WesWorld

Here's a few of the ships I've created in Springsharp and posted over on the Warships Projects board. They're designed for a fairly modern island nation in the South Pacific - you can read more about the project here. Images are modified by me using originals drawn by thesmilingassassin (thanks).



Fiheoru, Motunui Armored Cruiser laid down 1907

Displacement:
12,622 t light; 13,277 t standard; 15,895 t normal; 17,989 t full load

Dimensions: Length (overall / waterline) x beam x draught (normal/deep)
(544.00 ft / 535.00 ft) x 74.00 ft x (24.00 / 26.57 ft)
(165.81 m / 163.07 m) x 22.56 m x (7.32 / 8.10 m)

Armament:
8 - 9.45" / 240 mm 45.0 cal guns - 425.39lbs / 192.95kg shells, 150 per gun
Breech loading guns in turret on barbette mounts, 1907 Model
4 x Twin mounts on centreline ends, evenly spread
2 raised mounts - superfiring
12 - 4.72" / 120 mm 45.0 cal guns - 53.17lbs / 24.12kg shells, 150 per gun
Breech loading guns in casemate mounts, 1907 Model
12 x Single mounts on sides amidships
2 raised mounts
Weight of broadside 4,041 lbs / 1,833 kg

Armour:
- Belts: Width (max) Length (avg) Height (avg)
Main: 8.00" / 203 mm 347.75 ft / 105.99 m 10.32 ft / 3.15 m
Ends: 1.00" / 25 mm 187.23 ft / 57.07 m 10.32 ft / 3.15 m
Main Belt covers 100 % of normal length

- Gun armour: Face (max) Other gunhouse (avg) Barbette/hoist (max)
Main: 6.00" / 152 mm 4.00" / 102 mm 6.00" / 152 mm

- Armoured deck - multiple decks: 2.00" / 51 mm For and Aft decks

- Conning towers: Forward 8.00" / 203 mm, Aft 0.00" / 0 mm

Machinery:
Coal fired boilers, complex reciprocating steam engines,
Direct drive, 4 shafts, 33,921 ihp / 25,305 Kw = 23.00 kts
Range 9,000nm at 13.00 kts
Bunker at max displacement = 4,712 tons (100% coal)

Complement:
707 - 920

Cost:
£1.318 million / $5.273 million

Distribution of weights at normal displacement:
Armament: 855 tons, 5.4 %
Armour: 3,007 tons, 18.9 %
- Belts: 1,303 tons, 8.2 %
- Armament: 729 tons, 4.6 %
- Armour Deck: 867 tons, 5.5 %
- Conning Tower: 109 tons, 0.7 %
Machinery: 3,769 tons, 23.7 %
Hull, fittings & equipment: 4,991 tons, 31.4 %
Fuel, ammunition & stores: 3,273 tons, 20.6 %
Miscellaneous weights: 0 tons, 0.0 %

Overall survivability and seakeeping ability:
Survivability (Non-critical penetrating hits needed to sink ship):
18,584 lbs / 8,430 Kg = 44.1 x 9.4 " / 240 mm shells or 2.0 torpedoes
Stability (Unstable if below 1.00): 1.27
Metacentric height 4.9 ft / 1.5 m
Roll period: 14.0 seconds
Steadiness - As gun platform (Average = 50 %): 86 %
- Recoil effect (Restricted arc if above 1.00): 0.59
Seaboat quality (Average = 1.00): 1.66

Hull form characteristics:
Hull has a flush deck,
a ram bow and a round stern
Block coefficient (normal/deep): 0.586 / 0.599
Length to Beam Ratio: 7.23 : 1
'Natural speed' for length: 23.13 kts
Power going to wave formation at top speed: 49 %
Trim (Max stability = 0, Max steadiness = 100): 52
Bow angle (Positive = bow angles forward): -6.00 degrees
Stern overhang: 3.00 ft / 0.91 m
Freeboard (% = length of deck as a percentage of waterline length):
Fore end, Aft end
- Forecastle: 20.00 %, 27.00 ft / 8.23 m, 20.00 ft / 6.10 m
- Forward deck: 30.00 %, 20.00 ft / 6.10 m, 20.00 ft / 6.10 m
- Aft deck: 35.00 %, 20.00 ft / 6.10 m, 20.00 ft / 6.10 m
- Quarter deck: 15.00 %, 20.00 ft / 6.10 m, 20.00 ft / 6.10 m
- Average freeboard: 20.56 ft / 6.27 m

