WesWorld

The basic Scylla Class cruisers will receive a modest refresh this year.

Scylla Class, Great Britain Light Cruiser laid down 1935

Displacement:
6,520 t light; 6,814 t standard; 7,432 t normal; 7,927 t full load

Dimensions: Length overall / water x beam x draught
556.65 ft / 545.00 ft x 56.60 ft x 16.60 ft (normal load)
169.67 m / 166.12 m x 17.25 m x 5.06 m

Armament:
9 - 6.00" / 152 mm guns (3x3 guns), 112.00lbs / 50.80kg shells, 1935 Model
Breech loading guns in turrets (on barbettes)
on centreline ends, majority forward, 1 raised mount - superfiring
8 - 3.70" / 94.0 mm guns (4x2 guns), 25.33lbs / 11.49kg shells, 1932 Model
Dual purpose guns in deck mounts
on side, all aft
12 - 1.57" / 40.0 mm guns (6x2 guns), 1.95lbs / 0.88kg shells, 1945 Model
Anti-aircraft guns in deck mounts
on side ends, evenly spread, all raised mounts - superfiring
8 - 0.66" / 16.8 mm guns (4x2 guns), 0.14lbs / 0.06kg shells, 1936 Model
Machine guns in deck mounts
on side ends, evenly spread, all raised mounts - superfiring
Weight of broadside 1,235 lbs / 560 kg
Shells per gun, main battery: 200
6 - 24.5" / 622.3 mm above water torpedoes

Armour:
- Belts: Width (max) Length (avg) Height (avg)
Main: 3.00" / 76 mm 295.00 ft / 89.92 m 10.00 ft / 3.05 m
Ends: Unarmoured
Main Belt covers 83 % of normal length

- Gun armour: Face (max) Other gunhouse (avg) Barbette/hoist (max)
Main: 3.00" / 76 mm 2.00" / 51 mm 2.00" / 51 mm
2nd: 1.00" / 25 mm - -
3rd: 0.50" / 13 mm 0.50" / 13 mm -
4th: 0.50" / 13 mm - -

- Armour deck: 2.00" / 51 mm, Conning tower: 2.00" / 51 mm

Machinery:
Oil fired boilers, steam turbines,
Geared drive, 4 shafts, 50,000 shp / 37,300 Kw = 30.10 kts
Range 10,000nm at 12.00 kts
Bunker at max displacement = 1,113 tons

Complement:
399 - 520

Cost:
£2.815 million / $11.261 million

Distribution of weights at normal displacement:
Armament: 150 tons, 2.0 %
Armour: 1,382 tons, 18.6 %
- Belts: 381 tons, 5.1 %
- Torpedo bulkhead: 0 tons, 0.0 %
- Armament: 187 tons, 2.5 %
- Armour Deck: 797 tons, 10.7 %
- Conning Tower: 16 tons, 0.2 %
Machinery: 1,420 tons, 19.1 %
Hull, fittings & equipment: 3,418 tons, 46.0 %
Fuel, ammunition & stores: 912 tons, 12.3 %
Miscellaneous weights: 150 tons, 2.0 %

Overall survivability and seakeeping ability:
Survivability (Non-critical penetrating hits needed to sink ship):
15,039 lbs / 6,822 Kg = 139.3 x 6.0 " / 152 mm shells or 1.9 torpedoes
Stability (Unstable if below 1.00): 1.27
Metacentric height 3.3 ft / 1.0 m
Roll period: 13.2 seconds
Steadiness - As gun platform (Average = 50 %): 50 %
- Recoil effect (Restricted arc if above 1.00): 0.41
Seaboat quality (Average = 1.00): 1.68

Hull form characteristics:
Hull has rise forward of midbreak
and transom stern
Block coefficient: 0.508
Length to Beam Ratio: 9.63 : 1
'Natural speed' for length: 26.69 kts
Power going to wave formation at top speed: 55 %
Trim (Max stability = 0, Max steadiness = 100): 30
Bow angle (Positive = bow angles forward): 20.00 degrees
Stern overhang: 0.00 ft / 0.00 m
Freeboard (% = measuring location as a percentage of overall length):
- Stem: 32.00 ft / 9.75 m
- Forecastle (20 %): 25.00 ft / 7.62 m
- Mid (75 %): 25.00 ft / 7.62 m (14.00 ft / 4.27 m aft of break)
- Quarterdeck (15 %): 14.00 ft / 4.27 m
- Stern: 14.00 ft / 4.27 m
- Average freeboard: 22.81 ft / 6.95 m

