Less is More, and sometimes, More is More

[Borys]

Ahoj!
"Ollanda - es la differenca!"
:)
Borys

[Korpen]

Nevermind, I see your "Figates" are my "Armoured Cruisers" and your "Sloops" are my "Protected Cruisers"  Usually when I use Proper ship types I infer standard US Navy, as that is what I'm familiar with. I must learn these new terms. If someone told me yesterday that a Dutch Frigate was on it's way to Buenos Aires to shell the capital I'd send a PC to kill it, now I'll send a flotilla of DDs and a BB instead.

Considering that my ships never go solo, I would recomend to send out everything you got... ;)
But why shell a port when you can drop a few thousand mines outtside it instead...

I think sloop/cruiser will be redefined as "fleet minelayer" in Dutch service.  ;D

[Carthaginian]

The 'Topheavy Sonoran Whore' ;)

Secretary Roosevelt has long been a fan of 'gadgets' and 'technology' and has recently begun a project to place those newfangled aeroplanes aboard a ship, believing that they might- in flying at an altitude of several hundred feet over a ship- extend it's line of sight far over the visible horizon and provide valuable advance warning of enemy vessels. Tests at La Paz had involved practicing short take-offs assisted by mechanical and pneumatic catapults, and had advanced as far as possible without actually placing the aircraft on a real ship. Thus, a design board assembled and determined plans for a ship which had an open hold in the rear, an unimpeded catapult track forward, and a powerful crane for lifting aircraft from the water after landing.

Seahawk begins her sea trials in December of 1909, with her aircraft complement moving aboard in March of 1910. She will begin testing in the calm and closely guarded waters of the Sea of Cortez at this time. No one really knows what benefits can be reaped from her design, but Roosevelt is dying to find out.



Seahawk, Confederate States of America Aviation Cruiser laid down 1909

Displacement:
   1,400 t light; 1,467 t standard; 1,684 t normal; 1,857 t full load

Dimensions: Length overall / water x beam x draught
   350.00 ft / 350.00 ft x 45.00 ft x 7.00 ft (normal load)
   106.68 m / 106.68 m x 13.72 m  x 2.13 m

Armament:
      4 - 3.50" / 88.9 mm guns in single mounts, 25.00lbs / 11.34kg shells, 1909 Model
     Quick firing guns in casemate mounts
     on side ends, evenly spread
     4 guns in hull casemates - Limited use in all but light seas
      4 - 3.50" / 88.9 mm guns in single mounts, 25.00lbs / 11.34kg shells, 1909 Model
     Quick firing guns in deck mounts
     on side, all amidships
      16 - 1.00" / 25.4 mm guns (8x2 guns), 0.50lbs / 0.23kg shells, 1909 Model
     Machine guns in deck mounts
     on side, evenly spread, 4 raised mounts
   Weight of broadside 208 lbs / 94 kg
   Shells per gun, main battery: 250

Armour:
   - Gun armour:   Face (max)   Other gunhouse (avg)   Barbette/hoist (max)
   Main:   0.50" / 13 mm         -               -
   2nd:   0.50" / 13 mm         -               -
   3rd:   0.25" / 6 mm         -               -

   - Armour deck: 1.00" / 25 mm, Conning tower: 3.00" / 76 mm

Machinery:
   Oil fired boilers, steam turbines,
   Direct drive, 2 shafts, 6,000 shp / 4,476 Kw = 20.09 kts
   Range 6,000nm at 10.32 kts
   Bunker at max displacement = 390 tons

Complement:
   130 - 170

Cost:
   £0.106 million / $0.424 million

Distribution of weights at normal displacement:
   Armament: 22 tons, 1.3 %
   Armour: 218 tons, 12.9 %
      - Belts: 0 tons, 0.0 %
      - Torpedo bulkhead: 0 tons, 0.0 %
      - Armament: 8 tons, 0.5 %
      - Armour Deck: 200 tons, 11.9 %
      - Conning Tower: 9 tons, 0.5 %
   Machinery: 273 tons, 16.2 %
   Hull, fittings & equipment: 747 tons, 44.4 %
   Fuel, ammunition & stores: 284 tons, 16.9 %
   Miscellaneous weights: 140 tons, 8.3 %

Overall survivability and seakeeping ability:
   Survivability (Non-critical penetrating hits needed to sink ship):
     4,074 lbs / 1,848 Kg = 190.0 x 3.5 " / 89 mm shells or 1.3 torpedoes
   Stability (Unstable if below 1.00): 1.40
   Metacentric height 2.7 ft / 0.8 m
   Roll period: 11.5 seconds
   Steadiness   - As gun platform (Average = 50 %): 70 %
         - Recoil effect (Restricted arc if above 1.00): 0.05
   Seaboat quality  (Average = 1.00): 1.56

Hull form characteristics:
   Hull has rise forward of midbreak, raised quarterdeck
   Block coefficient: 0.535
   Length to Beam Ratio: 7.78 : 1
   'Natural speed' for length: 18.71 kts
   Power going to wave formation at top speed: 45 %
   Trim (Max stability = 0, Max steadiness = 100): 45
   Bow angle (Positive = bow angles forward): 0.00 degrees
   Stern overhang: 0.00 ft / 0.00 m
   Freeboard (% = measuring location as a percentage of overall length):
      - Stem:      21.00 ft / 6.40 m
      - Forecastle (20 %):   18.00 ft / 5.49 m
      - Mid (35 %):      16.00 ft / 4.88 m (8.00 ft / 2.44 m aft of break)
      - Quarterdeck (35 %):   16.00 ft / 4.88 m (8.00 ft / 2.44 m before break)
      - Stern:      16.00 ft / 4.88 m
      - Average freeboard:   14.39 ft / 4.39 m

