WesWorld

January 2
The Irish Army has requested interested manufacturers to submit proposals for armoured cars to modernize the Armoured Car Squadron, replacing older Rolls-Royce armoured cars and Lanchester 6x4s. An order of twenty-eight to thirty-two vehicles will be made. A successful contender shall mount a gun of at least 37mm size (with a British 2-pounder AT gun preferred) with a .30cal or .50cal machine-gun as secondary, have excellent cross-country performance, and a speed of at least 35mph. Frontal armour shall be capable of repelling infantry and light AT rounds (15-20mm). A diesel engine is favored but not required. Maximum weight shall be thirteen tons. [Note 1]

January 19
Leifteanant-Cheannasaí Edward "Eddie" Tiernan and Leifteanant-Cheannasaí Neil Kavanagh have become the second and third officers of the Irish Naval Service to qualify for submarine command by passing the Lough Swilly Submarine School. Cheannasaí Michael Muldoon, who is freshly appointed to command the INS's Submarine Squadron, has not passed the Lough Swilly School but was instead trained by the British Royal Navy.

January 20
"Gentleman," Commander Muldoon said, raising his pint glass. "To the submarine service!"

"Hear hear," the captains replied, answering the toast and draining their glasses.

"So tell me, Boss," asked Ian McGinnes. The submarine officers never addressed their commanding officer by rank unless one of the surface-fleet officers were in earshot - it was always "Boss" or "Little Mike", the latter an unfortunate nickname derived from Muldoon's five-foot-one-inch height. "When are we going to get replacements for these H-boats? I was coming off Waterford the other day and HMS Spearfish came tearing past me at fifteen knots. Beautiful boat - fast, good-looking, modern... We need new boats."

Muldoon smiled. "That we do - and we're going to get 'em sooner than you think. Even the destroyer drivers have started complaining to Commodore O'Muiris that we need better boats - though they say they want to practice on us."

Eddie Tiernan snorted. "Connacht held us down for two hours last week, and Etain gave me a mighty scare at Lough Swilly; but if we get any better boats, the cans are never going to find us!"

"They're getting better," Muldoon said, and the others admitted he was right. "But as I was saying, O'Muiris is talking with Gallagher, Burke and boys to get a new boat laid down by April. And don't," he added hastily, "pass this word around, but the Turks have bought two of the H-boats."

"What?" Kavanagh said, setting down his glass on the table. "Which ones?"

"Pooka and Bradan Feasa," Muldoon answered. "That's actually why we're getting new boats. The Turks wanted 'em all, but the Commodore wants to keep at least three in service at all times. So we're going to build a new Bradan Feasa, quick as we can, and then a few more subs later this year, once we're for sure Gallagher & Burke can put together a sub."

"So what'll we be able to do with the new boats?" McGinnes said.

"The new Bradan Feasa will have a full 3" gun, not that little six-pounder popgun," Muldoon answered. "Twenty-one inch tubes and brand-new eels, fourteen hundred horse Burmeister and Wain diesels, Paxman electric motors - the works. Should make fourteen knots surfaced, eight knots submerged. There's some other stuff I can't tell you boys about yet, too; and you should see what the engineers are drawing up for the ones to follow Bradan Feasa. It'll make her look pretty spartan by comparison!"

January 28
William Butler Yeats has died at the Hôtel Idéal Séjour, in Menton, France.

February 15
The Irish Air Corps has requested specifications for proposals.
- M.1/39: Enclosed-cabin monoplane for military utility use. Aircraft will be used as army reconnaissance and utility aircraft. Successful bid should be cost-effective, simple to operate and maintain, and offer reliable performance and rough-field capabilities. Four seats are preferred; armament is not seen as a requirement. Six aircraft will be acquired before 1941.
- P.1/39: Torpedo-bomber / light bomber to replace Fairey Swordfish. [Note 2] Type will operate as maritime patrol craft, torpedo bomber, and light bomber. Aircraft should have two crewmen (pilot + navigator). Single engine preferred, but twin-engine types will be considered. Armament should be easily interchangeable to permit 18"-21" aerial torpedoes, 500-pound to 1,000-pound bombs (or 4 x 250-pound bombs), or two depth-charges. Speed of 200-300mph and range of over 1,000 miles is preferred. No quantities given. [Note 3]

March 1
The Irish Naval Service has announced the construction of a new submarine, the Bradan Feasa ("Salmon of Knowledge"). The new submarine will be the first submarine built in Ireland and the first submarine built for Ireland.

[Note 1] Specification was written for the AEC armoured car but all entries will be considered.
[Note 2] Somehow, I have this wacky idea of a torpedo-carrying Fairey Fulmar.
[Note 3] If memory serves, the Irish bought the last Swordfish off the production line, and they've been lightly used since then. The Irish are entirely amenable to using them until 1945 or later if nothing interesting shows up.

