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Post by janxol on Jan 20, 2021 15:57:53 GMT -6
All is fair in war and peace
"... and in any case, I'm an officer. Even having good relations with the crew, they will never tell me everything, unless they are absolutely supposed to. So it is not out of the question that satanic rituals are being performed in the machinery spaces to appease the god of marine steam engines.", said Mikhail, chuckling. He moved his right hand, slightly adjusting the rudder of the boat. The water was "calm", but even waves this small were enough to rock the tiny seven-meter long sailing boat that he was in. As Mikhail put the tiller under his arm to keep it steady, he glanced at the sail before again focusing on Katya. His sister, wearing a blindingly bright yellow dress, was sitting below the boat's mast, legs swung overboard and dipped into the water. She was clearly pleased with Mikhail, almost as much as he was pleased with himself, for keeping his word and not only letting her visit but also arranging this little sailing excursion into St. Petersburg harbor. Of course being unable to bring her aboard an actual ship, renting this tiny boat was the only logical option and luckily Mikhail knew how to sail and the craft itself was small enough to not require additional crew. "Aren't we getting a bit too close to the military harbor?", asked Katya, pointing towards Krondstadt. "No, we're still in the area allowed for general traffic. Don't worry. I just wanted to check if you can actually see Avrora from here." "They wouldn't shoot at us, would they? "No. Besides, this boat is seven meters long. There is no chance whatsoever they would be able to hit us!", Mikhail half-chuckled, half-grimaced. "I am still waiting for that promised demonstration of perfect balance while walking on the deck, by the way." "Well, I'm not sure if I should give you one. Maybe next time. I'm afraid there will have to be a next time in this case.", she smiled. "Oh. How shrewd." "That boat is coming towards us", noted Katya, pointing at a steam cutter, which was indeed approaching them from the direction of St. Petersburg. Mikhail immediately thought that it's moving towards Krondstadt, so he turned the boat, aiming to get out of the way. The cutter turned, however, heading towards them again. Still pretty sure that restricted waters weren't violated, Mikhail waited patiently only to hear a familiar voice once the cutter approached. "Mikhail! I see you were given your first command! You even have a crew member." Mikhail turned towards the cutter, which was now pulling alongside them and slowing down, though not stopping. "Hello Dmitri. Well you still haven't promoted me, I had to take matters into my own hands!", he chuckled. "This is my sister Katya. Katya, this is kontr-admiral Dmitri Vedernikov... By the way, I thought you were away, Dmitri. What brings you to Krondstadt so soon?" Dmitri gave a quick glance at Katya before again focusing his eyes on Mikhail. "You know what. And it's not a discussion for open waters. We'll talk later, I have to speak to the general-admiral.", he said. As the cutter continued on its way, Katya waited until it moved out of voice range before turning to Mikhail.
"It's about the Netherlands situation, isn't it?", she asked. "Dammit, Katya. You are supposed to behave like you are NOT a spy." "The war might really happen...", she said. "Sooner than some would hope...", murmured Mikhail. The ship is yours... Remember me... As Avrora was entering the harbor of Libau, Mikhail was standing on the ruined bridge, looking out over the water. Thoughts were swirling in his head, his mind still coming to grasp with recent events. "Mikhail! I see she's slightly lower in the water than she used to!", he heard the voice of Dmitri. "Tell Zavragin to meet me in my office in two hours." Mikhail looked towards a small steam cutter passing by Avrora and carrying kontr-admiral Vedernikov towards the shore. He couldn't bring himself to respond. Dmitri didn't yet know that Zavragin didn't return from the mission. As wounded Avrora docked at the pier, Mikhail forced himself to focus. He had orders to give, both those that he gave each time and those that were always given by Zavragin. He was the acting captain, he slipped into the role as per chain of command and it still felt alien to him. And yet it also didn't. Through Zavragin's command Mikhail became prepared for the burden of being the senior officer, but he wished circumstances were different... He gave commands to the crew, he spoke with the harbor master and engineers to get going with repairs, and to the best of his ability he wrote down a report on the mission events. And after two hours, which felt like mere minutes, he entered the building in which the senior command took residence. "Name, rank, ship and business?", asked the petty officer working behind desk situated in front of the entrance. "Commander Mikhail Koshkin, acting captain of Avrora. Kontr-admiral Vedernikov is expecting me.", he said calmly. The man behind the desk looked at him, his expression changed upon hearing the words "acting captain". He understood, but said nothing. Nothing was to be said, they were both soldiers, no strangers to realities of war. Mikhail approached Dmitri's office and knocked on the door. "Come in!" Pushing the door open and entering the room Mikhail immediately spotted that Dmitri was not the only person inside. Admiral Yevtushenkov was also present, reading some documents laid out on the table. Now both him and Dmitri turned towards Mikhail, who could see a hint of confusion in Dmitri's face, confusion about absence of Zavragin. And then he saw that he connected the dots, and this slight movement of kontr-admiral's eyebrows suddenly caused Mikhail to suddenly realize something. Something he already knew very well, yet it felt somewhat disconnected until now - Zavragin was gone. "Kontr-admiral Vedernikov. Admiral Yevtushenkov.", he saluted, not allowing any unwanted emotions to shine through into his voice. "Captain Zavragin has unfortunately... Perished in the line of duty. As senior officer aboard Avrora I have come to make my report in his stead." Silence. A slight shadow of worry passing through Dmitri's face, as he gave a gentle nod. Yevtushenkov's expression barely changed, yet it was clear that there was no indifference, only seriousness. "A shame.", said Yevtushenkov, seeing that neither Dmitri nor Mikhail were speaking up. "You will need to bring in a new captain for Avrora, kontr-admiral." Of course. In a typical Yevtushenkov fashion, he managed to make a personal remark as impersonal as it could get - indirect, yet clearly indicating that Mikhail is unfit to take over. Mikhail didn't respond. It wasn't his place to disagree, he wasn't even sure if he did disagree. Ultimately it was Dmitri's decision, as despite being outranked, he was the commander of the cruiser force Avrora belonged to. "I may or may not. I will judge from commander's report.", responded Dmitri. He kept looking Mikhail in the eye as he extended his arm to accept the pages that Mikhail had brought, pages describing Avrora's most recent journey and everything that went wrong. "Perhaps we should discuss it in private.", said Yevtushenkov. "If we must...", Dmitri raised his eyebrows, glancing at the admiral. "Commander, excuse us for a few moments." Mikhail saluted, turned on his heel and exited the room. Minutes passed as he waited in the hallway. Minutes of silence as Mikhail's mind lashed out of his control. Thoughts drifting away, towards dark memories, memories so recent. The ship is yours... Remember me... On the ship Mikhail had focus, purpose. It kept him from dwelling on things that cannot be changed. Pointless thoughts were now swarming around him. Irrational and pointless. But he forced himself to focus, focus on the ship, on the present. And the thoughts were gone, for now. "Commander?", he heard Dmitri's voice, summoning him back into the office. And so Mikhail went back in. He glanced at Yevtushenkov, who looked displeased even more than usual. As soon as Mikhail entered the room, Yevtushenkov bid farewell to Dmitri and left, refusing to even acknowledge Mikhail's presence. "Commander, is the mission report accurate?", asked Dmitri. "Yes, sir." "Then I am once again impressed with your results. You managed to evade the enemy and save the ship, with all odds stacked against you...", he paused for a second, as if expecting a response, before continuing. "Having reviewed your report I am granting you a field promotion to the rank of captain. You will assume command of the protected cruiser Avrora. We both wish circumstances would be different, but congratulations." "Thank you, sir.", said Mikhail, unable to quite figure out the nature of the feeling within him. It wasn't joy. "The ship requires repairs and crew needs replenishment. Do you require an officer to be transferred to your vessel to assume your former responsibilities, or can you recommend a member of your crew?" "Lieutenant-commander Krasnov has a good working relationship with the crew and myself. I would recommend him for the position.", said Mikhail after a short while. "Understood. Now that's out of the way... Are you alright, Mikhail?", asked Dmitri. "I'll be fine, Dmitri. I'll be fine..." 12:00, June 4th, 1903, Port Arthur, General-admiral's office Mikhail took a deep breath, idly shuffling the deck of tarot cards in his hands. His eyes drifted towards the locket with Katya's picture that was laying before him on the desk, before shifting towards his personal revolver and the lone bullet that was standing next to it. Very slowly, Mikhail brought his shuffling to a halt and put down the deck, his eyes fixed on the bullet. It's mockery, that he had been ignoring for some time now was finally getting through to him. His time ended. His focus was no longer needed in this war. And without focus, his mind wandered. Hearing a knock on the door, Mikhail took the bullet and put it in his pocket, before straightening his back and looking towards the entrance. "Come in.", he said calmly. In came Dmitri, carrying a neatly folded sheet of paper. "Hello, Dmitri. You wanted to see me?" "Indeed. With the war basically over, I have allowed myself to pursue certain... Secondary goals... Thinking about the future. As it happens, one of the engineers responsible for the design of the new Project 153 battleships, the very ones we had no opportunity of evaluating before they were laid down.", started Dmitri. "I hear they are referred to as Imperator Aleksandr III-class these days. And I admit it is quite amusing that I still have no idea what they actually are.", chuckled Mikhail. "I suppose so. The engineer told me about one particular design characteristic that interested me immediately. The 250mm guns of the battleship's intermediate battery are mounted in twin turrets..." "Twin turrets? Where on earth did they manage to put them?" "Exactly. Speaking more with said engineer I have learned that the Engineering Comitee have finally figured out a way around many of the stability and structural issues related to placing barbettes off-centerline, which means that these weapons could mounted in wing turrets. A ship with wide enough beam could carry armament in tetragonal or hexagonal turret arrangement, and with that in mind, I have designed a ship.", Dmitri held up the folded sheet of paper. Mikhail's eyebrows went up. "I am terrified of the very concept. I think I know you well enough to presume it's an armored cruiser?" "Correct." "Is it as large as the Bayan?" "Well... Quite possibly. Maybe larger, depending on the actual beam required to safely fit the wing turrets on it." "I feel like I might not like and answer to my next question. Is it more expensive than the Bayan?" "I do not know, but actually, considering the technological advancements since the Bayans were built, she might actually be cheaper. And anyway, the price may be justified..." Dmitri unfolded the paper and laid it out in front of Mikhail. "Is that... Is that ten main guns?", said slowly Mikhail, looking closely at the sketch before him. "Will it even float?" "These are still preliminary ideas. I did calculations, of course, but these would still need to be verified and developed by actual naval engineers. I think that depending on size and needed beam the ship could have between eight and twelve primary battery guns. Following the logic of intermediate battleship battery which is of the same caliber as armored cruiser main guns, and seeing a clear improvement in accuracy since installation of the new rangefinders, I'd say that vessel could have even double the broadside firepower of a conventional cruiser." Mikhail gave it a few nods, somewhat amused by Dmitri's enthusiasm. "I'll give you a chance to convince me, that's for sure.", he said. "Get an engineer to verify the numbers and give me a cost estimate. I will evaluate the preliminary designs once they're ready. I can promise nothing more." Dmitri nodded. "On another note, how long do you think until the war ends?", asked Dmitri. "Not long. They can't fight us, they can't run from us... Yesterday we sunk their last large cruiser. They are an island nation slowly starving to death, the Emperor will give in or his people will make him.", said Mikhail. "Somehow you don't sound very happy, despite our closing victory." "Victory I will gladly take. It's the peace that follows that worries me." On 18th of June Japan finally capitulated. A peace treaty was signed in Yokosuka aboard battleship Dvenadtsat Apostolov, conditions of which Mikhail was not entirely happy with. Russia was of course the victor, gaining a lot in the treaty. Despite Mikhail's advice a choice was made to annex the island of Formosa, and while it did offer the navy a base in the South-East Asia, it was also another territory that needed to be secured and that could prove problematic. As the Baltic Fleet made preparations to depart for Europe, Mikhail arranged ships to carry engineers and personnel to evaluate and develop newly-acquired naval infrastructure on Formosa. Matters of security of the area were added to duties of the Pacific Squadron, and while Koshkin and Yablokov had a long talk about expanding the Squadron to have enough ships to actually have a presence in all areas that need it, for now Andrei will need to make due. With that, protected cruisers Svetlana and Vesta were dispatched to Formosa. Mikhail was beginning to think that the navy - and the Pacific Squadron in particular - required small coastal vessels to patrol and secure its colonial areas, especially if Tsar's expansionist ambition was as large as he made it seem. Finally, Mikhail had to accept that everyone likes to celebrate peace. And clearly people in power found no better way to do so than immediately cutting all of navy's wartime funding. It was to be expected, and the navy had some reserves stored up to finish construction of most of the vessels in the shipyards. Regardless, Mikhail had to make haste to St. Petersburg to prevent the officials from completely draining the navy's coffers. As speed was of the essence, it was decided that he'll take the train rather than move with the fleet. Admittedly he felt a bit weird boarding the train, knowing that his navy out there had a long way to go without him. And he felt even weirder when his hand found a bullet in his pocket. After the war, finally came peace. And yet now, more than ever before Mikhail felt... Fear?
