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Kantai Collection - Fanfic Idea and Recs

In this post I described a dream where I woke up on a beach near where the shipgirl I summoned while unconsious sank and I'm now her Admiral.

I think that would make a pretty good basic premise for the prologue of a kancolle fic.

In the dream the shipgirl was Kikuzuki and we were somewhere near Tulagi. Henderson Field (The Airfield Princess) is also near Tulagi (22nmi distant). EEP! That could make for a very interesting "Getting the hell out of here against nightmarishly impossible odds" story because Kikuzuki isn't going to last long if 196 torpedo/dive bombers are sent after her.
 
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So, this came to me and I would really like some feedback on it...

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The Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Shipyard, 1943.

Unseen, and certainly unheard, the collection of translucent vapor particles metamorphed on the prow of the unfinished hull. Unifinished was an understatement however as four of these hulls rested on the same slipway that had held Musashi earlier in the decade. For whatever reason, the fourth of these hulls was the furthest along in progress, if one paid attention to the dockworker banter; rumor said that one of the Naval higher-ups personally pushed the 4th hull's construction faster. However, dockworkers were not paid to gossip or consider the validity of rumors, they were to construct ships, regardless of who was footing the bill.

The entity, called such because that's what we currently know to call it, looked around at the darkened surroundings. It could see the engines within its own hull in the process of being installed, it knew that it would be a significant period of time before it was fit to journey. At the same time however, the particle collection could feel the similar hulls in a state of disrepair and dismantle, it felt sad to reach the obvious conclusion; that the sister hulls were being recycled for used into its furthering along.

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Later in the year, the entity could finally understand what it was meant for; a bow unlike any ship before graced its hull. Uncaring of the fact that the design was a take off of the I-400 design lessons, the entity also understood that it would be an underwater craft. Very different to how most ships were understood to move through the water. Yet it could also see that construction was slowing in other parts of the yard while its own making continued, perhaps even more expediently than before.

The entity felt stronger with each passing week as more material and sections were emplaced, several new features were installed like a triple hull and more advanced sonar. The best technology the Japan had been able to procure for the time went into this submarine, a first for the Japanese Navy in terms of a good submarine.

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By this point, I-303 had her name, or at least a moniker. Her hull was complete and her tower was finishing the process of being placed. While she didn't know it at the time, her hull was longer then the I-400 class, her underwater speed was a staggering 27 knots and her engines were engineered copies of the German models. Four diesel engines to charge up a huge system of batteries that took up half the space between inner and middle hull which powered 6 electric generators, 4 of those were motors tied into the propulsion system. Weapons were limited to Type 97 torpedos [95s maybe?] and stored up to 36 torpedoes with fore and aft tubes loaded. Storage being what it was, food was the chief concern for remaining good to eat and healthy; much of the Japanese diet was rice after all. Care was taken to rubberize the main pressure inner hull to minimize sonic disturbance.

One could compare it to perhaps a Balao class submarine, except this was not Made in America, this was Nippon style, designed for long distance travel between Hokkaido and Formosa or farther if needed. Hoped to be undetectable as possible while underway, the batteries were designed to be the longest lasting possible. With minimal usage, mostly just essential lighting and oxygen circulation support; lasting up to a week for a crew of 65. The more normal longevity put the battery storage at 56 to 72 hours depending on situation. Surface speed was 15 knots, much of the diesel power focused toward rapid charging of the battery system through the multi-snorkel system. Surface warfare was limited to one deck gun [usually used in AA capacity] and two small AA stations.

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As in my snippettes thread, I wonder about why there is no I-300 submarine series when you had I-400s and I-100s.... Not sure if Crash Dive's author made up the I-200s or not. But anyway, the point is that an I-300 submarine could have possibly been designed at some point, and due to information purges, any info is not there... An interesting question I feel...
 