Would be great to have these specifications in metric.....

Quoted

Originally posted by Brockpaine
- P.1/39: Torpedo-bomber / light bomber to replace Fairey Swordfish. [Note 2] Type will operate as maritime patrol craft, torpedo bomber, and light bomber. Aircraft should have two crewmen (pilot + navigator). Single engine preferred, but twin-engine types will be considered. Armament should be easily interchangeable to permit 18"-21" (45cm/53cm) aerial torpedoes, 500-pound (225kg) to 1,000-pound (450kg) bombs (or 4 x 250-pound (110kg) bombs), or two depth-charges. Speed of 200-300mph (320-482kph) and range of over 1,000 miles (1,609km) is preferred. No quantities given. [Note 3]

The SAE could offer the DeBroek TB-9A "Petrel" - a robust plane also suited for use on a carrier. The design is in service with the RSAN for quite some time now and has even seen combat in South America.

OOC: My encyclopedia is not up to date. You can assume DeBroek has came up with one or two new versions minimum since the introduction of the aircraft. It surely can be made fit Irish requests.

Quoted

Originally posted by Brockpaine

Quoted

Originally posted by Brockpaine
- P.1/39: Torpedo-bomber / light bomber to replace Fairey Swordfish. [Note 2] Type will operate as maritime patrol craft, torpedo bomber, and light bomber. Aircraft should have two crewmen (pilot + navigator). Single engine preferred, but twin-engine types will be considered. Armament should be easily interchangeable to permit 18"-21" (45cm/53cm) aerial torpedoes, 500-pound (225kg) to 1,000-pound (450kg) bombs (or 4 x 250-pound (110kg) bombs), or two depth-charges. Speed of 200-300mph (320-482kph) and range of over 1,000 miles (1,609km) is preferred. No quantities given. [Note 3]

Thanks. Especially "miles" makes me nervous every time as I do not know if you are talking nautical miles (1,8km) or standard miles (1,6km).... Xo)


And in Germany, a "Pfund" (pound) is 500 grams....

Hm. Actually, that meets my specs pretty well; I didn't have it in mind when I wrote the specs, but it seems to fit well. I'll keep it in mind.

Quoted

The Irish Army has requested interested manufacturers to submit proposals for armoured cars

Sounds like you want the Italian AutoBlinda 34. About the right size, already in service, and reliable.



AB.34
Crew: 4
Engine: Isotta-Fraschini L1406 300hp
Weight: 12tons Length 5.90m Width: 2.60m Height 2.40m
Speed: 100km/h Power/Weight: 25hp/ton Range: 800km
Armament: 1x37mm, 2x8mm mg
Armour: 30mm-10mm

Quoted

The Irish Army has requested interested manufacturers to submit proposals for armoured cars ...

May be China could make a business ...

Both in service in the chinese army.

Sheli

Crew: 6 men (Captain, 2 drivers, 3 gunners)

Length: 5,10 m
Width: 2,20 m
Hight: 2,10 m
Weight: 7,8tons

Armament and Armour:
Armor: max. 18mm
Maingun: 1x 20mm automatic canon (or 37mm automatic gun)
secondgun: 3x 7,92 mm MG
[195 rounds were carried to the 20 mm gun and 2.160 rounds for the 7.92 mm guns]

Engine: 6 cyl - diesel with 142 hp
max. Speed: 75 - 80 km/h
Range: max. 200 km




Lièbào

Crew : 4
Engine power : 120 hp
Combat weight :5.35 to 6.00 tons
Max speed : road ~ 70 km/h
Range : 300 km
Length : 5.57 m
Width : 1.82 m
Height : 2.25 m
Main gun : One 20mm Canon
Armour : 5 mm to 8mm

Britain can offer the following;

Armoured Cars:

AEC Armoured Car: A private venture begun in late 1937 by Associated Equipment Company, makers of heavy trucks, buses and the Matador gun tractor. Based on the chassis of the Matador, a new body of flat armoured plate 57-8mm thick is fitted as is the new Vickers Valentine turret with a 2pdr gun and co-axial MG. The 105hp AEC diesel is mounted in the rear and tilted to lie alongside the rear differential to reduce height. Normally the front wheels are driven but over cross-country the rear wheels are engaged. Maximum speed is 40mph and range 250 miles. Weight is 11 tons and three or four crewmen can be carried.

Daimler Armoured Car: Development began in April 1938 on a scaled-up Dingo. Carries turret of the Tetrarch light tank, has no chassis, drive via a fluid flywheel torque converter and pre-selector gearbox, has disc-brakes. Power is provided by a 95hp Daimler petrol engine for a maximum speed of 50mph and a range of 205 miles. Armour is 16-6mm thick and weight is 7.5tons.


