WesWorld

The last cruiser class was the Condotterri I, which were reasonably fast with adequate armour and firepower but unsuitable for real cruiser operations. The designers increased the displacement by about 2000tons giving a much larger, more seaworthy hull. Essentially the same powerplant was installed, a 2-shaft design with the machinery laid out on the unit principle.

The firepower is increased from Condottierri I. The 152mm/53 guns being of new construction, model 1928 which feature a few remedies to the earlier gun's faults. The guns are mounted further apart in the turret, about 2m apart. The new gun is able to fire twice as fast as the previous gun, about 8rpm up from 4rpm. The secondary armament is comprised of 6x130mm/45 guns. The large shells serve to augment the 152mm battery and are capable of AA barrage fire.

The armour is much improved from the previous class. There is a 30mm thick plate on the outer hull which is approximately 4m deep. Behind this is a 100mm belt angled at 12 degrees which joins the bottom of the 30mm section at the outer hull by a curved portion lower down. On top of this lies a 40mm lamina of deck armour which extends aft over the steering gear. As with the preceeding class, there is no deck armour forward of A turret. Using the US 6"/53 gun with a TA of 30 degrees, this weapon penetrates the belt armour at about 3000m.

There are two M.18 floatplanes for reconnaissance.

RM Luigi Cadorna, Italian Light Cruiser laid down 1928

Displacement:
8,068 t light; 8,380 t standard; 9,828 t normal; 10,986 t full load

Dimensions: Length overall / water x beam x draught
608.99 ft / 590.55 ft x 60.70 ft x 21.33 ft (normal load)
185.62 m / 180.00 m x 18.50 m x 6.50 m

Armament:
8 - 5.98" / 152 mm guns (4x2 guns), 110.23lbs / 50.00kg shells, 1928 Model
Breech loading guns in turrets (on barbettes)
on centreline ends, evenly spread, 2 raised mounts - superfiring
6 - 5.12" / 130 mm guns in single mounts, 61.73lbs / 28.00kg shells, 1928 Model
Anti-aircraft guns in deck mounts with hoists
on side ends, evenly spread
20 - 1.46" / 37.0 mm guns (5x4 guns), 1.55lbs / 0.70kg shells, 1928 Model
Anti-aircraft guns in deck mounts
on side, evenly spread, 1 raised mount
12 - 0.79" / 20.0 mm guns in single mounts, 0.24lbs / 0.11kg shells, 1928 Model
Anti-aircraft guns in deck mounts
on side, all amidships
Weight of broadside 1,286 lbs / 583 kg
Shells per gun, main battery: 150
12 - 23.6" / 600 mm above water torpedoes

Armour:
- Belts: Width (max) Length (avg) Height (avg)
Main: 3.94" / 100 mm 370.73 ft / 113.00 m 9.84 ft / 3.00 m
Ends: Unarmoured
Upper: 1.18" / 30 mm 370.73 ft / 113.00 m 13.12 ft / 4.00 m
Main Belt covers 97 % of normal length

- Gun armour: Face (max) Other gunhouse (avg) Barbette/hoist (max)
Main: 5.31" / 135 mm 2.76" / 70 mm 3.94" / 100 mm
2nd: 1.18" / 30 mm 0.79" / 20 mm -
3rd: 0.39" / 10 mm - -

- Armour deck: 1.39" / 35 mm, Conning tower: 5.91" / 150 mm

Machinery:
Oil fired boilers, steam turbines,
Geared drive, 2 shafts, 80,000 shp / 59,680 Kw = 31.81 kts
Range 5,725nm at 20.00 kts
Bunker at max displacement = 2,605 tons

Complement:
493 - 641

Cost:
£2.928 million / $11.712 million

Distribution of weights at normal displacement:
Armament: 162 tons, 1.6 %
Armour: 1,806 tons, 18.4 %
- Belts: 841 tons, 8.6 %
- Torpedo bulkhead: 0 tons, 0.0 %
- Armament: 319 tons, 3.2 %
- Armour Deck: 587 tons, 6.0 %
- Conning Tower: 58 tons, 0.6 %
Machinery: 2,491 tons, 25.3 %
Hull, fittings & equipment: 3,560 tons, 36.2 %
Fuel, ammunition & stores: 1,759 tons, 17.9 %
Miscellaneous weights: 50 tons, 0.5 %

Overall survivability and seakeeping ability:
Survivability (Non-critical penetrating hits needed to sink ship):
11,674 lbs / 5,295 Kg = 108.9 x 6.0 " / 152 mm shells or 1.6 torpedoes
Stability (Unstable if below 1.00): 1.27
Metacentric height 3.6 ft / 1.1 m
Roll period: 13.4 seconds
Steadiness - As gun platform (Average = 50 %): 51 %
- Recoil effect (Restricted arc if above 1.00): 0.23
Seaboat quality (Average = 1.00): 1.03

