WesWorld

Thoughts?

Filipino Romblon-class light cruiser, laid down 1930

Displacement:
5,600 t light; 5,857 t standard; 6,648 t normal; 7,281 t full load

Dimensions: Length overall / water x beam x draught
564.95 ft / 547.90 ft x 54.79 ft x 17.22 ft (normal load)
172.20 m / 167.00 m x 16.70 m x 5.25 m

Armament:
8 - 6.10" / 155 mm guns (4x2 guns), 120.00lbs / 54.43kg shells, 1926 Model
Breech loading guns in turrets (on barbettes)
on centreline ends, evenly spread, 2 raised mounts - superfiring
8 - 2.95" / 75.0 mm guns (4x2 guns), 13.00lbs / 5.90kg shells, 1926 Model
Dual purpose guns in deck mounts with hoists
on side ends, evenly spread
8 - 1.38" / 35.0 mm guns (4x2 guns), 1.32lbs / 0.60kg shells, 1930 Model
Anti-aircraft guns in deck mounts
on side, all amidships, all raised mounts
8 - 0.54" / 13.7 mm guns (2x4 guns), 0.11lbs / 0.05kg shells, 1926 Model
Anti-aircraft guns in deck mounts
on centreline ends, evenly spread, all raised mounts - superfiring

Weight of broadside 1,075 lbs / 488 kg
Shells per gun, main battery: 200

12 - 24.0" / 610 mm above water torpedoes

Armour:
- Belts: Width (max) Length (avg) Height (avg)
Main: 1.97" / 50 mm 393.70 ft / 120.00 m 9.02 ft / 2.75 m
Ends: Unarmoured
Main Belt covers 111 % of normal length

- Gun armour: Face (max) Other gunhouse (avg) Barbette/hoist (max)
Main: 2.95" / 75 mm 1.97" / 50 mm 1.57" / 40 mm
2nd: 1.18" / 30 mm 0.79" / 20 mm 0.98" / 25 mm
3rd: 0.79" / 20 mm - -
4th: 0.59" / 15 mm - -

- Armour deck: 1.57" / 40 mm, Conning tower: 3.15" / 80 mm

Machinery:
Oil fired boilers, steam turbines,
Geared drive, 4 shafts, 62,500 shp / 46,625 Kw = 32.74 kts
Range 8,250nm at 15.00 kts (Bunkerage = 1,424 tons)

Complement:
367 - 478

Cost:
£2.378 million / $9.510 million

Distribution of weights at normal displacement:
Armament: 128 tons, 1.9 %
Armour: 1,055 tons, 15.9 %
- Belts: 286 tons, 4.3 %
- Torpedo bulkhead: 0 tons, 0.0 %
- Armament: 166 tons, 2.5 %
- Armour Deck: 579 tons, 8.7 %
- Conning Tower: 24 tons, 0.4 %
Machinery: 1,894 tons, 28.5 %
Hull, fittings & equipment: 2,423 tons, 36.4 %
Fuel, ammunition & stores: 1,048 tons, 15.8 %
Miscellaneous weights: 100 tons, 1.5 %

Overall survivability and seakeeping ability:
Survivability (Non-critical penetrating hits needed to sink ship):
6,348 lbs / 2,879 Kg = 55.9 x 6.1 " / 155 mm shells or 1.2 torpedoes
Stability (Unstable if below 1.00): 1.18
Metacentric height 2.8 ft / 0.8 m
Roll period: 13.9 seconds
Steadiness - As gun platform (Average = 50 %): 70 %
- Recoil effect (Restricted arc if above 1.00): 0.47
Seaboat quality (Average = 1.00): 1.23

