[SIZE=4]Armoured Cruisers (Matataua) of the Taruru no Motunui, 1890-1920[/SIZE]
[SIZE=3]
Otani, Motunuian Armoured Cruiser laid down 1894[/SIZE]
Displacement:
8,906 t light; 9,243 t standard; 10,000 t normal; 10,606 t full load
Dimensions: Length overall / water x beam x draught
402.89 ft / 402.89 ft x 64.63 ft x 27.89 ft (normal load)
122.80 m / 122.80 m x 19.70 m x 8.50 m
Armament:
4 - 8.00" / 203 mm guns (2x2 guns), 256.00lbs / 116.12kg shells, 1895 Model
Breech loading guns in turrets (on barbettes)
on centreline ends, evenly spread
4 - 8.00" / 203 mm guns (2x2 guns), 256.00lbs / 116.12kg shells, 1895 Model
Breech loading guns in turrets (on barbettes)
on side, all amidships
12 - 5.00" / 127 mm guns in single mounts, 62.50lbs / 28.35kg shells, 1895 Model
Breech loading guns in casemate mounts
on side, evenly spread
12 guns in hull casemates - Limited use in heavy seas
Weight of broadside 2,798 lbs / 1,269 kg
Shells per gun, main battery: 80
5 - 18.0" / 457.2 mm above water torpedoes
Armour:
- Belts: Width (max) Length (avg) Height (avg)
Main: 3.00" / 76 mm 300.00 ft / 91.44 m 12.00 ft / 3.66 m
Ends: Unarmoured
Main Belt covers 115 % of normal length
- Gun armour: Face (max) Other gunhouse (avg) Barbette/hoist (max)
Main: 5.50" / 140 mm 3.00" / 76 mm 8.00" / 203 mm
2nd: 5.50" / 140 mm 3.00" / 76 mm 8.00" / 203 mm
3rd: 3.00" / 76 mm - -
- Armour deck: 3.00" / 76 mm, Conning tower: 7.50" / 191 mm
Machinery:
Coal fired boilers, complex reciprocating steam engines,
Direct drive, 2 shafts, 15,874 ihp / 11,842 Kw = 20.00 kts
Range 5,000nm at 10.00 kts
Bunker at max displacement = 1,363 tons (100% coal)
Complement:
499 - 650
Cost:
£0.982 million / $3.929 million
Distribution of weights at normal displacement:
Armament: 350 tons, 3.5 %
Armour: 2,245 tons, 22.4 %
- Belts: 454 tons, 4.5 %
- Torpedo bulkhead: 0 tons, 0.0 %
- Armament: 768 tons, 7.7 %
- Armour Deck: 947 tons, 9.5 %
- Conning Tower: 75 tons, 0.8 %
Machinery: 2,690 tons, 26.9 %
Hull, fittings & equipment: 3,521 tons, 35.2 %
Fuel, ammunition & stores: 1,094 tons, 10.9 %
Miscellaneous weights: 100 tons, 1.0 %
Overall survivability and seakeeping ability:
Survivability (Non-critical penetrating hits needed to sink ship):
8,311 lbs / 3,770 Kg = 32.5 x 8.0 " / 203 mm shells or 1.3 torpedoes
Stability (Unstable if below 1.00): 1.21
Metacentric height 3.7 ft / 1.1 m
Roll period: 14.2 seconds
Steadiness - As gun platform (Average = 50 %): 75 %
- Recoil effect (Restricted arc if above 1.00): 0.54
Seaboat quality (Average = 1.00): 1.93
Hull form characteristics:
Hull has low quarterdeck
Block coefficient: 0.482
Length to Beam Ratio: 6.23 : 1
'Natural speed' for length: 20.07 kts
Power going to wave formation at top speed: 48 %
Trim (Max stability = 0, Max steadiness = 100): 39
Bow angle (Positive = bow angles forward): -10.00 degrees
Stern overhang: -26.25 ft / -8.00 m
Freeboard (% = measuring location as a percentage of overall length):
- Stem: 22.97 ft / 7.00 m
- Forecastle (20 %): 21.33 ft / 6.50 m
- Mid (50 %): 19.69 ft / 6.00 m
- Quarterdeck (15 %): 12.30 ft / 3.75 m (19.69 ft / 6.00 m before break)
- Stern: 12.30 ft / 3.75 m
- Average freeboard: 19.28 ft / 5.88 m
Ship space, strength and comments:
Space - Hull below water (magazines/engines, low = better): 114.3 %
- Above water (accommodation/working, high = better): 118.0 %
Waterplane Area: 17,071 Square feet or 1,586 Square metres
Displacement factor (Displacement / loading): 95 %
Structure weight / hull surface area: 123 lbs/sq ft or 599 Kg/sq metre
