WesWorld

The Royal Yugoslav Navy has contracted to have two vessels of this class built in Greek shipyards.


Project 1940E – Serbia class, Yugoslav Flotilla Cruiser laid down 1939

Displacement: 4,549 t light; 4,778 t standard; 5,117 t normal; 5,388 t full load

Dimensions: Length overall / water x beam x draught
492.77 ft / 475.72 ft x 44.39 ft x 18.04 ft (normal load)
150.20 m / 145.00 m x 13.53 m x 5.50 m

Armament:

8 - 5.31" / 135 mm guns (4x2 guns), 75.07lbs / 34.05kg shells, 1940 Model Dual purpose guns in deck mounts with hoists on centreline ends, evenly spread, 2 raised mounts – superfiring (Romanian origin)
8 - 1.57" / 40.0 mm guns (4x2 guns), 1.95lbs / 0.88kg shells, 1936 Model Anti-aircraft guns in deck mounts on centreline, all amidships, all raised mounts – superfiring (Bofors)
8 - 0.79" / 20.0 mm guns (4x2 guns), 0.24lbs / 0.11kg shells, 1930 Model Anti-aircraft guns in deck mounts on side, evenly spread, all raised mounts (Oerlikons)
Weight of broadside 618 lbs / 280 kg
Shells per gun, main battery: 360
8 - 21.7" / 550 mm above water torpedoes

Armour:

- Belts: Width (max) Length (avg) Height (avg)
Main: 1.97" / 50 mm 390.42 ft / 119.00 m 10.17 ft / 3.10 m
Ends: Unarmoured
Main Belt covers 126 % of normal length

- Gun armour: Face (max) Other gunhouse (avg) Barbette/hoist (max)
Main: 1.57" / 40 mm 0.79" / 20 mm 0.79" / 20 mm
2nd: 0.79" / 20 mm 0.39" / 10 mm -
3rd: 0.59" / 15 mm - -

- Armour deck: 0.79" / 20 mm, Conning tower: 1.97" / 50 mm

Machinery:

Oil fired boilers, steam turbines,
Geared drive, 2 shafts, 65,925 shp / 49,180 Kw = 34.00 kts
Range 4,400nm at 15.00 kts
Bunker at max displacement = 610 tons

Complement: 302 - 393

Cost: £2.825 million / $11.302 million

Distribution of weights at normal displacement:

Armament: 77 tons, 1.5 %
Armour: 568 tons, 11.1 %
- Belts: 313 tons, 6.1 %
- Torpedo bulkhead: 0 tons, 0.0 %
- Armament: 36 tons, 0.7 %
- Armour Deck: 207 tons, 4.1 %
- Conning Tower: 13 tons, 0.2 %
Machinery: 1,763 tons, 34.4 %
Hull, fittings & equipment: 2,081 tons, 40.7 %
Fuel, ammunition & stores: 568 tons, 11.1 %
Miscellaneous weights: 60 tons, 1.2 %

Overall survivability and seakeeping ability:

Survivability (Non-critical penetrating hits needed to sink ship): 4,063 lbs/1,843 Kg = 54.1 x 5.3 "/135 mm shells or 0.8 torpedoes
Stability (Unstable if below 1.00): 1.18
Metacentric height 2.0 ft / 0.6 m
Roll period: 13.2 seconds
Steadiness - As gun platform (Average = 50 %): 54 %
- Recoil effect (Restricted arc if above 1.00): 0.42
Seaboat quality (Average = 1.00): 1.04

Hull form characteristics:

Hull has rise forward of midbreak and transom stern
Block coefficient: 0.470
Length to Beam Ratio: 10.72 : 1
'Natural speed' for length: 24.85 kts
Power going to wave formation at top speed: 63 %
Trim (Max stability = 0, Max steadiness = 100): 52
Bow angle (Positive = bow angles forward): 30.00 degrees
Stern overhang: 0.00 ft / 0.00 m
Freeboard (% = measuring location as a percentage of overall length):
- Stem: 29.53 ft / 9.00 m
- Forecastle (22 %): 21.33 ft / 6.50 m
- Mid (50 %): 21.33 ft / 6.50 m (13.12 ft / 4.00 m aft of break)
- Quarterdeck (15 %): 13.12 ft / 4.00 m
- Stern: 13.12 ft / 4.00 m
- Average freeboard: 17.95 ft / 5.47 m

Ship space, strength and comments:

Space - Hull below water (magazines/engines, low = better): 126.2 %
- Above water (accommodation/working, high = better): 108.8 %
Waterplane Area: 14,236 Square feet or 1,323 Square metres
Displacement factor (Displacement / loading): 107 %
Structure weight / hull surface area: 78 lbs/sq ft or 383 Kg/sq metre
Hull strength (Relative):
- Cross-sectional: 0.93
- Longitudinal: 2.26
- Overall: 1.01
Hull space for machinery, storage, compartmentation is cramped
Room for accommodation and workspaces is adequate

I have a over all issue with what You will use this ship for?

Its big while its fire power is not all that impressive.
Not enough "bang for buck" If You ask me.

I guess I know now where the big payoff is going.

I like them even, as Marek said, a little underarmed for the WW in a ship of that size. But I think they will be very capable destroyer flotilla leaders for the new Yugo destroyers been built locally.

Quoted

Originally posted by perdedor99
I guess I know now where the big payoff is going.

I like them even, as Marek said, a little underarmed for the WW in a ship of that size. But I think they will be very capable destroyer flotilla leaders for the new Yugo destroyers been built locally.

And that is precisely the purpose for which they will be built.

I like them as well, small but the 8 5.3 do give some firepower for your destroyers squadrons. To my eye, they look abit like smaller versions of the Romanian Walllachia torpedo cruisers, albiet without the 24 torpedos the Romanian boats have.

Quoted

Originally posted by TheCanadian
I like them as well, small but the 8 5.3 do give some firepower for your destroyers squadrons. To my eye, they look abit like smaller versions of the Romanian Walllachia torpedo cruisers, albiet without the 24 torpedos the Romanian boats have.

I am not convinced that such heavy torpedo armaments are efficacious, and while I would have preferred a main armament of 15cm guns, the air threat in confined waters drove me to a dual purpose armament. The development cycle for a 15cm dual purpose being far too long, I compromised with the Romanian 135mm.

I think they will provide a reasonable support to the refurbished Yugoslav destroyer flotillas.

I think that they look pretty good, me tinks. They have reasonable armour to resist HE shells from destroyer sized weapons, and deck armour to resist strafers. The thing I dislike is the cost, but I suppose it can be shrunken only slightly by the .9 rule for that sized ship.