|
Post by babylon218 on Oct 20, 2020 9:33:52 GMT -6
'Tis to Glory We Steer!
The following is the official authorised history of the development of Her/His Majesties’ Royal Navy under the purview of First Sea Lord George Terrence Allington, later styled 1st Viscount Harwich, and his successors in that office from 1900-1950.
The Royal Navy before 1900:
Since the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805, the Royal Navy had been unparalleled in its mastery of the seas, propelling Great Britain and her Empire to control one-quarter of the Earth’s surface and one-third of its people. Despite resurgent threats from France, Russia, and more recently the rising power of a united Germany, Britannia ruled the waves. But the Navy of 1900 resembled little the navy of Horatio Nelson. Wood had given way to iron, the massed batteries of hundred-gun ships such as HMS Victory had given way to small batteries of massive guns, some twelve inches in diameter, supported by a dozen lighter weapons which even still were larger than the largest cannon of Nelson’s day. Wind had been replaced by steam. The age of the sailing frigate had long since passed into the age of the ironclad.
If the Royal Navy of 1900 would be unrecognisable to Nelson, so too would the Royal Navy of 1900 be confused by the navy of today. The first half of the twentieth-century would see changes to the fighting of war at sea almost as great as those seen throughout the second half of the nineteenth: the rise of airpower, the emergence of the submarine, and the extinction of the battleship.
All of that, however, was still to come when Admiral George Terrence Allington succeeded Admiral Sir Frederick Richards as First Naval Lord (later restyles First Sea Lord) in 1899. Having previously commanded both the North American Station and Mediterranean Fleet, Allington had also spent the period 1882-84 as Assistant Director of Naval Construction under Sir William Henry White. During his tenure as C-in-C North American Station, Allington had become convinced of the importance of cruisers in defending Britain’s trade and empire. In response to US Admiral Alfred Theyer Mahan’s ‘Decisive Battle’ theories, he wrote in 1891:
“I am in agreement with the main points, but find fault with the commonly expressed view that a war would be won at sea by a single decisive action between enemy fleets. Trafalgar did not defeat France, but rather the blockade Trafalgar allowed us to maintain. That blockade was not executed by the three-decker ships-of-the-line, but by the sixth and fifth-rate frigates – the precursors of the modern cruising warships. Battleships allow us to fight the enemy, but only cruisers will allow us to beat him.”
Allington thus believed that the Royal Navy should maintain a force of battleships to defend Britain’s vital strategic areas (which he viewed as the Home Islands and the Mediterranean) while using a large number of cruisers to protect British commerce and strangle the commerce of any potential enemy. The job of the battlefleet would be to keep an enemy fleet contained while the cruisers would sink the vessels carrying enemy provisions, thus eroding the enemy nation’s capability to fight.
This view, however, was not preeminent in the late-Victorian Royal Navy, with only the support of Sir William White, then-C-in-C Mediterranean John ‘Jackie’ Arbuthnot Fisher, and Admiral Charles Beresford seeing him appointed as First Sea Lord upon Sir Frederick’s departure in 1899. The fleet he found was a mix of new heavy battleships built under the ‘Naval Defence Act 1889’ and a mix of modern and long-suffering cruisers, torpedo boats, and destroyers.
|
|
|
Post by babylon218 on Oct 20, 2020 9:50:54 GMT -6
The Battleships were a mix of four ‘Royal Sovereign-Class’, two ‘Centurion-Class’, and three ‘Majestic-Class’, with a fourth ‘Majestic’ under construction. The ‘Royal Sovereign-Class’ had an armament of four 13in guns in two two-gun armoured barbettes, ten 6in casemated guns, and twenty-two anti-torpedo boat guns of various small calibres. They were fairly slow with a speed of only 17kn. The ‘Centurion-Class’ were a pair of smaller ‘second-class’ battleships intended for colonial service, with a greater range, speed of 18kn, and an armament of four 10in guns in two two-gun armoured barbettes, ten 4.7in casemated guns, and twenty smaller anti-torpedo boat guns. In Allington’s view, these two ships were under-gunned, under-protected, and slow, suitable only for colonial duties and even then, only in theatres where enemy forces would be no stronger than one or two armoured cruisers.
Above: Royal Sovereign-Class
Above: Centurion-Class
The pride of the fleet was the ‘Majestic-Class’. Displacing 16,000 tons, the ships were an improved ‘Royal Sovereign-Class’ armed with four 12in guns in two two-gun armoured barbettes, twelve 6in casemated guns, and twenty-two anti-torpedo boat guns. They were one know faster than the ‘Royal Sovereigns’ and better protected. The smaller 12in guns were actually superior to the 13in weapons fitted on the earlier ships. In Allington’s view, the ‘Majestics’ were, “some of the finest warships afloat. They are more than a match for the battleships of any other naval power.”
Above: Majestic-Class
The cruiser force was a truly immense force, numbering 12 first-class cruisers and sixteen second- and third-class cruisers of the ‘Blake’, ‘Orlando’, ‘Cressy’, ‘Leander’, ‘Astraea’, and ‘Eclipse’ classes ranging from 4,300 tons to 12,000 tons displacement and 18kn to 22kn in speed. The oldest of the ‘second-class’ ships was the ‘Leander-Class’, already more than a decade old and practically-speaking were treated more as third-class vessels suited to colonial patrols and little else. These were ‘Elswick’ cruisers, with a protected deck, two 8in guns with 2” gunshields, six 6in deck-mounted guns, and ten smaller anti-torpedo boat guns. Admiral Allington had played a role in designing these ships during his time as Assistant DNC in the mid-1880s and had a fondness for them. Even so, he confessed that by the 1900s they were slow and obsolete, or as Jackie Fisher put it, “Too weak to fight, and too slow to run away”.
Above: Leander-Class
If the ‘Leanders’ were too slow, the ‘Orlando-Class’ was even worse. Making only 18kn they were scarcely better armed than the ‘Leanders’, with two 9.2in guns and only four more 6in guns, though these were in protected casemates rather than open deck mounts. The ‘Orlandos’ were, however, much better protected with a 4in armoured belt. Nevertheless, they were considered unsuitable for fleet duties due to their slow speed and placed on commerce protection duties overseas.
Above: Orlando-Class
At the other end of the spectrum were the ‘Cressy’ and ‘Eclipse’ classes of first and second-class cruisers respectively. With a top speed of 21kn and displacing 12,000 tons, the ‘Cressy-Class’ had an armoured belt of 6in and two 9.2in guns as well as twelve 6in guns. Fast and powerful, two of these ships would be assigned to overseas stations for commerce protection while the third ship HMS Spartiate served as a scout for the Home Fleet. The fourth ship, ‘Sutlej’, was then under construction. The ‘Eclipse-Class’ was a class of four second-class cruisers intended primarily as fleet scouts, with a speed of 20knots. They were heavily armed, with five 6in guns and six 4.7in guns on deck in gunshields, a protective deck of 3in thickness, and fourteen anti-torpedo boat guns. Their shorter range made them less suitable for overseas commerce protection, however.
Above: Cressy-Class
Above: Eclipse-Class
Finally, the fleet also included twenty-four torpedo boat destroyers (or simply ‘destroyers’) of 500 tons with a top speed of 27kn, two 3in guns, four 6-pounder Hotchkiss guns, and four torpedo tubes. These ships were fast, but had short range and were unstable gun platforms due to being somewhat top-heavy as a result of their heavy armament. A further eight ships of this type were under construction as Allington took over as First Naval Lord.
Above: Derwent-Class Destroyer
Above: The world in 1900.
|
|
|
Post by babylon218 on Oct 20, 2020 10:05:14 GMT -6
Okay, so the beginning of my first AAR for RtW2, and my first post on this forum in three years now! I've had a few personal issues to take care of since then which I don't want to go into right now, but suffice it to say that for a while my passion for naval history had been sucked out of me. It has now returned, as you can see!
So, a few notes: 1. This isn't actually my first game of RtW2, but my sixth or seventh. I decided to start with the UK as my first AAR because partly I wanted to play with cruisers, and partly because I started a Germany 1920-start AAR then realised I was running the 1.20 version rather than 1.23 and that around a third of my time was being spent researching German politics and translating various terms! I may come back to something along the same lines at a later date, but for now...
2. I'll be playing through as I post this AAR, so feedback is welcome and encouraged!
3. I've based the designs for the legacy fleet off of real designs from the period (as close as I can get). The only exceptions are the 'Leander' and 'Derwent'. 'Leander' is an Elswick cruiser similar to C.S. Esmerelda which I wanted to include partly out of appreciation for the type and partly to give the character of Admiral Allington a visible influence on the navy. The 'Derwent' is auto-generated with few if any design changes.
|
|
|
Post by babylon218 on Oct 20, 2020 13:24:19 GMT -6
The Strategic Naval Review
As Allington settled into his new position, he began working on an assessment of the Royal Navy’s strategic position and priorities: ‘The 1900 Strategic Naval Review’.
The review observed that the Royal Navy had a battleship force more than twice the size of any other navy save for the United States, which possessed only two fewer battleships, but each American vessel was individually equal to or worse than each first-class British vessel, and on their displacement he believed it was unlikely the American ships could venture any meaningful distance from their coast in wartime. Nevertheless, Allington conceded the US had managed to escape the ‘two-power standard’.
Above: US Ohio-Class Below: US Michigan-Class
The US aside, the Royal Navy did still maintain parity with its two traditional rivals combined: France and Russia. Combined, the French and Russian fleets had seven battleships, of which only the Russian ‘Imperator Pavel I-Class’ were seen as a serious threat. The French ‘Friedland-Class’ were smaller, more lightly armed, and though they still possessed four 12in guns, these were arranged in four single gun turrets with two on either beam amidships. In practice, this meant that while a joint Russo-French battleline would have a numerical strength of 88% the Royal Navy (not factoring in the ‘Centurions’), in terms of broadside firepower from the main battery the ratio was twenty-four guns to the thirty-two of the Royal Navy, or a percentage of only 75%. Even in the unlikely event of a Franco-German alliance, the odds would scarcely be improved as the German vessels carried guns of only 11in calibre. Britain thus had its two main European rivals, and one potential future rival, covered.
