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Post by mycophobia on Jul 16, 2019 22:12:35 GMT -6
The Situation at 1900
Diplomacy Canada was still a relatively minor power on the international stage at the turn of the century, as a result, the nation has yet to attract the attention of major sea powers around the globe. However, it is foolish to believe that this state of affair will last. Canada is now a resource rich nation that no longer enjoyed the protection of the United Kingdom, and enjoys a lukewarm relation with its southern neighbour at best. Many Canadian cast a weary eye towards their southern neighbour, who have recently seized many Spanish possession in the Spanish-American war of 1898. While U.S/Canadian relationship remains stable at this point, a sense of unease still exists within all levels of Canadian society. Canada’s former overlord Britain grudging allowed the peaceful succession of the British North American Colonies, and the resulting tension between the two states had never fully dissipated in the 33 years since Confederation. Canadian nationalism around the turn of the century also brought up a claim for the Newfoundland region to be transferred to Canadian control. While yet to be formally brought before the British, Canadian politicians already recognized the potential conflict that may arise from the newfoundland dispute. Finally, both the German and Russian Empire have been eyeing Canada as a potential avenue of expansion, the resource rich Canadian region proves to be a promising way to acquire new oversea possessions without directly challenge one of the more dominant world powers. The new century brought new challenges together with new opportunities. Perhaps Canada could become a global power in these turbulent times, perhaps it could maintain prosperity in an era of unprecedented carnage, and perhaps it could become a footnote in the annuals of history… Military Forces
Expectedly, the Canadian navy is much smaller than that of any major power in terms of tonnage and budget. The only area in which Canada is remotely competitive is destroyers, but this is offset by the relatively poor quality of Canadian ships. A interesting thing to note is that once the two Canada Class battleship currently being constructed are completed, Canada will have virtual parity in battleships against the US, but US maintains a huge cruiser fleet, with many ship superior than the two Montreal class. Armory
Research
Being a relatively new naval power, Canada spared no expense in technological development in effort to close the gap with other nations. While not accustomed to military shipbuilding, Canadian ship building industry are blooming. As a result, Canada’s top priority is to improve its ability to manufacture domestic warship designs. Canada’s greatest weakness lies in the absence of domestic manufacturer of naval artilleries. Relying on foreign license is not an acceptable long-term option. Therefore, additional research funding were issued in 1900 to the relatively newly formed Canadian Munitions Ltd(C.M.L, formed by combining various explosive and shell manufacturing companies in the old dominion) to develop larger caliber naval artillery for naval use. The next highest priority for the Canadian is developing more powerful and important light vessels. Canadian admiralty knows that it cannot compete with any major power in the short term, thus torpedo attacks was seen and widely accepted as method to engage a much stronger opponent. The current torpedo vessels in Canadian service are woefully inadequate, and the admiralty demanded more research to be placed towards more effective light ship/torpedo design and tactics. Training/Construction
While the Canadian Navy is interested in implementing a focused training regime to improve the performance of their torpedo crew, current funding and the lack of foreseeable conflicts meant that the training plan was shelved for the time being. Infrastructure Construction The top priority of Canadian navy of 1900 is to improve its ability to domestically produce ships. As current Canadian dockyards are only able to manufacture ships up to 10,000 tons, expansion plans were immediately put into action at the new year of 1900, as part of the larger “New Century Expansion Plan” for Canadian naval yards. This resulted in continuous expansion of Canadian yards from 1900-1902 The plan to expand naval basing in British Columbia to house a larger squadron is also on the table, but delayed until more funding could be spared.
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Post by mycophobia on Jul 17, 2019 1:19:36 GMT -6
1900-1901 British-Canadian Reconciliation
Despite the Canadian ambition for a world class navy, the turn of the century was a quiet one for the Canadians. Limited budget meant even with great investment into infrastructure and research, little progress was made in 1900-1901. Thus the navy quietly drilled and waited for the delivery of the Canada Class Battleship Quebec and Nova Scotia, and the Red Deer Class Cruiser Lethfield and Grande Prairie. The political climate in 1900 was mostly stable, with the exception that a fishing dispute with the Japanese lead to St.Albert being send to join the Pacific Squadron. However, Prime Minister Wilfrid Laurier, a known proponent of solidarity and cooperation between English and French Canadians began a series of social and infrastructural programs to better the economic growth of the nation. Admiral Kingsmill, Commander in Chief of the Canadian navy was happy to offer spare funding for Sir Laurier's effort.
| | PM Sir Wilfried Laurier was instrumental in pushing through British-Canadian cooperation and economical development of Canada.