Spherical_Light said:
The Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Shipyard, 1943.
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Probably should bump the year up to 1944, fits better as the I-200s were layed down that year and the 400s would be further along in construction/finished making it make more sense to be using experience gained during their construction.
Spherical_Light said:
Uncaring of the fact that the design was a take off of the I-400 design lessons, the entity also understood that it would be an underwater craft.
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Based on the description, the I-300 class seems more like an offshoot of the I-200 program than the I-400s, as it seems all about speed and there isn't anything mentioned about aircraft carrying capability.
Spherical_Light said:
As in my snippettes thread, I wonder about why there is no I-300 submarine series when you had I-400s and I-100s.... Not sure if Crash Dive's author made up the I-200s or not.
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While there doesn't seem to have been a specific
"I-300" class, there were some submarines named in the 350-375ish range, they were all transport submarines. And the I-200 class did exist.
 
Spherical_Light said:
So, this came to me and I would really like some feedback on it...

=========================================

The Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Shipyard, 1943.

Unseen, and certainly unheard, the collection of translucent vapor particles metamorphed on the prow of the unfinished hull. Unifinished was an understatement however as four of these hulls rested on the same slipway that had held Musashi earlier in the decade. For whatever reason, the fourth of these hulls was the furthest along in progress, if one paid attention to the dockworker banter; rumor said that one of the Naval higher-ups personally pushed the 4th hull's construction faster. However, dockworkers were not paid to gossip or consider the validity of rumors, they were to construct ships, regardless of who was footing the bill.

The entity, called such because that's what we currently know to call it, looked around at the darkened surroundings. It could see the engines within its own hull in the process of being installed, it knew that it would be a significant period of time before it was fit to journey. At the same time however, the particle collection could feel the similar hulls in a state of disrepair and dismantle, it felt sad to reach the obvious conclusion; that the sister hulls were being recycled for used into its furthering along.

------------------------------------

Later in the year, the entity could finally understand what it was meant for; a bow unlike any ship before graced its hull. Uncaring of the fact that the design was a take off of the I-400 design lessons, the entity also understood that it would be an underwater craft. Very different to how most ships were understood to move through the water. Yet it could also see that construction was slowing in other parts of the yard while its own making continued, perhaps even more expediently than before.

The entity felt stronger with each passing week as more material and sections were emplaced, several new features were installed like a triple hull and more advanced sonar. The best technology the Japan had been able to procure for the time went into this submarine, a first for the Japanese Navy in terms of a good submarine.

---------------------------------------

By this point, I-303 had her name, or at least a moniker. Her hull was complete and her tower was finishing the process of being placed. While she didn't know it at the time, her hull was longer then the I-400 class, her underwater speed was a staggering 27 knots and her engines were engineered copies of the German models. Four diesel engines to charge up a huge system of batteries that took up half the space between inner and middle hull which powered 6 electric generators, 4 of those were motors tied into the propulsion system. Weapons were limited to Type 97 torpedos [95s maybe?] and stored up to 36 torpedoes with fore and aft tubes loaded. Storage being what it was, food was the chief concern for remaining good to eat and healthy; much of the Japanese diet was rice after all. Care was taken to rubberize the main pressure inner hull to minimize sonic disturbance.

One could compare it to perhaps a Balao class submarine, except this was not Made in America, this was Nippon style, designed for long distance travel between Hokkaido and Formosa or farther if needed. Hoped to be undetectable as possible while underway, the batteries were designed to be the longest lasting possible. With minimal usage, mostly just essential lighting and oxygen circulation support; lasting up to a week for a crew of 65. The more normal longevity put the battery storage at 56 to 72 hours depending on situation. Surface speed was 15 knots, much of the diesel power focused toward rapid charging of the battery system through the multi-snorkel system. Surface warfare was limited to one deck gun [usually used in AA capacity] and two small AA stations.

--------------------------

As in my snippettes thread, I wonder about why there is no I-300 submarine series when you had I-400s and I-100s.... Not sure if Crash Dive's author made up the I-200s or not. But anyway, the point is that an I-300 submarine could have possibly been designed at some point, and due to information purges, any info is not there... An interesting question I feel...
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Hmm ...

So, something even bigger than an I-400 that's also a less-advanced version of USS Albacore (AGSS-569) and armed for combat instead of being a dedicated research platform.

The I-400s were about the same size as early SSBNs but couldn't dive very deep (100m test depth), were slow, and hard to handle. I-303 would be a "wonder weapon" which eats resources and doesn't accomplish much of anything productive before it's sunk or the war is over.
 
