|
Post by babylon218 on Jan 8, 2018 16:19:46 GMT -6
KAW regrets that due to our design sketch team (somehow) catching typhoid fever simultaneously, our submissions will lack the usual illustrative element for this design contest. Our CC-1924 proposal is based upon our successful Tung Hai design. It possesses an all-forward armament of 9 13" guns in 3 triple turrets and 20 5" secondary guns in twin turrets protected by 6" plate. The main armament turrets are shielded by 16" faces and 6" tops, with the main belt and deck being 12" and 4" thick respectively. Speed is 28kn, with short range. Total tonnage is 32,000t with a cost per month of 3.9M marks (118.4M total) over 30 months. Schlactkruezer 1924.40d (5 KB) Meanwhile, our CA design mounts 8 10" guns in two quadruple gun turrets (one forward, one aft) and 16 5" secondary guns in unarmoured mounts. The main gunhouses are protected by 8" faces and 2" tops. Belt and deck armour is 8" and 2" respectively. Top speed is 29kn with performance-optimised engines (reliability may suffer during extended high-speed running) and short range. Total displacement is 14,500t and cost per month is 2.5M marks per month (59,400M in total) over 2 years. Grosskreuzer 1924.40d (4.71 KB)
|
|
|
Post by aeson on Jan 8, 2018 23:26:04 GMT -6
I'm going to assume that parrot and matlef are going to pass on this one and get things rolling again. Design Competition Results:Congratulations to Mile High Naval Architecture, who has been awarded the contract for the new battlecruiser Hai An, to be built to their MHNA BC1924 proposal. I'm slightly concerned about the lack of armor on the extensions, but on the other hand it's not like a few inches of BE/DE armor would stop much more than splinter damage at this point in the game and heavier armor on the extensions probably isn't practical even with a narrow belt. Honorable mention to Krupp-Allington Werke, whose Schlactkreuzer 1924's low cost was rather tempting, but ultimately I think 6x15" is probably better than 9x13" even though the weight of the broadside is about equal, and to Gulf Iron Works, because I like 16" guns but I don't think I'm quite ready to give up average-quality 15" guns for low-quality 16" guns yet. We would also like to congratulate Clark Family Shipbuilding, whose CA1924 proposal will be entering service as Hae Yang, and Blohm und Voss, whose BV CA1924 proposal will be entering service as Yang Wei. Overall, I think all the proposals received for this competition were good. chris19delta, I'm a bit curious as to why your battlecruiser proposal had 453 tons unused; that seems a bit excessive to me, even if it wasn't already being built with the second-to-last fire control system and so might need more than twenty or thirty tons for future fire control upgrades. Also, I decided to make profile images this time around, rather than sticking with the deck plans; hopefully no one minds what I've done to their ships too much. Gameplay update will be some time later in the week.
|
|
|
Post by chris19delta on Jan 9, 2018 7:45:07 GMT -6
I'm going to assume that parrot and matlef are going to pass on this one and get things rolling again. Design Competition Results:Congratulations to Mile High Naval Architecture, who has been awarded the contract for the new battlecruiser Hai An, to be built to their MHNA BC1924 proposal. I'm slightly concerned about the lack of armor on the extensions, but on the other hand it's not like a few inches of BE/DE armor would stop much more than splinter damage at this point in the game and heavier armor on the extensions probably isn't practical even with a narrow belt. Honorable mention to Krupp-Allington Werke, whose Schlactkreuzer 1924's low cost was rather tempting, but ultimately I think 6x15" is probably better than 9x13" even though the weight of the broadside is about equal, and to Gulf Iron Works, because I like 16" guns but I don't think I'm quite ready to give up average-quality 15" guns for low-quality 16" guns yet. We would also like to congratulate Clark Family Shipbuilding, whose CA1924 proposal will be entering service as Hae Yang, and Blohm und Voss, whose BV CA1924 proposal will be entering service as Yang Wei. Overall, I think all the proposals received for this competition were good. chris19delta, I'm a bit curious as to why your battlecruiser proposal had 453 tons unused; that seems a bit excessive to me, even if it wasn't already being built with the second-to-last fire control system and so might need more than twenty or thirty tons for future fire control upgrades. Also, I decided to make profile images this time around, rather than sticking with the deck plans; hopefully no one minds what I've done to their ships too much. Gameplay update will be some time later in the week. That appears to be a clerical error, it appears displacement was not reduced after equipment being evaluated was removed. The clerk responsable has been sacked. I agree -1 guns can be concerning, but ballistic performance should be no worse than a 15" Qual 0 while still benefiting from the larger bursting charge of a 16" projectile and providing a better upgrade path as improved 16" guns become available. As a shipyard new to the Chinese Contract market, we would be interested in any additional feedback on the designs tendered for this competition so that any future submissions may be more in line with Chinese Admiralty requirements.
