Shipbucket

Yes, tha hangar is the structure aft where the mast and crane is. The catapults are offset to the sides to allow space for the planes to be put into place by the crane. Then the wings are unfolded, and the plane is readied for launch. The scout planes are indeed useful, as the only scout ships in the navy at the time was the Omaha class. The Lexington and Saratoga were now commisioned until 1927, and the Langley was only an experimental carrier, leaving no flattops at the time these ships "were" designed and "built." It is indeed a very unconventional design, even more so if I had stuck to the Three turrets in front of the superstructure as originally envisioned. My original design also did not include tripods, but rather two tall, thick Towers for the directors.

An unconventional design but one that has real-world roots and especially so given the hybrid carrier-battleship designs that the USN studied, especially when they thought the British Nelsons were hybrids.
Would also make a nice replacement for the Lexington class battlecruisers too.

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Hood's Worklist
English Electric Canberra FD
Interwar RN Capital Ships
Super-Darings
Never-Were British Aircraft

I have done some finishing touches on the Delaware and I have made a SS report. I had to increase the length and thickness of the armor belt, increase the armor on both the armored deck and conning Tower past that of my original intention just to get the strength to 1.0. More and thicker armor=better.

USS Delaware, USA, Battleship laid down 1923

Displacement:
41 911 t light; 44 501 t standard; 45 841 t normal; 46 912 t full load

Dimensions: Length overall / water x beam x draught
841,50 ft / 818,50 ft x 108,00 ft x 33,00 ft (normal load)
256,49 m / 249,48 m x 32,92 m x 10,06 m

Armament:
9 - 16,00" / 406 mm guns (3x3 guns), 2 048,00lbs / 928,96kg shells, 1923 Model
Breech loading guns in turrets (on barbettes)
on centreline ends, majority forward, 1 raised mount - superfiring
12 - 6,00" / 152 mm guns (6x2 guns), 108,00lbs / 48,99kg shells, 1923 Model
Breech loading guns in deck mounts with hoists
on side, all amidships, 2 raised mounts - superfiring
8 - 3,00" / 76,2 mm guns in single mounts, 13,50lbs / 6,12kg shells, 1923 Model
Anti-aircraft guns in deck mounts
on side, evenly spread
Weight of broadside 19 836 lbs / 8 997 kg
Shells per gun, main battery: 150

Armour:
- Belts: Width (max) Length (avg) Height (avg)
Main: 14,0" / 356 mm 530,00 ft / 161,54 m 19,00 ft / 5,79 m
Ends: Unarmoured
Main Belt covers 100 % of normal length

- Torpedo Bulkhead:
3,50" / 89 mm 530,00 ft / 161,54 m 8,00 ft / 2,44 m

- Gun armour: Face (max) Other gunhouse (avg) Barbette/hoist (max)
Main: 18,0" / 457 mm 7,00" / 178 mm 13,0" / 330 mm

- Armour deck: 5,00" / 127 mm, Conning tower: 15,00" / 381 mm

Machinery:
Oil fired boilers, steam turbines,
Electric motors, 4 shafts, 156 318 shp / 116 613 Kw = 30,00 kts
Range 8 000nm at 10,00 kts
Bunker at max displacement = 2 411 tons

Complement:
1 566 - 2 036

Cost:
£12,454 million / $49,816 million

Distribution of weights at normal displacement:
Armament: 2 480 tons, 5,4 %
Armour: 15 882 tons, 34,6 %
- Belts: 6 044 tons, 13,2 %
- Torpedo bulkhead: 549 tons, 1,2 %
- Armament: 3 169 tons, 6,9 %
- Armour Deck: 5 707 tons, 12,4 %
- Conning Tower: 414 tons, 0,9 %
Machinery: 5 225 tons, 11,4 %
Hull, fittings & equipment: 18 124 tons, 39,5 %
Fuel, ammunition & stores: 3 930 tons, 8,6 %
Miscellaneous weights: 200 tons, 0,4 %

Overall survivability and seakeeping ability:
Survivability (Non-critical penetrating hits needed to sink ship):
55 257 lbs / 25 064 Kg = 27,0 x 16,0 " / 406 mm shells or 7,1 torpedoes
Stability (Unstable if below 1.00): 1,13
Metacentric height 7,0 ft / 2,1 m
Roll period: 17,1 seconds
Steadiness - As gun platform (Average = 50 %): 54 %
- Recoil effect (Restricted arc if above 1.00): 0,59
Seaboat quality (Average = 1.00): 1,08