Above: Russian Imperator Pavel I-Class Below: French Friedland-Class
Of more concern to Allington was the prospect of a war with Japan or the United States. While as already mentioned, the Royal Navy could match and defeat the US Navy’s battlefleet, this would come at the expense of home defence. Furthermore, any war with the US or Japan would bring British colonies and shipping under threat. Japan possessed one battleship, ‘Yashima’, displacing 15,600 tons with four 12in guns and sixteen 6in guns. A match for any one of the ‘Majestics’, but capable of ‘utterly smashing’ the ‘Centurions’.
Above: HIJMS Yashima
Outside of the ‘two-power standard’ concerns, there was the matter of commerce protection. The 1900 Strategic Naval Review identified five strategic areas as ‘vital’ to British overseas commerce: the North Atlantic; the Mediterranean; the Indian Ocean; the Cape of Good Hope; and the East Indies. Of these, Allington determined that the Mediterranean, Cape, and East Indies were where the greatest impact on British trade could be inflicted by an enemy concentration. In the East Indies, only France, Japan, and the United States had sufficient port facilities to operate a meaningful raiding force. There was little danger at the Cape itself, but the threat came from the fact that any hostile force at the Cape could disrupt a great deal of British merchant shipping in a short space of time, which obviated the need for long-term basing capabilities. The Mediterranean posed the greatest risk, as France and Italy could operate there at will and employ their battle fleets with ease.
Rather than employing the more traditional method of using colonial stations with a number of cruisers rotated between them, Allington argued for the establishment of, in addition to the Mediterranean Fleet, a Cape Squadron and Far Eastern Fleet. The Cape Squadron would require two first-class cruisers to protect against commerce raiders, while the Far Eastern Fleet would also require at least one battleship and a flotilla of destroyers. The remaining cruiser forces would be provided from the tradition colonial station rotations as before.
The North Atlantic still presented a problem, however. It seemed unacceptable that Britain could defend from the United States, but only at the cost of dominance in her own home waters. The Review therefore recommended the formation of the North Atlantic Fleet from the North American and Caribbean Stations. This fleet would consist of four first-class battleships with two first-class cruisers, and two destroyer flotillas, with reinforcements being available from Britain in the event of war.
In terms of cruisers, Allington felt the Royal Navy lacked sufficient numbers of modern cruisers in all categories. He would discard the idea of the ‘third-class’ cruiser as anything other than a term for those ships which were so outdated they were suitable as nothing else and focus instead on the first- and second-class cruisers for new construction. In this area, the following classes were identified for replacement: ‘Orlando’, ‘Leander’, and ‘Astraea’. Almost all of these ships were identified as obsolete due to speed.
In all, the 1900 Strategic Naval Review identified the need for the following new vessels:
• Six new battleships.
• Six new first-class cruisers.
• Twelve new second-class cruisers.
• Sixteen new torpedo boat destroyers.
As a result of this, the Admiralty would authorise the construction in 1900 of two more ‘Majestics’ (‘HMS Camperdown’ and ‘HMS Ramillies’) and two more ‘Cressys’ (‘HMS Aboukir’ and ‘HMS Bacchante’). Allington also asked the Third Sea Lord and DNC to prepare designs for a more economical first-class cruiser to replace the Orlando-Class, in order to free up ‘HMS Cressy’ and ‘HMS Ariadne’ for the North Atlantic Fleet. This design would need a top speed of at least 20kn, armament of at least two 8in or 9.2in guns and long range for commerce protection duties.
The need for a Far Eastern Fleet seemed to become greater in February when a second Yashima-Class battleship was ordered for the Imperial Japanese Navy from Vickers-Armstrong.
A disarmament conference at the Hague was held in April 1900, but ended without results following accusations by the British delegation that the proposals were aimed at weakening the Royal Navy. Admiral Allington was praised in the national press for his defence of British naval mastery.
In July, the DNC returned with a proposal for the replacement of the Orlando-Class. The design included two 8in guns, ten 4.7in guns, fourteen anti-torpedo boat guns, and a design speed of 20kn. The specification was approved and detailed design work began.
Above: Initial design brief for HMS Hogue, dated January 1900.
The Navy was pulled into a political crisis in September when Prime Minister Lord Robert Cecil, 3rd Marquess Salisbury (alternatively referred to as Lord Salisbury) openly criticised Italian naval expansion and defended plans to increase the Mediterranean Fleet as ‘necessary precautions to offset the threat posed by a dangerous, expansionist, and unstable regime’. This was particularly problematic as Salisbury also held the post of Foreign Secretary at the time. One Italian journalist asked Admiral Allington to comment on the Prime Minister’s remarks, to which he replied, “There is nothing in the content of the Prime Minister’s speech which I can find any fault with.”
In October, the ‘HMS Hogue’ began construction to the DNC’s design for replacing the Orlando-Class. Authorisation was also given for a second ship, ‘HMS Euryalus’, to be laid down in December once ‘HMS Sutlej’ joined the fleet.
Above: Hogue-Class Armoured Cruiser, laid down 1900.
Author's Comments:
So, I've decided to stop the first part of the actual gameplay section of the AAR at the beginning of 1901. Most posts probably won't be as long or as image-intensive as this, and probably won't be focused on a single year. It just worked out that way this time. As the situation becomes less game-start-rush and settles in to an established order, there should be less notable events happening.
Now, I know what you're thinking: "But babylon! Even British industry has limits, and you know Germany, the United States, and Japan are going to develop industrially in the near future! That strategic construction plan is unrealistic and is going to be irrelevant in a few years!" And you'd be absolutely right. But that's with the benefit of hindsight. From the perspective of an Admiral in 1900, Britain has an empire to protect and naval hegemony to maintain.
Still, looks like we may need a Mediterranean Fleet sooner rather than later the way tensions with Italy are going. HMS Centurion and HMS Repulse are in the theatre at the moment, but as you may have gathered I don't really rate second-class battleships. I may send either two of the Royal Sovereigns or Majestics with one of the Cressys and 8 of the destroyers. Italy has a lot of destroyers, so that number would definitely need to go up.
EDIT: Correction. Just had a look and the AI has also already sent the two Cressy's set to FS as well as a Blake and Orlando to the Med along with three Leanders.
Yeah, the Leanders aren't staying there. Even the Centurions are almost as fast.
|
|
|
Post by babylon218 on Oct 20, 2020 14:19:35 GMT -6
A quick overview of the strategic situation in January 1901 before I head to bed. Empress of India should arrive next month, giving us a total of eight first-class battleships. The construction started in January is going to take approximately one more year to complete. I have a bit of a budget surplus, which I'll either turn towards more destroyers or towards a new second-class cruiser. Unfortunately, tensions are rising across the board. The most imminent threat of war is from Italy, but there's barely anything separating her from Germany, France, and Russia. So how big a problem is that? Well... Italy only has one battleship, though its a fairly large one and they have two more building (game is estimating 1903). Until those ships arrive, the Centurions can probably handle that one battleship. The situation in Northern Europe is a bit more worrying. Assuming I don't face a coalition of all three rival powers in the area combined, my Battlefleet can match or best whatever is thrown at them. The cruiser situation isn't nearly so clear-cut however. Russia has four armoured cruisers to my three in the area, and one of those is HMS Blake, a large protected cruiser. Germany has one, and France none (they're all spread out across the Far East). In terms of second-class cruisers, I have seven, Russia four, and Germany three. In other words, I have parity with any two powers in terms of small cruisers in European waters. Just one problem: all of my protected cruisers in Northern Europe combined displace 22,400 tons. The four Russian ships displace 13,000, so on average each Russian ship is heavier than each of mine. More to the point, they're all faster than mine (by one knot). In terms of destroyers, I have 32 in Northern Europe right now, but I plan to send eight to the Med in case Italy goes to war, so in practical terms I have 24. That's enough to beat any one European power, but if I have to face two at the same time, the most favourable array of forces is still 19 destroyers. At worst, the enemy could have 24 themselves, and as a wise gnome once said: "fair fights are for suckers".
|
|
|
Post by babylon218 on Oct 21, 2020 10:31:16 GMT -6
The End of an Era
At the beginning of 1901, the strategic situation for the Royal Navy was less than ideal. Tensions in Europe were rising in the wake of the breakdown of the 1900 Hague Conference. In the Mediterranean, the ‘HMS Centurion’ and ‘HMS Repulse’ were accompanied by the first-class cruisers ‘HMS Diadem’ (Blake-Class), ‘HMS Cressy’ and ‘HMS Ariadne’ (Cressy-Class), and ‘HMS Andromeda’ (Orlando-Class), as well as the now-third-class cruisers ‘HMS Leander’, ‘HMS Champion’, and ‘HMS Comus’. This force, which would be formally designated the Mediterranean Fleet in February, was matched against the Italian battleship ‘Benedetto Brin’, the Armoured Cruisers ‘Vettor Pisani’, ‘Marco Polo’, ‘Carlo Alberto’, and ‘Giuseppe Garibaldi’, the two Protected Cruisers ‘Marsala’ and ‘Nino Bixio’, and a force of twenty-two destroyers.
All four British first-class cruisers compared at least somewhat favourably to their Italian counterparts, though there were concerns about ‘Diadem’s’ lack of belt armour as a protected cruiser, but the Leanders were not considered suitable for fighting the ‘Marsala’ and ‘Nino Bixio’, even in a three-against-two engagement, on account of their slow speed and relatively-poor armament. Individually, the ‘Benedetto Brin’ was superior to each of the Centurion-Class battleships, but both vessels together was considered sufficient to handle the lone Italian battleship until the two Italian ‘Vittorio Emanuele-Class’ battleships entered service – expected in 1903.
The cruiser situation was difficult to resolve however, as the only second-class cruisers available were the ‘Carysport’, ‘Constance’ and ‘Cleopatra’ of the Astraea-Class, and the ‘Eclipse’, ‘Canada’, ‘Conquest’ and ‘Cordelia’ of the Eclipse-Class, all of which were needed against the German and Russian cruiser forces in the North Sea in light of the rising tensions. None of the first-class cruisers could be dispatched either, as in this department Russia had a superior force at its disposal.
The destroyer situation could be handled satisfactorily, however. Eight destroyers were dispatched to the Mediterranean to form the 3rd Destroyer Flotilla.
In response to what Admiral Allington was increasingly referring to in internal memos as the ‘cruiser crisis’, the DNC was requested to devise a new protected cruiser design based on the Eclipse-Class. Requirements were limited to a speed of at least 21kn.
