Shipbucket

Lore:
Immediately after the battles of the teleportation, the discussion about the transformation of the Royal Hellenic Navy was a hot debate. The presence of the natives' naval forces with capital ships, and especially battleships, armed with 12 in. weapons or of similar caliber, raised for many the need of developing equally powerful ships, able to take them down. However, neither the shipbuilding industry nor the artillery manufacturing industry of the time had such abilities, and thus for quite a long time Greece stayed with the light cruisers that were part of the Fleet. Instead, the significant presence of the Naval Aviation would give a strong deterrent, driving from the experience granted from WW2. As the years passed, the industrial abilities, especially in the shipbuilding industry, advanced and after 1970 they accelerated in copying vital systems, like the Mk37 director, the current naval radars available and the main gun directors.
After the 1975 war with Konsenia, the building of cruisers came up in the surface again, now with the form of two Cruiser Squadrons with four ships each, one battlecruiser, one heavy cruiser and two light cruisers. The heavy cruiser, however, was not to be following the norm, because the role it would have was to hunt and kill enemy armoured cruisers, thus the need was for main guns more powerful than the existing 8 in. Also, the ship had to be well armoured, so as to counter enemy capital ships, but small enough to operate safely in the waters of East Mediterranean Sea. Vickers developed a radically redesigned Dido class ship, with an enlarged hull to accomodate turrets for big cannons, better armour partition along the hull and high speed. The result would be a 217m long hull and with 28.800 tons standard displacement (33.200 tons deep load), with three twin turrets of 12 in. L50 cannons, based on existing drawings available in Royal Ordnance, and eight twin turrets with 5.25 in. cannons, which were the selected DP cannnon after a quite lenghty procedure.The engines were similar of the typical Royal Navy cruiser engines, with eight boilers and four steam turbines for 150.000 shaft horse power, driving two screws, giving the ship speed of 33.5 knots. With 9 in. main belt armour, 11 - 13 in. on the barbettes and 4 in. armoured deck armour, it was quite well armoured and capable to outpace and outgun every opponent in the East Mediterranean Sea, thus fitting in the offensive doctrine that the Greek captains preferred for their ship to hit enemy capital assets with their powerful guns at long range and then invading into the disrupted enemy formation and striking with their powerful secondaries from close distance. A powerful anti-aircraft armament concluded the weapon suit, with ten quadruple 40 mm autocannons and a vast number of the new 15 mm BESA HMG/ autocannons in double and triple mounts along the ship.
Two ships were ordered and constructed, one for each of the Battle Groups, RHS A12 Hydra (Α12 Ύδρα) and RHS A13 Leviathan (Α13 Λεβιάθαν). The build started in 1979 in Elefsina Shipyards and they were completed in May 1981 for RHS Hydra and August of that year for RHS Leviathan. The sea trials were completed in June 1982, when they were both commissioned. They enjoyed a relatively quiet carreer, though, as so powerful of ships were not posed in the Mediterranean until very late. RHS Hydra participated in the incursions that were part of the Constitutinal Crisis in 1991, while RHS Leviathan was part of the Southern Battle Group during the battle of Kos against Ingonia in 1993, where her performance was exceptional, receiving a Medal of Honour. They were decommissioned in 2020, after the change of the naval doctrine, with a good service of over 30 years, bearing the flag around the Mediterranean and protecting the country with exceptional results.



- Dimensions
: Length - 217m
: Beam - 28m
: Draft - 15.37m
: Displacement - 28,000 tons standard (33,200tons deep)

- Armaments
: Main guns - 3x dual 12inch L/50s mounts
: Secondary guns - 8x dual 5.25inch mounts
: Tertiary guns - 10x quad bofors 40mm L/60 mounts
: Extra - 26x Tripple Besa 15mm HMG, 12x dual Besa 15mm HMG

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RAIDer1_1

USS Constitution, Constitution Class Large Cruiser


Displacement:
22,057 t light; 23,308 t standard; 25,819 t normal; 27,827 t full load
Dimensions: Length (overall / waterline) x beam x draught (normal/deep)
(787.09 ft / 770.00 ft) x 78.50 ft x (26.00 / 27.63 ft)
(239.91 m / 234.70 m) x 23.93 m x (7.92 / 8.42 m)
Armament:
4x2 - 12.00" / 305 mm 50.0 cal Mk. 8
6x2 - 5.00" / 127 mm 38.0 cal Mk. 29 Mod. 0
7x4, 4x2 - 1.57" / 40.0 mm Bofors L/60
32x1 - 0.79" / 20.0 mm Oerlikon L/70
4x OS2U Kingfisher
Armour:
- Belts: Width (max) Length (avg) Height (avg)
Main: 8.00" / 203 mm 517.00 ft / 157.58 m 6.00 ft / 1.83 m
Ends: 4.00" / 102 mm 75.00 ft / 22.86 m 6.00 ft / 1.83 m
Machinery:
Oil fired boilers, steam turbines,
Geared drive, 4 shafts, 150,700 shp / 112,422 Kw = 32.50 kts
Range 12,000nm at 15.00 kts
Complement:
1,323
Cost:
$50.280 million

Following the explosion of USS Arkansas under suspect circumstances, Congress authorized her replacement as entitled under the Washington Naval Treaty. The new "Large Cruiser" designs were intended to serve as an intermediate between the standard battleships of the fleet and the faster scouting force. Originally designed in late 1937, Constitution was laid down in early 1939.

