HMS Conqueror

[Earl822]

What is slated to be my next Battleship, comments please.

HMS Conqueror, United Kingdom Battleship laid down 1908 (Engine 1909)

Displacement:
   19,400 t light; 20,704 t standard; 24,450 t normal; 27,446 t full load

Dimensions: Length overall / water x beam x draught
   556.23 ft / 552.00 ft x 75.00 ft (Bulges 90.00 ft) x 26.50 ft (normal load)
   169.54 m / 168.25 m x 22.86 m (Bulges 27.43 m)  x 8.08 m

Armament:
      8 - 13.39" / 340 mm guns (4x2 guns), 1,250.00lbs / 566.99kg shells, 1908 Model
     Breech loading guns in turrets (on barbettes)
     on centreline ends, evenly spread, 2 raised mounts - superfiring
      8 - 6.00" / 152 mm guns in single mounts, 108.00lbs / 48.99kg shells, 1908 Model
     Breech loading guns in casemate mounts
     on side, all forward
     8 guns in hull casemates - Limited use in heavy seas
      6 - 6.00" / 152 mm guns in single mounts, 108.00lbs / 48.99kg shells, 1908 Model
     Breech loading guns in casemate mounts
     on side, all aft
      16 - 1.57" / 40.0 mm guns (8x2 guns), 1.95lbs / 0.89kg shells, 1908 Model
     Quick firing guns in deck mounts
     on side, evenly spread, 4 raised mounts
      16 - 1.00" / 25.4 mm guns in single mounts, 0.50lbs / 0.23kg shells, 1908 Model
     Machine guns in deck mounts
     on side, evenly spread, 8 raised mounts
   Weight of broadside 11,551 lbs / 5,240 kg
   Shells per gun, main battery: 124

Armour:
   - Belts:      Width (max)   Length (avg)      Height (avg)
   Main:   13.5" / 343 mm   350.00 ft / 106.68 m   12.00 ft / 3.66 m
   Ends:   4.00" / 102 mm   202.00 ft / 61.57 m   12.00 ft / 3.66 m
   Upper:   5.00" / 127 mm   350.00 ft / 106.68 m   8.00 ft / 2.44 m
     Main Belt covers 98 % of normal length

   - Torpedo Bulkhead and Bulges:
      1.25" / 32 mm   350.00 ft / 106.68 m   24.00 ft / 7.32 m

   - Gun armour:   Face (max)   Other gunhouse (avg)   Barbette/hoist (max)
   Main:   13.5" / 343 mm   9.00" / 229 mm      9.00" / 229 mm
   2nd:   4.50" / 114 mm   1.50" / 38 mm      2.00" / 51 mm
   3rd:   4.50" / 114 mm   1.50" / 38 mm      2.00" / 51 mm
   4th:   0.50" / 13 mm         -               -

   - Armour deck: 3.00" / 76 mm, Conning tower: 14.00" / 356 mm

Machinery:
   Coal fired boilers, steam turbines,
   Direct drive, 4 shafts, 32,154 shp / 23,987 Kw = 21.00 kts
   Range 11,746nm at 12.00 kts
   Bunker at max displacement = 6,742 tons (100% coal)

Complement:
   976 - 1,270

Cost:
   £2.074 million / $8.297 million

Distribution of weights at normal displacement:
   Armament: 1,393 tons, 5.7 %
   Armour: 7,983 tons, 32.6 %
      - Belts: 3,429 tons, 14.0 %
      - Torpedo bulkhead: 389 tons, 1.6 %
      - Armament: 2,151 tons, 8.8 %
      - Armour Deck: 1,760 tons, 7.2 %
      - Conning Tower: 254 tons, 1.0 %
   Machinery: 1,608 tons, 6.6 %
   Hull, fittings & equipment: 8,292 tons, 33.9 %
   Fuel, ammunition & stores: 5,049 tons, 20.7 %
   Miscellaneous weights: 125 tons, 0.5 %

Overall survivability and seakeeping ability:
   Survivability (Non-critical penetrating hits needed to sink ship):
     33,022 lbs / 14,978 Kg = 27.5 x 13.4 " / 340 mm shells or 5.6 torpedoes
   Stability (Unstable if below 1.00): 1.14
   Metacentric height 4.1 ft / 1.3 m
   Roll period: 18.6 seconds
   Steadiness   - As gun platform (Average = 50 %): 71 %
         - Recoil effect (Restricted arc if above 1.00): 0.68
   Seaboat quality  (Average = 1.00): 1.42

