|
Post by garrisonchisholm on Mar 6, 2020 8:47:51 GMT -6
That is beautiful work. In the light I can see there is even texture to the decking, wonderful. And I hope OberCommandant zur See Wilhelm Klink was not responsible for sending some lads to hospital, if so he had better show up in person and tell them what a cracker of a job they'd done, saving the ministry the expense of a couple hundred shells.
|
|
|
Post by mycophobia on Mar 8, 2020 4:15:17 GMT -6
Great work as always, with proper stand no less From what I can see the ship model itself also feels crispier than earlier ones, hopefully polishing the model wasn't too much of a pain xD In anycase looking forward to whatever you come up with next!
|
|
|
Post by akosjaccik on Mar 21, 2020 18:13:18 GMT -6
Thank you! Frankly, the way the deck looks is more of an attribute of the technology rather than deliberate effort in detailing. In this scale the smallest feature I could make would be roughly 1x1 meters in dimensions (or 0,4 m rod-like geometries in very, very special cases) in reality,and because the material is more rigid than for example the standard PP, PC, ABS etc. that can be used to produce the commercially available injection-molded model kits, etching the deck pattern with a scalpel or a needle also falls into the "meh, rather not"-category. I am not sure I could deliver it in a believable manner, so I rather keep the relatively consistent, albeit mediocre quality all-around. By the way I do hope that you all are safe at home and were able to adapt to the current quasi-global situation! For now, I brought the next month's events as well.
March, 1906
After the Donau's infernal night, some contractors started working on improved firefighting equipment, but so far nothing came of that. The MTK however did give a feedback that they are ready to approve triple gun turrets, although not necessarily advise their application just yet. While the slipways of the Stabilimento Tecnico Triestino are able to handle capital ships up to 24.000 tons currently, we are lacking in floating dock capacity and potentially funding, which makes the MTK, while not less concerned, a bit more permissive when it comes to the potential issues of triple turrets if this means a higher level of firepower concentration per tonnage. Whether or not we should capitalize on - or perhaps, to be more precise, risk - this possibility is a matter of the future, as rebuilding the Kaisers is out of the question at this point, not to mention that the work on such turrets only just begun. Stepping away from the drawing board, the month was turbulent in other regards as well. We have lost the destroyer Kigio after she ran into a mine near Brindisi while on a reconnaissance mission. Her survivors came back onboard the Zara, and the intel provided valuable insight which was incorporated into the plans for the upcoming raid near the Strait of Otranto. ...and for the first time in the war, we were not going alone.
Our gallant allies finally pulled themselves together and regrouped their forces in order for us to conduct joint operations. Better late than never. Sarcasm aside, the french forces were consisting of two large, 10000-ton armored cruisers, screened by four destroyers - a capable and well thought-out formation. These massive french Gueydon-class cruisers very clearly outclassed our Donau-class ships, the leading formation was however still our Second Cruiser Division, given their experiences with the area and that they brought half of the Third CRUDIV with them to act as scouts. Considering that during the day the thick fog was not willing to clear up, every pair of exta eyes were helpful.
After half past five in the morning, the circumstances changed in such that the Sun came up. Probably. Watching the mass of daunting darkness was almost becoming boring, so watching the mass of daunting whiteness was a nice change of pace regardless.
The lookouts of the 2nd CRUDIV were on the edge - and for good reasons
As much as the fog hindered navigation, communication and retaining the cohesion of the formation, on the flipside it also helped with the element of surprise. The name of this particular surprise which the italian destroyers had to put up with was "Dupetit-Thouars". The small torpedo crafts were most likely sent out to keep an eye on the blockading ships, and the last things they expected-, or wanted to see were four large armored-, and two modern protected cruisers breaking out of the fog and charging at them at flank speed. Their morning has barely just begun and it was already ruined.
Even with the danger in mind the italian torpedoes posed, the allied force pressed on in a implacably aggressive manner, not giving any time for the italians to take care of their formation, or even just to let them gather their thoughts.
The chase even passed by a coastal battery. It mattered pretty little - in the midst of some ineffective exchange of fire the coastal defence forces could only mostly just helplessly watch as much as they could see it in the mist as their panicking destroyers got run down.