Ship space, strength and comments:
Space - Hull below water (magazines/engines, low = better): 97.8 %
- Above water (accommodation/working, high = better): 153.9 %
Waterplane Area: 28,565 Square feet or 2,654 Square metres
Displacement factor (Displacement / loading): 115 %
Structure weight / hull surface area: 127 lbs/sq ft or 621 Kg/sq metre
Hull strength (Relative):
- Cross-sectional: 0.96
- Longitudinal: 1.68
- Overall: 1.01
Hull space for machinery, storage, compartmentation is adequate
Room for accommodation and workspaces is excellent
Ship has slow, easy roll, a good, steady gun platform
Excellent seaboat, comfortable, can fire her guns in the heaviest weather

Fiheoru sits right at the borderline between a late armored cruiser and a battlecruiser. Right about the equal to Blucher, I'd say.

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Pouakai, Motunui Battlecruiser laid down 1911

Displacement:
15,955 t light; 16,960 t standard; 18,555 t normal; 19,832 t full load

Dimensions: Length overall / water x beam x draught
600.00 ft / 600.00 ft x 80.00 ft x 30.00 ft (normal load)
182.88 m / 182.88 m x 24.38 m x 9.14 m

Armament:
8 - 12.00" / 305 mm guns (4x2 guns), 864.00lbs / 391.90kg shells, 1911 Model
Breech loading guns in turrets (on barbettes)
on centreline ends, evenly spread, 1 raised mount - superfiring
16 - 4.00" / 102 mm guns in single mounts, 32.00lbs / 14.51kg shells, 1911 Model
Breech loading guns in casemate mounts
on side, all amidships
10 - 2.00" / 50.8 mm guns (1x10 guns), 4.00lbs / 1.81kg shells, 1911 Model
Breech loading guns in deck mount
on side
Weight of broadside 7,464 lbs / 3,386 kg
Shells per gun, main battery: 150
2 - 18.0" / 457.2 mm above water torpedoes

Armour:
- Belts: Width (max) Length (avg) Height (avg)
Main: 8.00" / 203 mm 383.50 ft / 116.89 m 10.73 ft / 3.27 m
Ends: 2.00" / 51 mm 206.48 ft / 62.94 m 10.73 ft / 3.27 m
10.02 ft / 3.05 m Unarmoured ends
Main Belt covers 98 % of normal length

- Gun armour: Face (max) Other gunhouse (avg) Barbette/hoist (max)
Main: 9.00" / 229 mm 6.00" / 152 mm 8.00" / 203 mm
2nd: 2.00" / 51 mm - -

- Armour deck: 2.00" / 51 mm, Conning tower: 8.00" / 203 mm

Machinery:
Coal fired boilers, steam turbines,
Geared drive, 4 shafts, 54,718 shp / 40,820 Kw = 26.00 kts
Range 9,300nm at 10.00 kts
Bunker at max displacement = 2,871 tons (100% coal)

Complement:
794 - 1,033

Cost:
£1.684 million / $6.737 million

Distribution of weights at normal displacement:
Armament: 933 tons, 5.0 %
Armour: 4,355 tons, 23.5 %
- Belts: 1,570 tons, 8.5 %
- Torpedo bulkhead: 0 tons, 0.0 %
- Armament: 1,530 tons, 8.2 %
- Armour Deck: 1,134 tons, 6.1 %
- Conning Tower: 121 tons, 0.7 %
Machinery: 2,443 tons, 13.2 %
Hull, fittings & equipment: 8,224 tons, 44.3 %
Fuel, ammunition & stores: 2,601 tons, 14.0 %
Miscellaneous weights: 0 tons, 0.0 %

