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Post by mycophobia on Aug 19, 2019 11:51:04 GMT -6
Don't know if it matters to you or if it was intentional, but the flags on your ships are attached backwards - the canton containing the Canadian national flag and the blue stripe of the (French) tricolor should be on the hoist side of the flag.
Other than that, the models look pretty neat.
Its how the game deals with the image that results in all the flag being shown in that manner, something I don't think I can change. But now that you brought it up I think it maybe possible for me to flip the image, which should work for countries like France. I will see what can be done for future images.
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Post by mycophobia on Aug 19, 2019 23:17:54 GMT -6
Victory Naval Review of 1917
When I first started the AAR, I conducted a full naval review of every single ship then in Canadian service. I thought now, nearly two decade down the line, and after three wars in which we are able to emerge unbent, if not triumphant, it will be a great time for another review. (Destroyers and KEs, unfortunately, have to be cut if my computer is to have any hope of rendering everything) This will also be a great opportunity to celebrate the first chapter of Indivisible & Insignificant, the AAR that initially inspired me to start my own in this method. The first update was already a great read and I look forward to what akosjaccik can cook up in the future . List of Ships, from near to far: - Lethbridge Class: Lethbridge, Thunder Bay, Richmond. Airdrie Class: Airdrie, Chestermere. Red Deer Class: Red Deer, St.Albert
- Haida Class: Haida, Athabaskan. Yukon Class: Yukon, Nunavut.
- Manitoba Class: Manitoba, Saskatchewan. Alberta Class: British Columbia. Calgary Class: Calgary. Montreal Class: Montreal.
And I am able to procrastinate with the AAR for another day xD. Though I did take the time to fix the flag issue Aeson kindly pointed out. Do not worry as I have quite a bit of stuff prepared, But I like to thank everyone again for their support with this AAR both here and on Discord
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Post by akosjaccik on Aug 20, 2019 3:48:54 GMT -6
It is fantastic when one can take just a bit of time to lean back and enjoy the fruits of his work - congrats, man! Beautiful designs and a well-deserved victory achieved trough battles! Haida's case made me think that while RtW's "high abstraction level approach" is in many cases a blessing, it tends to diminish the human side of the war, and the more graphic AARs either written in very good literature or accompanied by excellent illustrations (or both for that matter) sometimes slam this point back home. Someone had to enter those actively burning, smoke-filled, maybe red-hot turrets potentially still containing volatile materials, step over the corpses and douse the flames with the clear sign in mind that the battle - at least for the time being - is not looking good and this hell could very easily close it's gates leading outside off right in the next minute. Sometimes "wargamers" get labeled as borderline "warmongers" - I do honestly believe that the opposite is true for any sane man especially the longer they are informing themselves through any form of media, be it books, journals or even videogames. It's hard to reach a different conclusion.
Honor to the fallen digital crewmen of the Haida, and also to the men of the Marine Nationale - but with all this said and done, let's enjoy victory for the moment!
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Post by mycophobia on Aug 20, 2019 11:04:17 GMT -6
It is fantastic when one can take just a bit of time to lean back and enjoy the fruits of his work - congrats, man! Beautiful designs and a well-deserved victory achieved trough battles! Haida's case made me think that while RtW's "high abstraction level approach" is in many cases a blessing, it tends to diminish the human side of the war, and the more graphic AARs either written in very good literature or accompanied by excellent illustrations (or both for that matter) sometimes slam this point back home. Someone had to enter those actively burning, smoke-filled, maybe red-hot turrets potentially still containing volatile materials, step over the corpses and douse the flames with the clear sign in mind that the battle - at least for the time being - is not looking good and this hell could very easily close it's gates leading outside off right in the next minute. Sometimes "wargamers" get labeled as borderline "warmongers" - I do honestly believe that the opposite is true for any sane man especially the longer they are informing themselves through any form of media, be it books, journals or even videogames. It's hard to reach a different conclusion.
Honor to the fallen digital crewmen of the Haida, and also to the men of the Marine Nationale - but with all this said and done, let's enjoy victory for the moment!
