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Post by janxol on Apr 1, 2021 6:47:36 GMT -6
The witch and the pyre
10:00, January 15th, 1908, St. Petersburg, General-admiral's office Mikhail tilted his head, squinting as he looked at the drawing laying on his desk, sent from intelligence with a big "important" stamped on the envelope, and rightfully so. The drawing came all the way from Scapa Flow, past the blockade and British counter-intelligence and it managed to do so in record time.
"Well...", he said slowly. "For a ship named Invincible she appears to be rather... Vincible... Dmitri, I don't suppose you and Fisher came up with some sort of metric for converting knots to inches when formulating your "speed is armor" theory?" "She was commissioned a week ago. It's astonishing how quickly the British can build ships if they risk losing a war.", said Dmitri. "Mhm... Artem?", asked Mikhail, sliding the drawing towards the lieutenant-colonel, who was sitting on the opposite side of his desk, alongside Dmitri. "It's the first vessel of the type in the world, she's difficult to judge with no comparison. Definitely faster than any battleship afloat or planned and faster than majority of cruisers in the world. Her armament is actually quite interesting, because the British used a 13-inch gun, a model that has become quite dated and comparable in performance to the guns mounted on the Tri Svyatiteliya", he answered. Mikhail grimaced at the mention of the humble home. "Even still... They may be renaissance bombards with penetrative power rivaling that of a thrown brick, but a 13-inch shell would have rather devastating effect on a cruiser. And cruisers tend to not have enough armor for the penetrative power to matter.", he mused. "You know as well as I do that if our ships start running into this thing in the North Sea it will not end well. She was designed to hunt cruisers and cruisers are our main advantage in this war.", said Dmitri. "We need to be ready for this encounter..." "Anything else?" "Well, the British have also started construction of a new class of dreadnoughts. We know nothing about them except the name: Vengeance-class.", said Artem. Mikhail raised an eyebrow. "Well, let us hope the name is as ironic as that of Invincible or Victorious..." The fourth cruiser of the Fleet Replenishment program went through quite a lot of changes since the cancellation of its original incarnation as a Posadnik-class. From a large protected cruiser with 203mm guns it transformed into an armored cruiser and since then it was steadily putting on weight to the point of approaching the displacement of Bayans and Latnik. The commissioning of the Invincible and the perspective of the British planning further battlecruisers complicated things further. Additionally, they weren't the only navy with similar ideas. Russian intelligence also managed to get their hands on drawing of American battlecruiser Lexington, to be commissioned within the next three months. The resemblance between the ships made it clear that either there had to be some cooperation, or the Americans decided to shamelessly copy the British design, making some alterations of their own. As much as Mikhail still was skeptical of the concept, he acknowledged the need to have a hull in the water that can deal with such threats and after almost a month of being "harassed" by Dmitri, he approved design work on a battlecruiser that would take the place of cruiser number-4 of the replenishment program. Still, it would take a lot of time until the new ships would be completed and for now the Invincible remained a threat. That, however, didn't stop Russians from conducting the usual operations, with Witches of North Sea, Rynda and Pamyat Merkuriya, conducting a series of coastal raids in January and February. There were also some bad news, however, as two submarines were lost and an armed merchant cruiser Lena was interned in Reykyavik. In the Far East the British seemed to step up their operations, with Russian cruiser Svetlana battling British cruiser Pelorus - an engagement that almost resulted in the sinking of both vessels, but ultimately both of them survived with heavy damage as both crews opted to save their own ships rather than finish off the enemy. A new model of torpedoes was also introduced, with a significantly larger warhead than previous models. Apart from that, the armor development took a step forward with improved annealing and improved hoists were introduced as well. March of 1908 saw some change in Russian tactics, particularly in usage of the submarines. So far, the submarines were operating under cruiser rules, but saw limited success, overshadowed by the results of surface raiders, particularly the armed merchant cruisers. Due to that, and also their limited range making it rather difficult to operate independently, their strategic focus was shifted to fleet support. As submarines were a new invention, and weren't used in such capacity before, a lot was left to figure out, but despite the risk it was deemed that it is the best way to employ submarines in the current scenario. On the third of March the Russian navy would also suffer a loss as cruiser Flora of the Avrora-class encountered British armored cruiser in the North-East Asia. Unlucky hit to the machinery robbed the Russian vessel of its speed advantage, making it unable to escape from a superior foe. The ship was sunk and majority of her crew were taken by the British as PoWs.
Flora - an Avrora-class cruiser
April was a relatively quiet month, interesting for the fact that a peace talks tooks place between Russia and Great Britain. It quickly became apparent, however, that they would lead nowhere, as Russians were eager to grasp the opportunity presented by the British weakness and British refused to acknowledge that their situation is not as good as they made it sound. It was also in April that battlecruiser Kinburn would be laid down. While a cruiser in name and function, Mikhail couldn't help but notice the striking resemblance between her and the dreadnought Sisoi Veliki, not only in size, but also layout. Deceitful resemblance, which could prove as dangerous to the enemy as it could for the Russians. Battlecruiser Kinburn (top) - as planned. Note the resemblance to the Sisoi Veliki (bottom) and the inverted en-echelon layout
14:30, May 27th, 1908, English Channel - approximately 40 nautical miles east of Plymouth, Protected cruiser Pamyat Merkuriya Captain Mizenov took his eyes away from a burning merchant ship and moved from the port bridge wing to the starboard one, to take a look at the British warships which were slowly approaching. Well, technically they were approaching rather rapidly, but due to Russian ships moving at ahead flank the British were closing slowly, and only by merit of inevitably converging courses. Mizenov had two cruisers before him, one of which was a small 3000-ton scout cruiser, accompanied by a few destroyers. "No other warships on the horizon, captain.", said the first officer. "We'll have to go through them to get out of this little bay. Either that or maneuver cleverly against the shore. And quite frankly, I like the odds we have against them. Signal the Rynda, we're engaging.", said Mizenov. The two Witches turned towards the British and the accompanying destroyers followed suit. Mizenov wanted to take the wind advantage and force the British to turn away and that initial maneuver was successful. As the cruisers started exchanging fire, all that was left was to wait. Mizenov was confident, as one of the British vessels was a scout cruiser and even the larger one was slightly inferior to Rynda and Pamyat. At the same time, he anticipated the possibility of enemy armored cruisers arriving, so he was maneuvering his ships so that they could make a quick channel dash towards the North Sea when needed. He was also not afraid to steam at flank speed, as experience has shown that reliability-oriented machinery layout of the Rynda-class allow them to maintain high speed far longer than other cruisers - one of the features that made them so difficult to catch for the British and, by extension, one of the reasons for their earned nickname. Mizenov glanced towards the sun, but it being March and only 16:00, it was still far enough from nightfall that this battle could be decided by this time. He could also see that the British scout cruiser is having some trouble with her trim, as flooding started to be a problem for them. Mizenov could most definitely sink the small vessel, the question remained about her larger comrade. The Russian cruisers themselves were in rather good shape and... And then explosion happened, as one of the shells struck Pamyat Merkuriya in the aft section of her superstructure. Mizenov turned to see a vertical plume of fire shooting off his ship. And then there was only chaos and heat. The floor run away from him as gravity seemed to relinquish its grip and all sound vanished as his eardrums gave out. He could barely register as he rolled in the air, thrown away by the explosion that tore the Pamyat in half. And then there was only dark and cold. Surrounded by water he instinctively clawed at it, trying to get towards the light, towards the surface. His lungs burned and the light didn't get any closer. Pamyat was sinking rapidly and water rushed to fill the void above the falling ship, pulling Mizenov down in this cursed column. And then it stopped, as something pushed him off, like a divine gust of wind, letting him grasp at water and propel himself upwards. Racing against his lack of breath, against his consciousness and exhaustion, he moved upwards...
