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Post by janxol on Jun 23, 2021 10:34:51 GMT -6
Royal, but no navy
After the destruction of the British fleet, the Russians have once again set up blockade of the British isles, more than capable of doing so even without American involvement. Even as British planes soared above Russian ships, they could do nothing but watch. The Royal Navy simply didn't have enough ships left. On the other hand, Russians couldn't do much about the planes other than let them watch. Attempts to fire upon the aircraft with small-caliber guns were ineffective, but have become a popular pastime for otherwise unoccupied crews with ammunition usage quotas to spare. Meanwhile, Russian navy started on work on its first seaplane carriers. Dunai (1915) Dunai was a merchant ship slotted for conversion into an armed merchant cruiser, but the process was put on hold after admiralty deemed further AMC conversion unnecessary. The ship was mothballed ever since, until the Engineering Committe stumbled upon it and a decision was made to purchase the ship from her owners and rebuild her into a seaplane carrier. Additional boilers were to be installed, increasing the ship's top speed to 23 knots, superstructure was to be completely rebuilt and former cargo spaces were to be transformed into a below-deck hangar intended for five floatplanes. The ship would also be outfitted with cranes and other facilities necessary to handle the aircraft. The armament would consist of four 130mm guns, two side by side on the bow and two in similar arrangement on the stern, as well as four "high-angle" 76mm guns. The high-angle guns were envisioned as a tool against aircraft, but tests have shown their effectiveness to be absolutely dismal. Nevka (1915) Nevka used to be a test vessel for the Submarine Flotilla, originally assisting in tests of submersible and later on she herself was experimented upon to investigate the idea of submarine-carrying ships. The idea didn't take off and so the ship was left to rust near the submarine docks. As it was no longer needed in the Flotilla, Golubov agreed to hand it over to Engineering Committe for seaplane carrier conversion. The ship was equipped with oil-fired boilers and capable of 26 knots as a result of earlier experimentations. Superstructure didn't really need remodeling and the ship had more than enough space to install a below-deck hangar for five planes. Unfortunately cranes intended for submarine operation were unsuitable for handling aircraft and so they'd need to be replaced. Armament consisted of four 130mm guns, two front and two aft, mounted on the centerline, and two 76mm high-angle guns would be added. On December 18th the British garrison of Weihawei surrendered and the territory was now firmly under Russian occupation. With that, almost all warfare in the Far East had ceased, the agonal thrashing of the Royal Navy would happen in water around the home islands. The Incomparable-class battlecruisers were not to be discounted as a foe, that was true. But in the end they were but four ships and as dangerous ships as they were, they couldn't stand against the Imperial Russian Navy, nor could they be everywhere they were needed, no matter how hard the British tried to get them moving around. And moving they were, so fast and so often that following their movements proved quite confusing for Russian intelligence and it was unclear where or when they manage to resupply. Several times a routine Russian operation would come to an abrupt halt because of presence of one of those ships, but never did the Incomparables actually feel bold enough to chase the Russian vessels. At least two times the HMS Incomparable herself would come to face off against Fokshani, but both times the fire exchange was short and nothing came of it. The war was coming to an end and both the Russians and the British knew it. As for the Americans, nobody seemed to know what they're doing. Certainly not the Americans. And so, the last true engagement of the war would be fought on January 9th, 1916. During an attack on a British convoy Russian light cruiser Flora of the Yakhont-class would have a very close encounter with one of the Incomparable-class cruisers - an encounter she would sadly not survive, making her the last Russian ship to be lost in the war before a peace treaty was signed on January 24th, 1916. Light cruiser Flora (Yakhont-class)
The war was over. By the terms of the peace agreement Great Britain ceded control of occupied Weihawei as well as Hong Kong to the Russians and pay hefty war reparations to Russia and USA. As it happened, the British were reluctant due to limited faith of being able to fulfill such obligations and at the last moment an alteration was made to the treaty - in exchange for lowering the amount of reparations to be paid to Russia, Royal Navy would cede one of their vessels to them. That worried Mikhail, because he was not consulted on this, nor informed which ship would be transferred as prize. Fully prepared to welcome a highly-flammable rust bucket into the Navy, he turned his attention to other matters. There were reports to collate, war to analyze and above all he now had to participate in the traditional ritual of all victorious militaries - cutting costs.
Well, the war's over. Now onto not bankrupting and war aftermath.
