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Post by blarglol on Aug 15, 2023 20:21:53 GMT -6
May 1904 - The Time of the Big Scrap As the year nineteen hundred and four wore on, all of the nations of the world began scrapping their oldest vessels, from corvettes to battleships and everything in between. The Italian admiralty had to decide what to part with in the face of what their potential adversaries could conceivably field.
The first things to go were the two old, small, and now slow armored cruisers of the Marco Polo-class. At only 4,600 tons and with two, single 7in guns, their utility was not worth the cost. They had only been used as heavy convoy escorts anyhow, an easy enough role for other vessels to fill.
At the moment this was all that could be afforded given the balance of power. The old Amerigo Vespucci's would be next on the chopping block, but for now they were put in reserve. In addition, the old Ruggerio di Lauria-class battleships were mothballed (but interestingly had recently been refitted with central firing in case they were ever needed, their short-barreled 13in guns needing all the help they could get).
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Post by blarglol on Aug 27, 2023 15:34:35 GMT -6
Aug 1906 - Building, Scrapping, Money
With the finally arriving protected cruisers, the Italian admiralty could at last scrap old ships. Two of the venerable Tripolis and all three Giovanni Bausans were broken up. One Piemonte and Gaeta each remained to be completed, but they were almost finished.
Four Vittorio Emmanuele-class battleships were under construction in order to take the place of the ancient Ruggiero di Laurias sitting forlornly in reserve. As always it was not enough. France, Britain, Russia, the United States, and Japan, all had more, larger, and newer battleships. The British were even working on all big gun battleships, the Collingwood-class, Germany too. Both the former nation and Japan were also rumored to be building something called a "battlecruiser," which sounded ominous even with scant details.
In addition to more battleships, the Regina Marina needed additional and more modern destroyers. A large portion of the force was quite old, and the newest model had only been a flight of six, from a class originating in 1901. Destroyer-designs had advanced much in the last five years.
Submarines were a constant worry, both in planning to face, as well as finding funds to build. The current number was projected as insufficient.
The ancient Amerigo Vespuccis were still on the books in reserve, and 3-4 modern armored cruisers would soon be needed. Finding money for all of these competing shipbuilding needs would be a daunting challenge.
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Post by blarglol on Sept 12, 2023 19:40:33 GMT -6
Sept. 1907- War Looms on the Horizon
Coglione was unhappy. It was never enough. Ships were always too little too late, but what else could he do but go on? Keep building and hope things didn't go completely to **** before they were ready..... Tensions were at high levels with both Britain and France, the Austrians as well.
A shooting war had broken out globally between Germany and the Britons once more. In the admiral's own backyard, a High Seas Fleet detachment had met the local British Mediterranean Squadron and all hell broke loose. Two armored cruisers were lost on the former side, and the battleship HMS Hood on the latter. Then off of West Africa, another squadron brawl had erupted, seeing the Germans lose another armored cruiser, and the British one the same, as well as HMS Barfleur. Both battleships had been pre-dreadnoughts, not the new all-big-gun ships recently developed. Still, a battleship was a battleship, and so far the Germans had acquitted themselves well. Good for them in Coglione's book.
EVERYONE, even the Austrians and the Spanish were working on these new battleships and "battlecruisers." Still he had no money to spend. Designs yes, time perhaps, money most certainly not. It was all tied into the Vittorio Emmanuele-class, meant to be able to duel any other battleship out there - until the Collingwood and these new 19,000+ ton monstrosities appeared...
Coglione only needed 9 months, then they would be out of the docks and he could lay down some of these new ships. Of course, there were armored cruisers and destroyers to tend to as well. 600 toners were being built, but hell, he could design, 7,8, even 900 ton vessels now! So far the British had 700s, and the Russians, Germans, and Americans were hot on their heels. Then there were minesweeping and ASW concerns.
To deal with these issues, the admiralty (with a delayed consultation from parliament), had approved the first new corvettes in some time. The smaller, 600 ton vessel had minesweeping gear and a pair of 3in guns for self-defence. The larger vessel had an interesting layout - four 4in guns, three forward, with two superimposed side-by-side, superfiring over the foremost gun, and one aft. Any submarines or marauding destroyers along the long Italian coasts had better beware...
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Post by blarglol on Sept 12, 2023 22:54:23 GMT -6
Feb 1908 - And So It Began
As January faded into the month of St. Valentine, a rebellion erupted in Dalmazia. It was not the work of Italian intelligence, but they quickly capitalized on the opportunity. Rapidly however, suspicions spiraled out of control and the Austro-Hungarian Empire was on the brink of declaring war. Considering the balance of forces, the Italian government saw no reason to back away. The Osterreich had not gotten either their new battleships, nor battlecruisers, out of the dockyards yet, and it was considered better to fight now before they could be completed and operationalized. Thus, a new Mediterranean war was at hand, the first involving Austria-Hungary in over a decade.
The Action of The Leap Year - 29th February 1908: The shooting war started with a raider and an intercept. The aging Palestro of the Ancona-class had been dispatched at the outbreak of hostilities to raid the Western Mediterranean between the Spanish and Algerian coasts. Her mission was to intercept and sink any Austro-Hungarian merchants trying to break out into the wider sea from where Morocco ends and the available ocean surface broadens considerably. Built in 1899 at 6700 tons, twin 8in guns fore and aft gave her teeth, backed up by eight 6in and twelve 3in guns. However, given her age she could make just 20 knots, 19 in the seas she was in. 4in on both the belt and turrets was adequate at range, but not in-close.
Unfortunately for her, two Austrian vessels were trying to find her due to spies among the dockyards of Cagliari. One was old as well, the Leitha of the Klagenfurt-class. Much older, she was launched in 1893, and had twin 7in guns to Palestro's 8in. The other notable differences were a thinner belt, 3.5 in, but larger overall displacement, 7600 tons. Where this extra weight was applied, none could tell, for she was listed on paper as being capable of 20 kts. Thus, 1v1, she would be at a disadvantage to Palestro's thicker belt and bigger guns. But she was not alone...
None other but the Donau sailed with her, one of the finest cruisers laid down by the Osterreich's navy. Of the 9,300 ton Szegedin-class, these vessels had been a cause of concern to the Italian admiralty for some time. A main battery of eight 6in guns was placed in four turrets, fore, aft, and with a pair of double wing mounts just aft of the bridge. While smaller than the guns on her older comrade, and certainly than her foe, they were newer models, and at shorter range six 6in guns might just beat older, slower, 7 or 8in weapons.
She had a thicker deck than Palestro but less armor on her turrets. However there were other concerning features of the design. Fourteen 4in guns, seven per side, made up her secondary battery, a lot of firepower when close, rapid-firing too. Of course there was also her 23 kt speed to consider, fast for a ship with a 4in belt and of such displacement. What did this mean overall?
Around quarter of 11am local time, smoke was sighted to the NNE by the lookouts on Palestro. Cpt. Chimenti was in command and on the bridge at the time, ordering all hands to stations and to immediately come about to face the contact. Soon it was ascertained that it was an enemy cruiser...and a second behind it. Making a quick decision, Chimenti decided he had to try and take this first vessel down before the other could get in range. The last thing he wanted was to be boxed in between two foes catching enfilade fire from both.