‘HMS Empress of India’ commissioned into the Royal Navy at the end of January 1901, just days after her namesake Queen Victoria, royal sovereign of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, Empress of India, the longest-reigning monarch in the nation’s history, died. Her eldest son, Albert Edward, Prince of Wales and her grandson the German Emperor Kaiser Wilhelm II, were at her deathbed. Victoria’s reign had seen the expansion of the British Empire to become the greatest the world had ever seen, upon which the ‘sun never set’. It had been an era of technological, industrial, and social transformation. It had been an unprecedented period of peace between the Great Powers of Europe, often called the ‘Pax Britannica’. It was an era that now came to an end.
Above: The Funeral Procession for Queen Victoria, 2 February 1901.
The Queen-Empress had passed just as a banking crisis forced Salisbury’s government to impose currency controls to avoid a run on the Bank of England. Several large-scale businesses and factories in North West England collapsed almost overnight. As a result, Salisbury’s Unionist government was compelled to bring in a series of Public Works programmes and social reform as the Labour movement gains momentum. Inevitably, some of the money to finance these schemes was to be diverted from the naval budget. In an effort to minimise the impact on the navy, Admiral Allington suggested that the government encourage poor relief through several non-conformist charities such as the Quakers.
Despite the budget cuts, and the shock of the Queen’s death, February would nevertheless see construction work begin on the new second-class cruisers ‘HMS Calliope’ and ‘HMS Calypso’ to the improved Eclipse design. The Calliope-Class was armed with four 6in guns, placed in pairs in shielded deck mountings on the fo’c’sle and quarterdeck. This maximised end-on firepower while maintaining a three-gun broadside at most angles. The six 4.7in guns fitted to the Eclipse-Class were retained. Speed increased to 21kn, at significant cost, resulting in displacement increasing from 5,600 tons to 5,800 tons. In terms of economy, the class was criticised for its reduced armament, given the cost of one Calliope-Class was £21.7mn compared to just £20.4mn for an Eclipse-Class. It was well-understood in naval circles that this cost increase came from the increase in speed from 20kn to 21kn, leading to arguments that the cost was not justified for the sake of one extra knot of speed, especially as they sacrificed an actual three-gun 6in broadside for a theoretical one. With the Third Naval Lord, Rear Admiral Arthur Wilson, coming under fire in the press, Allington released the following statement to The Times:
“The challenge given to the Controller and his department was to provide a cruiser of the second class with a top speed no less the 21 knots within the shortest space of time and lowest cost which could be reasonably achieved. The responsibility for any deficiencies in the Calliope-Class will be mine, and mine alone.”
Above: British Calliope-Class Protected Cruiser
Admiral Wilson would be sent to command the Channel Squadron in March, being given the ‘HMS Majestic’ as his flagship. Meanwhile, Allington ordered work to begin on a larger cruiser to a new design with the aim of laying the new ships down the following year.
In June 1901, the DNC informed the Admiralty by memo that his department was prepared to develop destroyers, “with a displacement greater than 500 tons, we suppose with a limit at this stage of no more than 600 tons.” Meanwhile, perplexed looks were exchanged between the various Naval Lords and aides-de-camp at news that the United States had ordered construction of two new battleships, ‘USS California’ and ‘USS Nevada’, from French shipyards. Word also arrived of the details of the new Italian battleship ‘Italia’ under construction. Armed with four 11in guns and twelve 7in guns, the news was received with a mix of relief and concern. Combined with their comparatively weak armour, these ships could probably be contained by just the two Centurions with a Royal Sovereign of Majestic in support. On the other hand, this was the third new battleship design the British had learned of armed with 7in guns as opposed to 6in guns. The DNC was confident that British battleships could be built with an intermediate battery of 8in guns, but this would have to wait until 1902.
Above: Internal memorandum by DNC to Admiralty Below: Intelligence reports concerning US battleship construction
Above: Italian Vittorio Emanuele-Class Battleship 'Italia'
In July, the Vickers-Armstrong company approached the Admiralty with a design for a new 14in gun of superior characteristics to the 13.5in weapon aboard the Royal Sovereign-Class.
Above: Vickers advertisement for their 14inch 40-calibre naval gun.
The international economic situation improved markedly in September.
Above: Economic forecast, September 1901
With the ‘Aboukir’ and ‘Bacchante’ due to launch in November, October saw the DNC present the design for the ‘Pelorus-Class’ second-class cruiser to the Admiralty. Armed with six 6in guns in an arrangement similar to the Calliope-Class but with two guns positioned on either beam amidships to restore an absolute 3-gun broadside with certain angles presenting a four-gun battery. Weight savings and improvements in shipyard and design efficiency also allowed a larger shell store on a 6,000 ton displacement. The six 4.7in guns were replaced by eight 4in guns for a superior rate of fire and to ease spotting given the similar shell splashes produced by 4.7in and 6in shells. The 4in guns were also approximately 100 tons lighter than the six-gun 4.7in battery. To improve engine efficiency, a third funnel was added.
Above: Early design drawings for Pelorus-Class.
Around the same time as the arrival of the two Cressy-Class ships, the DNC further notified the Admiralty that his department believed they could mount guns as large as 10in as an intermediate battery on new battleships.
Above: Internal memo from DNC regarding larger secondary batteries.
In November, reports from agents within the French Navy indicated the French were running at a high budgetary deficit, suggesting France would not be able to maintain her current rate of construction. The month also sees ‘HMS Pelorus’ and ‘HMS Psyche’ laid down at Chatham.
Above: Intelligence reports on French Naval finances.
With the arrival of December, Allington authorised design work to commence on a new class of destroyer to operate with the Far Eastern and North Atlantic fleets. The new class would be the ‘Ness-Class’, seeing an increase in 100 tons displacement for improved range and 4in guns in place of the 3in weapons.
Above: Early design drawings for the Ness-Class Destroyer
1902 began with the ‘Chatham Affair’, as a French Agent was captured at Dover attempting to board a ferry home to France. In his possession were documents and drawings related to the construction methods of the battleship ‘Camperdown’ and the cruisers ‘Hogue’, ‘Pelorus’, and ‘Psyche’. Unfortunately, it quickly emerged that these only represented a portion of the intelligence which he and an accomplice had gathered at the Chatham Royal Dockyards. Worse, his accomplice had already arrived in France with the second portion of the stolen documents. Overall, it was estimated around two years-worth of British developments in hull construction had been stolen. Despite the best efforts of the security services, the press inevitably got wind of the affair, forcing the Foreign Office to release a statement condemning the French espionage and demanding the documents’ return along with the agent who had smuggled them to France in the first place. The French rejected the demand, calling the accusations “ridiculous” and claimed the agent arrested in England was “a florist from Tourville, with no connection to the Republic’s government,” demanding his release and accusing the British of fabricating the affair to escalate tensions.
Meanwhile, the first four ships of the ‘Ness-Class’ were laid down as Vickers announced an improved version of the 9.2in BL gun used on the navy’s armoured cruisers. The BL 9.2in Mark X gun had an increased barrel length of 46.7 calibres, greatly increasing muzzle velocity and by extension range and penetration.
Above: Vickers advertisement for the BL 9.2in Mk.X.
In February, the battleships ‘HMS Camperdown’ and ‘HMS Ramillies’ entered service.
With the recent developments in gun design and the belief by the DNC that a battleship could be designed with such a heavy intermediate battery, Admiral Allington requested a design on the following specification in March:
• Main battery armament of four 14in guns.
• Intermediate battery of at least eight 9.2in guns.
• An increased defensive battery of 4.7in guns.
Above: Early design specifications for the Resolution-Class battleship.
In April, an official in the Italian Navy boasted to the press how new Italian designs were being drawn up “based on design studies acquired from the British”. The Admiralty denied having given such expertise to the Italians, and it became very clear that Italian agents had broken into the Manager, Construction Department’s (MCD) office at Chatham and stolen several working-drawings for designs proposed over the past few years by the DNC but which had been rejected by the Admiralty at the last moment. The second security breach at Chatham in a year, a much more rigorous security regime was ordered, and strict orders were issued for designs to only be passed from the DNC to the Dockyards once construction had been officially authorised. Plans were also put in place for the covering of the drydocks adjacent No.1 Basin (Docks No.5-8) in order to conceal any following battleships under construction. Yet again, the affair leaked to the press and a formal denunciation of Italian intelligence operations was issued.
With tensions with Italy rising further, the Battleships ‘HMS Majestic’ and ‘HMS Howe’ were sent to the Mediterranean to reinforce ‘HMS Centurion’ an ‘HMS Repulse’ alongside ‘HMS Aboukir’, ‘HMS Cordelia’, ‘HMS Canada’, and four more destroyers to reinforce 3rd Flotilla. Admiral Jackie Fisher was placed in command of the now-formidable Mediterranean Fleet. Construction began on 9.2in coastal batteries at Malta and Gibraltar.
Confusion further abounded at the Admiralty in May when agents in France were able to send details of the US California-Class battleships then being constructed. The designs puzzled the Admiralty as the specification contained nothing that seemed to be outside the scope of American shipwrights.
Above: US Battleship 'USS Colorado'.
June saw the laying down of the ‘HMS Resolution’, a 16,500 ton battleship armed with four 14in guns in two twin turrets, with an intermediate battery of eight 9.2in MkX guns in four twin twin turrets (two on either beam), and sixteen 4.7in casemated guns for anti-torpedo boat defence. She was larger and more heavily-armed than any other battleship in the world.
Above: British Resolution-Class Battleships.
In July, the Italian immigrant baker Leonardo Silviano was arrested within the Chatham Royal Dockyards. On his person were an early ‘Kodak’ photographic camera and annotated sketches of ‘HMS Resolution’ in the still-uncovered No.5 Dock. Upon further investigation, it was revealed that Mr Silviano was actually Tenente di Vascello (Ship-of-the-line Lieutenant) Giuseppe Brazziri, formerly naval attaché at the Italian Embassy in London. The Admiralty announced the arrest in hope of dissuading any further espionage at Chatham and restoring confidence in naval security. More diplomatic recriminations followed. ‘HMS Rodney’ was laid down the next week at Devonport, supposedly to keep her being subjected to any further Chatham security breaches. In fact, it had already been planned to build ‘Rodney’ at Devonport to avoid disrupting the covering of the docks at Chatham and also because the ships were approaching the limits of what the Chatham dockyards could handle.