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Post by janxol on Jul 4, 2021 6:31:00 GMT -6
Future of the Imperial Navy
Hotin (1912) formerly Princess Royal The ship handed over by the Royal Navy proved to be one of the four Incomparable-class battlecruisers - and both navies seemed equally unhappy with that fact. Upon closer inspection of the vessel, she proved a lot less capable than it appeared when staring down the unfriendly end of her barrels. The ship displaced 27 700 tons, larger than Russian-built battlecruisers, and was equipped with oil-fired machinery producing 72 500 horsepower for a top speed of 26 knots. The fuel stores were much smaller than one would expect from a vessel of this size, resulting in a relatively short-ranged ship. Her main belt was 9" thick, tapering down to 4", with a 2.5" sloped deck behind it and an extended 1" thick splinter deck, while the underwater protection was roughly equivalent to that of Russian TDS-2 and was eventually rated as such. The main armament consisted of eight 15" guns - designated 380mm (V) by the Russian navy - in four twin turrets. One turret was placed aft, one forward on the forecastle, one aft of the forecastle and one aft of second funnel. The guns were powerful and possibly the only positive feature Mikhail's eye could see. Secondary armament consisted of twenty-four casemated 4.7" - 120mm (V) - guns, protected by surprisingly heavy armor, in contrast to main turrets, protected by worryingly thin armor. Additionally, the ship had a pair of underwater torpedo tubes, one on each broadside. Fire control was merely central firing, as the British clearly pressed the ship into service before having a chance to outfit it with directors. Mikhail was incredibly skeptical of the vessel. While the Engineering Committe was trying to come up with a suitable russification process, ranging from simple replacement of fire control to complete rebuild of turrets, a decision was made to put the ship where it belongs - in the mothball. 11:00, February 12th, 1916, St. Petersburg, General-admiral's office "Congratulations.", said Mikhail, looking at Alexanda. "You served the entire war as a flag lieutenant and nobody realized you're a woman." "Thank you, sir. I think...", she said, approaching his desk an setting down a small package of sealed envelopes. Mikhail smirked slightly at this remark. "What news?" "A message came in from Port Arthur. Vice-admiral Tretyakov accepted the planned changes to the composition of Pacific Squadron, but remarked he'd rather have the new ships arrive before old ones are decommissioned.", reported lieutenant Tyomkin, as she took a step back from the desk and straightened her posture. Once again Mikhail thought to himself that he had never met the man now responsible for the Pacific Squadron half a world away. He had no idea who he was or how he commanded, all he had was third-hand opinions. Andrei supposedly considered him a good officer, but Mikhail heard nothing of Tretyakov from Andrei himself. For now, however, it had to be this way. "Lieutenant-commander Dobrolyubov has also requested a meeting with you. I believe he was from counter-intelligence." "Oh, good.", said sarcastically Mikhail. "I was starting to think it had been too long since I heard anything about the communist menace." And indeed it was true. The communist propaganda kind of had its air let out of it once it became apparent that the war was not only going in a good direction, but also had little negative effect on life of Russia's people. "What am I supposed to tell him?", asked Aleksandra. "That I'm not in my office, regardless of whether that's true." "Yes, sir...", she said, giving little indication that the instruction could be considered unorthodox. "There is also report from lieutenant-colonel Sapalyov. The teams working on site on the Tri Ierarha are optimistic that they'll be able to raise the ship sometime in March and tow it for proper repairs." "Good, thank you.", said Mikhail, his eyes slowly drifting to the growing piece of papers on his desk. His head was already hurting. With the war's end time has come to review what had actually happened. It was clear that the Russian had won, again. And even though the Americans did participate in the hostilities and defended their claim to glory, anyone mildly interested in the war's development knew that it was the Imperial Russian Navy that played the major part. Moreover, it was quite different than the previous war, which was won by commerce warfare. This time, the Russians have beaten the British on the high seas, destroying their newest ships and oldest traditions. The Royal Navy was effectively destroyed. This result of the war prompted the major powers to once again take a concerned look at Russia's growing power, and while nobody said anything "hostile", it was clear that France in particular doesn't approve of such development and that Austria-Hungary in particular doesn't really care. One had to also take into account that the weakened position of Great Britain left a power vacuum in the seas and it would be one that the major powers - among which Russia was now claiming its place - would make an attempt to fill. Additionally the loss of Weihawei and Hong Kong weakened British position in Asia and while Singapore and Malaya remained under their control, they were clearly worried about someone exploiting their weakness. Still, it seemed that as it was with Ancient Rome, the decline of the empire - should it happen - would be a slow and painful process.
The Russians also suffered losses, though they were hardly comparable to those inflicted. As price to be paid for turning Royal Navy into Royal Coastal Forces, the Russians have lost:
1 Pre-dreadnought battleship - Petropavlovsk of the Pobeda-class was lost to a mine
1 Semi-dreadnought battleship - Imperator Aleksandr III was lost in battle
3 Cruisers - Vladimir of the Varyag-class, leaving only one ship of her class in service, Izumrud of the Posadnik-class and Flora of the Yakhont-class, both one of the newer, turbine-equipped cruisers
24 Destroyers - 17 of the newest Gnevni/Vidni-class (15 of Vidni-subclass and 2 of Gnevni-subclass) - this accounted for almost half the ships belonging to the class, with 23 Gnevni/Vidni-class destroyers remaining (15 of which were Vidni-subclass). Of the remaining lost destroyers 4 were of Boevoi-class, 2 of Vnimatelni-class and one of aging Veseli-class
1 Seagoing minesweeper - Gonets of Vestnik-class This did not include lost submarines and vessels converted for wartime duties as patrol boats and minesweepers. Since the war ended, Mikhail was pondering the state of the navy and planning for its development, gradually involving Artem, Dmitri and other admiralty members in the discussion which would ultimately lead to another Fleet Program and a report and directives addressing most aspects of Imperial Russian Navy. 1916 Fleet Program
Capital ships
Dreadnought battleships - Russian navy currently fielded 6 dreadnought battleships (including the currently unavailable Tri Ierarha). By count and tonnage of dreadnoughts, Russia's force was third largest in the world, though this didn't take into account battlecruisers, which the Russians didn't classify as capital ships, unlike other nations. In order to remain relevant in the dreadnought race it was deemed necessary to continue the trend of having at least two dreadnought battleships under construction and that a new class should be laid down around the time the current one is expected to be commissioned. As the Pervenets-class dreadnoughts were expected to be complete in about six months, design work started on the planned successors. There were also vague plans of an additional pair of dreadnoughts, should funding allow it in the later stage of the Fleet Program.
Imperatritsa Elizaveta Petrovna, for the next six months still the largest warship in the world
Pre-dreadnought battleships - It was clear that with the dawn of the dreadnought and turbine propulsion pre-dreadnought battleships have become obsolete, though all navies still fielded them, slowly phasing them out in favor of newer ships. In order to cut costs and secure funding for new vessels, all Russian pre-dreadnoughts were slotted for decommissioning. While it could be seen as somewhat radical to remove 9 battleships from service, Mikhail believed their time has passed and they were inadequate for realities of modern naval combat. In his eyes it was ridding the fleet of liabilities, even if it did substantially cut the numbers of the battleship squadron.
Dvenadtsat Apostolov-class were the largest and most capable pre-dreadnoughts in the Russian navy.
Semi-dreadnoughts - 3 out of 4 Russian semi-dreadnoughts were still operational and spared the fate of earlier ships. Instead, they would be transferred to the Far East to replace the decommissioned pre-dreadnoughts of Pacific Squadron.
