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Thursday, May 08, 2008

My 1906 British fast battleship

I have had a concept for a British fast battleship for 1906. The boilers are coal-fired and the machinery is direct-drive turbines. I like to use a good bit of length to achieve speed, to keep other characteristics in check. This is a ship with 8-12in/45 and 16-4in QF guns. The armour basis is 10in with a 2in deck. Since the tiny Michigan and South Carolina had superfiring guns, I figure that the ships should have them as well. The "all-or-nothing" armour scheme is rather edgy, I admit. This is the Springsharp report:
GB/BB/1906, Great Britain Battleship laid down 1906 (Engine 1911)

Displacement:
 19,696 t light; 20,703 t standard; 24,948 t normal; 28,343 t full load

Dimensions: Length (overall / waterline) x beam x draught (normal/deep)
 (635.00 ft / 628.00 ft) x 82.00 ft x (27.00 / 30.07 ft)
 (193.55 m / 191.41 m) x 24.99 m  x (8.23 / 9.17 m)

Armament:
      8 - 12.00" / 305 mm 45.0 cal guns - 871.37lbs / 395.24kg shells, 120 per gun
   Breech loading guns in turret on barbette mounts, 1906 Model
   4 x Twin mounts on centreline ends, evenly spread
  2 raised mounts - superfiring
      16 - 4.00" / 102 mm 45.0 cal guns - 32.27lbs / 14.64kg shells, 150 per gun
   Quick firing guns in casemate mounts, 1906 Model
   16 x Single mounts on sides, evenly spread
  8 raised mounts
      Weight of broadside 7,487 lbs / 3,396 kg

Armour:
   - Belts:  Width (max) Length (avg)  Height (avg)
 Main: 10.0" / 254 mm 410.00 ft / 124.97 m 9.00 ft / 2.74 m
 Ends: Unarmoured
 Upper: 8.00" / 203 mm 410.00 ft / 124.97 m 8.00 ft / 2.44 m
   Main Belt covers 100 % of normal length

   - Torpedo Bulkhead - Additional damage containing bulkheads:
  2.00" / 51 mm 410.00 ft / 124.97 m 27.00 ft / 8.23 m
 Beam between torpedo bulkheads 56.00 ft / 17.07 m

   - Gun armour: Face (max) Other gunhouse (avg) Barbette/hoist (max)
 Main: 11.0" / 279 mm 9.00" / 229 mm  11.0" / 279 mm
 2nd: 4.00" / 102 mm 4.00" / 102 mm  4.00" / 102 mm

   - Armoured deck - multiple decks:
 For and Aft decks: 2.00" / 51 mm
 Forecastle: 2.00" / 51 mm  Quarter deck: 2.00" / 51 mm

   - Conning towers: Forward 11.00" / 279 mm, Aft 8.00" / 203 mm

Machinery:
 Coal fired boilers, steam turbines, 
 Direct drive, 4 shafts, 50,568 shp / 37,724 Kw = 24.00 kts
 Range 7,500nm at 16.00 kts
 Bunker at max displacement = 7,640 tons (100% coal)

Complement:
 992 - 1,290

Cost:
 £1.681 million / $6.724 million

Distribution of weights at normal displacement:
 Armament: 1,331 tons, 5.3 %
    - Guns: 1,331 tons, 5.3 %
 Armour: 7,625 tons, 30.6 %
    - Belts: 2,694 tons, 10.8 %
    - Torpedo bulkhead: 819 tons, 3.3 %
    - Armament: 2,323 tons, 9.3 %
    - Armour Deck: 1,439 tons, 5.8 %
    - Conning Towers: 349 tons, 1.4 %
 Machinery: 2,257 tons, 9.0 %
 Hull, fittings & equipment: 8,483 tons, 34.0 %
 Fuel, ammunition & stores: 5,251 tons, 21.0 %
 Miscellaneous weights: 0 tons, 0.0 %

Overall survivability and seakeeping ability:
 Survivability (Non-critical penetrating hits needed to sink ship):
   50,065 lbs / 22,709 Kg = 57.9 x 12.0 " / 305 mm shells or 8.4 torpedoes
 Stability (Unstable if below 1.00): 1.09
 Metacentric height 4.4 ft / 1.3 m
 Roll period: 16.5 seconds
 Steadiness - As gun platform (Average = 50 %): 81 %
   - Recoil effect (Restricted arc if above 1.00): 0.95
 Seaboat quality  (Average = 1.00): 1.63

Hull form characteristics:
 Hull has low quarterdeck ,
   a ram bow and a cruiser stern
 Block coefficient (normal/deep): 0.628 / 0.641
 Length to Beam Ratio: 7.66 : 1
 'Natural speed' for length: 25.06 kts
 Power going to wave formation at top speed: 47 %
 Trim (Max stability = 0, Max steadiness = 100): 50
 Bow angle (Positive = bow angles forward): -3.00 degrees
 Stern overhang: -2.00 ft / -0.61 m
 Freeboard (% = length of deck as a percentage of waterline length):
    Fore end,  Aft end
    - Forecastle: 25.00 %,  28.00 ft / 8.53 m,  26.00 ft / 7.92 m
    - Forward deck: 30.00 %,  26.00 ft / 7.92 m,  25.00 ft / 7.62 m
    - Aft deck: 14.00 %,  25.00 ft / 7.62 m,  25.00 ft / 7.62 m
    - Quarter deck: 31.00 %,  17.00 ft / 5.18 m,  17.00 ft / 5.18 m
    - Average freeboard:  23.12 ft / 7.05 m

Ship space, strength and comments:
 Space - Hull below water (magazines/engines, low = better): 80.7 %
  - Above water (accommodation/working, high = better): 188.1 %
 Waterplane Area: 38,657 Square feet or 3,591 Square metres
 Displacement factor (Displacement / loading): 134 %
 Structure weight / hull surface area: 157 lbs/sq ft or 765 Kg/sq metre
 Hull strength (Relative):
  - Cross-sectional: 0.96
  - Longitudinal: 1.57
  - Overall: 1.00
 Excellent machinery, storage, compartmentation space
 Excellent accommodation and workspace room
 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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