Ship space, strength and comments:
Space - Hull below water (magazines/engines, low = better): 81.1 %
- Above water (accommodation/working, high = better): 195.9 %
Waterplane Area: 21,534 Square feet or 2,001 Square metres
Displacement factor (Displacement / loading): 133 %
Structure weight / hull surface area: 93 lbs/sq ft or 452 Kg/sq metre
Hull strength (Relative):
- Cross-sectional: 0.90
- Longitudinal: 2.39
- Overall: 1.00
Hull space for machinery, storage, compartmentation is excellent
Room for accommodation and workspaces is excellent
Excellent seaboat, comfortable, can fire her guns in the heaviest weather

Class Names: Syclla, Dido, Euryalus, Phoebe, Sirius, Cleopatra, Argonaut, Bellona, Diadem, Bonaventure, Charybdis, Naiad, Arethusa, Aurora and Ajax

Misc weight includes:
6 reload torpedoes and handling gear

1948 Refit Notes
Replacement of 2pdr pom-poms with 40mm twin mounts
Removal of catapult and both aircraft
Modernisation of RDF fit
One Aerial Search Type 971
One Surface Search Type 970
One Mk.VI Director with Type 288 and Flyplane
Three CRBF directors with Type 289
HF/DF Type 292
Passive Radio Intercept Type 293 series
Passive RDF Intercept Type 294 series



The Howe Class heavy cruisers will also receive modest refits too.

Howe Class, Great Britain Heavy Cruiser laid down 1927 (Engine 1942)

Displacement:
9,910 t light; 10,387 t standard; 11,865 t normal; 13,048 t full load

Dimensions: Length overall / water x beam x draught
615.64 ft / 610.00 ft x 68.25 ft x 19.00 ft (normal load)
187.65 m / 185.93 m x 20.80 m x 5.79 m

Armament:
8 - 8.00" / 203 mm guns (4x2 guns), 290.00lbs / 131.54kg shells, 1927 Model
Breech loading guns in turrets (on barbettes)
on centreline ends, evenly spread, 2 raised mounts - superfiring
8 - 4.50" / 114 mm guns (4x2 guns), 45.56lbs / 20.67kg shells, 1938 Model
Dual purpose guns in deck mounts with hoists
on side, all amidships
8 - 2.24" / 57.0 mm guns (4x2 guns), 5.65lbs / 2.56kg shells, 1946 Model
Anti-aircraft guns in deck mounts
on side, evenly spread, all raised mounts
12 - 1.57" / 40.0 mm guns (6x2 guns), 1.95lbs / 0.88kg shells, 1941 Model
Anti-aircraft guns in deck mounts
on side ends, evenly spread, all raised mounts - superfiring
Weight of broadside 2,753 lbs / 1,249 kg
Shells per gun, main battery: 150
6 - 24.5" / 622.3 mm above water torpedoes

Armour:
- Belts: Width (max) Length (avg) Height (avg)
Main: 2.00" / 51 mm 300.00 ft / 91.44 m 12.00 ft / 3.66 m
Ends: 4.00" / 102 mm 100.00 ft / 30.48 m 12.00 ft / 3.66 m
210.00 ft / 64.01 m Unarmoured ends
Main Belt covers 76 % of normal length
Main belt does not fully cover magazines and engineering spaces

- Gun armour: Face (max) Other gunhouse (avg) Barbette/hoist (max)
Main: 3.00" / 76 mm 2.00" / 51 mm 1.00" / 25 mm
2nd: 1.00" / 25 mm 0.50" / 13 mm 1.00" / 25 mm
3rd: 0.50" / 13 mm 0.50" / 13 mm -
4th: 0.50" / 13 mm 0.50" / 13 mm -

- Armour deck: 2.00" / 51 mm, Conning tower: 1.00" / 25 mm

Machinery:
Oil fired boilers, steam turbines,
Geared drive, 4 shafts, 88,058 shp / 65,692 Kw = 31.35 kts
Range 10,000nm at 16.00 kts
Bunker at max displacement = 2,662 tons

