WesWorld

4 June

Ex-Foreign Minister Sebastien de Varga, who resigned last month in the wake of the Palawan explosion, gave a fiery speech today in front of the Government Offices in Manila, in which he accused the "current Government" of "rolling over and playing dead in front of foreign expansionist powers", and claimed that "these actions, these signs of weakness, will only encourage these powers to continue their little games...except they may not be so little, next time!"

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18 June

The Filipino Government has submitted a 'request for clarification' to the Cleito Treaty Powers, regarding the recent sale of seaplane carriers by Atlantis to Chile.

"It was clarified, just two years ago, that the provisions of Part H of the treaty pertain to all vessels of war, not just capital ships," said a spokesman for El Presidente. "A seaplane carrier clearly fits the definition of a vessel of war. So we are curious as to what sort of loophole Atlantis found to justify this sale..."

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22 June

Our former Foreign Minister, Juan Sebastien de Varga, has announced that he will be running for a seat in the Parliment in this fall's elections...

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30 June

While the investigation of the Palawan disaster continues, the Parliment has stepped in. In a unanimous vote, it was declared that all work on ships over 5,000 tons displacement will be suspended until a determination of the cause of the cruiser's loss has been made, and suitable countermeasures to prevent a repeat occurance have been implemented.

The only ship excepted from this stop-work order is the aircraft carrier Sulu, which will be built in India and is scheduled for keellaying late next month. In addition, the Peruvian coast-defense battleship Lima will also continue construction as scheduled.

*Floatplane carriers, if I recall (in this time period) would be considered auxiliary vessels.*

June 23, 1927

Word has reached Santiago about the Fillipino treaty clarification reguarding our purchase of the two floatplane carriers that have recently returned to port. The subject had never been brought up until after the sale was completed, and Chile has long been an opponent to the Cleito Treaty based on the unnecessary limiting of smaller navies as well as the big navies, where as only the large navies truely need to be limited to maintain a balance in the world, as economics balances the smaller navies.

Chile puts forth the notion of the floatplane carriers being warships is not justified. They are considered auxiliary vessels in most navies. A transport that carries airplanes on floats from one place to another. Quite simple really.

Official Atlantian Govt. responce to the Philippino request of treaty clairification.

"The desingnation of "floatplane Carrier" is inaccurate and highly missleading. These ships are in fact "float plane tenders" designed to provide maintinence and rearguard deployment for seaplanes and they are equiped with a very rudimentary defence armament.
Further more there are no amenity's to allow for the launch and recovery of floatplanes on these vessels, only cranes are used to lower the planes over the side of the ship and no catipults are fitted.

Below is the official specifications for an aircraft carrier...

II. AIRCRAFT CARRIER

An aircraft carrier is defined as a surface vessel of war with a
standard displacement greater than 600 tons (610 metric tons)
designed for the specific purpose of carrying aircraft. It must
be so constructed that aircraft can be launched therefrom and
landed thereon , and not designed and constructed for carrying a
more powerful armament than that allowed to it under Part 3,
Chapter B, Article VII below. Any vessel with a standard
displacement exceeding 600 tons (610 metric tons) and so
constructed or reconstructed that aircraft can be landed thereon,
shall be considered an aircraft-carrier, for the purposes of this
treaty.

There are currently no specific details on the clasification of auxillary type vessels.


The designation of "float plane carrier" is a remanent of great war clasification systems and is a commonly used albeit an inaccurate term used to describe these ships.

These ships are not counted in official Atlantian records under its Carrier tonnage allotments under CT rules, but in fact its Auxillary fleet registry.

In Chilean service the ships can be used or modified as the Chileans see fit, as Chile is not a CT signatory as of yet but Atlantis is in constant contact with Chilean Govt. officials in an effort to bring them into the CT.

One has to understand in a fleet as large as the Atlantian navy the posibility of inaccurate records is always a problem and one that the Atlantian govt. is taking steps to rectify.