Hull strength (Relative):
- Cross-sectional: 0.89
- Longitudinal: 3.25
- Overall: 1.02
Hull space for machinery, storage, compartmentation is cramped
Room for accommodation and workspaces is adequate
Ship has slow, easy roll, a good, steady gun platform
Excellent seaboat, comfortable, can fire her guns in the heaviest weather
Ships in Class:
- TnM
Otani - 1894
Notes:
The
Otani was the first all-steam warship ever acquired for Motunui. Built in the US, the ship modeled the American
Brooklyn in many respects. Paid for by the "White Lords of Fiheoru",
Otani would be one of three ships to survive the disaster of the Kaiwera War against Germany. The
Otani, freshly delivered, was still en route to the fleet rendezvous at Kingitangipoi when German battleships attacked and obliterated the rest of the Motunuian naval forces.
Otani's crew, largely on the initiative of Captain Jacob Kempenfeldt, launched a campaign against the German colonial invasion forces, operating from remote harbours and the southern fjords. In early 1899, as the war came closer to it's inevitable end,
Otani found the German armoured cruiser
Kaiserin Augusta in the Battle of the Northern Gate, and methodically battered her into a hulk; the German ship was only saved by the approach of the battleships
Wörth and
Brandenburg, which caused
Otani to flee back into her fjords.
Otani's exploits provided the founding legends of the Taruru no Motunui; but
Otani would never wear the royal naval jack of the TnM. On May 22nd, 1902, the
Otani was taking on coal and mail from the supply ship
Auri when the collier caught fire and exploded, sinking almost instantly. The
Otani, badly damaged by the explosion of her consort, stayed afloat for a few hours longer due to fanatical damage-control efforts by her crew, but attempts to beach the ship were unsuccessful and the still-blazing armoured cruiser capsized shortly before noon.
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[SIZE=3]
Oreti-class, Motunuian Armoured Cruisers laid down 1905[/SIZE]
Displacement:
13,543 t light; 14,234 t standard; 16,146 t normal; 17,676 t full load
Dimensions: Length overall / water x beam x draught
540.00 ft / 540.00 ft x 72.80 ft x 25.00 ft (normal load)
164.59 m / 164.59 m x 22.19 m x 7.62 m
Armament:
4 - 10.00" / 254 mm guns (2x2 guns), 500.00lbs / 226.80kg shells, 1905 Model
Breech loading guns in turrets (on barbettes)
on centreline ends, evenly spread
16 - 6.00" / 152 mm guns in single mounts, 108.00lbs / 48.99kg shells, 1905 Model
Breech loading guns in casemate mounts
on side, all amidships
22 - 3.00" / 76.2 mm guns in single mounts, 13.50lbs / 6.12kg shells, 1905 Model
Breech loading guns in deck mounts
on side, evenly spread
Weight of broadside 4,025 lbs / 1,826 kg
Shells per gun, main battery: 150
4 - 21.0" / 533.4 mm above water torpedoes
Armour:
- Belts: Width (max) Length (avg) Height (avg)
Main: 5.00" / 127 mm 328.25 ft / 100.05 m 10.24 ft / 3.12 m
Ends: 3.00" / 76 mm 176.73 ft / 53.87 m 10.24 ft / 3.12 m
35.02 ft / 10.67 m Unarmoured ends
Upper: 3.00" / 76 mm 328.25 ft / 100.05 m 8.00 ft / 2.44 m
Main Belt covers 94 % of normal length
Main belt does not fully cover magazines and engineering spaces
- Gun armour: Face (max) Other gunhouse (avg) Barbette/hoist (max)
Main: 5.00" / 127 mm 3.00" / 76 mm 5.00" / 127 mm
- Armour deck: 3.00" / 76 mm, Conning tower: 7.00" / 178 mm
Machinery:
Coal fired boilers, simple reciprocating steam engines,
Direct drive, 2 shafts, 28,547 ihp / 21,296 Kw = 22.00 kts
Range 7,500nm at 12.00 kts
