Rohan Events

[TexanCowboy]

OOC:Done on the request of Tantalas

To the desk of Admiral Silverfox,
on the status of the Rohan fleet,
October 31st, 1918

This report, which has been placed upon your desk by the Romanian Naval Intelligence and Research Commission, is to ascertain the strength of the Rohan Navy, of all ships in commission or under construction.

Battleships:


Berold-2
12 14'', 12 6'', 21.5 knots, 13'' belt, 3'' deck, 29,000 tons

The most recent ship in the fleet, in our opinion, this is a very effective ship. However, this ship does have flaws. Like most Rohanese battleship's, its speed and range is subpar, and should be increased.. These ship's will be one of the core ships of the battleline, and should always be heavily escorted, until the secondary is changed.

Aldor-2
12 14'', 12 6'', 21 knots, 13'' belt, 3'' deck, 27,750 tons

A ship that the following Berold's are almost an exact clone of. Again, in our opinion, one of the few thing's could be to increase the range. Also, as normal with Rohanese ships, the speed is suppar, and needs to be increased. Again, this ship could shed weight by removing the upper and end belts, and should always be heavily escorted.

Helm Hammerhead-2
8 14'', 12 6'', 20 knots, 14'' belt, 3'' deck, 21,500 tons

The battleship built in the world that combined the revolutionary feature's of all-big gun ships and the ABXY arrangement. The ship is due for a refit ASAP. In that refit, we recommend that, as normal with all Rohanese battleships, the speed and range be increased, and that the ship be transferred to all oil firing. We also recommend that the tertiary battery be upgraded, since 2 pounder's are practically worthless in this day and age.

Freawine-2
8 14'', 12 4.5'', 20 knots, 12'' belt, 2'' deck, 16,500 tons

The first battleship's ever built with this heavy of a gun. Although they were the queen's of the sea's in their day, these ship's now have several problem's, such as the lack of speed, the lack of range, the lack of Oil-Firing, and the lack of sufficient deck armour to deal with plunging fire. The upgrade of these's system's should be first and foremost amongst attempt's to upgrade Rohan's battleships. Overdue for a refit, and should be done ASAP.

Arcadia-2
10 12'', 16 4.5'', 20 knots, 12'' belt, 2'' deck, 15,000 tons

The first battleship's ever with all big gun construction, causing a revolution in ship design. Although the ship was once fast, it has lost speed compared to new battleships. It need's to be refit to deal with issue's such as the lack of speed, the lack of main gun shells, and the lack of Oil-Firing. As it is a decisively second line ship, with 12'' guns, only used as a current main gun ship in the Black Sea, it can be spared on the armour. This ship should be the flagship of the Rohanese 12'' squadrons.

Elfwine-2
6 12'', 8 9'', 12 4.5'', 17 knots, 12'' belt, 1.5'' deck, 14,500 tons

The most modern of the refit Pre-Arcadia's. Although this ship has a deficiency in speed, deck armour, and range, it is commonly understood that the 7 ship's armed with 12'' guns are not intended to serve in the main battleline, and therefore are not urgently needed to upgrade. We do realize that with reciprocating engines, the speed cannot be upgraded past 17 knots, and that it was recently refitted at great cost. These ship's have a very heavy secondary, that interferes with fire-control, but allows for more versatility in choosing whether to fight at long range or short.

Eomer
6 12'', 8 9'', 12 4.5'', 17 knots, 12'' belt, 1.5'' deck, 14,500 tons

A ship that is very much the same as the following class. This ship is specially designed as a flagship, and leads one of the two divisions of 12'' battleships. They have a lack of speed, range, and deck armour, but since it was recently rebuilt, it is not considered to be urgent. It also has a very heavy secondary, that provides much more versatility compared to a average ship, but interferes with fire-control.

