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Thursday, August 09, 2007

The 1903 Battleship-Cruiser with superfiring guns

I was looking at my photo of the GB/BB/1903 battleship-cruiser and was dissatisfied with the version that had guns in echelon. I decided to see what could be done with superfiring turrets. I did slightly lengthen the ship as well as change the gun layout. The result was very much to my liking:
GB/BB/1903, Great Britain Battleship-Cruiser laid down 1903 (Engine 1908)

Displacement:
 21,737 t light; 22,682 t standard; 25,251 t normal; 27,307 t full load

Dimensions: Length (overall / waterline) x beam x draught (normal/deep)
 (593.00 ft / 585.00 ft) x 82.00 ft x (28.00 / 29.94 ft)
 (180.75 m / 178.31 m) x 24.99 m  x (8.53 / 9.13 m)

Armament:
      8 - 12.00" / 305 mm 45.0 cal guns - 850.00lbs / 385.55kg shells, 90 per gun
   Breech loading guns in turret on barbette mounts, 1903 Model
   4 x Twin mounts on centreline ends, evenly spread
  2 raised mounts - superfiring
      12 - 6.00" / 152 mm 45.0 cal guns - 100.00lbs / 45.36kg shells, 150 per gun
   Quick firing guns in casemate mounts, 1903 Model
   6 x Single mounts on sides, forward deck aft
   6 x Single mounts on sides, aft deck forward
      Weight of broadside 8,000 lbs / 3,629 kg

Armour:
   - Belts:  Width (max) Length (avg)  Height (avg)
 Main: 11.0" / 279 mm 380.00 ft / 115.82 m 8.00 ft / 2.44 m
 Ends: 4.00" / 102 mm 120.00 ft / 36.58 m 12.00 ft / 3.66 m
   85.00 ft / 25.91 m Unarmoured ends
 Upper: 8.00" / 203 mm 380.00 ft / 115.82 m 8.00 ft / 2.44 m
   Main Belt covers 100 % of normal length
   Main belt does not fully cover magazines and engineering spaces

   - Torpedo Bulkhead:
  2.00" / 51 mm 380.00 ft / 115.82 m 26.00 ft / 7.92 m

   - Gun armour: Face (max) Other gunhouse (avg) Barbette/hoist (max)
 Main: 11.0" / 279 mm 8.00" / 203 mm  11.0" / 279 mm
 2nd: 5.00" / 127 mm 4.00" / 102 mm  5.00" / 127 mm

   - Protected deck - single deck: 3.00" / 76 mm For and Aft decks
 Forecastle: 3.00" / 76 mm  Quarter deck: 3.00" / 76 mm

   - Conning towers: Forward 11.00" / 279 mm,  Aft 0.00" / 0 mm

Machinery:
 Coal fired boilers, complex reciprocating steam engines, 
 Direct drive, 4 shafts, 52,999 ihp / 39,537 Kw = 24.00 kts
 Range 5,600nm at 14.00 kts
 Bunker at max displacement = 4,625 tons (100% coal)

Complement:
 1,001 - 1,302

Cost:
 £2.148 million / $8.591 million

Distribution of weights at normal displacement:
 Armament: 1,462 tons, 5.8 %
 Armour: 7,770 tons, 30.8 %
    - Belts: 2,712 tons, 10.7 %
    - Torpedo bulkhead: 731 tons, 2.9 %
    - Armament: 2,053 tons, 8.1 %
    - Armour Deck: 2,070 tons, 8.2 %
    - Conning Tower: 204 tons, 0.8 %
 Machinery: 4,818 tons, 19.1 %
 Hull, fittings & equipment: 7,687 tons, 30.4 %
 Fuel, ammunition & stores: 3,515 tons, 13.9 %
 Miscellaneous weights: 0 tons, 0.0 %

Overall survivability and seakeeping ability:
 Survivability (Non-critical penetrating hits needed to sink ship):
   29,490 lbs / 13,376 Kg = 34.1 x 12.0 " / 305 mm shells or 4.0 torpedoes
 Stability (Unstable if below 1.00): 1.15
 Metacentric height 4.8 ft / 1.5 m
 Roll period: 15.7 seconds
 Steadiness - As gun platform (Average = 50 %): 68 %
   - Recoil effect (Restricted arc if above 1.00): 0.73
 Seaboat quality  (Average = 1.00): 1.36

Hull form characteristics:
 Hull has rise forward of midbreak,
   a ram bow and a cruiser stern
 Block coefficient (normal/deep): 0.658 / 0.665
 Length to Beam Ratio: 7.13 : 1
 'Natural speed' for length: 24.19 kts
 Power going to wave formation at top speed: 51 %
 Trim (Max stability = 0, Max steadiness = 100): 50
 Bow angle (Positive = bow angles forward): -3.00 degrees
 Stern overhang: -3.00 ft / -0.91 m
 Freeboard (% = length of deck as a percentage of waterline length):
    Fore end,  Aft end
    - Forecastle: 30.00 %,  25.00 ft / 7.62 m,  25.00 ft / 7.62 m
    - Forward deck: 33.00 %,  25.00 ft / 7.62 m,  25.00 ft / 7.62 m
    - Aft deck: 22.00 %,  17.00 ft / 5.18 m,  17.00 ft / 5.18 m
    - Quarter deck: 15.00 %,  17.00 ft / 5.18 m,  17.00 ft / 5.18 m
    - Average freeboard:  22.04 ft / 6.72 m
 Ship tends to be wet forward

Ship space, strength and comments:
 Space - Hull below water (magazines/engines, low = better): 116.0 %
  - Above water (accommodation/working, high = better): 153.6 %
 Waterplane Area: 37,018 Square feet or 3,439 Square metres
 Displacement factor (Displacement / loading): 104 %
 Structure weight / hull surface area: 152 lbs/sq ft or 743 Kg/sq metre
 Hull strength (Relative):
  - Cross-sectional: 0.96
  - Longitudinal: 1.52
  - Overall: 1.00
 Hull space for machinery, storage, compartmentation is cramped
 Room for accommodation and workspaces is excellent
 Good seaboat, rides out heavy weather easily

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