Bunker at max displacement = 3,441 tons (100% coal)
Complement:
716 - 931
Cost:
£1.574 million / $6.296 million
Distribution of weights at normal displacement:
Armament: 503 tons, 3.1 %
Armour: 3,218 tons, 19.9 %
- Belts: 1,277 tons, 7.9 %
- Torpedo bulkhead: 0 tons, 0.0 %
- Armament: 286 tons, 1.8 %
- Armour Deck: 1,559 tons, 9.7 %
- Conning Tower: 96 tons, 0.6 %
Machinery: 4,838 tons, 30.0 %
Hull, fittings & equipment: 4,734 tons, 29.3 %
Fuel, ammunition & stores: 2,603 tons, 16.1 %
Miscellaneous weights: 250 tons, 1.5 %
Overall survivability and seakeeping ability:
Survivability (Non-critical penetrating hits needed to sink ship):
12,087 lbs / 5,482 Kg = 24.2 x 10.0 " / 254 mm shells or 1.4 torpedoes
Stability (Unstable if below 1.00): 1.50
Metacentric height 6.2 ft / 1.9 m
Roll period: 12.3 seconds
Steadiness - As gun platform (Average = 50 %): 71 %
- Recoil effect (Restricted arc if above 1.00): 0.29
Seaboat quality (Average = 1.00): 1.69
Hull form characteristics:
Hull has a flush deck
Block coefficient: 0.575
Length to Beam Ratio: 7.42 : 1
'Natural speed' for length: 23.24 kts
Power going to wave formation at top speed: 45 %
Trim (Max stability = 0, Max steadiness = 100): 42
Bow angle (Positive = bow angles forward): -10.00 degrees
Stern overhang: 0.00 ft / 0.00 m
Freeboard (% = measuring location as a percentage of overall length):
- Stem: 25.00 ft / 7.62 m
- Forecastle (20 %): 18.00 ft / 5.49 m
- Mid (50 %): 17.00 ft / 5.18 m
- Quarterdeck (15 %): 17.00 ft / 5.18 m
- Stern: 17.00 ft / 5.18 m
- Average freeboard: 17.91 ft / 5.46 m
Ship tends to be wet forward
Ship space, strength and comments:
Space - Hull below water (magazines/engines, low = better): 123.1 %
- Above water (accommodation/working, high = better): 119.7 %
Waterplane Area: 28,087 Square feet or 2,609 Square metres
Displacement factor (Displacement / loading): 94 %
Structure weight / hull surface area: 114 lbs/sq ft or 557 Kg/sq metre
Hull strength (Relative):
- Cross-sectional: 0.96
- Longitudinal: 1.41
- Overall: 1.00
Hull space for machinery, storage, compartmentation is cramped
Room for accommodation and workspaces is adequate
Ship has slow, easy roll, a good, steady gun platform
Excellent seaboat, comfortable, can fire her guns in the heaviest weather
Ships in Class:
- TnM
Oreti - 1905
- TnM
Otani - 1905
- TnM
Piako - 1905
Notes:
The second part of the "3:3 Program", the
Oreti-class armoured cruisers would turn out to be the longest-lived of the early Motunuian warships, with all three surviving into the 1930s, when
Otani and
Piako were replaced.
Oreti is anchored alongside
Pouakai as a museum ship, one of the world's only remaining armoured cruisers.
The
Oretis were, like their distant
Arihia-class cousins, American-built warships. The Taruru no Motunui had a somewhat surprising preference for US-built ships despite furious efforts by British builders to acquire Motunuian business. Following the example of the
Arihias, the TnM ordered near-copies of ships under construction for the USN, with the
Oretis mimicking the American
Tennessee-class armoured cruisers. Although slower than comparable armoured cruisers, the
Oretis were very well liked in the TnM and significant thought was put into rebuilds. War service, particularly during World War One and Kewhiti's Revolt, was not dramatic, although all three ships pursued Graf Spee across the Pacific, losing the race to the longer-legged
Huripari; during Kewhiti's Revolt, the trio of armoured cruisers aided the blockade of Whanganui.
