WesWorld

Gentlemen,

may I present you the flagship of the 1st Naval Academy Squadron based in Durban?

RSAN Argentina is the last remaining AC of a class of two. Her sister RSAN Cameroon ran aground in 1916 and was declared a total loss. The wreck was then salvaged. RSAN Argentina remained active and was detached for training duties in 1918. Most likely she will serve the RSAN for another couple of years.



Argentina, South African Armored Cruiser laid down 1908

Displacement:
9.712 t light; 10.252 t standard; 11.900 t normal; 13.170 t full load
Loading submergence 563 tons/feet

Dimensions:
442,91 ft x 68,90 ft x 26,25 ft (normal load)
135,00 m x 21,00 m x 8,00 m

Armament:
8 - 8,27" / 210 mm guns (2 x 2; 4 x 1 turrets)
10 - 5,91" / 150 mm guns
10 - 3,46" / 88 mm QF guns
6 - 3,46" / 88 mm guns
Weight of broadside 3.623 lbs / 1.643 kg
4 - 21,0" / 533 mm submerged torpedo tubes

Hull Armour:
Belt 5,91" / 150 mm,
(Belts cover 103% of normal area)
Upper belt 3,35" / 85 mm, end belts 2,36" / 60 mm
Armour deck 1,57" / 40 mm
(Allocation: Over engines and magazines - 45 mm; ends - 30 mm)
Conning tower 7,87" / 200 mm

Battery Armour:
Main turrets 8,27" / 210 mm
(Allocation: Front - 210 mm; sides - 150 mm; back - 100 mm; roof - 100 mm)
2nd gun casemats 5,91" / 150 mm
QF gun casemats 0,98" / 40 mm

Machinery:
Coal fired boilers, complex reciprocating steam engines,
Direct drive, 4 shafts, 26.812 ihp / 20.002 Kw = 22,38 kts
(Trials with 12% overload for 22.400 shaft kw = 23,025 kts)
Range 8.000nm at 12,00 kts

Complement:
569 - 740

Cost:
£1,062 million / $4,246 million

Distribution of weights at normal displacement:
Armament: 453 tons, 3,8%
Armour: 3.044 tons, 25,6%
Belts: 1.235 tons, 10,4%, Armament: 1.147 tons, 9,6%, Armour Deck: 574 tons, 4,8%
Conning Tower: 88 tons, 0,7%, Torpedo bulkhead: 0 tons, 0,0%
Machinery: 2.437 tons, 20,5%
Hull, fittings & equipment: 3.727 tons, 31,3%
Fuel, ammunition & stores: 2.188 tons, 18,4%
Miscellaneous weights: 50 tons, 0,4%

Metacentric height 3,2

Remarks:
Hull space for machinery, storage & compartmentation is adequate
Room for accommodation & workspaces is adequate
Ship has slow, easy roll, a good, steady gun platform
Good seaboat, rides out heavy weather easily

Estimated overall survivability and seakeeping ability:
Relative margin of stability: 1,05
Shellfire needed to sink: 10.332 lbs / 4.686 Kg = 36,6 x 8,3 " / 210 mm shells
(Approx weight of penetrating shell hits needed to sink ship excluding critical hits)
Torpedoes needed to sink: 1,5
(Approx number of typical torpedo hits needed to sink ship)
Relative steadiness as gun platform: 71 %
(Average = 50 %)
Relative rocking effect from firing to beam: 0,56
Relative quality as seaboat: 1,22

Hull form characteristics:
Block coefficient: 0,520
Sharpness coefficient: 0,39
Hull speed coefficient 'M': 5,93
'Natural speed' for length: 21,05 kts
Power going to wave formation at top speed: 52 %
Trim: 58
(Maximise stabilty/flotation = 0, Maximise steadiness/seakeeping = 100)

Estimated hull characteristics & strength:
Underwater volume absorbed by magazines and engineering spaces: 102,2%
Relative accommodation and working space: 108,1%
(Average = 100%)
Displacement factor: 103%
(Displacement relative to loading factors)
Relative cross-sectional hull strength: 0,93
(Structure weight / hull surface area: 120 lbs / square foot or 584 Kg / square metre)
Relative longitudinal hull strength: 1,88
(for 16,40 ft / 5,00 m average freeboard, freeboard adjustment 0,73 ft)
Relative composite hull strength: 1,00

I like them :-) especially the drawing. But they are layed down the same year as my Navarras ... In the end you've got the better bargain but apart from that: ohmegawd for the comparison.

Bernhard