I definitely agree that RtW had long been missing a bit of that human element, I wished we can have some procedural generated officers that we can guide through their careers, it would've make AAR making much easier I am horrible with coming up with characters myself so that would've helped. The human aspect of naval warfare had certainly been something that fascinated me. There are stories of truly amazing display of courage and indeed it takes a lot of courage to just man the boiler while the shell are landing around your ship, with you having no idea which one will condemn you to a waterly grave. I've been hesitant to write in a more personal manner because I am not that confident in my abilities to write these short stories that engage in the more personal aspect of war, but it is something that I will definitely attempt to incorporate down the line. I whole heartedly agree that most, if not all people who are well-informed about war are anything but "warmongers", if anything, I see learning and understanding of war as almost a necessary step to truly value peace. Even though many times its the "glorious" and "heroic" side of war that gets presented, I think its deeds like the Christmas Truce and the Laconia Incident, backdropped against the full horrific backdrop of the war that really moved me to value what we have. In anycase, honor to all digital crewmen serving across the thousands of RtW campaigns and all the real crewmen that served or is serving across the world.(Which makes me feel slightly bad for sending all my DDs in recklessly so many times) Besides Haida, my respect goes to the crew of the French Destroyer Sagaie, who single handedly charged two Canadian battle cruiser and landed a torpedo hit, despite the battlecruiser it was escorting was already a wreck. Having done all it could, it then tried its best to retreat to safety, and were almost able to do so. I'd have stayed around to rescue the survivors had the game not ended on me because the last French ship was sinking :/
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Post by mycophobia on Aug 21, 2019 0:21:55 GMT -6
1918 - New Innovation, New Friends, New Ambitions New InnovationsUnlike earlier wars, the Caribbean War against France was relatively small in scale and short in time frame. Thus the Canadian economy quickly recovered after the war, and Naval Budget, though cut at first, also begin to return. With the budget returning, first of the new Quebec class battleship entered service mid 1918, and Canadian shipbuilding have finally became recognized world wide as being on par with any major power, with Halifax Shipyard being able to construct massive 40000 ton ships. Yet there were even more significant developments in 1918. Much like when Dreadnoughts first begin to enter the naval stage near the end of the last decade, a new innovation is now poised to change naval warfare yet again. In suppressing the rebellions in Cuba, Canadian navy had utilized floatplanes and flying boats to conduct aerial reconnaissance, taking advantage of their lack of need for an airfield. Most Naval aerial support still comes from airships, which are able to patrol a far larger area for enemy. In 1918, US General Billy Mitchell surprised the world by sinking a target pre-dreadnought with bombs deployed from a land based bomber aircraft. US navy, convinced by the display of power, begin for the development of specialized naval ships to launch aircrafts in order to attack the enemy fleet. The US congress, enthralled by this new development, ordered the three of the four old Saratoga class battlecruiser to be converted for that particular purpose. Nations around the world quickly begin to experiment with the idea of using aircraft to carry out attacks on naval warships, and it would be the Canadians who cemented the idea that compared to light bombs, aerial torpedo will prove far more efficient in attacking ships, and is the first nation around the world to work out the technical details. The BC based aircraft manufacturer Viking Air provided the finalized design for the world's first torpedo bomber, the Viking Swordfish. In March, the old armored cruiser Toronto had been laid off to be decommissioned. The Navy opted to use this ship for testing of their new torpedo bombers. In the first pass, two out of the three torpedo dropped successfully hit their target.
The second group of bombers landed a single torpedo hit that detonated the ship's magazine, the ship sunk in minutes.
The test convinced the Canadian admirals that aerial power have the potential to become an extremely deadly force in future wars. Thus torpedo bomber squadron are immediately formed in naval airbase, with the possibilities of constructing or converting a dedicated carrier being put on the table as well. New Allies
The Caribbean war ended in no small part due to the two warring nation's fear that other great power can take advantage of their weakened state should the war go on. Thus it is no surprise that both France and Canada are looking for new allies that can help them against the encroachment of Great Britain, who is clearly ascendant on the international stage following their victories in the first decade of the twentieth century. Thus, perhaps it is not so surprising after all, that Canada and France found each other. The Caribbean war was significantly less brutal compared to the earlier conflict of the century, and tales about act of chivalry on both side during the war also helped to keep the animosity between the two nations fairly low. Combined with the political need for an ally, and the shared cultural heritage, the leaders of both nation decides that it will be in their best interest to secure an Alliance. Indeed, both nation had gotten a good taste of the other's naval prowess in the Caribbean war. Following the announcement of the Alliance in October, 1918, Haida visited the French port of Brest. Haida moored beside the French Battlecruiser Nantes, the same ship whose 14inch shell set off her fore turrets a little over an year ago. This was seen as a symbolic gesture that old enemies now standing side by side in face of the new challenges to come.
New Ambitions
The Franco-Canadian Alliances are not one of purely defensive nature. The Newfoundland Issue had long gone unresolved, and many Canadian were far from pleased about the ways that Canada were treated in the Anglo-Canadian alliances. France, having lost its possession in the Caribbean, turns to British colonies in the far east and Africa. Britain clearly did not take well to this alliance as well, but most other nation around the world had for the time being stayed out of the escalating tension. Allied with a common, Canada and France seek to topple the British Hegemony together.
