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Post by MateDow on Apr 5, 2019 3:08:02 GMT -6
Its always nice when a plan comes together.
Good description.
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Post by cwemyss on Apr 5, 2019 7:52:49 GMT -6
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Post by Noname117 on Apr 5, 2019 22:28:49 GMT -6
Its always nice when a plan comes together. Good description. Thanks guys! It's really nice to have a ship you just completed immediately succeed at what it was designed to do. In December Steiermark and Karnten sank Lepanto as well in a night engagement, with the final blow being a torpedo from Steiermark. This ship has massively swayed the war against Italy, and it seems as if San Marco is delayed as well. The battlecruisers have gained superiority over the Italians probably for the remaining duration of the war. (Edit): Italy's government collapsed in February. The war is over. San Marco did complete and will now be an Austria-Hungarian ship. I'm using my points to take both Albania and Sardinia, Albania because I don't want Italy that close, and Sardinia because I want to have a greater operational reach over the Mediterranean. Steiermark was probably a big reason this victory came to be, and I still have to credit the ship with being one of my best designs so early in it's career because of it allowing this war to be a victory.
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Post by cabusha on Apr 7, 2019 13:12:19 GMT -6
Its always nice when a plan comes together. Good description. Thanks guys! It's really nice to have a ship you just completed immediately succeed at what it was designed to do. In December Steiermark and Karnten sank Lepanto as well in a night engagement, with the final blow being a torpedo from Steiermark. This ship has massively swayed the war against Italy, and it seems as if San Marco is delayed as well. The battlecruisers have gained superiority over the Italians probably for the remaining duration of the war. (Edit): Italy's government collapsed in February. The war is over. San Marco did complete and will now be an Austria-Hungarian ship. I'm using my points to take both Albania and Sardinia, Albania because I don't want Italy that close, and Sardinia because I want to have a greater operational reach over the Mediterranean. Steiermark was probably a big reason this victory came to be, and I still have to credit the ship with being one of my best designs so early in it's career because of it allowing this war to be a victory. Awesome job! I enjoyed the read, and it's really cool to see your thought process.
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Post by picard on Sept 5, 2019 4:55:11 GMT -6
As you can see, these two ships are responsible for some serious ass-kicking. Valens in particular accounted for at least two Italian dreadnoughts, I think, and maybe a couple of battlecruisers. These ships are inspired by British Nelson and French Dunkerque and Richelieu classes. As can be seen, I went armour > firepower > speed in terms of priorities. Number of turrets is minimized so that armoured protection can be concentrated as much as possible - two quadruple turrets placed front save weight in two main ways. First one is that you need two turrets, instead of three or four. This means that you have two armoured turrets, and also two turning mechanisms, two magazine feeds, two magazines... you get the idea. Second way they save weight is by shortening the armoured citadel - having additional turret or two aft would significantly increase the length of the citadel, and thus also the area covered by the citadel armour. And as everybody knows, belt and especially deck armour carry huge weight penalty. To save weight further, I also opted to skimp on secondary battery as well as conning tower armour. Overall, one can say that the design is a mix of US (low speed, heavy armour), British (unarmoured conning tower) and French (all-forward armament) practices. Now, I do not remember details, but I do remember that Valens cleaned clock with Italian and British ships when I fought those. In both cases, her adversary's bane were magazine penetrations - with her heavy armour, she could just wait out there, shrug off most of what came her way and pound the enemy battleships. And those 17'' guns sure pack a punch. In fact, I am not sure whether I ever lost one of those ships to enemy action, despite facing enemy battleships, destroyers and submarines. The only reason, I suspect, why they were not even more successful, is because the enemy tended to run away. Same goes for Macedonia, which has relatively low speed of 28 knots for a cruiser.
