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Post by garrisonchisholm on Nov 5, 2017 11:08:13 GMT -6
Byzantine involvement in the Crimean War had been entirely land-based, but with the disastrous affairs of ill supply by sea the allied armies had faced her forces took the more difficult road. Holding at the Danube, her Legions to the east advanced north from the Caucuses & occupied most all the Black Sea surrounds, and declined to relenquish them with the Treaty of Paris. That Treaty forbade the Tsar from posting warships in the Black Sea, but Nicholas refused to abide until Byzantine Legions withdrew to their 1850 borders, and he held a contract for 6 modern French line-of-battleships over the heads of his Imperial offenders until they did so. For 30 years this doulful state of affairs languished, as Alexander II and his son Alexander III dug in their heels and insisted their way would be had in the end. However the Byzantines never withdrew from their territorial bargaining position, and with the death of Alexander III in 1894 negotiations could finally begin in earnest.
Moderated by the Eastern Church, a compromise was at last reached which settled affairs. The Russians acquiessed at last to a demilitarized Black Sea, and relenquished the contracts for the 6 French "Ships of the Line" to Byzantium in exchange for the nominal independence of Crete and Greece to Theocratic rulership under Eastern patriarchs, and a partial withdrawl back to their Caucuses border, both moves which weakened Byzantium and strengthened the prestige of Kiev.
So it was, ironically, that Byzantium would enter the Modern Age with 6 powerful French battleships (hardly Ships of the Line as the contract writers had originally saw them) and a smattering of other vessels which advocated no particular policy or plan at all. The Senate would appoint leadership for the vastly and suddenly expanded Imperial Navy, and the Empire would need to swiftly come to grips with its new place in the mordern order.
This is going to be a catch-as-catch-can chronicle of my new Byzantium game, and an explaoration of how much more interesting the Mediterranean can be with Aeson's new map mod. The "story" above is my first-blush attempt to explain how Byzantium has 6 battleships which the game thinks are from Russian yards. Obviously, it has to be taken with tons of salt, but that's what we're going with.
I don't know how detailed this will be, but a surge of creativity struck and I needed an outlet. Over the rest of the day I will decide what kind of AAR it shall be!
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Post by garrisonchisholm on Nov 5, 2017 17:05:09 GMT -6
The (This) 1900 Byzantine Empire was one challenged to its core. A nation which would have vanished from history a dozen times without the legendary professionalism of its Legions, it was unsettled from Cabinet to Commoner by the Athenian Accords which had finalized the bureacratic and theological partition of the Empire. It was a dire matter, but severing a hand to save an arm was what was decided.
Greece and Crete, while still provincially Imperial and with markets and ports open to trade, now were bound by their own covenant of independence, and with their seperatation went the "core" of the Old Imperal Navy- a collection of ironclads and cruisers which though obsolete still meritted more than what had remained to the empire. Until that is, the arrival in fall and winter of '99 of those 6 French battleships.
2 cruisers, 7 destroyers, that was all that Byzantium could claim before that autumn. Only a further 7 ships were on order;
Those 6 French battleships shoved a stunned back-water navy into the modern age. It would remain to be seen if the New Navy could present and embrace the policies needed to employ itself wisely.
On the eve of the Imperial Fleet Review, the guiding principles of its use would be laid out in a secret memorandum; to maintain and protect Imperial commerce, and - just 4 years after signing them away - a committent to restore all that the Old Empire held dear.