Now that was a fairly large update in one go , I'll leave it here for today after a minor update for our first torpedo bomber. The Alliance with France came as quite a surprise, but a welcome one nonetheless, allowing me to finally set my plan to claim Newfoundland from Britain into motion >=)
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Post by mycophobia on Aug 21, 2019 0:32:29 GMT -6
Viking Swordfish Torpedo Bomber (1919)
The World's first torpedo bomber, Swordfish were constructed with a focus on long operational range. Since the Canadian navy did not have operational aircraft carriers, the navy require its attack crafts to have as long range as possible to reach potential battlefields. Thus the Swordfish can make a impressive 94 NM while carrying a torpedo, and 160 NM when used in a scouting duty. While this is far from sufficient to cover most sea zones, they can at least strike enemy that stray too close to the coast. Their ability to carry up to a 1000 lb bombs also make them the go to light bomber for the Canadian Army. With the plan for a converted aircraft carrier on the table, Swordfish would also serve as the standard carrier attack craft, and were designed with that in mind. All the focus on range came at a price however, the plane carry no self-defense weapon at all to speak of, and is rather slow and clumsy. As a result, the plane's effectiveness in delivering strikes against moving target that fires back remains to be seen. Squadron of Viking Swordfish carrying out their attack on the Toronto during their trial in December, 1918. The plane formally entered service in 1919, and is stationed in Halifax and Havana airbase.
I thought I might as well introduce some planes to the AAR, but I am far less skilled with making plane in FtD so please bear with it xD. The Right tailplane of the aircraft in the above picture is messed up, it has since been fixed for future updates, my apologies.
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Post by akosjaccik on Aug 21, 2019 2:45:21 GMT -6
Messed up tailplane? You can always go with the "it's a feature, not a bug, moreover a military-grade classified experimental one at that". Floaty-flappy things! I like floaty-flappy things. If my memory serves me right, you very much still have the recently modernized Calgary in service, and considering the ship's relative suitability for the role and sentimental value, it would not surprise me entirely if she would be the lucky choice for tasking with leading the path in naval aviation. Edit: *recently, more like five years ago, ouch.
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Post by mycophobia on Aug 21, 2019 3:28:54 GMT -6
Messed up tailplane? You can always go with the "it's a feature, not a bug, moreover a military-grade classified experimental one at that". Floaty-flappy things! I like floaty-flappy things. If my memory serves me right, you very much still have the recently modernized Calgary in service, and considering the ship's relative suitability for the role and sentimental value, it would not surprise me entirely if she would be the lucky choice for tasking with leading the path in naval aviation. Edit: *recently, more like five years ago, ouch.
Calgary is indeed a very tempting candidate I’ll just say you can expect more from her. Her last refit didn’t see too much action since she remained in North America while all the big boys went down for their Caribbean vacation :/ she only saw one convoy action where the French, no doubt hearing the name of the legendary ship, turned tail and never showed up XD
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Post by mycophobia on Aug 21, 2019 23:40:22 GMT -6
Quebec Class Battleship (1918)
Ships in Class : Quebec, Nova Scotia
Designed in 1915 as the Battleship counterpart of the Haida Class, the Quebec class is provides improved armor protection and an additional twin 14inch turret. The Canadian navy sought to use the budget increase during the Caribbean War to lay down 4 of these ship, which, if completed, will make Canada the third largest navy in the world in terms of battleship tonnage, just behind Germany and Great Britain(and near parity with US, though the latter would lay down several more ships in the coming years as a response). Some change in doctrine and further discussion with the navy resulted in the other latter two proposed ships of the Quebec Class to be completed to a modified design. (Known as New Brunswick class) The Quebec Class suffered major delay due to the quick Canadian victory in the Caribbean War. Quebec was barely completed on schedule in early 1918. The work on Nova Scotia was significantly delayed, and she did not enter service until early 1919. Despite these set backs, these ships remained a class above most battleship then in service around the world, and would form the core of the Canadian fleet in the coming years. Overview
Similar to the relationship between the previous Yukon/Manitoba Class, the Quebec class design is developed on the bases of the highly successful Haida Class. The ship is shorter but wider, and her foredeck much shorter to reduce the much greater top weight resulting from her additional armor and turret. She also have a larger, better protected aft command tower to ensure redundancy in her fire control sytems. The machinery space is also further compressed and moved forward, to make space for the magazine and turret assembly of her larger main battery. Armament