The first cruiser was identified as a Klagenfurt-class, and thus the best tactic would be to maintain range and take advantage of Palestro's larger guns and thicker armor. But there was just one problem, the enemy could move slightly faster. Firing commenced around 11,000 yards shortly after 11am local time. No hits were scored by either vessel until the range lessened, made possible by Leitha's slight advantage in speed. Despite having only local control of the guns, she struck first at 11:12 from just over 9,700 yards, scoring a non-penetrating 7in hit to her foe's belt above the engine spaces.
Within a dozen minutes and with range steadily decreasing despite the best efforts of Chimenti, Palestro took two more hits, the first a high-explosive 6in shell in the superstructure that killed a number of crewmen, and the second another HE round that disabled the forward turret. Suddenly without 50% of his main battery, Chimenti turned his ship WSW and steamed away from the Leitha, intending to give his rear guns a chance to score, while creating a narrow profile to be hit as well as creating time to get the forward battery operational again.
As this was all occuring, the lookouts aloft had identified the second enemy armored cruiser - a Szegedin-class. That was much more worrying. The officers of the Palestro had been hoping to see another old vessel. With some luck and damage to the uptakes, engines, or rudders, it was quite possible to temporarily disable or slow the enemy vessels long enough to slip away. Now, that hope was rapidly diminishing. The Szegedins could make up to 23 kts. They would box Palestro in between themselves and the Leitha, wearing away at her like a dog. But Chimenti did not give up hope, and was determined to fight his vessel to the bitter end. If they wanted to sink her, they would have to shoot away every last gun and board her dammit.
Within 16 minutes, Turret A was operational again, and the Palestro swung back out wide to engage with her full broadside. But something was wrong. Despite a better crew, better fire control, and better leadership, she still could not hit the damnable Leitha. And each moment the second cruiser got closer and closer, now known to be the Donau. Finally, at 11:50 local around 7,600 yards, Palestro's tertiary 3in guns scored a hit on the foe. It penetrated the fore/aft hull of Leitha, reducing her seaworthiness ever so slightly. Not much, but it was a start.
Unfortunately, the Donau had finally gotten into range, and her superior central rangefinder and later generation of guns quickly showed their worth at around 10,500 yards. A pair of hits landed on Palestro just before noon, the first going through the superstructure and detonating on the upper belt area, spewing splinters everywhere and perforating the uptakes. The second also battered the upper works and contributed to a sense of general alarm. Losing speed, it was now clear that things were rapidly shifting in favor of the Austrians. Over the next 15 minutes, a 6in and 4in round apiece each found Palestro as she angled away - only for the the aft turret to jam. Chimenti swung his vessel north, wind to his back and smoke blowing out ahead. Maybe if he maneuvered right...
With an AP hit on Donau for good measure, she lashed out at Leitha. But the older ship kept away, tantalizingly out of reach. Close enough to lob shots, but hard to hit, she was content to let the Donau do the heavy lifting. Which she did. Try as Chimenti might, the faster armored cruiser kept bearing down on them, rapidly deceasing the range. Shots landed three times as the range went from 7,000 to 6,000 yards, luckily none penetrating anything vital, but suffering more superstructure damage. Then something good happened. Tired of the Leitha's dancing, the 6in gunners managed to send an AP shell into her Y turret, disabling it. Less fire from them for a bit. Trading shots with the tertiaries, Palestro's more effective, the Donau slunk closer.
Turret Y was unjammed and finally operational! Quickly Cpt. Chimenti moved his charge back into broadside position, this time going hard over and reversing position, running to the south. This would put the Leitha and her comrade temporarily into a line, giving the Italians more room to work. Hits to the belt and turrets...not good as the range slipped under 6,000 yards, seesawing back and forth in a mad dance of range and counter-maneuver. One of them perforated the uptakes further, losing the Palestro even more of her precious speed. As the fight reached the two hour mark from initial sighting, neither side could gain a clear advantage.
Over the next hour, the Donau (with small assistance from Leitha) gradually whittled away at her foe with 6in and 4in fire. Palestro answered back, but only with 6- and 3in shells. The main battery couldn't hit anything, not made better by another jam around 1400. Seven more shells found the embattled armored cruiser during the following 30 minutes, one penetrating the extended belt and detonating, it's HE charge thankfully contained by the coal bunkers. But the last found a secondary mount and started a fire. Palestro was in trouble.
Not but a few minutes after this, Leitha landed a 6in AP shell in the BE waterline, causing flooding. Almost immediately however, at last, the crew strength of the Chimenti's vessel showed through. First the fire was extinguished, and then the flooding reduced. She was down to making around 15kts at best, but she could patch up her wounds at least. With another of Donau's shells sliding harmlessly into the coal bunkers (foolishly AP), the 8in guns came into play. Two rounds slammed into the Austrian, one taking out a 4in mount, and another penetrating the extended belt. But luck was not for the Palestro, as this immediate triumph was shattered by one of Donau's shells going through the belt and disabling one of the engines. Losing much of her remaining speed and trying to stay away at 8 kts, Chimenti had to contend with another source of flooding.
But happily the 8in gunners replied in kind and sent a round ~ 6400 yards clean through Donau's belt, wounding her and making the larger ship turn away, unbeknownst the Italians additionally due to a jammed wing turret. With some temporary breathing room, Chimenti got the machinery repaired within minutes, cranking his ailing vessel back to the full speed it could make under these conditions.
Leitha had been able to take advantage of the distraction afforded by Donau though to slip closer. At 5,300 yards a 7in crashed through the belt of Palestro, others rattling the sides, as secondaries detonated against the deck armor and conning tower. They were down to under that, under 4,000...things were close.
Close enough for torpedoes? Perhaps. Turning away from the oncoming Leitha whom now smelled blood, Chimenti piloted his vessel towards the wounded Donau, which seemingly smelled the challenge in kind and took the bait. Closer and closer she got. 3,000, 2,000...now! A torpedo charged off from Palestro at 1524! A near miss astern, damnation! 4in AP secondaries began to rake the battered armored cruiser as Donau pressed in under 2,000 yards, until an 8in shell demolished another one of her secondaries and made her swing out wide, aborting her charge. The plucky Palestro still had teeth.
But more hits to the hull and engineering spaces followed, each degrading her seaworthiness a bit more even without a penetration. Another fire started, fanned by winds and more HE shells. Flooding creeped in as additional patches were frantically prepared. Something had to give.
As was the case in this entire engagement however thus far, the something was not in the favor of the poor Palestro. The cursed Leitha had crept back into the fight just enough to lob a fusillade of 6in secondary fire at Palestro. Chimenti watched in alarm as something sheared off aft, the rear extended belt pierced and part of the steering gear cut away. Suddenly his ship found herself locked into a port turn, at low speed though, the only upside to not being able to make sufficient steam...
More hits went through the battered superstructure, intensifying the fire. Now dead in water, on fire, with constant low-level flooding about to burst through at any moment, Palestro's situation was critical. She had hurt her foes gamely, yes, but not enough to kill. Donau saw her distress and came about. It was time to end things. More perforated uptakes, more splinters, more hull damage, more detonations in the coal bunkers, Chimenti couldn't hold on much longer. The Austrian ship was getting closer and closer, and he could not maneuver except in a blasted circle. Unless...
Quickly weighing his options and making some rough calculations, he waited for the right moment. Braving 7in hits from the annoying Leitha, he focused all efforts on two things: fighting fires, and preparing the ship to make a sudden maneuver in the only direction it could go.