Completed in late 1941, Constitution was still undergoing sea trials at the time of Pearl Harbor and was spared as a result. The cruiser served in the Pacific Campaign and fought in several crucial battles including Midway, Guadalcanal, and Philippine Sea. Throughout the war, Constitution was reportedly falsely claimed to have been sunk at least twice by the Japanese before finally being destroyed during the Battle of Leyte Gulf after being caught out of position by Centre Force on her way to refuel. USS Constitution earned 13 battle stars over the course of WW2.

Planning for a large surface combatant to operate as a long-range raider was initiated by the Officine di Costruzione Navale (OCN) of the Royal Sicilian Navy as early as 1925. Planned to operate alongside Reichspakt naval forces from the German Empire and the Netherlands in the Indian Ocean from bases in Madagascar, the Dutch East Indies, and German Indochina, the idea was conceived at a time when a naval war against the Japanese Empire was still the most looming security threat to the Reichspakt alliance. Eventually, increased militarism from the French Commune and the Socialist Republic of Italy led the Sicilians to postpone such a project, and despite a temporary revival of interest in the concept by the Royal Italian Federation after that nation’s birth, the concept was finally shelved in the late 1930’s as resources were diverted to address more imminent threats far closer to home. Though it never came to fruition, the Concetto Incrociatore Allargato 1930 was unique in the history of Italian shipbuilding, a design conceived at a time when global commitments were the center of naval planning, but these grand visions were shortly dashed away when the threat next door came knocking. Nevertheless, the design proved interesting, and particulars were as follows:
-Displacement: 30,000 tons nominal
-Length: 235 meters (771 feet)
-Beam: 21.9 meters (72 feet)
-Draught: 15 meters (28 feet)
-Range: 8,300 nautical miles at 20 knots
As mentioned, the design was intended to function as a long-range raider, strangling Japanese commerce in the Indian Ocean and Southeast Asia by overcoming escorted convoys from Japanese bases and allies with its superior firepower, and fleeing from anything it couldn’t outgun. This was deemed the most affordable way to deal with the Japanese threat at sea, as it would force the Japanese to disperse their otherwise locally superior naval forces to engage Reichspakt raiders that would be scattered across the region at the outset of hostilities, freeing Reichspakt planners from having to dedicate significant naval resources to the theater when they were needed closer to home.
To accomplish the task of outgunning anything it couldn’t outrun, the design was to be armed with nine Cannone da 280/28 quick-firing guns in three triple turrets. Based on German designs of the same caliber, they were adapted to fit in locally-designed turrets and could fire a 660-pound AP shell at a velocity of 3,000 feet per second to a distance of ~43,000 yards. No less than eight guns were actually manufactured by the ordnance factory at Mongiana, though these never saw service at sea and went on to serve as railway artillery or coast defense guns. Secondary armament consisted of 16 x Cannone da 120/35 in eight twin semi-enclosed turrets. With a maximum elevation of 75 degrees and a rate of fire of 15-18 rounds per minute, they also were intended for use against aerial targets. Anti-aircraft armament was rounded out by a very modern and ambitious fit of seven quadruple 37-mm Cannone Mitragliera da 37/34 gas-operated magazine-fed automatic cannons with a practical sustained rate of fire of around 170 rounds per minute. Also included in the armament fit, and deemed mandatory for raiding duties, were a pair of quadruple 53.3cm (21.0 in) torpedo tubes in armored box launchers astern. Fire control for the secondary battery was somewhat hampered by the presence of only one director aft, as opposed to the pair forwards, which made directing the fire of the guns to both sides simultaneously practically impossible.
The hull design itself was very sleek, with an aggressively raked bow for operating in the open ocean, while two thin military pole masts and a pair of large funnels dominated the otherwise low and minimalistic silhouette. Boats were stored amidships, serviced by a large crane, while liferafts and smaller boats were to be fitted alongside the turrets and astern during regular service. A German-built catapult for a single Heinkel He 114 seaplane was also mounted astern.
Armor protection was relatively light, with the idea being that the quality of the German-made armor plate would make up for the sheer lack of thickness, and that speed would allow the vessel’s commander to break off and engage at his choosing, staying out of the range of enemy guns. Therefore, belt armor was maintained at a conservative 105mm (4.1in), deck armor at 45mm (1.8in), and turret armor at 140mm (5.5in.) Underwater protection was substantial, with the habitual excellent degree of internal compartmentalization and subdivision.
The intended design speed of 32 knots was to be achieved through a powerful plant of eight German-designed high-pressure oil-fired boilers license built at the Ferdinandea foundry supplying steam to four Brown-Boveri steam turbine sets to be imported from Switzerland via Austria-Hungary (the S.R.I. blocked any transfer of industrial or defense-related equipment to the Federation through its territory.) The engine plants were to have a rated output of 155,000shp on four shafts, each driving a three-bladed bronze propeller that was around 4.5 meters (15 feet) in diameter. Bunkerage capacity was to be sufficient for 8,300 nautical miles at 20 knots, which was believed sufficient to mount long-range raiding operations in the South Pacific and Indian Ocean, both of which featured a multitude of Reichspakt bases at which the vessels could refuel and rearm.
In the end, only one of the planned pair of ships was laid down, with only the keel being laid at Castellammare di Stabia in April 1934. No progress was made nor was a name even assigned to the vessel until the decision was made to scrap the keel and divert the material towards the navy’s destroyer program. The main battery guns were diverted to serve as coastal and railway artillery pieces, while the secondary battery guns were distributed to several units of the Capitani-class destroyers, who utilized the same armament. The decision to scrap the vessels was made following the outbreak of war between the S.R.I. and the R.I.F. in 1938, as resources were desperately needed to maintain the offensive against the socialists on land, and the navy was re-oriented for combat far closer to home.