Overall survivability and seakeeping ability:
Survivability (Non-critical penetrating hits needed to sink ship):
23,044 lbs / 10,453 Kg = 26.7 x 12.0 " / 305 mm shells or 2.6 torpedoes
Stability (Unstable if below 1.00): 1.01
Metacentric height 3.7 ft / 1.1 m
Roll period: 17.6 seconds
Steadiness - As gun platform (Average = 50 %): 81 %
- Recoil effect (Restricted arc if above 1.00): 0.98
Seaboat quality (Average = 1.00): 1.51

Hull form characteristics:
Hull has low quarterdeck
Block coefficient: 0.451
Length to Beam Ratio: 7.50 : 1
'Natural speed' for length: 24.49 kts
Power going to wave formation at top speed: 48 %
Trim (Max stability = 0, Max steadiness = 100): 54
Bow angle (Positive = bow angles forward): -8.00 degrees
Stern overhang: 0.00 ft / 0.00 m
Freeboard (% = measuring location as a percentage of overall length):
- Stem: 29.00 ft / 8.84 m
- Forecastle (20 %): 22.00 ft / 6.71 m
- Mid (50 %): 22.00 ft / 6.71 m
- Quarterdeck (15 %): 17.00 ft / 5.18 m (21.00 ft / 6.40 m before break)
- Stern: 17.00 ft / 5.18 m
- Average freeboard: 21.64 ft / 6.59 m

Ship space, strength and comments:
Space - Hull below water (magazines/engines, low = better): 82.0 %
- Above water (accommodation/working, high = better): 156.4 %
Waterplane Area: 30,643 Square feet or 2,847 Square metres
Displacement factor (Displacement / loading): 111 %
Structure weight / hull surface area: 169 lbs/sq ft or 826 Kg/sq metre
Hull strength (Relative):
- Cross-sectional: 0.99
- Longitudinal: 2.21
- Overall: 1.08
Hull space for machinery, storage, compartmentation is excellent
Room for accommodation and workspaces is excellent
Ship has slow, easy roll, a good, steady gun platform
Excellent seaboat, comfortable, can fire her guns in the heaviest weather

Pouakai ("Eagle") is one of the ships responsible for cleaning up Graf Spee's East Asiatic Fleet in a story I wrote. Basically she's a response to HMAS Australia, but with some shades of the Splendid Cats. Also fights in the Battle of Jutland with the Third Battlecruiser Squadron.

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Karearea, Motunui Battlecruiser laid down 1913

Displacement:
28,691 t light; 30,388 t standard; 32,600 t normal; 34,369 t full load

Dimensions: Length (overall / waterline) x beam x draught (normal/deep)
(783.98 ft / 775.00 ft) x 90.60 ft x (28.75 / 30.00 ft)
(238.96 m / 236.22 m) x 27.61 m x (8.76 / 9.14 m)

Armament:
8 - 13.78" / 350 mm 50.0 cal guns - 1,384.91lbs / 628.18kg shells, 150 per gun
Breech loading guns in turret on barbette mounts, 1913 Model
4 x 2-gun mounts on centreline ends, evenly spread
2 raised mounts - superfiring
12 - 5.91" / 150 mm 45.0 cal guns - 103.86lbs / 47.11kg shells, 150 per gun
Breech loading guns in casemate mounts, 1913 Model
12 x Single mounts on sides, evenly spread
4 - 3.15" / 80.0 mm 45.0 cal guns - 15.76lbs / 7.15kg shells, 150 per gun
Breech loading guns in deck mounts, 1913 Model
4 x Single mounts on sides, evenly spread
24 - 2.36" / 60.0 mm 45.0 cal guns - 6.65lbs / 3.01kg shells, 150 per gun
Anti-air guns in deck mounts, 1913 Model
8 x Triple mounts on sides amidships
Weight of broadside 12,548 lbs / 5,692 kg

Armour:
- Belts: Width (max) Length (avg) Height (avg)
Main: 13.0" / 330 mm 510.00 ft / 155.45 m 11.50 ft / 3.51 m
Ends: 5.00" / 127 mm 235.00 ft / 71.63 m 11.50 ft / 3.51 m
30.00 ft / 9.14 m Unarmoured ends
Upper: 6.00" / 152 mm 410.00 ft / 124.97 m 8.00 ft / 2.44 m
Main Belt covers 101 % of normal length
Main belt does not fully cover magazines and engineering spaces