By the time the full-on assault reached the outer defences of Taranto, the Regia Marina had to account for four destroyers ( Zeffiro, Nembo, Indomito and Borea) - and almost a submarine, the Squalo in addition - less. This was, of course, ultimately something that the french press presented very favourably, and the Marine Nationale largely took credit for the action. A raid that the Kriegsmarine had every means to conduct autonomously as well by the way, and besides while the results were commendable, they were not in any way significant strategically. Regardless, the gained experience in conducting joint operations on one hand, and strenghtening the alliance through actions on the other hand certainly worth to hand this victory over to the armored cruisers of the French Navy.
|
|
|
Post by garrisonchisholm on Mar 21, 2020 18:22:32 GMT -6
Beautiful fog-shot of CruDiv 2! I clipped a copy for myself.
Well, yes, your allies certainly know when to apply themselves!
|
|
|
Post by mycophobia on Mar 21, 2020 18:31:21 GMT -6
The French maybe fashionably late but they do eventually show up As usual looking forward to the next update. Reading a Good AAR always make it a bit easier to be locked up at home
|
|
harry
New Member
Posts: 1
|
Post by harry on Mar 21, 2020 18:47:20 GMT -6
Wow, this AAR is amazing!
With the amount of work you put into it you go up and beyond the call of duty. Especially drawing the ship classes in 3D for the Printer must be exhausting at times.
But I'm really looking forward to the future of your project!
|
|
|
Post by ewaldvonkleist on Mar 28, 2020 16:11:56 GMT -6
I have just caught up with the progress of your game on your website and I am lost for words. Great writing, and extremely well done graphical representation of game data. Creative, well adapted to the matter at hand and pleasant to look at while not unnecessarily complicated or overloaded. As the reader, you feel like a defence minister getting briefed by the Navy with a thoroughly compiled report. If you ever look for work in the consulting business, you should consider attaching this AAR as a sample of your work! Best regards EvK
|
|
|
Post by akosjaccik on Apr 24, 2020 13:04:09 GMT -6
harry: Thank you! Depending on my mood I do enjoy the different aspects of the AAR to a different degree, but the community is very inspirational and supporting, plus as I can shelf it in my mind under the "hobby" category, so I'm not beating myself up over some time I take off from the project.
ewaldvonkleist: I'm humbled, thank you! I was expressing my hopes at the beginning that this will present an opportunity for myself to learn and gain experience besides having fun the game - in this sense, it might actually be a good thing that I'm not at all this pleased with the result so far, since there is a fair amount of room to do it better I feel; the writing certainly being just one of such matters. Then again, aiming for a decent compromise is also skill, it's meant to be entertaining after all.
While I won't pretend sanctimoniously that being this "flashy" and "gimmicky" AAR does not involve a fair amount of - sometimes dull - work, I still think it's not as good as the classics. (And there are likely a whole lot of excellent examples I did not list simply because I did not read them.)
That alone won't stop me though.
|
|
|
Post by akosjaccik on Apr 24, 2020 13:13:32 GMT -6
...right, hopefully the images will work.
April, 1906
500-ton destroyer S.M.S. Drache of the 1st DESDIV gets obliterated by a mine near the island of Pianosa
Barely did the Kigio touch the seabed, when another mine hit brought down yet another destroyer, this time the Drache. The explosion catched the "Dragon" midships in a very unfortunate way, and the ship had no hope of surviving. An investigation was ordered to clear up the role and responsibility of first and foremost the officers of the patrol, and secondly the minesweepers (the Second Coastal Defense Division based in Cattaro to be precise), but most importantly to give some proposals to counteract the danger mines seem to represent.
The cruiser force's routine raid on coastal targets in the vicinity of Pescara had a more fortunate outcome - much more fortunate, to be frank. No issues, nothing to report - apart from the fact that a powerful italian battleship division almost catched us if not for the fading light of the dawn (refer to the map at roughly the ~19:00 marks). The two sides passed each other unknowingly, not being able to estabilish visual contact, but just barely. Although the blockade forced the italians to hug their own coasts, this level of activity should still remind us to exert caution. Our favourable situation is very fragile.
|
|
|
Post by akosjaccik on Apr 24, 2020 13:39:11 GMT -6
May, 1906
Unrest seems to be on the rise in Italy - hopeful news indeed! Once again however, this could've been (and if things go horribly bad, can be still) the other way around easily. Our combined advantage with France is proving to be just about good enough to perhaps bleed Italy out by the death of a thousand cuts. Speaking of combined advantage...