Complement:
567 - 738

Cost:
£3.380 million / $13.519 million

Distribution of weights at normal displacement:
Armament: 310 tons, 2.6 %
Armour: 1,783 tons, 15.0 %
- Belts: 496 tons, 4.2 %
- Torpedo bulkhead: 0 tons, 0.0 %
- Armament: 226 tons, 1.9 %
- Armour Deck: 1,050 tons, 8.9 %
- Conning Tower: 11 tons, 0.1 %
Machinery: 2,300 tons, 19.4 %
Hull, fittings & equipment: 5,386 tons, 45.4 %
Fuel, ammunition & stores: 1,955 tons, 16.5 %
Miscellaneous weights: 130 tons, 1.1 %

Overall survivability and seakeeping ability:
Survivability (Non-critical penetrating hits needed to sink ship):
20,258 lbs / 9,189 Kg = 79.1 x 8.0 " / 203 mm shells or 2.2 torpedoes
Stability (Unstable if below 1.00): 1.19
Metacentric height 3.9 ft / 1.2 m
Roll period: 14.6 seconds
Steadiness - As gun platform (Average = 50 %): 69 %
- Recoil effect (Restricted arc if above 1.00): 0.63
Seaboat quality (Average = 1.00): 1.40

Hull form characteristics:
Hull has a flush deck
Block coefficient: 0.525
Length to Beam Ratio: 8.94 : 1
'Natural speed' for length: 24.70 kts
Power going to wave formation at top speed: 56 %
Trim (Max stability = 0, Max steadiness = 100): 49
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: 32.00 ft / 9.75 m
- Forecastle (20 %): 26.00 ft / 7.92 m
- Mid (50 %): 24.00 ft / 7.32 m
- Quarterdeck (15 %): 24.00 ft / 7.32 m
- Stern: 24.00 ft / 7.32 m
- Average freeboard: 25.18 ft / 7.67 m

Ship space, strength and comments:
Space - Hull below water (magazines/engines, low = better): 85.1 %
- Above water (accommodation/working, high = better): 201.7 %
Waterplane Area: 28,384 Square feet or 2,637 Square metres
Displacement factor (Displacement / loading): 132 %
Structure weight / hull surface area: 116 lbs/sq ft or 567 Kg/sq metre
Hull strength (Relative):
- Cross-sectional: 0.92
- Longitudinal: 2.00
- Overall: 1.00
Hull space for machinery, storage, compartmentation is adequate
Room for accommodation and workspaces is excellent
Good seaboat, rides out heavy weather easily

Refit Notes:

Replacement of 4in twins with 4,5in DP twin mounts
Replacement of 2pdr octuple mounts with 6pdr twin mounts
Addition of six twin 2pdr L/70 mounts
Removal of third aircraft
2 inch extra armour on main turret fronts and 1 inch on the roofs
1 inch extra armour on the main deck
New turbines and boilers
Two HACS Mk.IV
Radio-Location sets: one Type 284, one Type 285M, two Type 282M, one Type 283, one Type 276, one Type 271M, Passive Radio Intercept Type 293 (P,Q,M) and Passive RDF Intercept Type 294 and 294M

1948 Refit Notes
Removal of all aircraft and catapult
6pdr twin mounts updated with newer model
RDF and fire control systems updated

One Aerial Search Type 971 set
One Surface Search Type 970 set
One Height-Finder and Surface Search Type 277 set
Type 290 splash-spotting sets added to main director
Two Close-Range Blind Fire (CRBF) directors with Type 289 RDF
Passive Radio Intercept Type 293 series
Passive RDF intercept Type 297
Two RU-series jammers

The Bar Class boom defence vessels. Not exactly cheap or mass producible but I'll probably build around 24 of these by the end of 1950.
I was in two minds about putting any armament aboard but it seemed best to do so for self-defence if nothing else.

Bar Class, Great Britain Netlayer/ Boom Defence Vessel laid down 1948

Displacement:
810 t light; 831 t standard; 891 t normal; 940 t full load

Dimensions: Length overall / water x beam x draught
172.00 ft / 155.00 ft x 42.60 ft x 10.50 ft (normal load)
52.43 m / 47.24 m x 12.98 m x 3.20 m

Armament:
2 - 1.57" / 40.0 mm guns (1x2 guns), 2.00lbs / 0.91kg shells, 1945 Model
Anti-aircraft guns in deck mount
on centreline aft, all raised guns - superfiring
2 - 0.66" / 16.8 mm guns in single mounts, 0.14lbs / 0.07kg shells, 1936 Model
Machine guns in deck mounts
on side, all amidships, all raised mounts - superfiring
Weight of broadside 4 lbs / 2 kg
Shells per gun, main battery: 1,000