- Torpedo Bulkhead:
2.00" / 51 mm 410.00 ft / 124.97 m 27.00 ft / 8.23 m

- Gun armour: Face (max) Other gunhouse (avg) Barbette/hoist (max)
Main: 13.0" / 330 mm 8.00" / 203 mm 8.00" / 203 mm
2nd: 6.00" / 152 mm - -
3rd: 1.00" / 25 mm - -

- Armoured deck - multiple decks: 3.00" / 76 mm For and Aft decks

- Conning towers: Forward 11.00" / 279 mm, Aft 0.00" / 0 mm

Machinery:
Oil fired boilers, steam turbines,
Geared drive, 4 shafts, 112,288 shp / 83,767 Kw = 29.00 kts
Range 11,000nm at 11.00 kts
Bunker at max displacement = 3,981 tons

Complement:
1,212 - 1,576

Cost:
£3.097 million / $12.387 million

Distribution of weights at normal displacement:
Armament: 2,798 tons, 8.6 %
Armour: 9,938 tons, 30.5 %
- Belts: 4,542 tons, 13.9 %
- Torpedo bulkhead: 819 tons, 2.5 %
- Armament: 2,102 tons, 6.4 %
- Armour Deck: 2,232 tons, 6.8 %
- Conning Tower: 242 tons, 0.7 %
Machinery: 4,400 tons, 13.5 %
Hull, fittings & equipment: 11,556 tons, 35.4 %
Fuel, ammunition & stores: 3,909 tons, 12.0 %
Miscellaneous weights: 0 tons, 0.0 %

Overall survivability and seakeeping ability:
Survivability (Non-critical penetrating hits needed to sink ship):
42,302 lbs / 19,188 Kg = 32.3 x 13.8 " / 350 mm shells or 5.8 torpedoes
Stability (Unstable if below 1.00): 1.11
Metacentric height 5.3 ft / 1.6 m
Roll period: 16.6 seconds
Steadiness - As gun platform (Average = 50 %): 58 %
- Recoil effect (Restricted arc if above 1.00): 0.78
Seaboat quality (Average = 1.00): 1.20

Hull form characteristics:
Hull has rise forward of midbreak,
a straight bulbous bow and a round stern
Block coefficient (normal/deep): 0.565 / 0.571
Length to Beam Ratio: 8.55 : 1
'Natural speed' for length: 27.84 kts
Power going to wave formation at top speed: 48 %
Trim (Max stability = 0, Max steadiness = 100): 48
Bow angle (Positive = bow angles forward): 14.00 degrees
Stern overhang: 2.00 ft / 0.61 m
Freeboard (% = length of deck as a percentage of waterline length):
Fore end, Aft end
- Forecastle: 20.80 %, 28.00 ft / 8.53 m, 28.00 ft / 8.53 m
- Forward deck: 30.00 %, 28.00 ft / 8.53 m, 28.00 ft / 8.53 m
- Aft deck: 33.50 %, 16.00 ft / 4.88 m, 16.00 ft / 4.88 m
- Quarter deck: 15.70 %, 16.00 ft / 4.88 m, 16.00 ft / 4.88 m
- Average freeboard: 22.10 ft / 6.73 m
Ship tends to be wet forward

Ship space, strength and comments:
Space - Hull below water (magazines/engines, low = better): 101.3 %
- Above water (accommodation/working, high = better): 169.3 %
Waterplane Area: 49,707 Square feet or 4,618 Square metres
Displacement factor (Displacement / loading): 107 %
Structure weight / hull surface area: 179 lbs/sq ft or 874 Kg/sq metre
Hull strength (Relative):
- Cross-sectional: 0.99
- Longitudinal: 1.09
- Overall: 1.00
Hull space for machinery, storage, compartmentation is adequate
Room for accommodation and workspaces is excellent

Karearea is star of a story I am writing set during the Battle of Jutland, where she sails with the First Battlecruiser Squadron. The ship is an attempt to make an equal to the Kongo-class battlecruisers and HMS Tiger, but she ended up being more along the lines of a proto-Hood than anything else. She's one of my favorite designs that I've made.