Arrogant and sure of it's kill, Donau swept in close for the coup de grace. Minutes ticked into seconds, as the fire was controlled enough to give his crew some breathing room. Deep in the bowels of Palestro her boilers were relit on orders from above, and she slowly accelerated in her locked circle to bring herself broadside to the approaching Donau. If that ship's captain saw any danger, Chimenti would never know. At 1616 local time he gave the order for the starboard torpedo tube to release. All he could do was watch as the fish approached the cruiser, firing all her armament at the sitting Italian duck, helpless.
Closer...closer, dear Lord! A plume of water a hundred feet high! A hit. But then, more - a tremendous explosion! The detonation was so violent it took Chimenti's breath away. The geyser of water was quickly replaced by a searing, red hot lance of fire that shot up even higher. An awful, horrendous screech that no mariner ever wanted to hear split the air at less than 1,000 yards from her flank, as the rapidly sinking pieces of the Donau ground and clanged and twisted against each other in a deathly morass. The torpedo had hit just right, detonating her main magazine.
Stunned, the cheer from his crew took him by surprise, the sudden turn of events overwhelming and extreme. From the depths of the engine room to the highest lookout point, the men of Palestro hollered with good cheer. Their ship was a mess, on fire, waterlogged, yes...but dammit they were fighting it to the end as the captain had promised!
The next twenty or thirty critical minutes were spent on repairs, the stunned Leitha warily keeping distance. Flooding was somewhat controlled, but Chimenti did not dare to think it would be enough. The torpedoes were reloaded, but the damn Y turret jammed again, doubtlessly on some piece of metal, battle damage surely. But the Leitha was overcoming her fear, getting closer now. A 3in shell hit the superstructure, all but slag and scrap by this point. It galvanized the remaining crew though. The fire was finally extinguished and the rudder repaired. Palestro could move again.
The Y turret followed, operational once more. But the ship would never land another shot.
Palestro would take another 15 hits over then next hour courtesy of the enraged Leitha. Ranging from 3in to 7in, none were critical, but like earlier they slowly wore away at her watertight integrity. Making only a few knots, Chimenti did his best to position his dying vessel alongside the the foe so as to return fire most effectively. But it seemed that just as he had no luck earlier, none was to be found now. It was as if every scrap of it had been saved up and expended all at once in taking down the Donau.
Shortly after 1800 local time, dusk overtook the dueling ships. Leitha was to the north, on a general ENE track, the Palestro mirroring her to the south. Having to deal with numerous jams to the main battery, the captain of the Austrian vessel wasn't able to deal the final blow as he had wanted, and the vivid picture of the detonating Donau was fresh in his mind. He dare not close in while the foe still had torpedoes.
So it was that Palestro managed to survive the entire day of the 29th, a day that only technically existed. The crew wished it hadn't at all. Leaking all over, she could barely make a kt at this point. Integrity was critical, and all Chimenti could do was sail in the general direction of home and hope. Pray. Wish.
Limping away for an hour and half, the machinery was repaired once more, a sign of the crew's discipline and resilience. They would not give up before they had too. A half hour went by, then another. Progress was made on the flooding. Not enough to ensure survival, but some. 2100, 2200, still the wounded cruiser sailed the dark night seas, slowly, plodding on under steam thick and labored.
Then something popped. A screech, a deep groan. It was too late. At 2211 local time the order was given to finally abandon the ship. Palestro had fought for almost 12 hours nonstop, the crew battling an aging hull, flooding, fire, ruined uptakes, jams, and more. They had sunk a much larger, faster, and more modern armored cruiser than theirs. It was a good trade. It had been a worthy fight. If anyone could ever count them, the vessel had taken 74 hits to kill it, 30 of them 6in shells, the rest a mix of 3 and 4in.
As Chimenti settled into a lifeboat, the last off of the ship, he could at least look upon his command and know that he had truly fought her to the end as he had promised.
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Post by blarglol on Sept 19, 2023 20:12:27 GMT -6
Mar 1908 - Revenge is a Dish Best Served...Immediately
Several things were learned and came to pass the following month of hostilities that bolstered the Italian morale. After the duel of the Palestro and it's noble fate (leaked to the Italians by spies whom overheard the story from drunken Austro-Hungarian sailors on leave in Cattaro) became public knowledge as opposed to simply being a ship "lost" somewhere on patrol, many wanted revenge. They wanted the Leitha. And it just so happened that several cruisers and accompanying destroyers found her.
In Adriatic between Bari and Cattaro, the armored cruisers Stromboli and Vulcano, backed up by the protected cruisers Minerva, Partenope, and Urania, sighted two Klagenfurt-class armored cruisers. They turned out to be the Maros, and none of other than the Leitha herself. Backed up by sufficient destroyers on each side, a synopsis of the following engagement would identify several main phases of activity:
1. The initial sighting and maneuvering, which saw the Osterreich lose the destroyer Orjen to secondary and tertiary fire from Stromboli.
2. The general Austro-Hungarian retreat to the north as it became clear they were caught between two groups of Italian cruisers. Ascaro took a 7" HE shell amidships from Maros while at high speed and promptly sunk while giving chase.
3. The splitting of the Italian forces to try and box the cruisers in and wall them away from their accompanying destroyers. Leitha had been damaged by several shells from the enemy armored cruisers and had slowed. Maros attempted to stick with her sister, but the destroyers angled off towards Cattaro and were separated from their ostensible charges.
4. The looming of dusk which caused the Austrians to attempt making a general turn northeast towards Cattaro to try and link up with their reforming destroyer screen. This brought them into torpedo range of the Italians. Several were fired at Leitha, hits from Vulcano and the destroyer Indomito sealing her fate, additional torps later finding their mark from other ships. She also took a number of 8", 5", 3", and 2" shells before sinking in the darkness, alone, a fitting reversal of fate to how it left Palestro the month prior.
5. The sudden appearance in the darkness of the Austro-Hungarian destroyer Magnet which collided with the protected cruiser Minerva, the smaller vessel coming away the worse for wear and being immediately torpedoed by the next ship in the column, Partenope. She quickly rolled over in the brief but fierce action.
6. Desultory maneuvering and searching in the darkness for Maros and the remaining destroyers, which saw the Italians steam to just several nm off Cattaro. Some sightings were made, but no more fighting occured, the two sides losing all final contact in the pre-dawn darkness
Overall - the Palestro had been avenged, and the Osterreich was down another cruiser, Maros moderately damaged by 3" and 5" shellfire that would see her in drydock for some time, and the Regia Marina coming out ahead in destroyers killed 2-1.
Even better news was then learned from the survivors picked up early next morning from the sunken Leitha. She had recovered some survivors from Palestro after the earlier engagement, and among them was Captain Chimenti, alive and well as a POW on shore. This was received very joyously by the Italian sailors, whom had assumed most if not all of the crew had been lost at sea.
It appears there has been a bug and the Leitha has been swapped for the Maros...my story-telling disappointment is immediate and measurable
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Post by blarglol on Oct 1, 2023 13:52:08 GMT -6
Nov 1908 -
For once Coglione was happy. Several things had occurred over the spring and summer months to bring some relief to the overall operational picture in the Mediterranean.
Firstly, the blockade was holding. Many of ships might be old, but they could still hold down a blockade station and shoot merchants. Most of the new Austro-Hungarian heavies had yet to leave the drydocks. Rumor had it one was in the water, perhaps working-up, but no one had seen it as of yet.