| Admiral Charles Kingsmill, Having studied and served with the Royal Navy, was instrumental in building up the modern Canadian Navy
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Recognizing that Canada is not yet ready to face the major nation of the world, Sir Wilfried Laurier consulted with the admiralty for the possibility of forming an Alliance with the major nations of the world. While the French and US are both valid candidates, Admiral Kingsmill argued that Britain remains the most capable nation in protecting Canadian interest. Unlike 33 years ago, Canada now also have a sizable force that it can bring to the bargaining table. While the proposal was met with initial concerns from the parliament, and outright opposition from the more nationalistic factions. The Liberal government was able to push for a renewed British-Canadian tie through a mutual security agreement. British officers began to arrive in Canadian navies to instruct new sailors, technologies are being sold to Canadian navy at fair price. It seems that collaboration with their old overlord will usher in an era of peace and prosperity in an increasingly hostile world. However, alliance with the British lead to an increasing tension with Britain's chief rival, Germany. Admiral Kingsmill thus ordered the next round of Canadian ship building be focused on countering German threats. Ship Building in 1901During this time, Canadian made use of both domestic and British technological advances to create new classes of ships following completion of the Canada and Red Deer classes. Calgary ClassRealizing that their fleet are still ill-prepared for any frontal engagement with major nations, Admiral Kingsmill decides to imitate the large armored cruiser designs of the French and the British to provide powerful, fast ships that can hunt down enemy cruisers and provide support in the battleline. Given that the German Fleet battleships are fairly under gunned, the proposed Calgary class utilized heavy armor fairly evenly distributed across the hull to ensure almost complete protection from smaller German guns. Her firepower is provided by three 250mm/40 guns used in earlier Canadian ships, since no local gun design had been finalized at times of her construction. Admiral Kingsmill sees this ship as mainly supporting the British navy in hunting down German cruisers, and as a result sacrificed one gun in the aft turret to allow the ship to reach an impressive 22 knot speed, able to catch up to most cruisers around the world. The Proposed ship is larger and slightly more expensive than the Canada class battleship, but Admiral Kingsmill is confident in using their powerful ships to dominate the German Cruiser force in event of a possible war, and leave the fleet battle to the British. 4 torpedo tubes are also equipped in case these ships needs to engage the well armored but under gunned German battleships. Victoriavile Class Destroyer
Despite the Canadian focus on torpedo warfare, existing designs suffer from poor seakeeping, cramped interior and overweightness. Thus a new design is laid down mid 1901 that promises heavier firepower, better seakeeping, faster speed and retaining three torpedo tubes of the Creston Class. Despite almost all around improvement, the overcharged engine is more coal hungry, resulting in shorter range and reduced reliability. Still, it is hoped that these ships will be ideal for patrolling Canadian coast and carry out torpedo attacks against invading forces.
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Post by mycophobia on Jul 17, 2019 1:58:30 GMT -6
1901-1902 Newfoundland Crisis and The Road to War
The Newfoundland Crisis (October 1901)The British-Canadian alliance is far from well received by some Canadian factions, especially while the issue of Newfoundland was not dealt with at all in the agreement. Both sides preferred to leave the highly contentious issue aside in hopes of securing a needed ally. This was unacceptable for the some more radical Canadian nationalists, and in October 16th, 1901, small groups of insurgents and pro-Canadian Newfoundlander sympathizers lead an attack on St.John city hall, demanding the termination of the "disgraceful" security agreement that "once again sold Canada to its colonial overlords" and for the British to hand over Newfoundland to Canadian hands. The attackers were eventually driven off with heavy loss of life, but many were able to escape the city. British royal navy entered the Gulf of St. Lawrence in an effort to prevent the attackers from escaping back into Canadian mainland. Further, the British government the Canadian provide reparation for the casualties of the attack, and assist in hunting down the attackers. This sparked widespread outrage in Canada, with many who previously disagreed over the radical stance of the attacker rallying against the overbearing British terms. In the end, on advice from the admiralty, the Canadian government issued a formal apologies and conceded to the British Terms. While the Canadians will remember this Indignity for the decades to come, antagonizing the British will only make the nation a target for the other powers. British Colonial troops engaging the St.John City Hall attackers from barricaded positions as latter attempts to escape the city.
British Battleship Royal Sovereign encountering the Canada Class Battleship ,Quebec on patrol in Gulf of St.Lawrence. Photo taken from Quebec's conning tower by a journalist. British naval presence in the area set Canadian navy on high alert, both side were preparing for the worst.