The Russian semi-dreadnoughts would now make up the battleship division of Pacific Squadron
Cruisers
The Russian navy was traditionally strong on the cruiser front and Mikhail would prefer to keep it that way, but passing of time and technological advancements meant that he could foresee the majority of Russian cruisers quickly becoming obsolete once new, faster vessels take to the seas. Armored cruisers - Russian navy fielded nine armored cruisers at the end of the war and three of them were slotted for decommissioning - the two Pamyat Azova-class and the Gromoboi, as their speed and armament were deemed no longer adequate and the ships themselves were starting to show their age. That left the Russian navy with six armored cruisers - three of the Bayan-class, two of Vityaz-class and the Latnik. All of them, while powerful in terms of armament, didn't exceed 23 knots of speed which meant that they stood at a disadvantage against faster more modern cruisers. Such was the fate of the Bayans: once mighty vessels, prized for their speed, symbol of the Imperial Navy - now just armored cruisers, growing old, slow and obsolete. Still, their power refused to wane and despite their age they were capable of taking on any cruiser short of battlecruisers in a fight. Regardless, the age of the armored cruiser as it was known was seemingly coming to an end, with no nation building them anymore, their roles overtaken by battlecruisers and light armored cruisers. Even the Polkan-class under construction could be considered something different, not necessarily a development from the Latnik. Perhaps it would be accurate to say that Latnik would be the last true armored cruiser, fighting against obsolescence. The six cruisers would remain in service, though Bayan-class were in need of overhaul, with some entertaining the idea of a rebuild that would extend their lifetime. Vityaz and her sister Voin would be transferred to the Pacific Fleet to take the place of decomissioned cruisers, while Latnik and the Bayans would remain in the Baltic Fleet.
Cruiser Bayan, an aging ship fighting against obsolescence
Light cruisers - Of 16 light cruisers serving in the Russian Navy, only 5 were equipped with turbine propulsion. Of the remaining 11, six were deemed no longer adequate for first line duty, with Almaz-class ships joining Svetlana-class in this designation. As such, the Almaz-class would be dispatched to Far East, where they could still be useful as patrol ships or raiders in secondary theatres. Of the remaining five, three were of Avrora-class, one of Varyag-class, the last survivor Boyarin, and the final ship was Rynda of Rynda-class, the surviving Witch of the North Sea. All of these were protected cruisers, capable in terms of firepower but lacking in speed and durability. As such, the Russian navy identified a need for modern light cruisers, capable of reaching greater speeds thanks to turbine propulsion. While preliminary design studies have begun, looking to create a design based on Yakhont-class, it was likely the funding for new cruisers wouldn't be allocated until 1917 or later, with the cruisers being assigned to a later stage of the Fleet Program.
Almaz-class cruiser Small and slow, but perhaps still of use in far areas
Battlecruisers - Russian navy didn't commit fully to the idea of the battlecruisers, not even classifying them as capital ships like other nations. Russian navy only fielded 4 battlecruisers (including the prize ship Hotin), making it the smallest battlecruiser force among all the major powers. Russian battlecruisers were smaller than their foreign counterparts - battlecruisers as built by other nations were deemed too large (or rather too expensive) for the intended role and dubious nature of the ships. Still, in soon-to-be absence of armored cruisers it was battlecruisers which were to become a battlecruiser's main enemy. While Mikhail still considered the idea of "speed is armor" to be mighty stupid, he acknowledged that the Russians need vessels to combat enemy battlecruisers with reasonable odds of success, without the need to rely on presence of dreadnoughts to deter them. As such, a preliminary study into a new battlecruiser design had begun, though no funding had yet been allocated for the actual ship.
Battlecruiser Fokshani, the most advanced Russian-built battlecruiser
Destroyers - Russian navy fielded 68 destroyers at the end of the war, but this number would rapidly go down. The entirety of 500-ton Buinyi-class (10 ships) would be decommissioned, while the 500-ton Veseli-class (19 ships) would lose their torpedo boat destroyer designation and be re-rated as patrol boats. The last surviving Zavetni-class destroyer - Chestni - would also be decommissioned. As this would leave Pacific Squadron with no real destroyer, Vnimatelni-class and Storozhevoi-class destroyers (7 ships) would be transferred to the Far East, leaving the Baltic fleet with 31 destroyers, 23 of which were of Gnevni/Vidni-class and the remainder of Smetlivi/Boevoi-class. Considering the destroyer attrition rate during the war, this number was deemed inadequate and twelve new destroyers were to be ordered as part of the Fleet Program, with further ten on the table, depending on total cost of planned cruisers.
The two oldest destroyer classes in Russian navy.
The program also called for construction of more medium-ranged submarines, as only 3 of 24 boats in the Flottilla escaped the designation of coastal submarine. Additionally, funds were also to be allocated for overhauls and refits of vessels starting to suffer from their age.
Prospects of bankruptcy are nothing compared to the concept of modern navy.
For those asking what happened in-game to Tri Ierarha - it was a lot more boring than the dramatised AAR depiction. It entered port and then it sunk - and as the game doesnt "sink" the ships that sunk in port, it was "heavily damaged". Due to the nature of her adventure I have also decided to extend her repair time.
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Post by prophetinreverse on Jul 5, 2021 0:22:03 GMT -6
Ah, thank you
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Post by aeson on Jul 8, 2021 5:26:15 GMT -6
If you intend to keep Hotin, I might suggest seeing how much armor you can add to the main turrets by cutting down the armor on the secondary guns, and if that doesn't produce a useful increase in protection for the main armament then I might consider pulling a turret, though since the 9" belt means it will be pretty fragile anyways it might be better to keep the guns just so that it is a better glass cannon. Regardless, I would be reluctant to invest much into it as it's looking pretty thin-skinned for the future - not that your other battle cruisers are really any better off in that regard - and its 26-knot speed is only adequate.
