WesWorld

Kingdom of Belgium Q1/1947 Report

A. Industrial Output

5.5 Factories:
Fixed IP: 2
Flexible IP: 0
Ship Tonnage: 3.5

B. Transfers and Acquisitions
1,000 tons from Bulgaria for six MW-1 Class mine warfare ships
1,000 tons from Pacifica (first payment) for six PC-1 class patrol ships and four MS-1 class minesweepers

C. Unit Relocations
MS-1 Herstal completed and commissions with 2nd Mine Warfare Squadron at Ostend on 28 March
MW-1, MW-2, MW-3 and MW-4 completed and commission with 1st Mine Warfare Squadron at Antwerp on 18 March
MS-1 renamed TS-2 Dinant and transferred from 2nd Mine Warfare Squadron to Training Squadron at Antwerp on 17 January
MS-2 renamed TS-3 Vise and transferred from 2nd Mine Warfare Squadron to Training Squadron at Antwerp on 17 January
MW-1 (old), MW-2 (old), MW-3 (old), MW-4 (old), MW-5 (old) and MW-6 (old) decommissioned and readied for transfer to Bulgaria on 2 January 1947

D. Navy Programme

Resources Allocated: 3,500 tons
Previous Surplus: 1,693.5 tons
Unused Scrap: 0 tons
Construction Requirements (See Appendix A): 4,770.5 tons
Total surplus: 2,423 tons
Scrap Available: 0 tons

E. Infrastructure Programme

Resources Allocated: 0.2 IP
Previous Surplus: 0 IP
Resources Used: 0.2 IP
Carry-over: 0 IP
Infrastructure Development:
0.1 IP to Belgian factory totalling 6.2 IP
0.1 IP to Type 1 Floating Dock under construction at Zeebrugge totalling 0.6 IP

F. Summary Order Of Battle at End of Quarter

Note: X (Y) +Z = completed/in service (under repair/refit/rebuild) + under construction.

Heavy Cruisers: 1 + 0
Light Cruisers: 2 + 0
Destroyers: 9 + 0
Sloops: 2 + 0
Escorts: 6 + 0
Minesweepers: 13 + 2
MTB: 48 + 0
Riverine Patrol Boats: 24 + 0
Training Ships: 3 + 0
Tankers: 1 + 1
Destroyer Depot Ships: 2 + 0
Fleet Replenishment Ships: 0 + 1

G. Miscellaneous Works


APPENDIX A: DETAILED SHIPBUILDING REPORT

Zeebrugge:
S-1a:
Krekel Tanker
Laid Down: 1 January 1947
Launched: 15 May 1947
522 tons this quarter for 522 tons
Completion due 1 December 1947

S-1b:
Spa Spa Class Escort
Laid Down: 1 January 1947
Launched: 1 April 1947
361 tons this quarter for 361 tons
Completion due 1 October 1947

MW-4 MW-1 Class Minesweeper/ Minelayer
Laid Down: 1 April 1946
Launched: 1 August 1946
57 tons this quarter for 576 tons
Completed 1 February 1947

D-1a: Artevelde 50% rebuild, 564.5 tons total cost, 225.5 tons this quarter for 564.5 tons, rebuild completed

1 Type 1 Floating Dock, under construction, 0.1 IP this quarter for a total of 0.6 IP

Beiliard, Ostend:
S-0a:
Mechelen Spa Class Escort
Laid Down: 1 January 1947
Launched: 1 April 1947
361 tons this quarter for 361 tons
Completion due 1 October 1947

MW-1 MW-1 Class Minesweeper/ Minelayer
Laid Down: 1 April 1946
Launched: 1 August 1946
57 tons this quarter for 576 tons
Completed 1 February 1947

S-0b:
Heist Spa Class Escort
Laid Down: 1 January 1947
Launched: 1 April 1947
361 tons this quarter for 361 tons
Completion due 1 October 1947

MW-2 MW-1 Class Minesweeper/ Minelayer
Laid Down: 1 April 1946
Launched: 1 August 1946
57 tons this quarter for 576 tons
Completed 1 February 1947

D-0a:
MW-5 MW-1 Class Minesweeper/ Minelayer
Laid Down: 1 January 1947
Launched: 1 April 1946
173 tons this quarter for 173 tons
Completion due 1 October 1947

Cockerill, Antwerp:
S-3a:

S-1a:
MW-6 MW-1 Class Minesweeper/ Minelayer
Laid Down: 1 January 1947
Launched: 1 April 1946
173 tons this quarter for 173 tons
Completion due 1 October 1947

S-0a:
Andenne Spa Class Escort
Laid Down: 1 January 1947
Launched: 1 April 1947
361 tons this quarter for 361 tons
Completion due 1 October 1947

MW-3 MW-1 Class Minesweeper/ Minelayer
Laid Down: 1 April 1946
Launched: 1 August 1946
57 tons this quarter for 576 tons
Completed 1 February 1947

D-3a:
Ekster Cornelius Drebbel Class Fleet Replenishment Ship
Laid Down: 1 January 1946
Launched: 1 July 1946
1,575 tons for 7,875 tons
Completion due 15 July 1947

D-2a:

D-1a: MS-1 (TS-2 Dinant) 50% rebuild total cost 240 tons taking 3 months, completed this quarter

Small Craft
Herstal, Herstal Class Minesweeper, 150 tons

Belgian Order of Battle 1947

Antwerp
1st Cruiser Squadron: CA-1 King Albert, CL-1 Wandelaar, CL-4 Wielingen
1st Destroyer Squadron: DD-1 Les Quatre Journées, DD-2 Van Haverbeke, DD-3 A.F. Dufour, DD-4 Breydel, DD-5 De Brouwer, DD-6 Georges Truffaut, DD-7 Francois Bovesse, DD-8 Prince Leopold, DD-9 Prince Charles
1st Mine Warfare Squadron: MW-1 – MW-4 [Q4/47 MW-5 and MW-6]
1st Support Squadron: DT-1 Groenendael, T-1 Tresignes [Q3/47 RT-1 Ekster Cornelius]
Training Squadron: TS-1 Artevelde [Q1/47 TS-2 Dinant (ex-MS-1), TS-3 Vise (ex-MS-2)

Zeebrugge
1st Escort Squadron: PC-1 – PC-6 [Q4/47 PC-1 Spa, PC-2 Mechelen, PC-3 Heist and PC-4 Andenne, PC-1 – PC-6 decom]
Fishery Protection Squadron: CS-1 Zinnia, CS-2 Godetia
2nd Patrol Squadron: RPB-13 – RPB-24
1st Motor Torpedo Squadron: MTB-1 – MTB-12
2nd Motor Torpedo Squadron: MTB-13 – MTB-24
2nd Support Squadron: DT-2 Zenobe Gramme [Q4/47 T-2 Krekel]

Ostend
2nd Mine Warfare Squadron: MS-1 Herstal, MS-2 – MS-9 [Q2/47 MS-2 Hasselt replaces MS-3, Q3/47 MS-3 Lokeren replaces MS-4, Q4/47 MS-4 Turnhout replaced MS-5]
1st Patrol Squadron: RPB-1 – RPB-12
3rd Motor Torpedo Squadron: MTB-25 – MTB-36
4th Motor Torpedo Squadron: MTB-37 – MTB-48

It still doesn't appear that Belgium ever got reimbursed for the destroyers they gave to the Netherlands, correct?

Not yet, I'm hoping that once the Kortenaer IIs complete next quarter, combined with the scrap coming for reuse then, will enable it.
For now the transfer of Dutch plans for the Antares Class tanker and Cornelius Drebbel Class replenishment ship is the only outward sign of any form of non-tonnage related 'payment' and likely two of the old liners donated to the Dutch will be returned since no use can be found.

I'll probably trickle those payments in. Belgium is in the embarrassing position of having too many factories. I'm only using 3,500 tons per Q and the surpluses are huge and I'm running out of ships to build and refit.
The RPBs and MTBs will probably be replaced from 1948 onwards but that won't take much in terms of tonnage. A few extra docks will be handy, but when the extra factory finishes I'm not sure what Belgium would do with 24,000 tons a year.

On the other hand, given the size of the fleet and its rapid aging obsolesce and small industrial base for slips and docks, the Netherlands arguably lacks enough factories. That's why their surplus is barely 200 tons and Belgium has enough to probably build a couple of cruisers!

Ultimately had Kirk carried out his confederation plan, I assume those 6 Belgian factories would have been combined with the Dutch as a super-UKN allowance. I'm not too fussed personally about the imbalance, but its obvious his gaming has had side-effects.