Vilnius Union Ships, 1911 - 1919

[snip]

Is this ment to have a protected deck rather than an armored deck?

[The Rock Doctor]

I hadn't really contemplated the difference.  Just punched in numbers.

[The Rock Doctor]

Sketch of the Anders Angstrom class battleships.  If it looks like the tertiary battery just kind of got stuck in wherever there was room, that's because it was.  Frickin' torpedo-boats.  Otherwise, I borrowed liberally from SMS Mackensen's looks, skipping stuff that either isn't present (aft conning tower) or perplexing (that little blob of superstructure between Mackensen's C and D turrets.
..

[snip]

A good looking ship.

[The Rock Doctor]

Orzel, as she'll be completed.  I've included the crude top-view sketch in for deck-space comparisons although I may have over-estimated the length of the MTBs at that time. Still, it points to the need for a much longer hull for a follow-up to fit eight boats, and the value of twin guns for space-saving would be big.

[Desertfox]

Those are some good looking MTBs, I might have to steal them.

If you trunk the funnels you might be able to squeeze in a couple more in between.

[The Rock Doctor]

I figured you'd nick 'em.

I think the Union's inclined to keep all the boats on the beam, rather than inboard, to minimize loading/unloading times. 

But a well deck sure would simplify matters.

[TacCovert4]

I figured you'd nick 'em.

I think the Union's inclined to keep all the boats on the beam, rather than inboard, to minimize loading/unloading times. 

But a well deck sure would simplify matters.

That's why I went for a herringbone arrangement on my mtb carrier.  Launch stern first recover bow first. 

Though how mtbs are doing in caicos 2, it might be advisable to keep larger ships in the pipe a bit longer.   80 percent casualties are replaced in a few months,  but still sting a lot.

[The Rock Doctor]

I admit I'm still having trouble visualizing your layout, Tac. 

Perhaps MTBs will develop their own version of the "Twenty Minute Club" or whatever they called it for early fighter pilots with that life expectancy in the air.

[TacCovert4]

They're arranged at a 45 degree angle,  with the lifting davits pivoting once lifted to swing the bow in to the cradle.

[The Rock Doctor]

The monitor Szczyt., built as a test-bed for the triple 35cm turret and, since I more or less borrowed it wholesale anyway, the ergonomics of the Angstrom's forward superstructure.

I had forgotten that the secondary battery was all mount and hoist, so I guess that's a novelty that might show up in the next class of capital ship instead.

[maddox]

I admit I'm still having trouble visualizing your layout, Tac. 

Perhaps MTBs will develop their own version of the "Twenty Minute Club" or whatever they called it for early fighter pilots with that life expectancy in the air.

MTB's, the more you use, the less you lose.

[The Rock Doctor]

With both the Japanese and Aztecs losing a number of capital ships in recent conflicts, the Union decided to ask itself how it would respond if the Union Navy were to take a beating and lose a large portion of its own battleline.

One answer, of course, is not replace those capital ships, but that might not be a popular answer with people who like capital ships, such as admirals.  So another answer was to ask a follow-up question: How quickly could a new capital ship be built?

The answer was "two years", recognizing that this capped a design at 15,000 t light.  A capital ship of this displacement would be stout enough to fit within a 150m drydock, increasing the number of docks that could be put to this use.  It would also, necessarily, require a lot of compromises.

So here's the answer.  Two triple 35cm make for a reasonably powerful main battery, trading weight for vulnerability to turret losses.  The turrets and deck are reasonably protected but the belt is thin.  Speed is low compared to modern designs but compatible with earlier dreadnoughts.

Will it get built?  The Union admiralty sure hopes not, and has no intention of sharing this with its political masters if it can be avoided.

EMERGENCY BATTLESHIP, laid down 1916

Displacement:
   15,000 t light; 15,845 t standard; 16,774 t normal; 17,517 t full load

Dimensions: Length (overall / waterline) x beam x draught (normal/deep)
   (442.99 ft / 435.37 ft) x 95.14 ft x (23.62 / 24.48 ft)
   (135.02 m / 132.70 m) x 29.00 m  x (7.20 / 7.46 m)

Armament:
      6 - 13.78" / 350 mm 45.0 cal guns - 1,319.35lbs / 598.45kg shells, 90 per gun
     Breech loading guns in turret on barbette mounts, 1916 Model
     2 x Triple mounts on centreline, evenly spread
      12 - 5.12" / 130 mm 45.0 cal guns - 67.61lbs / 30.67kg shells, 250 per gun
     Breech loading guns in deck and hoist mounts, 1916 Model
     12 x Single mounts on sides, evenly spread
      4 raised mounts
      2 - 1.97" / 50.0 mm 45.0 cal guns - 3.85lbs / 1.74kg shells, 150 per gun
     Anti-air guns in deck mounts, 1916 Model
     2 x Single mounts on sides aft
      2 raised mounts
      Weight of broadside 8,735 lbs / 3,962 kg