|
|
|
Post by theexecuter on Jan 9, 2018 8:11:23 GMT -6
The ships look beautiful.
May they have a long and glorious service!
|
|
|
Post by rimbecano on Jan 9, 2018 14:32:53 GMT -6
I'm going to assume that parrot and matlef are going to pass on this one and get things rolling again. Design Competition Results:Congratulations to Mile High Naval Architecture, who has been awarded the contract for the new battlecruiser Hai An, to be built to their MHNA BC1924 proposal. I'm slightly concerned about the lack of armor on the extensions, but on the other hand it's not like a few inches of BE/DE armor would stop much more than splinter damage at this point in the game and heavier armor on the extensions probably isn't practical even with a narrow belt. I generally use AON armor schemes on CAs and BCs from the beginning of the game, well before I get the actual AON tech, but I must say, 1924 is the latest I've designed such a ship without having the tech available. What incompetent lout is running research for the US in this game?
|
|
|
Post by theexecuter on Jan 9, 2018 14:38:51 GMT -6
I'm going to assume that parrot and matlef are going to pass on this one and get things rolling again. Design Competition Results:Congratulations to Mile High Naval Architecture, who has been awarded the contract for the new battlecruiser Hai An, to be built to their MHNA BC1924 proposal. I'm slightly concerned about the lack of armor on the extensions, but on the other hand it's not like a few inches of BE/DE armor would stop much more than splinter damage at this point in the game and heavier armor on the extensions probably isn't practical even with a narrow belt. I generally use AON armor schemes on CAs and BCs from the beginning of the game, well before I get the actual AON tech, but I must say, 1924 is the latest I've designed such a ship without having the tech available. What incompetent lout is running research for the US in this game? I'm pretty sure the US has skipped AON.
|
|
|
Post by aeson on Jan 11, 2018 2:05:45 GMT -6
Domestic News: May 1924: - The battlecruiser Hai An and the armored cruisers Hae Yang and Yang Wei are laid down. - The ongoing high tensions with Great Britain and Russia lead the Navy to begin fortifying its bases in Kwang-Chou-Wan, Formosa, the Liaotung Peninsula, Southern Korea, and Sakhalin, laying down foundations for a pair of 5" gun batteries in each region. June 1924: - Plans for a world cruise by Imperial Chinese Navy ships are discussed. The Navy elects to send only the second class protected cruiser Fu Hsing, in service since 1899, and the Grand Council, embarrassed, votes the Navy an increase in funding and admonishes the Minister not to shame China again. September 1924: - A technology-sharing agreement is concluded with Germany. October 1924: - Chinese naval engineers and architects train their German counterparts in the fine art of designing and manufacturing reliable triple turrets, leveraging China's experience operating such vessels to demand ¥4M in training and technology transfer fees. - To further secure the Navy's bases of operations, construction begins on 8" gun batteries in Kwang-Chou-Wan, Formosa, the Liaotung Peninsula, Southern Korea, and Sakhalin. November 1924: - The 5" gun batteries begun in may complete. - Privately-funded 41,000t docks and slipways in mainland China are declared open for business. December 1924: - Someone reminds the admiral of the Fujian Fleet that his lone cruiser has been sitting in Northern Europe without orders for a couple months, and Fu Hsing is ordered to make its way to the Caribbean before making the passage of the Panama Canal and crossing the Pacific to return to Fuzhou. March 1925: - A new State Secretary for Naval Affairs assumes office, and suggests to the Minister of the Navy that what China really needs is not a battle fleet but rather a strong submarine force, and hints that additional funding may be made available if the Navy agrees to build 21 submarines. The Navy agrees to lay down the submarines, and begins seeking design proposals and bids for the project from domestic shipyards. May 1925: - It is discovered that Fu Hsing never