Light Forces and Torpedo Warfare - new techs

[wlbjork]

Couple of new techs that I think would fit into the "Light Forces and Torpedo Warfare" family:


Sloops - date circa 1930s - developing this technology allows KEs to be designed and built with superfiring (B and X) guns, as well as the equipment of double turrets.

Explanation: By WW2 small, slow warships (classed as KE in-game) were receiving increased armaments to improve their capabilities in the escort role. "Black Swan" class sloops mounted 3*2 4" guns, "Egret" class sloops mounted 4*2 4" guns, "Bittern" and "Stork" both mounted 3*2 4" guns and "Bay" class frigates mounted 2*2 4" guns. I think that this should become available to all nations for players to experiment with as they see fit.


Fast Frigate Hull form - date circa 1950 - a late technology that removes the speed limit on KEs

Explanation: The British Type 12 "Whitby" class frigate of 1956, the first new post war escort design of that nation, used a hull-form closer to a DD, allowing them to reach speeds of 30kn, allowing them to provide better fleet support. To be fair, this tech is positioned right on the edge of the end of the research period, so I would fully understand were it to be not included.

[seawolf]

I would suggest that Fast Frigates actually be available earlier, given that some German pre-WWII Frigates(Laid down in 1934), could make 28 knots
old-navypedia.org/ships/germany/ger_esc_f.htm

[wlbjork]

I would ague against, as I note:

In service conditions these ships, or "F-boats", have shown full discordance to requirements shown to them. Because of the unsuccessful hull form they had seaworthiness not maintaining to any criticism, and uneconomical and unreliable power plants could not ensure sufficient endurance.

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Compare this to the design of the Type 12:

Critical to the design of the Type 12 was the capability to steam for long periods of time in heavy seas, economically and at high speed. For this reason a novel hull form was devised, which, despite its appearance, was totally unrelated to that of the earlier Type 41 / Type 61 design. The hull showed the fine lines more typical of a destroyer, but had a raised forecastle with considerable flare. The forecastle deck was level to maintain maximum freeboard aft of the stem where it is most likely that waves will break across the deck. These two features meant that the hull not only cut through the water, but that spray was thrown upwards and outwards, away from the bridge and gun turret. This was especially important in high latitudes where war experience had shown that spray could cause rapid and undesirable ice build-up on the forecastle.