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Post by janxol on Feb 6, 2021 3:26:56 GMT -6
All is fair in war and peace - part 2
11:00, July 23rd, 1903, St. Petersburg, Admiralty building "General-admiral, do you have a minute?", asked Artem, catching up with Mikhail in the corridor. Mikhail raised an eyebrow, but didn't slow down, forcing the lieutenant-colonel to match his stride. "Greetings, lieutenant-colonel Sapalyov. I am currently on my way to bully the minister into giving the money back to the navy. A matter that cannot wait, I'm afraid, so unless your business with me is really urgent it will have to wait.", he responded. "I understand, general-admiral. I wished to discuss the new ship designs, particularly kontr-admiral Vedernikov's armored cruiser, a matter that can wait. If I may ask, what if you can't... Bully... The minister? We both know the navy's funds are being..." "Strained, yes. Well if it doesn't work I fear I will have to bully a foreign navy instead. Then they will bully the minister for me. Circle of life, I suppose.", said Mikhail. "Meet me in my office tomorrow morning and we can discuss Dmitri's contraption and other matters."
11:00, July 24th, 1903, St. Petersburg, General-admiral's office Mikhail took a sip of his tea, in vain hope that it will help to alleviate his annoyance. He looked at Artem, sitting on the opposite side of his desk and forced himself to smile. "Speak up, Artem Ivanovitch. Do not let my bad mood to stop you.", he said. "Of course, general-admiral. I, uhm... I suppose you were not successful in convincing the minister to reduce the budget cut?" "Indeed I was not. So I've been sitting here, looking at the financial calculations and double-checking everything, even though I know people skilled in finances were already over this. The navy should have enough money in the coffers to finish construction of ships in the dockyards. With some skillful management we should be fine until one international event or another forces the government to give back our funding. Luckily our losses were minimal, which means no replenishment program is necessary." "Budget will indeed be a problem for the nearest future.", agreed Artem. "I wanted to talk to you primarily about kontr-admiral Vedernikov's design, which may very well be last large ship we'll be laying down in the short term, and that is - of course - should you decide we can afford it and that it should be built." "I will decide when I see the plans and when I re-calculate our expenses for the sixth time. What do you have to say about it?" Artem reached for a document case he had brought with him and promptly laid out some technical schematics on the desk. "For one, it can indeed be built. Needing enough beam to fit the wing turrets and ensure structural integrity and stability we've calculated minimal and recommended dimensions of the hull and continued from there. At current design stage, I estimate the ship to be about 16 000 tons. Interestingly, with machinery components available to us, it should match or outmatch the speed of the Bayan, and the cost of the vessel should still be less. One thing I wanted to discuss is fire control. We - and our friends in America - have independently come up with an idea for controlling main battery guns from a centralized fire control station. We expect this central firing to allow for improved accuracy, reduced interference between the guns and faster response time. With this design having more than four main guns, it seems to me that installing central firing would be of great benefit. Additionally, I recommend thinking about installing central firing during future refits of existing ships, should it be possible, as well as making slight adjustments to the ships currently in dockyards to allow for making use of this new technology." Mikhail smiled. "You had me at "improved accuracy". Do it, by all means. As for the cruiser design, get me a full design and cost estimates, and then I will tell you if we're building it. You might be right that it is the last large warship to be laid down for the foreseeable future, especially if the ministry is going to bankrupt us.", he said. "In any case, we need small ships. We have Formosa to worry about and Pacific Squadron doesn't have that many ships. It's enough of a force, but they can't patrol our waters from Kamchatka to Formosa. We need smaller vessels, minesweepers and gunboats, something to free the cruisers from patrol duties. I can't be sure when we can lay them down, but we will need design work to begin as soon as possible." "Yes, general-admiral. One more thing, regarding the submersible torpedo boats we've been testing. The results were promising, in a way. The vessels themselves are severely flawed, but they did gave us ideas for an improved version we could produce. If you can spare the time, I invite you to visit the testing grounds. We've built a walled-off basin in which we were doing the testing, and I imagine the facility can be useful, should we choose to pursue this type of craft."
13:30, July 29th, St. Petersburg, Submersible test basin Mikhail walked around the four small vessels lying on the shore. They didn't look much like boats, but they did remind him of seals, basking on the beach. "How large are they exactly?", he asked. "About 100 tons of displacement when surfaced.", responded Artem. "Tiny indeed. And you have tested them in the basin exclusively?" "No, general-admiral. That was the plan, but after initial tests captain Golubov insisted to take one of the vessels into open waters to make sure it behaves well in the waves." "Exactly what I was going to ask. How does a vessel so small behave in the waves then? I expect it has no freeboard with the deck constantly awash." "Captain Golubov described the vessel as seaworthy, but noted many flaws in its design and operation. In fact his involvement proved invaluable for our work of improving upon these in our own design work." "Who is this captain Golubov? Is he on site?", asked Mikhail. "Yes, general-admiral. In fact, I believe that's him approaching right now." Mikhail turned in the direction indicated by Artem to see the man in question emerge from behind furthest submersible. As he approached, Mikhail noted that he was about his own age, and he also noted that he was wearing a weather coat over his uniform. Having keen eyes, he also noted that the captain was limping. "General-admiral. Captain Fyodor Olegovitch Golubov.", he introduced himself, saluting. "At ease. As I doubt you can read minds, I reckon you wished to speak to me independently from me wishing to speak to you. As I take it, you have taken an important role during the tests of these vessels?", asked Mikhail. "Yes, sir." "What is your station?" "My position is a desk job at the headquarters. Strategic and tactical analysis, usually with regards to commerce raiding. As such, I have naturally taken an interest in these submersibles. And after what I have seen, I am inclined to believe that this type of vessel is the future of commerce raiding.", said Golubov. "That's quite an endorsement. In what way would you expect these to be better than cruisers?", asked Mikhail. "While these submarines will be unable to fulfill most of the cruiser's duties, I do believe they will make superior raiders. Their stealth is their primary advantage, they can sneak up and strike targets without being detected. Their small size and ability to navigate underwater will allow them to evade escorts and pursuit. At the same time, they are substantially cheaper to build and maintain than cruisers. Additionally, fighting an enemy one cannot see has a psychological effect, the mere idea of submarine presence in an area will make an enemy nervous." "What about all the flaws you've been finding in them during this testing?" "Respectfully, sir, new technologies are most often flawed in the beginning. Yes, the boats have much to improve upon and we - as well as other nations who pursue this new type of vessel - will improve upon them. It is only a matter of time. Range, for example. While these small boats are rather short ranged, I am sure the boats will soon get bigger, with better range, more weapons and improved underwater capabilities.", said calmly Golubov. "Americans were also experimenting with these. They lost three submarines in testing due to reliability issues.", noted Mikhail. "We had no such incidents, though we could see how they could happen and did our best to avoid them. I cannot claim they are perfectly safe for the crew. The technology is in its infancy and then again, no warship is perfectly safe. At the same time, I have personally been aboard the submarines during many of the tests and despite several malfunctions we've had no unpleasant incidents." "Are those malfunctions why you're limping?" Golubov grimaced very slightly. "No, general-admiral.", he said. "It's a result of an injury I suffered in the past, and the reason I no longer serve aboard warships." Mikhail looked at him for a second, then nodded. "You say they are the future of commerce raiding. How much would you bet on that?", he asked. "I have full confidence in it, general-admiral." "Very well. You'll be getting promoted to kontr-admiral and taking command of the submarine flotilla that will be formed in the following months. I will expect regular updates on your progress and issues you encounter." Golubov was visibly shocked, but not really distraught by this turn of events. "Understood, sir. Thank you, sir", he said, saluting. "If these boats are the future as you say, other navies will realize this as well. Which means we need not only means and tactics to attack from below, but also to defend agaisnt them...", mused Mikhail. For some reason he now recalled a dream he had a long time ago, on the very day he was promoted to general-admiral. A dream he told Dmitri about. I saw ships hiding beneath the waves, holding a power to destroy nations. And then he was overcome with the second portion of that very dream, one he would rather forget about. I heard my mother's plea for help.
In August of 1903 Mikhail focused himself on trying to save the navy's budget. He went over every book and every ship, making some sort of plan to cut costs when the navy finally gets back to Europe. Around the same time there has been major upheaval in Angola and while gaining commitments in Africa was undoubtedly a bad idea in the present time, Mikhail decided to act, knowing that the Baltic Fleet would likely be passing through the area at the time. Unfortunately the Americans acted faster, clearly anticipating Angolian issues and ready to act in a heartbeat. Unfortunately Mikhail couldn't use this fact as leverage to lobby once more for increased funding, but it did gain him criticism from the navy league, which he promptly ignored. In September the navy laid down an armored cruiser to the finished design to Dmitri's brain-child. Approved by Koshkin, she was to be the sole member of her class and likely the last large warship to be laid down in the near future.
