Lessons Learned : The Ryukyu Kingdom disagreement.

[maddox]

At least you avoided Guinness's main guideline, "never start a land war in Azia".

But I gues you'll need bigger torpedo's, or a smaller continent.

[Darman]

nuclear torpedoes in 1914?

[The Rock Doctor]

nuclear torpedoes in 1914?

Dream big or go home!

[TacCovert4]

My plan is to have ton for ton the meanest torpedo boat destroyers around.   After all, the destroyer was originally am anti TB platform.   Once TBs went away it became the de facto ASW platform.

[maddox]

After all, battleships weren't bigger just to be big, they were the smallest size/cost possible to bring what was considered the minimal necessary armament/armor/speed to the fight. They grew over time, but if you look at the development of each successive class and generation, the story is always one of trying to build the minimal ship possible to beat the enemy's ships, not the biggest.

Senator Tillman?   Senator Tillman?  Your proposal is accepted. But not by US congress, but by Sapa Inca.

[Kaiser Kirk]

After all, battleships weren't bigger just to be big, they were the smallest size/cost possible to bring what was considered the minimal necessary armament/armor/speed to the fight. They grew over time, but if you look at the development of each successive class and generation, the story is always one of trying to build the minimal ship possible to beat the enemy's ships, not the biggest.

Parthia's battleships were based on both her strategic plan, the tactical situation she expected, and a presumption there would be a rapid escalation in capital ship capabilities that she wanted be competitive with.  Instead, the Tiamat class has a chance at being the biggest battlewagon, but others are far more going for speed over guns/armor. Parthia will be sticking to guns/armor > speed for a bit more. 

[snip]

The Roman capital fleet was built up to its present state with the goal of keeping the Albion Channel open. Until recently a conventional battlefleet has been seen as the best way to do that. Recent developments (colonies, this Short Victorious War) have really turned that on its head. You dont need a capital fleet to keep a confined waterway open, you only need to make it impossible for it to safely operate. I'm not sure what the next Roman battleship class is going to look like, but it very well might be a single unit with a battlecruiser half-sister.

[maddox]

The Inca don't even have a clue. They took some clues from the Partians, hence the sailing frigates and windjammers.

They also looked at the Aztecs.  And started with a strange mix of protected cruisers and MTB's. The MTB's are still the prefered coastal defence, with a sprinkle of heavy units.

The incredible succes of torpedo in the Sino-Japanese war will strengthen that view. Especialy with the increased international communications.

But Inti has other idea's...

[Kaiser Kirk]

The Roman capital fleet was built up to its present state with the goal of keeping the Albion Channel open.

While the most likely pre1910 naval conflict for the Parthians would be with a Byzantium fleet.
We would immediately loose all commerce through Suez, but our trade around India and overland would be safe.
To hurt the Byzantines to a similar manner, we'd need a base that can raid the Atlantic and Western Med, and we'd need a way to intercept the Far East Trade before it gets past India- so it can't swing south and then up.

Defensively, The 300+ TBs and the shallow draft CDS ships at the entrance are to take care of making the Persian gulf is somewhere no one wants to bring their fleet. So Amphibious attacks would either have to be "past" the Gulf, and so the supply lines would be vulnerable, or Muscat-Salahal defensively.

Offensively, it would be a trade war- where distant range matters,  and I have a wide range of long ranged ships. Post 1910, I now have the bases for them.

or a brute force effort at Aden and beyond, into the teeth of the Byzantine defenses in the narrow waters of the Red Sea.
So I have slow, heavily armored ships with good FC and lots of secondary guns and torpedo nets...though torpedo nets don't work at speed.

...and Jefgte built a whole bunch of TBs for the Red Sea....and I do not have enough screen vessels.

[Jefgte]

Byzantine Empire.

The Battleships will remain at 21kts, speed fixed for the battle line. No fast battleships. Eupatoria is too expensive. It was a waste of resources.
To scout the battle line, the speed of 27kts is used. The existing cruisers will be supplemented by numerous cruisers of 10 000t max. Higher speed was too expensive in 1912-13 & 27 kts is enough to scout 21kts battle line.
Once convoyed, the Destroyers and TGBs squadrons can be very useful in distant archipelagos.
Reclassification
Destroyers are now with 102 or 120mm guns & a minimal speed of 25kts
Destroyer with 3 "guns are now Torpedo Boat.
This reclassification is necessary and better corresponds to a fleet 1913 form.

Parthians, Japan and China have long teeth.

Max 175m-27kts ships & max 125m-27kts ships are the recent options.

[Desertfox]

Japan unfortunately has three competing priorities. 1) A Manhanian fleet-in-being, 2) A colonial/trade protection force, and 3) A littoral force to combat the Chinese.

The war has made it clear that 1) can not be accomplished by a fleet that is too slow to force an engagement, hence the Japanese battle-line will be composed of fast battleships and battlecruisers that can fight on the line. 2) will be accomplished initially by a force of cheap colonial gunboats and cruisers backed up by submarines, mines, and torpedo boats, a colonial Jeune Ecole, eventually this will be replaced by a force of light and heavy (OTL) cruisers. 3) Will be based around a force of hunter-killer groups specifically designed to destroy TB forces. The best place to fight TB forces is as far away from the fleet as possible. All ships will have to be capable of serving in all three rolls.

In other news, I found this really nice lineup of models including an interesting Japanese Rodney (top ship), I'll have to figure out how to incorporate it into my plans. Maybe as a follow on to the Nagatos.

[TacCovert4]

Is that a flying off platform, or a helipad?!

[Desertfox]

The one in the middle? I think thats the hangar roof.

[TacCovert4]

BTW, that monstrosity is hideous:

Nelson Layout
Pagoda Hell Superstructure
Triple Richieliu quad-nonsense.

Yikes..... 8)

[Desertfox]

And don't forget the frikin flying-boat on the fantail! It's totally getting built.