Shipbucket

Níðhǫggr-class Battleships

Displacing 31,300 tons standard, the Níðhǫggr-class, along with their predecessors, were designed to form the core of the Nyrdanish battle line. They were powered by 24 coal/oil boilers linked to four steam turbines, generating a total of 45,000 shp. This gave them an ideal design speed of 24 kts, though again like their predecessors, this was never achieved, with the class' actual top speed being 23 kts.

The main belt was 12", tapering to 4" uppers and ends, and as was now standard, they had an unprotected stern. They had 3.5" deck plating and 12" conning towers.

They carried an armament consisting of a main battery of twelve 356mm 50 cal. rifles in 12" barbettes, 16 150mm secondary casemates, and six tertiary 88mm guns with two in deck mountings and four in casemates.

As with the Týr-class, they were quickly outpaced by other battleships and found to have no place in modern KNF doctrine, leaving them mothballed after only eight years. They were held in mothball for the remainder of their 20 year life before being broken up for scrap, to be replaced by modern battleships.

Ships in class: (laid down-launched-commissioned - fate)

Níðhǫggr 1914-1915-1916-Mothballed in 1924, expended as target in 1937
Jörmungandr 1915-1916-1917-Mothballed in 1924, broken up for scrap in 1937

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Níðhǫggr as built in 1916


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Jörmungandr as built in 1917

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"The first phase of the operation did not go as planned." - Anonymous

Really reminds me of the Wyoming-class. Nice ships!

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A signature is just for people who say, "I didn't put enough words in my post."
Oh, wait.

Valhöll-class Battleships

Signalling a major paradigm shift in Nyrdanish battleship design, the Valhöll-class class moved away from the massed batteries of smaller guns and instead carried a more compact armament of large rifles. This gave them improved machinery space, and a more compact citadel. In addition, they broke from tradition in their armor scheme, with the main belt armor only covering the citadel, and not wrapping around the bow.

Displacing 32,800 tons standard, the ships were fitted with 21 coal/oil boilers linked to four steam turbines with geared drives to the shafts, for a total of 80,000 shp. She had a design speed of 26 knots, though both ships exceeded this, reaching 26.7 kts in trials.

The main belt plating was 12" tapering to 4" uppers and ends, and unlike previous classes, did not wrap about the bow, saving weight. They had 5.7" deck plating and 14.5" conning towers.

Their armament consisted of eight 406mm 48 cal. rifles in 12" barbettes, complemented by a secondary battery of 20 150mm casemates on two gun decks, and a tertiary battery of four 88mm guns. Fólkvangr had an additional armament of twelve 13.2mm machineguns in gun tubs on the turret and conning tower tops and exchanged the single gun 88 mounts for twins.

Upon their commissioning, they were among the most advanced battleships in the world, and members of the then-exclusive club of battleships with 16" main batteries. They had speeds that far exceeded their predecessors, allowing them to keep pace with fleet doctrine, and had superior internal layouts. All of these factors combined to provide two capital ships that were well liked by the admiralty, and both served excellently during the Pacific War.

Ships in class: (laid down-launched-commissioned - fate)

Valhöll 1917-1918-1920-????
Fólkvangr 1918-1919-1921-????

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Valhöll as built in 1920


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Fólkvangr as built in 1921

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"The first phase of the operation did not go as planned." - Anonymous

These drawings are beautiful, but there is no backstory or specs to go along with them, making them more difficult to appreciate and comment on...

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Best regards,

RegiaMarina1939

Added backstory for Uforgængelig and Ustoppelig.

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"The first phase of the operation did not go as planned." - Anonymous

Fenrir-class Battleships

Following the shift in Nyrdanish battleship design, the next logical step was to increase the number of guns per turret, rather than adding more turrets as was the practice during the 1900s and 1910s. The result was the Fenrir class of battleships, the first ships in the KNF to carry triple turrets.

Displacing 39,900 tons standard, they had a powerplant consisting of twelve coal/oil boilers connected to four steam turbines driving four shafts via geared drive, for a combined power of 91,000 shp. They had a design speed of 26.5 kts, but in trials both vessels exceeded this, reaching top speeds of 27 kts.

Their main belt armor was 12", tapering to 4" uppers and ends, and like the Valhöll-class, did not wrap around the bow. They had 4" deck plating and 14" conning towers.

They were armed with ten 16" 48 cal. rifles, with triple turrets at deck level and twin turrets in the superfiring position. Their secondary armament was twelve 150mm casemate guns, complemented by a tertiary armament of sixteen 88mm guns and an additional armament of sixteen 13.2mm machineguns.

At the time of their commissioning, they were widely considered to be the most advanced battleships in the world, due to their main battery arrangement. During the second world war, they racked up service records befitting for such ships, winning battles over their Japanese counterparts.

Ships in class: (laid down-launched-commissioned - fate)

Fenrir 1921-1922-1923-????
Dís 1921-1922-1923-????

