 mm mk.VIII QF guns. Protection from small boats was only considered at the end, as she was never intended to be operated alone, so she is armed with a pair of older 12 cwt QF guns.

Most notable is the various equipment carried in the ship. The main area of this is the casemated area on the Revenges. In its place is an aircraft hanger, as well as a pair of stairwell. But in the hangar, the ship is equipped with a pair of Supermarine Seagull, for the purposes of long range reconnaissance, as well as acting as light transport aircraft. It also carries a single Fairy III seaplane, for the purposes of short range scouting and spotting the guns for the battleships it is working alongside. Due to lack of space, a Seagull is typically stored on the elevator in the upright position.

Also of note are the many boats carried. These are done for the purposes of assisting amphibious assaults, as well as supporting diving and colonial operations. Most notably, in the rear, is a large platform carrying a 55 foot Thornycroft MTB. This ship was used to attack enemy merchant ships, submarines, or to mine targets of opportunity, as well as being used for patrol when on colonial duties.
Smaller, but no less important, are the 10x25 foot cutters, which are used for logistics, policing, diving operations, and landing troops- the ship can carry up to a battalion (mostly in the empty 15 inch gun turrets place). Each side is fitted with a single Davit, and so each ship must be loaded individually and put in the water. Lastly is the single 25 foot steam cutter, which is placed under the Y turret and uses the same crane as the torpedo boat- it is used only for admiral and officer transportation, as well as supply carrying and other, support duties.

One other interesting note is the crane mounted behind Y turret. The tower has the ability to dock with a SSZ class airship, of which a few were used, and so often these worked in a pair in many duties such as colonial operations, especially anti-piracy in the eastern hemisphere, and scouting missions.

Howdy Y'all,

This is my first challenge, and I am excited to enter my submission!

An abbreviated history:

Following the end of World War I, the state of Texas had a booming economy: rapidly urbanizing and industrializing from the war effort. The Texas state legislature saw the potential for Texas to prosper as its own country and began to set a plan in motion. Due to a clause in the joint resolution of 1845 of Texas annexation, The state legislature decided to split the state into five states, which quintupled Texas's power in Congress and allowed the now five states to leverage power towards secession. Texas ensured its economic stability by creating a massive shipping fleet and exporting goods such as oil and steel while instituting protective tariffs to strengthen its economy. When the Great Depression hit, Texas quickly recovered and restricted exports to the US, bringing Congress to the bargaining table. The state proposed to Congress to secede in 1931, saying Texas would secede for a $15 million settlement, with an amendment to regain its original border from 1845. Congress passed the resolution with a 67% majority, ratifying the resolution, and Texas officially became the Second Republic of Texas. (Some details were left out to be concise)

The legislature began creating a navy to protect its shipping fleet after the London Naval Treaty, which it still complied with even though they were technically still a state at the time. They began to develop various designs heavily based on the emerging ships from the United States' interwar designs. One such design was the San Jacinto Class Light Escort Cruiser, based on the Brooklyn Class Light Cruiser. This ship's primary goal was to protect convoys and fleets in the Pacific and Atlantic. The first ship of its class, the San Jacinto, was laid down in 1936 in Galveston Shipyards and finished in 6 months. This ship ultimately laid the basis for the cruisers of the Third Texas Navy in World War II.

Ships in Class:20
TXSS San Jacinto CL-20
TXSS Goliad CL-21
TXSS San Augustine CL-22
TXSS Nachodoches CL-23
TXSS Presidio CL-24
TXSS Fort Worth CL-25
TXSS El Paso CL-26
TXSS Arlington CL-27
TXSS Lubbock CL-28
TXSS Laredo CL-29
TXSS Garland CL-30
TXSS Brownsville CL-31
TXSS Irving CL-32
TXSS Mesquite CL-33
TXSS Killeen CL-34
TXSS Frisco CL-35
TXSS Waco CL-36
TXSS Midland CL-37
TXSS Beaumont CL-38
TXSS Odessa CL-39

GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS:

