WesWorld

These will be the first treaty cruisers laid down by the UK, one each quarter during 1924. They will form the new Kent class, and their provisional names will be:

HMS Kent
HMS Suffolk
HMS Sussex
HMS Norfolk

The RN has decided to go for numbers instead of size in the new cruisers. It´s also being rumoured that a improved version of this class is under evaluation as the next CAs of the RN.



HMS Kent, British Heavy Cruiser laid down 1924

Displacement:
9.568 t light; 10.000 t standard; 11.539 t normal; 12.725 t full load

Dimensions: Length overall / water x beam x draught
581,19 ft / 570,00 ft x 60,00 ft x 22,71 ft (normal load)
177,15 m / 173,74 m x 18,29 m x 6,92 m

Armament:
8 - 8,00" / 203 mm guns (4x2 guns), 256,00lbs / 116,12kg shells, 1924 Model
Breech loading guns in turrets (on barbettes)
on centreline ends, evenly spread, 2 raised mounts - superfiring
6 - 4,50" / 114 mm guns in single mounts, 45,56lbs / 20,67kg shells, 1924 Model
Anti-aircraft guns in deck mounts
on side, all amidships
8 - 1,57" / 40,0 mm guns (2x4 guns), 1,94lbs / 0,88kg shells, 1924 Model
Anti-aircraft guns in deck mounts
on side, evenly spread
12 - 0,79" / 20,0 mm guns (6x2 guns), 0,24lbs / 0,11kg shells, 1924 Model
Anti-aircraft guns in deck mounts
on side, evenly spread
Weight of broadside 2.340 lbs / 1.061 kg
Shells per gun, main battery: 150
8 - 21,0" / 533,4 mm above water torpedoes

Armour:
- Belts: Width (max) Length (avg) Height (avg)
Main: 4,50" / 114 mm 405,00 ft / 123,44 m 9,30 ft / 2,83 m
Ends: Unarmoured
Main Belt covers 109 % of normal length

- Gun armour: Face (max) Other gunhouse (avg) Barbette/hoist (max)
Main: 4,50" / 114 mm 1,00" / 25 mm 3,00" / 76 mm
2nd: 1,00" / 25 mm - -
3rd: 0,50" / 13 mm - -
4th: 0,50" / 13 mm - -

- Armour deck: 2,00" / 51 mm

Machinery:
Oil fired boilers, steam turbines,
Geared drive, 4 shafts, 95.397 shp / 71.166 Kw = 32,00 kts
Range 10.460nm at 15,00 kts (Bunkerage = 2.771 tons)

Complement:
556 - 723

Cost:
£3,154 million / $12,617 million

Distribution of weights at normal displacement:
Armament: 292 tons, 2,5 %
Armour: 1.848 tons, 16,0 %
- Belts: 699 tons, 6,1 %
- Torpedo bulkhead: 0 tons, 0,0 %
- Armament: 320 tons, 2,8 %
- Armour Deck: 828 tons, 7,2 %
- Conning Tower: 0 tons, 0,0 %
Machinery: 3.142 tons, 27,2 %
Hull, fittings & equipment: 4.210 tons, 36,5 %
Fuel, ammunition & stores: 1.971 tons, 17,1 %
Miscellaneous weights: 75 tons, 0,6 %

Overall survivability and seakeeping ability:
Survivability (Non-critical penetrating hits needed to sink ship):
11.269 lbs / 5.112 Kg = 44,0 x 8,0 " / 203 mm shells or 1,4 torpedoes
Stability (Unstable if below 1.00): 1,20
Metacentric height 3,3 ft / 1,0 m
Steadiness - As gun platform (Average = 50 %): 52 %
- Recoil effect (Restricted arc if above 1.00): 0,58
Seaboat quality (Average = 1.00): 1,03

Hull form characteristics:
Hull has a flush deck
Block coefficient: 0,520
Length to Beam Ratio: 9,50 : 1
'Natural speed' for length: 23,87 kts
Power going to wave formation at top speed: 59 %
Trim (Max stability = 0, Max steadiness = 100): 50
Bow angle (Positive = bow angles forward): 25,00 degrees
Stern overhang: 0,00 ft / 0,00 m
Freeboard (% = measuring location as a percentage of overall length):
- Stem: 24,00 ft / 7,32 m
- Forecastle (20 %): 23,00 ft / 7,01 m
- Mid (50 %): 20,00 ft / 6,10 m
- Quarterdeck (15 %): 18,00 ft / 5,49 m
- Stern: 18,00 ft / 5,49 m
- Average freeboard: 20,48 ft / 6,24 m
Ship tends to be wet forward