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Post by janxol on Nov 23, 2021 14:48:10 GMT -6
What a time to be not dead
Money is what makes the navy go round. At least in the proverbial sense, because in the literal meaning, the ships were what made the navy go round. On the other hand, money was needed to procure ships, and so both answers could be seen as valid regardless of context. In the end it all came down to money and at the present moment the Russian navy didn't have enough. The budget figures assigned after the war came to end were nowhere near those that were agreed upon, and rather distant to those taken into consideration when planning the 1916 Fleet Program. More money was promised and yet with half a year passed, it was nowhere to be seen. While Mikhail was starting to worry that it may compromise the program, there was little he could do. Through trial and error he had determined that the new secretary of the navy, appointed just before the end of the war, was a man who couldn't be persuaded, begged, threatened or reasoned with. Admittedly, funds were needed elsewhere, the navy wasn't the only branch of military and military wasn't the only thing needing funding. Still, while social reforms and stimulus to industry were good things, Mikhail was mostly concerned with the navy's budget. Or lack of thereof. Regardless, the program continued for now, even with certain construction projects having to be delayed and balancing of budget becoming worryingly too close for comfort. For the time being, the world was too peaceful to warrant the degree of military spending the Russian navy needed right now. Except for Shanghai, torn by civil war. With Mikhail's approval, the majority of Pacific Squadron arrived in Shanghai June 15th, 1916, pointed the guns at the shore and allowed for landing of Russian force of marines. Before the international notes of protest reached St. Petersburg, Shanghai was once again peaceful - and fully under Russian control. With that, Russia established control over entirety of Asian coast from Liaotung Peninsula to Hong Kong - with the exception of German-controlled Tsingtau. Such a move from the Russian side obviously wasn't very popular abroad, and France especially was worried by the development. Still, the world was quite happy to remain peaceful - for now.
Before the end of June Russian navy has also laid down the next pair of dreadnoughts, though this time each would be of a different class. Additionally, while the 37 500-ton Ioann Zlatoust was to be constructed in admiralty shipyards in St. Petersburg, the 35 000-ton Retvizan was ordered from American shipyard. Due to comparable size and specifications, some saw this project as a race, or at least a test for Russian shipbuilding, which came a long way since the beginning of the century. No longer could be it be called "underdeveloped", though certain underlying problems remained.
At the beginning of July, the Tri Ierarha finally reached St. Petersburg, having been raised and towed to the port after some in-situ repairs. It was expected that the ship should be fuly repaired within two months, though captain Cherkashin would not be returning to the ship, as he was assigned to Imperatritsa Ekaterina Velikaya, one of the two Pervenets-class dreadnoughts commissioned on July 9th. Pervenets (1913) Ships in class: 2 Pervenets, Imperatritsa Ekaterina Velikaya Latest Russian battleships displaced 35 500 tons, once again ensuring that the title of the owner of largest battleship afloat remains with the Imperial Navy. Equipped with oil-fired boilers, the machinery was producing 47 000 horsepower, driving four shafts of a standard top speed of 21 knots. The ships' armored belt was 12" thick amidships, tapering down to 4" towards bow and stern, with a 3" sloped deck behind it. The ships were also incorporating a TDS-2 type anti-torpedo protection. Main armament once again consisted of the proven 330mm obr. 1909 guns, in this case twelve guns in six twin turrets, same amount of barrels as Imperatritsa Elizaveta Petrovna-class and two more than preceding Andrei Pervozvanny. The six turrets were placed in three superfiring pairs - one pair forward and two pairs aft, minimizing obstruction of fields of fire from the superstructure and the turrets themselves. Secondary armament consisted of twenty 130mm guns in casemates and the ships were also equipped with four submerged torpedo tubes, two on each side. The ships were also designed with a director from the very start, resulting in a slightly more elegant fitting of the fire control, though whether this would have any effect on its effectiveness was highly questionable. Due to the tight budget, the construction of new cruisers had to wait until later stage of the program - or be cancelled entirely if no additional funds will be found. For the time being, the Boyarin, Rynda and all three Avrora-class vessels were put through overhaul. Additionally, all ships were outfitted with minelaying rails with capacity for 20 mines (10 in case of Rynda). And for Boyarin, all of her 57mm guns - deemed no longer effective with engagement ranges of modern warfare - and four of her 76mm guns were removed and a pair of 152mm guns was mounted amidships, one on each side.
Boyarin in her new configuration
In August 1916 5 new submarines were ordered and a class of 12 destroyers was laid down. Bistri (1916) Ships in class: 12 The new class of destroyers would be 100 tons larger than the Gnevni/Vidni-class, with 900 tons total displacement. They would be outfitted with 17 000 hp oil-fired machinery allowing them to reach a design speed of 32 knots. Additionally the machinery in these ships was designed to be less cramped and more reliable than in the preceding vessels. They would be armed with three 105mm guns, one forward, on the raised forecastle, one aft and one mounted on the superstructure amidships, aft of the funnels. Most notable change from the previous destroyer class would be the torpedo armament. While Bistri-class also carried six tubes, they were arranged in two triple launchers mounted on the centerline, allowing for greater ease of launching large torpedo salvos when compared to using single launchers. As the shipbuilding continued, Mikhail continued his efforts to secure additional funds - and yet the year 1916 came to an end and he was not successful, which meant that the 1916 Fleet Program was unlikely to continue in its planned form and scope.
It's... alive? Questionably. Not dead though. Can't promise how fast i'll be able to write, but it's not dead.
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Post by janxol on Dec 4, 2021 7:12:21 GMT -6
Meeting at midnight
The beginning of 1917 was uneventful at best, though the year itself would prove to be rather interesting, despite the slow start. In March, following a decision that army and the navy shall maintain separate air wings for the purposes of their operations, the Russian navy adopted the Ilyushin Il-6 fighter plane in order to ensure protection of their bases from enemy bombers or naval scout aircraft. Ilyushin Il-6
The plane was a very small and agile biplane, capable of incredibly tight maneuvers as long as the pilot kept in consideration that experiencing negative Gs will cause a flameout of its carbureted engine. The engine itself wasn't maybe very impressive, but allowed the plane to achieve speed of 90 knots, which was considered good enough. Maximum operating range was about 65 miles and the armament consisted of a pair of 7.62mm machineguns shooting through the propeller. In April a deal was made with Austria-Hungary, allowing them to purchase some shipbuilding-related patents at favorable price. As Austria-Hungary was currently the only friendly neighbor of Russia, and Balkans being "right there", the Russian diplomatic corps were quite satisfied to be able to maintain the positive relationship. With the Balkans surprisingly quiet, the proverbial barrel of gunpowder seemed to have moved to Asia. In May of 1917 a massive uprising took place in China, proving to be challenging to contain for everyone involved - and Russia was very much involved, unwilling to let go of the territories that were secured. As situation escalated, the French press reported with great detail every atrocity commited by Russian military on the Chinese population, regardless of whether these actually happened. Eventually, general-admiral Koshkin himself arrived in Asia. Many wondered what devilish plot would have brought him there and the answer to that question was "boredom".