received orders to depart the Caribbean, where it has been cruising since January. Several clerks are fired by the admiral of the Fujian Fleet, and Fu Hsing is finally ordered home. June 1925: - Domestic shipyards unveil privately-funded 42,000t docks and slipways. - The 8" batteries in Kwang-Chou-Wan, Formosa, the Liaotung Peninsula, Southern Korea, and Sakhalin complete. - The Grand Council asks the Minister of the Navy if the Navy can guarantee victory in a war with Russia; the Minister replies that the Navy is confident of its ability to defeat Russia alone, but cautions that with Great Britain as Russia's ally the outlook is far more grim. The Grand Council thanks the Minister for his input and sends him away, and then proceeds to act as if Great Britain and its Royal Navy were of no concern. - The US and German governments, somewhat displeased by the Chinese Grand Council's high-handed diplomacy towards Russia, hold up component deliveries for the battlecruiser Hai An and the armored cruiser Yang Wei, causing a month's delay on the work on each. July 1925: - As Fu Hsing slips into Fuzhou after its long world tour, plans are discussed to send its surviving sister ship Heng Hai, the lone cruiser assigned to the Guangdong Fleet, on a world cruise of its own. Despite opposition from the Grand Council, which feels that putting such old ships in the world's eye shames the Imperial Chinese Navy - and, by extension, China - the cruise is approved, and Heng Hai departs for the Mediterranean. - Clark Family Shipbuilding, having noted the successful tactics used by Krupp-Allington Werke to sell more ships to the Imperial Chinese Navy, offers to build a second Hae Yang-class armored cruiser at an accelerated pace and reduced cost. The Navy accepts this offer, and the armored cruiser Ping Hai is laid down. September 1925: - In compliance with the agreement with the new State Secretary for Naval Affairs, the Navy orders 25 submarines from domestic shipyards. - Not to be outdone by Clark Family Shipbuilding, Blohm und Voss offers a second Yang Wei-class armored cruiser, which the Navy accepts as Chi Yuan. February 1926: - Heng Hai is ordered to proceed from the Mediterranean to the Caribbean. - Work on Ping Hai and Chi Yuan is temporarily suspended to cover a technology transfer from Germany regarding the emplacement of above-water torpedo tubes on light cruisers. June 1926: - Demonstrations are held in several major Chinese cities to protest high naval expenditures, with some even being held outside naval bases and offices. Showing remarkable restraint for the era, the Navy offers the demonstrators impromptu fireworks displays and tours of the aging armored cruisers Ning Hai and Nan Chen in place of calling out the Army to disperse the protestors. - The Fei Yun class cruisers are sent to the United States to be overhauled. October 1926: - The armored cruisers Hae Yang and Yang Wei commission, and Chinese naval architects and engineers report gaining valuable insights into German subdivision and damage control and American ship design theories from examination of the new warships. Due to continuing tensions with Russia and Great Britain and the concentration of the Russian fleet in Northeast Asia, the Navy elects to retain the old armored cruisers Ning Hai and Nan Chen as station ships for the Fujian and Guangdong Fleets covering the southern Chinese coast rather than scrapping them as originally planned. - Chinese gun manufacturers announce that they've developed a domestic 13" gun on par with those carried by the Tung Hai-class battleships, and there was much rejoicing. - Work on Ping Hai and Chi Yuan resumes. February 1927: - The admirals of the Beiyang, Nanyang, and Fujian Fleets cite Russia as China's most likely enemy in a future war during a press conference; the admiral of the Guangdong Fleet notes Great Britain, as Russia's ally, is likely to join in any war which breaks out between China and Russia. These comments are widely reported in the Russian and British newspapers, and the resultant public outcry leads to the British and Russian governments formally protesting the 'provocative' words of the Chinese