Theoden-2
6 12'', 8 9'', 14 4.5'', 16.5 knots, 11'' belt, 1.5'' deck, 12,500 tons

The oldest ship in service in the Rohanese navy. It feature's a similar broadside to other Pre-Arcadia's in the navy, but it has weak armour, comparable to the CSA battlecruisers. It has a larger lack of speed then most of the ships in the navy, and the range is frankly, quite pitiful. The heavy secondary increases the broadside heavily, but it interferes with fire control.

Brandybuck
6 12'', 16 5.5'', 19.5 knots, 13'' belt, 2.5'' deck

A recent Gran Columbian built ship, this ship is a better ship than the other pre-arcadia's. This ship is faster, has more armour, and has decent range for the size of the ship. In our opinion, this ship is the most effective pre-arcadia in the fleet. It does lack the heavy secondary, but we hope the increased speed and armour will make up for it.

Battleship Overview:

Although the battleships in this fleet are numerous, they all do have certain flaw's, shared throughout the fleet, such as lack of speed and range. We believe that it will not cripple the fleet, but it would make it more effective if bother were increased. In our opinion, the ship's should be separated into two fleet's, one with the 12'' ships and one with the 14'' ships. They should all be divided into three squadron's. We believe that Rohan should place two squadrons of the coast defense fleet at the New Beriland Canal, with the rest being based in the main country of Rohan. During a war, the battlefleet should consist of the 14'' ships, while the coast defense, or secondary fleet, should consist of the 12'' ships. The Arcadia's could be moved to the battlefleet if desired by the leadership. Future classes of battleship's should concentrate on increasing speed, and mounting the 15.5'' gun.

Battlecruisers:

Snowmane-3
9 12'', 12 4.5'', 24.5 knots, 9'' belt, 2'' deck, 15,500 tons

The first of the battlecruiser type ever layed down by Rohan. This ship is considered to be more successful then other foreign battlecrusiers from this point in time because it sacifices only a small amount of armour to reach it's speed, which is lower to account for the armerment, which is better than many battleships of the same time period. In a future refit, which is due, ASAP, the armour protection should be increased slightly, it should be converted to oil-firing, and the speed should be increased.

Felarof-3
12 12'', 12 6'', 24 knots, 9'' belt, 2'' deck, 20,750 tons

A follow on to the very successful Snowmane class. This ship is considered by our board of naval analysts to be more successful, as it mounts 12 12'' guns, enough to defeat any battleship built at this time period, besides the super battleships. In a future refit, since it is coming up, the armour and speed should be increased. We still believe this to be one of the best battlecruisers on this side of the Pacific that is not brand new.

Invincible-3
6 14'', 24 4'', 27 knots, 11'' belt, 2'' deck, 24,000 tons

A recent class of three Swiss ships built before the Monarchy was overthrown. These were bought from Russia in exchange for the two Aragorn battleships. In our opinion, this was not a good deal, because the battleline of Rohan has shrunken to eight ship's, of which four need refits on. As for the ship's, being recently aquired, we recommend that the 4'' guns be replaced with 4.5'' guns to standardize ammunition. On the completed two, that is all that should be done. On the one under construction, we believe that the engines be upgraded. Although sacrificing firepower for armour, this is still a very decent ship.

Asfaloth-4
8 15.5'', 20 4.5'', 28 knots, 13'' belt, 3'' deck, 36,250 tons

A new type of battleship that is a revolutionary design in terms of a capital ship. This ship, although bigger than most, combines the best features of a battlecruiser, in speed, and a battleship, in armour, with a gun that is more powerful than any other gun in existence. The four ship's of this class, in accordance to their ability to act as a battleship or battlecruiser, should be attached to a new squadron, to act as a wing squadron to cross the T of a enemy line.

Battlecruiser Overview:

The battlecruiser's of the fleet, besides the new fast battleship's and Swiss ships, although powerful, are too slow at this point for scouting work, and are too lightly armoured to serve in the battleline. We believe that future refits of these ship's should concentrate on increasing the speed and/or armour of these ship's, with the first being a priority compared to the second. As for the new fast battleship's, they are the most powerful battlecruisers in existence in the world, that should be in the main battlefleet as a whole new wing. We believe the older ship's should be put in three squadren's of two, with one at the Canal, one in South America, and one with the pre-arcadia fleet. The Asfaloth's can handle the scouting jobs for the main battlefleet. The Swiss ship's should be attached to the Belted Cruiser Force, and lead them as part of the screen.