Quebec Class improves upon the fire power of the Haida class by the addition of an twin turret at the X position, giving her a total of 10 14inch guns. By the time Quebec entered service, her firepower is not outstanding. German, France and US the fleet have all have ships with clearly superior fire power(4 German and 2 US battleship have 10 15in guns, France have two battleship with 10 15in gun as well, but in an awkward layout with no forward super firing turret). UK's newest Revenge class in 1919 are equipped with 12 14inch gun, but suffer from inferior armor. While the delay meant the Canadian battleship no longer stand out in firepower, the 14inch gun remains effective against most battleship armor within a range of 12000yards. The secondary armament of the Quebec class is similar to that of the Haida class, with 12 casemated 6inch/50 gun, widely considered best 6inch gun in service around the world. To give the ship slightly more freedom to engage targets in her rear arc, two more 6inch guns are placed in armored turret near the back of her foredeck. These turret have an excellent coverage, and should provide better protection against ships trying to flank these relatively ponderous battleships. Lastly, underwater torpedo tubes return to the Quebec, for some members of the admiralty insisted that battleships be equipped with tools to finish off heavily damaged enemy when ammunition is low. This school of thought would seemingly be vindicated when British Columbia used her torpedo tubes to finish off the heavily damaged French Battleship in the First Battle of Punta Maisi, after both side ran out of ammo. Quebec and Nova Scotia conducting live fire exercise in 1919 against an old cargo vessel, Canadian accuracy during good weather had been adequate, but lacked some of the more advanced equipment of the other navies. Armor
Quebec feature much improved armor compared to that of the Haida, with her main armored belt being up to 12.5 inch thick, and her turret further strengthened as well. This give her immunity against her own guns from 13000 to 18000 yards, a range which she can easily pound older battleships without fear of their low caliber guns. Quebec's 2.5 inch deck armor is adequate for 1915, but by the time she entered service, begin to feel strained under the threat of 15inch guns that is beginning to enter service in several navy. However, Quebec's turret are far better protected against plunging fire, and remain almost impervious to 15inch fire beyond 11000 yards based on Canadian estimates. Quebec also saw a steady decrease of thickness in her upper belt and belt edge. This is out of the belief that it is no longer practical to armor all of the ship against capital grade shells. However, with only 2inch at her extremities, she is vulnerable to penetrations from close range 5inch gun shots, a fact that some more conservative officers found unacceptable. As a result, the subsequent New Brunswick class would thicken her belt edge again. Speed
Quebec is designed to further maintain the speed advantage of the Canadian battle line. However, having to rely on coal-fired engine meant that they are only able to make 22 knots, which is still very slightly faster than most battleship around the world, but no longer a clear advantage. Furthermore, cramming her machinery into a relative small space midship also made them more prone to malfunction and damage compared to the Haida class, which devoted generous space for her machinery.
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Post by mycophobia on Aug 22, 2019 0:01:17 GMT -6
New Brunswick Class (1920) Ships In Class : New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island
Being the latter two ships of the Quebec Class, they were laid down in 1916 with a slightly modified design. The New Brunswick Class suffered the most from the post war budget cut. Being only about 30% completed when the Caribbean War ended in 1917. Both ships in the class were placed on hold throughout most of 1917 and 1918. With the advent of naval aviation, there were talks to scrap both, or at least the Prince Edward Island in favor of either newer battlecruisers or a converted aircraft carrier. The development of a 15inch gun in early 1919 further made the position of these ship increasingly awkward. Nevertheless, with a possible war against the UK on the horizon, renewing the core battle line was finally given priority. Thus construction for both ship resumed, with New Brunswick being completed in May of 1920, and Prince Edward Island due for completion in early 1921. Changes from Quebec Class
While mostly based on the Quebec class, New Brunswick class did feature some changes and improvements. As 15inch gun armed vessel are being laid down across the world, it is clear that the armor of the new ship must be improved. Thus the main belt of the New Brunswick class is strengthened to 13.5 inch, giving it immunity against 15inch gun from 14,000-17,000 yards. The previously thin belt edge armor are slightly strengthened back to 3inch, making them able to withstand light cruiser guns at mid-long range. The foremost 6inch casemate were removed to prevent secondary magazines from being placed too close to the turret barbette. Torpedo Tubes were also removed, the need for defense finally overruled what little utility that these tubes may have. Lastly, the New Brunswick Class have a even taller mast with additional platform and rooms to provide spotting, range finding and fire control in an attempt to compensate for the relatively outdated Canadian fire control. These tall, reinforced mast towers, nick named "totem poles" would go on to become a defining feature of future Canadian Capital ships. Comparison
While better armored than most competitors, New Brunswick's 10 14inch gun does set her back compared to the 10 15inch gun that is standard with battleships of most other navy. However, Canada's most likely enemy, Great Britain's latest Revenge Class only have 10.5 inch of belt armor despite having 12 14inch guns(Britain have a single ship with 15inch guns, the 28000 ton Anson with 8 15inch gun in a ABXY arrangement and 12inch belt, but can only make 20 knots). This means that the New Brunswick class are likely at an decisive advantage against the Revenge class, provided intelligence prove accurate. The new Canadian 1st Battle Squadron in 1920, consisted of New Brunswick, Quebec, and Nova Scotia. The three older dreadnoughts remain in active service as the 2nd squadron.