Preparing for War
Despite the Newfoundland crisis, Canadian cooperation with British Demand did swing British popular opinion towards the Canadians. While the Canadian claim over Newfoundland remains unresolved, the attention of the two nation turns to a new threat. Germany did not take well to the fact that its effort to match the Royal Navy is set back by the British-Canadian Alliance, and redoubled their construction programs. The British repeatedly condemned German naval expansion and its colonial ambitions in the far East. Several attempt to negotiate a status quo with the German had failed, and in February of 1902, an German Cruiser collided with an British Merchant in a storm, sinking the merchant ship. The British accused the German of deliberately refusing to save the sailors of the sunk merchant, and demanded that German cease its naval construction program and provide hefty reparation for the loss of the merchant. The German refused this demand, claiming that best effort was made to save the crew, and that the accident is a fabrication to stop German from "rightfully building up its navy for self-defense against aggression" Upon receiving this response, the British embassy requested that the Canadian navy prepare itself for possible hostility with the German empire, and asked for the Canadian to mobilize part of its fleet to prepare for operations in Europe. The Canadian parliament agreed to provide Britain with necessary support, with the understanding that Canadian will mainly be responsible for protecting British possession from German raiders, and only serve a supportive role in fleet actions. No declaration of war occurred as of March, 1902 as diplomats frantically tried to find some sort of compromise. However, tension have nearly reached the broken point, and Kingsmill begin to select ships for transfer into bases in England and instating the long-planned torpedo training regime with additional parliament grant in preparation of the coming storm.... The state of the Canadian Navy as of March, 1902. The new Calgary class is still a year away from completion, Canadian yards are also trying their best to complete the Victoriavile class Destroyer to get them to British Bases before war breaks out.
Whew, that was a larger update than I had expected, and with some action possibly on the horizon, I will leave the first part of this AAR here. I'd like to give the first war of the navy my best effort, so I will wait till a day where I have more free times on hand before getting to the next part (expect me to update the Russian AAR in the meantime). I am also kinda grateful that it seems like I may be able to get to some combat action without having to go through a large armored cruiser model xD. (I do really look forward to build the Calgary class however, as it is a fairly oddball design that I don't usually use in my normal games) Until next time.
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Post by akosjaccik on Jul 17, 2019 6:44:47 GMT -6
Oof, for a second I thought, "great", the british screwed over the currently rather coastal navy fairly well by "nicely asking" it to operate in a distant area, then my brain switched and I realized that you'll be able to utilize british infrastructure. Still, if canadian sailors will fail to get back home alive because of british colonial interests (truly or perceived), that might tilt the popular opinion back home. I believe however you have a broken image link in the second post back from this!
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Post by mycophobia on Jul 17, 2019 9:56:24 GMT -6
Oof, for a second I thought, "great", the british screwed over the currently rather coastal navy fairly well by "nicely asking" it to operate in a distant area, then my brain switched and I realized that you'll be able to utilize british infrastructure. Still, if canadian sailors will fail to get back home alive because of british colonial interests (truly or perceived), that might tilt the popular opinion back home. I believe however you have a broken image link in the second post back from this! My only worry is that if a larger battle is fought the game won’t give me enough British ships as back up since I have not seen more than 2-3 squadron of allied ships showing up in a battle. So I hope I don’t have fleet battle with the Germans and receive a “generous” support of a british scouting squadron x.x They also moved two B to Newfoundland in February despite asking for my support against Germany the sameness turn.... Thanks for pointing out the broken link, I actually can’t remember what, if any image is supposed to go there(I take you refer to the end of the post with the two new ship designs). Might just be a random deadlink but I will double check later
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Post by mycophobia on Jul 18, 2019 0:44:05 GMT -6
Victoriaville Class Torpedo Boat Destroyer
Short Ranged/Speed Focused Engine
With the need for a torpedo craft that can both carry out torpedo attacks and fight off similar crafts, the Victoriaville class is designed as Canada's first real torpedo boat destroyer, with 8 ordered in 1901. The ship have a deeper draft to remedy the stability issue of earlier classes(Which was only partially successful, due to the ships extremely heavy armament for its size). These ships are more powerful than any contemporary, being armed with a pair of C.M.L 4inch Gun developed for this class. They easily out gun other 3inch armed destroyers around the world. Their speed and torpedo loadouts are likewise superior than all contemporary designs. However, range and engine reliability was sacrificed to achieve the heavy armament and speed. The only competitor of the class is the 9 600ton German Destroyers laid down in the beginning of 1902. Canadian Destroyers in service in 1902 (Near to Far: Victoriavile, Creston, Lake Cowichan Class)
Since I have a bit of time after updating the Russian AAR, I was able to work through the Victoriaville class destroyer, currently in construction. The ship's freeboard came out a bit low, but I suppose it works fine with Canadian Navy's coastal focus. I just hope I can get some of them to Europe before war breaks out since these ships outclass any potential competitors.