Combat Cruisers:

Calmacil
12 9'', 12 4.5'', 18 knots, 7'' belt, 1.5'' deck, 8,500 tons

The only original combat cruiser left, Calmacil now serves as a training ship, to which it is well suited. However, if it was not a training ship, our opinion is that the engines should be upgraded. With it's powerful broadside, in a war, this ship would be very good to serving with the coastal defense fleet. It is still not the newest ship in the fleet, however, and should be modernized or removed from service in the next 5 years.

Eldacar-4
6 12'', 20 4.5'', 30 knots, 7'' belt, 2'' deck, 17,000 tons

One of the cruiser killer, or light battlecruiser, designs out there. This ship is more accurately defined as a light battlecruiser, but, in respect to Rohanese naming conventions, it is listed here. It can be viewed as one of the fastest designs on this side of the Pacific. It's best feature is that it mounts a heavier broadside than any other ship of this type, although at the cost of armour, which this ship is lacking in.

Combat Cruiser Overview:

The Eldacar's are well suited to either serving with the Asfaloth's, serving with the Invincible's, or acting as a long raider. In our opinion, they should be split between the Asfaloth's and Invincible's. If more are built, we believe 3 should be in the Asfaloth wing, three in the Invincible wing, and whatever is left should be with the older battlecruisers. Future ship's should concentrate on improving the armour and armament to 9x12'' and a 9'' belt. The training ship should, as noted, serve with the pre-arcadia fleet in a war.

Belted Cruisers:

Starkhorn
6 7.5'', 12 4.5'', 21.5 knots, 5'' belt, 1.5'' deck, 6,250 tons

One of the oldest Rohan built belted cruisers. While the speed may be slow, the guns and armour of this ship are sound. The refit for this ship, when it is next done, should concentrate on increasing the speed, removing the remaining reciprocating engines, and adding oil firing to this design. The armour on this ship is enough to stand up to any comparable 7.5''-8'' ship.

Dwimorberg-2
6 7.5'', 12 4.5'', 22.5 knots, 5'' belt, 1.5'' deck, 5,750 tons

The follow on to the Starkhorn, being built on the same hull. It features a better engine set, a larger range, and the same great armour and armament we have seen on the previous class. Future refit's should concentrate on increasing the speed and converting the ship to oil firing. If wanted afterward, the secondary could be increased by adding a superfiring mount over Y turret.

Silvertine-3
8 7.5'', 16 4.5'', 25.5 knots, 5'' belt, 2'' deck, 8,750 tons

A large leap in the design of belted cruisers for Rohan. It adds two 7.5'' guns and 4 4.5'' guns, as well as a considerable speed boost. This class, and the following class, should be considered the core of the Rohanese belted cruiser fleet. Even though it is powerful, it still could use a boost of speed for more effective use in the screen and in the battlefleet. We also think that a few secondaries should be removed, so that torpedoes can be added to this ship.

Taniquetil-10
8 7.5'', 16 4.5'', 27 knots, 5'' belt, 2'' deck, 8,250 tons

An, effectively, clone of the previous class. It has, actually, decent speed for working with the battleline, and the fact that it is mass produced means that there will always be more than one of them at a station. Although these ships are sound, we believe, that if refitted, the speed and belt armour should be increased.

Belted Cruiser Overview:

The Belted Cruisers of Rohan can be separated into two catagories, older and newer. The older ships, which are the classes before the Silvertine class, should be refitted to increase the speed, and to convert to oil firing.. The newer ship's are ok as well as a Rohanese ship can be speedwise. The older ships should be dispatched to foreign stations like South America and the New Beriland Canal. The newer classes should serve with the battlefleet. Future ship's should add either another turret, or triple turrets, as to mount either 10 or 9 guns. It should also be in the region of 29-30 knots.

