|
Post by theexecuter on Nov 6, 2017 23:46:22 GMT -6
Theme Music: www.youtube.com/watch?v=uIrwUBLDm9ASettings: Very Large Fleet Manual Built Fleet Non-Historical Budget Standard Research - 100% speed Goals: - Avoid the historical fate of the Imperial Fleet. - Try out a fleet composition theory - to be explained below. Ships at start: B Retvizan - fairly standard pre-dreadnought. Deck armor heavier than need be to allow the ship to be refit and hopefully serve beyond 1910. CA Rossiya: Tough armor, good speed, and a lot of guns. The Rossiya is designed to get in close and murder cruisers with lots of close in shells. Until we get more center-line turrets, our Armored Cruisers will use broadside volume of fire rather than heavy guns. Again, deck armor heavier than need because I plan to refit these ships as well. CL Pallada - The raider. The Pallada class are long ranged, reliable engined, with plenty of shells. They are fast and well armored. These ships will be my only overseas presence and will not be wasted on commerce protection. Their only function will be raiding. My CAs will handle commerce protection. DD Boiki - 2 guns and 2 torpedo tubes on a small ship capable of 29 knots. Not much else to say, but that we will not expect much from these ships just yet. The state of the world in 1900: We have an exceptional battleship fleet, second only to the Royal Navy. Our armored cruisers, though few in number, are built for quality, not quantity. Plus, with our limited areas to defend, we have sufficient force to be able to deal with any problems. Since my CLs are expensive and only designed for raiding, I only have five of them. We have a destroyer for every B and CA, but I won't ramp up production of these until we get destroyer screen technology. At present the ships are too anemic to offer much use to the fleet. That will change, but for now...I'll keep the DD numbers down. My design goals will be to rebuild battleships and heavy cruisers at least one generation (this is my experiment...as I haven't done rebuilds much in past games). I will be experimenting with a fleet composition as follows. Battleships always concentrated in one fleet and accompanied by one (later two) destroyers per battleship. Armored Cruisers spread equally among my sea zones and accompanied by one (later two) destroyers per crusier. I'm thinking I will try the super-cruiser concept, i.e. no battle cruisers. This is up for debate and will depend on how the game goes. Number of armored cruisers to be half the number of battleships. Light cruisers used ONLY for raiding until such time as I get mine rails. Then I'd like to experiment with how to increase minefields. Number of light cruisers equal to the number of armored cruisers. Destroyers - balanced gun and torpedo armament. Will increase numbers (from one per B/BB/CA to two per B/BB/CA) as they become more effective. Mine Sweepers - number built (cheap designs) equal to the largest fleet of submarines Submarines - number built (start building at medium submarines, not before) equal to the largest fleet of submarines All of this will of course be subject to the whims of budget and the whims of the Tsar. Feel free to tell me your opinions on how this is going to go...and any advice you want to share. Hopefully I'll learn a lot and we can have some fun...and hopefully not end up like Admiral Makarov, or Admiral Rozhestvensky, or Admiral Ivan Grigorovich.
|
|
|
Post by cv10 on Nov 7, 2017 0:22:38 GMT -6
Боже, Царя храни!
Good Luck!
|
|
|
Post by archelaos on Nov 7, 2017 7:02:14 GMT -6
Far east is a home area, so Tsar will try to force you to send capital ships there, so you will either constantly lose prestige or have to split the battleline.
|
|
|
Post by theexecuter on Nov 7, 2017 9:31:37 GMT -6
Far east is a home area, so Tsar will try to force you to send capital ships there, so you will either constantly lose prestige or have to split the battleline. CAs count as capital ships, right? I have two CAs there now. I haven't had problems with having to split the fleet with USA, which has three home areas...
|
|
|
Post by aeson on Nov 7, 2017 11:38:25 GMT -6
CAs count as capital ships, right? I have two CAs there now. I haven't had problems with having to split the fleet with USA, which has three home areas... The USA doesn't share home areas with any other power, whereas both of Russia's home areas are shared.
|
|
|
Post by theexecuter on Nov 7, 2017 11:41:37 GMT -6
Ah yes.
We will see what happens then. I haven't had a problem with it in past plays of Russia.
I wonder if the trigger is based on tonnage rather than type...as I recall keeping a decent size fleet in Asia, but usually cruiser based.