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Fenrir as built in 1923


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Dís as built in 1923

_________________
"The first phase of the operation did not go as planned." - Anonymous

Skinfaxi-class Battlecruisers

In the same program as the Fenrir-class battleships, the admiralty ordered to design and construction of a new class of four battlecruisers, though politics would conspire to see only two completed as designed. The result was the Skinfaxi-class of "Battleship Cruisers".

Displacing 49,500 tons standard, they had an installed powerplant of 14 coal/oil boilers driving four steam turbines with electric drives to four shafts, for a total generated power of 90,000 shp. Their design speed was 30 kts, though in trials they reached 31.2 kts, making them the fastest capital ships ever built at the time.

Her belt plating was 12" think, tapering to 11" towards the magazines, and 4" uppers and ends. She had 2" and 3" deck armoring, and 12" a conning tower.

Their armament consisted of twelve 16" 53 cal. rifles in triple turrets on 12" barbettes, complemented by twelve 150mm casemate guns and sixteen 88mm deck mounted guns. She had an additional armament of sixteen 13.2mm machineguns.

Upon commissioning, they took several records in naval architecture, being the fastest, most advanced, most heavily armed, and having the heaviest broadside in the world at the time. They were touted as the pinnacle of capital ship design, which no country could ever surpass, and were praised endlessly by the admiralty. Unfortunately, they had not taken into account the development of aviation as a serious force in naval warfare, and both vessels were lost to air attack during World War 2.

Ships in class: (laid down-launched-commissioned - fate)

Skinfaxi 1921-1922-1924-Sunk during the Battle of Attu, 1942
Hrímfaxi 1921-1922-1924-????

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Skinfaxi as built in 1924


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Hrímfaxi as built in 1924

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"The first phase of the operation did not go as planned." - Anonymous

Skinfaxi looks like she could give HMS Hood a run for the money.

The Main Battery looks monsterous. What are those, 18-inch guns?

16" triples as per the springstyle she's based on.

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"The first phase of the operation did not go as planned." - Anonymous

1941

THE ATTACK ON KORSAKOV AND HÆJENJÄI

“Should one consider it with adept thought, it is the inevitable conclusion that two great monarchies cannot coexist in the Pacific. King and Emperor cannot coexist. Nyrdanske and Yamato cannot coexist. One must, by definition, destroy the other. Nyrdanmark must destroy Japan. Japan must destroy Nyrdanmark.” - Anonymous

“By the grace of Heaven, Emperor of Japan Emperor Shōwa, seated on the throne occupied by the same dynasty from time immemorial, enjoin upon ye, Our loyal and brave subjects:

We hereby declare War on the Kingdom of Nyrdanmark and the British Empire. The men and officers of Our Army and Navy shall do their utmost in prosecuting the war. Our public servants of various departments shall perform faithfully and diligently their respective duties; the entire nation with a united will shall mobilize their total strength so that nothing will miscarry in the attainment of Our war aims.” - Japanese declaration of war on Nyrdanmark and Britain

Around 0500 on October 27th, 1941, Aircraft from the carriers Atago, Takao, Sōryū, Hiryū, Shōkaku, and Zuikaku simultaneously attacked the Nyrdanish naval bases in Korsakov and Hæjenjäi. The cruisers Brekkur and Hofn were sunk at their moorings, along with the destroyers F-212, F-248, F-264, and F-266. One of the runways at Korsakov was taken out of action, most of the landed aircraft were destroyed, and the base’s fuel depot was also damaged. Many of the bombs dropped on Hæjenjäi blew over the city, sparking several infernos, the naval base’s fuel depot is set on fire, and the city’s power plant is destroyed. The attack costs Nyrdanmark a total of 6 warships, 7 merchant ships, 350 aircraft, and 3,983 deaths, while the Japanese lose only 5 midget submarines, 37 aircraft, and 59 personnel. The Nyrdanish declaration of war follows 4 hours later.

OPENING ACTION OF THE BATTLE OF HÆJENJÄI

Units of the Kwantung Army group of the Imperial Japanese Army crossed into Nyrdanmark on October 28th, moving into Hæjenjäi and coming into conflict with the national guard garrison and hastily formed civilian mobs. The motor torpedo boats, destroyers, and Heimir prevented large scale naval support of the operation during the opening days, and Heimir put her 16” rifles to use providing fire support. In the city, the fighting was mostly focused in the western half of the city, with the Kwantung Army fighting building by building, room by room against mostly armed civilians using any weapon available.

BATTLE OF THE KURIL ISLANDS

The Konugeligt Nyrdanske Floti and the IJN came to their first blows of the war as dusk fell on the 29th of October, with fleets meeting off the Kuril Islands in heavy fog, forcing a close range engagement between two full lines of battleships. The Nyrdanish destroyers made an unsuccessful torpedo attack early in the battle in which F-275 and F-277 were sunk. The Nyrdanish light cruiser Higuma is torpedoed and sunk by Japanese destroyers, with Isokaze claiming the kill. Around an hour into the battle, the heavily damaged battleship Ustoppelig left the line formation and attempted to cut the IJN line in half, but was torpedoed by Isokaze, jamming her rudder to starboard and causing her to ram the battlecruiser Amagi, resulting in the loss of both capital ships. While withdrawing from the battle, the Nyrdanish cruiser Reykjahlio was lost in the fog and ended up in the Japanese formation and was quickly sunk by gunfire.