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Post by mycophobia on Jul 19, 2019 1:22:12 GMT -6
Calgary Class Armored Cruiser
The Calgary Class is the Canadian Response to a lack of powerful capital ships. Unable to compete against foreign ships in size and number, Canadian instead chose to produce ships that are fast and can fill a multitude of roles. While Classified as an Armored Cruiser, The Calgary Class is larger than the Canada Class battleship. At the time of their design, they are the most powerful armored cruiser around the world, and can match some smaller battleship in combat. Weaponry
The main weapon of the Calgary class remains the old French 250mm/40 Mod 1897 gun, which have fairly poor penetration and range. Furthermore, in order to achieve high speed and reasonable protection, Calgary only carries 3 of these guns, it is believed that since the ship will most likely be chasing fleeing enemies, the loss of a rear gun is not a problem. The secondary armament of the ship is fairly respectable, and is focused towards firing fore/aft of the ship to complement the pursuit/running battle the ship is expected to fight in. Lastly, she carries two twin underwater torpedo tube to take on larger foes like the smaller Montreal Class.
Armor
The most unique aspect of the Calgary class is her armor. Canadian experience with gunnery have shown that most battleship are well over armored against most shells, but have many weak points in which they could be penetrated. The Calgary class takes on a different approach by having a near uniform 4-5 inch armor across the waterline of the ship. The armor makes her almost impervious to guns up to 9-10inch at all but the closest range, this makes her perfect for engaging cruisers and under gunned German battleships. On the other hand, the armor scheme is inadequate is against new, better armo-piercing shells, which may prove problematic in the future. The armor scheme also have the unfortunate side effect of making her surpassing her design weight slightly, but it did not have serious impact on the otherwise well-designed ship.
Speed/RangeThrough a combination of longer hull and larger powerplant, Calgary is able to reach an impressive 22 knots, faster than most cruisers in service, and easily out runs all battleship in service. The size of the ship also allows Calgary class to cruise over long ranges, her sea keeping is also much improved compared to earlier Canadian design. Overall, Canadian sailor held these ships in high regards.
Anyways, I was able to prep the Calgary Class currently in construction, so hopefully I can devote the weekend to once again get through the Main AAR for a few more years and hopefully deliver some battle reports.
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Post by akosjaccik on Jul 20, 2019 16:48:00 GMT -6
(Now, I'm not certain how proper it is to post pics to someone else's board, but I took the liberty to go on a courtesy visit! I also dared to just for a bit replace Adm. Kingswill in his chair.)
It's very fortunate that the St. Georg departed before the commissioning of Calgary / Vancouver, because gosh, she'd feel inadequate! That class is a beast, the largest (legacy) battleship I am having under construction has a standard displacement of 11,5k tons. It will be very interesting to see how and if the concept will pay off - and even before that, her prowess in different situations.
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Post by mycophobia on Jul 20, 2019 17:54:09 GMT -6
(Now, I'm not certain how proper it is to post pics to someone else's board, but I took the liberty to go on a courtesy visit! I also dared to just for a bit replace Adm. Kingswill in his chair.)
Feel free to conduct future good will visits , after all, AH and Canada can never be enemies in the world of RTW . St. Georg is a cool ship and I love the mast in particular, I just have a weakness for tall mast and super structures xD, you can expect some Canadian Pagodas down the line. Its also good to see that you've gotten all the starter classes modeled in 3D on the site, looking forward to see the AH navy set sail!