admirals. April 1927: - The battlecruiser Hai An commissions, and examinations of the warship give Chinese naval engineers valuable insights into American fire control systems. - A Japanese national is caught stealing technical papers from the offices of a defense contractor, and word of the incident leaks to the press The popular outcry leads the Grand Council to send a strongly-worded note of protest to the Japanese government. August 1927: - The battleships Kwang-Chou-Wan, Tung Hai, Yueh Fei, Cheng Kung, and Ting Hai and the battlecruisers Kai Chi and Chao Yung are sent to the United States to be fitted with advanced fire control directors. October 1927: - The battlecruiser Hai An is sent to the US to be fitted with advanced fire control directors. - Work on the armored cruisers Ping Hai and Chi Yuan is suspended to balance the budget during the refits. December 1927: - Work on Ping Hai resumes, and the Lei Li-class destroyer leaders and Kuang Yuan-class destroyers are sent to the USA for improved fire control directors, oil-fired machinery, and improved torpedo armament. February 1928: - Work on Ping Hai is suspended to replenish the reserve fund. - Chinese naval architects and engineers enlighten their French counterparts in the fine art of designing triple-bottomed hulls, exacting a fee of ¥4.55M based on their extensive experience designing and building such vessels (all none of them). May 1928: - Work on Ping Hai resumes. - A sudden economic slump leads the Minister of the Navy to push for social reforms, which the Grand Council grudgingly approves - at the expense of naval funding. July 1928: - The Naval Gunnery School begins training the fleet in a new technique which they refer to as 'ladder' shooting, which promises to reduce the time taken to range in on a target. September 1928: - The funding cuts from the economic downturn catch up with the Navy, and work on Ping Hai is once again suspended. October 1928: - Completion of some of the destroyer refits frees up funding, and work on Ping Hai resumes. January 1929: - Tensions rise with Great Britain and Russia at the dawn of the Westerners' new year, the armored cruiser Ping Hai commissions, and work on Chi Yuan finally resumes. February 1929: - The armored cruisers Nan Jui, Hae Yang, and Ping Hai, the Fei Yun class light cruisers, and the Kuang Heng class destroyers are sent to the USA for improved fire control. - Ping Hai, en route to San Diego, runs aground near Ensenada, prompting the Mexican government to accuse China of conducting espionage operations in Mexican territorial waters. The Minister of the Navy swiftly offers apologies on behalf of the Chinese government and Navy for this navigational error, explaining that the crew of Ping Hai is as yet inexperienced and unfamiliar with their ship, mollifying the Mexicans and freeing Ping Hai to continue to San Diego. March 1929: - Domestic shipyards announce opening of new 43,000t docks and slipways. April 1929: - The Fu Hsing class cruisers are sent to the United States to be fitted with advanced directors. June 1929: - Chen Pien, the lone surviving Yung Pao-class scout cruiser, is sent to the United States to be fitted with advanced directors. July 1929: - Nan Chen and Ning Hai are sent to the USA to be fitted with advanced directors and be overhauled for the first time in 15 years. - The Russian ambassador approaches the Grand Council with a proposal that China reduce naval expenditures "in the interest of peace and stability." The Minister of the Navy proposes instead that an international disarmament conference be held, but nothing of substance results. August 1929: - The armored cruiser Chi Yuan commissions, and it and Yang Wei are sent to the Philippines for advanced fire control directors. - The United States approaches China with a proposal for an alliance, which the Grand Council accepts at the urging of the Navy. September 1929: - The Russian and British governments lodge protests with the Chinese government about China's 'provocative' actions in allying with the United States, and the Minister of the Navy issues a final war warning to the fleet. October 1929: - War declared with Russia.