...in an attempt to build upon the success of the well conducted raid two months earlier, once again the two navies formed a joint force. The massive (12.000 t), although somewhat unconventionally armed (4x7" in fore-, aft- and two wing turrets; 14x5", 10x4") Chanzy led the entire squadron, the french main force section and ultimately the armored cruiser division as well, with the latter's second vessel being the Gueydon with her 10200 tons and 2x8", 8x7" (in casemates) and 12x4" layout. Four french destroyers screened them, to whom Lussin joined up as the fifth one. The austro-hungarian force was spearheaded by two Admiral-class cruisers, the Wimpffen and the Spaun, supported by elements of the First Destroyer Division, led however once again by the Streiter of the Third DESDIV, similarly a Tiger-class ship.
This year's spring however wasn't a particularly romantic one. Weather stations reported strong gale at around midnight in the patrol area, to which report the squadron on site was fortunate enough to also add "heavy rain". Especially the destroyers had the "time of their lives", and the lookouts perhaps thought that the merry men of Italy surely had more sense than to follow their example of getting drenched in the midnight storm instead of enjoying a cup of warm drink in the barracks.
If they thought so, the Regina Elena's mass of 15600 tons all of a sudden emerging from the darkness proved them wrong.
By the time the men had some time to realize what just happened, the french armored cruisers already exchanged rapid fire with the italian battleship in the most violent manner. The most unusual thing about the whole encounter however was that the battleship was - for all intents and purposes - alone.
While some form of support force was present on the italian side, a couple salvos from the cruisers of the scouting force made sure that whatever was out there in the night still was not able to locate the Regina Elena anymore, let alone help her. This was a "once in a war" opportunity - and the cruiser force was well aware of it. Order was issued for a flotilla attack, and if there was a moment in the last almost two years where reckless aggression was not only excused for the destroyer captains but actively demanded, this was it.
And yet, we've took all that risk to no avail. Although the Spalato was able to score a torpedo hit after the Admiral-class cruisers were able to chase the battleship right into the destroyer line, visibility was abysmal enough to repeatedly lose track of her, and for the brief moments when contact was re-estabilished, our positioning was off, and Queen Elena did not seem to struggle with keeping up the pace despite the confirmed torpedo hit.
S.M.S. Wimpffen shells the confused Regina Elena in an attempt to divert attention away from the destroyers
Despite the torrential rain calming down somewhat half an hour later, the pursuing squadron failed to locate the italian colossus for the rest of the engagement, a ship that was not even seriously damaged to begin with, as intelligence later unveiled. Since our side scored the torpedo hit and the french took the brunt of the gunnery duel, both sides achieved just enough so that some disgruntled officers started to shift the blame to the other side. Fortunately, at higher levels there was a rather clear agreement on that this can't be tolerated for the sake of all of us. Some stern warnings behind closed doors here, a few medals in front of the press there (the Chanzy received the Signum Praefecti Auxiliorum for leading the squadron, for example, as the first foreign ship granted the honors), and soon enough this missed opportunity came down in the newspapers with caricatures about the Spalato beating back the italians to their shores with a torpedo in hand. Loudly pronouncing something as a success, regardless of the more convoluted nature of what actually happened, is after all a powerful tool in itself. As long as we ourselves don't start to believe that no mistakes were made. Meanwhile the industry is also hard at work to help the state - for good money, of course. You might remember that Škoda did produce a prototype for their 19cm/42 gun at the end of 1902, but the project was a dead end. There were no plans for ships or coastal installations to utilize the caliber, there was no compatible infrastructure for the caliber whatsoever and - most importantly and truth be told - the piece wasn't particularly good in the first place. They carried on with the development however and presented the new 20cm/40 M1906 in front of the board this month, and at first glance this design does seem to be promising. We're expecting the detailed test results from the proving grounds at the Artillery School of Hajmáskér to arrive in next month.
|
|
|
Post by garrisonchisholm on Apr 24, 2020 16:19:35 GMT -6
You always make it such a difficult choice whether to comment upon the story or the presentation- bravo!