As July closed, the ‘HMS Euryalus’ left Pembroke Dock to join ‘HMS Hogue’, which had launched the previous May. Following ‘Euryalus’ out of Pembroke were the ‘HMS Calliope’ and ‘HMS Calypso’, heading out for sea trials.
In August, four more ‘Ness-Class’ destroyers were laid down and design work began on a new first-class armoured cruiser to counter the Russian ‘Bayan’ and ‘Rossiya’ Classes. To be based on the Cressy-Class, these ships would receive four of the new 9.2in guns, which could penetrate the armour of the Russian ships. It was desired to keep costs down, however, and so the new ship could be no faster and no greater in displacement than the preceding ships.
Above: Russian Rossiya-Class Armoured Cruiser Below: Russian Bayan-Class Armoured Cruiser
While design work on the new cruiser progressed, Allington ordered the large budget reserves freed up by the commissioning of the three cruisers the previous month be partially diverted to accelerating the construction of ‘Resolution’ and ‘Rodney’ until the new cruiser design was ready.
August would also see the coronation of King Edward VII, following surgery for appendicitis which could have claimed the life of the second British monarch in eighteen months! In honour of the new King, Admiral Allington made plans for the next battleship laid down to be named ‘HMS King Edward VII’.
|
|
|
Post by babylon218 on Oct 22, 2020 7:53:59 GMT -6
The Caribbean and Albanian Crises, 1903.
Tensions in Europe saw a marked climbdown in September of 1902, prompting a push in Parliament for further social reform based on Seebohm Rowntree’s ‘Poverty, A Study of Town Life’, published in 1901. Efforts by the Admiralty successfully got the consequent budget cuts to the navy scaled back. Meanwhile, developments in submersible craft were approaching a point where several officers were discussing the use of such vessels for coastal and harbour defence. One naval officer, horrified by the potential of submarine craft for commerce raiding, proclaimed that any enemy sailors captured aboard such a craft should be “hanged as pirates”. In the words of the First Naval Lord:
“The capabilities of the submersible craft now being developed here and abroad should not be overstated. The inherent problems with installing steam propulsion aboard such a vessel preclude any possibility of a useful range being achieved at any effective combat speed. Further technological development may change this situation, but for now the ‘submarine’ should not be considered a serious threat, either to our vessels or those of our prospective enemies.”
In November, the first of the new armoured cruisers was laid down as ‘HMS Drake’, with funds diverted back from the construction of ‘Rodney’ to cover her construction. With both the ‘Hogue’ and ‘Euryalus’ now in active service following working up, the Orlando-Class cruisers ‘Orlando’ and ‘Europa’ were recalled to Britain to be placed in ‘ordinary’ (or Reserve).
Above: British Armoured Cruiser 'HMS Drake'.
With tensions continuing to drop, Parliament reduced naval spending further still at the end of November. Meanwhile, naval liaisons from the Imperial Russian Navy extended an offer to purchase designs and technical assistance regarding larger intermediate battery turrets. As this would have allowed the Russian Navy to build its own counters to the Resolution-Class, this offer was rejected on grounds of national security.
Above: Parliament reduces naval spending following much debate. Below: Offer by Russian naval liaisons to purchase Medium-battery secondaries.
Due to the budget cuts inflicted by Parliament, funds had to be redirected from the construction of ‘HMS Resolution’ to balance naval expenditure.
As December 1902 approached, a concerning report crossed Admiral Allington’s desk. Italy had begun construction of a third ‘Vittorio Emanuele-Class’ battleship. Having only just gotten a handle on the ‘cruiser crisis’, Allington was now faced with the problem of trying to maintain the two-power standard as more and more potential foes developed capable battlefleets.
“At present the United States has nine battleships with an additional three building for a total of twelve. Italy has three battleships with a fourth building for a total of four. France and Russia combined have eight battleships with two more under construction for a total of ten. Germany has five with a sixth under construction. We, however, have twelve battleships with two under construction for a total of fourteen, and if only our first-class vessels are taken into account, that total becomes twelve. None of these vessels are a match for the Resolution-Class battleships currently expected in 1904, but at present the two-power standard is clearly untenable without sacrificing our imperial commitments. It would require at least eighteen battleships, with three laying down for the next two years to regain such a position within the next five years, assuming battleship numbers among the other Great Powers do not also increase in the same time.”
Above: Intelligence reports including the report regarding the construction of a third Italian Vittorio Emanuele-Class battleship.
In February 1902, ‘HMS Pelorus’ began her sea trials. During the trials, the ship was found to be easily surpassing her design speed of 21kn, reaching 22kn in speed trials. In March, a civil war broke out in Venezuela, threatening British merchants in Caracas and terminating foreign debts which Venezuela had incurred from the harm brought to European citizens during the country’s previous civil wars. There was insistence that Britain should take action to finally bring order to this chaotic part of the world, but this action was not taken on the advice of the Admiralty as, “The crisis in Venezuela may still be solved by multilateral action, and any aggression on Britain’s part which might infringe on the independence of Venezuela, in turn violating the Hay-Pauncefote Treaty, would also certainly serve to provoke the United States.”
Above: The HMS Pelorus returning to Portsmouth following her successful 22kn speed trial.
In March, the keel for ‘HMS Good Hope’ was laid down. She would become the second vessel of the Drake-Class. ‘Psyche’ follows ‘Pelorus’ into service, with the third ship of their class, ‘HMS Pheonix’, being laid down in April.
In May, with funds having been released from the Ness-Class construction programme completing the previous month, Admiral Allington asked the Third Naval Lord to lay down a third ship of the Resolution-Class. However, the Third Naval Lord pointed out that since construction had begun on ‘HMS Resolution’, several advancements in hull construction and materials meant it would now be possible to provide a more efficient design with a lower cost. Sufficient differences developed between the new ship and her half-sisters that when finally laid down in June, ‘HMS King Edward VII’ would be considered her own class.
“Crisis in the Caribbean!” cried the Daily Mail on 3 June, 1903. Fishing disputes between Danish, British, and American ships in the Virgin and Leeward Islands prompted the United States to send three armoured cruisers of the Caribbean squadron into the area to ‘keep the peace’. On 1 June, while ostensibly protecting American fishing boats in the Passage Islands, the ‘USS Rochester’ pursued a Danish fishing boat into the harbour of Christiansted on St. Croix. When a Danish gunboat challenged the ‘Rochester’ to withdraw from Danish waters, the ‘Rochester’ fired a warning shot. Unfortunately, the warning shot landed too close to the gunboat and, as a live high-explosive shell had been loaded, the pressure wave buckled the gunboat’s hull and caused it to capsize after several minutes. Seeing a US cruiser apparently open fire on a Danish warship in Danish waters, the harbour defence batteries engaged the ‘Rochester’ in an hour-long artillery dual before the ‘Rochester’ withdrew.
Eighteen Danish sailors and soldiers were killed, while the ‘Rochester’ suffered three dead and twenty wounded. Both sides accused the other of firing first. The British cruiser ‘HMS Leander’, which had been making a goodwill visit at the time, confirmed to London that the ‘Rochester’ had fired first, although Captain Robert Hamilton expressed that he did not believe the shot to have been intended to cause damage, as ‘Rochester’ had not sounded general quarters and her main 6in battery was still in line for cruising.
Matters were not helped by the battleship ‘USS Arizona’ arriving later in the day and demanding the Danish forces on the island demilitarise the coastal gun batteries on St. Croix, St. Thomas, and St. Jan. When the Danish governor in the West Indies point blank refused, he asked the British consul to provide assistance. As the ‘Rochester’ had attempted to impound a British fishing boat the week before, an agreement was made that ‘Leander’, ‘Pandora’, ‘Arethusa’, and ‘Phaeton’ would protect Danish interests in the Caribbean as well as the British vessels.
Such was the situation on the morning of 3 June. While the government in London was none-too-pleased that the Crown Governor in the Leeward Isles and the consulate in Christiansted had committed British military resources to the Danish defence of the West Indies, it was recognised that backing down at this stage would be both humiliating and could allow the US to gain strategic control over the islands. As such, the decision by the Governor-General was upheld by official orders from the Admiralty early on 4 June:
“To: Commander-in-Chief, North American Station
From: First Naval Lord, London
His Majesty’s Government has consented to the request issued by the British and Danish Governors of the Leeward Isles and Danish West Indies respectively. You are thereby authorised to engage in the protection of merchant and civilian vessels belonging to the Kingdom of Denmark as well as those of the United Kingdom within the vicinity of the above-mentioned territories. The Admiralty reminds you that current government policy is to pursue peaceable relations with the United States, and so it is desired where possible that no action is entered upon which might lead to conflict insofar as the above-mentioned orders allow.
Admiral George Allington, First Naval Lord, Chief of the Naval Staff.
Date: 4 June 1902, 05.42Z”
Meanwhile, a diplomatic communique was sent to the United States government via both the US Embassy in London and the British Embassy in Washington, notifying the United States that Britain was prepared to protect all shipping in the Virgin Islands and calling on the United States to accept international arbitration. The call for arbitration was accepted by the US, but only grudgingly, and negotiations throughout June were poisoned with acrimony and suspicion.
‘HMS King Edward VII’ was laid down later in June, while plans were made to send the Majestic-Class battleships ‘Renown’, ‘Empress of India’, ‘Ramillies’, and ‘Camperdown’ to the North American Station with a force of more modern armoured and protected cruisers to relieve the ‘Leander’ as a contingency for war. A flotilla of destroyers, including the first four Ness-Class vessels was also dispatched. The overall force was placed under the command of Admiral Arthur Wilson as the North Atlantic Fleet.
As July arrived, negotiations and arbitration at the Hague steadily seemed to show promise. Several proposals were put forward to resolve the tensions, but when it was suggested that the US be granted rights for largely symbolic ‘neutrality patrols’ in the Virgin Islands, the Royal Navy reaction is hostile.
“Our nation’s security on the sea depends on our right to freedom of navigation. The US has been know to reinterpret treaties between our two nations in the past, and it is entirely foreseeable that these ‘symbolic’ concessions may not be seen as such by the Americans, but as a blank cheque to establish dominance in the entire Caribbean. If the United States wishes to take a seat at the table of Great Powers, then it must follow the rules of the Great Powers, not the other way around.”
