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Monday, June 11, 2007

An anchronistic Inflexible design

I was reviewing my notebook from early 1999 and saw the anachronistic Inflexible drawing. I decided to try a Springsharp 3.0b1 Beta design, based on the drawing. I was rather disappointed, in that the largest guns that I was able to mount are 12.5in/45 BLR. I had done a 10in/45 design last night, since the Wikipedia entry claimed that the guns were 31 tons, but I know that they were 16in 80 ton guns in the original Inflexible. I had wrongly given the design end armour instead of just relying on the armoured deck. I rectified that flaw and could move from 12in to 12.5in/45 guns firing a 985 lbs shot. The armour basis is 12in with a 3in deck. The speed is 16 knots with a 12 knot cruising speed for 4,500nm. I did only use complex reciprocating engines with coal-fired boilers. This is the Springsharp report:
Inflexible, anachronistic, Great Britain Battleship laid down 1907

Displacement:
 9,579 t light; 10,004 t standard; 10,905 t normal; 11,626 t full load

Dimensions: Length (overall / waterline) x beam x draught (normal/deep)
 (351.80 ft / 344.00 ft) x 75.00 ft x (26.00 / 27.38 ft)
 (107.23 m / 104.85 m) x 22.86 m  x (7.92 / 8.34 m)

Armament:
      4 - 12.50" / 318 mm 45.0 cal guns - 985.00lbs / 446.79kg shells, 90 per gun
   Breech loading guns in turret on barbette mounts , 1907 Model
   2 x Twin mounts on centreline ends, evenly spread
      6 - 3.45" / 87.6 mm 45.0 cal guns - 20.00lbs / 9.07kg shells, 150 per gun
   Quick firing guns in turret on barbette mounts , 1907 Model
   1 x Twin mount on centreline, forward evenly spread
  1 raised mount
   2 x Single mounts on sides, aft deck forward
  2 raised mounts
 Weight of broadside 4,060 lbs / 4,060 kg

Armour:
   - Belts:  Width (max) Length (avg)  Height (avg)
 Main: 12.0" / 305 mm 230.00 ft / 70.10 m 8.00 ft / 2.44 m
 Ends: Unarmoured
 Upper: 8.00" / 203 mm 230.00 ft / 70.10 m 8.00 ft / 2.44 m
   Main Belt covers 103 % of normal length

   - Torpedo Bulkhead:
  3.00" / 76 mm 230.00 ft / 70.10 m 26.00 ft / 7.92 m

   - Gun armour: Face (max) Other gunhouse (avg) Barbette/hoist (max)
 Main: 12.0" / 305 mm 8.00" / 203 mm  12.0" / 305 mm
 2nd: 5.00" / 127 mm 3.00" / 76 mm  5.00" / 127 mm

   - Armour deck: 4.00" / 102 mm, Conning tower: 12.00" / 305 mm

Machinery:
 Coal and oil fired boilers, reciprocating cruising steam engines plus steam turbines, 
 ERROR: Revise drives, 2 shafts, 7,873 ihp / 5,873 Kw = 16.00 kts
 Range 4,500nm at 12.00 kts
 Bunker at max displacement = 1,622 tons (100% coal)

Complement:
 533 - 693

Cost:
 £0.803 million / $3.213 million

Distribution of weights at normal displacement:
 Armament: 727 tons, 6.7 %
 Armour: 4,804 tons, 44.1 %
    - Belts: 1,652 tons, 15.1 %
    - Torpedo bulkhead: 664 tons, 6.1 %
    - Armament: 1,005 tons, 9.2 %
    - Armour Deck: 1,356 tons, 12.4 %
    - Conning Tower: 127 tons, 1.2 %
 Machinery: 630 tons, 5.8 %
 Hull, fittings & equipment: 3,693 tons, 33.9 %
 Fuel, ammunition & stores: 1,326 tons, 12.2 %
 Miscellaneous weights: 0 tons, 0.0 %

Overall survivability and seakeeping ability:
 Survivability (Non-critical penetrating hits needed to sink ship):
   22,162 lbs / 10,052 Kg = 22.7 x 12.5 " / 318 mm shells or 5.5 torpedoes
 Stability (Unstable if below 1.00): 1.21
 Metacentric height 4.6 ft / 1.4 m
 Roll period: 14.7 seconds
 Steadiness - As gun platform (Average = 50 %): 100 %
   - Recoil effect (Restricted arc if above 1.00): 0.64
 Seaboat quality  (Average = 1.00): 2.00

Hull form characteristics:
 Hull has a flush deck,
   an extended bulbous bow and a cruiser stern
 Block coefficient (normal/deep): 0.569 / 0.576
 Length to Beam Ratio: 4.59 : 1
 'Natural speed' for length: 18.55 kts
 Power going to wave formation at top speed: 47 %
 Trim (Max stability = 0, Max steadiness = 100): 50
 Bow angle (Positive = bow angles forward): 9.00 degrees
 Stern overhang: 4.00 ft / 1.22 m
 Freeboard (% = length of deck as a percentage of waterline length):
    Fore end,  Aft end
    - Forecastle: 24.00 %,  24.00 ft / 7.32 m,  19.00 ft / 5.79 m
    - Forward deck: 30.00 %,  19.00 ft / 5.79 m,  18.00 ft / 5.49 m
    - Aft deck: 26.00 %,  18.00 ft / 5.49 m,  18.00 ft / 5.49 m
    - Quarter deck: 20.00 %,  18.00 ft / 5.49 m,  19.00 ft / 5.79 m
    - Average freeboard:  18.97 ft / 5.78 m

Ship space, strength and comments:
 Space - Hull below water (magazines/engines, low = better): 69.3 %
  - Above water (accommodation/working, high = better): 119.7 %
 Waterplane Area: 18,329 Square feet or 1,703 Square metres
 Displacement factor (Displacement / loading): 113 %
 Structure weight / hull surface area: 135 lbs/sq ft or 659 Kg/sq metre
 Hull strength (Relative):
  - Cross-sectional: 0.86
  - Longitudinal: 4.11
  - Overall: 1.00
 Hull space for machinery, storage, compartmentation is excellent
 Room for accommodation and workspaces is adequate
 Ship has slow, easy roll, a good, steady gun platform
 Excellent seaboat, comfortable, can fire her guns in the heaviest weather

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