Current CT rules may need some more clairifications pertaining to certain vessels, and this issue amoung others will most definately be raised at the preposed 1928 treaty radification talks.

Sincerly, Hector Dominia, Atlantian information Minister.




Atlantian Nationalist Gazette, June 20 1927

My freinds the Philipines is at it again! Fresh off their elaberately planned "incident" in French territorial waters they now seek to shake things up in the Cleito treaty! They have disrespectingly "requested" a treaty clairification.

In the same "request" the Philippino's clearly label a ship widely considered an auxilary vessel in other navy's as a "warship" and incinuate that Atlantis has willfully egnored the treaty to suit their own needs, a truely preposterous claim!!

It is common knowledge that the Phillippines contrary to the true spirit of the CT pain stakingly seek every loop hole imaginable in an effort to expand thier tiny empire.

The Philippines thinks that Atlantis is so weak that they would feel the need to require the services of auxilary vessels as front line ships! Lucky for them there are no Atlantian territory's in the Pacific for the Philippines to covet and therefore they cannot test our resolve and overwhelming might!!

Quoted

"The desingnation of "floatplane Carrier" is inaccurate and highly missleading. These ships are in fact "float plane tenders" designed to provide maintinence and rearguard deployment for seaplanes and they are equiped with a very rudimentary defence armament.

I think that it was a poor choice of words then to use "Floatplane Carrier" rather than "Floatplane Tenders".
I agree that you remind us of that bit in Part 2, Article II. However may I remind you of Part 3, Chaper H, Article I (c).

Quoted

Naval surface vessels not specifically built as fighting ships
which are employed on fleet duties or as troop transports or in
some other way than as fighting ships, provided they have none of
the following characteristics:
blah, blah, blah
( Mount more than one aircraft-launching apparatus on the
centre line; or two, one on each broadside;
(9) If fitted with any means of launching aircraft into the air,
are designed or adapted to operate at sea more than ten
aircraft.

Now I haven't received any detailed data on the "Floatplane Tenders" in question, but I trust that if the ship operates more than 10 planes, not catapults are present and if catapults are present that the ship operates no more than 10 planes (*).
So I would be greateful if it is possible to supply me (us) with more data in regard of the "Floatplane Tender".

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(*) Note that with the "operates more than 10 planes", the Shogun also means "take on more than 10 planes for mainenance".
What I like to know is:
a) Does it carry catapults?
b) What is the maximum number of floatplanes it can carry?

Well out of player mode I can dirrect you to my Atlantian fleet list, which you can see is being completed. Stats for Cruisers and Battleships have been added.

Stats for the Atlantian float plane carriers are posted in the encyclopedia. I can confirm they do not operate more than ten planes be it under maintinance or being shiped, as for catipults that has already been commented on in the "player mode" responce.

Remember, besides running Atlantis I also have Turkey in addition to real life and I also have news that needs attending to. Don't be too eager to stir the pot.

Sir, I do believe I am in need of a pair of glasses.
*looks at current avatar*
I mean a new pair of glasses.
:-)
*changes Avatar back to Nobunaga*
Without cats you can dump even more than those 10 on it.

Thats ok, I DO have glasses.

The ships are converted from coastal steamers so they don't carry many planes, the more they carry the less efficient they are at their maintinance duty's.

I suppose if the planes were dis-assembled they could carry more, but that would make things quite cramped.

Quoted

I suppose if the planes were dis-assembled they could carry more, but that would make things quite cramped.

I suppose fro transport that should not be too much of a problem.

... I assume that the "Official Atlantian Govt. responce to the Philippino request of treaty clairification." would be a letter to the Philippines rather than an article in the newspaper. After all it ends as a letter and it is followed by a newsarticle. OOC I should have noticed that bit. However IC I would not know about the details since the info is only sent to the Philippines.

Yes but from a sim perspective its nice to see what goes on behind the scenes. The initial Philippino request was very public, so too was the reply.