Meanwhile, Commander Frederic Charles Dreyer presented to the Admiralty a mechanical computer designed to calculate the various changes in range, roll, and pitch affecting gunfire, allowing firing of the guns to be accurately controlled from a central location by a series of speaking tubes to the guns themselves. While still in its early development, smaller and simpler versions of what would become the Dreyer Fire Control Table intended to reduce the workload on gunnery officers began to see favour with the Admiralty, with the ‘HMS Royal Sovereign’ receiving the new equipment between August and November.
In August, another crisis hit the Great Powers – this time in the Mediterranean. Tensions in Albania erupted into war, with the declaration of Albanian Independence from the ailing Ottoman Empire. The French government, without consulting the other Great Powers, proclaimed that it would protect Albanian independence and demanding the Ottoman Empire withdraw its forces.
Coming as it did on the back of the Caribbean Crisis and the Chatham Affairs, Admiral Allington knew it would not be wise to go to war with France while his best battleship forces were currently spread out across the western hemisphere. He therefore advised the government to call together the European Congress (an informal international system consisting of the main European Great Powers, born from the Congress of Vienna at the end of the Napoleonic Wars) and attempt to build an anti-French, pro-arbitration coalition to prevent the French gaining access to the Eastern Mediterranean.
The resulting Treaty of London (1903) saw Albania granted semi-autonomous status within the Ottoman Empire under the protection of Italy and Austria-Hungary. The French, infuriated at being cut out of the settlement, recalled their forces from Albania.
With tensions with France now rising, and the situation with Italy having stabilised, ‘Majestic’ and ‘Howe’ were recalled to home waters to deter from the French threat in early September.
Author's Notes: Okay, so this is a thing. Two escalations towards war with two separate countries in two separate sea zones. Yay!
So, here's what tensions look like:
I've reduced intel efforts against everyone but France and the United States. I'm not going to end up at war with Italy, Germany, or Russia without at least one month's warning, and Japan's even less likely. But war with either France or the United States is looking imminent, and the possibility of war with both isn't exactly remote.
With that said, how do my odds look against France and the US?
Well, France have two more battleships in Northern Europe than I do, but 'Majestic' and 'Howe' are on their way back from the Med and 'Royal Sovereign' will return from refit soon. If I can delay war until next year, I'll also have 'Resolution' and 'Rodney' available. That should give the French a fright!
Cruisers and destroyers are not an issue in Europe right now, though I don't know what the Yankies think they're playing at.
In the North Atlantic:
Well, I'm over my base cap in the Caribbean, but I'm building up the bases, so I should be fine as long as war doesn't break out in the next few months. Worst case scenario, I send the Battle Squadron to the Canadian coast with one of the Cressys. The protected cruiser in North America is on FS, but I decided to put four of the Derwent-Class destroyers there to reduce the load on the Caribbean ports and to make sure I had some destroyer support already in place in the area, since I only have 8 medium-range destroyers right now and the Derwents won't be able to redeploy if war does break out. Best to have them where they're going to be needed now and not need them, than need them where they aren't and not have them. That, admittedly, made more sense in my head.
Feedback is welcome. I'd also like some thoughts on the format: would you prefer more or fewer screenshots of the in-game events, for example?
|
|
|
Post by babylon218 on Oct 23, 2020 8:44:21 GMT -6
The Anglo-American War Funds were secured for the navy in November by the sale of Jarrow side-drum boiler patents to the German Company F. Schichau GmbH. This exchange was returned later the same month by the sale of design drawings and technical expertise from Krupp for their newly designed 7,6cm naval gun. This would form the basis for the British QF 12-pounder 18cwt, with improved ballistics compared to the preceding 12cwt gun, aided in part by a longer 50-calibre barrel. The techniques developed with the cooperation of Krupp would also help with the design of the QF 4.7in Mark V gun, with a 45-calibre barrel. At the beginning of 1904, during the Annual General Meeting of the Navy League, Admiral Allington commented on the importance of Britain’s cruisers for, “securing freedom of navigation and commerce across the world. Just as the Shannon, Cherub, Phoebe and Endymion did in 1812 through to 1815.” This clear reference to the various successful British engagements of American frigates during the War of 1812 was taken as a blatant insult to the United States. To make matters worse, the decision was made at the end of January to rename the Pelorus-Class cruiser ‘HMS Phoenix’ then under construction to ‘HMS President’ – a reference to the American 44-gun heavy frigate ‘USS President’ captured by ‘HMS Endymion’ in 1815, with the London division of the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve being renamed ‘HMS Gannet’.
With tensions at a fever pitch, the ‘HMS Spartiate’ was involved in an incident with the ‘USS Rochester’ when the latter attempted to board a British merchantman off Jamaica on 29 January. After signals to haul away from the merchantman, the ‘S.S. County Donegal’ were ignored, Captain Howard Watson of ‘Spartiate’ ordered the ship cleared for action and instructed the gunnery officer to fire a single 3-inch gun 100 yards ahead of the ‘Rochester’, to gain the American cruiser’s attention.
In fact, ‘Rochester’ had indeed noted ‘Spartiate’s’ arrival, and her captain simply ignored her signals. Tragically, however, the ship had quietly been readied for battle, and with ‘Spartiate’s’ general alarm sounding in the distance, one gunner aboard ‘Rochester’ lost his nerve, believing the muzzle flash from ‘Spartiate’s’ 3-inch gun battery to be an attack. Captain Watson recalled later: “We were approaching the American on her starboard side. I’d estimate range to have been about 1000 yards. When I ordered [Gunnery Officer] to shoot a 12-pounder as a warning shot, I could not understand how [the ‘Rochester’] could have failed to notice our approach. When our warning shot splashed ahead, one of the Americans’ casemates opened up on us. Then, all Hell was let loose.”
The first shot by ‘Rochester’ caused confusion throughout the ship’s casemate gun deck, as no one had heard an order to open fire. Several more nervous gun crews, who assumed they’d missed the shoot command or were otherwise convinced they were under attack, also opened fire. Within a matter of seconds ‘Spartiate’ was being raked by 3-inch gunfire. Fortunately, personnel casualties were light as ‘Spartiate’ had already gone to action stations, and ‘Spartiate’s’ 6-inch casemates answered the American fire.
By a small miracle, Captain Richard U. Bellic aboard ‘Rochester’ was able to regain control of the situation and order the 3-inch battery to cease fire as ‘Rochester’ turned away to disengage, hastily signalling the ‘Spartiate’ to cease action. Captain Watson, despite being within his rights and his orders to pursue the action, declines to pursue. “I had every reason at the time to believe the engagement was accidental, as the American ship’s 6-inch battery never turned to engage us.”
The confusion did not end with the skirmish, however. Bellic told a US Navy inquiry that he had not ordered his ship to engage ‘Spartiate’, and that ‘Spartiate’ had fired first. This was technically true. He neglected, however, to mention that the shot from ‘Spartiate’ was a warning shot, and that he had deliberately ignored repeated signals from ‘Spartiate’ which caused ‘Spartiate’ to fire the warning in the first place. Meanwhile, Watson told a Royal Navy board of inquiry that he had indeed fired a single round from his 12-pounders as a warning shot, that the round landed well-away from ‘Rochester’ herself, and that Captain Bellic had refused to acknowledge repeated signals. Now Bellic denied ever receiving the signals and pointed out that ‘Spartiate’ was already at action stations when the engagement began.
Both sides accused the other of causing the incident, with the US Government going so far as demanding the Royal Navy leave the Caribbean. The British Government utterly rejects this demand and, on 8 February, 1904, a message is received by the British Ambassador to the United States, informing the British Government that a state of war now existed between the two nations. British mobilisation was rapid. New harbour facilities were still under construction in the Caribbean, so ‘HMS Camperdown’, ‘HMS Ramillies’, ‘HMS Calliope’, ‘HMS Calypso’, and four of the Ness-Class destroyers were ordered to sail to Halifax in Nova Scotia, in part to prevent or disrupt any American invasion of the Maritimes. Almost every British cruiser outside of the warzone and not on colonial duties was given instructions to “destroy any and all American commercial vessels.” The merchant vessels ‘Dependence’ and ‘Greltoria’ were requisitioned for conversion to armed merchant cruiser-minelayers. The cruisers ‘HMS Constance’ and ‘HMS Carysfort’ were ordered to reinforce cruiser numbers in the North Atlantic, ‘HMS Royal Sovereign’ sent to the Caribbean, and her sister ships ‘Benbow’ and ‘Collingwood’ sent to Portsmouth for new fire control. Preparations were also being made to land troops at the US naval base in Cuba, Guantanamo Bay. Action in Ovando Bay, 1904.
On 11 February, the cruisers ‘Psyche’ and ‘Pelorus’ were sailing in company with 4th Flotilla’s 2nd Destroyer Squadron, consisting of four Ness-Class destroyers trailed by the Derwent-Class destroyer ‘HMS Gala’. Their orders were to sink an American convoy sailing between Guantanamo Bay and Port au Prince. The 6th Cruiser Squadron, consisting of ‘HMS Aboukir’ and ‘HMS Sutlej’ was also in the area, with the 7th Destroyer Squadron and 8th Light Cruiser Squadron (consisting of ‘Conquest’ and ‘Eclipse’). Above: 'Psyche' and 'Pelorus' in company with 2nd Destroyer Sqn. At 1049 Zulu (0549 Local Time), just after dawn, fire was exchanged between 6th Cruiser squadron and enemy vessels. Five minutes later, ‘Psyche’ and ‘Pelorus’ sight four merchants sailing in line astern heading South-South-East and accelerate to engage.
The ‘HMS Teviot’ was sighted approaching the convoy on her own from the East. Knowing that ‘Teviot’ was supposed to be sailing with 7th Destroyer Squadron, Captain Hobart Lawrence of ‘Psyche’ now knew roughly where his Armoured Cruiser support was, and attempted to herd the transport ships (now confirmed as eight merchantmen in two columns) towards the action. At 1110Z hours, ‘Psyche’ sighted two US Navy Chicago-Class light cruisers approaching rapidly from the south, pursuing the ‘HMS Usk’. “Well, Fowler…” Captain Lawrence remarked to his Deck Officer, “it seems we’ve got ourselves a fight.”
Above: American Armoured Cruisers sighted!