Loss of Pamyat Merkuriya was a blow to the Russian navy. Despite the Rynda managing to sink the British scout cruiser in vengeance and despite the fact that their mission was ultimately a success, the Russian navy has lost one of its two most modern protected cruisers and one that was famous on both sides of the conflict. Of her 505 crew members, only 3 survived - the captain and two gunners of the forward turret. The British press picked up on the sinking, pouring in the propaganda and picturing the cruiser as a witch burned on stake or a witch drowned in trial. The coverage of Russian press was a bit different, mourning the crew and praising their accomplishments, and sometimes claiming that Rynda, the surviving Witch of the North Sea, would return with a vengeance. At Mikhail's desk the event looked a lot less poetic. It was a loss of a good cruiser and 502 good men.
Well I am losing ships as well. A possible issue could be that I have less ships total.
palpatine Glad you enjoy it. The ship pictures are eserchie's set and sometimes I also do some photoshop edits to them. I think the set should be pinned in the mod thread.
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Post by akosjaccik on Apr 3, 2021 8:57:57 GMT -6
Reading the AAR it came to my mind that I've legitimately read easily worse literature printed on paper - and worse, paper I gave money for. While I'm glad that the commerce warfare seems to take a toll on the british, I am worried whose homefront will yield quicker. Also, huh! Cross-deck firing! I don't see that very often.
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Post by janxol on Apr 4, 2021 5:54:48 GMT -6
A dreadful engagement
June of 1908 was a rather uneventful month, if one could ignore a "small" Russian force consisting of Latnik, Bayan and Oleg breaking out into the North Sea under command of vice-admiral Vedernikov. Past Skagerrak they were "intercepted", by a British force consisting of two protected cruisers and four armored cruisers. With both protected cruisers sunk and the remaining enemy ships retreating at realization they can't match the Russian ships, the force continued onwards to wreak havoc among the ships moving between Britain and Norway. Additionally Russian submarine Okun managed to torpedo and sink a British destroyer - while successful torpedo attacks on warships happened before, this was technically the first sinking of an undamaged warship by a submarine. Just a few days later submarine Kasatka repeated this success, also sinking a destroyer. While the prize wasn't large, every British ship sent to the bottom counted. Tula arsenal has also presented a new model of 305mm gun that was by complete chance an exact copy of the American gun of the same caliber and having a decidedly better performance than previous Russian 305mm guns used on literally every Russian battleship, except for the ones which had the bad luck of having been built in France. In the Far East admiral Yablokov made a decision to send Tri Svyatitelya and armored cruiser Pamyat Azova in company of four destroyers to Formosa, concerned about increasing British operations around the island. While it was a token force and the Tri Svyatitelya was only one "battleship", she was more than capable of standing up to the horde of British cruisers infesting these waters. In July the Engineering Committe got their hands on a promising design for a fully oil-fired boiler. While oil-spraying has been used before, this one was a fully oil-fueled setup, which would be independent from the stamina of stokers, free of needing to clean the grates and allow the ship to carry only fuel oil, which was more efficient than coal. Such a machinery would also produce less smoke, even if it would be pricier than a coal-fired setup. And of course oil itself was a requirement, but with Russia's geological position, access to oil was very far from being a problem. The Russian have also started employing anti-submarine nets after realizing that British submarines are indeed operating in the Baltic and doing so quite boldly. With the introduction of oil firing, the navy board took a good long look at the opportunities it offered, such as the increased range. As destroyers often suffered the problem of being unable to accompany larger warships due to range constraints, a class of oil fired was planned, and following the cancellation of the second batch of Boevoi-class destroyers, a new design would be developed, with 10 ships being laid down in September.
Gnevni (1908) Ships in class: 10 Gnevni-class would be the first Russian ships built with fully oil-fired engines. Larger than the preceeding classes, they displaced 800 tons. Steam turbine propulsion capable of producing almost 12 000 horsepower powered 2 shafts for a design speed of 30 knots. Similarly to previous destroyers they would feature a short raised forecastle to improve sea keeping and thanks to the switch from coal to oil they were designed with a longer operating range in mind. The armament of the ships saw some alterations to the armament. They would also carry three main guns, but the caliber was increased from 76 to 105mm, as destroyers were increasingly used as screen for larger ships and their gun armament was becoming more relevant. One gun would be mounted forward on the forecastle and two were mounted close together in the aft section of the hull. The torpedo armament was also altered, and while the ships also possessed six torpedo tubes, their layout was altered, with all launchers moved off centerline to make space for the ship's distinct four funnels. One pair would be located just aft of the forecastle while the remaining four tubes were mounted in the rear half of the ship. Ten ships were laid down in September of 1908 as replacement for the cancelled second batch of Boevoi-class destroyers.
8:40, September 25th, 1908, English Channel - 40 nautical miles east of Plymouth, Armored cruiser Latnik Dmitri looked around, scouring the horizon. Off to port he could see the British coast and in front of him a faint column of smoke. Going out onto the bridge wing, he glanced back at the ships following the Latnik. Bayan, Oleg, Bogatyr - all four of the mightiest Russian cruisers together. One may ask, why were they in the English Channel and so close to a British port. One may even ask, why were they in the English Channel and so close to a British port while in company with three Russian battleships and three protected cruisers. The why and the how were both excellent questions - the why related to intelligence believing that lone battleships are being posted as convoy escorts and the how related to utter incompetence of British ships in the blockade - but all that mattered now was that things didn't go as planned. Ahead Dmitri could see the cruiser Rynda, hurrying back towards the main force and signaling the presence of six British battleships. Six were not a lone battleship on escort duty. Six were more than three, that the Russians had brought. Realizing that they were propably ratted out by British intelligence, Dmitri turned his head towards the battleships, expecting to see signals any moment. Imperatritsa Mariya was leading the division, flying the flag of general-admiral, followed by her sister, Imperator Aleksandr III. Behind the semi-dreadnoughts sailed the battleship Rostislav. Dmitri waited, but no signals appeared, which meant that the force was meant to continue on course. Vice-admiral glanced at one of the destroyers sailing alongside Latnik, struggling to keep up with the cruiser in the high waves. With this weather it was questionable if destroyers will be able to be utilized for a torpedo run. In fact, it was somewhat questionable if torpedoes will work at all. Grabbing the railing as Latnik came down from the wave, Dmitri once again turned his gaze towards Imperatritsa. He was worried. Not because of Mikhail's decision, but because he could see that - as every September for the past nine years - dark clouds filled Mikhail's mind. That was why, to keep his mind occupied, he decided to lead the mission himself rather than leave it to Yevtushenkov. And while Dmitri believed that his ability to command will not be compromised, he was worried to think what dark thoughts may have taken root inside his head. Battleship Imperatritsa Mariya Come and fight me, you tea-drinking weasels!, thought Mikhail, staring intently through binoculars at the smoke of the British ships. "General-admiral. Rynda is signalling the presence of six British battleships.", reported captain Trufanov. As Mikhail was perfectly aware of that, this had to be the captain's attempt at expressing his concern about the odds they were headed into. "Firstly, I want to see if it's really six battleships and not, say, three battleships and three armored cruisers. Secondly, two of ours are semi-dreadnoughts, which means there are certain scenarios in which I would be willing to take that fight. And thirdly...", he pointed upwards, towards the flags on the mast and funnel smoke. "... we will claim the wind advantage continuing on this course." The weather could be a problem, though. It seemed as if the wind was getting slightly weaker, but for now, all destroyers struggled against the waves. Even the protected cruisers had certain difficulties and - while faring much better than the smaller vessels - couldn't reach their top speed. As the British ships appeared, first shots were fired by the Latnik, as the cruiser force engaged a division of British armored cruisers. They were too far head for the Russian battleships to join in, but Mikhail could see the fight developing and was fairly confident in the capabilities of Dmitri's ships. He himself had to focus on the remaining vessels. "What do we have here?", he mused. "There's that armored cruiser division engaged by Latnik and then two more division of three large ships each. The one directly ahead of us looks like battleships to me. Three of them. Then there's that second division to the right of them..." "Armored cruisers?" "No, uhh... Much worse. All three of these are dreadnoughts.", responded Mikhail.