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Post by cabusha on Nov 11, 2019 20:50:39 GMT -6
I just completed a 1900 to 1950 run as Germany that was somewhat peculiar. (RTW2) As the 20s approached, Germany was ruling the seas with only GB and America the two fleets of rivaling power. Wars against France, Italy, and Russia had secured holdings across the Mediterranean and Africa, ensuring a strong presence across the globe. With the economy booming, it was decided to modernize the BB fleet as it was quite out of date. Four pre-dreadnaughts from the early 1900s were still in operation! And while two small, 20K BBs with a 8x12" armament in four turrets had just arrived from America, they weren't going to be nearly enough to face the monsters being built by neighboring states. Thankfully, these American ships gave us valuable insight into American ship building, and the Americans were even kind enough to share their B-Turret superfiring designs with us. Meanwhile, relations with Great Britain were quite positive, with Germany acting as a buffer state against Mediterranean aggression. Great Britain proposed a defensive alliance, even throwing in a design for their "obsolete" 14" Q0 armaments (they already had 16s). Local technology developments were rapid as well, with our engineers proposing 4+ centerline turrets. Intelligence reported that most neighboring states were building ships with 8 to 12 gun arrangements and a typical cruising speed of 22-23 knots. A design study was proposed for a 25 knot ship armed with 14" double turrets, in an A(B)+(V)WY configuration. A month before laying the keel, our engineers had a breakthrough in triple turret design - solving the jamming, traverse, and reloading issues they'd suffered for the last 10 years. The five turret design was quickly revised, W turret deleted, and the ship rescaled for the new triple 14s. This new design was the Hannover class BB, and would be the core of the fleet for the next 25 years. Three ships of the class were laid down, with Hannover herself launching in 1921, Wittelsbach in 1923, and Preussen in 1925. Their stout armor and respectable speed would keep them in service for decades, with numerous small refits as technologies improved keeping them relevant. By the 1930s, the German navy faced the prospect of war with an Italian Japanese alliance. Despite Germany's economic advantages, maneuvering by socialists in the government and the army had crippled the navy's budget. Ultimately, we could either build one new BB, or perform an extensive refit of the current line. With the threat of war looming, a massive refiting plan was implemented as it was hoped the ships could be finished before war broke out. The refits were extensive and expensive. All three ships would receive new machinery (increasing speed to 27 knots), torpedo bulges, a revised secondary armament, and even early 3" DP guns in the tertiary positions. Lastly, in an ironic twist of fate, the triple 14" turrets that had lead to the building of these ships would be removed and replaced with modern, 15", Q1 guns in double turrets. As feared, war did come, with these ships serving against the Italian/Japanese alliance, the later Russian/Japanese alliance, and lastly the 1949 war with Japan herself. All ships would serve with distinction and despite taking heavy damage from numerous gun and torpedo based attacks, no ships would be lost. Hannover (1949 final revision) pictured here. Hannover 1921 Full Hannover 1949 Full A successor to the class, the Brandenburg, would be completed in 1938. Armed with 16" guns and the newer AON armor scheme, she matched the older ship's 27 knot speed and served well alongside them. While a fine ship, no sister ships were completed as budget issues continued to plague the navy. She was the last dreadnought for the German Fleet.
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Post by cabusha on Nov 11, 2019 22:02:40 GMT -6
Continuing the story of the 1900 to 1950 RTW2 Germany run, I bring you the battle cruisers. For much of Germany's naval combat during the early 1900s, heavy cruisers served as the heavy scouts and interceptors of the fleet. The invention of the battle cruiser would effectively obsolete these ships by the 1910s, so obviously, a battle cruiser of their own was needed. However, Germany was plagued by poor gun quality and faced no chance of building a ship that could effectively compete with its neighbors. As a stop gap, a single 12" armed ship was ordered with six guns in three turrets. The design was ultimately considered quite poor, with neighbors already fielding ships with eight to ten gun broadsides and larger calibers. Germany was already building two dreadnoughts overseas in American yards, and it would be political suicide to have yet another foreign built ship. So, the battle cruiser program was quietly shelved, and the current heavy cruiser fleet redeployed overseas. While this plan did work to keep the heavy cruiser fleet intact, it put a strain on the high-seas battleship fleet. It had to face both the enemy battleship and battle cruiser lines, and lacking speed, had difficulty securing the kill on these faster ships. By the 1920s the battleship fleet was in desperate need for replacement, so the Hannover class of dreadnought would be built. This meant that, again, the battlecruiser problem was being ignored. In 1928, Germany faced a possible war with France. While the three Hannover class dreadnoughts were a match for their French equivalents, France had an extensive battle cruiser fleet of four ships. The Hannovers would be outnumbered and outmaneuvered