Below: US Huron-Class armoured cruiser. With ‘Aboukir’ and ‘Sutlej’ now engaged with the Huron-Class American ships, the action began moving north. Lawrence determined to take his ships astern of the American ships in an effort to pin the American vessels against the British armoured cruisers’ guns. At 1301Z, with the two Chicago-Class cruisers pursuing him and aware that the enemy had drawn him away from the convoy, Lawrence broke off the chase to engage his pursuers and relocate the convoy. The Light Cruiser action went much more decisively for the British, with the 4-inch guns of ‘Psyche’ and ‘Pelorus’ forcing the American vessels back with damage when the Americans closed for melee action. The convoy was once again in Lawrence’s view by 1331Z. The fight became a vicious melee as the British and American cruiser and destroyer squadrons duelled in amongst the convoy ships. Meanwhile, further to the north, one of the American Armoured Cruisers was struck by a British torpedo. At 1419Z, ‘HMS Pelorus’ took a 5-inch shell hit which penetrated her protected deck and caused damage within her machinery spaces, slowing her to 20kn. 1434Z. Lawrence had managed to get ahead of the American cruisers, and now he ordered his ships to turn to port, attempting to cross the American ‘Tee’.
Both ‘Psyche’ and ‘Pelorus’ took a horrendous torrent of 5-inch shellfire, with their 6-inch guns struggling to make reply. 1509Z. ‘Psyche’ began to lose speed, her grates fouled by the constant high-speed running. The American ships were in no better shape, unable to escape the British cruisers.
Over the course of the battle, at least six of the eight American merchant ships had gone down. With the convoy effectively destroyed or scattered, Lawrence now had to option to withdraw. However, with the possibility of sinking American cruisers which could not be replaced, Lawrence chose to continue the action. At 1606Z, Lawrence signalled his destroyers to make close action with the enemy, with his cruisers now in desperate need of an opportunity to clear grates and make good damage done over the past five hours. Two minutes later, a 5-inch shell exploded near the mainmast, splinters killing the spotting crew in the fighting top. At 1657Z, with his ammunition running low and recent reports indicating his armoured cruisers were still engaged, Lawrence gave orders to break off the action as the battle neared the Haitian coast. The Americans did not pursue and the two sides lost contact around 1715Z.
Around 1800Z, ‘Psyche’ sighted a lone US merchantman, likely a remnant of the convoy, crawling away from the reported position of the continuing battle between the armoured cruisers. Lawrence’s squadron diverted to investigate and sink the transport as per his standing orders. With exasperation, the ‘Pelorus’ signalled two ships approaching in line abreast while she collected survivors from the merchantman at 1933Z. Lawrence immediately ordered ‘Psyche’ and his destroyers back to ‘Pelorus’’ position to support, believing the new contacts to be the return of the two US protected cruisers. The two US cruisers were identified but turned away as ‘Psyche’ came into view. Reforming his squadron, Lawrence turned west once more to assist ‘Aboukir’ and ‘Sutlej’.
Contact with the armoured cruisers was re-established around 2030Z, with Captain Lawrence recording,
“Out of the mist in the distance, we could discern three merchant ships fleeing in a disorganised group to the South-East. We could also make out a plume of smoke in the distance which we presumed to be from a fourth, sunk, merchantman. I clapped my glass closed and turned to my gunnery officer, ‘Look over there, John! See those merchants? See that I don’t!’”
By 2203, the remaining US merchants had sunk, and Lawrence began dividing his squadron to rescue survivors. The destroyers escorting the convoy were withdrawing to the south around Punta de Maisi before turning back to engage Lawrence’s lone cruiser, ‘Psyche’. The squadron reformed quickly and Lawrence now found himself chasing the two destroyers north-west along the coast of Cuba. Nightfall at 2300Z finally forced an end to the battle, Lawrence ordering his ships back to New Providence in the Bahamas for repairs and resupply.
In total, twelve American merchantmen had been sunk over the course of the day, with the Chicago-Class ‘USS Raleigh’ having taken heavy damage from ‘Psyche’s’ 4in guns and limping home at half-speed with heavy flooding. ‘HMS Eclipse’ also came under heavy fire from the ‘USS Pueblo’ when she closed in with the US ships to launch a torpedo, with no hit recorded. In all, British ships picked up 363 surviving American sailors from the water, with the American ships picking up an additional 187. 550 sailors had survived in total from twelve merchantmen sunk. It was the biggest loss of American lives since the US Civil War more than forty years previous. Strategically, the Action in Ovando Bay had little impact. Neither side had achieved any conclusive results against the warships of the opposing side, and the merchants were replaced fairly promptly. There were lessons to be learned however. Despite exhausting nearly half their ammunition, neither ‘Psyche’ nor ‘Pelorus’ had achieved any notable results from their 6-inch guns. Indeed, most of the hits which crippled ‘Raleigh’ had been the result of 4-inch shellfire. The 5-inch guns of the American ships had been similarly ineffective, despite being more numerous than the British 6-inch. It was speculated that with more centralised fire control, the 6-inch guns might have proved more useful, and Admiral Allington appears to have taken a similar view. Nevertheless, with the ‘Eclipse’ under repair, Allington authorises her reconstruction, removing two of her 6-inch guns and replacing the six 4.7-inch weapons with twelve 4-inch weapons. The 6-inch guns would be placed under central fire control using the Dreyer system. She would also receive a machinery overhaul to bring her top speed up to 21kn. So, I guess that answers where war was going to start first!
Screenshots will be coming shortly. So much happened during the action, I've got quite a number to go through.
As it turned out, the six-inch guns weren't overly effective at all. Neither were the 5-inch guns on 'Eclipse' or the American cruisers. So, with that information, I'm probably going to bring in some of those cruisers to have their batteries rearranged into a more Town-like configuration, since the 4-inch guns seem to be scoring more hits and more 'effective' hits. I don't think the improved fire control I unlocked last year would have made much of a difference at this stage.
Also, I probably won't post up every battle. As the first engagement in the war, and because quite a bit happened, I decided I show this battle off. I think it's got a certain Heligoland Bight quality about it, even if the action did basically boil down to "two drunks trying to have a slap-fight in the dark, while blindfolded, with spectators deliberately leading them in the wrong direction". (EDIT: Screenshots now added!)
|
|
|
Post by aeson on Oct 23, 2020 10:21:05 GMT -6
I take it, then, that in your timeline the ironclad Blanco Encalada was not sunk by a locomotive torpedo at Caldera Bay in 1891 during a civil war in Chile.
|
|
|
Post by babylon218 on Oct 23, 2020 11:01:58 GMT -6
I take it, then, that in your timeline the ironclad Blanco Encalada was not sunk by a locomotive torpedo at Caldera Bay in 1891 during a civil war in Chile. Chile really had a knack for doing things a lot earlier than Europeans think they were done, don't they? Fixed it.
|
|
|
Post by aeson on Oct 23, 2020 13:16:33 GMT -6
I take it, then, that in your timeline the ironclad Blanco Encalada was not sunk by a locomotive torpedo at Caldera Bay in 1891 during a civil war in Chile. Chile really had a knack for doing things a lot earlier than Europeans think they were done, don't they? Fixed it. To be fair, I only know about it because I felt that 1901 was late for the first ship to be torpedoed in history, given the number of 'minor' conflicts in the last two decades or so of the 19th Century involving powers in possession of torpedo boats, torpedo gunboats, and torpedo boat destroyers and so decided to look it up.
|
|
|
Post by babylon218 on Oct 24, 2020 5:57:44 GMT -6
Battle of Fundy Bay, 5-6 March, 1904.
The issues surrounding the performance of the 6in guns of British Cruisers at Ovando Bay were beginning to divide opinion in the Admiralty. Captain Frederic Dreyer suggested that the inaccuracy of the British 6in and 4.7in guns compared to the 4in guns may have been due to the relatively small broadside of most British cruisers. The ‘Pelorus-Class’ had a full broadside of three 6in guns against four 4in guns, which meant the 4in guns had more reference points from which to construct a firing solution – a process called ‘ladder shooting’ – while the 6in gunners often couldn’t construct such an accurate solution due to the impact one or two outlying shell splashes had on a three-gun battery compared to a four-gun battery. Others in the Admiralty argued that the 6in gun was simply excessive and didn’t offer sufficient rate of fire to guarantee hits.
Ultimately, these issues would not be resolved until after the war, but Admiral Allington did commission design studies for two second-class cruiser designs: one with a broadside of four 6in guns and one with two 6in guns but ten 4in guns. As the sub-2in battery had never come into action, this was to be deleted entirely to save weight. Initially, the two ships would be built on the Pelorus-Class hull.
Meanwhile, the strategic situation was in Britain’s favour. British assessments of the endurance of American battleships appeared accurate, as most of the US battlefleet remained at their bases on the Eastern Seaboard, with only a single battleship in the Caribbean against three British battleships and a lone battleship apparently stranded in the Mediterranean, where it was believed even the under-gunned ‘Centurion’ and ‘Repulse’ could manage them.
On 3 March, reports came in that the American fleet would be sailing north, escorting a large troop convoy for an amphibious invasion of New Brunswick. The ‘HMS Camperdown’ and ‘HMS Ramillies’ were put to sea with eight destroyers to patrol the Bay of Fundy and disrupt the US landings. The ‘Calypso’, ‘Constance’, and ‘Comus’ also put to sea to patrol around Grand Manan Island and scout for the battleships.
Contact was established with the enemy at 1212Z (0812 Local Time) on the morning of 5 March. Two vessels were sighted approximately eleven nautical miles South-South-West of the British force, itself seven miles east of White Head Island. Two minutes later, ‘HMS Comus’ signalled the flagship, “lead vessel in column Battleship: California-Class.”
Above: "Lead Vessel in column: Battleship, California-Class"
Rear Admiral Sir Francis Bridgeman, commanding from ‘Camperdown’, ordered his ships to reduce speed. He was already in the perfect position to cross the American ‘Tee’ and hoped the reduced speed would allow his ships to land hits on the American line on its approach while most of their guns were out of battery. ‘Calypso’ and her companion cruisers were ordered back to screen the fleet.
At 1223Z, it became evident that there were eight transports in two columns proceeding from the west flank of the American battle line. Meanwhile, Bridgeman observed the US battleships turning to starboard to avoid the ‘Tee’ crossing, but were still several thousand yards outside gun range. This suited Bridgeman, who was under orders to sink the transports and not risk his ships without good cause. He ordered the 8th Destroyer Squadron to engage the transports with the cruisers while the rest of the force engaged the American battleships.