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Post by mycophobia on Jul 20, 2019 20:00:07 GMT -6
1902 - Baptism By Fire
When it became clear that war against Germany was all but inevitable, the parliament approached Admiral Kingsmill with an bill authorizing additional naval funding. While some Canadian officers urged the Admiral to convince the parliament that increase in the Naval budget will most likely add oil to the fire to the tense situation. The old admiral wearily pointed out that following the Newfoundland Crisis, the navy cannot afford to be seen as being unwilling to uphold the alliance that Canadians sacrificed so much pride for. Unexpectedly, Germany immediately took note of the Canadian Naval Bill of 1902, calling out British hypocrisy in demanding Germany to cut budget while their allies are doing precisely the opposite. Germany abandoned any remaining effort of negotiation and formally rejected the British Ultimatum. War broke out in April. Canadian Mobilization
While parliament was still debating the navy bill in early March, 1902, Admiral Kingsmill already complied with the British request to transfer Canadian squadrons to various British base in Europe. The Canadian allocation of forces are as follows: The entire Canadian Battle Squadron of 4 Canada Class battleship are to be deployed to Europe. The Cruiser Montreal and Red Deer would patrol Canadian coast against German raiders, supported by a few destroyers left behind. The travel across the Atlantic was dreadful for the Canadian ships designed with coastal operations in mind. The ships arrived in UK bases just a week before the declaration of war came in April 15th. Canadian Navy leaving their base to sail for EuropeFollowing the Declaration of war, the Canadian fleet were mostly assisting British cruisers in patrolling and enforcing the blockade of Germany. The Royal Navy is fairly content with applying pressure through the blockade rather than engaging the German directly, and the Canadian navy are in no position to fight the German in a fleet battle without British assistance. Action of April 22nd, Canada's Baptism by Fire
Canada's first combat action would come at a stormy night of of April 22nd, when the cruiser Grande Prairie and Lethbridge were carrying out their second patrol in the north sea together with the British Cruiser Cleopatra. The flotilla is escorted by 4 Canadian and 1 British Destroyers. At 2:04, the lookout on Grande Prairie spotted an unknown ship ahead, which was identified as a Niobe Class protected cruiser. The Canadian cruiser opened fire, but quickly lost the German ship in the darkness, after a confused hunt in the dark, the Canadian ships lost contact with their British Ally, contact was re-established at a few points, but the two group failed to coordinate their actions. The Niobe Class was finally again found around 4PM, as the storm subsided. The Canadian ships briefly exchanged fire with her, and the Grande Prairie was able to score the first Canadian hit on a live target at war. Grande Prairie firing at the German Cruiser around 3:00, flash of German gun visible in the distance.
The chase was abruptly cut short when at 3:43 am, a pair of large shapes were seen by the crews at the distance. With the morning sun begin to illuminate the dark clouds, the Canadian crews realized they are mere 2-3000 yards away from pair of German Weissenburg Class battleships. The Canadian Cruisers took immediate evasive action while the Torpedo boats tries to move in for an attack run. However, the terrible weather made it extremely difficult for the overweight and low-free board Canadian torpedo boats to move with any speed. While the German gun's accuracy are thrown off as well, they are much less impacted by the weather. Thus they were able to avoid the torpedo attack with little problem. Close 11inch Gun near miss on the Grande Prairie as seen from the Lethbridge. The two Canadian Cruisers were able to avoid emerge unscathed from the close encounter against German battleships thanks to the poor weather and covers from the torpedo boats.
The torpedo boat Fort McNeil sinking after being hit by a single 6in shell, seen from her sister ship Oliver. Being the first Canadian ship lost in action. The torpedo attack was called off minutes later after it became clear that the Cowichan Class cannot catch the German ships in these waves.
The battle would've ended around 5:00 when the Canadian force successfully disengaged from the German battleships. However, the patrolling battleship Canada came to investigate smoke and sound of gunfire. By 5:04, Canada spotted the two German battleship, who retreated in back towards Emden and fought a running gun battle against Canada. Canada dueling the two German battleships, as seen from the Lethbridge. The Canadian cruisers tried to signal the Canada to retreat, but the flag signal cannot be seen over the distance.
Canada firing back, despite a running engagement that went from 5:04 am to noon, she would not score a single hit with her main battery, but was able to land several 6in hits. She took a single 11in shell(debris from the hit visible from her stern) and 9 6in shells in the battle, suffering very negligible damage.
As the German ship are more concerned with keeping their distance rather than truly running away, Canada was able to keep up with her query despite its much slower speed, the gun exchange was extremely unproductive as the 10/11in gun being used are completely inadequate at long distance against the armors of ships from both sides. Canada pursued the German ships to the coast of Emden before finally retreating to avoid coastal batteries. Lessons of War
The action of April 22nd clearly demonstrated to the Canadians that their ships are ill suited for operations in the North Sea. In particular, Canadian torpedo boat are wholly inadequate from operating in stormy weathers, and the Victoriaville class are stuck in Canada with the outbreak of war making transporting those short-ranged ships across the Atlantic in face of German raiders unfeasible. Lack of British support made the matter even more jarring since the Canadian battleships lacked the ability to escape if the Germans do decide to press for battle. Furthermore, the Atlantic travel, cramped accommodation and poor British logistical support have all taken a toll on the Canadian crew, which in part contributed to their poor hit rate and combat performances at night.