For a few minutes the Russian and British ships continued on course, but Mikhail could notice that the British ships are maneuvering so that they stay just beyond the firing range. All that was happening while the Russian cruisers were bullying the British cruisers with large volumes of fire. "He's scared...", said quietly Mikhail, looking at the British flagship. "He would've come for us otherwise... "
Armored cruiser Latnik Dmitri watched as first shots were fired by battleships on both sides. Mikhail was clearly probing the enemy, placing his ships so that they were steadily closing the distance to the British, but at the same time the course would take them east, towards a possible escape. And the Russians still had the wind advantage. The British battleline was also split in two, with the three pre-dreadnoughts following quite a long way behind the dreadnoughts, with majority of destroyers and light cruisers also sticking with the pre-dreadnoughts. In the current weather the need for screening was diminished, as even with wind calming down somewhat, the destroyers still suffered to much from the elements to be of much use. With the battleships closing the distance, and the pre-dreadnoughts starting to fire upon Latnik and the Bayans, Dmitri made the decision that he is needed up front, to attempt to control the course of the enemy line. With that, Latnik accelerated, fighting against the waves to catch up with and overtake the Russian battleships. Something went wrong, however, as likely through misunderstanding of signals, the Bayans didn't follow, remaining locked in combat with British armored cruisers. Dmitri wasn't particularly worried about the outcome of that fight, assuming the British battleships won't interfere too much. As Latnik was passing the Russian battleline, he noticed that volume of fire received from the British increased substantially, and Rostislav was taking the worst of it, with a hail of large caliber round hitting her superstructure, her silhouette becoming increasingly lower as a result. But still, she was continuing on course and still she was firing, even as means of fire control started to fail. Taking the point, Latnik directed her fire at the leading British dreadnought, her course set so that she would very gently intersect the British course. While he was concerned about drawing the fire of the dreadnoughts, the British seemingly ignored the Russian cruiser. At this point Rostislav's superstructure was quite literally torn to shreds and she was starting to list. The semi-dreadnoughts fared better, though Imperator Aleksandr carried a trail of smoke from her destroyed aft turret. Dmitri could see that the distance between British dreadnoughts and the rest of the fleet was quite substantial If it wasn't for the weather impacting performance of slower vessels, the time would be ideal for a torpedo attack. "Captain, have you ever served on a destroyer?", he asked. "No, sir...", said the captain, slightly confused. "You're about to get the chance. Ahead flank, forty degrees to port. Prepare torpedo tubes.", ordered Dmitri. And so, Latnik turned towards the dreadnoughts, accelerating against the waves, still ignored by the British. They didn't yet realize what was about to happen. Only after the distance was below 3000 yards did the British start to realize the danger and true boldness of the Russian cruiser. 4-inch secondaries opened fire, but the effects were laughable, forcing the British the start slewing the main guns towards her. 2000 yards. All Russian armored cruisers possessed a pair of torpedo tubes, one on each side. Latnik additionally possessed also a bow tube, a gimmick shared only with Gromoboi and protected cruisers, which was about to come in very useful. Lined up almost perfectly in the charge, Latnik fired the forward tube, before starting to turn away and launching the port tube. Despite maneuvering of the British ship and the desperate salvo of 12-inch guns directed at Latnik - missed - both torpedoes hit, striking the dreadnought amidships, one below the forward wing turrets and one just aft of the second pair.
Battleship Imperatritsa Mariya "That was stupid and it worked.", said Mikhail, watching the impacts on the British ship. "I love it. Report on Rostislav?" "Sir, Rostislav is heavily damaged above the waterline but the list doesn't appear to be severe. She has slowed down, however, cannot maintain 18 knots.", reported the captain. "Very well. Detach Rostislav, get Rynda to stay with her for protection. Then give me ahead flank and ready torpedo tubes...", he ordered. The two semi-dreadnoughts turned towards the British ships, for the first time having an opportunity to utilize their 20 knot top speed in combat. In that time Latnik pulled a 270-degree turn to launch the starboard tube, scoring a three-for-three on the British dreadnought. Mikhail could see the British were panicking, confused and terrified by these developments. They also lacked speed to escape or torpedoes of their own to use defensively. Even at these shor ranges, they also struggled to score a meaningful hit onto the Russian ships. Imperatritsa laucnhed the starboard tube at the second British dreadnoughts, scoring a hit, and as they continued onwards, Imperator followed suit, also managing to hit the British vessel with a torpedo. The British were retreating - or routing, to be more accurate. A British armored cruiser approached, trying to engage the Latnik, but would soon regret this decision, as Latnik's response detonated her main turret, leading to a flashfire that tore the ship apart. With that last straw, the British defeat was complete, their force in full retreat, and Mikhail opted not to follow, wary of proximity to British ports and aware of damage sustained by his own force. Slowly, he turned to look at the sinking dreadnoughts. "If any cameras are still present on board, make sure they capture this.", he said. "And mark this area on the map. Here, at the bottom of the sea lie two of the largest warships of the Royal Navy. Here, at the bottom of the sea, lies their pride."
The battle of Lyme Bay was a great success of the Russian Navy, despite the unopportune odds. On top of sinking two out of three of British dreadnoughts, the Russians lost no ships of their own. Rostislav was heavily damaged above the waterline, to the point where her superstructure would need to be torn down completely and built from scratch, but that was nothing in face of the achieved success. The war may have take a turn, though the Royal Navy still had a great numbers advantage and the blockade was still in place. There was also still the issue of the possible spy in the admiralty and the suversive elements within Russia.
If you think about it, a cruiser is just a really large destroyer... And a battleship is an even larger destroyer.
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Post by janxol on Apr 6, 2021 15:13:46 GMT -6
Bottom of the Ocean
12:00, January 2nd, 1909, St. Petersburg, General-admiral's office "Thank you, Evgeni.", said Mikhail, as his aide put down a cup of tea on his desk. He took a sip, watching with one eye as the lieutenant salutes and takes his leave, before diverting his gaze towards Dmitri. "Are you not afraid that communist spy would try to poison you?", asked Dmitri. Koshkin raised an eyebrow. "I would certainly be disappointed at his choice of weapon.", he said, continuing to sip the tea. "Though if you're trying to divert my attention towards the fact that, for all we know, we have said spy in the admiralty then yes, I agree it is a problem. What other news reached us?" "Apart from the usual engagement while running the blockade, it appears that the Far East saw some action. Several British cruisers engaged Pamyat Azova and Svetlana near Formosa.", said Dmitri. "How did it go?" "The British lost one armored cruiser, we lost a gunboat." "Fair trade, wouldn't you say?" "Meanwhile in Europe, we lost the Velikii Knyaz Konstantin. She sailed into a mine off the Norwegian coast, majority of the crew was saved by Boyarin." "Unfortunate. It appear we lost two out of four Varyag-class. Which is a shame, as even if not the newest, they are easily the most combat-capable of our protected cruisers...", said Mikhail. "The British also lost a ship to a mine, if that makes you feel better." "Let me guess: a converted fishing boat?" "Battleship Barfleur." "Ah... Well, the mine taketh and the mine giveth, it seems." "First destroyers of the Boevoi-class were commissioned. Unfortunately the new small-tube boilers underperformed and they failed to reach the 30 knot design speed." "Pity, but not a deal-breaker." "How are you feeling?", asked Dmitri, tilting his head. "What do you mean?" "You appear rather. Tired... Lately.", said Dmitri, carefully choosing his words. "We are at war. There's a reason for it.", said Mikhail. "That's not what I meant. I mean you appear tired as in... Exhausted... Psychologically, I mean." For a few moments there was silence. "Perhaps I am.", said Mikhail finally, smiling slightly. "I just miss simpler times..." "We all do, I suppose. Still, being general-admiral should tickle your ambition." "Perhaps. Still, if I could go back in time, I'd give it all up in a heartbeat...", said Mikhail. His gaze drifted to the side of his desk where behind a pile of papers shielding it from Dmitri's sight stood a single bullet. Mockingly.