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Post by garrisonchisholm on Nov 5, 2017 17:48:20 GMT -6
The Fleet review of Janruary, 1900, counted only 4 ship types. As Russian orders they had never received more than an "Intent To Build" hull-number, but as Byzantine they were the Constantinople class when delivered from France. They were neither speedy nor robust, making only 18 knots with an 8-inch belt, but despite their protection their 12-inch mounts made the most significant argument against them being counted 2nd Class battleships. Indeed, comparable French designs of the time were much more worthy of standing in a line of battle, but this is what the Empire had and could not look a gift horse in the mouth. Truth-to-tell their nominal armor was likely the reason the contracts were included in the Tsar's negotiations. They had the unusual feature of having guns firing from 4 different elevations- the two 3" tertiary 'citadels' were split between the weather deck and the funnel super-structure, and the after deck through being cut down in a weight saving measure resulted in half the main battery firing on a different plane. It remained to be seen if this would affect them in action. The Olympos armored cruisers were the largest domestic vessels yet produced in the Empire, and were nominally similar to existing English designs except for their block super-structure. The 7-inch mount was not preferred, however it was a necessary compromise given the difficulty which the Naval Arsenal had in procuring 8-inch mounts abroad, and none had yet been successfully built at home that had not burst after multiple firings. Their speed was only modest, and they would need to be employed with care. The 2 ships of the Basilisk class were domestic attempts at creating a commerce raider, a role for which they had dubious utility. Making only 21 knots, if a swifter vessel ran them down they had only 2x 6" guns to rely upon to deter aggressors. In a fleet role they might be scouts, but they too would need to be cautious. The Dromon-3 type destroyer was probably the most modern vessel Byzantine yards could boast of. It was swift and capable, and despite being cramped to her sailors were good sea-boats with no vices. They only lacked in numbers, but the Navy Department made quick steps to augment their ranks. The modern era of the Byzantine Navy had begun, and the Empire sought to assure itself the elbow room to grow and evolve while making sure to avoid antagonizing the Mediteranean's biggest fish, England. In fact, the most positive development of the first year was the signing of an Alliance with England, a move which would open up many possibilities for gathering first class vessels and a boon to technology.
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Post by garrisonchisholm on Nov 5, 2017 19:00:21 GMT -6
Trouble in the Balkans was the first crisis to rear its head, as in July of '01 trouble stirred there concerning both France and Austria but somehow mostly Spain. Taking advantage of their English alliance, the Empire had ordered from Britain in February a fast & powerful armored cruiser, Boukellarion.
The Boukellarion would be faster than any cruiser afloat and offer a 12x 7" broadside, also more powerful than any cruiser then at sea. A second cruiser was ordered upon her completion in early 1903, and it was hoped the two vessels would be the fast cavalry which the navy needed to carry its banner in battle.
Her sister would not arrive however before hostilities first erupted for the New Navy, as in July of '03 the Spanish government issued an ultimatum regarding tarfifs for use of the Suez Canal, and Byzantium did not yield.
The fleet made plans to take war to the Iberian coast.
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Post by garrisonchisholm on Nov 5, 2017 22:34:01 GMT -6
The war against Spain lasted 11 months, and this-
-was its only casualty; other than Byzantine coal stocks, which burned low as its navy vainly tried to bring the Spanish fleet to bear. There was one encounter abbreviated by nightfall where-in her destroyers were quite shot to pieces as they attacked while the fleet withdrew, but none-the-less they all made it back to safety.
Spain surrendered its 3 lesser Pacific Island possessions to Byzantium and Guantanamo Bay to Britain in the peace, a peace encouraged as Byzantium had just allotted funding to assemble an invasion force threatening a landing on the Spanish coast. The reputation of the Empire's Legions surely played a hand.
Due to the lack of significant action the navy learned very little as a result of the conflict. Some of its fleet units sustained damage, but none of it was at all note-worthy or informative. The greatest consequence of the war in fact was the need to dispatch forces to South East Asia to serve on-station there with its new possessions, and the 2 raiding cruisers were duly consigned the task. This left a need for a screening cruiser to operate with the fleet, so a new design would shortly be commissioned.
During the war a new destroyer type was ordered from England, and some were actually just in service when the peace was signed.
The boat was gun-platform type, with the option for experimental cross-deck firing incorporated into the design for future consideration. Their guns were small, but the English 3" was an exceptional design. 12 were ultimately added to the 18 Dromon-3's.
The light cruiser design submitted was for a 25 knot protected cruiser which would serve nominally as a fleet scout. For the sake of the Arsenal a 7" main mount was again selected. The ships were hoped to be serviceable, though the protection scheme was recognized to be obsolescent. Only 2 were ordered, as expectations were that future designs would be able to be superior still.
