A battlecruiser in the Maori style

[Valles]

Enter ship name, Maori Battlecruiser laid down 1915

Displacement:
   31,634 t light; 32,835 t standard; 36,022 t normal; 38,571 t full load

Dimensions: Length overall / water x beam x draught
   721.37 ft / 705.38 ft x 98.43 ft x 29.53 ft (normal load)
   219.87 m / 215.00 m x 30.00 m  x 9.00 m

Armament:
      9 - 11.81" / 300 mm guns (3x3 guns), 823.82lbs / 373.68kg shells, 1915 Model
     Breech loading guns in turrets (on barbettes)
     on centreline, evenly spread
     Aft Main mounts separated by engine room
      8 - 5.91" / 150 mm guns in single mounts, 102.98lbs / 46.71kg shells, 1915 Model
     Quick firing guns in casemate mounts
     on side ends, evenly spread
      16 - 2.95" / 75.0 mm guns in single mounts, 12.87lbs / 5.84kg shells, 1915 Model
     Quick firing guns in casemate mounts
     on side, evenly spread
     16 guns in hull casemates - Limited use in heavy seas
   Weight of broadside 8,444 lbs / 3,830 kg
   Shells per gun, main battery: 100

Armour:
   - Belts:      Width (max)   Length (avg)      Height (avg)
   Main:   11.8" / 300 mm   493.77 ft / 150.50 m   19.69 ft / 6.00 m
   Ends:   Unarmoured
     Main Belt covers 108 % of normal length

   - Torpedo Bulkhead:
      1.18" / 30 mm   493.77 ft / 150.50 m   27.10 ft / 8.26 m

   - Gun armour:   Face (max)   Other gunhouse (avg)   Barbette/hoist (max)
   Main:   11.8" / 300 mm   7.87" / 200 mm      11.8" / 300 mm
   2nd:   1.97" / 50 mm         -               -
   3rd:   1.97" / 50 mm         -               -

   - Armour deck: 3.94" / 100 mm, Conning tower: 11.81" / 300 mm

Machinery:
   Oil fired boilers, steam turbines,
   Electric motors, 4 shafts, 147,876 shp / 110,316 Kw = 30.00 kts
   Range 10,000nm at 14.00 kts
   Bunker at max displacement = 5,736 tons

Complement:
   1,306 - 1,699

Cost:
   £4.041 million / $16.163 million

Distribution of weights at normal displacement:
   Armament: 1,056 tons, 2.9 %
   Armour: 11,845 tons, 32.9 %
      - Belts: 4,892 tons, 13.6 %
      - Torpedo bulkhead: 585 tons, 1.6 %
      - Armament: 2,340 tons, 6.5 %
      - Armour Deck: 3,750 tons, 10.4 %
      - Conning Tower: 278 tons, 0.8 %
   Machinery: 5,601 tons, 15.5 %
   Hull, fittings & equipment: 12,632 tons, 35.1 %
   Fuel, ammunition & stores: 4,388 tons, 12.2 %
   Miscellaneous weights: 500 tons, 1.4 %

Overall survivability and seakeeping ability:
   Survivability (Non-critical penetrating hits needed to sink ship):
     57,445 lbs / 26,057 Kg = 69.7 x 11.8 " / 300 mm shells or 7.3 torpedoes
   Stability (Unstable if below 1.00): 1.16
   Metacentric height 6.5 ft / 2.0 m
   Roll period: 16.2 seconds
   Steadiness   - As gun platform (Average = 50 %): 71 %
         - Recoil effect (Restricted arc if above 1.00): 0.48
   Seaboat quality  (Average = 1.00): 1.37

Hull form characteristics:
   Hull has a flush deck
   Block coefficient: 0.615
   Length to Beam Ratio: 7.17 : 1
   'Natural speed' for length: 26.56 kts
   Power going to wave formation at top speed: 57 %
   Trim (Max stability = 0, Max steadiness = 100): 52
   Bow angle (Positive = bow angles forward): 5.00 degrees
   Stern overhang: 13.12 ft / 4.00 m
   Freeboard (% = measuring location as a percentage of overall length):
      - Stem:      32.81 ft / 10.00 m
      - Forecastle (15 %):   29.53 ft / 9.00 m
      - Mid (50 %):      29.53 ft / 9.00 m
      - Quarterdeck (15 %):   29.53 ft / 9.00 m
      - Stern:      29.53 ft / 9.00 m
      - Average freeboard:   29.72 ft / 9.06 m

Ship space, strength and comments:
   Space   - Hull below water (magazines/engines, low = better): 93.6 %
      - Above water (accommodation/working, high = better): 221.8 %
   Waterplane Area: 51,493 Square feet or 4,784 Square metres
   Displacement factor (Displacement / loading): 113 %
   Structure weight / hull surface area: 165 lbs/sq ft or 805 Kg/sq metre
   Hull strength (Relative):
      - Cross-sectional: 0.94
      - Longitudinal: 1.80
      - Overall: 1.00
   Hull space for machinery, storage, compartmentation is adequate
   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 tons fire control
250 tons other

There's about zero chance of her actually being built, of course -  to the point that I'm not even saving the SS file - but if they were going to build a ship of that class, I think it'd look something like this.

[Borys]

Impressive.
Borys

[khymerion]

That is a bit of a beast...  and fast too...

[Guinness]

probably not feasible until one has 1916 engine year propulsion tech though.

[Valles]

She is a nasty customer, true, but also a very good illustration of why the Maori are so down on fast ships. Even with a main battery that's all at deck level and the adoption of all or nothing protection, she's still five thousand tons heavier than her closest equivalent already in existence, and probably ten thousand tons heavier than would be needed for acceptable handling in a slower ship of the same firepower.

That's not even remotely feasible on cost-effectiveness grounds for a ship that flat-out cannot expect to defeat an enemy battleship of comparable weight built with the same technology.

Really, I started the design with the length, penciled in the speed and armor as starting points... then realized that the result was actually quite well balanced. I was very surprised how easily the design came together.

[P3D]

True, nasty opponent due to speed and armor, but really a design looking for a mission.

31000t light displacement with 9x12" is not balanced. 12" might not be adequate against BCs - and against smaller ships less armor is necessary. If battleline scout, then you'd want to have better guns as 12" would just scratch the occasional BB encountered.

[Valles]

True, nasty opponent due to speed and armor, but really a design looking for a mission.

In the Maori mind, that's an apt description of any battlecruiser.

Scouts, by definition, are expendible.

Cruisers, likewise.

Capital ships, by definition, are not.

Designing a capital ship to be risked and expended like a scout or cruiser... cannot make sense.

So, it'd make perfect sense that anything they tried to build in that 'bracket' wouldn't quite get the point.