Hull form characteristics:
Hull has rise forward of midbreak
and transom stern
Block coefficient: 0.450
Length to Beam Ratio: 10.00 : 1
'Natural speed' for length: 26.88 kts
Power going to wave formation at top speed: 57 %
Trim (Max stability = 0, Max steadiness = 100): 57
Bow angle (Positive = bow angles forward): 25.00 degrees
Stern overhang: 3.28 ft / 1.00 m
Freeboard (% = measuring location as a percentage of overall length):
- Stem: 29.53 ft / 9.00 m
- Forecastle (20 %): 22.97 ft / 7.00 m
- Mid (65 %): 21.33 ft / 6.50 m (13.12 ft / 4.00 m aft of break)
- Quarterdeck (15 %): 13.12 ft / 4.00 m
- Stern: 13.12 ft / 4.00 m
- Average freeboard: 19.68 ft / 6.00 m

Ship space, strength and comments:
Space - Hull below water (magazines/engines, low = better): 109.7 %
- Above water (accommodation/working, high = better): 127.9 %
Waterplane Area: 19,891 Square feet or 1,848 Square metres
Displacement factor (Displacement / loading): 111 %
Structure weight / hull surface area: 75 lbs/sq ft or 365 Kg/sq metre
Hull strength (Relative):
- Cross-sectional: 0.75
- Longitudinal: 1.36
- Overall: 0.80
Hull space for machinery, storage, compartmentation is adequate
Room for accommodation and workspaces is excellent
Ship has slow, easy roll, a good, steady gun platform
Good seaboat, rides out heavy weather easily

Main guns fitted with liners to 152mm; 108-lb shells

Misc weight:
50t catapult + aircraft
25t flag facilities
25t climatisation

Not bad, liners for only 3 mm difference, why bother????

Speed's good, as is gun armament and torpedos. Seakeeping, stability, and survivability is also good. Taking 1.2 torpedos to sink might save a good many of her crew if she takes underwater damage.

Turret armor is adequate. Deck armor is probably a bit excessive, especially in view of the weak belt.

The belt armor is vulverable to some of the more powerful cruiser secondary guns, such as the Russian 100mm/56 or the Italian 100mm/65, at expected cruiser gun engagement ranges.

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The belt armor is vulverable to some of the more powerful cruiser secondary guns, such as the Russian 100mm/56 or the Italian 100mm/65, at expected cruiser gun engagement ranges.

There are no SAP or AP shells for the 100/65. There is simply no point. There are only starshells, HE and alt. fused AA shells. I do have a little something up my sleave against surface targets though...

I've got to ask, what are they for?

Deck space is probably a real problem as well.

Quoted

I do have a little something up my sleave against surface targets though...

Ye got a couple of Harpoons ready, Ahab? :-)

Quoted

liners for only 3 mm difference, why bother????

If the Treaty is revised to allow 155mm guns on CLs, I won't bother. ;-)

Quoted

The belt armor is vulverable to some of the more powerful cruiser secondary guns

Fair point; but I'll probably leave it and call it a "realistic design flaw".

The turret armour is 'standarised' throughout the Fleet for 155mm twin and triple mounts (tho I had to shave 10mm off the barbette).

Quoted

Deck space is probably a real problem as well.

I looked it up and they're only a tick smaller than India's Agras (167x16.7 vs 170x17) so there should be room.

Quoted

I've got to ask, what are they for?

Generic cruiser duties. As they get older, probably shifted to battleline escort.

I've got my Future Cruiser Plan working something like this:
4xCL30
4-6xCL34 (10x155mm)
4xCL37 (12x155mm)
4-6xCLAA40 (Dido-type)

One thing that would help evaluate a SS design is more of the rationale behind the ship.
For example: this is in response to a government request for a ship with x characteristics.
Or alternatively, Nation x has begun be build a new class of ships and we need to develop a comtemporary/superior design

I fail to see the need to increase the CL caliber by 3mm to get a 6.1" design, hell why not shoot for an even 160mm/6.25" caliber? At that rate the gun calibers are escalating which is exactly what the treaty is trying to prevent.

Now if the Philippines preposed that the class A and B clasifications be dropped I could see that serving the purposes of other navy's who need small 8" cruisers for trade protection.