And this is the first formal battle report, I hope you enjoyed it all and I was glad to finally see the ships in action xD. I probably will not go into this level of detail for most minor battles, but as this engagement was a first for the navy, it deserves a bit more detail . Feel free to let me know if you have any suggestions for these battle reports as well.
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Post by mycophobia on Jul 20, 2019 22:09:35 GMT -6
1902 A Year of War
With the war in full swing, Canadian navy the best they could to assist the British war effort. During the time, Canada itself suffered as German Raiders preyed upon shipping. In May, 1902, a disaster was narrowly avoided when the Cruiser Montreal used itself as a decoy to diver German raider away from a large Convoy off the coast of New Brunswick. Perhaps more infuriatingly, while the Canadian fleet don't see many action, the Royal Navy have no problem leaving the "dirty works" to the Canadians. Bombardment of EmdenIn July, the Canadian Fleet sortied with a squadron of old British Royal Sovereign class battleship towards Emden on a coastal bombardment mission, suspicion of minefield and German battleships in the area have made British unwilling to conduct the operations themselves. The potent battle fleet conducted a sweep of the Emden/Helgoland area, sinking several merchant and patrolling vessel before shelling the German coastal artillery positions near Emden, utterly destroying it. The fleet contemplated bombarding Emden harbor, but turned north west on report of German battleships. 6 battleships bombarding German lighthouse and 6in coastal batteries off Emden.The allied fleet turned to pursue the two German battleships that came to reinforce Emden, but due to the slow speed of the Canadian Battleships, the German are able to escape with ease. The fleet, was able to sink several more merchant ships in the area before returning. While a clear victory for the allies, the slow speed of Canadian battleships are becoming a clear problem when they cannot bring the enemy to battle in favorable situations. Engagement at HelgolandIn October patrolling Canadian squadron (3 of the 4 Canada Class, Quebec is in the yard due to engine problems) engaged a squadron of three German Weissenburg Class battleship. The battle was a simple encounter where the battleships from both side lobbed shell after shell at each other for well over two hours with little effect. It is becoming clear that old 10/11 inch guns firing poor quality AP shells simply are not an effective method to destroy enemy battleships. After two more Canadian Cowichan destroyers are lost in another attack on the German battleships, the Canadian fleet opted to break contact. New Brunswick taking a 6in hit from German battleships. Both sides were able to score dozens of 5-6inh hits on their opponent, but these shells only inflicted superficial damage. Even 10/11 inch guns are unable to penetrate the belt armor of any of the battleships present. Canadian Developments in the War
It is becoming clear to the Canadians that their fleet are ill equipped to fight a war against a European nation in European water, but now that they have committed, every effort was made to better adopt the fleet to its new task. Admiral Kingsmill requested that a new destroyer be produced to reinforce the Canadian fleet in Europe. Despite their reliance on torpedo doctrines, the war have demonstrated that the existing Canadian torpedo boats are wholly inadequate for the task. To ensure quality of the new ship, the Canadian Admiralty requested that the 8 new Fort McNeil Class Destroyers(Essentially a Victoriaville class with improved range and seakeeping) be constructed at British yards. It is hoped that experienced British yards can construct these ship faster, and that it allows for a chance for the Canadians to exchange ship building experience with the renowned British yards. To complement the new destroyer designs, the new torpedo training regime for destroyer crews issued at the start of the war are also beginning to take its effect. Further, the slowness of Canadian battleship have allowed valuable opportunities to be squandered in battle. Therefore, the design for a new class of Battleship is also on the table, but on hold due to budget constraint. Lastly, additional budget is allocated to speed the construction of the two Calgary class armored cruiser, they navy hope that these fast ship can provide the fast unit that the Canadian navy desperately needs. State of the War
Despite the blockade and the loss of the battleship Hessen in August to the Royal navy, the German navy still retained the majority of its fighting strength. German dignitaries have reached out for negotiations to establish a white peace, but was rejected several times by the British government, who believe that they have the upper hand. Over the months, Canadian morale dwindled and ships became inadequately supplied, furthermore, the cautious posture of the German Navy meant that the Canadians have little chance to fight the enemy that they came across the ocean to fight. Furthermore, the poor sea-keeping of Canadian ships and cramped interiors further worsened the state of the Canadian crews. There was to be no quick end to this war, and the Canadian navy are suffering more than the blockaded German.
its rather surprising that I didn't get offered much battle at all through the year, likely due to my limited force presence. In any case, that is all the better since I really needs to get some better vessel across the Atlantic.