12:15, January 9th, Northern Baltic, Armored cruiser Bogatyr "General-admiral.", saluted captain Cherkashin. "Captain.", responded Mikhail, entering the bridge wing. "We appear to have made contact, sir. That's a British scout cruiser right there. Signal was already relayed to BatDiv.", reported Cherkashin, pointing at the ship in the distance. "Good, though I'm not sure what Yevtushenkov intends to do with that knowledge. Go after that cruiser before she gets a chance to spot the battleships.", commanded Mikhail. Bogatyr started to accelerate, with Bayan and Oleg following closely behind. To the north, Russian battleships changed course to follow. As they turned, Mikhail could clearly see the profiles of the Imperatritsa Mariya and Imperator Aleksandr III, followed by Knyaz Potemkin and Rostislav - which has literally just finished the reconstruction/repair of her superstructure, making her look somewhat distinct among the other members of her class, and now was about to once again be plunged into fire. The Battleships were also accompanied by five protected cruisers and multiple destroyers. The British scout cruiser rapidly turned back south, realizing the aggressive intention of the Bayans and trying to get away from approaching doom. She didn't, however, manage to accelerate fast enough before Bogatyr got into effective range of her guns, letting loose the first salvo. As the chase continued south, more British ships appeared - an armored cruiser and another light cruisers. Nothing more than prey for the group of Bayans. "General-admiral, ships spotted to the west!" Mikhail turned, moving the starboard bridge wing to take a look. Battleships. While he was expecting that following the scout cruiser would lead him to the main British force, this was not the case, as the British battleships were approaching from the west and not from the south. Yevtushenkov, commanding the Russian force, already realized this and the Russian ships turned north-west to claim the wind advantage in the upcoming clash. This also meant that Mikhail should consider turning back to aid the main force, though he opted to delay it for now, hoping to inflict significant damage on the lone armored cruiser which was currently exchanging fire with the Bayans. "How many?", he asked. "Five, six... One of them is the dreadnought.", said Cherkashin. And indeed there she was, the HMS Ocean. First dreadnought in the world, which now happened to be the last surviving ship of her class. "Turn north, they may need us.", ordered Mikhail, feeling that the presence of battleships is more pressing than the chance of sinking the lone cruiser. That didn't mean that this engagement is over, however, as the British cruiser would cautiously follow the Bayans, at least as long as she could keep up, exchanging fire. Mikhail's focus was now on the British battleship. The two battlelines were exchanging fire and Yevtushenkov was aggressively cutting the distance, deciding to fight this battle at very close range. And Mikhail could see the Ocean, as the dreadnought moved out of the line and started moving away from the Russian ships, shielded by the British pre-dreadnoughts. "She's losing power...", noted Mikhail. "Possibly an engine room hit, keep an eye on her." As engagement continued, Ocean was getting slower and slower, falling behind despite the efforts of the battleline to shield her. Soon, it was quite literally dead in the water, making no more than 5 knots. Both battlelines moved away, locked in combat, but destroyers accompanying the Bayans had a relatively clear path and so Mikhail sent them in. Approaching the immobilized dreadnought, they put five torpedoes into her broadside, the fate of the ship now sealed. Mikhail watched as it listed more and more, until completely rolling over onto her belly. "Well, that's a sight to remember.", he said. "The bottom of the Ocean..."
Battleship Imperatritsa Mariya Captain Trufanov entered the bridge in a hurry, men hurrying past him to take charge of damage control teams. The ship was in chaos, as the Imperatritsa had been taking the brunt of the enemy fire and the ship was not in the best condition as a result. Things became significantly worse in the last two minutes, which ultimately brought the captain back to the bridge, to confront the one man he didn't want to confront. Admiral Yevtushenkov was completely immobile in his chosen spot, unfazed by the event unfolding aboard or around the ship, focused solely on the British battleline. "Admiral Yevtushenkov!", said Trufanov, his spirit shrinking inside. "I must advise... I must advise retreat, sir?" Yevtushenkov slowly turned his head towards him, causing the captain to briefly hold his breath. "Report.", he commanded. "Both forward and aft turret inoperable. Both port-side 250mm turrets inoperable. We have two uncontrolled fires above deck and flooding in the bow section. Uptakes perforated and we are losing speed, we have likely lost or damaged the port-side screw. Heavy damage to the hull and the rear tower may come down any moment.", said Trufanov, forcing himself to maintain eye contact with the admiral. "Sir, the ship is no longer combat-capable." "Signal Imperator to take division lead. Turn away from battle and make best speed for port, get Flora to accompany us. Get this fire under control.", said Yevtushenkov, as calmly as if he was ordering a dessert. Armored cruiser Bogatyr Mikhail watched as the Imperatritsa turned away from the battle, retreating under cover of one of the protected cruisers. The rest of the battleships continued on course, exchanging fire with the British ships. Darkness was beginning to descend upon the battlefield. It was only 15:45, but this time of year it was dusk. As visibility worsened, Mikhail could still clearly see the Imperatritsa in the distance, or more precisely the bright beacon of the flames she carried on deck. The fight was coming to an end as the shroud of night separated the two forces. But it wouldn't be until morning that the ships would return to port and the engagement would finally be ended. The Russians have triumphed once again, with the first and last British dreadnought being sent to the bottom of the sea, along with three destroyers. While the truth wouldn't be known for a long time, the cause of the Ocean's fate was a 305mm shell fired by Imperator Aleksandr III, which pierced the feed tanks, causing contamination with salt water which then subsequently led to a near-complete machinery shutdown. In the night after the engagement, a Russian submarine torpedoed the retreating British, scoring a hit on an unknown target but not managing to sink it. As for the Russian losses, no ships were lost, though several Russian destroyers remained afloat only by the force of wishful thinking by their crews. Imperatritsa Mariya was severely damaged, but she managed to return to Kronstadt under her own power. It was expected the ship would return to service in at most three months. February was somewhat quiet in Europe, but in Southeast Asia Russian armored cruiser Gromoboi was intercepted by a British force consisting of an armored cruiser and two light cruisers. After a spirited fight, Gromobi managed to get away and return to Formosa, and not before she severely damaged the British light cruisers. The British intensified their efforts regarding the construction of a new class of dreadnoughts, and with the rapid rate at which they managed to complete their ships as of late it was a credible threat. One to which Mikhail had to have a response as quickly as possible. With the advancement of technology it was entirely possible that by the time these new ships arrive, the dreadnoughts currently under construction will be hopelessly outclassed. It was a race to build better and more advanced ships, its pace seemingly faster than ever before. What it was, was a dreadnought race.
That is quite a long war I must say. Sinking all three dreadnoughts is a big plus and a morale boost, though. At least until their successors won't appear.
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Post by janxol on Apr 9, 2021 6:02:46 GMT -6
Something wrong with their bloody ships
Mikhail slowly entered the mansion's living room, his eyes fixed on the young man, at most 25 years old, closely inspecting the golden finish of the fireplace ornaments. For a few seconds Mikhail watched in silence, but after a few moments the guest realized he was being watched. He turned to face Mikhail, raising a glass of champagne towards him. Mikhail, while he had his own glass, didn't respond to the greeting. "Mikhail, why so gloomy?" Berngards Afanasievich Leshev, one of Mikhail's main worries for the past six months. "I worry for the future.", said Mikhail, watching him very closely as he approached. "Perhaps a bit more than most lately. Perhaps so do you? I heard you were rejected from the doctoral studies." Berngards grimaced. "I was indeed. And it is a shame, but there are other options." "Such as?" "I was thinking about applying to a different university. And if that doesn't work out, well, I suppose it will be time to think about... Securing an income." The entire time Berngards was smiling, but the smile itself was fake. There was a cold mind at work behind this facade and Mikhail could see it. He could see the ice in his eyes above the warm smile. "Income.", repeated Mikhail. "Good, that's good..." "Are you concerned, Mikhail Valentinovitch?" "I am concerned for my sister.", responded Mikhail. "And your intentions towards her. You should know by now I care deeply about her. And I don't respond well to theatrics." "No theatrics, Mikhail Valentinovitch.", said Berngards, continuing to smile and to stare down Mikhail with his cold gaze. "I want what is best for us. If you're skeptical about that, I look forward to proving you wrong." "I want the best for her and indeed I am skeptical of you. So tread lightly, as I would go to great length for Katya.", Mikhail allowed his voice to have a bit of a threatening tone, before smiling and slightly raising his glass. "Happy new year eighteen-ninety-nine..."
