Special Project Ships
 

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I have always liked the idea of fast battleships and battlecruisers as the top predators of the worlds oceans. The British Queen Elizabeth class showed the way of the fast battleship, while the German Derfflinger and Mackensen Classes of battlecruiser had a better balance of speed, armour and gunpower than the rest. The Washington Treaty split the divide between battleship and cruisers even further. The three battleship types completed 1918-27 were the American Colorado class, with good armour and armament but low speed. The Japanese Nagato class had reasonable armour, good armament and reasonable speed. The final British Nelson class were a hybrid of the designs for the 16" and 18" capital ships of 48,000 tons. The Nelson class looked formidable on paper compared to the other two classes but were not really liked in service. It was a pity the Italians did not complete any of the Caraciolo class ships as they were to be improved Queen Elizabeth, fast battleships. From all the designs that can be seen for them, the Caraciolo's would have been a good investment.

In real life the designs followed one another as 'rights of reply' during the 1930's as the German Navy produced the Deutschland type armoured ships, which brought on the French Dunkerque class, which the Germans then produced the Scharnhorst class in reply. It was at this stage that the Japanese failure to sign the second London Naval Treaty set the last battleship race into production. The limits for the first designs were still limited to the 35,000 ton and 16" gun designs to which only the British paid more than lip service to. The other major powers were 3,000 to 7,000 tons overweight from the start while if all these countries knew by just how much the Japanese giants were circumventing the limits by, those ships designs would have been even bigger. The escalation clause came into force during the late 1930's where the displacement figure increased to 45,000 tons. Only the US and UK built the Iowa class and Vanguard to this limit.

But that was real life. In my Alternate Universe world I have explored what the United States might have done with a battlecruiser prior to the real Lexington class, what the British might have done with following the fast battleship line rather than further battlecruisers in the Fisherless RN. I had a look at the German processes with the Superimposed High Seas Fleet. I have had a lot of fun with these and the made up countries and fleets. I do have other series in mind, French ships with triple turrets rather than quads. Italian ships with either speed or gunpower, even a try at both. I still have to do more with the Japanese fleet.

(The drawing links will be on this page)

First in this series is my take on the Francesco Caraciolo Class ships.

About the third or fourth drawing in I decided to use a single hull, funnels (sometimes), with various armaments and superstructure.
 

Country Class Name Ship Type

Guns

Link
Italy RIN Caraciolo BB 8x15
France FRN Aquitaine BC 9x13
Netherlands HNLMS Utrecht BC 8/9x13
Britain HMS Warrior BC 8x14
Germany KM Admiral von Roon BC 8x13.8
Japan IJN Kanto BC 8x14
USA USS Guam BB 9x14
Russia SNS Rurik III BB 12x12.6
Brazil BNS Riachuelo
HMS St George
BB 8x15
Germany KM Yorck BB 8x13.8
USA USS Louisiana BB 8x16
Britain HMS Devastation BB 9x15
Portugal NRP Braganza BC 10x12
Argentina ARA Buenos Ares BB 8x13.8
Turkey TRG Torgud Reis BB 9x13.8
Greece RHNS Salamis BC 8x14
Spain SPS Ebro BC 8x14/13.8
France FAN Champagne BB 16x13.4
Chile CNS Atacama BB 10x13.5
Venezuela BAV Maracaibo BB 9x14
Norway RNoN Eidsvold BB 8x15
Japan IJN Amagi BB 6x18
Zeelandia HMZS Oceania BB/CV 9x15
Uruguay ANU Durazno BCV 6x14/40
Peru MGP Almirante Grau BC 8x16
Britain HMS Nelson BB 12x15
Scandinavia HSMS Kung Gustaf BB 9x15.8
Germany KM Seydlitz BB 6x16.5
Britain HMS Howe BB 9x16
Britain HMS Anson BB 10x16
France FAN Loire BB 12x13
Italy RM Dante Alighieri BB 8x15
China ICNS Dingyuan BB 12x14
Polithstovia PCS Gdansk BB 8x15.8
Galicia GNS Herzgovia BB 9x16.5
Atlantis ANS Hyperion BC 8x15
Atlantis ANS Atlas BB 12x16

 




 

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