M1.39:
Miles M.16 Mentor; a three-seat cabin variant of the M.14 for communications duties.
Dimensions; 33.10/ 26.1/ 9.8/ 176 sq ft; 1x 200hp DH Gipsy Six 1; max speed 156mph; range 390 miles and service ceiling 13,800ft.

Percival P.28 Proctor; designed to fulfil C.20/38 and developed from the Vega Gull this is a three/four seat communications type with low-wing and fixed undercarriage and dual-controls. Percival is also marketing the P.30 Proctor II as a radio-trainer without dual controls and one pupil, one instructor and a pilot and the longer P.31 Preceptor radio trainer to accommodate a crew of four and a 250hp Gipsy Queen II engine.
Dimensions; 39.6/ 28.2/ 7.3/ 202 sq ft; 1x 210hp DH Gipsy Queen II; max speed 160mph; cruising speed 140mph; range 500 miles and service ceiling 14,000ft.


P.1/39:
Fairey Barracuda MkII; designed by Marcel Lobelle to Spec S.24/35 for a new three-seat monoplane carrier-based torpedo bomber/ reconnaissance aircraft. Armament is one 1,500lb torpedo or three 500lb or six 250lb bombs in an internal bomb bay and eight wing-mounted .303in Browning MGs in the wings and one dorsal .303in Browning. The aircraft offered to Ireland would be de-navalised and would feature the wings of the Fairey Balmoral (ie. non-folding and 8 Vs 4 wing MGs).
Mk II 1939 Dimensions; 49.2/ 39.9/ 12.3/ 414 sq ft; 1x 1,280hp RR Merlin VI; max speed 245 mph, range 1,000 miles and service ceiling 16,500ft.

Bristol 150 Beaufort Mk II; first flown in November 1935 to meet Spec M.15/35 for a shore based twin-engined torpedo bomber. Heavily based on the Type 142 Blenheim bomber this four-seat aircraft has a higher cabin, longer glazed nose and revised armament. A ventral bay holds a 1,600lb torpedo or up to 1,500lbs of bombs or depth charges. A powered twin .303in MG turret is fitted and two nose-mounted manually operated Vickers ‘K’ guns complete the armament. Beaufort Mk II first flown mid 1939 has two 1,250hp Taurus X radials and has three extra Vickers ‘K’, two in beam mounts and one in a blister under the nose firing rearwards.
Dimensions; 57.10/ 44.7/ 12.5/ 503 sq ft; 2x 1,250hp Bristol Taurus X; max speed 265mph at 6,000ft; cruising speed 210mph; normal range 1,035 miles and service ceiling 16,500ft.

Handley Page H.P.53 Hereford Mk II; a basic development of the H.P.52 Hampden to Spec M.15/35 and runner up to the Bristol Beaufort. First flight was during April 1936. It can carry a 1,600lb torpedo in a bomb bay or up to 4,000lbs of bombs or mines. Defensive armament consists of two fixed 7.7mm MGs in the nose and dorsal and ventral twin Vickers ‘K’ mounts.
Dimensions; 69.2/ 53.7/ 14.11/ 668 sq ft; 2x 1,100hp Napier-Paxman Pilates I diesel engines; max speed 269mph; range 1,300 miles with 4,000lbs bombs and service ceiling 19,800ft.

Germany can offer a variant of the Sdkfz 231 armored car armed with a 37 or 40mm gun for the armored car competition. Standard weight is 8.3 tons (though the Irish vehicles would be a little heavier), armor ranges from 15mm on the front to 5mm on the top, max speed is 53 mph.


BFW has two planes to offer for the aircraft tender: the Bf-108 for M1.39, and the Bf-110B for P1.39. The Bf-108's specs are as historical, the Bf-110B is essentially the historical C-7 with an ETC-1000 rack replacing the 2 ETC-500s allowing for carriage of a 1000 kg bomb or torpedo load. Maximum speed is 348 mph, range is 1500 miles (2410 km). Armament, in Luftwaffe service, is 2 15mm and 2 7.92mm fixed MGs with a twin 7.92mm MG in the rear of the cockpit, but this is tailorable by the customer.

T-2 "Staghound"

Type: 8x6 medium armoured car
Crew:5
Weight: 8.5 tons
Armour: 12-6mm
Armament: one Aspis Arsenal 37mm gun, 1x50cal MG, 1x30cal MG
Speed: 90km/h (55mph)

At the moment, I'm most tempted by the DeBroek Petrel and the Fairey Barracuda. The Bf110 is superior to both... but it's just not really what I envisioned buying, so I'm thinking that one over. The Beaufort and Hereford are a bit bigger than I wanted, so I think I'll pass on those. I expected the Barracuda submission, and it makes the most political sense at present, but the Petrel is a pretty good-looking kite, and so it's a toss-up. As all three aircraft are in service, the IAC will ask for the chance to give each a hands-on evaluation.