Foreign News: 1925: - Germany becomes the first power to scrap a dreadnought battlecruiser, retiring the Von der Tann 15 years after it entered service. - France, Great Britain, and the United States join the armored cruiser race, laying down one each. - Rumor has it that British scientists are having troubles with a new, more advanced fire control director. - Germany finally retires the 7700t armored cruiser Furst Bismarck, commissioned in 1904 and station ship in the Carolines for the past five years. Russia's Latnik, commissioned in 1910, is now the oldest armored cruiser in active service in the world. 1926: - Perhaps in response to the Chinese submarine program, Russia and Great Britain begin laying down a number of minesweepers, with Russia in particular announcing the laying down of a new minesweeper almost monthly. - Germany retires a second battlecruiser - the Moltke, commissioned in 1911 - and France becomes the first power to decommission a dreadnought battleship - the Brennus, also commissioned in 1911. - Germany reportedly develops 15" guns while American manufacturers begin advertising 17" guns. 1927: - Japanese newspapers clamor for more battlecruisers, presumably due to the concentration of a Russian fleet including no fewer than six battlecruisers (and five battleships) in Northeast Asia. - Two additional Russian capital ships - the battlecruiser Fokshani and the battleship Tsesarevich - commission and are dispatched to Northeast Asia. 1928: - Russia reportedly reduces naval expenditures as a result of social unrest several times throughout the year. 1929: - Russia, still suffering from social unrest, continues to reduce naval expenditures. - Alliance announced between China and the USA, soon followed by the outbreak of war with Great Britain and Russia.
|
|
|
Post by aeson on Jan 11, 2018 2:31:35 GMT -6
War News:
13 October 1929: - The battle lines of the Imperial Chinese and Imperial Russian Navies clashed outside of Port Arthur in the first engagement of the war. After a brief two-hour engagement, a Russian battlecruiser and armored cruiser are sunk and two battleships - one Russian, one Chinese - are too badly damaged to make port. Tactically, this is claimed to be a Chinese victory and the newspapers play it up as such, increasing the Navy's prestige and aiding its recruitment, but observers note that many more such victories and China will be left without a battle line to oppose that of the Russian Navy. While the battleship Kwang-Chou-Wan and the battlecruisers Kai Chi and Hai An sustained only superficial damage, the battlecruiser Chao Yung and the battleships Tung Hai, Cheng Kung, and Ting Yuen will require one to two months of work in the yards before they are ready to return to service Almost every active ship in the Russian and Chinese Navies participated in this opening clash of the war, with only the modern Yang Wei class armored cruisers (not yet returned from the Philippines after refitting with advanced fire control directors) and the obsolescent cruisers and destroyers of the Fujian and Guangdong Fleets and a handful of the modern destroyers missing the engagement on the Chinese side.
|
|
|
Post by rimbecano on Jan 11, 2018 4:40:02 GMT -6
Tactically, this is claimed to be a Chinese victory and the newspapers play it up as such, increasing the Navy's prestige and aiding its recruitment, but observers note that many more such victories and China will be left without a battle line to oppose that of the Russian Navy. Even so, I think the engagement generally ended up in China's favor: Pobeda was (other than her sister) the most threatening-looking ship in the Russian fleet.
|
|
|
Post by boomboomf22 on Jan 11, 2018 6:02:35 GMT -6
It looks to me that the Russian battleline contains some pretty decent ships, but also some pretty obsolete or gimped (even compared to yours) ships. The light cruisers especially are basically just scouts, and the majority of the BCs have too little armor on the belt...9" gives me shivers and premonitions of Jutland.
|
|
|
Post by garrisonchisholm on Jan 11, 2018 9:05:55 GMT -6
May 1925: - It is discovered that Fu Hsing never received orders to depart the Caribbean, where it has been cruising since January. Several clerks are fired by the admiral of the Fujian Fleet, and Fu Hsing is finally ordered home.
...Sailors, on daily liberty, in the Caribbean? Perhaps the ship's wireless officer might too be investigated...
None-the-less, a good battle was fought. Let us hope Sir Robin's minstrels are safe.