Oreti notably gained distinction from her participation in the Battle of Grim Sands, when she was patrolling offshore and came under heavy attack from rebel aircraft and airships. Though her maneuverability was limited due to the proximity of the shallow reefs and islands of the Grim Sands,
Oreti avoided damage while shooting down six rebel biplanes trying to torpedo the ship - the first time a Motunuian warship had shot down an aircraft.
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[SIZE=3]
Kakere and Kahu, Motunuian Battle Scout laid down 1918[/SIZE]
Displacement:
21,840 t light; 22,856 t standard; 25,000 t normal; 26,715 t full load
Dimensions: Length overall / water x beam x draught
745.82 ft / 740.00 ft x 78.00 ft x 30.00 ft (normal load)
227.33 m / 225.55 m x 23.77 m x 9.14 m
Armament:
4 - 12.00" / 305 mm guns (2x2 guns), 864.00lbs / 391.90kg shells, 1918 Model
Breech loading guns in turrets (on barbettes)
on centreline ends, evenly spread
2 - 12.00" / 305 mm guns in single mounts, 864.00lbs / 391.90kg shells, 1918 Model
Breech loading guns in turrets (on barbettes)
on side, all amidships
12 - 5.51" / 140 mm guns in single mounts, 83.72lbs / 37.98kg shells, 1918 Model
Breech loading guns in deck mounts with hoists
on side, evenly spread
6 - 3.00" / 76.2 mm guns in single mounts, 13.50lbs / 6.12kg shells, 1918 Model
Anti-aircraft guns in deck mounts
on side, evenly spread, all raised mounts
6 - 1.00" / 25.4 mm guns in single mounts, 0.50lbs / 0.23kg shells, 1918 Model
Anti-aircraft guns in deck mounts
on side, evenly spread, all raised mounts
Weight of broadside 6,273 lbs / 2,845 kg
Shells per gun, main battery: 140
2 - 18.0" / 457.2 mm submerged torpedo tubes
Armour:
- Belts: Width (max) Length (avg) Height (avg)
Main: 4.50" / 114 mm 481.00 ft / 146.61 m 10.60 ft / 3.23 m
Ends: Unarmoured
Upper: 2.00" / 51 mm 481.00 ft / 146.61 m 8.00 ft / 2.44 m
Main Belt covers 100 % of normal length
Main belt does not fully cover magazines and engineering spaces
- Torpedo Bulkhead:
1.00" / 25 mm 481.00 ft / 146.61 m 26.54 ft / 8.09 m
- Gun armour: Face (max) Other gunhouse (avg) Barbette/hoist (max)
Main: 9.00" / 229 mm 4.00" / 102 mm 6.00" / 152 mm
2nd: 9.00" / 229 mm 4.00" / 102 mm 6.00" / 152 mm
3rd: 2.00" / 51 mm 1.00" / 25 mm 1.00" / 25 mm
4th: 1.00" / 25 mm - -
- Armour deck: 2.00" / 51 mm, Conning tower: 10.00" / 254 mm
Machinery:
Oil fired boilers, steam turbines,
Electric motors, 4 shafts, 196,632 shp / 146,687 Kw = 35.00 kts
Range 8,000nm at 15.00 kts
Bunker at max displacement = 3,860 tons
Complement:
993 - 1,292
Cost:
£4.832 million / $19.329 million
Distribution of weights at normal displacement:
Armament: 784 tons, 3.1 %
Armour: 4,344 tons, 17.4 %
- Belts: 1,281 tons, 5.1 %
- Torpedo bulkhead: 472 tons, 1.9 %
- Armament: 977 tons, 3.9 %
- Armour Deck: 1,430 tons, 5.7 %
- Conning Tower: 184 tons, 0.7 %
Machinery: 7,094 tons, 28.4 %
Hull, fittings & equipment: 9,418 tons, 37.7 %
Fuel, ammunition & stores: 3,160 tons, 12.6 %
Miscellaneous weights: 200 tons, 0.8 %
Overall survivability and seakeeping ability:
Survivability (Non-critical penetrating hits needed to sink ship):
19,324 lbs / 8,765 Kg = 22.4 x 12.0 " / 305 mm shells or 2.3 torpedoes
Stability (Unstable if below 1.00): 1.15
Metacentric height 4.5 ft / 1.4 m
Roll period: 15.5 seconds
Steadiness - As gun platform (Average = 50 %): 57 %
- Recoil effect (Restricted arc if above 1.00): 0.61
Seaboat quality (Average = 1.00): 1.03
Hull form characteristics:
Hull has rise forward of midbreak
Block coefficient: 0.505
Length to Beam Ratio: 9.49 : 1
'Natural speed' for length: 27.20 kts
Power going to wave formation at top speed: 57 %