Yes, an occasion like that demands boarding grapples, and alas it is a very difficult situation to capitalize upon. Still, in those cases an accident is perhaps the most terrible result, so good seamanship there to assure that did not happen.
|
|
|
Post by mycophobia on Apr 24, 2020 17:32:27 GMT -6
I had assumed that the destroyer’s Unfortunate encounter with the mind was all the update today. Boy was I happy to realized there is a whole surface action as well As always, your updates are a treat to read, shame that you couldn’t bag that extremely lucky battleship, but on the bright side, you also don’t have to explain awkwardly to the French if something unfortunate happened to their precious cruisers. Perhaps the war may yet last long enough for the semidreads to shine
|
|
|
Post by akosjaccik on Apr 25, 2020 4:49:37 GMT -6
I sure am glad that didn't end up as a bumper sticker on this thing. In last year's June it cost the fleet two destroyers to bring down her sister ship, but I do have to admit that I have a healthy respect for their battleline nonetheless. Speaking of the semi-dread, since I cobbled together this table quite a while back, might as well put it to use:
Even their least capable Bs hit the 14500 tons. One could perhaps make the argument that the A-H battleline is a good five to eight years behind in development slash capability.
|
|
|
Post by akosjaccik on Apr 25, 2020 11:38:46 GMT -6
June, 1906
Just as scheduled, we've received the data. Suprisingly, the 20cm/40 performs notably better than Krupp's 24cm L/40 K94 - which is the type half our battleships and every (Donau-class) armored cruiser is equipped with.
Penetration characteristics of some of the intermediate caliber riflesOnce again: promising. However, rate of fire is comparable (it's very difficult to properly estimate a realistic value, but the 20cm gun should be able to keep perhaps a ~7% greater sustained RoF) and the shell of the 24cm gun is ~30% heavier, making a switch a rather questionable investment, especially so that the turret ring diameters won't allow us to refit the vessels with triple turrets housing an armament of such caliber. A rather interesting part of the process was however to examine the possibilities of the 20cm/40 by producing a very rough sketch of a ship centered around the gun system for a multitude of reasons. The result was a rather noteworthy armored cruiser study. The design was built upon the experience we've gained in the current war, such as the heavily and evenly protected waterline (refer to the battle damage reports of the first half of '05), the speed requirement, or the complete lack of tertiary armament - at the same time also incorporating advanced features such as the triple turrets, side drums or improved subdivision. Unfortunately, the design was shelved for the same reason the Navy did not build ships of similar category in the previous years: because of the cost. Italy is fielding four large armored cruisers even now, the most recent one displacing 11.700 tons, and carrying four 10" and eight 7" rifles. While it is believed that our design has the edge, a single ship would cost as much as a Kaiser-class battleship. Coupled with the fact that the Navy seems to be able to handle the opposing cruisers so far, there is no urgent need to be furthering the development of the plans. With that said, it's not as if there is no argument for the ship whatsoever, one being our need for raider interceptors. Funnily enough, originally our armed merchants were launched to act as raiders, but now that the Leonardo da Vinci's loss coupled with the arrival of french reinforcements rearranged the balance of forces just enough for us to enforce a blockade, they need to prove themselves as anti-raiders. Fortunately, they are doing everything they can be expected of doing, and even more.
...and last, but not least, we are also gaining valuable experience with our license-built 10cm SFK L/40 (E) Model 1903 guns in the meantime.
A 10cm/40 (E) quick-firing gun of the armed merchant cruiser Emma, with the original british-style gun shield
|
|
|
Post by akosjaccik on Apr 25, 2020 17:33:46 GMT -6
July, 1906
The manufacturing process of the torpedoes' compressed air tanks got switched over to a new technology. While this will require some additional effort in quality control, the torpedoes are now able to run for 4000 yards at 18 knots, or 2000 yards at 28 knots - pretty much twice the range the formerly manufactured subtype was capable of!
Torpedo testing ramp, Whitehead Factory, Fiume
The day-to-day work now consist of chasing armed merchants however and sometimes running from armored cruisers instead of torpedoing things. In this month out of the four attempted attacks on commercial shipping three were unsuccessful, thanks to the efforts of our own armed merchants. Their presence, though not in the way it was originally intended, is paying dividence. The S.M.S. Spaun also stumbled upon an italian raider, and - similarly to what happened in January - sank the AMC in mere minutes. ...well, with just a little fault.
Our cruiser quite decently ran down the Misurata after the latter answered the call for identification with opening fire. The final phase of the pursuit resulted in a sub-1000 yards melee, in which exchange the seven 15cm SK L/40 per broadside made short work of the italian ship.
...but still not quickly enough for the Misurata to be unable to answer in kind, resulting in four 12cm hits on the Spaun. At this range the armor had no hope of deflecting the shots, and while the hits did not endanger the cruiser seriously, she'll require some docking time to take care of the damage. With her damaged engines the Spaun did not risk to pick up the survivors either - after hastily jettisoning most of her boats and openly broadcasting a request for aid with the coordinates, she left the site. The further fate of Misurata's crew is unknown so far.
|
|