|
|
|
Post by aeson on Jan 11, 2018 14:07:02 GMT -6
Even so, I think the engagement generally ended up in China's favor: Pobeda was (other than her sister) the most threatening-looking ship in the Russian fleet. If Russia were the only opponent in the current war, I'd mostly agree, though I'd still note that they can better afford to lose capital ships than I can since they have more of them active and are currently building another battleship (due this year) and battlecruiser (due 1931 according to the Almanac; my notes say it was laid down December 1927, so probably early 1931 or late 1930). Unfortunately, Russia was still allied to Great Britain when the war broke out, so I will potentially need to deal with a British fleet showing up in Southeast Asia in the near future. Fortunately, the US is my ally and the Americans and British are basically tied for top naval power right now, so hopefully the Royal Navy will be too preoccuppied by the 37 American capital ships threatening the British North American East Coast possessions to send too much my way, but I've played too many games of Rule the Waves (and too many video games generally) to expect much out of a computer-controlled ally. Perhaps, but they still have seven battlecruisers (plus another building, but the Almanac says it's due in 1931 so it's not an immediate concern) to my three, and those are pretty bad odds even with a significant qualitative advantage. They also have five battleships to my four, and have a sixth battleship (of a new 37,000t class) due to complete this year, though I'm not as concerned about that even if the new battleship gets to Northeast Asia before the next time the battle lines clash. The Russians do have one decent light cruiser (~29kn 5300t 8x6"), but pre-war naval intelligence placed it in Northern Europe and they don't have any others building. Design Competition 11, Part 1: BB1929 or CC1929
I'd like either a replacement for Yueh Fei or an additional battlecruiser. If a battleship, it should have a design speed of 24 knots for compatibility with the battle line and have a main battery of at least eight 15" or 16" guns or at least ten 14" guns (Chinese shipyards may propose designs with at least twelve 13" guns if they feel such a ship would be better) and be armored to resist 15" gunfire. If a battlecruiser, it should have a design speed of 27 knots and carry six or seven 15" or 16" guns and be armored to resist 15" gunfire. The cost of the proposals should not exceed 5M/month. Tensions prevent China from ordering ships from Germany (or Japan), and the minor issue of a war precludes ordering ships from British yards. As such, only French, American, and Chinese shipyards can submit proposals for this part of the competition. You may propose both a battleship and a battlecruiser, if you so desire, but I am not going to order more than one immediately. Design Competition 11, Part 2: CL1929
I would like to see proposals for a modern light cruiser with a broadside of at least nine 6" or fifteen 5" guns and at least six torpedoes in above-water tubes. The design speed should be at least 30 knots, and the ship should also be capable of carrying at least 30 mines. Other qualities are at the designer's discretion. While I cannot order ships from Great Britain or Germany, players having shipyards in those nations may propose designs to be built in Chinese shipyards. Save. How do people feel about 1700 GMT January 20 for the submission deadline?
|
|
|
Post by theexecuter on Jan 11, 2018 21:43:59 GMT -6
CFS Design for a modern battleship: 43,400 tons - Oil fired engines Short Range - Speed 24 knots Belt Armor: 16 inches Deck Armor: 6 inches AON Scheme Turret Armor: 18 inch face / 6 inch roof Secondary Turrets: 8 inches Torpedo Defence: Level III Main Battery: 8x16 inch guns (AB arrangement) with increased elevation, improved quality, and advanced directors Secondary Battery: 16x6 inch guns with directors Heavily armored, impervious to torpedo attacks, best guns and fire control in the world. Cost: $5M for 30 months BB1929.40d (4.91 KB) CFS Light Cruiser Proposal: 8000 tons - Oil Fired engines Medium range - 31 knot speed Belt Armor: 2 inches Deck Armor: 1 inch Conning Tower Armor: 3.5 inches Turret Armor: 3.5 inch face and 1.5 inch roof Torpedo Defence: Level I Main Battery: 12x6 inch improved quality guns in triple turrets Torpedo Tubes: 2x3 18 inch torpedo tubes - above decks midships 30 mines Reasonable speed, lightly armored, capable of putting out impressive DPS. Cost: 1.674M for 21 months CL1929v2.40d (5.04 KB)
|
|
|
Post by dorn on Jan 12, 2018 1:57:55 GMT -6
Design Competition 11, Part 1: BB1929 or CC1929 Design Competition 11, Part 2: CL1929
While I cannot order ships from Great Britain or Germany, players having shipyards in those nations may propose designs to be built in Chinese shipyards. How do people feel about 1700 GMT January 20 for the submission deadline? Hamson investors are happy that Chinese government allow us investment in Chinese shipyards and offer our services in time.
|
|
|
Post by dorn on Jan 12, 2018 7:16:19 GMT -6
Design Competition 11, Part 1: BB1929 or CC1929 .... and be armored to resist 15" gunfire. Our designers would like to know in what ranges Admiralty prefers the immunity of armored box? Is 16.000-20.000 yards preferred or have Admiralty something a little different in mind?
|
|