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Best regards,

RegiaMarina1939

Okay, RAIDER, frankfletcher, & RegiaMarina, you just made voting even harder for me! All three of those are beyond beautiful, but special mention has to go to RegiaMarina...the elongated graceful bow on that ship is positively drool-inducing! Bravo!

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MS State Guard - 08 March 2014 - 28 January 2023

The Official IJN Ships & Planes List

#FJB

Thank you! With the quality of these other entries I'm not optimistic about my chances of a victory but hopefully I'll do alright this time around!

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Best regards,

RegiaMarina1939

Tsukuba-Class Battlecrusier




Tsukuba-Class Battlecruiser is a class of four battlecruisers built as an alternative subclass of the Tokiwa-Class (B-65 cruiser). Developed as a "Fast Supercrusier" it was a need after the events that occurred during the Second Sino-Japanese War after IJN Kongo was heavily damaged and destroyed against the Chinese navy in the earlier period. On which the Admiralty envisioned by the IJN, the cruisers were to play a key role in the Night Battle Force portion of the "Decisive battle" strategy which Japan hoped to employ in the event of war against the United States Navy. Naval Only Two battlecruisers were managed to be developed. And was limited only to operating within Southeast Asia. Lead ship IJN Tsukuba assisted in the Fall of Singapore.


General characteristics.

Type Super Type B cruiser

Displacement

Standard: 30,100 t

Full-load: 35,000 t

Length

240 m (790 ft) length at the waterline

246.2 m (808 ft) length overall

Beam 27.2 m (89 ft)

Draft 8.8 m (29 ft)


Propulsion Four sets of geared turbines and eight Kampon boilers

Endurance 8,000 mi (13,000 km) at 18 kn (21 mph; 33 km/h)

Armament

9 × 310 mm (12.2 in)/50 caliber guns

6 × twin 12.7 cm (5 in) guns

18 × 25 mm (1 in) Type 96 anti-aircraft guns

Armor
Belt: 150 mm

Barbettes: 210 mm (8.3 in) to 190 mm (7.5 in)

Conning tower sides: 180 mm (7.1 in)

Conning tower roof: 125 mm (4.9 in)

Deck: 125 mm (5 in)

Aircraft carried

2 Aichi E13A

Ships of Class (2) outta 5 proposed.

Lead Ship. JN Tsukuba

JN Tokiwa

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Following the Defeat of Japan, despite having managed to maintain a large sum of Terrority within Alaska and even most countries in Asia. it gave them leverage on the peace terms and allowed Japan to retain some of its military aspects. Despite losing most of their navy during the Battle of the Philippine Sea. Leyte Gulf and Battle of Kuril Islands against a joint Soviet-American fleet. they had obtained surviving ships including the lead ship JN Tsukuba. her sister ship was sunk in Leyte following heavy attacks by American torpedo/Dive bombers making her one of the few capital ships to survive the conflict.

Despite surviving the war. she managed to lose her rear turret after a heavy bombing raid. despite the navy wanting to retire to maintain the survival of the country, the navy Re-commission the ship in 1952. after recent events occurred by the Soviet Union including the invasion of the Middle East and the rising communists in Southeast Asia. after years of repairs were done. the ship would receive modern radar and electronics and its rear gun would be replaced with US-made RIM-8 Talos following it being ideal due to its range and size allowing it to be capable.

Small events over Vietnam and even the recent events over India ocean during the small conflict of the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971. By 1992 due to heavy maintenance costs and her outdated design and replacement of the Kongo class Missile destroyers. she would retire and scrapped in the 2000s.








JN Tokiwa Armament

9 × 310 mm (12.2 in)/50 calibre guns

6 × twin 12.7 cm (5 in) guns

18 × 25 mm (1 in) Type 96 anti-aircraft guns

1 x 5-inch/54-caliber Mark 16 gun

8 x 3-inch/50-caliber gun

1 x RIM-8 Talos launcher.