5:00, March 17th, 1909, Northern Baltic, Battleship Imperatritsa Mariya Mikhail took a deep breath, before taking a sip from the mug of tea in his hands. Leaning over the railing of the bridge wing, he stared into the darkness. The sea was calm, the night was calm. Somewhere out there, to the south, were armored cruisers Latnik, Oleg and Bogatyr under command of Dmitri. Here he had battleships Imperatritsa Mariya and Pobeda and Petropavlovsk, the two "pocket-sized" battleships, accompanied by multiple destroyers and light cruisers. What else roamed the waters was a mystery, but there was a reason to suspect British forces were approaching. At least that's what intelligence felt, the agency doing a truly stellar job throughout the war. Counter-intelligence, on the other hand, appeared to be struggling, still unable to find the spy in the admiralty. "General-admiral, sir. ", said Eugeni, saluting. "A wireless message from one of the patrol boats." "Thank you, lieutenant.", said Mikhail, taking the paper and reading it carefully. A vague contact in the night, predicted course 015, last location... Something was out there, but nothing he could do about it now, but wait. And as time passed, the sunrise approached with the sea slowly emerging from the darkness. Right there, to starboard, eh could see the silhouette of Dmitri's three cruisers. Latnik was in front, followed by the two Bayans and... A fourth ship? This immediately rang a bell, as Dmitri only had three ships with him. And indeed, the silhouettes were not the Russian cruisers. They were British ships. Three battleships, an armored cruiser about five light cruiser and multiple destroyers. As the sun shone its light onto the water, both sides opened fire. Soon Mikhail also realized the presence of Dmitri's force - they were on the opposite side of the British formation, which for the British was probably not the position they wanted to be in. Mikhai knew he could use it and ordered a course change, hoping to push the British ships towards Dmitri's cruisers. Seemingly it worked, but with two of Mikhail's three battleships being of the Pobeda-class he had to keep in mind that the British ships likely have qualitative superiority. That is, until they didn't. A salvo from Imperatritsa Mariya struck one of the British battleship, penetrating the turret and causing a massive explosion which tore the ship apart. As the rest of the British ships changed course to go around the wreckage of the flash-fired ship, Mikhail turned towards the captain with raised eyebrows. "Well that was a welcome surprise.", he said. And barely did he say that, a British light cruiser detonated upon being struck by a salvo from one of Dmitri's cruisers. Mikhail's eyebrows went down. And just a few minutes later Imepratritsa fired once again, detonating a second British battleship, and just five minutes later, a second British cruiser exploded. "Something appears to be wrong with their bloody ships today, doesn't it?", mused Mikhail. "Detonate the third battleship and you get a medal, captain." The British force was in full retreat at this point and the battle was moving towards the island of Hiiumaa. Some British cruisers were heading towards the Hari kurk strait, while the battleship and the remaining ships were sailing alongside the island's western coast. Dmitri followed through the strait with Mikhail's force focusing on the battleship and soon it would fall victim to destroyer's torpedoes. There was no victory for the British today. Only death. The amount of detonations on the British side was mind-boggling, but as long as they weren't detonations of Russian ships, Mikhail was quite contempt. British resolve was slipping and their morale was surely... Not doing that well either. Later in March the navy has also introduced reliable delay fuzes, which would improve the effectiveness of AP shells. Seven new submarines were also commissioned and Mikhail has entrusted Artem with the task of preparing Russian shipyards for the next step of the wartime replenishment program, one that would address the issue of the dreadnought race and Russian participation in it.
British ships go boom, I suppose.
Also, it seems Mikhail's past recollections are slowly catching up to his promotion.
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Post by prophetinreverse on Apr 10, 2021 0:14:06 GMT -6
At this point, the British have probably jailed their naval design department, if not outright executed them. High ranking heads including sea lords are probably rolling at well.
pour encourager les autres...
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Post by janxol on Apr 10, 2021 4:47:32 GMT -6
Invincible British navy
16:30, April 16th, 1909, North Sea, Armored cruiser Latnik Dmitri hurried down the corridor, sailors stepping aside to let him pass. He climbed the steps up towards the bridge and headed for the port wing, where the captain and several other observers were glued to the binoculars. "Is she coming towards us?", asked Dmitri. "Yes, admiral. She's after us.", confirmed the captain. "She'll chase us down is she wants to. We have to charge her, hope we can overwhelm her with volume of fire at close range and hope she can't keep the range open. Signal Bogatyr.", ordered Dmitri. And so the two Russian cruisers turned to face their foe. The Invincible fired first, with her shells landing just short of Latnik. As the range closed, the Russian cruisers were soon able to respond, letting loose a salvo of 250mm shells. Dmitri knew the 13-inch guns employed on the British ships had atrocious rate of fire and he was hoping that at close range she will not be able to maintain fire superiority over the 250mm-armed Russian cruisers. He also knew, however, that any shell that hits could be deadly. What's more, the captain of the Invincible proved to be no fool, changing course to keep the Russian cruisers away. Soon the first 13-inch shells inevitably found their way into Latnik's superstructure, causing significant damage and starting a fire. Soon, as Invincible made it clear that she's not intending to play the close range game with the Russians and Latnik had received a total of twelve 13-inch hits, situation was looking grim. The ship was listing heavily, the forward turret was destroyed, speed was greatly limited and there was a massive fire raging onboard. Escape was not an option. Neither was victory, if things continue like this. Bogatyr was doing everything in her might to keep Invincible occupied, but with limited success. And as Dmitri was pondering the fact that this might be the end of the Latnik, darkness came. And with the night, the Invincible became a lot more cautious, attempting to still fire on the Russian cruiser, brightly illuminated by flames, but as Bogatyr begun hunting for her, trying to approach under cover of darkness, the battlecruiser had chosen to retreat. "Captain, damage report!", ordered Dmitri, realizing they have a chance. "The short version." "Everything is on fire!", responded the captain promptly. "Fair enough. I feel like we've been in this situation before. Can we control it?" "Hopefully..." The crew having experience from last time the Latnik was engulfed by flames was quite a bit more proficient at extinguishing it, but still it wasn't the kind of fire that would be easily controlled. It was dangerous enough that all magazines had been flooded and still it took 12 hours of non-stop effort until the fire finally died. In part due to heroic effort of the crew and in large part due to the majority of the flammable material on the ship undergoing violent oxidization of sorts and thus ceasing to be flammable... With Latnik going into dry-dock for much-needed repairs, Dmitri's attention shifted to the Invincible. The encounter proved what he feared - that with proper maneuvering, the battlecruiser is a significant threat to Russian armored cruisers. As it was, he was actually able to get more insight into the ship, as Russian intelligence managed to get their hands on full schematics of the Indomitable-class, currently under construction.
With the Indomitable-class having only minor differences from the Invincible-class, it was fair to assume that the increase in displacement is a result of enlarged machinery and heavier secondary battery, with most other aspects of the ship remaining the same. It was also armed with the same ancient 13-inch guns. In April the engineering also introduced the economizer, another improvement for machineries, and krupp cementit, which would allow to produce armor plates of better quality. Additionally Tula arsenal presented a new 330mm gun, yet another improvement over the 1908 model. In fact, it appeared that with its excellent penetration and ballistics, the gun may be the most powerful naval gun in the world, though not nearly the largest. In early may a new torpedo model would be adopted, possessing improved performance and innovation in the form of contra-rotating propellers. As Russian navy had come to uncover and demonstrate the power of torpedoes during the war, it was a very welcome development. In Great Britain, and in the British admiralty to be exact, a storm was brewing. High ranking officers feeling the wrath of the king, the prime minister and gradually also the public. Not willing to let the "victorious" British spirit die, they sent a battleship force into the Baltic, to face the Russians and prove that British navy is still the superior force.