Trim (Max stability = 0, Max steadiness = 100): 55
Bow angle (Positive = bow angles forward): 10.00 degrees
Stern overhang: 0.00 ft / 0.00 m
Freeboard (% = measuring location as a percentage of overall length):
- Stem: 33.00 ft / 10.06 m
- Forecastle (20 %): 30.00 ft / 9.14 m
- Mid (50 %): 27.00 ft / 8.23 m (19.00 ft / 5.79 m aft of break)
- Quarterdeck (15 %): 19.00 ft / 5.79 m
- Stern: 19.00 ft / 5.79 m
- Average freeboard: 24.29 ft / 7.40 m
Ship space, strength and comments:
Space - Hull below water (magazines/engines, low = better): 159.4 %
- Above water (accommodation/working, high = better): 173.3 %
Waterplane Area: 38,644 Square feet or 3,590 Square metres
Displacement factor (Displacement / loading): 100 %
Structure weight / hull surface area: 149 lbs/sq ft or 728 Kg/sq metre
Hull strength (Relative):
- Cross-sectional: 0.96
- Longitudinal: 1.41
- Overall: 1.00
Hull space for machinery, storage, compartmentation is cramped
Room for accommodation and workspaces is excellent
Ships in Class:
- TnM
Kakere ("Shark") - 1918
- TnM
Kahu ("Hawk") - 1918
Notes:
The two
Kakere-class battle scouts rank among the most unloved and mocked ships of the early Taruru no Motunui. The ships were the brainchild of Captain Prince Kemitara, a relative of the Paramount Lord of Wehihui, and son-in-law of the Motunuian emperor. During World War I, Prince Kemitara served as the Motunuian naval attache to Britain, where he became an avid admirer of Admiral Fisher. Kemitara pushed several designs based on the
Courageous-class "Large Light Cruisers", and in 1917 Kemitara convinced his father-in-law to support the construction of two ships. The naval leadership, by and large appalled by the designs presented, attempted to stall the idea but their resistance was unsuccessful. Partly to blame was the internal culture of Motunui, where the paramount lords vied for the prestige of supporting important projects, particularly those favored by the emperor. The
Kakere-class, presented to the country as capital ships, were inexpensive enough that most of the paramount lords could afford to fund one and win the prestige of supporting a project. As a result, five of the seven paramount regions all advanced money to fund the ships, even though only two would be built.
The
Kakere and
Kahu were both completed in 1923; both were captured and served in the Whanganui fleet during Kewhiti's Revolt, with
Kakere serving as the fleet's flagship. In 1925, in one of the closing acts of the war,
Kahu made a sally only to be torpedoed by the submarine
WR-4, and her captain beached her on Salvation Reef. The ship was salvaged in 1926, and with the shortcomings of the design now widely recognized,
Kahu went into drydock for a six-year long refit into Motunui's first aircraft carrier.
Kakere, having similarly participated in Kewhiti's Revolt, made several daring raids on government forces, using her prodigious speed to outrun all pursuers. Unfortunately her temperamental machinery limited her to Whanganui Harbour after only four months. Despite orders by Paramount Lord Kewhiti to scuttle the ship, she was still afloat when the Siege of Whanganui ended in 1926. The ship lay at anchor for years as the government argued about repairing or rebuilding her. Finally, in 1934,
Kakere was towed to Fiheoru, where the shipyards massively rebuilt her. The wing turrets with their single 12" guns were deleted, and the 12" dual turrets on the centerline were reconstructed, giving the ship twelve eight-inch guns and better armour than she'd had as a battle scout.
Quoted
Originally posted by eltf177
Saturday, April 20th 2024, 3:58am
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