Search found 212 matches

by Mostlyharmless
Sat Oct 15, 2022 8:51 pm
Forum: The Dreadnought Era (1906-1921)
Topic: Why built useless battleships?
Replies: 61
Views: 16575

Re: Why built useless battleships?

It is easy to blame Russia if you study Russia and "The Russian Origins of the First World War" by Sean McMeekin https://www.amazon.com/Russian-Origins-First-World-War/dp/0674072332 is a fairly modern version. However, German historians tend to study Germany and so they find reasons to bla...
by Mostlyharmless
Thu Oct 13, 2022 10:09 pm
Forum: The Dreadnought Era (1906-1921)
Topic: Why built useless battleships?
Replies: 61
Views: 16575

Re: Why built useless battleships?

I am not sure where either of you are coming from. It seems obvious to me that Germany decided that this war was better than a later one possibly without Austria as an ally; that Britain decided that risking a war was better than facing the threat from Russia in Asia especially if Russia and Germany...
by Mostlyharmless
Tue Oct 11, 2022 12:13 am
Forum: The Dreadnought Era (1906-1921)
Topic: Why built useless battleships?
Replies: 61
Views: 16575

Re: Why built useless battleships?

Clearly Germany was the aggressor in WW2. Identifying the guilty party for WW1 reminds me of Agatha Christie's Murder on the Orient Express. For example, Britain could have defused the July Crisis by simply saying that they were not going to be drawn into a war in defence of Serbia. Instead by sayin...
by Mostlyharmless
Wed Jun 15, 2022 3:06 pm
Forum: Naval History (1922-1945)
Topic: British submarines' torpedo hits compared to German u-boats'
Replies: 49
Views: 25233

Re: British submarines' torpedo hits compared to German u-boats'

The list of hits posted is rather biased as it omits several cases where a British warship suffered a single hit and survived. A more complete list is at https://www.uboat.net/allies/merchants/warships.html and includes single hits to Barham, Malaya, Phoebe, Newfoundland, Birmingham, Nabob and Thane...
by Mostlyharmless
Fri May 06, 2022 11:06 am
Forum: Naval Weapons
Topic: Torpedoes
Replies: 14
Views: 7650

Re: Torpedoes

There is a good site for torpedo specifications at http://www.navweaps.com/Weapons/index_weapons.php, which suggests that the warhead of the torpedoes dropped by the Swordfish would have been 388 lb of TNT whilst those of cruisers might be 740 or 750 lb of TNT.
by Mostlyharmless
Fri Apr 29, 2022 4:09 pm
Forum: Hypothetical Naval Scenarios
Topic: Building a patchwork battleship
Replies: 9
Views: 2695

Re: Building a patchwork battleship

Using German diesels is an interesting idea with very good subdivision and fuel economy. Freedonia rejected it because the machinery for the H39 Class might not be ready in January 1937 and diesel machinery is generally installed very early during ship building. They also wanted to buy a significant...
by Mostlyharmless
Wed Apr 27, 2022 11:10 pm
Forum: Hypothetical Naval Scenarios
Topic: Building a patchwork battleship
Replies: 9
Views: 2695

Re: Building a patchwork battleship

Freedonia's designers started from the detailed designs for Richelieu and were confident that they could use its machinery in their Yamato derived hull. Richelieu machinery seems to have been placed in only four rooms with 3 boilers in the first and third and two sets of turbines in the second and f...
by Mostlyharmless
Wed Apr 27, 2022 4:04 pm
Forum: Hypothetical Naval Scenarios
Topic: Building a patchwork battleship
Replies: 9
Views: 2695

Re: Building a patchwork battleship

Freedonia's designers haven't reported back as quickly as their politicians helped but that was predictable. Making a detailed design of a battleship to be laid down in January 1937 turns out to be quite difficult even without the requirement to use ideas and materials from six different countries. ...
by Mostlyharmless
Tue Apr 19, 2022 3:23 pm
Forum: Naval Technology
Topic: Armor sample chemistry question
Replies: 14
Views: 4227

Re: Armor sample chemistry question

I am sure that most of you know already but there was a 30 mm bulkhead extending the 45 mm anti-torpedo bulkhead from the main armoured deck up to the 50 mm weather deck. Most of that would probably be as originally built but it is just possible that something needed repair after the FAA bomb attack...
by Mostlyharmless
Fri Apr 08, 2022 8:36 pm
Forum: Hypothetical Naval Scenarios
Topic: Building a patchwork battleship
Replies: 9
Views: 2695

Re: Building a patchwork battleship

Freedonia's designers are still arguing over which decks should be armoured and what armament to use but have recently also focused on the question of redundancy and cost. The British KGV at £7.4 million was less than half the cost of North Carolina (converting at 4.8 $ to the £) or Bismarck (using ...
by Mostlyharmless
Sat Apr 02, 2022 9:06 pm
Forum: Hypothetical Naval Scenarios
Topic: Building a patchwork battleship
Replies: 9
Views: 2695

Re: Building a patchwork battleship

Well I have had the first suggestion as a private message but it only proposed that I should use the French wine store. Thus I intend to continue upwards to the belt. The British and Germans both made excellent face hardened armour but this seems the best opportunity to employ Italian materials. The...
by Mostlyharmless
Sat Apr 02, 2022 8:33 pm
Forum: Hypothetical Naval Scenarios
Topic: Possibilities of a Kido Butai air raid on Singapore Naval Base
Replies: 2
Views: 1176

Re: Possibilities of a Kido Butai air raid on Singapore Naval Base

If the Japanese hold airfields in Northern Malay, the 11th Air Fleet would redeploy to Malaya from Indochina and attack Singapore. Less danger and larger bomb loads. The attached Zeros would be a fairly effective escort. There might even be an Army versus Navy competition to sink the British ships w...
by Mostlyharmless
Fri Apr 01, 2022 6:38 pm
Forum: Hypothetical Naval Scenarios
Topic: Building a patchwork battleship
Replies: 9
Views: 2695

Re: Building a patchwork battleship

As no one has stepped forward with a complete plan, I will take the next step of considering defence against torpedo damage. If we, possibly unfairly as it was hardly tested, exclude the Pugliese System, we can chose between the American, British and German systems of where to place liquid. Possibly...
by Mostlyharmless
Mon Mar 28, 2022 11:04 am
Forum: Hypothetical Naval Scenarios
Topic: Building a patchwork battleship
Replies: 9
Views: 2695

Building a patchwork battleship

Freedonia wants to build a class of battleships from January 1937 but there is a difficult political problem. Freedonia takes its neutrality very seriously. Thus the government insists that each of the battleship producing nations, Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the USA, should contribut...
by Mostlyharmless
Mon Mar 28, 2022 12:23 am
Forum: Naval History in General
Topic: Are the Iowas Battlecruisers?
Replies: 23
Views: 4489

Re: Are the Iowas Battlecruisers?

You are partially correct in comparing the belt armour of HMS Hood and HMS Queen Elizabeth as Hood was weaker below the waterline. Hood’s protection above the waterline seems equal or superior, especially at long range where the angle becomes more important. The deck armour of Hood is also much more...