Displacement: 9,243 tonnes (light), 9,993 tonnes (standard), 12,000 tonnes (normal), 13,606 tonnes (maximum)
Length: 605 ft (overall), 598 ft (waterline)
Beam: 62 ft
Draft: 20 ft
Freeboard: 29 ft (bow), 21.5 feet (amidships), 24 ft (aft)
Hullform: flush deck
Block coefficient: 0.556

Armor: 3" main belt and turret faces, 2" deck, 1.5" turret sides
Armament: 3x4 152mm guns in triple turret mounts, 2x4 127mm dual purpose guns in twin turrets
4x6 40mm quad AA mounts
Broadside throw weight: 1748 lbs

Machinery: Oil-fired boilers with steam turbines, geared drive running four shafts
Power: 75,203 shaft horsepower
Speed: 30 kts (maximum), 15 kts (cruise)
Range: 15,000 nmi (at 15 kts)

_________________
Calamity Geek
"Temptavisti, Erravisti" -Me

Ligeia class of 1926

First of all I want to make a huge shout out to Acelanceloet and Karle94 that basically build the hull of this ship with me.

The Ligeia class was a pair of heavy cruisers, the first such type built by the United Astarian Commonwealth Republics under the terms of the Washington Naval Treaty and as such was rather unorthodox in design.
The hull form was adapted from earlier destroyer-leader-type ships which forced 'C' turret to be placed amidships, this wasn't helped by this turret being a triple in order to get a nine gun broadside.
At 34 knots service speed the Ligeia class was fast for the period, but armour was heavily sacrificed to stay within the 10.000 tons displacement limit; With a 65 mm belt this ship was protected only against destroyer fire and the underwater protection was sacrificed too.
The new 130mm Mk V L/40 guns made up the secondary battery while also serving as heavy AA weapon, the as-built anti aircraft suit was complemented by four 30mm/72 Mk III triple mounts and four twin Se-Ba 13mm machine guns.
The Ligeia class ships were also supposed to receive the new Mk XII 530mm torpedo launchers, but this weapon was not yet ready for 1926;
The older Mk XI 500mm launcher was thus fitted, which also helped saving weight.
An enclosed hangar for two floatplanes was included in the design, the only Astarian cruisers with this feature until the Astræa class of 1944.
As commissioned the ships carried the STaAs-3 floatplane, a domestically produced variant of the Loeling OL specifically designed for the Astarian republic's navy (known as Loeling EOL-1 internally)
This sips' design was ultimately considered unsuccessful and all subsequent AC Navy's ships adopted a more conventional layout.
Despite their shortcomings this sips faired well in the first years of WW2, mainly fighting as part of cruiser task forces, the lack of protection however played a major role in Ligeia's loss in 1942 wen she was hit by long-range shells from enemy light cruisers that damaged her turbines leaving her an easy target for subsequent torpedo bomber attacks.
Although Helena survived the war by 1946 she was extremely outdated and got scrapped that same year.

Ships in class

-ARS Ligeia (B35), 1926
-ARS Helena (B36), 1926

Armament

-9x 200mm Mk VI L/55 in 3x twin Mk IIIa turrets & 1x triple Mk IIIb turret
-8x 130mm Mk V L/40 in 8x single HA Mk II mounts
-12x 30mm/72 Mk III in 4x triple mounts
-8x Se-Ba 13mm machine guns in 4x twin mounts
-8x Mk XI 500mm torpedos in 4x twin launchers

ARS Ligeia (B35) in 1926

Dimensions:

Displacement: 5518 t Standard, 7399 t Full Load
Length: 552 ft WL, 558 ft OA
Beam: 48 ft
Draft: 17.5 ft

Armaments:

Main Battery: 8x 5.5"/55 cal BL guns (4x Twin Mount)
Secondary Battery: 8x 4"/45 cal HA guns (4x Twin Mount)
AA Battery: 6x 1.25"/80 cal Heavy Machine Guns (3x Twin Mount)
Torpedoes: 6x 21" Torpedo Tubes (2x Triple Mount)

Protection:

Main Belt: 3" (76mm)
Main Deck: 1" (25mm)
Main Turret Faceplate: 3" (76mm)
Main Turret Roof/Sides: 2" (51mm)
Barbettes: 3" (76mm)
Secondary Gun Shields .5" (12.7mm)

Machinery:

Speed: 32 knots
Range: 10,000 nm @ 15 knots
Engines: 8x Water Tube Boilers, 2x Geared Turbines, 62,000 SHP
Oil Capacity: 1013 tons

Description: During the interwar period, the Regian Navy sought to comprehensively replace all its old scout cruisers from the Great War era with modern, 10,000 ton ships armed with 6.8" weapons, the favored large cruiser caliber of the Navy. To provide for the full trade protection needs of the country, over the next 20 years two ships would need to be commissioned per year for a total of 40 modern cruisers. Accomplishing these numbers with maximum size cruisers proved impossible in the face of postwar economic slumps and the staggering cost of rebuilding. In 5C29, plans were approved to build intermediate sized cruisers of 5500 tons standard displacement, which would be produced at a ratio of 2:1 alongside the larger 10,000 ton cruisers. The Navy thus hoped to achieve a fleet of 32 second class modern cruisers, supported by 16 first class cruisers.

The Odalio class were the first of these second class cruisers to be laid down and built. Twelve ships of the class were completed, and served in all major theaters of the Tethyssian Civil War and the subsequent Regian intervention.

Wiltshire Class


HMS Wiltshire, September 1933

The two Wiltshire-class ships were part of the extensive family of Counties, coming between the two ships of the Norfolk-class and the four ships of the Northumberland-class. The two ships of the 1928 Programme were given an additional turret to increase firepower as the Admiralty grew concerned about the Imperial Japanese Navy's heavy cruisers with five-turrets. Armour was sacrificed but the quarterdeck was cut down to save weight and a Norfolk-class powerplant installed. Both ships saw most of their active service lives in the Far East, HMS Derbyshire being lost during the defence of Java in 1942 while HMS Wiltshire ended the war engaging shore defences off the Japanese coast in July 1945.

HMS Wiltshire: commissioned 24 July 1931, scrapped 1947
HMS Derbyshire: commissioned 16 September 1932, sunk 24 February 1942

Displacement: 10,000 tons (standard)
Dimensions: length 599ft 6in (oa) 594ft (wl); beam 60ft 6in; draught 19ft 6in
Machinery: six Admiralty 3-drum boilers supplying steam to four turbines, 80,000shp, powering four propellers
Speed: 31.5kts (clean)
Range: 10,000 nautical miles at 12kts
Armament:
5x2 8in BL Mk.VIII in Mk.II turrets
4x1 4in QF Mk.V in HA mounts
2x8 2pdr pom-poms
2x3 21in torpedo tube mounts
Armour: magazines 6-3in sides and 3in crowns and bulkheads; torpedo warhead magazine 1in sides and crown; machinery spaces 2-3in decks and 2in transverse bulkheads; 1.5in rudder box
Fire-Control:
1x Director Tower
2x PIL (Position-In-Line) rangefinders
1x HACS Mk.I
Aircraft: 2x seaplanes (Hawker Osprey as completed) launched by 1x compressed air catapult
Crew: 760

_________________
Hood's Worklist
English Electric Canberra FD
Interwar RN Capital Ships
Super-Darings
Never-Were British Aircraft

Dates are AU timeline, OTL dates are in brackets in the text. For reference, the equivalent laid down date for this class is 1933.

Pincipal particulars

Displacement: 9,998t standard
Length: 188.98m (620') WL, 191.29m (627.60') OA
Beam: 19.81m (65')
Draught: 5.94m (19.5')

Armament:
3x3 8"/50
4x1 4.7"/45
2x8 1.6"/40

Armour:
Belt: 4.3" sloped at 7 degrees
Deck: 2.1"
Turrets and barbettes: 1"

Machinery: 112,000 SHP
Speed: 36 knots
Range: 8,500 miles at 14 knots

Design history and description

TLDR - a fast cruiser with nine 8" guns optimised to defeat any other cruiser using long range combat and hit-and-run tactics.