Hull form characteristics:
   Hull has rise forward of midbreak
   Block coefficient: 0.650
   Length to Beam Ratio: 6.13 : 1
   'Natural speed' for length: 23.49 kts
   Power going to wave formation at top speed: 47 %
   Trim (Max stability = 0, Max steadiness = 100): 50
   Bow angle (Positive = bow angles forward): 10.00 degrees
   Stern overhang: 0.00 ft / 0.00 m
   Freeboard (% = measuring location as a percentage of overall length):
      - Stem:      24.00 ft / 7.32 m
      - Forecastle (25 %):   22.00 ft / 6.71 m
      - Mid (65 %):      22.00 ft / 6.71 m (12.00 ft / 3.66 m aft of break)
      - Quarterdeck (10 %):   12.00 ft / 3.66 m
      - Stern:      13.00 ft / 3.96 m
      - Average freeboard:   18.75 ft / 5.72 m
   Ship tends to be wet forward

Ship space, strength and comments:
   Space   - Hull below water (magazines/engines, low = better): 90.0 %
      - Above water (accommodation/working, high = better): 112.4 %
   Waterplane Area: 31,715 Square feet or 2,946 Square metres
   Displacement factor (Displacement / loading): 109 %
   Structure weight / hull surface area: 170 lbs/sq ft or 828 Kg/sq metre
   Hull strength (Relative):
      - Cross-sectional: 0.96
      - Longitudinal: 1.45
      - Overall: 1.00
   Hull space for machinery, storage, compartmentation is adequate
   Room for accommodation and workspaces is adequate
   Ship has slow, easy roll, a good, steady gun platform
   Good seaboat, rides out heavy weather easily

HMS Conqueror

Previously raised Admiralty plans featured a pair of new, revised Dreadnoughts, to be laid down in 1909. With the realisation that the original plan was unaffordable, and noting some slack in the Military budget of the Kingdom, the Navy opted to build a ship to a design more similar to that of the original Dreadnought type vessels
The Result of these revisions in HMS Conqueror, which possesses  a very similar hull to HMS Dreadnought, but despite having larger bulges still sits 2 feet lower in the water. The Design features a number of revisions including thicker armour, larger magazines, and a different calibre tertiary battery.

[P3D]

Bulges are not kosher - at least I hate them, myself, they are just a cheap way to save on deck armor.

[Earl822]

Actually, the UNK having seen the effects of both mines and torpedo's on its warships opted to build the Dreadnought type Battleships, with Bulges. Another thing that pushed the idea was the successful use of primitive Norman designed Bulges on the French Battleship Greater Napoleon, to provide extra strength, something of great interest to the Battleship Designer.

[maddox]

Bulges are only know as a patch, a cheap and second rated way to camoflage a known problem.

[Earl822]

A problem like a known lack of strength.

[P3D]

Actually, the UNK having seen the effects of both mines and torpedo's on its warships opted to build the Dreadnought type Battleships, with Bulges. Another thing that pushed the idea was the successful use of primitive Norman designed Bulges on the French Battleship Greater Napoleon, to provide extra strength, something of great interest to the Battleship Designer.

Bulges do not provide much  extra strength. The only savings come from having a smaller armored deck area. Torpedo bulkhead is there for mine and torpedo defense. While bulges are just unarmored additions that will get flooded by a non-penetrating hit and start listing or even sinking without vital damage.

[Earl822]

Therefore I accept that risk, if we all stick to the same rules, totally, all our ships will be identical. By using bulges the UNK accepts the risks of any flooding being made more serious.

[Korpen]

Bulges are not kosher - at least I hate them, myself, they are just a cheap way to save on deck armor.

Why would they not be ok? After all, pretty much ever French and Russian battleship had them, and (if going forward in time a bit) both Hood and R-class were designed with them.
The only real problem with excessive bulging is that the water plane decreases as the ship rolls, witch increase the risk of capsizing if suffering lots of flotation damage on one side in a short space of time.

And they do help protect the vitals of a ship against the effect of underwater damage, as space and distance is the only real defence against those threats.