Armour:
- Gun armour: Face (max) Other gunhouse (avg) Barbette/hoist (max)
Main: 0.50" / 13 mm 0.50" / 13 mm -

Machinery:
Diesel Internal combustion motors,
Geared drive, 1 shaft, 750 shp / 559 Kw = 12.18 kts
Range 5,500nm at 10.00 kts
Bunker at max displacement = 109 tons

Complement:
81 - 106

Cost:
£0.234 million / $0.935 million

Distribution of weights at normal displacement:
Armament: 1 tons, 0.1 %
Armour: 1 tons, 0.1 %
- Belts: 0 tons, 0.0 %
- Torpedo bulkhead: 0 tons, 0.0 %
- Armament: 1 tons, 0.1 %
- Armour Deck: 0 tons, 0.0 %
- Conning Tower: 0 tons, 0.0 %
Machinery: 18 tons, 2.1 %
Hull, fittings & equipment: 666 tons, 74.7 %
Fuel, ammunition & stores: 81 tons, 9.1 %
Miscellaneous weights: 125 tons, 14.0 %

Overall survivability and seakeeping ability:
Survivability (Non-critical penetrating hits needed to sink ship):
4,205 lbs / 1,907 Kg = 2,153.2 x 1.6 " / 40 mm shells or 3.5 torpedoes
Stability (Unstable if below 1.00): 1.26
Metacentric height 2.1 ft / 0.6 m
Roll period: 12.3 seconds
Steadiness - As gun platform (Average = 50 %): 71 %
- Recoil effect (Restricted arc if above 1.00): 0.00
Seaboat quality (Average = 1.00): 1.72

Hull form characteristics:
Hull has a flush deck
Block coefficient: 0.450
Length to Beam Ratio: 3.64 : 1
'Natural speed' for length: 12.45 kts
Power going to wave formation at top speed: 51 %
Trim (Max stability = 0, Max steadiness = 100): 41
Bow angle (Positive = bow angles forward): 35.00 degrees
Stern overhang: 3.00 ft / 0.91 m
Freeboard (% = measuring location as a percentage of overall length):
- Stem: 20.00 ft / 6.10 m
- Forecastle (22 %): 10.50 ft / 3.20 m
- Mid (50 %): 7.50 ft / 2.29 m
- Quarterdeck (10 %): 7.50 ft / 2.29 m
- Stern: 9.00 ft / 2.74 m
- Average freeboard: 9.49 ft / 2.89 m

Ship space, strength and comments:
Space - Hull below water (magazines/engines, low = better): 24.3 %
- Above water (accommodation/working, high = better): 76.6 %
Waterplane Area: 4,013 Square feet or 373 Square metres
Displacement factor (Displacement / loading): 535 %
Structure weight / hull surface area: 117 lbs/sq ft or 574 Kg/sq metre
Hull strength (Relative):
- Cross-sectional: 2.47
- Longitudinal: 10.56
- Overall: 2.86
Hull space for machinery, storage, compartmentation is excellent
Room for accommodation and workspaces is cramped
Ship has slow, easy roll, a good, steady gun platform
Excellent seaboat, comfortable, can fire her guns in the heaviest weather

Can lift 200 tons

1x Type 970 X-band surface-search RDF set

I agree with you. This design is rather large and expensive for something that might be considered a harbor auxiliary; of course, Britain has bases around the world and these craft will need to proceed abroad. That said, I compare the Bar-class with German's Kieler Bucht class and wonder if something in between might be better for Britain.

Chiming in on Bruce's comment, I think when I was looking at the historical French netlayers last week, they also fielded two different classes (one large and one small). This might be attributed to what was available on the market after WWII (IIRC one of the small classes the French used was ex-USN), or it might be down to requirements.

My design is roughly based on the Kin class and some later early postwar vessels. I think SS has come out a little over the top in terms of tonnage.
I'm not too worried though the build time isn't much different for 750 or 810 tons and I'm not going to quibble about 60 tons.

Following on from my earlier comment - I was wrong about France fielding two sizes of netlayer postwar. I was looking at some of the other netlayers that were used in previous time periods.

I think the design is fine. :)