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Post by mycophobia on Aug 25, 2019 23:48:21 GMT -6
1919-1920 - To Take Down The Giant
Following the alliance with France, Canadian begin preparation for the liberation of Newfoundland. Many Canadians had not forgotten the shame of Newfoundland incident less than two decades before, so it was not difficult for the government to approve more and more budget for the navy in preparation of what seems to be an inevitable conflict with the world's most powerful navy. Naval investment of 1919 focused on completing the two NB class battleship, and the laying down of 6 1500 ton Oliver Class Torpedo Destroyers. Furthermore, to divert British resource and cause further disruption, naval intelligence authorized shipping equipment and other necessary supplies to anti-British rebels in Kenya. While evidence of the rebellion's connection to Canada were never found, UK nevertheless made necessary preparations for war, recalling force to North Europe and begin stepping up construction as well. The Force Disposition in 1920 is decisively against the Canadian Navy, The Royal Navy outnumbers the Canadian Fleet almost two times over, but is also held back by a significant number of older ships. Canada's ally, France, have even fewer new capital ships, but a large fleet of modern cruisers and older battlecruisers. The combined Canadian/French navy outnumbers the British, but a lot of that number is bloated by outdated French Battleships and Battlecruisers build before 1910. More over, Royal Navy have a significant force of modern light cruisers compared to Canada. While the French may keep them in check, it remains a cause for concern. UK have a large destroyer force about 60% of the combined French/Canadian destroyer force in tonnage, however, Royal Navy destroyers are almost all large, 1,100 ton design with 6 torpedo tubes, and either 3 4inch guns, or slower gunboat version with 4 5inch guns. On the other hand, Canada have few destroyers that can match Royal Navy designs except the 6 large Oliver class in construction. War Plan - Divide and Conquer
With a war against the Royal Navy almost inevitable, Canadian admiralty must come up with a plan to make the best out of their alliance with the French to overcome a much superior foe. Canadian experience as Great Britain's ally had demonstrated to them that the latter lacks the ability to project significant force abroad when a powerful European navy can keep them occupied. Thus the plan in event of the war would be to start as many fire amongst British oversea possessions as possible, while the French fleet act as a fleet in being in Europe. While the Marine Nationale cannot match the royal navy, they are significant enough a threat that the Royal Navy must keep a constant watch on them. High quality French cruiser force will attack the UK in Africa and Asia, while Canada will use its force to capture UK colonies in the Caribbean. Thus the royal navy must split itself thin, or watch the British Empire literally collapse colony by colony. French and Canadian navy will avoid decisive battle until the situation favors them, and only deal the crushing blow when the time is ripe. Seizing Bougainville
With multiple British 34000ton battleships and battlecruisers due for completion between 1920-1922, the Franco-Canadian Alliance decide it is best to provoke a war early. In May of 1920, French Fleet in southern pacific aided Canadian troops in seizing and installing colonial control in Bougainville, which was released by Germany as per the ceasefire agreement of the Anglo German War in 1904. Such an action not only serves as a blow to British prestige, also presents a very real strategic threat to the Solomon Islands then under British Control. An ultimatum were immediately issued to the Franco-Canadian Alliance, and was promptly rejected. On May 22nd, 1920 the war long prepared by both side, was finally declared. The Battle of Cranberry Island
The first shot of the war came the very next day on May 23rd. When a pair of Royal Navy Cruisers sortied from Newfoundland to attack Canadian shipping off New Brunswick. The two British Cruiser, including a modern Phoenix Class that is able to make 29 knots, are intercepted by the Lethbridge Class Cruiser Lethbridge and Richmond and four destroyer escorts. The British quickly decided to retreat, but not before leaving a volley of torpedo with their deck mounted torpedo launcher. Lethbridge listing heavily after being struck midship by a torpedo, she turned about and attempted to return to Halifax, but sunk 30 minutes later. Loss of lives were light as friendly destroyers are nearby.
Richmond carried on the pursuit cautiously, but the high speed British Cruiser shook off their pursuers near dusk. Not willing to relent, Richmond continued to patrol the area as night fell. Richmond's persistence would pay off as she spotted Phoenix around 9 PM, returning to attack more merchant shipping in the dark. Canadian destroyers immediately launched off a wave of torpedo, but the nimble Phoenix dodged them all. While Phoenix avoided the torpedo barrage, her maneuver made her unable to fire back effectively at her attackers. Richmond quickly landed over 17 6inch hits into the hapless Phoenix as she came to a full stop in the water. With the other British cruiser now coming to Phoenix's rescue, Richmond opted to retreat after finishing off Phoenix with a close range torpedo.
The first battle against the Royal Navy costed Canada one of its 7 light cruisers, and have demonstrated that the upcoming war are probably the toughest one yet for the young Canadian Navy.