12:00, May 7th, 1917, 5nm east of Hong Kong, battlecruiser Fokshani Mikhail leaned over the railing, his eyes drifting away from the shore and towards semi-dreadnoughts Poltava and Knyaz Potemkin anchored a few thousand yards away, their main guns pointing inland. Apart from them, there was more naval activity in sight, with three Russian destroyers patrolling nearby. Additionally, while not visible from Mikhail's current observation point, light cruiser Sapfir was following behind Fokshani, as she had been ever since leaving St. Petersburg, acting as the battlecruiser's escort in this journey. On the mast of Poltava Mikhail could spot an admiral's flag, flowing in the gentle breeze. Vice-admiral Osip Ilyitch Tretyakov has been the commander of Pacific Squadron ever since Andrei... Stopped. Still, Mikhail had never met the man, though that was something which was about to change. "We're maneuvering for anchor now", said Dmitri, appearing beside Mikhail after stepping out of the nearby door. "Do you want Fokshani to...?" Whatever he was meaning to say, his words were drowned in the noise of heavy gunfire, as barrels of both Russian semi-dreadnoughts came to life, sending 305mm shells inland. Mikhail straightened his back, his brows furrowing. "If the French ever wanted to say we're dropping heavy ordnance on some poor farmers, this is the excuse.", he muttered. "You did authorize the use of force, didn't forbid naval bombardment...", said Dmitri, though he also appeared surprised by the salvoes unleashed by the two vessels. They watched in silence and after each of the barrels fired ten times, the guns once again fell silent, though still menacingly pointing towards their recent target. "Well then...", said Mikhail. "Time to meet the man behind the order." Climbing the ladder leading from Fokshani's boat to Poltava's deck, Mikhail was greeted by a group of saluting sailors and shortly after the ship's captain appeared to welcome him aboard. As soon as both Dmitri and Alexandra were aboard, all three visitors were led to the ship's plotting room, where vice-admiral Tretyakov currently resided. As Mikhail entered the room he cast a careful glance around, immediately identifying the man in question. Vice-admiral Tretyakov was a man of rather scrawny build and clearly younger than both Mikhail and Dmitri. While he looked forty at most, his face had some features that seemed to make him look older - he had a narrow, protruding jaw, and strongly accentuated cheekbones, seemingly stretching the skin of his face to the limit and in some unexplained way making Mikhail think the vice-admiral resembles a bird or perhaps a lizard. Tretyakov's hair was blonde and very short and he lacked any sort of facial hair. "Double check these calculations, lieutenant. I want maximum effect, no walking the shells on target this time.", said Tretyakov, putting down a mark on the map that was lying in front of him on the plotting table. Afterwards, he reached for his mug, but that was the moment he spotted Mikhail, immediately putting it down and standing at attention. "General-admiral, sir.", he said. Mikhail raised an eyebrow, moving further into the room, casting a few glances around before turning back to the vice-admiral. "At ease.", he said, noticing he was still at attention. "What were you firing at?" "A village within firing range was occupied by the rebels, general-admiral.", he responded, pointing at the location on the map with the tip of his pencil. "It no longer is." "How heavily was the village fortified to warrant the use of such heavy ordnance?", asked Mikhail with feigned curiosity. "Moderately.", responded the vice-admiral. "But the bombardment was spectacular, whoever survived or witnessed it, will be sure to share the news, severely affecting the rebel morale. Do you disapprove, general-admiral?" Tretyakov's green eyes were fixed on Mikhail. Attentive, analytical. Cold, empty. "I do. For one, the French will gladly report that we're bombarding villages. Secondly, it's a village. Not a fort, not a bunker." "The French would report such things irrespective of whether they happen. And collateral damage was deemed acceptable." "Who deemed it acceptable?" "I did.", responded Tretyakov without skipping a beat. "If you have specific instructions for such matters, I will comply with them going forward. Otherwise I have acted - and will continue to act - within my authority. Sir." There was no stutter, no hesitation in his voice. And the way he added "sir" made it clear that he very much disagrees with Mikhail. "Indeed.", muttered Koshkin, smiling slightly. "You will not bombard any civilian targets, vice-admiral. Containing the rebellion is the job of the army, unless the rebels manage to capture a ship. The navy will support as needed, but you will not bombard towns or villages with heavy naval guns." "Understood, sir.", responded the vice-admiral, without a hint of annoyance in his voice. "I trust you'll be pleased with my results, general-admiral. Even if you are not pleased with my methods thus far." And then he smiled and it was the kind of smile given by a person who has no idea what smiling is or what emotion it's supposed to convey. "Well. He seemed like a nice person.", said Dmitri, as they climbed back aboard the Fokshani. "Barely a person, if I'm honest. To be fair, nobody ever praised his personality, only his skill. If his skill is sharp, I'm leaving him in command.", said Mikhail. Reaching the top of the ladder he turned around and reached out, offering help to Alexandra, who was still climbing. While clearly unsure if it's appropriate to get pulled up by the general-admiral, she accepted the assistance. And while it wasn't the first time Mikhail pulled someone up at the top of the ladder when boarding a warship, this time something felt different, something crunched in his arm, making him wince. "It's nothing.", he said, noticing an expression of terror creep onto the lieutenant's face when she realized she may have injured him. "Nothing, maybe ten years ago.", said Dmitri. "Are you calling me old, old man?", asked Mikhail, turning to Dmitri. "I suppose we're both getting old...", muttered Dmitri. "And we're not exactly in our prime anymore. And some of us consume a lot more alcohol than... average..." They both chuckled, though there was a bit of saddening truth in Dmitri's words. Mikhail was 47, Dmitri was 57, they were no longer young, though not quite "old" either. "Well, let's get going. I want to finish this trip before we get old.", said Mikhail. "I wanted to show you something when we depart for St. Petersburg. It will require altering the course a bit.", said Dmitri. Surprised, Mikhail narrowed his eyes. "Approved. I hope that detour won't cost us our youth though..." 00:00, May 19th, 1917, Sunda Strait, Battlecruiser Fokshani "And why exactly does it have to be at midnight?", asked Mikhail, with a clear tiredness in his voice. "It wasn't by choice.", said Dmitri. "I sent out Sapfir to scout ahead, we'd be too late in the morning." Mikhail looked at the light cruiser as it passed Fokshani, heading back north-east in order to turn back south west to resume following the battlecruiser. "Are we hunting Moby ****? It better be Moby ****, because if you want to show me mermaid you're goddamn stupid.", said Mikhail, glancing at Dmitri. "We've already established you need to go at least to Hawaii to find them." The night was cloudless and very bright, with both the Moon and the stars providing light. The sea was calm and the visibility was incredibly good for nighttime conditions. As minutes passed, Fokshani passed through the strait at a leisurely speed of no more than 14 knots and Dmitri's eyes were scanning the horizon. "There she is.", he said finally, pointing with his finger and passing binoculars to Mikhail. Somewhat intrigued, Mikhail stared into the night. And there in the darkness was a ship, approaching slowly from the west and heading for the strait. As the distance decreased, Mikhail further established that the ship is British and rather large. The first thought would've been a dreadnought, but due to her length, she looked far more than a battlecruiser. Fully identifying the ship took Mikhail a bit more time and required the British vessel to fully present her profile as she Fokshani passed each other at a distance of a few thousand yards. To be fair, Mikhail didn't have a recognition manual handy and the ship itself was brand new.