Hmm.
|
|
|
Post by theexecuter on Nov 7, 2017 20:53:31 GMT -6
The first year has past. We have constructed fortifications at Port Arthur (Two, 12 inch gun emplacements and three, six inch gun emplacements). The goal being to provide a safe anchorage in the Far East for our fleet until it can be reinforced. We have also constructed two 12 inch gun emplacements in the Gulf of Finland, to go with the already present two 6 inch gun emplacements and the single 4 inch gun emplacement. The point of these guns is to make sure that the Gulf of Finland will have strong minefields in the event of war with Germany. At some point I might want to place emplacements in Finland to extend those mine fields further west. Let me know what you think. I'm somewhat deterred by the cost of maintaining fortifications which are unlikely to fire...however, the prevalence of commerce missions just south of Helsinki means it might be useful to have minefields to retreat behind. Our scientists have made the following breakthroughs: Improved surface condenser - 1% weight savings Krupp Armor - 1% weight savings Coincidence Rangefinder - better fire control Hydraulic Recoil - Rate of Fire improvement Improved Hydrostatic Valve - Torpedoes now have the following speed / range values (800 yards at 25 knots, 2000 yards at 15 knots) - they are still not remotely useful as anything but coup de grace weapons. New construction is helping our battleship fleet keep pace with the German fleet. We have not laid down any new designs as of yet. Tensions are rising with Germany, and surprisingly with the USA.
|
|
|
Post by aeson on Nov 7, 2017 21:44:58 GMT -6
I cannot be certain as I have not gone and counted or anything like that (and also because the coastal batteries I have tend not to be segregated by caliber), but it feels to me as though the number of minefields created by each gun battery is independent of the caliber of the guns in the battery. Might want to try e.g. a big stack of 4" batteries in Finland or the Baltic States and see if it makes a noticeable difference, if you're inclined to test things out.
Also, I don't know if you've noticed or not, but the peacetime upkeep on coastal batteries is only 60% of that listed in the Build Fortifications list, at least on Very Large Fleet size. In wartime that jumps to 120%, though.
The Tsar has come to regret his grandfather's sale of Alaska, I suppose.
|
|
|
Post by theexecuter on Nov 8, 2017 8:54:24 GMT -6
Good idea. I think I'll put some 4" batteries in Finland when I have some budget and see what that does for minefields.
Putting them in the Baltic States is less efficient, as they would only be useful if the battery is on the offshore islands.
|
|
|
Post by aeson on Nov 8, 2017 11:46:41 GMT -6
Putting them in the Baltic States is less efficient, as they would only be useful if the battery is on the offshore islands. Perhaps. I'm not convinced Finland's coastal battery positions are all that much better, however. Coastal artillery positions in the Baltic States, as defined in MapData: Coastal artillery positions in Finland, as defined in MapData: (The positions defined in MapData are at red dots at the points of the pins.)
|
|
|
Post by theexecuter on Nov 8, 2017 22:55:31 GMT -6
1901 saw the Russian navy continue to build fortifications, starting with five batteries of four inch guns each in Finland and the Baltic States. These would complete by August. In the meantime, Britain sold Russia the technology for Submarine Pressure Hull. Russian scientists were then able to design a workable submarine. Unfortunately, it's low range and relatively poor performance meant that the Naval Ministry decided not to pursue any contracts. We have also gained the ability to add heavy secondary batteries and to design destroyers of 600 tons. Fighting in the Balkans continues, as the former vassals of the Ottoman Empire continue to squabble over the borders determined at the Congress of Vienna. We make some comments about how it is deplorable that the major european powers continue to meddle in the region. This irritates the Germans and the British. Japanese and Russian businesses begin to clash over access rights to Korea and Manchuria. Both nations begin making more belligerent statements to the press. October, 1901 - the Battleship Perevenets explodes in Kronstadt harbor! The next day's press releases all speculate that the tragedy was caused by German saboteurs. Russia demands an apology and compensation from the Kaiser, and by the end of the weekend, both nations are at war! The first action in the naval campaign does not take place in the Baltic. The Russian Pacific fleet, based at Port Arthur, sorties the CA Bayan, the CL Avrora, and two torpedo boats to patrol the China Sea and to stop German trade into the treaty ports. The seas are high, and with all ships speed limited...the German CL Niobe is spotted. She is pursued, as she is not match for the Bayan. A worrying aspect of this part of the chase is that no hits are scored...by any ship. The weather and the lack of skill by all ships involved make the incident rather comical. The Niobe, leads the Russian ships directly to the main German squadron...a pair of Freya class armored cruisers. The Bayan is now out firepowered, but her heavier armor could be the