They are certainly not happy about the direction the war has taken.
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Post by janxol on Apr 13, 2021 13:30:11 GMT -6
Broken spirit
After the losses suffered by the Royal Navy, it appeared that they were much less keen on attempting to engage the Imperial Navy in another battleship engagement. There was much turmoil in the British admiralty, head rolling and desks exchanging owners. The blockade, however, was still in place, and various Russian raiding operations continued, with British doing their best to respond to them. In July it became clear that the Russian raiders are taking their toll as the British realized they are starting to face a food shortage. Convoys attempting to get to island under warship escort were attacked by the Russian cruisers, with many merchant ships sent to the bottom. Additionally, deliveries of oil fuel to great Britain were interrupted. At the same time in Russia a great manifestation took place among the factory workers, with police being forced to brutally put an end to the assembly. Many were arrested or killed and communist banners appeared on walls of St. Petersburg's buildings. The shipyards were luckily not affected by the strike, as both the Engineering Comittee and Mikhail himself were making great efforts that everything is running smoothly and securely, in particular the expansion of the largest docks, which would soon be occupied by the most ambitious shipbuilding project to date. The ships, designated as Project 201, were beign designed in great secrecy and apart from the design team, only Mikhail and Yevtushenkov knew the full details of the planned vessels. And still, despite the war seeming to turn in favor of the Russians, one could see that Koshkin's spirit seemed to be fading... In August the Russian navy laid down new light cruisers of the Yakhont-class. Three ships were originally ordered, but only two were laid down due to slipway availability issues, which resulted in eventual cancellation of the third vessel. 12:00, August 20th, 1909, St. Petersburg, General-admiral's office As Dmitri entered, Mikhail was sitting at his desk, writing something. He barely looked up and said nothing, continuing to write with a grim expression. "Good news.", said Dmitri. "What news would that be?", asked Mikhail. "We sunk the Invincible." Mikhail raised an eyebrow, looking at Dmitri. "How?" "Accidentally. In the North Sea, Rynda encountered her by chance in the middle of the night by the Norwegian coast. They fired two torpedoes and got the hell out of there, as both ships were surprised by the meeting. A few days later, Invincible was returning to Scapa Flow and crossed paths with one of our submarines. The skipper reported that she was slow and listing, which meant at least one of Rynda's torpedoes hit. The submarine fired two torpedoes, sinking the battlecruiser.", reported Dmitri. "That's indeed good news.", agreed Mikhail, without a shadow of emotion in his voice. "You know... Nobody will hold anything against you if you take a week or two of vacation. You need it.", said slowly Dmitri, watching him curiously. "I don't need it. Also, at least two people who would hold something against me." "Yevtushenkov and who?" "Me." For a moment there was silence. "You're not alright... Don't try to tell me you're fine.", said Dmitri. "Lying to me is one thing, but lying to yourself can be dangerous." "I am fine.", said Mikhail slowly, looking up from his desk. "Any news on the communist spy? With the riots going on in factories, they may try something again." "Nothing." "Shame. About time to get rid of that threat. Get me Eugeni on your way out, I need him to get this messages sent out." "You're just going to ignore my concern for your well-being and send me to fetch your flag lieutenant?" "I've been ignoring your concern for my well-being for years, Dmitri. I am getting increasingly good at it.", said Mikhail, rising an eyebrow. He didn't smile, however, consumed by whatever thoughts circled overhead. 20:00, September 5th, 1909, St. Petersburg, General-admiral's office As the doors slowly creaked open, Dmitri stood in the doorway, looking at the room completely drowned in darkness. "Mikhail?", he asked. He had been sure he was in here, but would he really sit here in absolute darkness. Well, to be fair, it was not outside the realm of possibilities. And not having seen him leave the building chances were he was still here. It was almost the day too, the day he struggled most... Dmitri took a cautious step into the room, trying to get his eyes adjusted to the lack of light. And right there he saw the human silhouette, which had to be Mikhail. He appeared to be sitting on the floor with his back against the desk, a position which immediately arose Dmitri's worries. "I'm fine.", he heard Mikhail's voice. He was grim, perhaps somewhat angry, grudging, but didn't seem to indicate distress or danger, at least not in the traditional sense. Not the kind of voice you'd hear after an assassination attempt, which only left the fact that the admiral was struggling against his own thoughts. Dmitri took another step forward, looking at Mikhail in silence, though seeing little more than the silhouette. As much as he wanted to pry in an attempt to help, at this exact moment situation was slightly different. The Mikhail sitting on the floor was a broken man. The weight that was crushing him for years was taking its toll and perhaps the admiral has reached his limit. "I'm fine" - he still would be saying it. Perhaps these words were the only thing still holding together his broken spirit. Failing to trick Dmitri, perhaps he was at least trying to trick himself. And so Dmitri remained silent, just watching and listening, as minutes passed, with Mikhail sitting motionless. "I'm not fine.", he said after a few moments. And this admission seemed to shock Dmitri a lot more than anything else could. For years Mikhail's spirit was strained by the baggage he carried. And as worried as Dmitri was, he was perhaps starting to think that while it would keep getting heavier, it would never break. Now, however... "It has been... Ten years...", said Koshkin slowly, and now even his voice appeared to slowly crack. "Ten years... Since I last saw her..." Dmitri remained silent, recognizing that the topic at hand is a sensitive one. Mikhail slowly got up from the floor with Dmitri carefully tracking his silhouette in the darkness. "Ten years...", repeated Mikhail. "I fear I postponed it far too long." He leaned over the desk, putting something down with a weird metallic sound to it. And while the sound appeared somewhat familiar to Dmitri, he couldn't quite place what it was. "Far too long indeed... Dmitri, be se kind and do not sink the navy while I'm gone." "Gone?", repeated curiously Dmitri. Mikhail turned towards him, resting his back against the desk. His face wasn't quite readable in the darkness. "I have to visit my sister...", he said slowly. 20:00, September 8th, 1909, Naksin - about 250km south-east of St. Petersburg Mikhail walked in silence, refusing to acknowledge he was once again here. Refusing to bear the weight of coming back. In the late hour, there were no people, no faces. Only him and his thoughts, alone in darkness. And as he walked the gravel path, these thoughts crashed down upon him, trying to drown him. And it would only get worse. He stopped, turning to face the stone, a monument to his failure. Ekaterina Valentinovna Koshkin April 17, 1874 - September 8, 1899
Ten years, to the day. Ten years of sorrow, of grief. Of pain. Anger. Feeling his knees starting to give out underneath him, Mikhail knelt down, his eyes fixed on the tombstone. Ten years, to the day, of being alone... A long time ago, Katya made a promise. She promised that she'd never leave. That she'd always be there for him. That he could count on her no matter what happens. He believed her. He also made his own promise. That she could always rely on him. That he'd protect her. The fingers of his Mikhail's right hand clutched, more firmly grasping the revolver he was holding. And in the end, she didn't break her promise. She didn't leave. She was taken from him. And the very thought, the memory, it brought back a wave of anger Mikhail had never felt in his life before or after. Anger and grief, intertwined in the fury like that of a wounded animal... She didn't leave. But he failed to protect her. A heavy cog turned in Mikhail's head, and with it his elbow. His chin came to rest on the revolver's barrel, cold metal against his skin. Ten years. Ten years he lived in this emptiness, this sorrow that lingered in his mind. A feeling that would never pass, it seemed. Grief and sorrow, not fading away. All because of this one moment, one failure that couldn't be fixed or washed away. And he would've done anything not to be here right now, not to mourn the loss he suffered, not to think of it every day, a man with nothing left to lose. He would've rather lost a ship with a thousand men. He would've rather died himself... And with that final thought, he pulled the trigger. Click. He remained motionless for a few seconds, his mind lingering on the memories of pain, tracing them all the way to pain present. Somewhat disappointed, Mikhail lowered the gun. He closed the trinket with Katya's photo that he was holding in his left hand, hiding it in his pocket before again letting his morbid curiosity take over. He opened the revolver's drum, taking a look inside. Six chambers, one bullet, his great companion of sorrow, which failed to align with the barrel when the trigger was pulled. Instead, it was sitting in a chamber two spots counter-clockwise. Mocking him.