It was also at that time that foreign intelligence finally picked up that something isn't quite right with new Russian ships. The navy has ordered a ridiculous number of 250mm guns which in no way corresponded to the number of constructed armored cruisers or coastal batteries. This, in conjunction with the battleship hulls being quite advanced in their construction, meant that the nature of new Russian battleships and their intermediate battery was finally revealed. This, in turn, sparked international debate among naval analysts and tacticians. While the concept of intermediate battery was nothing new at this point, it was purely theoretical and - at least according to Russian intelligence - no other navy chose to actually build a ship that had one so far. If successful, these ships would make a step forward in battleship evolution and immediately everyone began theorizing as to its direction. This step could very well lead to yet another leap, a ship that would take the principle to its extreme and be built with an all-big-gun armament. While it is impossible to trace the origin of the name through the discussion, such a theoretical battleship would come to be called a "dreadnought"...
Well, the budget is gone.
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Post by janxol on Feb 17, 2021 15:53:09 GMT -6
Chapter II: Dread not
In terms of budget - we have no budget
As Mikhail took the final report from the first officer, he slowly headed down the stairs leading from Avrora's bridge to the main deck. Looking around, he could see her sister ships moored at the pier, all flying celebratory colors, with crew in dress uniforms, as was Avrora. Victory, they called it. Victory it was, but Mikhail was reluctant to celebrate. As he came ashore, he took one good look at the ship, at the crew finishing their work and eager to come ashore for a well-deserved rest, alcohol, celebration and more alcohol. "Captain Koshkin.", he heard a voice behind him. "Kontr-admiral Vedernikov.", he responded, turning towards its source. "I trust you didn't scratch the paint when docking?", asked Dmitri, standing beside Mikhail and looking at Avrora. "No, for the most part we require enemy assistance to accomplish such things. Any damage you see is left over from the war. I'm sure we can get it fixed before the next one starts.", said Mikhail. "I feel like that can take a while. Your crew won't be able to walk straight for a couple days now, with the celebrations that are planned." "They deserve a little celebration. The war's over and they were forced to be sober for far too long." "What about you?" "I appreciate people's thirst for alcohol, but I am not a fan myself. It dulls the mind and I prefer to have mine un-dulled.", said Mikhail. "That's not exactly what I meant, but...", Dmitri smiled slightly. At this moment they were both approached by a young soldier, likely one of the pier guards. "Commander Koshkin?", he asked. "Captain, but yes.", responded Mikhail, somewhat puzzled. "Apologies, captain. I was ordered to deliver this to your hands at earliest opportunity.", said the soldier, handing him a sealed envelope before turning away and taking his leave. Mikhail looked at the envelope, turning it multiple times between his fingers before finally breaking the seal to get to the letter inside. As he was reading, not much has changed in his expression. And yet Dmitri could tell that a lot has changed. "I'm afraid I cannot stay to enjoy the celebrations.", said Mikhail after a few short moments. "I must return home."
Mikhail was sitting in an armchair in the faintly-lit living room, his gaze fixed in the distance, yet not looking at anything in particular. Very slowly he took a sip from a glass of whiskey he held in his hand, before turning his gaze to his sister. Katya was in the other armchair, not quite alongside him and not quite facing him. And not quite sitting either, as she was more of lying, curled up like a cat, with knees beneath her chin, barely visible due to her pitch-black dress and darkness in the room. "I didn't know what to do.", she said. "She just... She just collapsed. I didn't know how to help her." For a short moment there was silence. "You did nothing wrong, Katya. Do not blame yourself.", said Mikhail finally. "One moment everything was fine and the next..." "Laws of nature are far more merciless than laws of man and far harder to avoid. There was nothing more you could do." "I feel like I should've seen it. I feel like..." "No, Katya. There was nothing else you could have done. Nothing you should have seen. There was no warning you missed.", he interrupted her. "I spoke to the doctor. Others already told you that, but if you didn't listen to them, hear it once more from me... A blood vessel ruptured in her brain. There was no warning, nothing to indicate a problem, you didn't miss anything. And when it happened, there was nothing more you could've done to help. Not even a surgeon, if he were standing right there with you could have done anything more. You didn't do anything wrong. Nobody can blame you for what happened. Most importantly you cannot blame yourself for what happened. It happened. It was beyond our control, beyond our ability to fix." Silence. Indeed nothing could be done. Not by Katya, not by him. What he said was true. What he said was logical. But why would he feel... Guilt? He was out there, fighting a war, doing his duty. And even if he were here, it would have changed nothing. So why did he feel guilt? "What happens now?", asked Katya. Mikhail took another sip of alcohol. He was terrified of even beginning to think what happens now. Just like that, he found himself the head of the family. As the only male heir, he inherited almost everything with accordance with his mother's will. The will did demand that he must provide for Katya until she becomes married, but that demand was entirely redundant. He needed no will or demand to know to take care of her. But all this... Command of the ship was one thing, this was completely another. "You're an adult, Katya. I must treat you as such, even if you don't always behave like one. I will not always be here, but I trust you to be responsible, to take care of yourself and the house in my absence.", he said. "Will you yell at me for refusing to "dress properly" as well?", she asked, allowing herself a slight smile. "No. I fear I don't have that kind of power.", he said. "I'd tell you to do what you want, but that can only end badly. So behave." As much as he wanted to say not much will change, it wouldn't have been true. Their mother, Milda Koshkin, was dead. Everything has changed and will never be the same.
Admiral Koshkin jolted up from his bed, inhaling sharply. Why was his logic failing him? Why did he feel guilt, if he had done the logical thing? Why did he feel sorrow, if the war he fought was won...?
13:30, October 2nd, 1903, St. Petersburg As Bayan was finally secured to the pier and Dmitri fulfilled all of his duties aboard, he was finally able to come ashore. After long journey, the Baltic Fleet finally returned home. Well, most of it at least, discounting a lost destroyer, as well as armored cruisers Pamyat Azova and Gromoboi, which were assigned to the Pacific Squadron after the war ended. Dmitri glanced around, at the ships and their crews, happy to finally have returned and happy for the victory they have achieved. Somewhere in the distance he could hear the tones produced by a military orchestra playing on one of the piers and there were also multiple civilians in sight, allowed to come to the piers to greet the brave sailors returning from war. As the admiral moved alongside the pier, he spotted Mikhail standing by a small craft, looking to be a shiny new admiral's barge. "I trust you didn't scratch the paint?", shouted Mikhail as Dmitri approached him. "I hope you saved enough treasury to repaint the ships.", responded Dmitri, chuckling. "I wouldn't have high hopes. Situation is what it is. Although some might tell you it's actually even worse, don't listen to them. I have made very careful calculations, and we will indeed not go into the red. We should have exactly 163 rubles left by the time the monthly change becomes positive." "163 thousand?" "No, 163 rubles.", reiterated Mikhail. "Oh, good. What about the possibility of, ehm... Random fluctuations?" "You better hope there aren't any. It will be you prototype cruiser getting the axe if necessary.", said Mikhail. "I see you've finally commissioned your personal admiral's barge as well. I suppose you didn't dip it in gold purely due to financial situation and... Wait. WHAT did you call it?" Dmitri leaned over the edge of the pier to better see the writing on the barge's bow. Paralizuyushchaya depressiya. Of course.
As all navies were gradually implementing central firing onto their ships, plans to do the same were made in the Russian navy, in whatever manner the budget allowed. Arrangements and design alterations were made so that all Russian ships currently under construction would be completed with central firing installed. The refits of remaining ships would need to wait for opportune financial moment and be gradual, regardless plans were in the making. Before the end of October counterintelligence caught a Japanese spy, which was very unfortunate for Japan, seeing how they very recently signed a peace treaty and already had a diplomatic letter inbound from Russia, containing very strong language describing the Russian stance on the espionage incident. And of course it was also unfortunate for the spy himself, as nobody would be hearing from him again. In January 1904 a diplomatic crisis arose on the border with Austria-Hungary. Admiral Koshkin, knowing that their navy was in an even worse financial situation than the Russian navy, declared full readiness for fighting should it come to that. Regardless, while tensions were indeed heightened, nothing disastrous happened in the Balkans. On 26th of January 1904 the armored cruiser Vityaz of the new Vityaz-class was commissioned, with her sister ship to follow soon afterwards.
Vityaz (1901) Ships in class: 2 Vityaz, Voin
Vityaz-class armored cruiser were designed as part of the 1901 Fleet Expansion program and were intended to be balanced designs capable of fightinhg against armored and protected cruisers of foreign navies. At the same time, with previous class of the armored cruisers being the Bayans, they were also meant to be a lot cheaper than their predecessors. As such, reductions were made in displacement, speed and armor, though Vityaz-class is still a rather fearsome armored cruiser by international standards. Displacing 12 500 tons, the ships posses a triple expansion engine producing over 30 600 shaft horsepower, driving three propeller shafts for a top speed of 22 knots. Slower than the Bayans, but still rather fast compared to other contemporary cruisers. The ships posses and armor belt with a sloped deck behind it. The belt was 6" thick amidships tapering down to 3" in the extended bow and stern sections, while the main armored deck was 1.5" thick. The main armament consisted of four of the excellent new 250mm guns, mounted in two twin turrets. Additional armament consisted of ten 152mm guns in casemates protected by 2.5" of armor, as well as ten deck-mounted 76mm guns and two torpedo tubes - one each port and starboard.
Why is the rum money gone?
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Post by janxol on Feb 18, 2021 13:43:02 GMT -6
London visit
In February of 1904 the Russian navy laid down ships, despite the financial situations. Admittedly they were very small auxiliary vessels, meant for patrol and minesweeping duties, particularly in the Pacific Squadron, where they would replace protected cruisers currently used for this duty. Novgorod (1904) - Seagoing minesweeper Ships ordered: 8 Quite literally a repeat of the Vestnik-class of 1892, the design was slightly revised and modern construction methods and machinery were to be used for the sake of cost savings in both construction and maintenance. The armament, size and superstructure layout remained mostly unchanged. Eight ships were ordered.
Tver (1904) - Gunboat Ships ordered: 5 Tver-class vessels were designed as coastal gunboats to be used in the Pacific to free the cruisers of the Pacific Squadron for more urgent duties. Displacing 1600 tons, the vessels were exceptionally armored for their size. They had an armored deck protecting the ship's vitals, 2" thick in the outer sloped section and 1" thick in the horizontal portion. The conning tower was also protected by 2" of armor. The triple expansion engine was driving a single screw for a top speed of about 20 knots. Additionally the ship had compartments dedicated to housing imperial marines for colonial duties. The armament consisted of six 105mm guns mounted in gun shields. One on the bow with two behind it on either side of the bridge, with similar arrangement mirrored on the stern. Additionally the ships possessed a pair of 76mm guns mounted in special mounts that allowed them to be easily disassembled and fitted with wheels for on-shore use by the ship's marines. Five ships were ordered.
