*Possibly* New GC ship for 1919

[P3D]

Nice ships, would GC be willing to export them? No hurricanes in NS but there are probably volcanoes, earthquakes, and tsunamis.

They'd be operated by the Swiss Red Cross, for sure.

[Desertfox]

Nah, Blue Cross Blue Shield has better rates.  ;D

[The Rock Doctor]

No exports until the first unit has completed trials, at the least.  The Colombians will want to make sure it's not a fatally flawed design before they start selling them.

After that, who knows?

[TexanCowboy]

Something tells me that Gran Columbia owes Romania for the idea....so Romania will be accepting one of the latter class, as compensation.  :D

[ctwaterman]

Hmmm contimplates an Arrangement with the Habsburgs to deal with the Romanian Problem.  You just had an Explosion the Empire noticed that It had significant problems with going to one endless world crisis after another and the need for a fully set up hospital with modern capabilities was needed at all of them but that it took months to set one up in some building rebuilt for the purpose.

So we took the Standard Freighter design which the Empire has made into troops transports, and Oiler, and Tenders and modified the Troop Transport Version and created a Mobile Hospital.

The GC Design looks to be an outright improvement over my design being more efficent in its use of space and tonnage.

[TexanCowboy]

Romanian problem? Oh sh*t!

No 18 year old princess for your emperor!

[The Rock Doctor]

I know you guys have been waiting with bated breath for this one:  a new Colombian minesweeper.  Pic at the bottom.

With the coastal gunboat program winding down, attention is turning back to mine warfare, where the Colombians have a reasonable but not outstanding number of coastal vessels.  What is lacking is numbers, and vessels with the range to cross to Africa or operate on a prolonged basis.  The Rio Elqui class fills this role, while offering utility as a possible coastal escort.

The hull strength is high - representing a need for a reasonably large hull for high seas travel while the preference to avoid putting too much stuff inside that would affect the class' expendability.  The high hull strength will probably help in reducing damage associated with mine detonations nearby.

A minimum of fourteen vessels, built to civilian specifications, are planned.

Rio Elqui, laid down 1916

Displacement:
   643 t light; 663 t standard; 817 t normal; 940 t full load

Dimensions: Length overall / water x beam x draught
   200.03 ft / 196.85 ft x 29.53 ft x 9.84 ft (normal load)
   60.97 m / 60.00 m x 9.00 m  x 3.00 m

Armament:
      1 - 3.94" / 100 mm guns in single mounts, 30.51lbs / 13.84kg shells, 1916 Model
     Breech loading gun in deck mount
     on centreline forward, 1 raised gun
      1 - 1.46" / 37.0 mm guns in single mounts, 1.55lbs / 0.70kg shells, 1916 Model
     Anti-aircraft gun in deck mount
     on centreline aft, 1 raised gun
      2 - 0.31" / 8.0 mm guns in single mounts, 0.02lbs / 0.01kg shells, 1916 Model
     Machine guns in deck mounts
     on side, evenly spread, all raised mounts
   Weight of broadside 32 lbs / 15 kg
   Shells per gun, main battery: 200

Armour:
   - Gun armour:   Face (max)   Other gunhouse (avg)   Barbette/hoist (max)
   Main:   0.98" / 25 mm   0.98" / 25 mm            -
   2nd:   0.98" / 25 mm         -               -
   3rd:   0.39" / 10 mm         -               -

Machinery:
   Coal fired boilers, complex reciprocating steam engines,
   Direct drive, 2 shafts, 1,400 ihp / 1,044 Kw = 15.58 kts
   Range 7,000nm at 10.00 kts (Bunkerage = 277 tons)