Hull form characteristics:
Hull has rise forward of midbreak
Block coefficient: 0.450
Length to Beam Ratio: 9.73 : 1
'Natural speed' for length: 24.30 kts
Power going to wave formation at top speed: 54 %
Trim (Max stability = 0, Max steadiness = 100): 50
Bow angle (Positive = bow angles forward): 30.00 degrees
Stern overhang: 3.28 ft / 1.00 m
Freeboard (% = measuring location as a percentage of overall length):
- Stem: 26.25 ft / 8.00 m
- Forecastle (20 %): 22.97 ft / 7.00 m
- Mid (34 %): 22.97 ft / 7.00 m (13.12 ft / 4.00 m aft of break)
- Quarterdeck (20 %): 13.12 ft / 4.00 m
- Stern: 13.12 ft / 4.00 m
- Average freeboard: 16.73 ft / 5.10 m
Ship tends to be wet forward

Ship space, strength and comments:
Space - Hull below water (magazines/engines, low = better): 96.0 %
- Above water (accommodation/working, high = better): 96.5 %
Waterplane Area: 22,864 Square feet or 2,124 Square metres
Displacement factor (Displacement / loading): 121 %
Structure weight / hull surface area: 99 lbs/sq ft or 486 Kg/sq metre
Hull strength (Relative):
- Cross-sectional: 0.98
- Longitudinal: 1.15
- Overall: 1.00
Hull space for machinery, storage, compartmentation is adequate
Room for accommodation and workspaces is adequate

Definitly an interesting concept...sacrificing a tad in the main battery (but gaining a bit in ROF) in exchange for a heavier secondary and CA-caliber armour (and is that a decapping plate I see? :-P ).

I would, however, think her a tad slow...especially what with being Italian. :-)

(BTW, based on the drawing I think there should be three raised 37mm mounts?)

Looks good, RA. As Swampy says, perhaps a bit slow - but then I'm not up on your friends & enemies. Interesting choice of 130mm secondaries, also.

RLBH

Quoted

Definitly an interesting concept...sacrificing a tad in the main battery (but gaining a bit in ROF) in exchange for a heavier secondary and CA-caliber armour (and is that a decapping plate I see? :-P ).

I found some new stuff about Abruzzi. The armour scheme is essentially copied.

Shes not that slow really. The difference between 31.8knts-32 and 33 is very small really. I would have preferred a higher speed, but something had to give to make her smaller.

The 130mm are there because I can't have 135mm guns at the moment.

I hear ya on the 135's RA, I'd prefer to put 135's on my next class of DD leaders but then they would be cruisers by treaty standards so I might as well stick to the 140mm/5.5" guns in that case. Either than or stick to the 4.5 DP's I currently use on cruisers for secondary's.

You can always try at the next talks... you never know if the others are fooli... I mean wise enough to accept your proposal on DD guns.
:-)

You said she features unit machinery. If so, her funnels are too close together. There´s not enough hull space to have a turbine room between boiler rooms for a boiler, turbine, boiler, turbine arrangement. Even if you have a boiler room abreast a turbine room and set two those sets en echolon the funnels should be further apart...

I´m also not sure if a CL hull like hers really offers enough space to have an angled belt inside her outer shell if the decaping plate should be capable of doing its job. Especially not if machinery is en echolon.

Orther than that, nice job.

Quoted

The other main alteration to the previous concepts was in propulsion. There were now eight boilers, paired in four separate spaces. The two forward spaces were separated by the starboard engine room, that for the port shaft being aft of the after boiler room. This layout resulted in a reduction of about 100 tons in weight, and a reduction in the length of machinery spaces to the advantage of the protection scheme.

Basically the same layout as Abruzzi. Its not really "unit" machinery, but it provides more protection than dumping everything together. Only 2 shafts remember. I need to raise the aft funnel a bit.

As for having enough internal volume. The scheme is similar to Abruzzi. There is 0,4m less beam and 0,2 less on the cB. I think it should fit, but I may revert to a Belfast scheme anyway...

Anyone noted the searchlights?

Yes they are very nice searchlights......am I missing something?

They aren't searchlights. Its the ACME Death Ray Mk I.

Isn't the Mk. I used on capital ships only due to the weight? :-)
I agree with Swamphen regarding the three 37mm mounts, and you use six single mounts for the 13 cm, while it actually has 2x1 (aft) and 2x2 (forward) mounts.

Ah yes, ACME. Speedy delivery, highly advanced technology....no quality control or warrenty.

You don't happen to have a spare copy of the 1927 Fall/Winter catalogue, do you?
:-)

http://home.nc.rr.com/tuco/looney/acme/tripleb.html



I've since changed the design a bit covering the 37mm and 130mm guns.

Definitely Grade A. :-)

Wait a sec... the Death Ray is not on the list.
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!
Now I can't order it.
:-(

You could always order some Atlantian photon torpedo's....they take up so little space they don't show on SS reports!

Depends on the price you are asking for those torpedoes...

Many ships of the era used amidships catapults. However it would seem detrimental to the location of the secondary & AA batteries. You have a large section of the ship that is essentially 'unsable'.
Think of the firepower potential in the design if the 135mm guns were in 8 single mounts spread down the length of the superstructure. This would provide more room for 37mm mounts located on a higher superstructure deck in the amidships section.
(Would a cross deck catapult work?)

Or the bow mounted catapult.