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Post by cabalamat on Aug 18, 2019 19:24:56 GMT -6
I, Cabalamat, will be in charge of the Italian navy from 1900 to thre end of 1906 when I will hand over to my successor.
Looking at the start situation:
I have lots of money but am behind on battleships compared to France. So I need to build some. Also I will set up an intelligence network to see what my rivals are up to. Research is important and I'm going to increase that to 12% of my total funds and play on Italy's strengths by prioritising ship design:
I've also prioritised fire control, since it's important to hit the target, and deprioritised some things because if you prioritise everything you prioritise nothing.
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Post by cabalamat on Aug 18, 2019 19:52:35 GMT -6
The Napoli-class fast battleships
By lightening the armour I can give them a speed advantage. I can also increase the gun size to 12".
Here's them building. And when the other ships building are finished, I can build some more.
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Post by cabalamat on Aug 18, 2019 20:01:14 GMT -6
Destroyers
I thought I'd repeat some destroyers from a design my predecessor left behind. I'm too lazy to give them names however.
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Post by cabalamat on Aug 18, 2019 20:10:08 GMT -6
Taranto class battleships
My second battleship design is based on the Napoli, but takes advantage of the better quality guns I now have for the lower calibers. Hopefully soon I'll be able to build Dreadnoughts.
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Post by cabalamat on Aug 18, 2019 20:29:56 GMT -6
Relations with Russia are getting a bit strained, so I may have to fight a war. They don't have a great Mediterranean presence however so it shouldn't be too hard to weather the storm.
The new Naval Secretary has a thing about cruisers, so I suppose I will have to build some to keep him happy. I'll order some from US and German yards, it may help to get hold of their technologies. Unfortunately we don't have good enough relations with the British to buy ships from them.
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Post by cabalamat on Aug 18, 2019 20:39:11 GMT -6
The Vienna Naval Treaty - January 1904
The government has agreed to a treaty limiting ships to 15,000 tons displacement and 10" guns. The displacement I can live with, the guns are more of an issue. It's annoy that I had to scrap a ship that was 100 tons over the limit, but the Freench, British and Germans had to scrap a lot more.
This treaty is supposed to last for 17 years, but I'm sure there will be a war before then.
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Post by cabalamat on Aug 18, 2019 20:41:17 GMT -6
April 1904
I was right about the treaty not lasting long, the Russians have declared war on Italy. At least we have the Americans as allies.
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Post by cabalamat on Aug 18, 2019 20:49:01 GMT -6
August 1904 - The Russians have sued for peace. They didn't even really try fighting the war.
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Post by cabalamat on Aug 18, 2019 21:06:18 GMT -6
1905 - The Battlecruiser
My team of naval architects have designed a new sort of battleship, with powerful 14" guns, thick armour, and faster than any opponent. It can Outfight or outrun anything on the seas! We call it a incrociatore da battaglia or battlecruiser.
I'd like to hear what my French opposite number says when he finds out about this. "Merde", probably.
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Post by cabalamat on Aug 18, 2019 21:12:56 GMT -6
February 1906
Since we have large numbers of destroyers and light cruisers, I have instituted a special training program in torpedo tactics.
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Post by cabalamat on Aug 18, 2019 21:19:44 GMT -6
April 1906 - Freccia Destroyer
The Freccia is the first of a class of new fast destroyers with three (yes, three, count them) torpedo tubes:
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Post by cabalamat on Aug 18, 2019 21:25:25 GMT -6
June 1906 - better torpedo protection
Just too late for the new battlecruisers to benefit from, our scientists have developed ways to protect our ships from torpedoes.
Does this negate the extra torpedo training I have ordered? Probably not, since the torpedo protection will only apply to new ships not existing ones.
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Post by cabalamat on Aug 18, 2019 21:42:49 GMT -6
December 1906, rectrospective
So my term of office ends this month. it's been an exciting time. Over the 7 years I've been in office I've:
- build 4 new battleships, increasing our total from 7 to 11 - fought a victorious war against Russia - laid down 4 battlecruisers of 21,000 tons - gained technology from buying ships from Britain, Germany, and the USA.
The naval almanac:
I note that Britain is also building battlecruisers, but they are smaller than the Italian ships:
If I were to give my successor a word of advice, it would be to keep increasing the size of the dockyards, as ships will only get bigger. Also, put the new torpedo protection on all big ships.
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Post by cabalamat on Aug 18, 2019 21:56:49 GMT -6
December 1906 - Speculativo, a speculative battlecruiser
The Lepanto class were good when first designed, but now we have designed something better: a ship with a 3rd central turret, giving a broadside of 6 guns. If we keep the fast speed and increase armour to 12 inches, this would displace almost 29,000 tons. It would be expensive -- but worth it.
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Post by captainloggy on Aug 19, 2019 9:36:37 GMT -6
January 1907
A new year, a new admiralissimo. Freshly arrived in the shiny new office, I first take stock of our current situation. The Regia Marina has: -8 first-rate battleships -3 second-rate battleships -10 armoured cruisers -27 protected cruisers -45 destroyers, torpedo boats and similar craft -3 coastal submersible torpedo boats (STB) We also have four Lepanto-class battlecruisers under construction, tbc in around 18 months. Internationally, our treaty with the US holds strong, while tensions are moderatly high with France, Austria-Hungary and Russia. We outmatch Austria in every category but armoured cruisers, which would be restricted to adriatic operations anyway. Our light forces are superior to both the French and Russian ones, while we lag behind in heavy units. Our budget and funds are healthy. My construction focus in the first year will mainly be on modernizing our strong cruiser fleet, with new capital ships to be lain down earliest when the Lepantos clear the slipways.
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