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Post by akosjaccik on Aug 26, 2019 8:06:58 GMT -6
Oof, poor Lethbridge, unlucky; then again, retribution came at night. Plus in the long run he who laughs last, laughs best. But I still have to play with my imagination, scene at the british Admiralty just prior to the occupation of Bougainville: - "Sir! The government forwarded us this diplomatic telegram from the canadian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Sir!" - "What does it read?" - "CANT DECIDE WHICH IS MORE WORTHLESS STOP YOUR TEA OR YOUR CUISINE STOP" - "..." - "Sir? ...sir?" - "We are at war, son."
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Post by mycophobia on Aug 27, 2019 0:24:26 GMT -6
1920 - Divide and Conquer
Following the opening of hostilities, Canadian fleet immediately sortied to the Caribbean as troop transport after transport sailed for Cuba, the staging point of invasions into British holdings in the Caribbean. However, the home coast cannot be left unguarded. With the French fleet quickly engaging in limited skirmishes to keep the British Home Fleet from leaving Europe, the only concern for the Canadian nay is the Battlecruiser Inflexible, flagship of the Royal Navy's Newfoundland squadron. Inflexible, completed early 1906, is the world's first dreadnought type warship, and the world's first battlecruiser. She is an extremely dated ship by now, but she remain more than a match for anything short of a capital ship. Thus as long as she remains afloat, Canadian troop convoy to the Caribbean cannot be safe. Thus two Yukon Class battlecruiser were left in the Halifax naval base to protect any convoys should the Inflexible makes any move. The Hunt for Inflexible - August 21st, 1920
With the Grand Fleet unable to provide immediate support to the Caribbean, and French cruisers harassing British possession in the far east and the pacific, the only ship poised to stop an invasion of the Caribbean is the Inflexible. (The Royal navy only have a squadron of destroyers and several light cruiser in the Caribbean) Newfoundland is well-garrisoned as part of the British effort to fortify the colony from 1919-1920 in preparation of the upcoming war, but the Caribbean is not. Thus on August 18th, Inflexible left Newfoundland and conducted and series of raids against Canadian shipping. She would make for open sea during day time, and come close to the coast to attack transports in order to avoid Canadian airship and aircrafts. Yukon and Nunavut immediately sortied to hunt for Inflexible, and would take advantage of her movement pattern to intercept the Inflexible on the dusk of August 21st near Port Mouton, Nova Scotia. Seen from the cruiser Richmond, Yukon and Nunavut started firing at Inflexible around 19:24, both side did not score any main battery hit during this exchange.
Canadian gun fire splattered around the Inflexible as turned away and tried her best to escape into the dusk, seen from the inflexible's rear deck. Contact was lost around 19:35 as night falls.
However, the 24 knot Inflexible could not get far, as Canadian cruisers and destroyers raced ahead in a search pattern. Contact were re-established at 19:54, and Inflexible came under immediate fire, being hit by multiple 12inch shells in the span of a few minute, one of which knocked out her starboard wing turret. Despite the severe damage, she continued to fight back and fired at the Canadian cruisers that were illuminating her with search lights.
At 19:58, one 6inch shell from the Inflexible hit the veteran protected cruiser Airdrie and penetrated her transverse bulkhead into her magazine, which caused a massive explosion that detonated the ship and send her to the bottom. The cruiser Richmond following behind Airdrie sailed past her unfortunate comrade undaunted, and launched a torpedo that struck Inflexible midship, stopping her dead in the water. Even the torpedo hit did not stop the crew of the Inflexible, she continued to fire back with her A and X turret, scoring two hits on the Yukon. She fought on for another twenty minutes before her guns are silenced. The sinking wreck are illuminated by Canadian searchlights and continuously shelled, with none dare to close least her guns roars into life once again. Inflexible would suffer over 30 12inch hits and a torpedo before the order to abandon ship was finally given.
The hunt for Inflexible had demonstrated to the Canadian navy the valor of Royal Navy Sailors that made the Royal Navy such a fearsome opponent, but also demonstrated that they can be beat. Even with each battle against the Royal navy proven costly to the Canadians, they have now finally sweeped aside all major royal navy warships in the region. Invasion of Jamaica October - Nov, 1920
With the Inflexible out of the way, the Invasion of the Caribbean are now given the go ahead. The first target being the British Colony of Jamaica, which have the largest set of naval facilities in British control. With little force left to resist the invasion, the British fleet helplessly watched the massive Canadian force landed under the cover of 7 dreadnoughts. Canadian Dreadnought bombarding Jamaican coast as Canadian troop prepares to land. Navy Airship provided spotting for the naval gunneries firing in land. The Royal navy protected cruiser Phaeton made a failed night time raid in October to attack the supply transports, but were intercepted and sunk by the Aidrie Class Cruiser Chestmere.