[SIZE=1]Once again, all original drawings by smiling assassin and modified by myself.[/SIZE]

Hi!

And thanks for posting. Welcome to WesWorld.

Some comments:

The AC is a nice creature even though superfiring twins fore and aft probably is a bit ahead of times. There is no OTL design she could be based on and I doubt your small fictious power has a decent design history and battle experience to build up a tech tree that leads to such designs. But I may be wrong of course.... :o)

The early battlecruiser shocked me due to her very small size of 17kts given her very heavy main armament. 17000ts is about the size of OTL SMS Von der Tann and compared to her your design is two generations ahead. So I wondered how you could put together that design on such a low displacement. First you used a low to very low block coefficient for a ship her size mounting heavy guns. But that´s not all. She also lacks any kind of useful torpedo bulkhead - which would have eaten up a lot of your ressources and weight. Using small 4" secondaries helped too, though.

I´m also curious to learn about the 10 tube 50mm mount she features....and I´d used the machinery split by main guns option.

Your third design finally is a very powerful and impressive one. I´d only be worried about her belt length....

Ha! All I see is little red X's.

Thanks for the critique, HoOmAn. Pouakai is one of the first designs I worked on, and I originally borrowed the hull dimensions from HMAS Australia, which is how I somehow arrived at that tonnage. I'd been thinking of going back and putting her through the 3.0 beta using some of the things I've learned since I designed her. For one thing, I thought she was a bit short for her layout and the drawing I pieced together. So, here's this morning's modifications. I have a bit extra composite strength, and I added a fairly large amount of extra weight. I didn't eliminate it altogether, though.

Do you think I should add more armor to the turrets and deck, or should I cut down the weight to fit, or should I try to boost her speed a bit? My first impulse is to add more armor, since I feel that's never a wrong course to take.

Pouakai, Motunui Battlecruiser laid down 1911

Displacement:
19,623 t light; 20,701 t standard; 22,514 t normal; 23,964 t full load

Dimensions: Length (overall / waterline) x beam x draught (normal/deep)
(653.00 ft / 650.00 ft) x 80.00 ft x (30.00 / 31.46 ft)
(199.03 m / 198.12 m) x 24.38 m x (9.14 / 9.59 m)

Armament:
8 - 11.81" / 300 mm 50.0 cal guns - 872.13lbs / 395.59kg shells, 150 per gun
Breech loading guns in turret on barbette mounts, 1911 Model
3 x 2-gun mounts on centreline ends, evenly spread
1 raised mount - superfiring
1 x Twin mount on centreline, evenly spread
Aft Main mounts separated by engine room
16 - 3.94" / 100.0 mm 45.0 cal guns - 30.77lbs / 13.96kg shells, 150 per gun
Breech loading guns in casemate mounts, 1911 Model
16 x Single mounts on sides amidships
10 - 2.00" / 50.8 mm 45.0 cal guns - 4.03lbs / 1.83kg shells, 150 per gun
Quick firing guns in deck mounts, 1911 Model
10 x Single mounts on sides amidships
Weight of broadside 7,510 lbs / 3,406 kg
2 - 18.0" / 457 mm, 21.00 ft / 6.40 m torpedoes - 0.997 t each, 1.993 t total
In 1 sets of submerged side tubes

Armour:
- Belts: Width (max) Length (avg) Height (avg)
Main: 10.0" / 254 mm 410.00 ft / 124.97 m 10.73 ft / 3.27 m
Ends: 5.00" / 127 mm 239.98 ft / 73.15 m 10.73 ft / 3.27 m
Upper: 5.00" / 127 mm 390.00 ft / 118.87 m 8.00 ft / 2.44 m
Main Belt covers 97 % of normal length