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Post by mycophobia on Jul 20, 2019 22:14:43 GMT -6
Fort McNeil Class Torpedo Boat Destroyer
The Fort McNeil class, named in honor of the Lake Cowichan Class torpedo boat Fort McNeil (first Canadian ship to be lost in the war) was essentially a repeat of the Victoriaville class but build in British yards with a superior British built machinery. This allowed the ship to reach the same speed as the Victoriaville, while having far better engine range and reliability. The only other changes to the ship is the removal of the two 47mm Hotchkiss gun and a slightly remodeled bow for better sea keeping. For more information on the ship please refer to the Victoriaville Class
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Post by mycophobia on Jul 21, 2019 0:55:48 GMT -6
1903 - The War Goes On
The new year did not bring in any significant changes to the war, German raider continue to attack shipping across the world, and no decisive fleet action had taken place. The British navy, not willing to risk its own dominance in a decisive battle against the German, prefer to maintain the status quo. It is almost incredible that between January to May, only a German Destroyer and raiding Protected Cruiser was lost in action. The Victoriavile class destroyer, unable to make the crossing through the Atlantic, are at least able to keep the coastal traffic safe. The two Calgary Class armored cruiser, Calgary and Vancouver are completed in February and March, respectively. Calgary, sailed for Europe in May after fitting out, and rendezvoused with 6 of the 8 Fort McNeil class torpedo boat destroyers. Finally, the Canadian squadrons in Europe received its first batch of reinforcements, 13 months after the war had begin. Admiral Kingsmill, well aware of the unrest within the Europe squadron, promised his men action. The Canadian Navy will show the British that they are more than glorified picket boats, that they will contribute to the war on their own terms. Despite several coastal raids into German shores however, it would be October when the Canadians finally got the chance they are looking for. The Second Raid into Emden (October 14th, 1903)
Seeing the British frustration over a costly and long war due to stubborn German resistance, Admiral Kingsmill proposed an operation to further pressure the German. The port of Emden had been attacked a year prior, further British harassments and minesweeping operations made sure that the sea zone around Emden is relatively poorly protected. Thus, Kingsmill proposed to the British Admiralty for a joint operation to bombard Emden, not just the coastal batteries and facilities, but the port itself. The Royal navy may be reluctant to engage in such a risky operation themselves, but they are more than happy to let the Canadians do it. As a result, on a combined Fleet of Canadian and British warships(Britain again contributed the three old royal sovereign class) left Portsmouth at the night of October 13th to steam for Emden. The entire Canadian navy force in Europe, minus the pre-dreadnought Quebec, again in yard for repair, is present for the battle.
At roughly 7:00, Calgary which was scouting ahead of the main fleet encountered smoke on the horizon, before the inexperienced Canadian sailors were able to identify the ships, 11in shells starts to land all around her. Calgary's armor are designed to be able to resist 9-10in shell on the earlier German Battleships, but the new Weissenburg Class are equipped with 11in guns. Not willing to take any chances, the Calgary quickly turned around and begin luring the German towards the main Canadian fleet. Calgary turning away from the German ships as 11in shell splashes dangerously close. Calgary's fast speed allowed her to escape almost unharmed.
The German fleet, cautious as ever, immediately turned back after realizing that the Calgary isn't alone. The Canadian fleet immediately began pursuit, but the sluggish Canada Class again prove to be their undoing, as the German ships slowly begin gaining distance. The Canada class firing upon the retreating German fleet, but as always, their accuracy are poor and few hits are landed.
Not willing to lose a chance to sink a German battleship, Calgary steamed full speed ahead to maintain contact with the German fleet as the slower Canadian ship fell behind. The lone armored cruiser cautiously stayed at long range against German ships, the German fleet continued their retreat, but are slowly being driven towards the shore by the Calgary while the rest of the Canadian fleet positioned themselves north of the battle. Calgary exchanging gunfire against the German fleet, her rear turret jammed due to mechanical breakdowns. One of the German ship can be seen burning from multiple 6in hits to its superstructure during the earlier chase.