Protected Cruiser:

Forod Sul-8
10 6'', 30 knots, 3'' belt, 1'' deck, 6,000 tons

A brand new, out of the factory class, that revives the Protected Cruiser line not seen since 1902. With it's heavy broadside, and large amount of guns, this ship should be able to put a hail of shells into the air. In our opinion, these ship's are more than a match then any foreign ship of the type. We believe these ship's would serve most effectively with the new destroyers of the Mark. With the armoured protection, this ship will be able to shred destroyer screens, unless torpedoes are fired.

Shearfoot-9
2 4.5'', 2 3'', 4 16'' torpedoes, 24 knots, 750 tons

The oldest destroyer still in the navy, these ship's represented, at the time, a quantum leap in destroyer design theories for Rohan. It was 50 tons less than the previous class, while maintaining the same speed, and adding two more guns, due to the use of turbines. However, now all these ship's are fairly old, and should be refitted. In our opinion, that should include increasing the speed, since it is slower than a modern battlecruiser, and adding more and bigger torpedoes. Also, the 3'' guns should be replaced by 1 4.5'' gun and more torpedoes.

Radburg
1 8'', 1 16'' torpedo, 20 knots, 200 tons

A experimental vessel mounting a dynamite gun, this ship is nicknamed the Noisy Cricket by some. With the extreme firepower, on a small hull, we believe this ship should be in the screen for the pre-arcadia fleet, adding it's 8'' shell's to the air. This would be, of course, after it was refitted to increase the range significantly. Also, the speed should be increased. If serving with the pre-arcadia fleet is not a option, this ship would make a cheap station ship.

Challanging Rabbit-6
2 4.5'', 2 3'', 4 16'' torpedoes, 26 knots, 750 tons

A slight improvement on the previous class. This ship increases the speed by 2 knots, while lowering the overall displacement. However, it is still too slow for modern warfare, and the mixed main battery doesn't help the fire control. We believe that these ship's should be upgraded to the Guthlaf-class, and then speed should be added.

Guthlaf-18
3 4.5'', 4 18'' torpedoes, 26 knots, 750 tons

A ship on the main hull and design of the Challanging Rabbit class, but with the 3'' guns removed in favor of the 4.5'' guns. Although an improvement on the previous class, the speed should be increased. We believe 27 knots to be the minimum for fleet work and escort duty for light ships.

Eomund-24
3 4.5'', 6 18'' torpedoes, 28.5 knots, 1,000 tons

A larger ship than the previous class. Although it mounts the same main battery, it has a much greater torpedo armament, speed, and survivability then the previous class. We believe that these and the new ships should be the core of the battleline. We believe that the torpedo armament should be increased as soon as possible, to 6x21'' torpedoes.

DD1916-20
5 4.5'', 6 20'' torpedoes, 31 knots, 1,000 tons

A very powerful light ship that marks a radical redefinition of Rohan's destroyers. We believe that it is most likely the most powerful destroyer's in the West Pacific besides the new CSA designs. These ship's should be upgraded soon to incorporate more powerful torpedoes, such as new, heavier 21'' torpedoes.

Destroyer Overview:

The destroyer fleet of Rohan has aged in much the same way as the belted cruiser fleet. We believe the older ships, before and after refitted, should serve as destroyer station squadrons, with two or three at the canal, one in South America, etc., etc. The two latest classes should serve in the BCF and the battlefleet, to be lead by the more modern Belted Cruisers and the brand new protected cruisers. The destroyer fleet has aged gracefully, and we believe it to be capable of more refits to improve them.

