Rule The Waves 3 - A Graphical Experiment

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A new Cruiser for a new Decade New
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    • Adhoc vote count started by 4WheelSword on Apr 27, 2024 at 9:05 AM, finished with 10 posts and 9 votes.
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    Should we build a new Super Cruiser? Yes, when the budget is available.


    The early months of 1924 are quiet. We pass the review of the submarine building program and look forward to welcoming twenty new submarines by the end of 1925. The Army has been developing the concepts of the high-level bomber and wonders if, perhaps, the navy could find a use for them - this may be especially true if they have better patrol range and payload over the torpedo attack squadrons we are currently operating from our land bases for coastal defence. Not only that but with the Indomptable completing her refit in May of 1924, we have some eight million francs available per month with which to begin construction of a new class of Super Cruisers.

    The Future Capital Ships
    With a wide variety of interest in the future of the fleet, we have numerous recommendations and plans being drawn up by different sectors of the fleet for what the Marine Nationale should look like some five years from now. The proffered designs are as follows:
    - Design 'A' is an evolution of the current standard for Super Cruisers, fitting four turrets armed with 350mm guns in a 2-3-3-2 arrangement. She would have a broad array of secondary guns including 125mm twin turrets, high-angle 9-pound AA guns, 37 and 13.2mm automatics and a pair of deck mounted torpedo tubes for the finishing blow. She would displace around 35,000 tons.
    - Design 'B' comes from the same program but rather than mounting the 350mm gun it instead mounts the more modern 405mm Model 1919 in a 2-2-2-2 arrangement with the hull growing to accommodate these guns.
    ​
    - Design 'C' is the first unusual design. It fits eight 350mm guns in a 4-4 arrangement with both quad turrets forwards of the bridge and conning tower. This allows a significant weight saving, bringing the ships total tonnage down to just 30,000 under standard loads. The 125mm guns would then be arranged aft to protect the rear from darting attacks by enemy torpedo boats.
    - Design 'D' is a semi-traditional design with a single turret fore and aft, each mounting four 350mm guns. It uses the weight savings from refusing super firing guns to fit engines capable of 30 knots on a 35,000 tons displacement ship. It would otherwise not be an unusual design.
    ​
    - Design 'E' offers an entirely radical new thought for ship design. Using so called 'box' protection around the magazines extends the concept of all-or-nothing armour to its extreme, providing massive thickness in the most vulnerable places but leaving others almost unprotected. Thus the ship is protected from critical damage but is vulnerable to much else. The mass reduction allows for a 27,500 ton ship that will be capable of 33 knots while carry eight 305mm guns in a 2-2-2-2 arrangement.
    - Design 'F' would carry an entirely new gun - the 450mm Model 1924 firing a 1.4 ton shell to a range of around 34,000 yards. It would only be able to carry six of these enormous rifles, with two forwards of the conning tower and four aft in two turrets. It would otherwise be a relatively standard design, offering all the potential that would bring.
    ​
    - An enterprising young fellow from the Aeronavale has suggested that, rather than building more expensive Super Cruisers, the navy would be better off with Design 'G'; A 16,000 ton purpose built aircraft carrier capable of carrying some thirty-two aircraft. We could build two of these for each Super Cruiser and conduct highly capable naval air operations which our enemies are hardly prepared for.
    ​

    Please select one of the above designs to take forward:
    [ ] Write in a single Design
    or
    [ ] Write in something else that isn't represented above.
     
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    • [X] A mix is called for! 2 of Design C and one of Design G! As many of these sets as we can afford!

    These exemplify the spirit of the Jeune Ecole - design C is aggressive and swift enough for a Super Cruiser; and its armament layout emphasizes the kind of bold, agressive action that we excell at; whilst design G would provide scouting suport and the ability to force our foes to react to even more threats. Also, whenever our foes themselves awaken to the potential of air power, they would add to our ability to defend our own forces.
     
    Design E looks interesting with the new armour scheme and 33kt speed, but is pitifully undergunned... so I think we need to go with the other innovation

    [X] Design C

    Weight-savings, a presumably decent speed (if this doesn't equal that russian bote i will be sad), and a nice large set of guns.
     
    [X] A mix is called for! 2 of Design C and one of Design G! As many of these sets as we can afford!

    I do love a mix.
     
    [X] Design D
    RETURN TO PRE-KLEBER! :V

    No but really for a super cruiser with the speed to control the range of engagement, I think keeping the ability to shoot the main guns far aft seems important for whenever we're trying to keep enemy BBs at a distance and not get stuck in a slugging match. So I'll put down an approval vote too, for

    [X] Design A
     
    [X] Design D
    [X] Design F
    [X] write-in -- combine the turret layout of D with the guns of F (possibly in triples instead of quads), and the armor arrangement of E, prioritizing speed

    The last one is just to be silly, but I have to vote big guns, even if D or E is probably the more practical...
     
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