Armour:
   - Belts:      Width (max)   Length (avg)      Height (avg)
   Main:   11.8" / 300 mm   283.01 ft / 86.26 m   13.12 ft / 4.00 m
   Ends:   Unarmoured
     Main Belt covers 100 % of normal length

   - Torpedo Bulkhead - Additional damage containing bulkheads:
      1.97" / 50 mm   283.01 ft / 86.26 m   22.28 ft / 6.79 m
   Beam between torpedo bulkheads 88.58 ft / 27.00 m

   - Gun armour:   Face (max)   Other gunhouse (avg)   Barbette/hoist (max)
   Main:   13.8" / 350 mm   5.91" / 150 mm      13.8" / 350 mm
   2nd:   1.97" / 50 mm   0.39" / 10 mm      1.97" / 50 mm
   3rd:   0.79" / 20 mm   0.39" / 10 mm            -

   - Armoured deck - multiple decks:
   For and Aft decks: 2.95" / 75 mm
   Forecastle: 1.97" / 50 mm  Quarter deck: 1.97" / 50 mm

   - Conning towers: Forward 11.81" / 300 mm, Aft 0.00" / 0 mm

Machinery:
   Oil fired boilers, steam turbines,
   Direct drive, 2 shafts, 34,852 shp / 26,000 Kw = 22.09 kts
   Range 10,000nm at 10.00 kts
   Bunker at max displacement = 1,673 tons

Complement:
   736 - 958

Cost:
   £2.492 million / $9.967 million

Distribution of weights at normal displacement:
   Armament: 1,571 tons, 9.4 %
      - Guns: 1,571 tons, 9.4 %
   Armour: 5,591 tons, 33.3 %
      - Belts: 2,035 tons, 12.1 %
      - Torpedo bulkhead: 459 tons, 2.7 %
      - Armament: 1,366 tons, 8.1 %
      - Armour Deck: 1,565 tons, 9.3 %
      - Conning Tower: 167 tons, 1.0 %
   Machinery: 1,299 tons, 7.7 %
   Hull, fittings & equipment: 6,248 tons, 37.2 %
   Fuel, ammunition & stores: 1,774 tons, 10.6 %
   Miscellaneous weights: 292 tons, 1.7 %
      - On freeboard deck: 242 tons
      - Above deck: 50 tons

Overall survivability and seakeeping ability:
   Survivability (Non-critical penetrating hits needed to sink ship):
     27,616 lbs / 12,527 Kg = 21.1 x 13.8 " / 350 mm shells or 5.3 torpedoes
   Stability (Unstable if below 1.00): 1.30
   Metacentric height 7.4 ft / 2.3 m
   Roll period: 14.7 seconds
   Steadiness   - As gun platform (Average = 50 %): 70 %
         - Recoil effect (Restricted arc if above 1.00): 0.44
   Seaboat quality  (Average = 1.00): 1.18

Hull form characteristics:
   Hull has a flush deck,
     a normal bow and a cruiser stern
   Block coefficient (normal/deep): 0.600 / 0.605
   Length to Beam Ratio: 4.58 : 1
   'Natural speed' for length: 20.87 kts
   Power going to wave formation at top speed: 58 %
   Trim (Max stability = 0, Max steadiness = 100): 59
   Bow angle (Positive = bow angles forward): 10.00 degrees
   Stern overhang: 3.28 ft / 1.00 m
   Freeboard (% = length of deck as a percentage of waterline length):
            Fore end,    Aft end
      - Forecastle:   20.00 %,  24.61 ft / 7.50 m,  19.69 ft / 6.00 m
      - Forward deck:   30.00 %,  19.69 ft / 6.00 m,  19.69 ft / 6.00 m
      - Aft deck:   35.00 %,  19.69 ft / 6.00 m,  19.69 ft / 6.00 m
      - Quarter deck:   15.00 %,  19.69 ft / 6.00 m,  19.69 ft / 6.00 m
      - Average freeboard:      20.08 ft / 6.12 m

Ship space, strength and comments:
   Space   - Hull below water (magazines/engines, low = better): 74.6 %
      - Above water (accommodation/working, high = better): 154.3 %
   Waterplane Area: 30,296 Square feet or 2,815 Square metres
   Displacement factor (Displacement / loading): 103 %
   Structure weight / hull surface area: 170 lbs/sq ft or 831 Kg/sq metre
   Hull strength (Relative):
      - Cross-sectional: 0.88
      - Longitudinal: 2.88
      - Overall: 1.00
   Excellent machinery, storage, compartmentation space
   Excellent accommodation and workspace room
   Ship has slow, easy roll, a good, steady gun platform

[Desertfox]

A true pocket battleship, I like.

[TacCovert4]

Very like some emergency designs I'm looking at to replace losses.   It is a definite filigree to get an armament that can be reasonably called battleship grade into a ship that's 15k tons.