Glorious French battlecruiser

[Guinness]

personally, I'd stick with the single mount wing guns idea and the 2" deck. That's not just because the single wing guns were my idea though :)

For the short term, she'll be fine that way, and an interesting ship to boot. Later on, when she's been replaced in the front line by more modern ships, she'd still make an impressive 2nd line station flagship somewhere like Kolkata.  Truthfully, for a reconstructed ship, 2" decks aren't *that* thin. At least, that's my opinion.

[mentat]

my 2cents worth is to ditch the 2 single turrets (nasty anachronisms - yuk) and split weight gained between Deck 80mm? and Barbette (esp sides) armour - I think is best solution and produces worthwhile ship  :)

[Tanthalas]

Good to see you are going ahead - puts the Cat among the Pigeons as it were! :D

Will be very interesting to see how the other major players respond ....
- somehow I think the 8 x 15" at 28 knots will set the standard for a while ...

I didnt know about these but Rohan has 2 8X15.5X28 knot Monsters like this under construction

[maddox]

After talking too hooper82 I came with this variant.

Gannef, French True BC laid down 1917 (Engine 1916)

Displacement:
   24.998 t light; 26.392 t standard; 29.280 t normal; 31.590 t full load

Dimensions: Length overall / water x beam x draught
   692,26 ft / 688,98 ft x 104,99 ft x 26,25 ft (normal load)
   211,00 m / 210,00 m x 32,00 m  x 8,00 m

Armament:
      6 - 13,39" / 340 mm guns (3x2 guns), 1.322,77lbs / 600,00kg shells, 1907 Model
     Breech loading guns in turrets (on barbettes)
     on centreline ends, majority forward, 1 raised mount - superfiring
      16 - 5,51" / 140 mm guns (8x2 guns), 92,59lbs / 42,00kg shells, 1917 Model
     Quick firing guns in deck mounts with hoists
     on side, evenly spread, 4 raised mounts
      6 - 1,46" / 37,0 mm guns in single mounts, 1,55lbs / 0,70kg shells, 1917 Model
     Anti-aircraft guns in deck mounts
     on centreline, evenly spread, all raised mounts
   Weight of broadside 9.427 lbs / 4.276 kg
   Shells per gun, main battery: 150

Armour:
   - Belts:      Width (max)   Length (avg)      Height (avg)
   Main:   12,0" / 305 mm   399,61 ft / 121,80 m   17,00 ft / 5,18 m
   Ends:   Unarmoured
     Main Belt covers 89% of normal length

   - Torpedo Bulkhead:
      2,00" / 51 mm   399,61 ft / 121,80 m   23,91 ft / 7,29 m

   - Gun armour:   Face (max)   Other gunhouse (avg)   Barbette/hoist (max)
   Main:   12,0" / 305 mm   8,00" / 203 mm      12,0" / 305 mm
   2nd:   2,00" / 51 mm   1,00" / 25 mm      3,00" / 76 mm
   3rd:   0,50" / 13 mm   0,50" / 13 mm            -

   - Armour deck: 2,75" / 70 mm, Conning tower: 10,00" / 254 mm

Machinery:
   Oil fired boilers, steam turbines,
   Direct drive, 4 shafts, 85.084 shp / 63.473 Kw = 27,00 kts
   Range 15.000nm at 12,00 kts
   Bunker at max displacement = 5.198 tons

Complement:
   1.118 - 1.454

Cost:
   £4,029 million / $16,116 million

Distribution of weights at normal displacement:
   Armament: 1.068 tons, 3,6%
   Armour: 8.939 tons, 30,5%
      - Belts: 3.637 tons, 12,4%
      - Torpedo bulkhead: 707 tons, 2,4%
      - Armament: 1.847 tons, 6,3%
      - Armour Deck: 2.544 tons, 8,7%
      - Conning Tower: 205 tons, 0,7%
   Machinery: 3.170 tons, 10,8%
   Hull, fittings & equipment: 11.421 tons, 39,0%
   Fuel, ammunition & stores: 4.282 tons, 14,6%
   Miscellaneous weights: 400 tons, 1,4%