- Torpedo Bulkhead:
3.00" / 76 mm 390.00 ft / 118.87 m 27.54 ft / 8.39 m

- Gun armour: Face (max) Other gunhouse (avg) Barbette/hoist (max)
Main: 12.0" / 305 mm 6.00" / 152 mm 8.00" / 203 mm

- Armoured deck - multiple decks: 3.00" / 76 mm For and Aft decks

- Conning towers: Forward 10.00" / 254 mm, Aft 0.00" / 0 mm

Machinery:
Coal fired boilers, steam turbines,
Geared drive, 4 shafts, 60,788 shp / 45,348 Kw = 26.00 kts
Range 9,300nm at 10.00 kts
Bunker at max displacement = 3,263 tons (100% coal)

Complement:
918 - 1,194

Cost:
£1.817 million / $7.266 million

Distribution of weights at normal displacement:
Armament: 1,710 tons, 7.6 %
- Guns: 1,708 tons, 7.6 %
- Torpedoes: 2 tons, 0.0 %
Armour: 7,232 tons, 32.1 %
- Belts: 3,000 tons, 13.3 %
- Torpedo bulkhead: 1,192 tons, 5.3 %
- Armament: 1,372 tons, 6.1 %
- Armour Deck: 1,497 tons, 6.6 %
- Conning Tower: 172 tons, 0.8 %
Machinery: 2,714 tons, 12.1 %
Hull, fittings & equipment: 7,817 tons, 34.7 %
Fuel, ammunition & stores: 2,891 tons, 12.8 %
Miscellaneous weights: 150 tons, 0.7 %
- Hull above water: 50 tons
- On freeboard deck: 50 tons
- Above deck: 50 tons

Overall survivability and seakeeping ability:
Survivability (Non-critical penetrating hits needed to sink ship):
32,446 lbs / 14,717 Kg = 39.4 x 11.8 " / 300 mm shells or 5.3 torpedoes
Stability (Unstable if below 1.00): 1.08
Metacentric height 4.1 ft / 1.3 m
Roll period: 16.6 seconds
Steadiness - As gun platform (Average = 50 %): 73 %
- Recoil effect (Restricted arc if above 1.00): 0.85
Seaboat quality (Average = 1.00): 1.47

Hull form characteristics:
Hull has low quarterdeck ,
a ram bow and a round stern
Block coefficient (normal/deep): 0.505 / 0.513
Length to Beam Ratio: 8.13 : 1
'Natural speed' for length: 25.50 kts
Power going to wave formation at top speed: 46 %
Trim (Max stability = 0, Max steadiness = 100): 50
Bow angle (Positive = bow angles forward): -8.00 degrees
Stern overhang: 0.00 ft / 0.00 m
Freeboard (% = length of deck as a percentage of waterline length):
Fore end, Aft end
- Forecastle: 20.00 %, 29.00 ft / 8.84 m, 22.00 ft / 6.71 m
- Forward deck: 30.00 %, 22.00 ft / 6.71 m, 22.00 ft / 6.71 m
- Aft deck: 30.00 %, 22.00 ft / 6.71 m, 22.00 ft / 6.71 m
- Quarter deck: 20.00 %, 17.00 ft / 5.18 m, 17.00 ft / 5.18 m
- Average freeboard: 21.56 ft / 6.57 m

Ship space, strength and comments:
Space - Hull below water (magazines/engines, low = better): 94.6 %
- Above water (accommodation/working, high = better): 158.9 %
Waterplane Area: 34,809 Square feet or 3,234 Square metres
Displacement factor (Displacement / loading): 113 %
Structure weight / hull surface area: 158 lbs/sq ft or 772 Kg/sq metre
Hull strength (Relative):
- Cross-sectional: 0.98
- Longitudinal: 1.62
- Overall: 1.03
Hull space for machinery, storage, compartmentation is adequate
Room for accommodation and workspaces is excellent
Ship has slow, easy roll, a good, steady gun platform
Good seaboat, rides out heavy weather easily

Quoted

Originally posted by Brockpaine
Thanks for the critique, HoOmAn. Pouakai is one of the first designs I worked on, and I originally borrowed the hull dimensions from HMAS Australia, which is how I somehow arrived at that tonnage.