Secondly, intelligence collected from enemy ports had allowed the Regina Marina to establish tactical superiority on more than one occasion. In July the cruiser Calabria was able to successfully intercept and sink the enemy raider, Minerva. With the merchants given more breathing room, the navy was able to thicken the patrols in the Gulf of Taranto, trying to catch any additional enemies escaping to the wider Mediterranean. This bore fruit when intelligence reported that another armored cruiser, Margburg, was planning on skirting the coast tightly and slipping under the guns of the coastal batteries. Unfortunately for her, a large force of armored and protected cruisers converged and promptly sunk her with gunfire and torpedoes, along with the accompanying destroyer, Inn.
Thirdly, while neither battleline had engaged, the foe denying contact and remaining a fleet-in-being, a raid on Ancona was stopped dead in it's tracks as multiple forces engaged simultaneously. The armored cruiser Vulcano with a trio of destroyers in tow drove off it's opposite number Adria, also with accompanying light vessels. After a confusing, nighttime run towards the coastal islands off Zara, she was sunk after having almost reached her destination. She was only found when the Italian forces spotted a destroyer slinking away, leading them directly to the wounded cruiser. Vulcano sent salvo after salvo of 8" gunfire into Adria, but the dying foe managed to get a measure of revenge when one her shells penetrated Vulcano's conning tower at close range. Cpt. Marulli was killed instantly, and command devolved to the XO who luckily hadn't been on the bridge.
Meanwhile, a supporting force had been unsuccessfully looking for the enemy cruiser and had turned off south, scouring the waters between Zara and Spalato. These vessels managed to find and sink the wounded destroyer Veglia, which had taken a shell earlier and had been attempting to make port. It was then that signals reached both forces off enemy activity of the coast, north of Ancona. Reports were mixed, some said cruisers were about, others battleships.
Regardless, both forces turned back for home, the smaller and more northern squadron being closer. Temperamental engines however prevented Vulcano from reaching her top speed. She managed to arrive only to the sounds of fierce fire from the shore. An Odenburg-class armored cruiser had been attempting to shell land installations, but had evidently found the gunners more than an able match, taking almost 40 hits from coastal guns and emplaced howitzers. The arrival of a fellow armored cruiser was too much, and she promptly turned and fled towards Pola. While more hits were landed on both her and a destroyer, a lucky shot damaged the uptakes of Vulcano, and she was unable to overtake the enemy before she made port.
All things considered, one cruiser had been sunk, another solidly damaged and run off, and two destroyers put down, only to sink a lone merchant and a poor patrol boat. Coglione could take the trade. Rumors of unrest and privation with the Austro-Hungarian Empire had reached his desk. God-willing they would soon collapse and then Dalmazia could be secured by it's rightful owners.
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Post by blarglol on Oct 1, 2023 18:42:12 GMT -6
April 1909 - Finally Something to Show
After losing more raiders and a tightening blockade, the Austro-Hungarian Empire had had enough. They were allied with Russia, yes, but the great northern bear couldn't do much to project power into the Mediterranean. Domestic discord and unrest had reached all-time highs, and there were rumblings of a building revolt in Zara. It was with this background that the officials of the Osterreich met with the Italians.
What could be done? Dalmazia had to be relinquished. Finally, at long last, Italy had something to show for one of it's wars. Immediately plans were set in motion to fortify the area, and new batteries were constructed. Chastened, the Austrians focused on fortifying their two remaining ports. What would the future bring?
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Post by TheOtherPoster on Oct 4, 2023 0:18:54 GMT -6
Congrats, it's a very interesting AAR. I'm enjoying the way you're telling the tale a lot.
I think Dalmatia may be a poisoned warprize. The Austrians won't take lightly to have lost that territory and will try to get it back.
I suppose now it's time to take a closer look at the fleet too and where you want to go from here.
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Post by blarglol on Oct 8, 2023 16:51:39 GMT -6
Congrats, it's a very interesting AAR. I'm enjoying the way you're telling the tale a lot. I think Dalmatia may be a poisoned warprize. The Austrians won't take lightly to have lost that territory and will try to get it back. I suppose now it's time to take a closer look at the fleet too and where you want to go from here. Thank you, I appreciate the support. Regarding the Austrians, perhaps, but I can't very well have my lake and let them keep it. Now I just need the British out of Albania...
Things have changed for the fleet, I played a number of years further and much has happened (non-war related). I will post soon.
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Post by blarglol on Oct 15, 2023 17:28:55 GMT -6
Mar 1915 - Big Changes, Same Problems
In the immediate aftermath of the 2nd Austro-Italian War, it became apparent to the latter's high command that they urgently needed to field operational battleships and battlecruisers to remain competitive with their adversaries. While they had been fortunate enough not to encounter any of these beasts in battle yet, it was clear that the Italian fleet, though veteran, was aging. The disposition of the world's forces was thus:
Just before 1908 passed and on into 1909, three proper battleships of the new style were laid down, the Roma-class. These would be completed through Feb - June 1912.
At 22,500 tons and making 19kt, while a bit slow compared to many of their contemporaries, this was considered not as consequential give the relatively short and confined nature of the Mediterranean. Moreso, they had a number of advantages 1v1 to a given adversary of their planning period, mainly 11" of armor on the belt, a half inch more on the turrets, and a large secondary battery of fourteen 5" guns armored against themselves.
Compared to the archetypal Collingwood-class fielded by the British, Roma and her sisters were larger (Collingwoods were 19,200 tons for 21 kts) and could bring ten 12" guns to bear per broadside, compared to Collingwood's six. This was due to Roma's use of en echelon guns in the center of the design.
Among the other first-generation dreadnoughts fielded by the naval powers, Roma would stand in good stead. France operated three vessels of the Massena-class (19,700 tons for 22 kts) an interesting design that was perhaps a product of their being...French. All released in 1909 and an ostensible improvement over their British contemporaries, the Massenas featured an eight gun broadside of 12" rifles using wing turrets like their opposite numbers. However the extra guns were made possible by an aft centerline R-turret, mounted between the rear tower and the superstructure. While faster, her 10" belt gave her less protection, and it was her secondary battery that was particularly odd. Fourteen 3" guns in a mix of open deck mounts and casemates were all she had. This was in contrast to Collingwood's plethora of 4" weapons, and Roma's mix of 5" and 3" guns, potentially leaving the French ships vulnerable at intermediate ranges.
The Austrio-Hungarian Navy's first generation of dreadnoughts were commissioned in mid-1908 and early 1909, the Wien-class (19,500 tons for 19 kts). Roma and her sisters were more than a match for these. Though they mounted a dozen 12" rifles, these were split off into only a single turret fore and aft, with four amidships wing mounts. The result of this arrangement meant an eight gun broadside was all she could manage. Her 9.5" belt was also a concern, thin for dreadnoughts. However this was somewhat compensated for by her heavier secondary battery, fourteen 6" guns and dozen 3" mounts.
Like the vessels of the preceding nations, Russia too chose to use wing turrets on it's first battleships. The Imperatritsa Ekaterina Velikaya-class (19,500 tons for 18kts) was a one-off ship completed in 1909 that featured a 12" main battery in the Austrian-configuration. A dozen 5" and 3" guns respectively handled close-in threats, and she had 11" on the belt, a first for a modern battleship.
Germany produced the Weissenburg-class of 1909 (20,900 tons for 21 kts), a derivation of the French design seen in Massena. An R-turret and 10" of armor were the common factors, however her secondary battery was more in line with British norms at 4".
The US Navy's first modern battleships were the Delaware-class of 1909/10 (20,800 tons for 22 kts). These were interesting vessels that combined some of the aspects of prior ships. With the speed of the French ships, the secondary-battery and armor of the Austrians, she was the first to have a superfiring rear turret. Thus, unlike the German or French ships, her secondary tower did not block firing.