equalizer. Both German ships are uninterested in brawling, and attempt to cover the Niobe's retreat. The Bayan initially turns to head back to Port Arthur. However, seeing the reluctance of the Germans to attack...signals her torpedo boats to attack if they see an opening, and chases after the Niobe. The weather worsens, with squalls cutting visibility and high winds forcing the ships to slow to below 18 knots. Gunnery continues to be abysmal on both sides. The afternoon wears on and visibility drops further. The Bayan reluctantly turns back for Port Arthur, and the German ships vanish into the mist. A half hour later, the Niobe is glimpsed through the haze shadowing the Bayan off her starboard bow. The squall clears, and the Niobe is perfectly visible well within the Bayan's gun range. The only effective gunfire of the afternoon rips into the Niobe, who frantically puts about and races for the protection of the two Freya's. As she reaches them, the sun sets. Unwilling to risk the ships in the dark, all captains decide discretion is the better part of valor...and retreat into the darkness. The engagement is considered a minor victory, as the Bayan was able to stand toe to toe with two of the German armored cruisers...and was able to damage the Niobe. I am personally highly disappointed with the absolutely abysmal shooting of all of my ships. The completion of the batteries, and the beginning of the war, means a big boost in available budget. The navy lays down 10 minesweepers, to provide coastal patrol protection. A new DD is laid down as well...she improves on the previous design by being a knot faster, and having both torpedo tubes on the center-line. Finally, the government orders two new battleships. The new class named after the sacred remains of the Perevenets. The secondary battery has been increased to 24 guns, while the armor has also been improved. Her top speed remains the standard 19 knots. The loss of the Perevenets means the Germans have one more battleship than we do. Our light cruisers have been released to raid, and ten of our DDs are currently on coastal patrol. It is time to see how the fleet behaves in an early fight against a strong opponent.
|
|
|
Post by theexecuter on Nov 9, 2017 21:59:32 GMT -6
November 1901Tech unlocked: Double Bottom The German fleet blockades the Baltic. We receive word from Scandinavian newspapers that our CL Nadezhda is sunk by the German CL Hamburg while trying to run the Skaggerak blockade. The other two light cruisers make it out into the North Sea and commence raiding. We run a convoy into Vladivostok and the German Pacific fleet refuses to interfere with the convoy. We lay down an improved raiding cruiser, the Svetlana class. She incorporates the knowledge gained from the Pacific fight, that casemates are unusable in heavy weather. December 1901
Techs unlocked: Cockburn Safety Valve Hardened AP Penetrator Active Mine Warfare Our fleet determines to make a raid on enemy coastal shipping between the Elb Estuary and Konigsberg. We believe that this route is providing supplies for the German Army Group Nord. The following ships are tasked with the sorty: BatDiv1 - Imperator Aleksandr I and Tri Svyatitelya BatDiv2 - Dvenadstat Apostolov and Retvizan CruDiv1 - Rossiya, Gromoboi, Varyag The ships are accompanied by six torpedo boats Our ships arrive off the Elb Estuary as dawn is breaking. One transport is convinced to scuttle by our mere presence. Another transport manages to flee into the mist. No other ships are visible. The fleet searches the area for a few short hours before winter twilight forces the fleet to head back towards base. We fail to find the German convoy. VP Score: Germany - 2225 Russia - 406
|
|
|
Post by JagdFlanker on Nov 10, 2017 19:04:14 GMT -6
funny i never check out AARs since i play the game so much myself already, but thought i'd take a quick peek at this one since i played russia last game - good read!
am i mistaken, or does that CL Pallada you posted a pic of have both primary and secondary 6" guns? just asking since technically it's not a legal ship design and therefore *could* be a bug
|
|
|
Post by aeson on Nov 10, 2017 20:52:25 GMT -6
am i mistaken, or does that CL Pallada you posted a pic of have both primary and secondary 6" guns? just asking since technically it's not a legal ship design and therefore *could* be a bug It looks to me like the Pallada class mixes turreted and casemated guns in the main battery, which to the best of my knowledge is legal and saves some tonnage if you're giving your main battery guns more than gunshields.
|
|
|
Post by theexecuter on Nov 10, 2017 21:50:58 GMT -6
funny i never check out AARs since i play the game so much myself already, but thought i'd take a quick peek at this one since i played russia last game - good read! am i mistaken, or does that CL Pallada you posted a pic of have both primary and secondary 6" guns? just asking since technically it's not a legal ship design and therefore *could* be a bug Aeson is correct, the Pallada class broadside main guns are in casemates. I made that decision partly to save weight and also partly to simulate the 'legacy' fleet. I'm unhappy with the results, as the ships rate of fire seems to be adversely affected. The new Svetlana class uses all turrets for this reason.
|
|