Curiously, the American battleships now turned South, leaving the transports vulnerable. Bridgeman later remarked, “It was a most peculiar development. However, as it was to our advantage, I ordered the fleet to pursue and attempt to prevent any change of action by the American commander.”
The two battle lines played a cat-and-mouse game of manoeuvre, until at 1249Z ‘HMS Camperdown’ opened fire on the American line. The Battle of Fundy Bay had begun.
Above: "A Turret, range 12,000 yards! Shoot!" 'Camperdown' opens fire.
The Americans found the range first, with a 6in shell landing just off ‘Camperdown’s’ stern at 1302. Two minutes later, a 6in shell hit one of ‘Camperdown’s’ secondary battery casemates. At the same time, the ‘Ramillies’ successfully landed a hit on the American Ohio-Class battleship second in line with her 12in main guns.
Meanwhile, ‘Comus’, ‘Calyspo’, and ‘Constance’ were engaged with four Bainbridge-Class destroyers escorting the convoy.
At 1307, the American battle line turned together into the British fleet, masking their rear guns. Now Bridgeman’s battleships had an opportunity to inflict serious damage.
At 1319, as the other two American battleships turn away under the British guns, the California-Class in the van instead turns into the British line, coming under a furious bombardment.
The American battleship was now on fire and losing speed rapidly. Only half an hour after the first rounds were exchanged, the first American battleship was in danger of foundering.
At 1330Z, the ‘HMS Calypso’ was hit by a torpedo in the bow, blowing the bow of the ship apart from the forward gun turret forward. She immediately began to sink – the first British vessel to be sunk by enemy action in three-quarters of a century.
1349Z. The American California-Class had successfully extracted itself from the British force, partly as Bridgeman was forced to break off pursuit by the return of the two other US battleship threatening to cross his ‘Tee’. However, Bridgeman was now once again crossing the American ‘Tee’.
1401Z. An American 12in shell slammed into the conning tower of ‘Ramillies’ at a range of 5000yds, destroying the bridge and killing the captain.
1413Z. The Action had closed to point blank range, with only 2200yds separating the two lead battleships. Both sides’ guns exacted a heavy butcher’s bill, but with the American destroyers closing on him, Bridgeman orders his ships to reverse course, turning simultaneously.
Having weathered the turn away, Bridgeman now resumed the broadside engagement from a range of 4700yds.
Meanwhile, the British cruisers had turned or scattered the troopships, Bridgeman ordering them back into support positions for the battleships as the main action intensified once again.
The American Michigan-Class battleship was heavily damaged, her aft 12in gun turret destroyed. At around 1440Z, the Americans once again turned to disengage. However, the California-Class which became separated early in the battle was now at Bridgeman’s rear and the Americans had an opportunity to reform their full battle line. To cut the lone American ship off from its support, Bridgeman ordered a hard turn to the East.
The damage suffered by ‘HMS Ghurka’ during the initial close action two hours earlier finally took its toll, and the ship was ordered abandoned at 1505Z.
By 1616Z, the enemy California-Class battleship had slowed to less than 5kn and was burning heavily, struggling to respond to the thunder of ‘Camperdown’ and ‘Ramillies’ guns. The remainder of the American fleet appeared to have abandoned the field.
At 1646Z, after Bridgeman ordered his battleships to cease fire on the now-helpless American battleship, his destroyers were sent in to finish the ship off with torpedoes, scoring two hits. The destroyers continued to engage even as Bridgeman resumed a patrol route across the Bay to prevent any American return, with the ‘HMS Swale’ scoring a third torpedo hit at 1815Z.
At 1839Z, the American battleship finally slipped beneath the waves. ‘HMS Rother’ was signalled to recover survivors while the rest of the fleet continued their patrol. It wasn’t clear at the time, but this marked the conclusion of the Battle of Fundy Bay.
At around 0300Z, 2200 local time, with night having set in and no sign of the American fleet, Bridgeman ordered the fleet to return to St. John. Several of his ships had taken moderate damage and his battleships had expended most of their ammunition.
Overall, this was a clear victory for the British. Not only had the American invasion failed, but the US Navy had lost one troopship and one of their most modern battleships, ‘USS Nevada’. Meanwhile, the heavy protection of the Majestic-Class had proven itself as both ‘Camperdown’ and ‘Ramillies’ returned to port with mainly superficial damage. An Admiralty inquiry would find that the loss of ‘HMS Ghurka’, while unfortunate, was acceptable and no blame could be attached. The Captain of ‘HMS Calypso’, on the otherhand, was court-martialled and heavily-reprimanded for his failure to take evasive action against an American destroyer which was well-within torpedo range and was allowed to remain there for five minutes! Once again, attention was also directed towards the gun battery of ‘Calypso’, which had failed to inflict much meaningful damage during the pursuit.
Once again, lessons were noted from the battle. The loss of ‘Calypso’ reinforced the concerns regarding the effectiveness of the 6in gun. On a more positive note, much of the damage inflicted upon the American battle line had been inflicted by 12in and 6in armour piercing shells, rather than through fires caused by high-explosive shells. Meanwhile, the heavy armour of the Majestic-Class had proved resilient to American counterfire.
Later in the month, the British fleet in the Caribbean successfully landed marines at Guantanamo Bay without resistance. Meanwhile, British cruisers operating all over the world sank eight American merchants over the course of March, with the American cruiser ‘USS Frederick’ sinking a lone British merchant off the South American Atlantic coast. ‘HMS Aboukir’ and ‘HMS Spartiate’ were dispatched from the North Atlantic Fleet to hunt the ‘Frederick’ down.
Okay, a quick one today. I was not expecting a fleet battle with the Americans so soon, but what I definitely didn't expect was for the US to try an invasion so early in the war, and for the Battle generator to only give them three Bs against my two! Really impressed with how the Majestics stood under fire too. And with Calyspo... yeah, I don't have an excuse for that one. Especially as two turns before she got hit, I noticed the American destroyer which sunk her was really close and didn't act. There was no reason to lose her, except my own stupidity. Speaking of stupidity. What other words can you use for brave-sir-Robin'ing with two Bs, leaving a third to drift into the guns of two enemy battleships, whom you had outnumbered, then turning back to re-engage with your two largely-undamaged Bs on their own with the enemy's equally-undamaged battleships? That really was just giving away an advantage. So, there's definitely nothing wrong with the 6in guns on the Bs. I'm inclined to believe it is a lack of sufficient guns to gain a firing solution which has been hindering the cruisers. As I've said, I've been playing with how to modify the Pelorus-Class hull to fit either more 6in guns or more 4in guns. I think I may still build both ships, because the 4in definitely has its uses. I'm also going to gradually start replacing the 2in guns on many of my ships with 3in guns. The only reason they were there was to represent the sub-2in calibre defence guns the ships had in real life, and they're just not doing anything. If I'm going to have the accuracy penalty for three separate gun batteries, it's at least going to be capable of sinking something. I've also moved two of my battleships from the Caribbean to the East Coast. That last fight was a little too close to fair, and I do not want to fight two invasion campaigns in two separate sea zones. Screenshots added!
|
|
|
Post by aeson on Oct 24, 2020 6:33:55 GMT -6
I'm also going to gradually start replacing the 2in guns on many of my ships with 3in guns. The only reason they were there was to represent the sub-2in calibre defence guns the ships had in real life, and they're just not doing anything. If I'm going to have the accuracy penalty for three separate gun batteries, it's at least going to be capable of sinking something. My experience with light tertiary guns leads me to believe that 2" and 3" tertiary guns will only ever engage destroyers and corvettes, or at any rate targets that they think are destroyers or corvettes. Additionally, 2" hits are not counted in the 'light hits' column of the detailed after-action summary or in the 'light hits' box of the ship detail panel, so to see if you're actually getting hits with them you have to read through ship logs.
That said, I would think that replacing a 2" tertiary battery with a 3" tertiary battery is almost entirely a positive change, because in my experience 2" guns are simply too light to be effective even against very small early-game destroyers.
|
|
|
Post by babylon218 on Oct 24, 2020 10:26:45 GMT -6
The Second Battle of Fundy Bay, 12 June 1904.
On 23 May 1904, the 2nd and 3rd Destroyer Squadrons were sortied to disrupt a US convoy carrying reinforcements and supplies for Guantanamo Bay. After outmanoeuvring the American escort destroyer force, the British ships were able to get in amongst the convoy, sinking eight transports before disengaging with low ammunition. Nine transports did reach the naval base, however, leaving the action inconclusive.
‘Greltoria’ completed her conversion, being recommissioned as ‘HMS Greltoria’ and assigned to patrol the Eastern Seaboard for American merchant shipping. ‘Benbow’ returned to the fleet and was sent to join ‘Royal Sovereign’ in the Maritimes. Anson was brought into the dockyards for refit, fitting the new fire control systems developed by Dreyer. ‘HMS Redoubtable’ was laid down, on the same lines as ‘HMS King Edward VII’.
With the ‘Frederick’ having evaded her pursuers from Montevideo to the Indian Ocean via the Cape, the ‘Cressy’ was ordered through the Suez Canal from the Mediterranean Fleet to join the hunt.
On 12 June 1904, ‘HMS Empress of India’, ‘HMS Royal Sovereign’, and ‘HMS Benbow’ were leading another fleet patrol in the Bay of Fundy. At 1802Z (1402 Local), the Battle Squadron sighted three ships off the Digby Neck and moved to engage. It quickly became clear that Bridgeman had stumbled upon another American invasion force but detached from its escorts.
Around 1827Z, four American battleships appeared from the south, trying to catch up with their transports. Bridgeman ordered his cruisers back to screening duties and turned to engage the new arrivals.
Above: Here we go again...
Once again, Bridgeman successfully crossed the American ‘Tee’, his ships focusing their fire on the leading California-Class battleship. This time, however, his ships struggled to find the range, ‘Empress of India’ taking multiple 12in shell hits. At 1847Z, ‘Royal Sovereign’ finally found the range and hit the lead California-Class with her 6in battery.
At 1851Z, ‘Empress of India’ took a hit to her superstructure, splinters and vibrations destroying one of her rangefinders.
1859Z. Despite absorbing much of the American fire, the British line appeared to be getting the better of the gunnery duel. The American lead battleship hauled out of line with heavy damage while the remaining three turned together towards the British, then again to turn away. After turning in to re-engage, Bridgeman succeeded in bringing the Americans back into close action, though ‘Benbow’ fell behind in the turn.