I see, yeah I recall some odd mentions of refueling submarines from somewhere...

I was going in that direction, a resource heavy type, but she basically ends up stalled due to resources, even after cannibalizing her sisters... effectively. At the time, I think the battery cost alone would be insane... For that sort of underwater speed, not to mention triple hulls....

Back, way back in middle school high school, I came across Joseph Enright's first and initial account of sinking Shinano, and then came Hunt for Red October soon after that... Cue my hobby of drawing submarines, and also drawing out possible caterpillar designs too... Patterned after the Red October's.... And mixing the two eras... Yeah.... Sadly, those drawings are so lost to time....

Basically, I'm looking at 303 as being a resource hog that gets stalled due to not enough resources to finish the boat out.... Rubberized floors do require rubber after all, or some sound dampening material like cork.

But yeah, she gets stalled, an attempt is made to scuttle her, but fails due to lack of water in the drydock. Allies find her.... Yeah, just a synopsis. Just an idea I had, not really sure to go ahead with it considering Unplanned For is moving along okay.

Thank you for the feedback, I do appreciate it...

In creation of that snippete I was thinking all the possible ways it could be used;

Naval Command Vessel, kinda weird to command from the deep though...

Imperial Family Transport, Kinda like Hiei, but both safer and riskier at the same time.

Assassin/Ninja Submarine, All subs in a way could be this category, but yeah... 303 would fit the category, no plane...

Certainly an idea that needs refinement... Mostly so it doesn't step on Crash Dive's toes...
 
I'm working up a KC quest idea for one that's darker than the typical quest.

I think I've got the mechanics mostly sorted. Playtesting shows that both sides will need time in a repair bath when neither side has surprise.

Where I'm having trouble is the opening. I want the players to have access to the IJN plus one other navy that's preferably not the USN, RN, or Kriegsmarine

I'm not sure how to present that without coming across as heavy-handed. The basic idea is that the admiral (the PC) has Japanese ancestry (IJN) but was born and raised somewhere else (other fleet).

I know which countries had dreadnoughts and/or aircraft carriers before 1946 and I want them to pick one of the smaller ones like, say, Chile.

I'm thinking I should arrange the "which shipgirl responds" part of the summoning table to reflect that the big navies had a whole lot older capital ships, many of which are pre-dreadnoughts, and lumping escort carriers and light carriers with fleet carriers as capital ships.

Chile, Australia, and Canada are extreme examples in that there's only one which fits the above while Argentina, Brazil, and Greece have two.

Suggestions would be very welcome.
 
tramp_stamp said:
I'm working up a KC quest idea for one that's darker than the typical quest.

I think I've got the mechanics mostly sorted. Playtesting shows that both sides will need time in a repair bath when neither side has surprise.

Where I'm having trouble is the opening. I want the players to have access to the IJN plus one other navy that's preferably not the USN, RN, or Kriegsmarine

I'm not sure how to present that without coming across as heavy-handed. The basic idea is that the admiral (the PC) has Japanese ancestry (IJN) but was born and raised somewhere else (other fleet).

I know which countries had dreadnoughts and/or aircraft carriers before 1946 and I want them to pick one of the smaller ones like, say, Chile.

I'm thinking I should arrange the "which shipgirl responds" part of the summoning table to reflect that the big navies had a whole lot older capital ships, many of which are pre-dreadnoughts, and lumping escort carriers and light carriers with fleet carriers as capital ships.

Chile, Australia, and Canada are extreme examples in that there's only one which fits the above while Argentina, Brazil, and Greece have two.

Suggestions would be very welcome.
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Chile and Brazil would make sense. They have large Japanese Ex-Pat communities and a surprising amount of naval history.
 
FastConcentrate8 said:
Chile and Brazil would make sense. They have large Japanese Ex-Pat communities and a surprising amount of naval history.
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I'd rather not say "you're from here" and let the players choose instead.

Although, if Chile gets picked I could add Capitán Prat as a special bonus prize battleship "grannyboat" with a French accent. She was an ironclad laid down in the 1889 that was scrapped in 1942. She was also the first battleship with an electrical system.
 