unless Germany had a ship to answer. At last, it was time for a new battlecruiser. She would be called Moltke. Moltke (final 1948 refit pictured) Moltke at launch. Moltke's final refit. Moltke was revolutionary. She utilized the new All-Or-Nothing armor scheme, advanced bulbous hull design, and massive oil engines that combined to propel her to an unheard of 31knots. Armor wasn't compromised, with a 14" belt matching her dreadnought counterparts, while the 5.5 inch deck gave her superb protection in long range gunnery duels. Lastly, she mounted nine 16" guns in triple turrets with director firing control. While a large, expensive ship, she easily outclassed any battle cruiser found in the Mediterranean fleets. In truth, she was the first fast battleship the world had ever seen. Despite some delays, the Moltke would join the fleet in 1932, with a slightly revised sister ship, the Derfflinger, joining her in 1935. Both ships would be instrumental in smashing the Italian fleet during the 1934 to 1937 war, and served to harass and annoy the Japanese fleets in the decades to follow. Much like their cousins the Hannover class, both ships would serve for decades, with true rivals not being built until the late 1940s. The closest the Molte came to disaster was in the final war with Japan. The Moltke herself stumbled into the Japanese battleship fleet at under 8000 yards, the enemy fleet disguised by heavy rain. 14 and 15" shells smashed into the ship, with her captain ordering an immediate turn south east to run and radio'd for assistance. The bow was wrecked, with water filling compartments and slowing the ship to 27 knots. This was thankfully just enough to maintain distance on the pursuing Japanese ships. Meanwhile, the German high fleet heard the distress call and burned full ahead east, meaning they were having to chase this engagement. Moltke slowly brought her course south, then southwest, slowly luring the pursuing ships towards the German fleet. Now that surprise had worn off, her own guns answered the Japanese and began scoring hits, slowing their pursuit. Careful maneuvering and planning on the captain's part finally allowed Moltke to rejoin the fleet, and together with her older dreadnought peers, they smashed the Japanese vessels. Moltke would take a total of 14 heavy hits during the engagement, surviving with ~30% damage. Truly a remarkable ship. Much like the older Hannover class, the Moltke and her sister would see continuous use into the 50s. Limited budgets meant attempts to build a follow up class or expand the current were always canceled or never progressed beyond the drafting stage. At last in 1945, a new battle cruiser was laid down, and because of budget constraints, would arrive late in 1949, the Von Der Tann. Again revolutionary, the ship utilized an all-foward armament of 17" rifles in three tripple turrets. Despite the heavier guns, she was a lighter ships than her predecessor by ~5000 tons, while matching the older class's speed and armor. It was hoped this new ship would be more cost effective to maintain than the older ships, but ultimately, it was a wash. Further, the last war with Japan had shown the power of air craft, with air attacks sending the surface fleet to port more times than enemy gun fire. The Von Der Tann would ultimately arrive too late to see conflict, the merits of the design untested, and a good number of admirals calling it a "mistake". Going forward, no big-gun capital ships are planned, with any future vessels likely large carriers.
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Post by distortedhumor on Mar 15, 2020 23:11:39 GMT -6
Playing a Game as Austria-Hungarian empire, and ended up in a slog of a war with france, 52 months. Its been a while since I played, and a lot was the auto-generated legacy ships, as the war started in 1904, and dragged all the way into 1908. At first it seemed promising, but it soon became clear. The French Battleships, with 12 inch shells could pound my 10 inch battleships to death. Their CAs and CLs just had better aim in all my fights. Two big battles went poorly, I lost two Bs in a convoy attack, and in a bit fracas I lost a B and a few CAs and CLs with nothing to show for it, painful defeats that rocked the empire. The saving grace was my destroyers, who were able to whip out a few convoys without losses by running in, doing the attack, and running away. But there was a little ship that could. The Novara class was a set of three cheap, small light cruiser that was a experiment, no more, and the rest of the CLs were a larger, more traditional design. And I sent it on it duty, which was to raid. And the merchant ships kept ending on the bottom as the Novara became the terror of the med. Soon due to it success and the cold hard realization that my fleet was outclassed by the French fleet made me after about 20 months of war to go for raiding, soon more Novara classes were built, and the AMCs were being sent down the gangway. Soon I had the french stretched out as they hunted down my raiders. In the end, of the five, one was sunk in a duel with a CL, 2 ended up interned, and the rest where along with the AMCs the ships that starved france to get a honest peace. Now I have to decide on what to do with my haphazard fleet, but of it is obsolete, and I have to decide if I want to try to upgrade a few, or scrap it all, perhaps with the concept of building up forces of raiders to starve out anyone who dares attack me. But needles to say, for a inexpensive ship built in 1900, this simple ship is the hero ship. Attachments:
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