1930Z. The American line was in disarray. With two of their battleships under fire and isolated from their support, Bridgeman decided to press his attack, ordering his Destroyers forward.
The Destroyers failed to close in and launch torpedoes, but did successfully propel the American fleet into a headlong retreat. With a Michigan and California-Class now completely separated from the rest of the American column, Bridgeman ordered his ships to cut them off, leveraging his higher speed.
2005Z. The Michigan-Class managed to keep up with the British line, engaging in a valiant 3-on-1 gunnery dual at less than 2000yds. The California-Class fell around 3 miles behind.
The two less-damaged American battleships rallied and linked up with the now-battered Michigan-Class, Bridgeman turning his battleships further south to pass on their broadside.
2018Z. The two battlelines re-engaged in a running battle heading south into the open Atlantic off Yarmouth.
2058Z. After 40 minutes of intense close combat in which both sides scored numerous large-calibre shell hits, the American battleships once again turned away, Bridgeman taking his line West to cut off their retreat.
2107Z. The US Ohio-Class battleship was now burning, but Bridgeman was forced to turn slightly to port in order to avoid the American destroyer screen.
2127Z. With his shell stores running low and his line beginning to lag behind the Americans, Bridgeman ordered his ships north. The troop convoy was scattered and half of it was now trapped between Nova Scotia and the British fleet. The US California-Class was also completely isolated and a prime target. The two battle lines passed each other once more in opposite directions, exchanging 12in and 13.5in shellfire one last time before the American fleet retires.
2158Z. ‘Empress of India’ was on fire. The fire would take 30 minutes to extinguish, during which time the British flag ship came under the full fury of the American battleship.
2317Z. Bridgeman managed to bring his battleships abreast the American on either beam, pouring heavy shells into the trapped American warship. ‘Empress of India’ launched two torpedoes from her starboard tubes, but both missed.
0113Z. After two hours of constant bombardment, the California-Class finally came to a dead stop, burning brightly in the night. With the California-Class clearly doomed and her guns silent, Bridgeman brought his battleships to a halt and ceased fire, waiting to try and pick up survivors.
“The enemy had fought with extraordinary skill and valour. Even with the loss of comrades on our side, we could not help but sympathise for our American opponents aboard the California. I resolved we would hold position to take off survivors if any could be found. They had earned as much.”
Above: USS California ablaze and adrift just before the British cease fire.
Sadly, no survivors could be found in the darkness and Bridgeman returned to port, with ‘Royal Sovereign’ flooding. The British fleet slipped into port, battered but victorious, at 0850Z, just as the sun rose over St. John.
The Second Battle of Fundy Bay was a disaster for the US. Only four of the eight transports made it back to port, and the British had sunk the ‘USS California’ and the ‘USS Barry’. In return, the British Fleet had taken no total losses. Even ‘HMS Royal Sovereign’ despite her damage and flooding, would be ready to sail again by the end of the month.
Despite the ‘Royal Sovereign-Class’ ships involved in the battle having superior fire control, ‘HMS Empress of India’ had proven more accurate, with 5.7% of her shells hitting compared to 4.6% for ‘Royal Sovereign’ herself. This was attributed to the 13.5in gun, with had a dramatically poorer effective range. This had, however, been expected.
In strategic terms, the damage dealt to the US Fleet in the engagement was so severe that for the next few months the Royal Navy were able to impose a blockade on the East Coast ports.
In June, ‘HMS Collingwood’ returned from reconstruction and was sent to support Bridgeman’s squadron, despite the issues noted at Second Fundy Bay.
So, that's Fundy Bay Two: Canadian Boogaloo! Well, if the situation was stable before, it's even better now. The US is down to 5 Bs on the East Coast, and three of those are under repair. I genuinely wasn't expecting to fight off another attempted invasion of New Brunswick after the last one. And yeah, the 'Royal Sovereign's' didn't impress massively. I was expecting their range to be poor - after all, that's why the British switched to the 12in gun in the first place - but their accuracy was not great. Nor was the damage, to be brutally honest. I've compared the 12in, 13in, and 14in guns now, and even the 14in Q-1 gun has poorer range than the 12in Q-1, although only just. The 14in makes up for that though in having 2in better penetration and being a bigger shell, plus both the Resolution-Class and King George VII-Class will commission with Central Firing. Once they're out, I think I might switch back to the 12in - at least for the first Dreadnoughts (we're getting close, I unlocked cross deck fire during the last few turns). Once I see what the other powers build to respond to the Resolution, I may have to re-assess that. At any rate, the Royal Sovereigns will probably get sent to the Far Eastern Fleet and the Med to replace the Centurions once the war is over. Assuming they don't get sunk in the meantime!
|
|
|
Post by babylon218 on Oct 24, 2020 12:48:51 GMT -6
The Treaty of Fredericton
An engagement between the American and British fleets on 13/14 July ended inconclusively, with both sides retiring with serious damage during the night.
Meanwhile, a 6in Coastal Battery was completed at Nova Scotia and the ‘HMS Dependence’ completed her conversion, being sent to the Far East to raid American shipping around the Philippines.
‘HMS Rodney’ entered active service, proving easily capable of exceeding her design speed and reaching 19kn in sea trials. After working up, she would be sent to join the British battle line in Canada.
During July, American raiders sank 10 British merchantmen off West Africa, in the Caribbean, and in Southeast Asia. British cruisers all over the Empire were mobilised to respond.
On 24 August, word reached Admiral Wilson in Nassau, New Providence that the American Caribbean Fleet intended to sail within the next few days to bombard British troops in Guantanamo.
Contact was made with the American force at 2319Z on 27 August, but immediately lost with nightfall. While patrolling the channels into Port au Paix, contact was re-established by ‘HMS Cossack’. After a brief exchange of fire, contact was broken off again.
The action was inconclusive, but ‘HMS Leander’ struck a mine while screening ‘HMS Ramillies’ and had to be abandoned. Wilson, judging the area to hazardous to risk more of his ships, withdrew to the north.
September began with the US Government sending peace feelers via France, Denmark, and Argentina, looking for a negotiated peace with no concessions. However, as the army offensive in Canada had turned into a bloody stalemate costing thousands of Canadian lives, the British government refused to negotiate without ‘meaningful’ concessions.
The US merchant marine was suffering heavily from the blockade, and with winter coming, US troops losing the battle at Guantanamo, and the US Navy unable to contest control of the seas, the American Government signed the Treaty of Fredericton on 23 September 1904. Under the conditions of the treaty, the United States had to abide by the decision of an International Arbitration at the Hague over the Virgin Islands fishery dispute, cede the island of Midway to British administration, and pay substantial reparations to the Canadian and British governments. In effect, the Treaty was also the demise of the Monroe Doctrine, establishing the ability of the European powers to bring force to bear in the Western Hemisphere and the inability of the US Navy to combat them.
With the war over, the fleet was redeployed. The North Atlantic Fleet would be permanently based out of Halifax, the ‘Royal Sovereigns’ forming the battleship core of the force for the time being. Much of the fleet was recalled and placed into the Reserve Fleet.
‘HMS Resolution’ joined the fleet alongside ‘HMS Anson’ returning from refit.
In October, design work commenced on ‘HMS Phoenix’, intended to rectify the issues suffered by the British cruiser fleet during the war. With a top speed of 22kn, the ship was based on the ‘HMS Pelorus’’ hull with six 6in guns in a lozenge arrangement, with one gun fore and aft and two guns each abreast the foremost and aftmost funnels, for a broadside of four 6in guns. The design also incorporated ten 4in guns, larger shell stores, and two dedicated fire control stations using the Dreyer system for central firing.
‘HMS Drake’ commissioned into the Navy later that month. Continuing the trend established by the Pelorus and Resolution Classes, she excelled in sea trials and was able to maintain a speed of 22kn. News circulated in naval circles about the ongoing developments with steam turbines, with the new Cunard ocean liners ‘RMS Mauritania’ and ‘RMS Lusitania’ then under construction being slated to use Parsons turbines to make 24kn! Meanwhile, Vickers notified the Admiralty that it had developed a design for a 15in gun, although after the experience with the Royal Sovereign-Class’ gunnery during the war, Admiral Allington was hesitant to condone a new design with such a larger weapon still, when the 12in had already proven so effective. He was also concerned that, while Britain had stolen a march in battleship firepower with the Resolution and King Edward VII Classes, another escalation in battleship firepower might have unfortunate results.
In November, the ‘HMS Phoenix’, ‘HMS Calypso’, and ‘HMS Pallas’ are laid down, both to replace war losses and to round out the four Pelorus-Class cruisers that had initially been intended. ‘HMS President’ joined the Fleet.
In December, it is revealed that Japanese agents stole plans for British armour-piercing shot from various shell manufactories across the country. A formal protest was filed with the Japanese government.
From December, the navy embarked on a refit programme for the Majestic-Class, fitting the new central firing equipment and exchanging the relatively anaemic sub-2in armaments for a single battery of QF 12-pounder 18cwt guns, plating over the casemates in the hull and superstructure to mount them on open deck mounts. ‘Majestic’ and ‘Howe’ would be the first to ships to receive the modifications, ‘Renown’ and ‘Empress of India’ following in January. ‘HMS Good Hope’ joined the fleet. More than a decade after ‘Turbinia’ humiliated the fleet at Spithead, Parsons gave notice to the navy that he was now ready to provide steam turbines suited to the Navy’s requirements.
In the New Years Honours, Rear Admiral Bridgeman was granted the title of Commander of the Bath for his actions in the Battles of Fundy Bay, and the First Naval Lord himself made Viscount of Harwich in recognition of his service.
So, that's the war! I was expecting it to be a lot harder than that, honestly. I only took Midway because it had no points value and it was in one of the only sea zones I don't already have a base in. I could have taken Panama, Guantanamo or Haiti, but given the war was supposed to be over the Virgin Islands (which was still neutral thanks to my ultimatum) the only possession in the Caribbean I really wanted was Puerto Rico, and I only had 4 points. So, I decided to take Midway and get the boost to my economy from the reparations. No one has yet responded to the Resolutions, as far as I know. The Russians have a 16,000ton battleship building, but it hasn't launched yet and I can't get any intel on it. Also, we're getting close to Dreadnoughts now. If I can get more than 2 main battery turrets (I can't remember what the tech's called) I think I may be able to lay the first one down before 1905 is out.
|
|