The Imperial Japanese Navy completed it's first battleships in 1911, the Kashima-class (20,800 tons for 19 kts). She was practically identical to the American Delawares both in main and secondary armament, the difference being that the latter was 3 kts faster, while the Japanese ship had a half inch more belt armor.
This left Spain, which managed to launch a pair of vessels in 1909, the Infanta Maria Teresa-class (18,300 tons for 22 kts). What was intriguing about her was she was the first battleship in the world to use en echelon guns, with a pair of turrets staggered off the centerline, and a single turret each fore and aft. This eight gun broadside was not bad for the day, nor was her secondary/tertiary armament, but her limited displacement meant the belt armor was capped at 7". These ships were glass cannons.
All things considered, by the time the Roma and her sisters were commissioned and operational, there were a handful of battleships that could challenge them in anything other than speed. But as always this was not set in stone. The British had been busy and were fielding increasingly larger and more capable designs, with 13" gun ships in the water and even some with 15" weapons planned. France was working on two differing one-off classes that each were close to 30,000 tons, and the United States had three Rhode Island-class vessels in fabrication that displaced a staggering 30,400 tons. Even the Austrians had a large vessel due to be completed the following year.
The Imperial Russian Navy fielded a 14" vessel with four, triple-gun turrets, and they had battleships close to the planned French-size in the works. The Germans were working on a pair close to what the US laid down, and Japan was building a 29,500 ton ship as well. Even Spain was working on a pair of new battleships, albeit it not the size of the other nations.
All of this meant that as usual, Italy had to try and catch up. The Lepanto-class design study was almost complete, and would offer an affordable way to bulk out the fleet with additional 12" vessels having a faster speed and heavier secondary battery, with the same belt thickness as the Romas. Of course there were designs for ~ 30,000 ton vessels, but funding did not yet allow such things to be laid down.
There were battlecruisers to consider! Britain had five operational, and a sixth building. France and Austria-Hungary each had four, but the latter was building two more, of the Steiermark-class first completed in 1912, but repeatedly delayed over the years due to post-war funding issues (more on these ships later). Russia only had one, but was working on four more, the gigantic 30,700 ton Kinburn-class, which when completed would be the largest vessels in the world (only to be tied by the planned one-off USS Saratoga). Germany had six and was working on two more, split between the Goeben- and Seydlitz-classes. The US and Spain were each working on one, to augment their three and four existing vessels respectively.
But it was Japan who had committed most decidedly. Five were in the water with four more planned, a total of nine, even if some were less than capable to the most modern designs....All of this was very disheartening for Italy which while only a few months away, still had not put a battlecruiser in the water. However - like with the Roma-class and other battleships, the Francesco Caracciolo-class could go toe-to-toe with any other 12" battlecruiser, and even some of the earlier battleships. The same displacement as her battleship cousins, she could make 24 kts, which while slower than many of her potential adversaries, was inversely better-protected with a superior gun layout. An A-C-V-Y configuration gave her superfiring capability beyond most of her contemporaries, while the heavy 6" secondary battery and 9.5" belt made her a tough nut at any range. Overall, she and her sisters would be balanced and useful additions to the fleet, without breaking the bank.
Contrasting them with their immediate adversary and the difference became clear. For 2,500 tons more, the Austrian's Steiermarks could have an inch more belt armor and were a kt faster, but were gimped to an odd, rear-centric gun configuration. Only a single turret could fire forward, and there was a superimposed V-turret on an armored barbette at 0 degrees, meant to swivel over a aft-facing, centerline R-turret. In theory six guns could fire together aft, but it was a very odd design only suited for running away (which perhaps fit the Osterreich's navy in the previous war). It also had a lesser tertiary battery than the Italian ships and would be more vulnerable to small craft.
All things considered, the situation for Italy was not all that bad. Yes, tensions were high again. Yes, they were behind in modern ships, but the economy was chugging along reasonably well, and more importantly, interventions in Greece and Rhodes had added these areas to their territory! New batteries were being built, new colonial cruisers too. Swift cruisers nearing 30 kts with mines were being made, both as raiders and counter raiders. Torpedoes were more deadly than ever, and the Regia Marina was always at work on new submarines and destroyers to take advantage of this fact. Let the larger nations build gigantic monstrosities. Could they afford them all, supply them all, defend them all? Improperly screened, a gigantic battleship was just another target for torpedo-craft, and unlike the Jeune Ecole doctrine the French tried decades earlier, all of the Italian vessels meant to do the torpedoing were proper, speedy, ocean-going craft with good endurance.
Would such a strategy ensure their continued expansion throughout the next decade of naval warfare in the Mediterranean?
Finally starting to get somewhere. Now I just need the British out of Albania and the French out of Corsica. Then I will have an uninterrupted, defensible arc stretching from Imperia to Lindos, the foul Austro-Hungarians cooped up in the upper Adriatic notwithstanding. I really wish there was mechanism to knock them out of the game, landlock them and take their ports. Then put China in the open slot to keep the Pacific more interesting...
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Post by blarglol on Oct 22, 2023 0:43:34 GMT -6
July 1915 - First Clash of the "Dreadnoughts" (Whatever those are...)
For reasons that will likely never be fully know, France declared war on Italy in early June of 1915. Perhaps it feared it's neighbor's growing influence in the Mediterranean. Perhaps it simply wished to expand down from Corsica and take Sardinia. Perhaps it wanted to hamper Italian trade or disrupt the building of new airship facilities in Sicily that might threaten it's line of communications with Tunisia.
Whatever the reason, the war did not come as a surprise, Italian intelligence detected large movements of men and materiel months ahead of time. The fleet had been fully mobilized and all reserve and mothballed units prepared for active duty. Part of this posture of increased readiness involved sending the old armored cruiser Montebello to the Indian Ocean, along with the even older protected cruisers Aretusa and Tripoli. Their job was to patrol between the Red Sea and the forward base in Mozambique, engaging targets of opportunity and guarding colonial trade. When hostilities broke out, they were able to sortie and sink a number of French merchantmen, disrupting the enemy's supply of Madagascar.
In turn, the supplies that enabled these ships to operate came through the Suez, Britain being neutral to both parties. The origin point of these shipments were the Italian naval facilities in Siracusa. It was perhaps for this reason that the first real action of the war was a large, powerful raid against the eastern Sicilian coast in June 1915.
The French amassed a fleet consisting of the majority of their heavy forces: the three modern battleships of the Massena-class, the namesake, the Charles Martel, and Jaureguiberry, three of their four battlecruisers, the one-off Dunkerque and two of the Marseille-class, the floating city herself and her sister Aquitaine, and almost all of their pre-dreadnoughts, Justice and Iena of the Republique-class, along with all of the Verite-class: Verite, Liberte, Danton, Condorcet, and Vernigaud. Accompanying these capital ships were the armored cruisers Edgar Quintet and Waldeck Rousseau of the Jules Michelet-class, along with the Tourville-class ship Bruix, and eight protected cruisers of various classes: Bugeaud, Davout, Suchet, Sfax, Coetlogon, Galilee, Surcouf, and Cassard. Seventeen destroyers screened the fleet, ranging in size from ancient 300-tonners to modern 1,100 ton ships.
Gathering all of these vessels in one place and putting them together in a cohesive fleet did not go unnoticed. Italian intelligence had been once again snooping about and detected the large assembly of vessels heading south from their upper Mediterranean bases to Tunis. There, they intended to hook around the Tunisian coast and head out to sea south of Malta, ultimately swinging around to strike at Siracusa and Messina from the east.