Battleship Mars
14:00, March 12th, 1904, London, Battleship Mars Mikhail gazed at the British warships parading slowly along the river Thames. As much as he wanted to be polite and as much as he wanted to attempt to enjoy himself, the fleet review only brought out the tactician in him. His eyes drifted from ship to ship, analyzing the silhouettes, the hulls and guns, battle plans inadvertently forming in his brain. If he had binoculars with him, he probably wouldn't be able to resist the urge to investigate every detail of these foreign vessels, parading in front of him in full display. British battleships moved past the Mars, from which Mikhail and other guests from foreign military were viewing the procession, and past the Royal Yacht, from which the newly crowned British monarch, Edward VII, was viewing this display to commemorate his coronation. As the battleships continued on their way there was a short gap in the line of ships, and then their place in procession had the guest ships from foreign navies, which immediately put a slight smile on Mikhail's face. The sole purpose of the gap was to attempt to distance the British ships from the Bayan which was following them. The Russian cruiser rivaled them in size and while not strictly larger than the British battleships as far as displacement was concerned, she was definitely longer and to common observer she simply appeared larger. The Bayan was followed by other guest ships, and them she was dwarfing in size, including the French and American battleships. After the Bayan sailed the French battleship Devastation, presenting concerning amounts of tumblehome, though not nearly as atrocious as Tri Svyatitelya. After them followed the American battleship Kentucky, Japanese armored cruiser Aoba, German armored cruiser Blucher and Austrian "pocket" battleship Erzherzog Karl.
Guest ships of the 1904 Coronation Fleet Review
Mikhail slowly turned his gaze away from the ships, looking for Dmitri. For a split second his eyes met the gaze of Admiral Togo and Mikhail gave him his most innocent smile. Then he continued to look around the deck of Mars, to finally spot Dmitri exchanging a couple words with a French admiral. "Ah, and here's the general-admiral himself.", said Dmitri, seeing him approach. "General-admiral, this is admiral Fabien Chevotet. I was just telling him how much you praise the French-built ships in our navy, especially the Tri Svyatitelya." "Ah, yes... It is a wonderful... Ship...", said slowly Mikhail, staring daggers at Dmitri, before facing the French admiral with a smile. Being invited to coronation fleet review was definitely a friendly gesture on the part of Great Britain and as such inter-navy diplomatic gibberish was one of the things Mikhail expected. And while he was well aware of the need to talk, he also knew that everyone here, despite anything they would say, was a slave to his country's policy. Despite their words of friendship, they weren't the ones who choose their friends. And so, even if behaving in a friendly manner, they weren't necessarily friendly with one another. It's not like they would ever get drunk together.
8:25, March 13th, 1904, North Sea, Armored cruiser Bayan Mikhail furrowed his brows, taking a sip from the cup of tea standing before him on the table. He then looked at Dmitri, who was sitting on the opposite side of admiral's cabin by a small desk, resting his head on the wooden surface while holding his hands to his temples. "Did we manage to avoid a diplomatic incident, kontr-admiral?", asked Mikhail. "I'm not sure... I think I passed out at the end...", said Dmitri very slowly. "You didn't, but with the state you were in, I don't blame you for going blank." "You've drunk more than me.", noted Dmitri. "That I did, but I am the kind of person who can get promoted by the Tsar while having enough alcohol in my system to kill a bear, while your lack of resilience to alcohol is almost unbecoming of being Russian.", answered Mikhail, taking another sip of tea. "I remember you once told me you're not a fan of alcohol. That you prefer your mind un-dulled." "I did.", Mikhail paused for a few seconds. "And then things happened which made me realize why people would want their minds dulled..." For a few seconds there was silence. Dmitri groaned, straightening himself in his seat. "My head is going to explode. I feel like I need to go outside, but I don't think I'd be able to in those waves.", he said. "Actually, there are almost no waves. It's not the ship that is swaying, Dmitri. You, my friend, are now passing through the realm of light and shadow, a thin line between being drunk and hangover. The worst of both worlds." "Uh, this is pretty bad. I hope no foreign officers will bring up our behavior in the future." "I doubt it. If they do, we'll bring up theirs. Everyone should understand it's an argument with no victors. I'm pretty sure I was the least smashed person present. Which is, admittedly, the exact opposite of what I'd actually expect. And it could indeed be my trained resilience to alcohol, rather than its lack in my bloodstream.", said Mikhail. "Where even were you? I think I lost you for at least an hour." "Right... I was drinking with some British officer. Admiral, I think. We were completely wasted, but interestingly enough managed to hold a conversation about the future of naval warfare. And actually, we happened across some really good ideas together." Mikhail raised an eyebrow. "Were the ideas good or did they seem good because you were drunk?", he asked. "We'll see, I guess. Basically, the idea is that... Speed... Is armor.", said Dmitri, doing his best to appear focused. "I was always under the impression that armor is armor.", commented Mikhail. "I will come back to that notion, because it is actually smarter than you're making it sound right now. It really is. You can't damage a ship you cannot catch." "A ship you cannot catch is a ship that runs away." "But a ship with that speed will also chase you down." "So is it supposed to run or chase? Make up your mind.", chuckled Mikhail, feeling somewhat amused by this conversation. "No, no. It's supposed to run away from ships it can't destroy and chase down ships that it can. And about that, we also came up with a great idea. What that ship would need are big battleship guns." "Big battleship guns.", repeated Mikhail. "On a ship that is supposed to be fast." "Exactly! It would be like a battleship... Except it would be a cruiser. So we called it a battlecruiser.", said Dmitri. "A cruiser with battleship guns. I really want to see you evaluate that thought once you're sober. Who was that British gentleman with whom you were reinventing naval warfare?" "I can't remember his name, it was something like... Fish? Fishing?" Mikhail furrowed his brows. "Fisher?", he asked. "Yes, that's him!", confirmed Dmitri, before growing a bit more serious. "Is he important?" "Yes, you idiot. He's the first lord of the admiralty." "You're kidding. Wait, is he really? Was that...?" Dmitri appeared surprised, though he also appeared to drunk to be properly shocked by this revelation. "Sober up, Dmitri. We'll re-evaluate this event later. At the very least it's something I can make fun of you for. At the same time, I just remembered how I got promoted, so maybe I'm not the one to laugh at your drunken adventures.", said Mikhail. Alcohol. Because no great story starts with a glass of milk.
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Post by janxol on Feb 19, 2021 11:02:00 GMT -6
The budget - gone but not forgotten
As April of 1904 rolled around, it brought a very welcome boom to Russian indsutry. As new technology was implemented, productivity raised and with the general happiness among the population the workers were quite motivated. This had a very minor reflection in navy's finances, which further increased the uncomfortably small treasury buffer before ship construction would end. Armored cruiser Voin, second of the Vityaz-class, was finally commissioned on April 12th, which further freed up a portion of the monthly budget. On the other hand, it appeared that not only the Russian navy was struggling financially, as reports from abroad kept coming in about Germany, France and even Great Britain holding construction of their warships due to financial difficulties. In May the Engineering Committe approved the use of new pneumatic recuperator, which would allow for an increased firing rate. Plans to outfit all appropriate gun mounts were made. Mikhail also received an update from admiral Yablokov on the situation in the Pacific. Japan was "behaving", clearly devoted to rebuilding their navy for the time being. Fortifications were also built on Formosa which should make the island more defensible, though Yablokov was still concerned about the naval infrastructure being unable to support any meaningful force. On June 3rd battleship Pobeda was commissioned.
Pobeda (1901) Ships in class: 2 Pobeda, Petropavlovsk Pobeda-class battleships were designed as part of the 1901 Fleet Expansion program and were the last class of battleships designed with a conventional battery layout. Smaller then the preceding Dvenadtsat Apostolov-class and Rostislav-class, these ships were limited in size not only by budget considerations but also availability of appropriately sized slipways. With a displacement of 12 500 tons the ships' primary armament consisted of four 305mm guns in two twin turrets, with a secondary battery of fourteen casemated 152mm guns (7 on each side) and six 76mm guns in unarmored deck mounts. The ships were also armed with two torpedo tubes, one on each side. A triple expansion steam engine was producing just over 17 000 horsepower and driving two shafts to enable the ship to reach the standard battle line speed of 18 knots. Armor protection of the class consisted of an 8" thick armored belt, tapering down to 3" of thickness towards bow and stern and sloped deck 1.5" thick. The main battery was protected by 9" of armor and conning tower by 8". The ships also featured improved internal subdivision than preceding battleships, as well a double bottom. During construction a design adjustment was made and the ships were outfitted with central firing. In July there was an increase in international tensions due to events in Mozambique. The region was in much unrest and Great Britain declared that it will be sending a force to "restore order". Since everyone knew how this restoration of order would look in practice, several countries became very alarmed, particularly France and Germany due to Mozambique's proximity to Tanganyika and Madagascar. While Koshkin didn't really care about developments in Africa, after much talk with the ministers he agreed to commit ships as a gesture of friendship to France. That phantom alliance nobody talked about was still in the air after all. As such, the British ships were blocked by an international force of Russian, French and German ships and forced to back down. Great Britain was obviously not happy about that.
In the same month the Engineering Committee introduced the preheater which resulted in increased achievable engine efficiency. Developments also continued on the side of the Submarine Flotilla. While still consisting only of the four test boats, they were focused on establishing a minimal baseline for a fully functional submarine design. Introducing the "Diving planes", whatever they were, proved to be a breakthrough and it looked like Mikhail would soon be approached with a request for submarine construction. In August another diplomatic incident took place involving Great Britain. While working up in the North Sea, Voin opened fire on a vessel that proved to be a British fishing boat, sinking it and killing several fishermen. With the British furious, admiral Koshkin created a special committe to investigate the incident, but it only confirmed that the crew of Voin was at fault. As such, Mikhail was forced to make a public apology and offer compensation, though he couldn't help but be somewhat impressed that Voin managed to hit such a small target in the darkness. Regardless, relations with Great Britain suffered and USA once again jumped at the opportunity to start its bickering, as it was prior to war with Japan - and which didn't really stop after said war, though situation was calmer for a while. At the very least both the Russian and British sides were actually attempting to resolve the tension rather than stir the fire. In September a naval visit was organized, with several ships from Great Britain arriving in St. Petersburg. When later admiral Koshkin was asked about the event he only responded that the Russian navy was happy to host the friendly British crews. This time, unlike the London visit earlier this year, no high-ranking officers got drunk together. In October the Engineering Committe introduced basic weight control measures in an attempt to better control the hull weights of ships under construction. On October 6th battleship Petropavlovsk was commissioned, second of the Pobeda-class. A few days later, on October 17th, the commissioning of battleship Knyaz Potemkin took place, the first of the Poltava-class, with Poltava herself having been delayed in construction.