Complement:
   76 - 99

Cost:
   £0.063 million / $0.253 million

Distribution of weights at normal displacement:
   Armament: 4 tons, 0.5 %
   Armour: 3 tons, 0.4 %
      - Belts: 0 tons, 0.0 %
      - Torpedo bulkhead: 0 tons, 0.0 %
      - Armament: 3 tons, 0.4 %
      - Armour Deck: 0 tons, 0.0 %
      - Conning Tower: 0 tons, 0.0 %
   Machinery: 92 tons, 11.2 %
   Hull, fittings & equipment: 394 tons, 48.3 %
   Fuel, ammunition & stores: 174 tons, 21.3 %
   Miscellaneous weights: 150 tons, 18.4 %
-50 t: Minesweeping kit
-50 t: Extra pumps, damage control kit, etc.
-46 t: Weight reserve
-4 t: 12 depth charges


Overall survivability and seakeeping ability:
   Survivability (Non-critical penetrating hits needed to sink ship):
     2,089 lbs / 948 Kg = 68.5 x 3.9 " / 100 mm shells or 1.1 torpedoes
   Stability (Unstable if below 1.00): 1.13
   Metacentric height 1.0 ft / 0.3 m
   Roll period: 12.3 seconds
   Steadiness   - As gun platform (Average = 50 %): 50 %
         - Recoil effect (Restricted arc if above 1.00): 0.07
   Seaboat quality  (Average = 1.00): 2.00

Hull form characteristics:
   Hull has rise forward of midbreak
     and transom stern
   Block coefficient: 0.500
   Length to Beam Ratio: 6.67 : 1
   'Natural speed' for length: 16.58 kts
   Power going to wave formation at top speed: 51 %
   Trim (Max stability = 0, Max steadiness = 100): 25
   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:      18.04 ft / 5.50 m
      - Forecastle (20 %):   18.04 ft / 5.50 m
      - Mid (50 %):      18.04 ft / 5.50 m (10.17 ft / 3.10 m aft of break)
      - Quarterdeck (15 %):   10.17 ft / 3.10 m
      - Stern:      10.17 ft / 3.10 m
      - Average freeboard:   14.11 ft / 4.30 m

Ship space, strength and comments:
   Space   - Hull below water (magazines/engines, low = better): 61.2 %
      - Above water (accommodation/working, high = better): 139.3 %
   Waterplane Area: 4,027 Square feet or 374 Square metres
   Displacement factor (Displacement / loading): 222 %
   Structure weight / hull surface area: 49 lbs/sq ft or 237 Kg/sq metre
   Hull strength (Relative):
      - Cross-sectional: 1.06
      - Longitudinal: 9.54
      - Overall: 1.31
   Hull space for machinery, storage, compartmentation is excellent
   Room for accommodation and workspaces is excellent
   Excellent seaboat, comfortable, can fire her guns in the heaviest weather

[TexanCowboy]

It seems that the Romanian Naval Reports had some small effect.....

[The Rock Doctor]

Partly that and partly my own thinking.  Particularly recognizing that, as with a lot of my earlier torpedo-boats, my existing minesweepers had a low operating range.

As with the Pitalito class cutters, I'm building a few more than I necessarily need - allowing a reserve to be built up for my use in war or for sale to somebody else in a similar predicament.

[P3D]

I'd classify minesweeping equipment as "armor and armament", i.e. not buildable under civilian construction rules. Especially as about 10% of the displacement is set apart to increase hull strength/redundancy back up to naval standards, just to make sure they are 65% cheaper than military construction but without any disadvantage of "civilian standards".

[The Rock Doctor]

I wouldn't.  Nor have I since the rule was introduced.  Minesweeping gear isn't armament, nor armor. 

If you don't care for the "extra pumps", that's fine - I can just reduce misc. weight.

[The Rock Doctor]

I've adjusted the miscellaneous weight assignment for the new Golfo Tortugas class oilers.  Yes, that structure at the stern is what you think it is - only capable of mooring a Type 2 airship.

[Sachmle]

Yes, that structure at the stern is what you think it is

So it IS an oil derrick.

[The Rock Doctor]

...yes, for those situations when it's easier to drill than go home and get more oil.