To counter this bold and fierce attack, the Regina Marina likewise readied the lion's share of it's capital ships for a battle that perhaps would be worthy of the history books. First steamed proud Roma and her two sisters, Napoli, and Sardegna. These modern battleships would counter the Massena-class and hopefully pin them down. Next came the best of the pre-dreadoughts, the 15,500 ton ships of the Vittorio Emanuele-class, the eldest and her sisters Regina Elena, Ammiraglio Saint Bon, and Dante Aligheri. Last were the old Re Umberto-class, firstborn and sisters Regina Margherita, Benedetto Brin, and Emanuele Filiberto. Slow, old, and with short-barrel, inaccurate main battery weapons, they were not expected to be of much use.
Eleven armored cruisers sailed with the fleet: Castelfidardo, Solferino, and Goito, of the first's class, Varese, Amalfi, Etna, and Vesuvio, likewise of the first's namesake, as well as the Stromboli-class, the native of Sicily herself and sisters Vulcano, San Martino, and Calabria. They were accompanied by a bevy of protected cruisers including: Gaeta, Quarto, Spezia, Piemonte, Lombardia, Liguria, Umbria, Etruia, Campania, Basilicata, Dogali, and Clio of numerous classes. Fifty-seven destroyers were able to reach the fleet, ranging from 300 to 900 tons.
On paper, Italy would vastly outnumber the French, but many of these vessels were old, slow, and of limited utility due to antiquated armament and fire control, and/or limited torpedo capacity. Most concerning were the three French battlecruisers, whose combination of speed and firepower could give them a tactical advantage in positioning to strike hard where needed, but escape retribution. They were unmatched by anything that the Regina Marina could field, the lone Francesco Caracciolo having only recently been launched and still working up.
Contact was made a little after 1400 local time as the Italian forces steamed generally eastward, intending to counter the French incursion before the raiders could near the coast and strike land installations and/or vulnerable merchant traffic. To the north, Calabria stood detached from her class-sisters, and with one of the protected cruisers and several destroyers, formed a rapid scouting force. Further south, the main battlefleet sat bunched together and still trying to form up when the initial sightings came in. Reconnaissance airships from the new base at Sircausa flew a number of scouting runs during this period to determine the number, course, and positioning of the enemy forces. After some difficulty, the bulk of the fleet went straight at the foe, the scouts staying north on a parallel trajectory, and the oldest pre-dreadnoughts with a few destroyers taking a more southerly course. This would have great bearing on the battle to come.
When the full extent of the French forces were confirmed, a difficult decision was made. The enemy was know to be generally faster. Given the position of the various components of each force, it was expected to be difficult to fully draw the French into an engagement in a manner where real damage could be inflicted. The dreadnoughts of the Messena-class led the enemy charge and swung into position heading generally north to offer battle. It was the placement of their battlecruisers, far behind and operating more independently of the main French body, that necessitated the Italian decision. This was enabled in part by the novel use of aerial bombing, when an attack was made by the local airships. Dropping a number of bombs on the rearward units of the French fleet, two hits were scored, one of a battlecruiser and another on a protected cruiser. While largely ineffective, this attack caused mass confusion and disorganization in the French ranks, creating an opportunity.
With stoic resolve, the oldest pre-dreadnoughts, Re Umberto and her sisters, were tasked to remain on a southeast course that would lead them dangerously close to the French battlecruisers. In short - they were bait. Meanwhile, the main body of the fleet would draw into formation opposite the enemy dreadnoughts. While the French had more pre-dreadnoughts at their disposal, these were all slow, some far slower than the Umbertos, while others equaling them at best. They were all strung out in a line generally between the positions of the new battleships to their fore and the battlecruisers aft.
In contrast, the Vittorio Emanuele's could make 19kt and keep up with Roma and her sisters, while Massena and company rapidly outpaced their slower companions at a full 22kts. This created a situation where local fire superiority could be brought on the foremost portion of the enemy line. The dreadnoughts exchanged heavy fire as the fast Italian Bs supported their newer cousins, firing 11" shells into the Massenas. While no critical damage was done, the French were getting it worse, as the Italian scout force slipped over their line to the north, covering and screening should any fast enemies try and make a break towards shore and slip around toward Messina.
What ultimately occurred was an escalating serious of events that would see both sides suffer heavy losses, if differing in quality and type. As the French battleships angled back to the east, accelerating away from the coast and attempting to escape the Italian barrage, the latter's line became extended and angular as it chased the enemy out to sea. Calabria dueled with it's opposite number Edgar Quintet, but quickly found itself edging too close to the repositioning dreadnoughts. Under heavy fire and taking several nasty hits, she was forced to disengage and limp towards Messina in disarray. For all their efforts, the Italians were as of yet unable to do any serious damage to the French forces. But the bait was still there.
The plucky Re Umberto's gamely closed with the enemy battlecruisers, shielded by but a few old destroyers. With great thunder they fired their ponderous main battery, but quickly the difference in fire control and modern barrels showed. The French battlecruisers rapidly closed, confident in their superior heavy armament and speed. Taking increasing amounts of damage, the old battleships tried to turn about back towards Siracusa. While they were doing this, enemy cruisers and destroyers closed. The Italian destroyers tried valiantly (unlike many of the lighter craft on both sides of this engagement) to screen their charges, but there were too many foes. Suddenly - Regina Margherita exploded in a tremendous fireball! An enemy torpedo had hit her broadside and detonated her magazine. Sensing blood, more Frenchmen closed, as the remaining Re Umberto's and destroyers rapidly fired off torpedoes of their own.
Seeing the confusion to the south, and with the enemy battleline mainly moving generally out to sea, the decision was made to try and spring the intended trap. The Italian commanders wanted to lure the enemy battlecruisers in towards the shore. There, they could be attacked from all angles by the full force of the fleet, pinned against the coast, as well as be subjected to mines and coastal guns. It just required the potential sacrifice of the pre-dreadnoughts. The fleet rapidly turned south-southwest to take the necessary positions.
Meanwhile the old battleships were suffering more misfortune. Re Umberto herself had taken a torpedo and was quickly slowing, while heavy shells from the battlecruisers were heavily damaging Benedetto Brin. The latter managed to limp back into port, while the former slowly went dead in the water and became a shot magnet for a large portion of the French secondary formation. Seeing the weakness of the foe, the arrogant frogs moved closer and closer to shore...just as intended.
In their haste to destroy the foe in front of them, they soon found themselves between the Sicilian coast and the rest of the Italian fleet. But they were still much faster. Seeing the possibility of the quarry escaping, a flotilla attack was ordered with all available destroyer forces. Immediately the numerous Italian escorts sped-off in a northwest direction, trying to close with the foe. This was costly for them, and many ships took large shells or fierce secondary fire and were either disabled, sunk, or forced to turn about with heavy damage. The fast speed of the battlecruisers made it difficult for the Italian destroyers to get a good firing position. For all the torpedoes launched, only one hit was possibly recorded (records dispute if a mine was responsible). But despite their misses, and casualties, the flotilla attack did do one important thing - keep the enemy busy!