Poltava (1901) Ships in class: 2 Poltava, Knyaz Potemkin Poltava-class battleships were the final ships designed as part of 1901 Fleet Expansion Program and were the first battleships in the world to fully commit to the notion of an intermediate battery. Larger than preceding battleships and larger than the Bayans, the class claimed the title of largest warships of the Russian navy. Displacing 16 500 tons, the ships were armed with four 305mm guns in two twin turrets and in addition possesed an intermediate battery of eight 250mm guns, mounted in four pairs of vertically stacked casemates. These were the most fore and aft casemates on each side. Additionally the ship possessed no less than twenty four 152mm guns, also mounted in casemates and - in order to fit them without the need for lengthening the hull, these were also vertically stacked in pairs, with six pairs port and starboard. The ships also possessed two torpedo tubes, one on each side. Being larger, the ship also featured increased protection. The armored belt was 9" thick amidships and tapered down to 4" thick towards bow and stern. The sloped deck was 2" thick. The design was also modified in construction so that ships would be completed with central firing installed. Due to the staggeringly large amount of casemates the crew of Knyaz Potemkin started jokingly calling her "Knyaz Potemkin's Revenge", referencing the resemblance to old sailing ships and side mounted batteries of old. As budget became available Russian ships were gradually put into refit for general maintenance overhaul as well as to equip them with central firing. In most cases the refit was a simple matter, but in case of two ship classes there was some discussion. In case of Bayans there were many proponents to extend the refit to include the ships armaments. Admiral Vedernikov proposed that the old 254mm guns be replaced with new 250mm guns which were vastly superior in every regard and would fit into existing turrets with minimal modification. Likewise, the hoist and magazines would also require only minor adjustments for the slightly smaller shell size and with the Bayans being the only ships utilizing the 254mm guns, the supply chain could also be simplified, with one less shell type required. The other vessel that sparked this discussion was the Tri Svyatitelya. In this case there were several main ideas: 1. Refit with central firing. 2. Refit with central firing and replace the renaissance bombards with actual modern 330mm guns. 3. Refit with central firing and replace the renaissance bombards with twin 280mm guns. 4. Don't refit anything and let the ship naturally fall apart on its own. Mikhail was doing his best to appear completely impartial to the propositions.
Feel free to share thoughts on ships and refits.
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Post by garrisonchisholm on Feb 19, 2021 11:46:48 GMT -6
Tri Svyatitelya... Honestly, it is useful in two respects. Tied up in reserve where it will contribute to your "fleet in being" without violating any Human Resources protocols, or as the last ship in line in a huge battle- to fire gamely at an already burning hulk, or to be the one to fall behind and get obliterated so the rest of the fleet can escape. ...I'm not sure you'd tell her captain the latter of course.
So, if you have a political prisoner who doesn't quite deserve the worst, at least when the wind is right he could get fresh air commanding the Tri. Otherwise, mothball it (and make it your experimental CVL conversion in 15 years). I don't think it would be worth it to refit it entirely, unless you are desperate for tonnage in the water.
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Post by tsoukthegreat on Feb 20, 2021 3:31:54 GMT -6
About the Tri Svyatileya ,have you considered the advantage that an artificial reef can give to an ecosystem
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Post by janxol on Feb 24, 2021 13:24:54 GMT -6
Completely uneventful end of the year
As per expectations, the commissioning ceremony of Poltava, the second of Poltava-class battleships was held on November 2nd 1904, though unfortunately focus on finishing her on time led to additional delays in construction of the Imperator Aleksandr III-class battleships, construction which was already behind schedule. Fleet Expansion Program of 1901 and ships laid down subsequently were plagued by delays, which clearly indicated that Russian shipbuilding industry was not prepared for endeavors of this size and scope. Regardless, construction was important and Mikhail could only hope that things will improve with time. With the two Poltavas out of the shipyards, the construction contracts fulfilled and financial matters settled, the navy could focus on refitting ships with central firing. Mikhail approved the refit of the Bayans, which included replacement of main battery with new 250mm guns, but rejected all of the proposals regarding the Tri Svyatitelya, quoting the financial situation as the reason and hoping people would just forget about the existence of the blasted thing. Regardless, the truth was that as of right now the Humble-home was the only full-sized battleship of the Pacific Squadron, which meant the necessity to maintain her in active duty. For now, at least, and for the foreseeable future, until a suitable replacement can be sent. Indeed as far as battleships were concerned, Tri Svyatitelya rivaled the Navarins for the title of least capable battleship of the Russian navy - and both ship classes were part of Pacific Squadron, with no other battleships present. Mikhail could only imagine how joyous Andrei must be all the time. As for Navarins themselves, they were scheduled for a refit and refurbishment as due to their old age they were starting to suffer from chronic maintenance problems. Apart from the general touch-up the ships would be outfitted with central firing and the designers also attempted to move the secondary battery from the casemates to deck mounts, but lack of space on the deck and projected costs of such modifications ultimately led to that idea being abandoned, despite the innate issues of casemates on low-freeboard vessel. As far as other planned refits were concerned, they were rather uneventful. All ships apart from Tri Svyatitelya were scheduled for installation of central firing. A thought was given to upgrading armament on the Pamyat Azova-class armored cruiser to an improved variant of 230mm rifles, but the idea was abandoned. Additionally Pamyat Azova-class ships were going to lose 2 of their 10 76mm cannons to alleviate certain stability concerns following the installation of central firing equipment. The Russian navy had also placed an order for 6 submarines built to a newly devised design presented by kontr-admiral Golubov. These Beluga-class boats were meant to address all shortcomings and issues discovered during the testing of the Opyt-class. With all of that out of the way Mikhail could finally stop worrying, or at least stop worrying as much about the budget. And with approaching end of the year approached the annual navy party, the first since the war broke out. Mikhail had time to slow down, to think. That proved to be a mistake, one he should've known not to make... But he was tired of all that thinking and even if he wanted, could he really stop his train of thought? Not even alcohol can dull his mind this much after all...
21:00, December 16th, 1904, St. Petersburg, General-admiral's office Mikhail took another sip, emptying the glass before setting it down onto his desk, next to an almost empty bottle of vodka from which he'd been refilling it. As his hand retreated from the hard surface, his fingers brushed against the revolver laying next to the bottle. Apart from the bottle, the glass and the revolver in front of Mikhail laid on the desk three tarot cards. Five of cups. Four of swords, reversed. Judgment. Looking at them. he was admiring the skill of the one who made the illustrations. Clean lines, detailed faces, they were more like paintings than simple illustrations on a deck of cards. If he believed in such things, he may have pondered the meaning of the cards and the arrangement he drew at random. But to him, it was merely a distraction. The meaning of cards, if they had any, was beyond his knowledge and his interests. Mikhail gradually shifted his gaze from the cards to the object in his hands. There it was. The bullet. He played with it, letting it slide and turn between his fingers. And as it did so, he felt that eerie feeling again. There it was, in his hand, and yet it felt as if it was trying to drill its way into his brain. There it was, in his hand. Mocking him. And it has slowly come to his realization that he was certain that he's holding the trinket with Katya's photo, while the bullet is lying on his desk, but indeed the two objects have switched places sometime in the near past, the closed trinket now lying on the opposite side of the desk to the revolver. But now Mikhail just accepted this fact without surprise, for indeed it was not that surprising. The bullet always appeared on its own when Mikhail was losing his train of thought. It was only natural it would be here now. He reached for the glass, but his hand touched the revolver instead. Once again, he wasn't really surprised. Instead he took the revolver and raised it up before his eyes, appreciating the skillful finish around the barrel. He was looking at it for a few long moments, before reaching for the mechanism releasing the cylinder, letting it slide to the side, into the loading position. He gently nudged the empty drum with his finger, listening to the faint sound it made as it turned in place. After a few moments in thought, he slowly placed the bullet into one of the chambers. Six chambers. Five empty. One not. Mikhail knew the game, though never heard of anyone brave or stupid enough to play it. At the moment, with alcohol coursing through his veins, he was a bit of both, but at the same time, not quite. Regardless, he swung the cylinder back into the firing position and spun it. He waited for it to stop turning, then swung it out again to check the bullet position. Not aligned. He spun it again, checked the bullet. And again. And on the third try, the bullet did align with the barrel. Mikhail looked at it, hoping that this outcome would sate his curiosity, but it didn't. And so he just swung the cylinder back into position and it seemed as if the bullet, having found its place in the firing chamber has now shared its malice with the gun. Peculiar. Very peculiar. "Mikhail!", he heard a feminine voice behind him. Having heard Katya's voice so clearly, so loudly and so unexpectedly caused Mikhail to jolt in his seat, painfully smashing his knees against the underside of his desk. Swearing, he turned around towards the source of the voice, towards the window. Katya was right outside, climbing up the windows as she used to do back home, her face barely visible in the faint light. At this moment Mikhail was willing to accept any of the two explanations of this phenomenon. He was willing to accept that Katya has indeed decided to climb up to his window in admiralty building. He was also willing to accept that his grip on reality has finally failed and was currently sinking in the sea of alcohol. But neither felt quite right. And as he looked at her, he realized. His mind was failing him, but his eyes were not. It wasn't Katya, but there was a silhouette outside his window. And with that realization, he snapped back to himself and pointed his gun towards the window. But the silhouette was gone. With the cogs in his brain starting to turn again in an attempt to get back into appropriate gear, Mikhail made a mental note of the fact that he only has one bullet loaded, should he need to use the weapon. Not letting his gaze off the window, he pondered his next action. He wasn't even sure if he saw anything, even if he was almost certain a moment ago. He wasn't fully convinced if he could trust his eyes in the current state of intoxication. It could've been nothing, a hallucination or his mind playing tricks on a glimpse he saw. Or it could be something much more concerning. Mikhail got up from his chair and reached into his uniform for his service pistol. Also a revolver, but somewhat smaller and very much less ornate than his personal piece. And - what was important right now - fully loaded. Leaving his personal weapon with its single bullet on the desk, Mikhail headed for the door. He left his office and headed down the corridor, noting that with the amount of alcohol he has consumed it was much like being on a ship, though he was probably holding much better than most people having drank that amount. "Guards!", he called out. The guards posted at the bottom of the stairs leading up to the corridor appeared almost immediately, all four of them. "General-admiral?" "Search the building. And the surrounding area. We may have an intruder.", said Mikhail, managing even to appear sober through his determination and sheer will overcoming his dizziness. And the guards searched, as commanded, with quite a lengthy search operation ensuing as more men became involved. But nobody was found...
Hallucinating or seeing suspicious activity? Either way, he can't even get drunk in peace anymore.
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Post by janxol on Feb 27, 2021 8:12:22 GMT -6
Dreading the future
Zavetni (1904) Ships in class: 4 The only ship losses suffered during the Russo-Japanese war were destroyers and patrol vessels. As such, the navy didn't need a replenishment program, but the losses were regardless used as an excuse for creation of an experimental destroyer design. "Project 114" destroyers were designed with one primary focus - speed. And as such, everything in their design was a slave to that requirement. Similarly to previous Russian destroyers the "Project 114" ships featured a whaleback bow with a gun platform mounted on top, but the hull was substantially lengthened and displacement increased from 500 to 600 tons. This was in order to increase the hulls natural speed and to make room for a powerful triple expansion engine producing almost 9 300 horsepower - almost double of the previous destroyer classes. Driving two propeller shafts, the machinery was supposed to enable to ship to reach a speed of 30 knots. If successful, it would make the vessels fastest ships in the world, as well as first ships to reach 30 knots. Armament consisted of a single 57mm gun mounted on the forward gun platform on the whaleback bow and a single 76mm gun mounted aft. Due to the narrow and long hull, all torpedo armament was mounted centerline, four launchers total. While providing an interesting possibility of a four-torpedo launch to either side, it didn't change the fact that the deck space was extremely limited. Similarly, due to lack of space beneath deck the crew compartments were extremely cramped, even by destroyer standards. Due to experimental nature of the design, only four ships were ordered. Two of them, Zavetni - giving the class a name - and Zavidni, would carry the names of destroyers lost in the Russo-Japanese war.