Rats, I was guessing she was based on the USS South Carolina, also 8x12" and 16,000t, but trading 1/3 the armor for speed with a longer, narrower hull.

Edit : The SC comparison was due to the date, displacement and the superimposed 12".

In the new version, the torpedo holding bulkhead is probably a little heavy at 3". Bellerophon is listed as having a top thickness of 2".

As for overall armor, it depends on which model you are aiming for. The original battlecruiser goal was to catch and kill AC's, and the RN versions were armored for that task. The US Tennessee class with 4x10" may be a reasonable design foe, like wise there were some other 10" armed, and many 9.2-9.4 armed ACs.

Its worth bearing in mind that the ships of the period don't actually have a torpeo defense system. The first that can really be called such is that in the Rs which was a simple coffer dam type. The bulged Ramilles was better off for torpedo protection because it had massively more sacrificial beam from the bulges. The typical underwater protection was coal bunker and then about 2" armour alongside the magazines. The best way to make the torpedo defense more effective would be to eliminate the centreline bulkheads and incorporate more transverse frames. This would minimise the stability problems which were the cause of sinking after most of the torpedo hits in WWI. The warheads commonly used were pretty small.

I have reservations over the armourscheme used. Using an all-or-nothing scheme during this period is a bad idea as most navies are firing SAP and HE shells, not proper AP. You want thicker end and upper belts that cover more of the ship.

Not sure if I agree to your comment of the Rs (-class BBs, I assume) being the first with real torpedo defense. How do you rate the German designs of that era?

They are pretty much the same with narrow coal bunkers and either 50mm around the magazines or 30mm alongside the machinery. The system on the Rs with the crushing tubes was actually tested. Post-war examination showed the internal subdivision of the German ships to be considerably poorer (again with regard to the Rs)

Not much I can really add that already hasn't been said. The AC does seem a wee bit advanced for the period with super emposed turrets both fore and aft.
Its more likely she would recieve a Blucher type layout or somethign similar with wing mounted turrets.

The drawings do seem to be out of scale somewhat in reguards to the BC's particularily with the Pouakai. Keep in mind some of the drawings you have used to cut and past are larger BB designs using 14" guns in triple turrets and 6" casemates. Pouakai should be slightly larger than your drawing of Fiheoru. My M1/Corvenus class monitors mount 12" twin turrets and would be a place you could rip turrets for your drawing.

In reguards to Karearea drawing her superstructure can be squashed slightly to shorten the belt and bring the turrets further away from the ends.

Question RA - This site I was browsing seemed to indicate that the WWI german ships had more than just a simple coal bunker, but an actual space:

Tegetthoff
said the Germans vessels

Quoted

while on the German battleships of the period there was 4,5 metres inter space between the outer hull and the inner anti-torpedo bulkhead, the Austrian battleships of the Tegetthoff class had only 2.45 metres of inter space. German dreadnoughts had no watertight doors below the waterline and in order to get to another compartment, one had to use the stairs to get to the nearest watertight door above the waterline.

I also note that by the 1911 laydown date of the Pouakai , you had superimposed twin 12" on the USS South Carolina and Delaware classes, with the Florida class building, the AH Teggethoff class was building with superimposed triples, Italy's Dante Alighieri and Cavour were building, Germany's Konig, laid down in Feb 1911, had superimposed turrets fore & aft... I disagree on the Pouakai layout being to advanced for a ship laid down in 1911.

Don't forget HMS Orion and HMS Lion in 1910 and the French Corbet class in 1911/12. That said I think Gavin was refering to AC Fiheoru which was laid down in 1907 according to the SS file.

Erg, computer committed seppuku on Saturday and I'm just getting back to this. Most of my files were saved, but unfortunately not the Springsharp files themselves. I'll be reconstructing them over time (fortunately they are all posted online).

Working over these again, are there any suggestions people can make? Expand ends and upper belt thickness, mainly?

Ah yes, death by seppuku. My last computer failed in its first 3 attempts (motherboard, hard drive, power modual) but ultimately succeeded when my anchient version of XP finnaly succumbed to all the abuse.