In December of '05 the Senate raised 50,000,000 talents for the construction of a new battleship, however it was an extremely odd moment in naval construction. Byzantium's yards were still small, and simply re-making a Constantinople would hardly be a step in the right direction. England could build a 23,000 ton ship, but could not yet build main-caliber wing turrets above 10", and was limited to 3 center-line turrets. Consequently, a 3-turret design of the largest caliber would have either ridiculous armor or wasted speed. Therefore, a new and bold design was struck and laid down in England, one that would spur much conversation in naval circles.
The Komnenos had a gallery battery broadside of 8x 11" guns along with its main battery of 6x 12" guns, though whether she would serve well in action would be delayed by international affairs which would affect the whole world's navies.
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Post by garrisonchisholm on Nov 6, 2017 9:40:48 GMT -6
In January of 'o6 just after Komnenos has been ordered, an opportunity occurred to formalize an alliance with Russia, which would have been very strategically useful to Byzantium, but though the talks bogged down and could not be successfully concluded Italy raised a storm of protest over the move unexpectedly- and in truth might have had something to do with the talks scuttling. Followed in March by turmoil in the Balkans, tensions with Italy were suddenly at a very dire level, & with Spain close behind. In August an opportunity came of great strategic value- North Korea, within which just months before oil had been discovered, had teetered to a point where Byzantium could have provided stability and gained the territory as a colony. Despite the difficulties supporting such an operation, the 2 light cruisers at Truk lead a convoy into the Yellow Sea, however the landing was a debacle and local resistance scuppered the chance. This raised international tensions with Italy and Spain to the brink of war.
The following month an international conference was called by the boisterous and energetic Italian Prime Minister, which Byzantium attended, as a refusal would certainly have triggered war before Komnenos could be completed. To the shock of all the next day, an announcement was made that all new-ship construction greater than 12,000 tons be banned. The dreadnought revolution was fast underway, but not one had yet been launched- every nation lost 1 ship, France lost 3, and England 7. Komnenos was lost, as well as the whole first generation world-wide of dreadnought battleships.
5 months later the treaty was torn to ribbons, as the man who had somehow managed to hammer it home brought war to Byzantium.
The armored cruiser Athina caught 2 Italian light cruisers off Toronto, destroying one with little contest once they divided. The Imperial Navy now faced off against the Italian.
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Post by aeson on Nov 6, 2017 18:04:11 GMT -6
On the plus side, it sounds like you hadn't yet put much into the ship aside from the design fees and maybe a few months of construction work.
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Post by garrisonchisholm on Nov 6, 2017 21:14:09 GMT -6
Quite true, and given the 50m "gift" I was still better off than before it was laid down. I am tempted to re-order it now however; a slightly enlarged Jozef type from my PLC AAR, maybe I could actually get it into meaningful action- and test the "splinter protection only" secondary armor philosophy (whether edge or exploit).
I'll have to see if England has picked up main caliber wing turrets, and/or a 4th center-line turret.
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Post by aeson on Nov 6, 2017 21:45:14 GMT -6
I am tempted to re-order it now however Fair warning: if my past experience with losing an entire class to a naval arms limitation treaty and then re-ordering ships of the same class is any guide, you'll need to pay the design costs again. Might not be an issue worth worrying about if technology hasn't advanced much - or at all - as may be expected after only a few months of progression, or if something changed that makes the pre-treaty design preferable to what you could design now, but still something to be aware of, especially if you were counting on your reserve to complete your construction program on schedule.
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Post by garrisonchisholm on Nov 7, 2017 12:30:55 GMT -6
The war with Italy went just about as the war with Spain- the Italians declining most actions, and fleeing from those they accepted. So desperate were the Byzantine commanders for a result that they imprudently pressed the Italian battle-line in a night engagement as they escorted a convoy;
Miraculously this was a victory, as the fleet disengaged when they chaos mounted and left 5 of the 6 transports sinking or sunk.
Unfortunately, there was a disaster as well. Boukellarion & Athina were chasing down a trio of destroyers that had tried to attack their convoy, pinning them against the northern coast of Crete and playing their guns upon them while keeping the range at 5 or 6 thousand yards. It was only a matter of time, however;
At a certain point the squadron somehow neglected to turn to maintain the range. Rumors that the Commodore was preoccupied heckling the wireless operator for news about a football match were swiftly squashed by the Navy department, so the truth to the matter is still unclear.