Battleship Poltava
15:30, January 24th, 1905, Gulf of Finland, Battleship Poltava Guns of the Poltava roared in unison, followed shortly after by main guns of her sister, Knyaz Potemkin, following a short distance behind. Mikhail watched through binoculars as splashes erupted around the target barge. Shortly after that the 250mm guns fired and once again splashes straddled the barge. "How does the ship perform, admiral?", asked Mikhail. He waited patiently for an answer, but Yevtushenkov, who was standing next to him, had a habit of delaying any response to Mikhail as long as he could. "Adequate.", he said finally. Mikhail waited a bit more, but no more words left the admiral's mouth. "You have an opportunity to share your opinion. But I will not pry you for it.", said Mikhail, making only moderate effort to hide his annoyance. After a short moment of silence Yevtushenkov moved, passing behind Mikhail to stand on the other side of general-admiral. "The ship is adequate. The crew is a disaster.", he said, quieter. At this point Mikhail realized that he moved in order to be further away from the bridge windows and from the officers on it, to make sure they couldn't hear him. "They are still working up, are they not?", asked Mikhail. "According to schedule, not that much longer. And yet just two days ago I ordered the captain to prepare the forward torpedo room for trials. What ensued was about fifteen minutes of chaos... Only then did the officers and crew realize that the ship doesn't have a forward torpedo room.", said Yevtushenkov. Mikhail pondered this for a few moments, making a mental note that this was possibly the longest sentence he ever heard Yevtushenkov speak to him. Quality of crews in the Russian navy... Varied greatly. That was no real secret to the officers and certainly somewhat of a problem at times, but nothing could really be done. The navy needed manpower and had no luxury of setting increasingly high standards for recruits. Mikhail hoped that the crew of Poltava will get sorted in time and with Yevtushenkov being clearly unhappy with it, he suspected that the admiral will make active efforts on that front. February was uneventful, but Mikhail did receive a letter from the Tsar, who was apparently of the mind that a shooting competition among the ships would be an opportunity to improve morale, crew skills and - perhaps most importantly to the Tsar - impress some visiting dignitaries. Mikhail agreed to hold such an event in March. To his own surprise the competition was won by the Griden, an Almaz-class cruiser, the crew of which showed astonishing by Russian standards mastery of the ship's 125mm guns. Shortly after the competition the Engineering Committee came up with another tool for increasing accuracy, this time in the form of control tops. It was also in March that the navy was approached by an engineer from Poland - well, technically from Russia but slightly allergic to the idea - who offered to share his inventions for appropriate monetary compensation. Mikhail, skeptical of the man who he knew nothing about got Artem to evaluate them and ultimately agreed to pay. He did warn both of them that he will be displeased if it turns out to be worthless, however. Artem got back to him in April with a rather imprecise letter that claimed the man was useful and that they were "working on it". Whatever "it" was. Additionally, an agreement was made with a concern in Germany for purchase of manufacturing rights for a newly developed range calculator. While the price wasn't low, Mikhail was desperate for anything that can compensate for innate Russian inaccuracy. As such he was glad that relations with Germany were surprisingly good at the moment. June of 1905 held a bit of excitement, as revolution started in Italian-controlled Libya. It wouldn't matter much to Russia, but several Russian nationals were present in Libya at the time, many of them prominent figures. They were stranded in revolutionary-controlled territory and with negotiations for their return taking far too long and the Tsar demanding a quick resolution of the situation, Mikhail made a decision that appeared to be exact opposite of diplomacy. He gave Yevtushenkov battleships and sent him to Libya. After half of Benghazi was turned to rubble by the naval bombardment, the revolutionaries promptly complied with the Russian demands and the nationals were let go, but the manner of resolution of the situation had an impact on foreign relations. Great Britain and USA were extremely vocal in their criticism of Russia, relations between the countries getting tense enough that Mikhail arranged for several ships to be returned from reserve to active service. Even France, historically on friendly terms with Russia was quite shocked at the events and relations suffered for it. In August of 1905 interesting news reached Mikhail. Apparently Russian shipbuilders were approached by Chilean authorities with a request to construct warships for them. Somewhat surprised that someone in their right mind would order warships from Russian shipyard, Mikhail approved the contracts on condition that the construction will not interfere with shipbuilding for their own navy and that he is given information on what kind of ships are ordered. In the end, Chile ordered a pair of battleships based on the Pobeda-class design, but with increased speed and armor and reduced armaments, designated as "Project 151E". Mikhail was fine with that arrangement as the chances of Chile ever being and adversary were extremely low.
Project 151E ordered by Chilean Navy
12:15, September 17th, 1905, St. Petersburg, Admiralty building Mikhail entered the room and walked to his seat at the large conference table, casting looks at other people present. Dmitri, looking at him cautiously, as if trying to asses if he's sober. Yevtushenkov, doing his best not to look at him at all. Kontr-admiral Golubov, who was very curious to have been invited to this meeting. Artem, who appeared mostly confused why he's present. "Gentlemen. I believe everyone here is familiar with the concept of a dreadnought battleship.", started Mikhail, taking a seat. Now he had their attention. Even Yevtushenkov turned slightly towards him, as if suspecting what he's about to say. "Our agents in Great Britain reported that the Royal Navy started construction on a new class of battleship. Designated Ocean-class. And then a second one. And finally a third one. At the same time, our agents in USA reported the US Navy were starting construction on a new Oregon-class battleship. We don't know the details of either ship, but they have one thing in common: they are very large, well in excess of any battleship afloat or in slipways. Our agents have strong reasons to believe that these are indeed designed as dreadnought battleships.", said Mikhail. "And as it is somewhat unfortunate that relations with both those countries are a bit tense these days, it would be advisable that we devise a plan of dealing with this new possible threat." Silence. "Admiral Yevtushenkov. As commander of the battleship force, how would you propose to deal with the threat of enemy dreadnought?", asked Mikhail after a short moment. Yevtushenkov once again delayed a response as long as he could, before finally turning his head towards him. "Ideally, with a larger, better armed and armored dreadnought. If that is impossible, with a great numerical superiority of smaller, inferior battleships. The Poltava-class and Imperator Aleksandr III-class have the added advantage of intermediate battery, but even being... "Semi-dreadnoughts"... They would need to relay on numbers. I am also inclined to point out that "numerical superiority" isn't going to happen against the Royal Navy.", he said. Mikhail nodded. "Kontr-admiral Vedernikov?" "If she outguns the battleships, she outguns the armored cruisers. Nothing can be done from a standpoint of gunfight. As established before, raider warfare is the most reasonable way of fighting against Great Britain. The only other weapon with which smaller ships can damage a larger threat is the torpedo, usage of which would entirely depend on being able to get close enough to the target and being able to hit it.", said Dmitri. "Relying entirely on torpedo attacks would result in many losses, however. With the limited range of torpedoes even destroyers can't get close enough safely." "Submarines can.", said Golubov unexpectedly. "They're too slow to chase warships and their range is limited, but their stealth is a potent weapon. A psychological weapon as well. Provided we know the enemy course in advance, a submarine could get into position and wait in ambush for a passing enemy." "I didn't expect a perfect solution. All I wanted was ideas. Thank you all for your input." said Mikhail. "I'd say in the current situation it might be wise to build more destroyers, especially considering that destroyer tactics tend to be hazardous for the ships. I am reluctant to count on submarines simply due to how unproven they are, but there is another matter concerning submarines precisely. At this point all nations are starting to adopt them which means submarines are also becoming a potential threat we must be prepared to deal with. Kontr-admiral Golubov, as you are commander of the Submarine Flotilla and working closely on related development efforts, I expect you'd have some ideas?" "Well... So far a hammer seems to be an effective weapon, though very limited in use..." "A hammer?" "Yes, sir, a hammer. Upon spotting a submarine periscope one would deploy a ship's boat with sailor equipped with a large hammer. As submarine is incredibly slow underwater, the boat would approach the periscope and the sailors would use the hammer to dislodge it from the coupling, thus causing a fatal leak on the submarine and forcing it to surface or sink. The alternative would be to ram the submarine, but for that one would need a ship that is maneuverable enough to aim for it, and also would result in damage to the ramming ship." "We could look at reinforcing the bows on the destroyers.", said Artem. "Very well.", agreed Mikhail. "Are there any more matters to discuss...?
Well, dreadnoughts are coming slowly. And they're not Russian dreadnoughts, it seems.