"HMS Inflexible. I'm well aware of her existence, I read the memos that arrive on my desk.", said Mikhail, rising an eyebrow at Dmitri. "And yet you seemed to ignore it. It felt like you needed to see her up close to understand its bad news. Sixteen-inch guns. Twenty-eight knots of speed. And about twelve inches of armor. That thing is faster than Fokshani, has armor of our latest battleship and heavier guns.", responded Dmitri. "Which of our ships do you reckon could stand its own against her?" "All of them simultaneously would be preferred. First of all, however, I have to call bull on at least some of the measurements you provided. Thirty thousand tons? I don't think it can fit, unless there's a significant vulnerability they're trying to hide." "You realize that the class is planned to include six of those? And also that the French are building a very similar vessel?", continued Dmitri. "We can't ignore it." "You just want to build a new battlecruiser, don't you?" "Of course I do, how else would you respond to this?" Mikhail sighed. "I have a feeling you will just not leave me alone and stop talking about your speed being armor. You know very well we don't have the budget to build crap like these." "We need 'something'." "Well build 'something' then, fine. Get Hotin, pull her out of the mothball, give her some paint and whatever the hell else the damn thing needs to be usable. And tell you what. If we get bonus funs because of this entire thing going on in China and I get my light cruisers for the program, you can get the rest. Whatever you can fit in that budget is yours, though I'd hope it won't explode when gently nudged.", murmured Mikhail.
Well, main characters getting older is certainly not a usual concern in the game, but does put the time into perspective.
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Post by prophetinreverse on Dec 5, 2021 10:10:02 GMT -6
That is an impressive British ship, but our good General-Admiral is right - what’s the catch?
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Post by janxol on Dec 30, 2021 11:19:59 GMT -6
Nobody reads this anyway
And so, this time Mikhail's dreams were not shattered by the naval secretary. With the situation in Asia and the Chinese uprising the increase of budget was finally approved. In no small part it was due to the aggressive diplomatic stance adopted by France. The tensions seemed to reach their peak in June 1917, after Russian cruiser Vesta run aground on a small island west of Hong Kong, near the mainland coast. The French took issue with that fact due to the fact that maps seemed to be in disagreement as to whether the island is French, Russian or neutral. French attempts to seize the ship were met with firm resistance, the event testing the political training of both the Russian captain and the French commander. Still the situation was rapidly going downhill, with the arrival of Russian cruiser Diana, which arrived to assist Vesta in breaking free from her landmass prison, only to find her firing a warning shot at a French cruiser Troude. Diana's captain put an end to the situation, first by threatening to ram the French ship - and when the threat didn't have an effect, by ramming the French ship.
The three ships involved
With the event being dubbed the "Dahuo Incident" and all three ships involved headed for repairs, the fighting moved to the diplomatic establishments, and while no more ships were rammed, it wouldn't be fair to say the discussion got any more civil. It seemed that only due to American mediation and uncertainty about the territory in question that war was avoided. Still, the public opinion in France was very much unfavorable to Russia. Even without another rebellion starting in German-controlled Cameroon it was clear that the peace of the world was once again very fragile. And so Mikhail found that his budget was increased significantly and it became clear to him that the Tsar would support the war. Emboldened by past victories, his ambitions only seemed to grow... In August the funds were allocated for new cruisers and four ships were laid down on the same month. Dmitri and Artem have also begun working on the design for a new battlecruiser, which they were to fit within rather narrow price range, while Mikhail came to ponder the strategic and tactical dangers and opportunities of a possible war with France.