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Post by janxol on Apr 15, 2021 6:37:19 GMT -6
Vengeful threats
Early October of 1909 the Russian Navy commissioned the first destroyers of the oil-fired Gnevni-class. The ships performed well, but it was quickly found during the sea trials that the engines are somewhat underpowered and the ships failed to reach their design speed of 30 knots. As such, the next planned batch of 10 destroyers would be laid down to a slightly modified design, designated as Vidni-class, being essentially a subclass, identical in all aspects but aiming to resolve the shortcoming of Gnevnis. It was also in October that the navy has commissioned its first dreadnought, the Gangut. Gangut (1906) Ships in class: 1 The Gangut was the first dreadnought battleship designed and completed by the Russian navy. Built domestically, it was no small endeavor and the process was plagued by delays. The vessel had a displacement of 20 000 tons, matching the size of American Oregon-class dreadnoughts. Built with a steam turbine propulsion and coal-fired boilers, the machinery was producing over 36 000 horsepower and driving four propeller shafts for a design speed of 21 knots. The ship's main belt was 10" thick, tapering down to 4" towards bow and stern, and the sloped armored deck was 2" thick. <ain armament consisted of six 330mm obr. 1906 naval guns, located in three twin turrets. The A turret was located on the front, Q turret was placed amidships, aft of the forward superstructure and raised foredeck, and Y turret was placed aft. The guns themselves were larger than 305mm rifles mounted on earlier battleships, and while the ship possessed only six barrels, compared to 10-12 carried by British and American dreadnoughts, all six could be brought to bear on either broadside, a feature foreign designs lacked. Additionally the ship carried twenty four 152mm guns mounted in casemates, twelve on either side, placed in three levels in the ships side, raised forecastle and both forward and aft superstructure, leading to a triple vertical stacked layout. The ship's armament was completed by six 76mm guns for anti-torpedo-boat duty, mounted in pairs on the roof of each main gun turret. Two submerged torpedo tubes were also fitted, one on either broadside, with the torpedo room being located below the aft superstructure. Also in Ocotber improved weight control was introduced, as well as stereoscopic rangefinder. Russian cruisers Rynda and Pallada had also intercepted a British convoy in the North Sea, sinking two escorting light cruisers and at least eleven cargo ships before being forced back by the British armored cruisers. Pallada suffered considerable damage in the engagement, but the British have lost far more, their convoy system clearly insufficient to protect ships from Russian raiders. In November ASW mines were introduced into the Russian arsenal, yet another tool to counteract submarine activity in chosen areas. Additionally, the Project 201 was deemed ready and two ships were laid down: Imperatritsa Elizaveta Petrovna and Tri Ierarha.
Late December saw the first sortie by the Gangut, as it moved as part of the battleship force in an intent to engage British vessels near Skagerrak. No contact with the enemy was made, however, in part to bad weather and in part due to British reluctance to accept the engagement. And as much as it seemed that they were unwilling to engage the Russian fleet in open battle, the blockade was still in place. And while the Russian navy was anxiously awaiting the imminent completion of Borodino, the second dreadnought, a formidable threat loomed in British shipyards. The first vessel, the Vengeance, has just been commissioned. Eight more were expected to join her within a year.
Well if they do complete EIGHT of these before the war ends, that can get quite unpleasant.
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Post by prophetinreverse on Apr 15, 2021 9:08:19 GMT -6
Why are the British designing such slow dreadnoughts?
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Post by janxol on Apr 15, 2021 9:41:39 GMT -6
Well, Fisher clearly wasn't allowed to touch the design. Other than that, I do not know. British AI is coded to prioiritize firepower over anything else and it seems that fitting 14-inch guns onto that ship demanded a sacrifice of speed. It is interesting to see it to that extent though. Perhaps a side effect of 90% tech rate? I have no idea. Other nations appear to generally be building slightly faster BBs around the 20-21 knot mark, no idea what happened to british designers.
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Post by janxol on Apr 16, 2021 5:27:56 GMT -6
Pride before the fall
21:00, January 21st, 1910, St. Petersburg, General-admiral's office Mikhail tilted his head, taking a long look at his visage in the mirror. He did look quite differently than he did when taking office. His face was rougher, showing the passage of time and strain of the stressful years. He also had facial hair covering a certain portion of it, though unlike the majestic beards adorning the faces of certain admirals. His was more akin to a beard a captain would have after months spent at sea. Ironic it was, to him, that he looked more like a sea-dog now that he spent most time in the office, than he had looked when actually captaining a warship. "You're getting old.", said Dmitri, clearly guessing what he was talking about. Mikhail always forgot about his presence, but now turned towards the vice-admiral with a deeply offended look on his face. "Old? I'm getting old? You're almost fifty. Time to think about retiring, you geezer!", he said. "Well, with Andrei and Yevtushenkov still kicking about I have no right to even think about that. And I'm still in prime thank you very much.", said Dmitri. "Such is the burden of time though, isn't it? There's no stopping it and no escaping it." "And you said that, because you're trying to cleverly ask me about what exactly?" There was silence for a few moments. "I thought you'd have stopped pretending nothing happened by now.", said Dmitri eventually. "Meaning?", Mikhail raised an eyebrow. "Meaning that you went to Katya's grave in the ten-year anniversary of her death. And that you're not fine." There was no point avoiding it now. Dmitri decided it's time to be direct, while Mikhail is in the "up" of his yearly emotional cycle. "I did go to her grave, yes. What are you expecting me to say about that? That it brought me clarity or purpose? That I am magically rid of the thoughts that plague me?", asked Mikhail. "What else can I do, but pretend nothing happened?" "There are various ways to deal with grief, but ultimately it ends in one of two ways. Either you let go, or you are drowned by it. It has been ten years, Mikhail. Don't let it destroy you.", said Dmitri. "I appreciate your concern, Dmitri, I do. But I fear you do not fully understand what is going on inside my head. Even I can't understand it, but it is not as simple as grief..." For a few seconds it seemed like Mikhail had something more to say, hesitation long enough to raise Dmitri's attention. And as much as it made him curious, he knew from Mikhail's tone that he pushed enough. January of 1910 also saw the Russian navy commission its second dreadnought, the Borodino, as well as the first cruiser of the Posadnik-class. Borodino (1906) Ships in class: 1 Borodino was the second battleship designed by the Russians, based to a certain extent on the Gangut design, but trying to improve upon some of its flaws. Unfortunately the design was rushed, which meant that not all solutions were the ideal ones, but still the navy remained hopeful about her. Borodino was slightly larger than the Gangut, displacing 20 500 tons. Coal fired boilers and steam turbines produced 36 000 horsepower, driving four shafts for a top speed of 21 knots. The armored belt had a thickness of 10", tapering down to 3.5" towards ship's ends and the sloped deck was 2" thick. The man armement was similar to that of the Gangut, consisting of six 330mm obr. 1906 guns in three twin turrets, though the layout was slightly different. One turret was placed forward and two were located aft, separated by the aft mast. Trying to address the concern that six guns may not be enough compared to foreign designs armed with up to twelve, but failing to find a solution that would allow for mounting of more main guns without causing issues related to stability, integrity or muzzle blast, the Russian designer opted to revert to the so-far successful intermediate battery concept. As such, the ship was armed with six 250mm guns in six single turrets, three on each broadside. Apart from that, the ship possesed a battery of fourteen 105mm guns, seven per side. Twelve would be mounted in casemates, while two would be mounted in shielded deck mounts on the forecastle. The ship also posses four torpedo tubes, two on each side, with the torpedo room located beneath the forward superstructure.