For dusk was falling, and with it confusion and opportunity in equal measure. With hungry destroyers blocking the escape of the increasingly penned-in battlecruisers to the north, and the main body of Italian forces due east, the Frenchmen attempted to come about south. In the coming blackness however, they came into contact with the ships of the 3rd Cruiser Division, Varese and her sisters. The armored cruisers sported many torpedoes of their own, and these they lobbed at the frustrated Frenchmen as true blackness set in. An explosion marked the enemy line, thought to be a battlecruiser but quickly ascertained to be the old battleship Justice, taking a torpedo as several shells hit and caused a bad fire.
Utter confusion took hold of the battle as the desperate French ships: the three battlecruisers, the wounded pre-dreadnought, and numerous lighter vessels of all classes, tried and ultimately failed to escape the tightening Italian cordon. Roma and her sisters found themselves in a melee at point-blank range, resorting to using their torpedoes. Geysers erupted across the French battlecruisers as they lobbed 14" shells into the enemies all around. Destroyers danced in and out, weaving against the tide and each other in a furious ballet of death, as larger armored and protected cruisers attempted to steer clear of their smaller friends and foes. The dying Justice was finally put down, but not before she launched a parting shot from her torpedo tubes, mortally wounding the armored cruiser Amalfi. Dunkerque took numerous main-caliber shells from the Italian dreadnoughts, her own fire control seemingly coming up miss after miss. She rapidly was reduced to a burning hulk that was swarmed and torpedoed by the vengeful Italians, who sought retribution for the destruction of Regina Marghertia.
A large explosion shook Marseille, and though her 14" fire was far more effective, she too was quickly overwhelmed and succamb to multiple shells and torpedoes. In the confusion, the armored cruiser Goito took a friendly torpedo and heeled too, dead in the water. Going the other way, the large protected cruiser Davout, 8,000 tons with a dozen 5" guns, was blown to pieces by the combined fire of the Italian cruisers and destroyers. Varese was hit by a heavy shell from Aquitaine and started to burn, while the fast protected cruiser Suchet was almost comically hit by several torpedoes from the Italian dreadnoughts.
As the darkness was lit by flashes and explosions, a lone torpedo from God knows where struck Napoli. Thankfully, the new TPS and the skill of her captain contained the damage and allowed her to stay in the fight, albeit slower. French destroyers began to fall like their opposite counterparts had earlier in the flotilla attack, systematically picked apart by the more numerous Italians. Many of them were of the newest flight of French destroyers, the Yataghan-class, including the leader herself. But it did not go all the Regia Marina's way. Varese burned down as Gaeta began to lose a battle with flooding from numerous 14" shells courtesy of the dead Marseillle. But this fact was soon alleviated by the destruction of Aquitaine, ironically engaged by the last fielded Re Umberto-class, Emanuele Filiberto. The French battlecruiser was hemmed in by the old battleship and soon swarmed with lighter vessels, taking numerous torpedoes and finally being finished off by the Italian dreadnoughts.
When all was said and done, the main French body moved off to the southeast, ceding the field, having been either unwilling or unable to assist their trapped compatriots overnight. The entrapment and destruction of their battlecruiser force had changed the tactical calculus of the situation, but the Regia Marina was in no position to pursue as the Frenchmen retired, with many ships badly damaged. It was only the nearness of friendly shores that allowed a number of ships to survive. Many, many sailors on both sides had perished. But thousands were picked up come first light by the Italian ships. Being close to the coast, a large part of the men that abandoned ship were able to be recovered and brought to port either in Messina or Siracusa. The butcher's bill was high, but it could have been much worse.
Against the old pre-dreadnoughts who made their noble sacrifice, the French lost one of their own, as well as all three of the battlecruisers they had fielded in the engagement. It was a trade the Italian command would take any day, particularly since nothing in their inventory could truly counter those ships on the high seas. The losses of the cruisers stung, particularly of the Gaeta, a useful vessel, and the inability to effectively stop the fire on Varese, but these were all older ships, many due to be scrapped soon anyway. Likewise, many of the destroyer losses were old. Their French counterparts were newer, and the protected cruisers the enemy lost were fine vessels.
Altogether, a solid strategic victory had been achieved. The French had moved in force to strike the Sicilian coast, and instead had come away bloodied without their important battlecruisers. While Italian losses could have been lighter, the bean counters in the fleet finance department could at least take solace in the fact that the budget would be less strained by operational costs. The only downside was that the temporary drydocking of so many vessels for repair would cede the initiative to the French for the next several months, as a bevy of damaged Italian ships were patched up and made serviceable once more.
Well the plan worked. I got a bit sloppy with the positioning of some of the lighter ships. I could have lost less DDs if I microed them better and sent them back to port before they tried to keep up with their formations and flooded at high speed. Altogether it was a good trade, older vessels for more modern, capable ones. Now I just need to build some more...
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Post by blarglol on Oct 22, 2023 20:40:01 GMT -6
November 1915 - Out With The Old, In With The New
Coglione was tired, tired of the same old game. He had been at this post for far, far too long. It was time for him to retire and let someone else takeover. At least they hadn't lost.
As the months wore on, little of note occurred in the 2nd Franco-Italian War. After the battle of the Sicily, there was little appetite, let alone opportunity, for anything big. There was some raiding along Rivieria back and forth which saw the French lose a destroyer and a corvette, but little else. The Francesco Caracciolo attempted it's first operational sortie to intercept a combined Russo-French cruiser force off of Cagliari, but all it managed to do was land a single main-battery hit that did little damage. It was a very poor showing for the much vaunted concept of the battlecruiser.
And then like that, the French "yielded," for some minor financial concessions, and that was it. No territories changed hands, no land battles were fought. What even then had all of those men near Siracusa, on both sides, fought and died for, Coglione wondered? Nothing, nothing at all. These politicians spend lives that are not their own like candy, he concluded.
But the conflict had proved one thing - the need to modernize in every sense of the word. His airships had performed admirably at scouting out the French forces, and had even managed to land bomb hits on some of them. At the very least, an attack by nine or ten airships all at once was bound to cause some confusion among the enemy. His dreadnoughts had fought well enough, and the TPS systems had proven themselves. On the other end of the spectrum, the poor hulks of the Re Umberto and Regina Margherita showed the use of ships at the other end of this spectrum...
His successor would have to prioritize several different things: more modern capital ships, new, fast cruisers, aviation, and submarines. Mines too, were an increasing threat. There were many old destroyers in the force too. The fleet would soon have the Lepanto-class to bulk it up, but they were an economical design that used 12" rifles. Many nations had 13", 14", or even 15" guns. There were rumors of some nations working on 16" guns. This was all very worrying.
Armored cruisers had fallen by the wayside, and there had been no new designs from anyone in years. The latest trend was fast, lightly-armored cruisers with minimal armor. An evolution of the old protected cruisers, some now called these new ships "light" cruisers. Whatever the nomenclature, they tended to be around 28 kts and carried a number of 5" or 6" guns depending on the displacement. He had a few such cruisers at his disposal, but not many.
The first heavier-than-air aircraft were coming around. The future would hold much of them in it, perhaps for scouting from ships if nothing else. Submarines were more capable than a decade ago, longer range, some extremely so. There were even new minelaying versions! How about that, Coglione thought, laying mines from *under* the sea, ingenious. This just meant he needed more dedicated minesweepers...
So much to do. So much to worry about, it never ends. Let's hope there was time for his successor to figure things out before the next war...
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Post by blarglol on Oct 22, 2023 22:05:21 GMT -6
Aug 1919 - An Age of Change...But Not
Grande Ammiraglio Mezzadra was an older man, but a new one at heart. Less like old Coglione and his fiery style, the man that had took his place several years back was more of a thinker. Mezzadra could see what was coming down the pipe, and he had prepared for it...almost.