20:00, October 18th, 1917, St. Petersburg, General-admiral's office "Shut up, I'm trying to work.", muttered Mikhail, shooting an annoyed look at Katya, sitting in the armchair in the middle of the room. "You're also drinking.", she noted. "I'm aware.", said Mikhail, taking another sip of the Austrian wine - possibly the greatest advantage of keeping good terms with Austria-Hungary - before setting the glass back onto his desk, next to a half-empty bottle. "And you certainly don't need to tell me. You're in my head, everything you know, I already know as well." "And yet you seem inclined to keep this conversation going, it's getting harder for you to ignore my presence as much as it bothers you." "Once again, I already know that as well.", he grumbled. A few short moments passed in silence, with Mikhail taking glances towards Katya, before finally he realized Katya is gone and instead he's looking at an open door of his office and lieutenant Tyomkin. Her eyes scanned the room and Mikhail noticed that her hand rests on the holster at her belt, slowly letting go of the weapon. "Are you okay, general-admiral?", she asked, with a slight confusion in her voice, still looking around the office. "Why wouldn't I be? Did you notice something?", asked Mikhail, electing to ignore the fact that she entered the office uninvited. "I thought I heard... Apologies, general-admiral. I thought someone else was here.", she said finally, her hand moving away from the holster and her eyes focusing on Mikhail. Her gaze was sharp and attentive, with a hint of suspicion hidden beneath. "You're... intoxicated, general-admiral. Mikhail raised an eyebrow. "Yes, because technically I am past my work hours and you have also been released to go home.", he noted. "Any reason in particular why you're here instead?" "No, general-admiral, I just... Are you sure you're alright?" "Do I look like I'm not?" "Well, it... Disregard, general-admiral, I apologize for intruding.", she said, standing at attention between turning on her heel and heading towards the door. "If you've already intruded, you might as well share what is on your mind.", said Mikhail, rising an eyebrow. She paused, turning back towards him. "With regards to the planned promotions, sir.", she started slowly. "I wanted to confirm that you are not planning to slot me for one. Due to my... Physiological traits I would rather remain as your flag lieutenant. I hope my service had been adequate, general-admiral." Mikhail raised both eyebrows. "Well, it's fair to say you're the best flag lieutenant I ever had. The fact that you haven't tried to assassinate me is certainly a big plus. And I did indeed intend to keep you on the position, primarily due to the problem you've mentioned, as much as I'd like you to have your own command." "Thank you, general-admiral. Once again I apologize for intruding." And with that she left the office, though Mikhail could see a brief smile on her face, possibly due to him saying she deserves a command. As he was left alone in the room, he sat in silence for a few good minutes, before finally leaning back in his chair. "I like her.", said Katya. "You like her." "I am aware...", said quietly Mikhail. "But she didn't come here to discuss the promotion." "You know exactly why she came.", he heard a familiar voice. "She heard you talking to Katya." Very slowly Mikhail furrowed his brows and turned his head towards the sofa. And there, next to Katya, was sitting Zavragin. And some part of Mikhail wasn't even surprised to see his long-dead captain again, even if it further fed his fear that he was going mad.
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Post by widecarman1 on Dec 30, 2021 21:25:58 GMT -6
Hey do you think we could get a fleet review around 1920-25ish, think it’s be interesting to see how the fleet has expanded as well as giving you some time to prepare
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Post by janxol on Dec 31, 2021 12:11:22 GMT -6
Hey do you think we could get a fleet review around 1920-25ish, think it’s be interesting to see how the fleet has expanded as well as giving you some time to prepare I can, though with the way things are going right now 1920-1925 might be during/after the war. So not sure if it would be better to do one after or try to squeeze it before (and obviously I dunno when/if the war will start).
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Post by widecarman1 on Dec 31, 2021 12:20:10 GMT -6
Hey do you think we could get a fleet review around 1920-25ish, think it’s be interesting to see how the fleet has expanded as well as giving you some time to prepare I can, though with the way things are going right now 1920-1925 might be during/after the war. So not sure if it would be better to do one after or try to squeeze it before (and obviously I dunno when/if the war will start). Thats fine if you do it after the war, I'd just like to see the state of the fleet sometime, thanks!
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Post by akosjaccik on Jan 14, 2022 15:56:12 GMT -6
As I was attentively following the story along, I have to admit, I was caught completely off-guard by the unnecessary auto-censoring of Moby ****. I guess comic relief can come from the most unexpected places. And the Fokshani is still one damn good-looking ship. I hope you are doing well RL by the way!
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Post by attemptingsuccess on Jan 24, 2022 21:28:55 GMT -6
This has been extremely interesting so far, quite a good read.
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Post by janxol on Jan 25, 2022 8:31:23 GMT -6
Title here
7:00, January 2nd, 1918, St. Petersburg, Admiral Koshkin's apartment Mikhail opened his eyes, a feat which proved far more painful than anticipated. As he forced himself to glance around, past the fog that covered his vision and ignoring the dull thumping in the back if his head, the fractured reality seemed to reassemble around him as his consciousness once again took the reins and attempts were made to assess the present situation. He was most definitely in his apartment, sitting on the couch. Though to be fair, his position and posture was more of a man who just got shipwrecked rather than that of a man who chose to sit down. He was also sure he is looking straight at Dmitri, who was standing in the doorway to the corridor and looking at him with concern. Initially unsure whether Dmitri is actually in his apartment or whether he is having yet another hallucination, Mikhail tilted his head, before finally speaking up. "And where did you come from?", he asked. "Oh good, you're alive.", said Dmitri. "You have really overdone it with alcohol at this year's party. Do you remember?" "I am no light-weight when it comes to alcohol. I remember everything, vice-admiral." responded Mikhail, despite the fact that his memory appeared to have a concerningly large gap where his recollection of the party should be. Dmitri raised an eyebrow. "It's admiral now. You promoted me, along with many other people. As you most definitely remember..." "Right... I assure you that the last time I properly blacked out due to alcohol consumption was when I got promoted. And I had many years to improve my resilience since then." "That may be so, but you're no longer in your prime. You're forty-eight, it will only get worse from now. And I fear all those years of drinking will also finally catch up to you." "What are you? My mother?", said Mikhail, somewhat annoyed. "Apparently it comes with being your advisor." Dmitri took a few steps along the wall and opened his mouth to say something, but at this moment something caught his attention, causing him to gasp and exclaim instead. Mikhail sighed in annoyance, realizing he spotted the letter lying on the table he had just passed, a letter that came from prison just a month ago. "HOLD ON!" Hold the bloody...!", exclaimed Dmitri grabbing the piece of paper and scanning