As the remaining German fleet retreated towards Emden, they realized with horror that the remaining Canadian ship had cut them off from the north and blockaded the fleet within Emden. The Calgary, its job completed, retreated safely. Rather than making a stand supported by mines and coastal battery, the German commander instead decided that they cannot risk becoming hostage within the poorly defended Emden. Instead, around 1PM, the German fleet made a break for the north in an attempt to break through the allied fleet and make for Wilhelmshaven. The heavy armor of the German ships and rather inept guns of the Canadian navy meant that the seemingly suicidal charge actually mostly made through the Canadian line. (The two escorting German destroyer instead sought refuge in Emden) However, the last battleship Braunschweig was subjected to intensive bombardment by the allied fleet, and she begin to slow as her superstructure became a blazing inferno. Braunschweig under heavy shelling as Canadian destroyers/cruisers making a torpedo run against it. The Canadian destroyer Sydney is seen sinking after hitting a mine when attempting her torpedo run. This prompted the Allied force to give up attempts to further bombard Emden harbor, instead opting to chase after remaining German surface ships. Braunschweig Sinking after being hit by 2 torpedo, one launched from the Destroyer Fort McNeil (Avenging her predecessor, who was sunk in a attack against the German battleship over a year ago in the action of April 22nd, 1902.) and one launched from a British Destroyer. The allied fleet attempted further pursuit of the German fleet, but it is soon clear that their speed will not be enough. As a result, the fleet begin to sail home around 5PM, finally given up the chase. Aftermath
While many Canadian ships suffered light damage in the battle, the second raid into Emden would be the first battle in which the Canadian Navy delivered a sound victory for their alliance. While the German fleet remains powerful, still having 10 battleship to the Alliances' 18, the blow suffered at Emden no doubt swayed public opinion in Germany. Whether this Victory will lead to compromise or vengeance from the German remains to be seen.
Anyways, this probably will be all for the weekend. Overall I'm glad that almost 2 year into the war and I didn't die horribly or even lost a cruiser sized ship. Quebec's mysterious tendency to not show up in any battle raises some interesting questions however (It missed all three engagements in which the rest of the Canadian battleships are all present, and never appeared by itself in any engagements as well) It was enjoyable to write up all these but I'd love to hear what you think about what I can improve. (It does start to feel a bit messy).
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Post by akosjaccik on Jul 21, 2019 13:44:45 GMT -6
Feel free to conduct future good will visits , after all, AH and Canada can never be enemies in the world of RTW . St. Georg is a cool ship and I love the mast in particular, I just have a weakness for tall mast and super structures xD, you can expect some Canadian Pagodas down the line. Its also good to see that you've gotten all the starter classes modeled in 3D on the site, looking forward to see the AH navy set sail! Right, that thing took me a good hm, ~15 hours I think? I have yet to clean up and update the homepage a bit and actually build the models, but also want to catch up with the AARs, so it's still a bit away. I plan to finish your reports this evening, for now I am at the conclusion of April 22nd. Pity about the destroyer, but it was absolutely the right call in that situation given the relative locations and the visibility I think, and they did their best. With a bit of luck it could have been a surprisingly excellent opening; but slapping around two battleships was nothing to be sneezed at either, torpedoes or not!
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Post by mycophobia on Jul 21, 2019 13:58:34 GMT -6
Feel free to conduct future good will visits , after all, AH and Canada can never be enemies in the world of RTW . St. Georg is a cool ship and I love the mast in particular, I just have a weakness for tall mast and super structures xD, you can expect some Canadian Pagodas down the line. Its also good to see that you've gotten all the starter classes modeled in 3D on the site, looking forward to see the AH navy set sail! Right, that thing took me a good hm, ~15 hours I think? I have yet to clean up and update the homepage a bit and actually build the models, but also want to catch up with the AARs, so it's still a bit away. I plan to finish your reports this evening, for now I am at the conclusion of April 22nd. Pity about the destroyer, but it was absolutely the right call in that situation given the relative locations and the visibility I think, and they did their best. With a bit of luck it could have been a surprisingly excellent opening; but slapping around two battleships was nothing to be sneezed at either, torpedoes or not! No rush at all with your AAR, I was able to vomit out the chapters above mostly due to a rescheduled plan leaving me with a Saturday with absolutely nothing to do With so much to do its easy to get overwhelmed once in awhile so definitely take things at your pace. "Filming" the action scene in FtD took a bit longer than I had hoped too, mostly due to the various filming accidents. In my first attempt to film the battleship engagement of April 22nd, the ships acting as the German battleships was able to bullseye Canada's magazine, blowing the ship in half in the second volley before I got a good screenshot in xD, as a result a couple retake was needed to get them to match FtD situations. Also it surprised me how much bad weather totally mess with overweight+low freeboard+400 ton destroyers lol, they can barely make more than 15-16 knots in the stormy water, I guess you are probably right with your Lake Cowichan class impression earlier In any case glad you are enjoying the AAR and thanks for all the comment and supports
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