Ship space, strength and comments:
Space - Hull below water (magazines/engines, low = better): 108,8 %
- Above water (accommodation/working, high = better): 129,7 %
Waterplane Area: 22.390 Square feet or 2.080 Square metres
Displacement factor (Displacement / loading): 109 %
Structure weight / hull surface area: 110 lbs/sq ft or 535 Kg/sq metre
Hull strength (Relative):
- Cross-sectional: 0,95
- Longitudinal: 1,59
- Overall: 1,00
Hull space for machinery, storage, compartmentation is adequate
Room for accommodation and workspaces is excellent

I just love the drawing.....BRILLIANT!!!!!

Like CG said, nice design. Which program did you use? I seem to recall you use MSPaint for the colour drawings.

Nitpick: I think it would be better to get those 2-pdr guns simmed as 'sides(grouped centre)'. Doesn't change much(if anything at all) from the structural point of view, but it would be closer to the drawing, IMO.

Quoted

I just love the drawing.....BRILLIANT!!!!!

Thanks Commodore, glad you like it.

Quoted

Which program did you use? I seem to recall you use MSPaint for the colour drawings

It´s done in MsPaint too.

As for the nitpick, yes, I guess you´re right, but as you point too, I don´t think it will make much more difference... I´lll change it tomorrow.

You actually drew that in MS Paint?!

I'm not worthy...

Very nice, Gravina. I just see the First Sea Lord exmaining that blue print carefully while the designers sweat, calmy rolling it up and saying "That will do..."

I like the blue print style. A departure from your colorful brilliance with your alternate Armada, yet very well done. I like it for the 'peek' at that design bureau...

Regards,

Big Rich

Quoted

Originally posted by Gravina
The RN has decided to go for numbers instead of size in the new cruisers. It´s also being rumoured that a improved version of this class is under evaluation as the next CAs of the RN.

I like that - the RSAN decided along similar lines.

Great drawing, no doubt. Wonderful eye candy.

Keep it coming!

HoOmAn

One thing I just noticed: Your drawing shows a high degree of compartmentation and I wonder if that´s realistic. Especially on a cruiser which has - relatively speaking - huge machinery spaces amidship.

Comparing your drawing to LaCroix&Wells "Japanese Cruisers of the Pacific War" pages 124-126 (drawings of TAKAO) and Whitley´s "German Cruisers of WW2" (section about HIPPER) it seems as if you´re a little bit optimitic. At least the compartmentation shouldn´t be regular and - in my humble opinion - not as tide as on your drawing.

Could be wrong, though, but that just crossed my mind...

Quoted

I'm not worthy...

All you need to get better is to keep on drawing, really. The more ships you try, you´ll see the easier it gets. Your latest Panabo is much better than the first ones.

Quoted

I like the blue print style. A departure from your colorful brilliance with your alternate Armada, yet very well done. I like it for the 'peek' at that design bureau...

I simply had no time to draw a more detailed picture, so I thought a blueprint would look fine, just a quick drawing. In time I´ll draw a better one.

Quoted

One thing I just noticed: Your drawing shows a high degree of compartmentation and I wonder if that´s realistic

The historical Kent class (at least in my copy of Jane´s) had up to 23 compartiments, and all of them regularly sized. This ship is 20-40 feet shorther, so I thought 20 compartiments should do fine.

Nice work Gravina! Great transition from the Hawkins/ E-class cruisers.

I too am an MSPaint user, it takes practice but my latest work even impressed myself! The more you draw the better you get at it.

one nitpick:

Armour
2nd: 1,00" / 25 mm - -
3rd: 0,50" / 13 mm - -
4th: 0,50" / 13 mm - -

I don't see shields for some of those guns ....

apart from that: cool design and lovely drawing

Quoted

I don't see shields for some of those guns ....

This is just a blueprint an was meant as a quick drawing, in the definitive version these shields (and the smaller 20mm guns) will appear.

ok, cool, thanks :-)

Great pic Gravina ; )

A nice blend of Hawkins and County with all the funny bits left out (flush deck - 3 stacks).

Keep em comming.

Cheers,

Since this is an alternative UK have you considered using the 7.5" guns in any of your new designs?
A cruiser with 12 - 7.5" guns would be a significant threat to both CL's & CA's

Slight OT - Why did the 7.5? gun disappear?
I know the WT allowed 8" for heavy cruisers so everybody changed - although the Argentines did build a cruiser with 6 - 7.15"