it. "... we write to inform you that Kondrati Valentinovitch Koshkin died on the night of November 29th, 1917 while carrying out his sentence..." And then he looked at Mikhail in shock. "Now hold the hell on... You told me... You told me YEARS AGO that your brother was dead." "No... I didn't say he was "dead", I said he was "dead to me". There's a difference.", said Mikhail. "And he may have as well been dead. My family disowned him and a great deal of effort was taken to forget about his existence. He was a murderer and nothing more." Though as he said it, en eerie feeling took him over. A weird sense of realization that there was a lone bullet, lying in the pocket of his uniform. Mocking him. Relations with France remained strained, and certainly not helped by incidents such as exposing a French spy, which occurred in January 1918. Faced with very real possibility of war, Mikhail made plans to gradually mobilise most fleet units over the course of the next six months. In February the navy ordered another batch of eight Bistri-class destroyers. The ships would be indentical to the first batch, with minor exception of being equipped with depth charges - a newly introduced anti-submarine weapon. As depth charge racks were to be installed on every appropriately sized warship, this difference wouldn't last, however. In April battlecruiser Hotin would be sent to drydock for a refit, though none of the pondered rebuild options would come to fruition, deemed too expensive for what they offered. As such, the ship would merely undergo overhaul and have directors installed. It would also be in April that the Imperial navy commissioned the new Polkan-class cruisers. Polkan (1915) Ships in class: 2 Polkan, Oslyabya While Polkan-class ships were armored cruisers, most would still consider the Latnik the last traditional ship of the type. Indeed the Polkan-class philosophy would be somewhat different than that of preceding armored cruisers. The ships displaced 15 200 tons and were equipped with oil-fired boilers, their engines producing over 57 500 shaft horsepower, allowing for a top speed of 27 knots, built to be robust and reliable, even at the cost of increased machinery weight. The ships also possessed increased range, with enlarged tanks and storage compartments further eating into their tonnage. The armored belt was 6" thick amidships and tapering down to 3" fore and aft, with a 2" sloped deck behind it. The ships also possessed TDS-2 underwater protection. Main armament consisted of six 250mm guns placed in two triple turrets - one fore and one aft on the lowered quarterdeck. That arrangement was chosen mainly due to weight concerns, with substantial tonnage already being allocated to propulsion. Luckily, while having some quirks, the triple turrets were nowhere near as prone to jamming as the ones on Imperatritsa Elizaveta Petrovna-class dreadnoughts and the internal layout was also better thought-out. Also a notable feature of the ship was that it lacked any casemates, its secondary battery of ten 152mm guns instead being placed in shielded mounts, eight on the main deck and two on the superstructure deck, with five guns on each broadside. The ships were also equipped with four underwater torpedo tubes, two on each side. It should be clear to anyone familiar with the ships specifications that the class was conceived first and foremost as a raider or a raider's worst nightmare. Designed to overpower any light cruiser or armored cruiser afloat, the presence of such vessel alone would demand allocation of a battlecruiser to counter it. The ships also remained fully capable of participating in fleet actions as armored cruisers. In June 1918 the navy laid down the next battlecruiser, design of which certainly made Mikhail raise an eyebrow but as he had agreed to its construction and the ship did indeed fit into imposed budget constraints, he had no reason to prevent its construction.
In November of 1918 the navy accepted a new flying boat into service, the Antonov An-10. It was far more capable than the earlier MiG-1, having almost double the range and higher speed, as well as ability to carry light bombs. It was also in November that the battleship Retvizan was commisioned. Retvizan(1915) Ships in class: 1 The next Russian dreadnought was built in United States and as such its American origins were clearly visible in its design. The ship displaced 35 000 tons, 500 tons less than preceding Pervenets-class. In many aspects the ship marked a large step forward for dreadnought design of the Imperial Navy. Like earlier dreadnoughts, she had a design speed of 21 knots, achieved thanks to its oil-fired machinery producing 46 600 horsepower and driving four shafts. The armor was where the major differences begun. The ship was built with an American-pioneered all-or-nothing armor scheme, with 14.5" belt and 3.5" flat deck on top, while the ships extremities remained unarmored. Compared to the traditional distributed scheme, the all-or-nothing scheme focused all armor weight on protecting the vital spaces of the ship. The underwater protection was equivalent of TDS-2 system and it was classified as such by the navy. The other major difference was the ship's armamanet. Retvizan departed from the 330mm caliber present on all previous Russian dreadnoughts, instead mounting eight 16" guns - designated 406mm (S) - in four twin turrets. A superfiring pair forward and superfiring pair aft. The secondary armament consisted of twelve excellent American 6" guns - 152mm (S) - mounted in casemates on the main deck. The ship was also equipped with four high-angle 3" - 76mm (S) - guns, meant to serve as anti-aircraft armament, though their utility in such role remained highly questionable. To comply with Russian specifications demanding torpedo armament on literally every warship, the ship was also outfitted with a pair of underwater torpedo tubes, one on each side.
And now for a random question to engage with readers. Imagine you've graduated from the officers academy as tensions with France grow and you're to be assigned to serve on one of Russian capital ships. If you could chose, which one would it be?
For convenience, here's a short list, though if you want more details i recommend searching the thread for class name or ship name.
Semi-dreadnoughts, as if anyone would pick one: Poltava-class - Poltava, Knyaz Potemkin. Pacific squadron, recognisable for their double-stacked casemates. Imperator Aleksandr III-class - Imperatritsa Mariya. Pacific squadron flagship.
Dreadnoughts, which means actual ships: Gangut - first dreadnought, was refitted with the ever-present 330mm obr. 1909 guns, but still lacks a director. Borodino - Heavy intermediate battery of 250mm guns. Also refitted with 330mm obr.1909, but no director. Sisoi Veliki - cross deck layout. Still uses original, older model of 330mm guns, no director. Imperatritsa Elizaveta Petrovna-class - Imperatritsa Elizaveta Petrovna, Tri Ierarha. Proper super-dreadnoughts. Tri Ierarha, nicknamed the "semi-unsinkable", often served as flagship in previous war. Andrei Pervozvanny
Pervenets-class - Pervenets, Imperatritsa Ekaterina Velikaya Retvizan
Battlecruisers are not classified as capital ships by the Russians, but if for some reason you'd rather serve on an overgrown cruiser: Kinburn - step-cousin to Sisoi Veliki, cross deck layout, equipped with older model of 330mm guns, was refited with director. Fokshani-class - Fokshani, Rymnik. Most advanced Russian-built battlecruisers. Fokshani was often serving as vice-admiral (now admiral) Vedernikov's flagship. Hotin - An Incomparable-class battlecruiser from Great Britain. Was refitted with directors but msotly remains "as built".
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Post by maxnacemit on Jan 25, 2022 9:15:19 GMT -6
I suppose I'd choose Tri Ierarha - it seems to be lucky, and it's a reasonably modern ship.
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