Hull form characteristics:
Hull has raised forecastle, rise forward of midbreak, low quarterdeck
Block coefficient: 0,550
Length to Beam Ratio: 7,58 : 1
'Natural speed' for length: 28,61 kts
Power going to wave formation at top speed: 50 %
Trim (Max stability = 0, Max steadiness = 100): 50
Bow angle (Positive = bow angles forward): 37,48 degrees
Stern overhang: -3,00 ft / -0,91 m
Freeboard (% = measuring location as a percentage of overall length):
- Stem: 30,00 ft / 9,14 m
- Forecastle (20 %): 24,00 ft / 7,32 m (23,00 ft / 7,01 m aft of break)
- Mid (50 %): 23,00 ft / 7,01 m (16,00 ft / 4,88 m aft of break)
- Quarterdeck (15 %): 16,00 ft / 4,88 m (23,00 ft / 7,01 m before break)
- Stern: 17,00 ft / 5,18 m
- Average freeboard: 21,48 ft / 6,55 m
Ship tends to be wet forward

Ship space, strength and comments:
Space - Hull below water (magazines/engines, low = better): 97,8 %
- Above water (accommodation/working, high = better): 158,4 %
Waterplane Area: 61 692 Square feet or 5 731 Square metres
Displacement factor (Displacement / loading): 99 %
Structure weight / hull surface area: 212 lbs/sq ft or 1 036 Kg/sq metre
Hull strength (Relative):
- Cross-sectional: 0,98
- Longitudinal: 1,16
- Overall: 1,00
Hull space for machinery, storage, compartmentation is adequate
Room for accommodation and workspaces is excellent

Should I continue the evolution and go for a battleship design With 18 inch guns? If so, should it have four twin, three triple, or four triple turrets? Should she be as fast as the previouse designs, or should I return to a more modest speed of 23-25 kts?

IMHO I would go with 4 twins. Being this Main Battery will be heavier I would go to 23-24 knots in order to keep armor at an acceptable level.

USN doctrine would see no real value in a super-fast battleship in 1923. It'll stick with the battle line anyway, and the battle line is 23 knots.

I don't know, the general world wide trend was for faster capitol ships. I doubt the American battleships would be as fast as their British or Japanese contemporaries but I think they would be faster than the 21 knot big five and preceding dreadnoughts or the 23 knot South Dakotas. Maybe 26 knots with 4 twin 18 inch turrets. It may even be designed with a superstructure that resembles New Mexico's 1931 refit depending on when theses ships are being built.

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"All men dream, but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds wake in the day to find that it was vanity, but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act their dreams with open eyes, to make it possible. This I did." Thomas Edward Lawrence, The Seven Pillars of Wisdom

I have arrived at a conclusion, the ship class will be named Michigan. It is to be armed with 8x18 inch guns in four dual turrets. She will also be built With 8 dual 6 inch turrets. She will have a top speed of 25-26 knots. The ship is to be "commisioned" in 1927-1928. Therefore I will add a superstructure similar to that of the battleships refitted in 1925-1927, namely the Nevada and Pennsylvania classes. So far I have a preliminary design and have the hull done, the weapons except for 3 inch AA guns and Ma Deuces are done. Although there might be changes based on the feedback.

All of the surviving history and documentation makes it very clear that the US Navy recognized the importance of maintaining a cohesive battle line. That was the point of the Standards in the first place. There's very little sense in spending a huge amount of money and displacement on a very fast battleship when your doctrine and war plans require this ship to keep station with 21 knot stragglers.

Thinking had changed to a considerable extent by the mid 1930s.

I would argue that the thinking changed immediately following WWI. The only reason it doesn't manifest itself until the 1930's is the building holiday caused by the Washington Treaty prevented any post WWI designs from being completed (with the exception of Nelson which was limited in displacement).

The South Dakotas and Lexingtons already were a departure from the 21 knot battle line just like the Delaware class was a departure from the 18 knot battle line. All of the designs for post SoDak capitol ships were fast, just like all the post WWI pre treaty British and Japanese designs. Check out the designs in the Spring Styles book. http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/albums/s584-bb.htm

That said I don't want to get too argumentative on this thread. Love the designs so far, including the new WIP. Keep em coming.

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"All men dream, but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds wake in the day to find that it was vanity, but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act their dreams with open eyes, to make it possible. This I did." Thomas Edward Lawrence, The Seven Pillars of Wisdom