OPERATION BIFRÖST, HÆJENJÄI

The independent guerilla-like operations in Hæjenjäi ended on the 30th, when the national guard HQ received orders to secure specific fields outside the city while also mounting an assault on the IJA stronghold in the western half of the city. The city outskirts were secured with little to no resistance, a stark contrast to the largely futile assault on the IJA controlled half of the city, which was later revealed to be a diversionary attack for Operation Bifröst, which had begun earlier in the day. The operation began without any large setbacks or failures, with Faldskærmsjægers, light equipment, and various supplies being airdropped into the areas secured by the national guard. Upon organizing their unit, the commander of the Faldskærmsjægers assumed command of all units in the city, beginning proper military operations against the Japanese invasion.

THE BATTLE OF THE PACIFIC BEGINS

Between October 31st and around November 10th, the IJN’s submarine fleet completely spreads across the Northern Pacific and the Sea of Okhotsk, and begins to tighten a noose around Nyrdanmark’s economy. The months following would see the KNF attempting to break the blockade with maritime patrol aircraft, subchasers, and escorted convoys, resulting in mixed success but no change in the overall situation in the North Pacific.

On November 17th, the carrier Geirdriful was transiting the northern Kurils with light escort as the KNF did not believe the IJN was operating subs in the area. The submarine I-15 spotted Geirdriful late in the afternoon and trailed the group of ships until nightfall, when I-15 fired three torpedoes into the carrier, all of which hit and detonated, breaking the ship’s keel. I-15 escaped in the following confusion as Geirdriful sank in minutes, with rescue operations being slowed due to weather and the fear of additional subs in the area. Of Geirdriful’s crew of 2,378, only 24 were rescued.

HEIMIR REFUSES TO SINK, HÆJENJÄI

On November 20th, the coastal defense battleship Heimir was attacked by a squadron of Type 99 “Val” dive bombers on the 24th, forcing the captain to ground the vessel in the port of Hæjenjäi in order to prevent the loss of valuable fire support. Anticipating further air attacks, the ground forces in the city moved various light anti-air guns into positions around the grounded battleship over the next several hours, although no more planes came.

ACTION IN SAKHALIN

On November 26th, an unidentified Japanese submarine landed a commando team in southern Sakhalin with the objective to destroy several of the island’s coastal fortifications. Through the night and the next day, this team moved across the coast, destroying two gun batteries and several smaller pillboxes before being completely destroyed by the Nyrdanish garrisons. On the 28th, a fleet of Japanese ships moved to land troops on Sakhalin, but was forced to withdraw by the remaining coastal batteries after losing one escort and two landing ships.

THE FIRST AIR RAID ON THE JAPANESE HOME ISLANDS

A flight of 87 Nyrdanish heavy bombers flew from Korsakov early on the morning of the 30th, heading for the Japanese city of Ishikari. With the cover of fighter escorts, they reached the city in the later morning, releasing their bombs over the city’s coastal district. The initial bombing killed 217, with the resulting firestorm killing an additional 481. Of the 87 bombers that took off, 63 returned.

THE FIRST AMERICAN LOSSES

On December 4th, after trailing the convoy for several hours, a group of 3 Japanese submarines attacked an American and Nyrdanish convoy of 21 merchant ships and 3 escorts, sinking 8 of the convoy ships. 141 crewmen die, mostly Americans, resulting in a short period of American public support for joining the war.

TROUBLE ON THE NYRDANISH HOMEFRONT

The NNSAP leader Ulfrik Tryggsson makes an inflammatory speech on December 10th, denouncing the KNF Chief of the Navy Teitoku no Kantai Magnus Hjortsson as a coward and stating that if not for his inaction, Hæjenjäi would already be liberated from Japanese control and the city’s several hundred thousand citizens would be able to have heat and humanitarian aid. On December 13th, with the Japanese noose still tightening on Nyrdanmark’s imports, the government enacts strict daily food rations for all citizens, sparking several protests and general civil unrest across the nation which would last for the next several days. On the 20th, Eight NNSAP members set fire to the KNF recruitment office in the town of Karlsa, resulting in the death of 47. Following a short local declaration of martial law, eight people are arrested on charges of treason and executed by firing squad.

NEUTRALITY SHATTERED

The American ocean liner SS President Coolidge is torpedoed and sunk by the Japanese submarine I-19 on the 28th, resulting in 976 fatalities and large scale public outcry for war in America. President Roosevelt pressured Congress to declare war, hoping that by declaring war on Japan he could get the war with Germany that he wanted. The following day, the US Congress officially declared war on Japan, and Roosevelt got his wish when on the 30th, Adolf Hitler declared war on America.


And so 1941 draws to a close with largely indecisive action across the pacific, as Nyrdanmark begins to set itself on fire...

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"The first phase of the operation did not go as planned." - Anonymous