Auxiliaries:

Tolfalas-3
2 3'', 12 knots, 2,750 tons

A very old collier, which is officially the oldest ship of the Mark. Its engines are due for replacement very shortly. Also, the capacity of the coal bunker's of this ship are limited to 3,000 tons of coal, a very small capacity. Since it will be in for refit shortly, we believe that it should be refurbished, with new engines allowing for more speed, so it can keep up with at least the pre-arcadia fleet, and more capacity, so that it has a purpose. Otherwise, we believe that they should be converted to a experimental ship, such as a aircraft launcher, like the Gran Columbian's are building, or a minelayer, etc. If neither option is chosen, they should be scrapped.

Himling
4 6'', 6 3'', 14.5 knots, 3'' belt, 6,000 tons

A much more powerful ship than the Tolfalas's, this ex-ACM collier is armed and armoured like a cruiser. At more than twice the size of the Tolfalas's, this ship has, at 6,000 tons, twice the capacity. However, its engines will need to be replaced fairly shortly. We believe that the speed should be upped, to allow for it to stay with the pre-arcadia fleet. This ship should not be converted, as it is essential in its role until the pre-arcadia's are removed from the fleet.

Queen Emeraldes
3 7.5'', 8 4.5'', 19 knots, 5'' belt, 1'' deck, 7,750 tons

One of the few privately owned warship's in the world. This ship is included here, because it is highly likely that it would be used by Rohan in a war. In that capacity, it has a large coal capacity, and the broadside on the ship is very good for a escort. As a ship of this type, it could be used as a collier or a escort ship, being equally good at each. If the first is chosen, this ship should serve at either a foreign station or with the pre-arcadia fleet, where the armour and coal capacity could be used.

Star of Earendil
6 4.5'', 18.5 knots, 5'' belt, 2'' deck, 6,500 tons

The smaller brother to the Queen Emeraldes, and also privately owned, this ship lacks the range and the 7.5'' guns, which have been replaced with a heavier armour scheme. Therefore, in a war, where this ship would most likely be taken over by the government, we believe that this ship should be on escort duty, as it lacks the range to act as a collier.

Tol Eressea-6
2 4.5'', 15.5 knots, 10,500 tons

The first purpose built tender's built for the fleet. We believe that these ship's are the biggest tender's in existence. Since they are so large, they can contain a unprecedented amount of supplies in them. We believe that all of the ship's should be attached to the main fleet. Although the speed may be a little low, which should be improved, follow on classes should be based on those.

Auxiliaries Overview:

Although the amount of auxiliaries in the Rohanese fleet may be large, many are outdated. 4 need engine replacements, and two more are privately owned. Although the remaining 6 are state of the arc in terms of size, they are slow, a misfortune which will not allow them to serve with the BCF. We believe a comprehensive program to triple the amount of auxiliaries in the fleet should begin shortly, with emphasis on adding oiler's, minelayers, transport, and submarines to the fleet. All four have been proven very useful by the last Pacific war, and are necessary. For now, the 4 colliers should be attached to the pre-arcadia fleet, while the 6 tender's should be attached to the main fleet.

Fleet Overview:

Although the fleet of Rohan is impressive in size and strength, we find that, across the board, it needs to be improved in the area of speed and range. As proven when Lady Arwen sailed to Japan, the range is not good enough for the Pacific. Also, the problem of speed is bad, with the battlecruisers of Rohan being only 1 knot faster than the new CSA battleships. We believe that future designs should correct this, and as recent designs have proven, they have began to. As for deployment, we believe that the Asfaloth's should not be in the battlefleet or BCF, but in a separate wing of the fleet, detached to whatever fleet has more pressing needs at the moment. Two of the Eldacar's should be be with it, with the other's with the Invincible's. The belted cruisers should remain with the fleet, but the new protected cruisers should be with the BCF and Asfaloth wing. The destroyer's and auxiliaries should be deployed as already described. The Rohanese fleet should invest in MTB's and torpedo boats, much like the Confederate Coastal Defense Fleet. The Rohanese fleet has good ships, and good men. How it is deployed, is left to be seen.

[Guinness]

Discussion that was once in this thread has moved here: http://www.navalism.org/index.php?topic=5115.0