Catching up in battleships had never seemed to be a winning strategy for Italy, so why try to now? If it wasn't broke, don't try and fix it. The first thing Mezzadra had done after assuming command was scrap the pair of remaining Re Umbertos. Those ships wouldn't be useful for anything else. The next was to also scrap many of the old cruisers, both armored and protected. A few he kept...for experiments.
The former protected cruiser Tersicore had had an interesting career, and it was going to get moreso. Commissioned in mid-1896, she was fast for the time, and mounted single 8" guns fore and aft, with a bevy of 6" guns in casemates and some open 3" mounts on deck. She was designed to be a one-off, experimental raider. Hard hitting, but swift. She could also hunt down and kill raiders.
After the inconclusive Battle of the Southern Adriatic, in which the Austro-Hungarians had fled back to their bases, Tersicore was assigned to trade protection duties. In February 1897 she fought a brief but sharp action against the raider Schwarzenberg. A few 8" shells and a handful of 6" later, and the erstwhile raider was sinking. After that it was quite peaceful.
She had an engine rebuild in 1899, but returned to duty, raiding British shipping during the brief 1901 war. Over the intervening years she was kept in active duty, a fine ship, but a lonely, odd one. Both raider and protector during the 2nd Austrian War, she was showing her age. by the mid 1910s, no one knew if any other useful service could be had from her. It was proposed to send her to Africa to sit on foreign station. But the new admiral had other ideas.
After figuring out the theory of how to build a seaplane carrier on their own, Italian agents infiltrated Russian naval circles and stole the plans for a larger version. The Russians had not yet built such a ship, but they were certainly considering it. Mezzadra wanted to make the Regia Marina the foremost service for naval aviation in the world. The old Tersicore was stripped down in 1916 and underwent a massive overhaul. The rear 8" turret was removed and plated over to make way for a platform on which floatplanes could be hoisted aboard. One of her funnels was removed, and all of the casemates ripped out. The front 8" gun was hoisted off, but the barbette was repurposed for a newer, more modern 6" mount. Two pairs of open-mount 5" guns were positioned in opposite arrangement to the rear of the bridge, and a hangar was built amidships.
When completed in June 1917, she was the largest seaplane carrier in the world, and certainly the most armed and armored. Only Japan had gotten the jump on her and released a dedicated seaplane tender earlier, by several months. But this just the beginning.
Around the same time as work commenced on Tersicore's conversion, the same was done to the old armored cruiser Etna. She had seen action in the last war against the Osterreich in 1908, as well as the recent French war. She notably hit and was hit by the enemy battleships and battlecruisers at the bloody Battle of Sicily, surviving it all, wounded but alive. But with the time of the armored cruiser ending, it was the scrapyard or the conversion docks for her. Mezzadra thought she would be perfect for a novel concept...an aircraft carrier. Not for seaplanes, but wheeled planes to take off from a wooden flight deck. No one had one of those...yet.
When she was completed in July of 1918, Etna became the first operational aircraft carrier in the world. Small overall, she was considered a testbed for future technology. Stripped down to the deck, her upperworks were completely covered by a wooden flight deck. All armament was removed, and a mix of light 4,3, and 2" guns installed, dotting the periphery. But the old armor scheme on the belt and deck remained, handy if ever needed. Her fire control director was retained, and she could carry eight of the latest torpedo bombers. In theory, the seaplanes of the Tersicore would find the enemy (or otherwise land-based airships), and Etna's strike aircraft would hit them.
More to the greater point, Mezzadra invested heavily over the last several years in aviation. Where other nations might have gotten a jump on the theory of aircraft, Italy was quick to turn it into a reality. By the current day they had 115 operational naval aircraft, and half that many airships, far more than anyone else. Only the United States had a carrier of their own, the British not even a useable seaplane carrier...
To compliment these latest developments, new minesweepers had been created, and new minelaying capabilites grafted onto the old protected cruisers when they went in to have their fire control upgraded. Half of the ancient destroyers had been scrapped, and the others put into mothball. New larger vessels had take their place, and Italy's destroyer count was higher than anyone else in the world. No one was catching up in submarines to the Japanese anytime soon, but Mezzadra made sure some new, more capable models, including minelayers had been built. Old coastal boats a decade older or more were scrapped, and replacements made to the modern standard using the latest technologies.
In the same vein, new MTB squadrons were created all across the holdings of the empire. With the growing power of the torpedo, these were a cheap and light way to defend key ports and coasts from hostile raiders, particularly at night. New fast cruisers with above-deck torpedo mounts had been launched, joining in on this torpedo craze. Whether from the air, the water's surface, or beneath it, Mezzadra was confident that all of these torpedoes would prove a thorn in the side of the various enemies around them. Even the Austrians had spent their resources over the last decade working on monstrous battlewagons.
The Babenburg launched the year prior had a very unusual arrangement of seven 16" guns. They were working on a pair of vessels that neared 35,000 tons, and a large battlecruiser that was almost 33,000. Soon, Italy would be surrounded by 30,000+ ton beasts....Which is why the admiralty was betting on mines and torpedoes. Oh sure, there plans to make some new large battlecruisers, but who knows how long that could take. War was here after all....
You see, it just so happened that good fortune led to this state of affairs. The British, long oppressing the Albanians, were comically unable to contain a tremendous rebellion from the locals. No sooner had they thrown off the shackles of British imperialism in mid-1919, then the poor Albanian nationalists found themselves facing down the barrels of the Regia Marina. Unlike the faraway Britons already spread thin and strained to provide for numerous colonies as is, Italy was right next door and had no problem at all pouring men and materiel into the new territory. But the spirit of rebellion only dimmed among these freedom fighters whom had already tasted victory once, however short lived. Resistance smouldered and control was not fully established several months later. More worrying, were reports of Austro-Hungarian agents supplying weapons and munitions to the rebels.
As in earlier conflicts with them, Italy decided that sooner was better than later to force a fight. The authorities began arresting all citizens of the Osterreich in Albania, an action that the diplomats quickly brought to attention of the emperor. With this as a pretext, Austria-Hungary declared war as August 1919 began.
Out of all of the things that Mezzadra could have done differently, the most meaningful might have been to hold off to install AA on his ships. He was so focused on using planes that he neglected to remember to defend against them. Still, many of his bases operated fighter aircraft, and his pilots had more operational experience than any others in the world. The other thing he wished he had time to do was install directors on the old pre-dreadnoughts. He didn't know how useful they might be in this fight, the last of their kind...
But as it stood all together, ignoring the discrepancy in battlecruisers and pretending the enemy didn't have massive dreadnoughts building, Italy was as prepared for this fight as it could be.
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Post by blarglol on Oct 22, 2023 22:21:46 GMT -6
A few more pics of the strategic picture. They have a few more subs, and more BCs, but I like my odds here. Now I just need to not screw it up! Attachments:
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Post by garrisonchisholm on Oct 22, 2023 22:43:15 GMT -6
A few more pics of the strategic picture. They have a few more subs, and more BCs, but I like my odds here. Now I just need to not screw it up! I'd try to close that BC gap if you can, though that is hard to do once hostilities are under way. I find 2 ships is a dangerous formation to accept battle with, one bad hit and suddenly your solo survivor is needing to run and facing a lot more potential hits, and if your BC's are new fast and just the bee's knees it can be very hard to not take them into an engagement. Good luck! & bravo on your steadfast posting, staying dedicated to the needed note-taking for your write-ups is not easy!
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