Apologies if it was discussed before, please, point me at relevant part of the thread in the case.

AFAIK, maximum depth for modern nuclear submarines may reach 600 m with cruise depth quite close. On abyssal plains, that cover about absolute majority of ocean floor, the average depth is 3-6 km. On the other hand, maximum depth of most WWII submarines may not reach 100m , they are fairly slow underwater and have limited time of dive and their weapons are mostly designed to work against surface ships.

So, could we say that modern nuclear submarines are relatively safe against Abyssals at the cruise depth ? If so, how could they be used and how it can be used in a fic?
 
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permeakra said:
Apologies if it was discussed before, please, point me at relevant part of the thread in the case.

AFAIK, maximum depth for modern nuclear submarines may reach 600 m with cruise depth quite close. On abyssal plains, that cover about absolute majority of ocean floor, the average depth is 3-6 km. On the other hand, maximum depth of most WWII submarines may not reach 100m , they are fairly slow underwater and have limited time of dive and their weapons is mostly designed to work against surface ships.

So, could we say that modern nuclear submarines are relatively safe against Abyssals at the cruise depth ? If so, how could they be used and how it can be used in a fic?
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Maybe as motherships for hunter-killer groups of Sub-Girls.

Deploy them via airlock chambers descend to a safe depth and just ascend to their test depth to pick 'em up before returning to safety.
 
While stealth deployment of shipgirls does present an interesting and fun way to abuse their dual nature, I do think the role is a bit niche for general use and deployment of both subgirls and conventional subs. With the best theoretical deployments being used to attack specific abyssal targets at sea. Imagine one or two conventional boats and about 20 or so subgirls jumping an Abyssal Habakkuk at the same time.

I could also see conventional subs with VLS tubes being used to suppress Abyssal installations before general assaults. Sneak into range, bomb an airfield or coastal battery, then dive and get the hell out of dodge while the main attack begins.
 
Also, while abyssal subs are minimal threat to SSNs, Abyssal DDs may pose a problem. Their ability to detect a SSN is questionable, but a depth charge is a depth charge.

And from the perspective of a nuclear sub, they're unlikely to realize there's abyssal DDs dropping depth charges until explosions start happening.
 
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Jonen C said:
Also, while abyssal subs are minimal threat to SSNs, Abyssal DDs may pose a problem. Their ability to detect a SSN is questionable, but a depth charge is a depth charge.
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Depth charges and torpedoes have maximum operational depth as well. For depth charges of WWII it is about 200m according to wiki. Additionally, submerged SSNs are simply faster than most WWII ships with possible exception for destroyers and even they probably can't keep maximum speed for prolonged time.
 
permeakra said:
Depth charges and torpedoes have maximum operational depth as well. For depth charges of WWII it is about 200m according to wiki. Additionally, submerged SSNs are simply faster than most WWII ships with possible exception for destroyers and even they probably can't keep maximum speed for prolonged time.
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This is true. Though the public figures for test depth for modern SSN is closer to the 300 meter (~1000 feet) mark, not 600 m. Still below depth charges, and likely they can push a bit deeper than they admit in public, but in general, not quite as great a safe zone as your initial post suggests.
 
Jonen C said:
This is true. Though the public figures for test depth for modern SSN is closer to the 300 meter (~1000 feet) mark, not 600 m. Still below depth charges, and likely they can push a bit deeper than they admit in public, but in general, not quite as great a safe zone as your initial post suggests.
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AFAIK, Russian Borei class have operation depth of 400 m and maximum depth of 480m, Yasen class have operational depth of 450m, submerged to 580 m and rated for >600m (but never tested). Can't comment for US modern subs, but shouldn't they be at least as good?
 
By wiki, Virginia has 240m test depth (which is less than the Los Angeles class).
Sea Wolf has 490m. But those were too expensive to keep building.
 
Point is they can go faster and deeper they can go faster than most of the things hunting them and escape what they can't outrun by diving to their test depth and going to ultra-silent. They get even more nightmarishly stealthy if there's a thermal layer.

If we go for the stealth insertion mothership approach though, that'll make some interesting personality traits for when the nuke boats get summoned.
 
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