The 3rd International Naval Construction Conference (INCC) of 1580 (1930) reaffirmed the limits for cruisers from the second conference, of 10,000 tons maximum standard displacement and guns no larger than 8". This was a blow for Lunaria, whose naval doctrine depended on the individual qualitative superiority of their ships over their prospective enemies. Having led the world in the development of large 8" gun armed cruisers nearly a decade earlier, they were now faced with the prospect of all nations catching up and building ships of the same capability.

On the other hand, Lunaria believed strongly in the international naval treaty system and wished to set an example in abiding by it. To this end, they expended a significant amount of time and effort to perfect a design that would suit their unique requirements and constraints.

One salient requirement that caused significant difficulty in the design process was the 36 knot speed target, same as existing Lunari cruisers, and vital to their doctrine of fast hit-and-run attacks borne of numerical inferiority. To this end, the ships used a long but very fine hull form, which was as lighly built as they dared. A high bow with a forecastle break was used as a compromise between seakeeping and hull weight, with an angled plate in the region of the forecastle providing additional weight saving without compromising seaworthyness. The development of (then experimental) higher pressure machinery was accelerated to incorporate into their construction. A nominal output of 120,000 SHP was provided, and an overload condition of 132,000 SHP satisfied the speed requirement on trials. Cruising range was not overly prioritised, with the ship able to steam 8,500 miles at 14 knots.

The challenge then was to fit sufficient combat capability in the very limited remaining space and weight, to make these ships nominally able to deal a decisive blow to any enemy cruiser, and then retreat afterwards. A new twin 8"/50 turret design that was then being worked on was hastily enlarged and re-worked into a triple, with the barrels sharing a sleeve to save space and weight. Despite aiming for 4 rounds per gun per minute, the cramped breech and hoist arrangement increased the practical firing cycle to 20 seconds. This was considered acceptable as the ships were intended to fight at long range. Torpedo armament was omitted entirely and secondary/AA armament was kept to a bare minimum of 4 single 4.7" mounts, two on each side. By the time these ships were launched, a new, rapid fire, 8-barrel 1.6" AA gun mount had become available, and they were the first ships in the fleet commissioned with these weapons already installed. It was considered as a possiblity that, should the international treaty system fail, these ships might be refitted to use 9.2" guns in three twin turrets.

The armour was concentrated for maximum effect following the "all or nothing" principle. The ships had an internal waterline belt 4.3" thick, 10 feet tall and sloped outward at the top by 7 degrees. The fore and aft bulkeads were the same as the belt. The armoured deck was 2.1" thick and fully covered the machinery and magazine spaces, closing the lid on the armoured box. Since the ships were expected to use their speed to escape an unfavourable fight, it was not considered acceptable to thin the armour over the machinery to save weight or improve magazine protection. A damaged boiler was considered to be the same death sentence as a magazine detonation. Instead, there was essentially no other armour on the ship. The turrets, barbettes and steering gear were provided with splinter protection, but no armoured conning tower was provided. Doctrinally, the ships would be expected to fight with a turret knocked out, and run with two turrets incapacitated. Anti-flash measures in the ammunition supply were exceptionally thorough to offset the risk of unarmoured turrets, which also contributed to the slowing of the rate of fire. Underwater protection consisted of a gentle hull bulge backed by a 40mm longitudinal bulkhead.

Fire control was given special consideration, with a tall five legged mast (that would not have been out of place on a battleship) supporting the latest rangefinder, director, and other optical equipment required to achieve a decisive first strike with those nine 8" guns. A set of AA rangefinder/director pairs per side, plus powerful searchlights and extensive night-fighting optics, rounded off the fire control suite.

The ships had two catapults and could support up to three seaplanes on the aft shelter deck, though usually only two were carried to reduce overcrowding.

After the aforementioned lengthy design work, a class of four ships, now named the Artemis class, was laid down in 1583 (1933). Hekate, the third ship in the class, is shown here shortly after commissioning in 1586 (1936), sporting an experimental graded camouflage scheme in four colours.