Overall survivability and seakeeping ability:
   Survivability (Non-critical penetrating hits needed to sink ship):
     48.459 lbs / 21.981 Kg = 40,4 x 13,4 " / 340 mm shells or 8,4 torpedoes
   Stability (Unstable if below 1.00): 1,20
   Metacentric height 7,5 ft / 2,3 m
   Roll period: 16,1 seconds
   Steadiness   - As gun platform (Average = 50 %): 72 %
         - Recoil effect (Restricted arc if above 1.00): 0,36
   Seaboat quality  (Average = 1.00): 1,24

Hull form characteristics:
   Hull has a flush deck
   Block coefficient: 0,540
   Length to Beam Ratio: 6,56 : 1
   'Natural speed' for length: 26,25 kts
   Power going to wave formation at top speed: 50 %
   Trim (Max stability = 0, Max steadiness = 100): 58
   Bow angle (Positive = bow angles forward): -5,00 degrees
   Stern overhang: 3,28 ft / 1,00 m
   Freeboard (% = measuring location as a percentage of overall length):
      - Stem:      29,53 ft / 9,00 m
      - Forecastle (25%):   20,34 ft / 6,20 m
      - Mid (50%):      20,34 ft / 6,20 m
      - Quarterdeck (17%):   20,34 ft / 6,20 m
      - Stern:      20,34 ft / 6,20 m
      - Average freeboard:   21,26 ft / 6,48 m

Ship space, strength and comments:
   Space   - Hull below water (magazines/engines, low = better): 81,4%
      - Above water (accommodation/working, high = better): 173,3%
   Waterplane Area: 50.001 Square feet or 4.645 Square metres
   Displacement factor (Displacement / loading): 121%
   Structure weight / hull surface area: 172 lbs/sq ft or 838 Kg/sq metre
   Hull strength (Relative):
      - Cross-sectional: 0,97
      - Longitudinal: 1,32
      - 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
   Good seaboat, rides out heavy weather easily

250 ton FC
25 ton ERADe
25 ton long range Marconi
50 ton crew comfort
50 ton not assigned

[TexanCowboy]

Is there a roll for this ship? It appears to be what I have been suggesting all along, a economy battlecruiser. Is this for export? The torpedo bulkhead seems a bit excessive. Just as a question, what happens if you mount all the guns forward, like on the Nelson, and put a blimp hanger in the rear, with a floatplane catapult on top?

[Sachmle]

Looks like an undergunned, slower, overarmoured Repulse/Renown.

[TexanCowboy]

Repulse wasn't overgunned. Also, France needs battlecruisers like these. France is very vunerable to commerence raiders. These are second line anti-raider ships.

[Logi]

My opinion is that of Sachmle :-\ I don't think France is vulnerable to commerce raiders.

[TexanCowboy]

Really? It has several far off colonies, and even if it can't anti-raid, it can raid. That ship is a new Glorie.

[Logi]

All I see is a waste of BPs. The 12" guns are overkill for raiding. Not to mention would be easier to hit with smaller and more guns.

[TexanCowboy]

Corrupt, decandant France. Of course they'll build it. Hey, thats something I would build, I believe in overarmouring to the extreme.

[maddox]

France has raiders/anti raiders.  That ain't the thing.

Gannef is just an excersize. I will need to think of a role for this ship.

And, decadent, corupt France has another BC cooking, 2 even, Montmedie and Mont Bruyere

[TexanCowboy]

Escort battlecruisers for your destroyers?  ;). Sounds like something France would do.

[Logi]

Sounds so very Swiss ;)

[The Rock Doctor]

There aren't a lot of folks with better battlecruisers than these.  They could be effective operating in scouting, raiding, or counter-raiding functions when the two big-ass French BCs are off doing something else.