Isolated, the garrison on Jamaica surrendered in November, Canada surprised the world by seizing large British colony mere months into the war, and the entire battle barely lasted longer than a month. It seems that the Canadian navy will very quickly seize the Caribbean if the Royal Navy does not act soon, but responding to the Caribbean without Jamaica means that any British force there had to operate out of the much smaller base in Trinidad and Bahamas. Early War Developments/ Construction Construction:
Calgary Class- Carrier Conversion
Despite their early success, Canadian navy are not so foolish as to be content with their current vessel of war. The long planned aircraft carrier conversion were finally approved with the battleship New Brunswick finally completed in October. While a Yukon-Class were initially considered as a possible candidate, the war situation does not allow for such a valuable, if dated, battlecruiser to be pulled out of active service. Thus, the venerable armored cruiser Calgary was chosen to hold the honor of being Canada's first Aircraft Carrier. The Viking Swordfish torpedo bomber also seen further development to improve its range and speed in preparation for carrier service. Chambly Class Destroyer The newly completed Oliver class was thought to be undergunned after seeing British destroyer in action near Jamaica, and so a new destroyer class, the Chambley were ordered in November to provide a balanced fleet destroyer. Camrose Class Light CruiserTo replace the loss of Canadian light Cruisers, two new Camrose Class Light cruiser, on a modified Lethbridge Class design, were also ordered. Huron Class Battle Cruiser
Laid down at the right before the war, the Huron seeks to remedy the earlier speed issue of the Haida class, and combine it with the fire power of a NB class battleship. Focus of Canadian Research as of 1920 are:Fire Control - British accuracy with their director firing system were noted during their actions against both Canadian and French vessel, and so priority were also given to update the Canadian fire control system. The new director system were ready by October, unfortunately a few days too late for them to be added to the New Brunswick. Turret and Gun mountings - Canada seeks to improve its current gun range further by developing a high elevation mounts for ship's main battery, and also a high angle mounting that can allow for better AA option beyond heavy machine guns, which will be necessary if the battlefield shifts to Europe. Light Forces - The loss of Canadian cruisers warrant the development of newer, modern design.
And that's a rather lengthy update , hopefully it proves to be a enjoyable read and not overly long and boring. All the class in construction minus the Huron has their model ready, as well as the newly completed Oliver class. I am curious whether I should perhaps post these all at once or wait for them to actually enter service and focus on the AAR for the time being? Please let me know what you think (Slightly busy tomorrow so the update probably have to wait till Wednesday anyways)
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Post by mycophobia on Aug 27, 2019 22:08:57 GMT -6
Oliver Class Torpedo Destroyer (1920)
Starting from the 1914-15, the US Navy and the Royal Navy begin building larger destroyers around 1,100 ton to provide more powerful ships with longer operational range. The other navy took sometime to adopt this idea. Canadian navy were especially reluctant because they continue to see destroyers as cheap, expendable unit to cover larger ships and launch torpedo attacks. However, with most nation beginning to adopt larger destroyer designs, Canada decided to give the new concept a test. While most destroyer of this time are around 1,100-1,200 tons, equipped with 4-6 torpedo tubes, 4-5 4/5 inch guns and a speed around 31 knots, the Canadian design will prove a radical departure from the international norm. The Oliver Class is massive for a destroyer of the time, at a unprecedented 1500 tons. Considerable amount of this weight goes to a overpowered engine delivering a very high speed of 33 knots. The ship also have good operational range, and can provide some anti-submarine cover for the fleet with a basic hydrophone and several depth charges. She also mounts several AA machine guns to protect against the rise of aerial threats. Oliver mounts three triple torpedo launcher for a total of 9 tubes, more than any other ship in the world. The design hope to further the torpedo warfare focus of Canadian destroyers, where a single Oliver class can deliver more torpedo than two older ships and a faster hull. The ship's main armament are also improved over the previous classes by using two 5inch guns previously seen on earlier Canadian protected cruisers. However, this armament is almost laughably inadequate for a ship this size, and was a cause for concern to many within the navy. Regardless, Oliver Class is more of a experimental design to test the concept of a dedicated torpedo destroyer. Only 6 were ordered, and the admiralty remain divided on the utility of the class. Thus, before the Oliver class even saw any combat action, a smaller, more balanced replacement design were already being developed. Comparison between Oliver Class and Saint-Constant, which represents essentially the opposite design philosophy of cheap and disposable torpedo attack craft verses a large craft carrying as many torpedo as able.
So some how I am able to squeeze in a small update. I pretty much realized that Oliver Class is probably a bad idea after I hit the end turn button, but that's what I get for playing at 2am. Still, it will be interesting to see how they fare in action.