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Post by janxol on Mar 3, 2021 14:41:22 GMT -6
Give me more ships
"Mikhail!", said Katya loudly, gripping him by the shoulders. Mikhail, who was deep in thought and not anticipating being ambushed in his own home, almost fell out of the armchair. "Hello, Katya. You know, your fanatical commitment to remaining barefoot at all times has had at least one concerning side effect. You have become disturbingly proficient at sneaking up to people. And *people* usually means *me*.", he said. "Well, it's not like I'm trying. Usually, at least.", she answered, smiling. "And I thought you are an ever vigilant officer of the imperial navy." "I am, excuse me very much. That makes your sneaking skills even more disturbing." "Oh well. Maybe I can accompany you more often then? If people won't hear me, they won't take me for a spy, right?" "I fear that logic might as well backfire.", chuckled Mikhail. "How have you been? I've noticed some of your paintings in the hall..." "Ah, yes. I wanted to tell you, actually. I found a few people interested enough in my creations to pay good money for them. So I am selling them and will also be painting a few more for certain people.", said Katya. "That's.... Good?", responded Mikhai, furrowing his brows in surprise. "You've always said your painting is personal... That you wouldn't give them away. What changed?" "It's true. And some of the paintings are the kind that I will never sell. But also... Well, ever since mother... Since you've become the head of the family, you are the one paying for everything, and that includes paying for me. I wanted to earn money as well, so I can help you. So that you don't need to spend your entire "lowly officer's wage" on this house." Mikhail raised an eyebrow. "You do realize that all of the investments that are fueling the family funds were passed along with rest of the inheritance, right?", he asked. She was silent for a moment. "Of course!" Of course. Katya sat down in the armchair next to Mikhail and the two were sitting there in silence for a few minutes. "You were supposed to tell me a war story.", she said. "A war story?" "Yes, an actual story, from the actual war. What did you do? Where did you go?" "Well, as a matter of a fact I can tell you that there was quite a lot of water involved." "Seeing how you're in the navy, you must have an idea how little that narrows it down." "But it is true. You'd need to be a lot more specific in your inquiry. Majority of the war was indeed spent on a ship.", said Mikhail, smiling. "How did you get promoted?" For a few seconds there was silence. Mikhail turned his gaze away, his smile fading. The ship is yours... Remember me... "I'm sorry. I didn't mean you to...", said slowly Katya, realizing she hit a soft spot. "It's okay. But I will tell you another time.", said Mikhail calmly. By decision of admiral Koshkin the Russian navy began a new destroyer program, aiming to procure 20 new ships in the initial batch, including the 4 experimental destroyers of the Zavetni-class. Design work started at the beginning of October and the design was finalized by the beginning of November. Additionally, German shipbuilders were approached with an offer to order destroyers from them. As German-Russian relations were currently surprisingly good, several German shipyards offered to present designs for the contest. Russian yards laid down the first destroyers to the domestic design in the second week of November. Vnimatelni (1905) Ships ordered: 10 Destroyers of the Vnimatelni-class were to be larger than preceding Russian destroyers, with a displacement of 600 tons, similar to the experimental Zavetni-class. Unlike Zavetnis, which had ridiculously long hulls, the Vnimatelnis would be shorter and wider. Like preceding destroyer, the Vnimatelnis featured a whaleback bow, which in this case was reinforced to minimize damage in even of ramming a submarine. An 8 000 horsepower triple expansion engine was driving two shafts for a design speed of 28 knots. The ships were armed with two 76mm guns, one of which was located on the platform on the whaleback bow, and the second was situated aft. Being designed with threat of large new battleships in mind, the class prioritized torpedo armament and carried no less than six torpedo tubes, more than any other destroyer in service. Two tubes were placed on the centerline, one between second and third funnel and one in front of the aft gun. The remaining four tubes were placed on the sides of the third funnel, two port and two starboard. This allowed for a salvo of four torpedoes to either side, similarly to the experimental Zavetnis. Still, the deck space was limited and the ships quarters were very cramped as well. Ten vessels were ordered in November 1905. Later this month the German shipbuilder presented their design and after making adjustments in accordance with Russian requirements, the design was accepted by the navy. Storozhevoi (1905) Ships ordered: 7 Storozhevoi-class was ordered from German shipyards to complement the Vnimatelni-class. In addition to the fact that German shipyards offered to deliver the ships faster, there was some hope that something could be learned about German construction techniques and practices. Similarly to Vnimatelni-class the Storozhevoi would have a displacement of 600 tons and a triple expansion engine producing about 8 000 horsepower for a design speed of 28 knots. Unlike the Russian-built destroyers the Storozhevoi lacked the whaleback bow, instead featuring a short raised forecastle, though the bow was not reinforced like in the Vnimatelni. The ship was armed with three German 88mm guns which had slightly better range and accuracy compared to Russian 76mm. One gun was located on the raised forecastle, second was mounted centerline on an elevated platform between a torpedo tube and aft funnel and the third was located on an elevated platform aft of rear funnel. This elevated positions were an attempt at preventing the waves to wash over the guns in rough weather, though due to raised center of mass both guns had to be concentrated closer to the center of the hull, leaving a decent amount of free space aft. Originally the builder offered to fit minesweeping gear there, but it was removed after Russian adjustments. The torpedo armament was lighter than Vnimatelni-class, consisting of three torpedo tubes, a number more common among contemporary destroyers. Two tubes were located on the sides immediately aft of forecastle in an arrangement typical for German destroyers, which was supposedly allowing to fire in a better arc towards the bow. The third tube was located centerline aft of the second funnel and in front of the center gun platform. Six ships were originally ordered, but after the builder made an additional offer with an offered discount, seventh destroyer was ordered. Later in November the first of the experimental Zavetni-class destroyers were commissioned. November 27th also saw the commissioning of battleship Imperator Aleksandr III, the first of its class. Imperator Akesandr III (1902) Ships in class: 2 Imperator Akesandr III, Imperatritsa Mariya The Imperator Aleksandr III-class battleships were designed during the Russo-Japanese war as further development of the intermediate battery battleship. Displacing 17 500 tons they were even larger than the Poltava-class, overtaking them for the title of largest Russian warship. Taking from the experiences of the conflict and confrontation with faster Japanese battleships, the design speed was increased from 18 to 20 knots, which required the ship to be outfitted with larger triple expansion engine, producing just over 28 000 horsepower. Unlike the previous battleships, which were equipped with two propeller shafts, the Imperator Aleksandr III-class would have three shafts to ensure that proper speed can be achieved and maintained more efficiently. The ships would be armed with four 305mm guns in two twin turrets, one forward and one aft, and an intermediate battery of eight 250mm guns. This setup was similar to the Poltava, but the 250mm guns were moved from casemates into their own twin turrets, two on each broadside. This allowed for better firing arcs and enabled the guns to be protected by thicker armour without sacrificing too much weight. Additionally the ship was armed with thirteen 152mm guns in casemates, with six on each side and one curiously positioned in the stern. The battleships were also equipped with two torpedo tubes, one on each side, with the torpedo compartment located just forward of the aft turret. The ships had an armored belt 9" thick amidships and tapering down to 4" towards bow and stern, backed up by a 2" sloped deck, which covered not only the ships vitals but also extended portions of its internals. Care was also taken to properly armor the 250mm turrets and their magazines. Adjustments to the design were made during construction and the ships were completed with central firing installed. These "semi-dreadnoughts", as they would now be called, boasted respectable firepower, but Mikhail feared other ships would soon surpass them.
That's a lot of ships in this update.
In other news a question to those who read these things. Feedback-related, regarding the form of the AAR. I know it was supposed to be about ships, but I did give a plot warning at the beggining, hence I wanted to ask opinions on whether these proportions of plot narrative, "impersonal" narrative and ship design are adequate and enjoyable and also whether they are readable in the form I'm presenting them.
And as always, all feedback is welcome.
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Post by akosjaccik on Mar 3, 2021 17:28:15 GMT -6
You already know my opinion about the "narrative-parts" (they are still my favourites from the witty fun snippets like with the good ol' blinker fluid trick á la "missing" fore torpedo room to the sobering parts with Koshkin's inner struggles with his own consciousness), so I'll rather point out a few things I've found interesting regarding the ships: - You've clearly looked into the 600t DDs rather well, especially compared to my "no 4" guns, may as well not bother" Especially the Vnimatelni-class is one such that I could've used some of them in my time of need. - When it comes to the Imperator Alexandr the Third, I have the pleasure of being able to field a fairly comparable design, however with the unit card featuring a date of three years later. Although I do play on 10% slower research rate compared to your save, but still. Ouch!
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Post by janxol on Mar 4, 2021 6:41:15 GMT -6
You already know my opinion about the "narrative-parts" (they are still my favourites from the witty fun snippets like with the good ol' blinker fluid trick á la "missing" fore torpedo room to the sobering parts with Koshkin's inner struggles with his own consciousness), so I'll rather point out a few things I've found interesting regarding the ships: - You've clearly looked into the 600t DDs rather well, especially compared to my "no 4" guns, may as well not bother" Especially the Vnimatelni-class is one such that I could've used some of them in my time of need. - When it comes to the Imperator Alexandr the Third, I have the pleasure of being able to field a fairly comparable design, however with the unit card featuring a date of three years later. Although I do play on 10% slower research rate compared to your save, but still. Ouch!
Glad you're enjoying it. Asked it here in addition to discord a while back since I can't know if people who read here frequent the discord as well.
Regarding the Imperator Aleksandr III the date given is the design date. The commissioning happened - as written - on November 27th 1905, so it seems its not as much as three years difference from your Kaisers. And if anything, I can't find the specifications for your Kaisers anywhere, so yours might just be more advanced.
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Post by janxol on Mar 4, 2021 15:14:17 GMT -6
Politics are the bane of militaries
12:00, December 1st, 1905, St. Petersburg, General-admiral's office Mikhail looked up from the papers on his desk, casting one last glance at the intelligence officer before he left the office. Well, much of this meeting was pointless, but certain things were of interest. Some could even be of concern. The good news was that an agent in USA managed to get his hands on very detailed schematics of an 8" gun in use with the US Navy. More importantly, he managed to relay them to Russia. They were detailed enough that the weapon could be reverse-engineered and as it performed superior to the Russian guns of comparable caliber, a "completely domestic" model of 203mm gun was approved for production, "very closely" matching the capabilities of the American weapon. Other news were that the British started construction on an armored cruiser, reportedly with a displacement of about 19 000 tons. Significantly larger even than the somewhat oversized Bayans, this could mean that whatever drunk ideas Dmitri and Fisher had in London, Fisher thought them reasonable enough to try them sober. Mikhail got up from his chair and headed for the door. Exiting to the corridor, he called Evgeni and asked him to bring him more tea in about an hour. With that, he moved into the depths of admiralty building, heading for Dmitri's office. When he got there, Dmitri was clearly somewhat surprised to see him, his office an absolute mess with papers and drawings stacked all over the place. Mikhail noticed that many of those were technical drawings of ships. "Mikhail, I did not expect you.", said Dmitri, letting him in. "I was just about to finish here and join you upstairs." "I see you've been... Designing ships?", mused Mikhail, glancing at the sketches on his desk. "One experimental cruiser is not enough for you?" "It's more of brainstorming than designing. And speaking of experimental cruisers, I'm pretty sure you're here because of the one that the British just laid down." "Indeed. You were the one who got drunk with Fisher and formulated this *battlecruiser* concept with him. It seems that the First Lord decided the idea seemed good sober.", said Mikhail. "Personally I am incredibly skeptical of the idea, but perhaps there is something you didn't mention earlier." "Well, at its core it is exactly what I said it is. It's a large armored cruiser armed with battleship caliber guns. It would chase down ships with inferior armament and escape from ships with superior armament...", started Mikhail. "That very point appears somewhat problematic. Why put big guns on a hull that must retreat when faced with big guns. And why make big guns go fast if smaller guns can destroy inferior opponents?", interrupted him Mikhail. "Because a ship with greater firepower has a greater chance at destroying the enemy before it itself is damaged." "True, but bigger guns mean more displacement, more costs... Does the ship's role demand bigger guns? The role is exactly what I do not understand in case of this battlecruiser. From what you say it would be the same as that of an armored cruiser, but tell me, does the armored cruiser require bigger guns? When I imagine such a ship, I must ask myself: what is she and what is her purpose?", Mikhail paused for a second, gathering thoughts. "She is armored, and she is a cruiser; and what have you got? A ship to *lie in the line* as our ancestors used to say? No and yes; that is to say, she may at a pinch, and at a risk that exceeds her powers. A cruiser? Yes and no; for, order to give her armor and armament which do not fit the line, you have given tonnage beyond what is needed for the speed and coal endurance proper for a cruiser. By giving this tonnage to armor and armament you have taken it from other uses; either from increasing her own speed and endurance, or from providing another cruiser. You have in her more cruiser than she ought to have and less armored vessel, or less cruiser and more armored ship. I do not call this a combination, though I do call it a compromise.... I do not say you have a useless ship. I do say that you have not as useful a ship as, for the tonnage, you ought to have." There was silence for a few seconds, Dmitri raised his eyebrows. "That was actually pretty good. I need to patent that quote before someone steals it", noted Mikhail. "I was about to say...", chuckled Dmitri. "Still I would say the concept has much promise. The British are building a cruiser that is larger than any of our battleships. Just ten years ago other navies were saying that about us, when we were constructing the Bayan. The Bayan performed admirably, it has become our pride. Do not dismiss the battlecruiser, not before any are built." "Oh, I do not dismiss the idea entirely. But if the ships will be as effective for their cost as I expect, with limited budget on both sides and foreign funds devoted to these new vessels, we may gain an advantage in numbers. Or at least we would, if it wasn't the Royal Navy we're talking about."