Posadnik (1907) Ships in class: 3 Posadnik, Izumrud, Novik First cruiser to be equipped with steam turbine propulsion, the Posadnik-class vessels were envisioned primarily as fleet scouts. With the prevalent notion that a scouting ship should be at least 20-30% faster than the force she's scouting for and the inevitable appearance of faster, turbine-driven warships it was deemed that the cruisers currently in service will quickly prove too slow to effectively act in the role. Psoadnik-class ships displaced 4 600 tons and their coal fired boilers and steam turbines produced 28 000 horsepower, driving three shafts for a design speed of 26 knots. The ships were protected cruisers with the sloped deck being 3" thick in the sloped section and 1" thick in the flat portion. The armament consisted of ten 130mm guns, the guns themselves being a development of earlier 125mm gun, having excellent ballistic characterics for the size and being legally marketed as "larger than 5 inches". The guns were mounted in two twin turrets and six single mounts. The twin mounts were fully enclosed and placed on the centerline, one fore and one aft. While being enclosed offered additional protection and allowed for the presence of a dedicated ammo hoist, the turrets had their own problems with the unreliable transmission, tendency to jam and the crews found it difficult to keep the guns on target, which meant that the four guns achieved slightly lower rate of fire, despite having the benefit of the hoist. The remaining six guns were mounted in six single mounts protected by 2" thick gunshields, three on either side. One pair was located on the forecastle on either side of the bridge, one pair amidships and one pair aft, behind the twin turret. Due to the rather universal nature and fire rate of the 130mm guns, the ships carried no additional anti-torpedo-boat armament. The ships would also be equipped with four submerged torpedo tubes, two on each broadside. In February the navy made the order for 5 additional coastal submarines, aiming to replace the vessels lost during the war. The month, as well as March, would also be an opportunity for the new oil-fueled destroyers to prove their utility as they performed raid against British convoys which would otherwise be beyond the range of earlier Russian destroyers. Between the ten Russian ships, 27 cargo ships and 3 British destroyers would be sunk, with no Russian destroyer being lost in the process. Mikhail took personal interest in managing the raiding operations, at the same time following the reports of great unrest in Great Britain. Late March riots took place in London, continuing well into April. At this time, the British shipyards have already completed four of eight Vengeance-class dreadnoughts, as well as Inflexible - an Invincible-class battlecruiser - and Indomitable - an improved vessel based on the Invincibles. Mikhail knew they British had to make the move. One last sortie to prove their dominion over the sea... At this point I am afraid to check who has more unrest - me or them. I don't think the war will be much longer either way.
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Post by maxnacemit on Apr 16, 2021 13:06:55 GMT -6
I would advise you to put subs on Unrestricted for the Brits rather than you to collapse.
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Post by janxol on Apr 17, 2021 3:15:35 GMT -6
It's over...
16:00, September 18th, 1899, Naksin graveyard Mikhail was standing there motionless, looking at the wooden sign with his sister's name, a fresh grave covered in flowers. As he was fighting against the tears swelling into his eyes, so did another feeling fight against the sorrow in his heart. Anger. Once again, there was anger... Just like when his mother died, but at the same time different. The anger at his mother's death was an emotion without aim or purpose, as there was no fault to be placed for it, other than perhaps his own guilt. Now, however... He closed the trinket with Katya's photo, holding it in his closed fist for a few seconds before slipping it into his pocket and knowing he's unlikely to ever let go of the thing again. Slowly he turned his head, to see Dmitri standing a few steps back, clearly intent on remaining in respectful silence. "Have you taken a look around?", asked Mikhail. "I think at least... Eight generations, possibly more... Eight generations of my family lie here in the ground. My father and mother - right there." He pointed at the large tomb next to Katya's grave. "Now my sister lies here... And at some point so will I. A little strange to think about it. I am the last Koshkin...", he remained silent for a few seconds, before once again turning to Dmitri. "No sarcasm, no joke and no philosophical statements on your part... Is it really that bad? Give me a damage report or something." Dmitri smiled sadly. "I doubt either of us in the mood for that.", said Dmitri. "All I can offer is my condolences." Mikhail nodded a few times. "Thank you.", he said. "And I appreciate you've taken the time to come but I will not keep you from your duties and waste your vacation time." "Will you be alright though? I seem to have caught some news that you spent the last three days drinking... Even though you were a complete abstinent until now.", said Dmitri. "I can see the want to drown your sorrow, but be careful with that." "I have simply noticed that its quite a bit different than when my mother died. And different than when my father died... Back then I had Katya and she had me. Now... Well.. And in a way I am incredibly angry, I suppose. My father died in an accident, that was... Unfortunate. But also he was military, risk was part of the job description... My mother, once again unfortunate, but nobody was at fault... But Katya... Katya was murdered.", Mikhail once again looked at the grave and once again he could feel his expression get somewhat fiercer. "Which means there's someone out there I'm rightfully angry about..." "I'm sure they'll catch him...", said Dmitri slowly. For a few minutes there was silence. "Leave me for a moment, I will catch you later, assuming I'm sober.", said Mikhail. And so he was left alone, standing watch at the grave, battling the emotions swelling inside of him. His mind raced, running away from him as he tried to get his thoughts on track. And that's when he realized he's not alone. He turned on his heel, trying his best to look less angry than he did a few second ago. "This isn't a good moment for your crap.", he said, looking at the orthodox priest standing a few meters away. "As you wish, none of my usual crap.", he agreed, smiling sadly. "As much as we've disagreed over the years, I worry about you, Mikhail Valentinovitch. I worry about your anger. I can understand that you want justice, but beware. Only a thin line separates justice from vengeance..." "I think at this point... I'd be fine with either.", said Mikhail, before leaving and heading for the distant mansion.
As April of 1910 rolled around is appeared rather clear that the British-Russian war wouldn't go on for much longer. The question remained which country will need to deal with riots first and the answer appeared to be "both". Late April saw a great strike by St. Petersburg's factory workers. Red flags filled the industrial district and thing rapidly escalated into violence. At roughly the same time people took to streets in London, marching through the streets and ending in an attempt to storm the parliament. What was different was the reactions of governments. On the British part, there were many attempts at dialogue, ending with the king having to step in and the resignation of the British prime minister. On the Russian part, primarily the army was involved, which in the short term proved to be a more effective tactic. It also resulted in an imminent increase of Siberia's population. The replacement of the British prime minister made it his priority - not that he had much choice - to end the war. As such, Britain was willing to approach the negotiation table and in the end forced to accept a rather harsh peace deal. Per terms of the treaty Norway - which was something of an original spark that set off this entire conflict - would be ceded to Russia, a fact that was cautiously welcomed by the loyalists of its previous government. On top of that, Britain would be paying Russia massive war reparations. After 44 months of conflict, the war had finally ended. The world was left somewhat speechless at this outcome, witnessing the defeat of the mighty Great Britain and the Royal Navy at the hands of Russia. Even if certain power would object to Norway falling under Russian control, none would speak up. The situation has changed and many were still left to ponder the current balance of power.
12:00, May 17th, 1910, St. Petersburg Mikhail watched as the ships moved across the harbor, each centimeter of their rigging adorned with colorful flags. Crews standing proudly on decks as the people cheered and orchestra played triumphant tones. And yet, as cheerful as it was on this day of triumph, one couldn't help but notice the heightened security, soldiers posted all around the pier. The war was over, but the communist problem was far from being solved. And the navy... The victory improved the navy prestige, but not its quality. It would take work to defend the status and the name they have earned for themselves. Especially now that many Russian warships were starting to show the signs of aging. As Mikhail pondered the need for modern and ocean-going navy, he felt the increased weight of the ornate collar chain with the St. Andrew's order, which he received from the Tsar not two hours ago. Always work to be done. Always another war to be wary of.
... I have the high seas.
Well that's the end of that war. And of my budget.
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Post by captaintrek on Apr 17, 2021 6:32:46 GMT -6
I must admit this war's been a little confusing to follow in places. Could you maybe post yours and Britain's ships and sunk ships tabs in the almanac?
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