Intelligence from the convoy-night encounter revealed Italy's newest battleship in detail. It seems that other states too were grappling with the restricted turret architecture problem which had confronted the Byzantines.
The Byzantine cash surplus allowed the Komnenos to be re-ordered, but it would not join the fleet for 2 years at least. In addition, Harpy class destroyers were ordered to replace expected losses.
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Post by garrisonchisholm on Nov 7, 2017 12:51:46 GMT -6
Scarcely had the Navy paused to consider its progress against Italy than the Army provided an immediate resolution; Pushing south from Egypt, Byzantine Legions had broken through Italian resistance and swiftly overrun both Eritrea and Somalia. Italy, under blockade for 9 months, saw that they were powerless to protect Sardinia and possibly Sicily too, and so capitulated. Once again war had concluded without a major action, though the lesson of torpedo protection had been at last taught. Ships determined to be worth keeping in service and of significant enough investment would need to have bulges fitted in the coming years. Operations were cut back, and the Navy turned directly to augmenting the battle-line.
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Post by garrisonchisholm on Nov 7, 2017 14:57:09 GMT -6
No sooner than the end of the First Italian War, trouble was immediately stirred in the Balkans by Italy, to which Byzantium responded by selling arms to Greece.
Two years thereafter, following the wholesale refitting of the fleet, it was conveniently discovered that larger and more advanced battleships could be manufactured in Austrian yards than in English, and Byzantium's first battlecruiser was ordered. A convenient discovery by-the-by due to the end of the Alliance with England, who had expressed unhappiness at Byzantium's arms sales to Greece which threatened to disrupt the long-standing Treaty of Paris.
For the next two years tensions slowly rose with Italy again as the out-on-his-ear former Prime Minister re-gained power and organized his party. Then in early 1914;
Byzantium immediately issued an ultimatum and put her cruisers to sea. The opening action fought just off the spur of Italy's boot resulted in an armored cruiser being sunk, and one of Byzantium's barely making it back to port after suffering from the over-enthusiasm of her escorts.
The Second Italian War had begun.
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Post by boomboomf22 on Nov 7, 2017 16:39:44 GMT -6
Ah being torpedoed by ones own escorts... the memories it brings back
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Post by garrisonchisholm on Nov 10, 2017 13:09:51 GMT -6
It was a mosh-pit (sp?) of ships circling this disabled cruiser, and my one thought was "man I've got to get clear and straightened out before someone... oh." But the navy continues its glorious tradition! The next month? The exact same thing.
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Post by garrisonchisholm on Nov 10, 2017 17:04:01 GMT -6
The next month of the war included another narrow victory, as a convoy's destruction brought about a second opportunity for self-destruction. This one was especially disturbing, as the commodore knowingly turned the squadron into the torpedo's run. "It will run out shortly, yes? It will, certainly, yes? It must. It... $#^%" -was the extent of the bridge conversation. However, the war again was proceeding well. The Navy was able to blockade its foe, and for the better part of a year tried vainly to bring its foe to heel. Upon the delivery of Augustus there was good news, as she was found to exceed her designed speed- a hard wrestled knot, sacrificed for armor but found anyway. 4 months later off Alexandria was her first deployment, escorting a convoy accompanied by Boukellarion, and also when the Italians at last pressed their first attack in earnest. Augustus turned hard to the West to discover the enemy whose scouting cruisers had been spotted, with Boukellarion being slowly left behind as its recently added torpedo bulges had claimed 3 of its 25 knot former top speed. An armored cruiser was spotted and ranging fire began as it turned north, however then came into sight an Italian Dreadnought (of the actual Dreadnought plan-form) with 2 old battle-ships in train. They too turned north, and a gunnery duel began. A duel resolved after about a dozen rounds had been landed on target- The Italian had had its Y turret penetrated from 7,000 yards (range having steadily decreased due to weather during the fight) and the after magazines blew. The remaining old battleships were then brought under fire, but shooting was difficult and batteries began to report "out of munitions", so the engagement was broken off and the convoy followed safely to port. The Italians at once sent a peace envoy, though negotiations were inconclusive- but the Italian people were under great duress.
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