December of 1905 also saw a slight political shift as Tsar Nikolai II introduced the Imperial State Duma to the Russian Empire. Of course everyone knew that the Tsar has no wish to relinquish his power, but the creation of Duma was supposed to silence some of his critics. As it happened, a substantial portion of the Duma would consist of politicians that could be best described as "hawkish" and who immediately pushed for increased military spending, which included the navy. Both a blessing and a curse, Mikhail had to tread lightly. When the spotlight reached him he was sure to clearly state that a strong navy can help guarantee peace, but it must also be coupled with careful diplomacy. The naval budget was indeed increased, but Mikhail couldn't help but worry what this political assembly will lead to on the world stage, a worry that caused him to remain surprisingly sober on this year's annual party, as he was determined to avoid any incidents. Mikhail also received a message from Artem Sapalyov stating that the Engineering Committee approved AP-capped projectiles with grater penetrative power for production. A new torpedo model with improved compressed air supply was also introduced, capable of greater speeds and ranges.
January of 1906... Now that was an interesting month....
It all started with a civil war in Norway. A pro-British coup took place, which Great Britian promptly used as an excuse to effectively take control of Norway and make it into a puppet state. Even as fighting was still on-going, things exploded on the diplomatic front, but Great Britain simply didn't care for diplomacy or threats at this stage. They were determined to take Norway, and that was not lying well with Germany and Russia. Interestingly, even USA didn't approve of Britain's actions, though they weren't as vocal as German and Russian diplomats. Tensions on the British-Russian line in particular were rising, in no small part due to involvement of hawkish politicians - and on both sides to be fair. Coupled with Russian counter-intelligence capturing and executing a British spy, relations between the two countries reached an all-time low. With that, Mikhail became worried. Things have gotten even worse when war erupted in the Balkans, effectively taking away Germany's attention from Norway and leaving Russia alone to hold the line the diplomatic firefight with Great Britain, which at this point was devolving into simple insult-slinging. And of course Russia also had interests in the Balkans. Great Britain, gauging that Russia would be more concerned with the Balkan situation rather than Norway, decided to push their advantage, wiping out all Norwegian loyalist resistance by the end of February. With numerous British warships operating around Norway and some moving as far as into Kattegat and with ever-growing tensions, Mikhail gave the order on 1st of March, mobilizing the fleet. He "knew" what others suspected - situation was going to get worse. If there was ever a good time for that alliance with the French - this was it...
Uh-oh.
I got a bad feeling about this.
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Post by thefleetofoceans on Mar 5, 2021 7:43:19 GMT -6
I mean the Brits will have to come to you, and oddly enough if you can get the French involved you should have Parity(ish) in Europe and actually outgun the brits in the far east. In theory at least.
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Post by janxol on Mar 5, 2021 10:54:31 GMT -6
Russia stands alone
14:30, March 9th, 1906, St. Petersburg, Admiralty building "Gentlemen.", said Mikhail, as he entered the room. The room was a rather large office with a big table in the center. Said table was mostly covered with naval maps and several ledgers, with more papers lying on the desk and cupboards around the room. Dmitri and kontr-admiral Golubov were hunched over the table, looking insistently at the maps and murmuring something under their noses. "General-admiral.", they greeted him. "Well then... Thoughts?", asked Mikhail, approaching the map. "What can you give me and what can you not?" "There's basically no question that in the event of war with Great Britain commerce warfare is our best chance for victory. The question remains whether we can effectively raid their merchant lines in presence of the Royal Navy.", said Dmitri. "Submarines have limited range, they can operate in the North Sea, between Norway and British Isles, but getting to the Western Approaches does not appear possible. If we want to hit that area, it will need to be surface raiders.", said Golubov, looking at Dmitri. "And surface raiders are naturally at risk, since the Royal Navy will be well aware of the need to protect their supply lines. The Almaz-class were perhaps built with raiding in mind, but due to their slow speed getting caught by British warships will be... Problematic...", added Dmitri. "Those submarines...", started Mikhail. "Can we extend their endurance by using cargo ships as replenishment points?" "We're looking into that.", answered Golubov. "Original plan was to use the fjords of the Norwegian coast as hiding spots for supply ships, but with British in control of Norway that is no longer an option. We could also try to extend the range of submarines by having them towed through Skagerrak and released in the North Sea." "It can work, provided we won't get blockaded at Skagerrak.", noted Dmitri. "What about the Pacific Squadron? Will they be joining us in Europe?" Mikhail shook his head. "No. But actually I have high hopes for them. Britain has possessions in Asia which it will be forced to protect. Pacific Squadron isn't perhaps large, but it is still a naval force and British will have no choice but commit their own forces to Pacific Theatre, hopefully at the cost of their force in Europe. I do not hope to take them on in open fight, but it should make it easier for our raiders to move.", he said. "In particular Weihawei grabs my attention, as it is within striking distance from Port Arthur. If we manage to take it, it would effectively rob the British of bases in the North-East Asia, helping us to secure our own eastern coast. Infrastructure on Formosa is still undergoing expansion, I doubt it can support a substantial naval force, which means Hong Kong is out of our reach. Unless the French join in, which we cannot expect or plan for..."
Later in March the navy commissioned the new submarines, and on March 15th the armored cruiser Latnik, Dmitri's brain-child, was commissioned. Latnik (1903) Ships in class: 1 Armored cruiser Latnik was an experimental design, largely influenced by idea of kontr-admiral Dmitri Vedernikov. The only ship of her class, she was designed with an armament much heavier than contemporary armored cruisers. Displacing 16 000 tons, she was about 1 000 tons larger than the Bayan-class and thus stripping them of their title of largest armored cruisers. Built with a triple expansion engine producing over 42 400 horsepower and four propeller shafts, she was intended to reach a speed of 24 knots. In sea trials it quickly became apparent that she has trouble reaching that goal, her speed peaking at 23 knots instead, matching the speed of the Bayans rather than outperforming them. Taking experiences of the Bayan-class into account, the rudder on the Latnik was much larger, which helped to alleviate the problems with turning circle present in the Bayans. The ships had an armored belt 6" thick and tapering down to 3" towards bow and stern. The sloped deck was 1.5" thick. The armament of the ship is what most differentiated her from other armored cruisers. She was armed with ten 250mm guns mounted in four twin and two single turrets. One twin turret was mounted aft, one aft on the cut-down quarterdeck and one on each side of the forward superstructure. The two single turrets were located in the aft wing positions, just forward of the quarterdeck. This unusual arrangement meant that Latnik could have a broadside of seven 250mm guns and theoretical salvo of six guns forward and four aft, though these were restricted in normal operation due to concerns about blast damage. Additionally, the ship was armed with fourteen 152mm guns in casemates, seven on each side, as well as four 76mm guns in deck mounts. Three torpedo tubes were also fitted - one forward and one on port and starboard each. Unlike other Russian warships which were altered during construction or refitted with central firing, the Latnik was from the start designed with the system in mind. Despite the failure to reach design speed, kontr-admiral Vedernikov spoke well of the vessel.
Side by side comparison: Bayan on the left, Latnik on the right
Other good news in March included the introduction of automatic range transmitter as well as conception of new turret design guidelines which could result in weight savings. The not-so-good news were that USA laid down more large battleships, with Germany following soon after. As such Mikhail instructed Artem to come up with a design for a battleship that could match these new vessels, which proved a challenge not only due to various engineering concerns to address, but also because nothing was known about the specifics of foreign designs.
15:30, April 16th, 1906, St. Petersburg, Ministry of Foreign Affairs Mikhail read rapidly at the letter that was given to him, before casting it back onto the table and fixing his eyes on the minister. "Great Britain did indeed announce a *rearmament program*, yes.", he agreed. "And I am guessing you wished to consult because the concept of war worries you." "Does it not worry you, general-admiral? Great Britain is a naval power. THE naval power. Our fleet would have to go against the Royal Navy, which I'm sure you know more about than I do, but I gather there's a reason why the Royal Navy is what it is.", responded the minister. "What do you expect me to tell you, minister? Our navy is smaller and less advanced. I cannot say if we can beat the Royal Navy, but we're coming up with ideas for when the worst should come.", said Mikhail. "A rearmament program is very much a concern." "What is your recommendation?" "My recommendation? My only recommendation can be to strengthen our own navy. These adventurous policies must be answered appropriately, ignoring them will get us nothing." "I see. I will speak with the naval secretary, and the Tsar if need be. This threat of war concerns me greatly. But should it come to it, we should be prepared."
15:45, April 16th, 1906, St. Petersburg, Ministry of Foreign Affairs As Mikhail entered the office he was greeted by Dmitri, who was already waiting for him. "This will not end well. Britain is pumping much more money into their navy than we ever could.", he said. Dmitri nodded. "On my end I have given out instructions to the cruiser captains to make sure their crews are properly drilled. You will also be interested to know that Yevtushenkov took very personally to the training of crews on all four of our semi-dreadnoughts. His latest assesment involved words *disgrace* and *disaster*, so I can't tell if he's making progress so far, but I am confident he will get them sorted eventually.", said Dmitri. "Good. I need to get a letter encrypted and send it via wire to Yablokov in Port Arthur. Meanwhile, this one is for you.", said Mikhail, reaching into the cupboard and handing Dmitri and official looking letter. Dmitri raised an eyebrow, opened the envelope and started reading. "Instructions for cruiser command, in the event of a war...", he mused. "Though it also appears to be addressed to my distant cousin, *vice-admiral* Vedernikov." "Right. This one as well.", murmured Mikhail, reaching for another envelope and handing it to Dmitri. Dmitri read that one with equally raised eyebrows, before glancing at Mikhail. "A promotion to vice-admiral?" "Yes. It appears the cruiser force has grown enough that I need you one step higher to maintain effective chain of command. Congratulations. That's something neither of us anticipated, isn't it? Me giving promotions to you?", Mikhail chuckled. "No, we didn't.", agreed Dmitri with a smile. "I won't fail you."
April brought two events that proved to have great impact on the future. One of them was the introduction of steam turbine propulsion, which provided great weight reduction and reliability increase over triple expansion engines. The other was the French reaction to the unfolding events. With newly elected French government deciding that ties with the British are more important than ties with the Russians, France has officially denounced the aggressive stance of Russian Empire. While a disappointing and somewhat unexpected outcome, this at least answered the question of possible alliance with a definitive "no". With Germany fully committed to its Balkan adventures, one was now clear. Should this war with great Britain come, Russia was in it alone...
Preparing for the worst...
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