Ship space, strength and comments:
   Space   - Hull below water (magazines/engines, low = better): 73.9 %
      - Above water (accommodation/working, high = better): 174.6 %
   Waterplane Area: 10,835 Square feet or 1,007 Square metres
   Displacement factor (Displacement / loading): 156 %
   Structure weight / hull surface area: 50 lbs/sq ft or 244 Kg/sq metre
   Hull strength (Relative):
      - Cross-sectional: 0.96
      - Longitudinal: 1.41
      - Overall: 1.00
   Hull space for machinery, storage, compartmentation is excellent
   Room for accommodation and workspaces is excellent
   Ship has slow, easy roll, a good, steady gun platform
   Excellent seaboat, comfortable, can fire her guns in the heaviest weather

*NOTE: This ship is equipped with a Marconi (25 tons)*
*NOTE: This ship is equipped with a catapult for launching aircraft (50 tons)*
*NOTE: This ship carries a bomb loadout [modifed 50, 25 & 6 pound shells] (15 tons)*
*NOTE: This ship carries spare arts and fuel for it's air wing (35 tons)*
*NOTE: This ship is equipped with extra command facilities (15 tons)*

Air Wing:
Egn. John Henry Towers
Mid. Theodore Gordon Ellyson
Mid. DeWitt Clinton Ramsey

Carries 6 (3 ready and 3 spare)  Martin A1 floatplanes
(identical to Hanriot model of 1910, except with floats equipped)

[Korpen]

The 'Topheavy Sonoran Whore' ;)

Secretary Roosevelt has long been a fan of 'gadgets' and 'technology' and has recently begun a project to place those newfangled aeroplanes aboard a ship, believing that they might- in flying at an altitude of several hundred feet over a ship- extend it's line of sight far over the visible horizon and provide valuable advance warning of enemy vessels. Tests at La Paz had involved practicing short take-offs assisted by mechanical and pneumatic catapults, and had advanced as far as possible without actually placing the aircraft on a real ship. Thus, a design board assembled and determined plans for a ship which had an open hold in the rear, an unimpeded catapult track forward, and a powerful crane for lifting aircraft from the water after landing.

Just curious why the bother with the catapult? Considering the take off speed of 1910 aircrafts it seems likley that they will not even need to turn on the engine to take of from a ship at full speed... :)

[Borys]

Ahoj!
Not a bit far fetched for 1909?
http://www.phpbbplanet.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=359&mforum=warshipprojects
Borys

[Sachmle]

Freeboard (% = measuring location as a percentage of overall length):
      - Stem:      21.00 ft / 6.40 m
      - Forecastle (20 %):   18.00 ft / 5.49 m
      - Mid (35 %):      16.00 ft / 4.88 m (8.00 ft / 2.44 m aft of break)
      - Quarterdeck (35 %):   16.00 ft / 4.88 m (8.00 ft / 2.44 m before break)
      - Stern:      16.00 ft / 4.88 m
      - Average freeboard:   14.39 ft / 4.39 m

Is this the hull freeboard, or the flight deck?  If the hull, where's the misc weight for the flight deck?  She's awfully tall for a 7' draught, I know SS says she's stable, but I think if you add in the top weight of the flight deck and raise the freeboard to similate that height, she'll be unstable.

[The Rock Doctor]

Given that the hull is otherwise unarmored, I think the armor deck may be there to simulate the cat track weight.

[Carthaginian]

Armor deck is 1" thick to counter the high top, and is low on the ship. Track is just that, a track with nothing but pylons supporting it and some grating on the sides. Track is there because the aircraft are on floats, and this can't sit directly on a flat flight deck... and flat flight decks didn't exist at this time, but by 1913, there was use of battleships as 'aviation station ships,' with similar track/floatplane combos in service with the US Navy (U.S.S. Mississippi was one), however, using tracks and catapults (mechanical ones) was an intrigal part of the Wright Brother's initial flight attempts.

This ship is a 'proof of concept' experiment, gentlemen.
It's only purpose is to test the concept before it's truely deployed to the fleet. SHe won't see active service with the for some time... probably 1912 or so. Her aircraft and pneumatic catapult equipment are well within my nation's tech level.

I'm not trying to build an aircraft carrier for the fleet.
I'm actually going therough the trouble to research the concept before I try to do it, and I built a ship specially for that purpose to avoid any possible complaints of 'well, you didn't devote anything to the concept before deploying it.'

All in all, she's a floating experement, a ship built for roleplay and research.

[Sachmle]

Given that the hull is otherwise unarmored, I think the armor deck may be there to simulate the cat track weight.

After seeing this I realized she has no "flight deck" just the catapult ramp, so all makes sense now. I withdraw my previous statement/question.  Good luck. ;)

[Desertfox]

Interesting ship. New Switzerland was going to rebuild the only surviving Tuna class cruiser into a Furious style semi-CV. Walter might decide to go ahead with the program.