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Post by mycophobia on Sept 2, 2019 1:17:00 GMT -6
1920 - 1921 Hopes of Victory
Following the fall of Jamaica, the Canadian navy now secured the control of the Caribbean, at least for the time being. In December 1920, Canadian forces begin to prepare an invasion of New Providence, but between raids of Royal Navy cruisers and poor weather, the invasion was severely delayed, and eventually put on halt in March. UK cruiser attacking Canadian convoy moving troop and supply in preparation of an invasion of New Providence. Several of these attack happened between December and March, the most serious one was saw the Lethbridge class cruiser Richmond heavily damaged, and 3 merchantman sunk, but the British cruiser were driven off.
Summer Offensive
With the Invasion of New Providence called off, Canadian capital ships were rotated back to home water for repair and rest. However, while the French were keeping the British busy in Europe, there is no telling how long this will last. Thus the First Battlecruiser Squadron (Haida/Athabaskan) and Second Battle Squadron(Manitoba/Saskatchewan/British Columbia) were sent in preparation to invade the second largest Royal Navy base in Trinidad. The new aircraft carrier Calgary's conversion also completed in July, and she were present to provide aerial support for the landing in Trinidad in August. Furthermore, the second NB class battleship, Prince Edward Island also entered service in July, and she was equipped with the latest director firing system that served the Royal Navy so well. The Royal Navy did not sit idle while Canada massed troop in the Antilles. With two of the Haida class battle cruisers present, sending cruisers to raid the Canadian convoy had became far too risky, and a large Convoy carrying reinforcement and troops were sent out before the Canadian fleet arrived in hopes of getting as much resources to Trinidad as possible before it is locked down by Canadian blockade. Fortunately for the Canadian Navy, the cruiser Richmond and Thunderbay were able to catch the convoy merely 3-4hour away from Port of Spain on July 18th, which were only escorted by two fast, 900 ton destroyers dispatched earlier from Port of Spain to meet them. Thunderbay engaging one of the British destroyer escort as she approached the massive convoy of 16 merchant ships. The Royal Navy destroyers made a valiant attempt to provide smoke and carrying out torpedo attacks, but against 2 light cruiser and 4 destroyers, they were hopelessly outmatched. One were quickly sunk while the other retreated to Port of Spain.
Left to fend for themselves, the British Merchantmen tried their best to disperse and escape, even attempting a ram on a Canadian destroyer that were narrowly avoided.
However, there are little that could be done in face of a organized attack by the Canadian fleet, and all 16 ships in the convoy were sunk by late afternoon. The loss on July 18th meant that the garrison in Trinidad had to make do with what little supply they had left, and the Canadian invasion begin unopposed in August.
Calgary finished her fitting out and arrived in the Caribbean theater in mid August, just in time to provide aerial support with her new Viking Swordfish C type torpedo bomber, which can now carry a 1300lb bomb for ground attack, and have a much faster speed (218km/h vs 174km/h before)
A British command post came under heavy shelling by the Canadian 2nd battle squadron's 12in gun and 1300lb bomb dropped by Canadian bombers. The combined aerial and naval fire support greatly sped up the Canadian invasion. Wrapping Up
The British troop in Trinidad were better entrenched, and Canadian troop fought until December to secure the Island. Even then, British troop continued to fight in several pockets of resistance, these would not be cleared until mid 1922. During this time, Royal Navy cruisers made several attempt to deliver supplies to the British force, and lead to several inconclusive cruiser engagements. Noting the need for even more cruisers given the frequency of cruiser engagements in the Caribbean, a newer Light Cruiser design, the Saint John Class were designed in September, with two ships planned as a further improvement over the Lethbridge and Camrose class. To provide even more distraction for the British force, two liners used in the Invasion of Trinidad were further converted into AMCs and sent to Europe to raid British shipping in conjunction with the French fleet. While no peace is in sight at the end of 1921, the Canadian force nonetheless made significant gains in the Caribbean theater. However, against a foe as powerful as the royal navy, any mistake could still prove fatal to the war effort despite the gains in 1921.
Apologies for the delay in update. I thought to provide a quick overview of the two years where things are rather uneventful(but going rather well for me) before introducing the new ships constructed in the meantime. Apologies for the lack of a detailed battle report, since most actions tend to be just "run into convoy, blow them up" or "stay around convoy, enemy backs off". But I can promise there will be some Juicy action coming up, since the Royal Navy is obviously not just gonna sit there and let me take over all their colonies, as much as I hope they do. As most action during this time, (as well as some rather important battles to come) are convoy actions, I thought I'd bulk up my FtD cargo ship options a bit. As a result, here we have a troopship, a collier and a general purpose freighter. I'd like to increase my variety but I don't want to get too distracted xD. I also aren't too knowledgeable with merchant vessels besides what the ID manual of Silent Hunter series taught me, so these are a bit of a experiment process for me as well, but it were quite fun in the end, so I might do a couple more in the future. (A tanker is definitely on the to do list, and maybe an attack transport and a DMC in the later years.)
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