WesWorld

To kick-start this thread and look into the future here is an idea I've been messing about with.

This is a cut-down Admiral losing a turret and enough length to fit a Type 3 dock. Speed is cut too as is belt and deck armour. The result is a battleship that could be built in just over four years. An alternative secondary armament could be eight single 5.5in autos. At this stage its a doodle but if a major war broke out at 2,460 tons per quarter per ship it could be doable.

? Class, Great Britain Battleship laid down 1946

Displacement:
41,000 t light; 43,229 t standard; 45,910 t normal; 48,055 t full load

Dimensions: Length overall / water x beam x draught
726.00 ft / 720.00 ft x 120.00 ft x 30.00 ft (normal load)
221.28 m / 219.46 m x 36.58 m x 9.14 m

Armament:
9 - 16.50" / 419 mm guns (3x3 guns), 2,500.00lbs / 1,133.98kg shells, 1935 Model
Breech loading guns in turrets (on barbettes)
on centreline ends, majority forward, 1 raised mount - superfiring
16 - 4.50" / 114 mm guns (8x2 guns), 45.00lbs / 20.41kg shells, 1945 Model
Automatic rapid fire guns in deck mounts with hoists
on side, all amidships, 4 raised mounts - superfiring
24 - 2.24" / 57.0 mm guns (12x2 guns), 6.00lbs / 2.72kg shells, 1945 Model
Anti-aircraft guns in deck mounts
on side ends, evenly spread, 6 raised mounts - superfiring
Weight of broadside 23,364 lbs / 10,598 kg
Shells per gun, main battery: 100

Armour:
- Belts: Width (max) Length (avg) Height (avg)
Main: 14.0" / 356 mm 400.00 ft / 121.92 m 16.50 ft / 5.03 m
Ends: Unarmoured
Main Belt covers 85 % of normal length

- Torpedo Bulkhead:
2.75" / 70 mm 400.00 ft / 121.92 m 27.00 ft / 8.23 m

- Gun armour: Face (max) Other gunhouse (avg) Barbette/hoist (max)
Main: 16.0" / 406 mm 12.0" / 305 mm 12.0" / 305 mm
2nd: 2.00" / 51 mm 1.00" / 25 mm 3.00" / 76 mm
3rd: 0.50" / 13 mm 0.50" / 13 mm -

- Armour deck: 5.50" / 140 mm, Conning tower: 3.00" / 76 mm

Machinery:
Oil fired boilers, steam turbines,
Geared drive, 4 shafts, 100,000 shp / 74,600 Kw = 27.07 kts
Range 8,500nm at 16.00 kts
Bunker at max displacement = 4,826 tons

Complement:
1,567 - 2,038

Cost:
£28.458 million / $113.831 million

Distribution of weights at normal displacement:
Armament: 2,653 tons, 5.8 %
Armour: 16,009 tons, 34.9 %
- Belts: 4,244 tons, 9.2 %
- Torpedo bulkhead: 1,099 tons, 2.4 %
- Armament: 3,754 tons, 8.2 %
- Armour Deck: 6,830 tons, 14.9 %
- Conning Tower: 83 tons, 0.2 %
Machinery: 2,498 tons, 5.4 %
Hull, fittings & equipment: 19,490 tons, 42.5 %
Fuel, ammunition & stores: 4,910 tons, 10.7 %
Miscellaneous weights: 350 tons, 0.8 %

Overall survivability and seakeeping ability:
Survivability (Non-critical penetrating hits needed to sink ship):
79,180 lbs / 35,915 Kg = 35.3 x 16.5 " / 419 mm shells or 13.8 torpedoes
Stability (Unstable if below 1.00): 1.16
Metacentric height 8.7 ft / 2.6 m
Roll period: 17.1 seconds
Steadiness - As gun platform (Average = 50 %): 60 %
- Recoil effect (Restricted arc if above 1.00): 0.59
Seaboat quality (Average = 1.00): 1.18

Hull form characteristics:
Hull has a flush deck
and transom stern
Block coefficient: 0.620
Length to Beam Ratio: 6.00 : 1
'Natural speed' for length: 31.54 kts
Power going to wave formation at top speed: 53 %
Trim (Max stability = 0, Max steadiness = 100): 51
Bow angle (Positive = bow angles forward): 10.00 degrees
Stern overhang: 0.00 ft / 0.00 m
Freeboard (% = measuring location as a percentage of overall length):
- Stem: 34.00 ft / 10.36 m
- Forecastle (18 %): 29.00 ft / 8.84 m
- Mid (70 %): 21.00 ft / 6.40 m
- Quarterdeck (18 %): 21.00 ft / 6.40 m
- Stern: 21.00 ft / 6.40 m
- Average freeboard: 24.88 ft / 7.58 m

Ship space, strength and comments:
Space - Hull below water (magazines/engines, low = better): 75.2 %
- Above water (accommodation/working, high = better): 197.9 %
Waterplane Area: 67,122 Square feet or 6,236 Square metres
Displacement factor (Displacement / loading): 108 %
Structure weight / hull surface area: 226 lbs/sq ft or 1,103 Kg/sq metre
Hull strength (Relative):
- Cross-sectional: 0.94
- Longitudinal: 1.68
- Overall: 1.00
Hull space for machinery, storage, compartmentation is excellent
Room for accommodation and workspaces is excellent

Class Names: HMS ?

Radar Equipment List
Gunnery Director Radar Type 284M on three main directors
Gunnery Director Radar Type 289 on all eight 57mm directors
Gunnery Director Radar Type 288 on four 4.5in directors
Air Search Radar Type 971
Surface Search Radar Type 278
Passive Radio Intercept Equipment Type 293, 293P/M/Q/O
Passive Radar Intercept Type 297
Jammer Type 296 or RU-series

Armour Notes
Deck armour: 5 inch thick main deck with a 0.5in splinter protection deck above the engine rooms and magazines at lower deck level which joins onto bottom of belt and TB system
Torpedo bulkheads: triple bottom, quadruple side bulkhead system air/ fuel/ fuel/ air with backing bulkheads of 0.5in/ 1in/ 1in and 0.25in respectively

for 500 tons cheaper, you can get an Excelsior with a heavier broadside, thicker belt, and faster top speed. Probably improved, since I'm going off the existing sim.