For M1.39, I think it's going to come down to the Percival Proctor and the Bf108.

Just to be obnoxious, if the Irish buy the Fairey Barracuda, they'll buy the Bf108. If they buy the Bf110, then they'll buy the Proctor. If they buy the deBroek, then they'll... I dunno, do something else obnoxious and ornery, like split the M1.39 order between Bf108 and Proctor. (It's also possible the Irish might decide not to decide, and keep using the Swordfish.)

The armoured cars are still under consideration. Since the spec was written for the AEC, it's high in consideration. I also confess a love for 8x8 vehicles, so the Staghound is nifty. They all meet or come close to meeting specs, so it's going to be hard to choose...

Do the Irish consider building Petrels under licence? Would probably push their own industry....

Hands-on evaluation is not a problem.

Haven't given serious consideration to that, as Ireland doesn't have any local air industry that I'm aware of.

DeBroek TB-9I

Design modified to fit Irish needs regarding radio equipment, targeting system and armament (what calibers do you want to have for the two forward and one aft firing gun?). The Petrels original Rayton Hurricane I engine was replaced by the 1250hp Hurricane III, compensating some additional weight for armor and equipment.

First Flight: -
Type: Torpedo bomber and reconnaissance plane
Power: 1x 1250PS 14-cyl.-engine (radial)
Crew: 3
Vmax: 451km/h
Vcruise: 375km/h
Range: 1850km, provisions for drop tanks
Weapons: 800kg torpedo or 500kg bomb, 3 MG

Calibers will presumably be .303 British; any .50cal would likely be British as well. (Ease of supply for Ireland.)

Fairey will send a Barracuda and a Balmoral to Ireland for tests. Fairey is sending both since the Irish Barracuda is a hybrid of Barracuda without arrestor hook and Balmoral wings with 8 .303in MGs.

Fairey might be able to offer a Swordfish upgrade with new Pegasus engines with technology as fitted to the Long Range Development Unit Wellesleys to reduce fuel consumption. Upgraded 250lb wing bomb racks and maybe even a canopy and cockpit heater!

Hm, an intriguing offer. I might accept it even if I do buy some more modern planes...

Update on the planes:

P.1/39: Ireland is going to review the Bf110, the deBroek Petrel, and the Fairy Barracuda/Balmorra mix, with an eye towards a decision between late 1939 and mid 1940. (Once again, it is not 100% certain they'll buy anything.) In the meantime, the Air Corps has accepted the refurbishment offer for the current Swordfish aircraft, effective for all 24 planes.

M1.39: The Irish Air Corps selected the Bf108 for purchase. The Irish Army hated that idea, and convinced the Dail to approve funds for the Army to purchase six Westland Lysanders. Therefore, the Irish Air Corps is going to buy four Bf108s and take an optional extension on a further two in 1940.

April 1
Following the sale of the submarines Pooka and Bradan Feasa to Turkey, the Irish yard at Galway has laid down a replacement vessel, which will reuse the name Bradan Feasa ("Salmon of Knowledge"). The Naval Service is apparently quite intent on expediting construction, as the rest of the Irish H-boats are soon to be sold to the Turks, and the Irish wish to maintain at least two boats in service to permit submarine crew training.

April 11
An Irish Air Corps Hurricane made a wheels-up landing today at Baldonnel. The pilot apparently missed a wave-off signal and belly-landed the Hurricane on the aerodrome's runway, smashing off the starboard wing and flipping the plane, which caught fire. The pilot was luckily able to crawl out of his cockpit with nothing more serious than a broken wrist and a concussion.

April 28
Seán MacEntee, Minister of Finance, has reported to the Dail that the government's "Open Register" policy for merchant shipping has been a modest success, with thirty-one vessels added to the registry since the program's inception. MacEntee noted that although the Open Registry saw a cut in the tax rate for Irish-flagged merchant ships, the increased number of ships in the registry resulted in a net taxable gain, which was used to fund the purchase and refitting of the cruiser Salt Lake City for the Irish Naval Service. MacEntee offered his opinion that both the registry taxes and corporate taxes again be cut by as much as 20%, noting that the momentary loss of tax revenue will be counterbalanced by giving foreign companies more incentives to move to Ireland.

May 2
The Dail voted strongly in favor of a resolution to lower personal and corporate taxes by 10%.

May 15
Casement Aerodrome has been the scene of some interesting activity in the past week, as the IAC is evaluating the deBroek Petrel and the Fairey Barracuda to serve as a torpedo/light bomber aircraft, replacing Fairey Swordfish in the role. One of the pilots involved in the evaluation commented "I'm not really sure which plane we'll pick. They both have excellent points and meet all our requirements." [1] The Air Corps has stated it will decide by October 1st which of the planes, if any, they will buy.

The four Bf108s purchased by the IAC for liaison work have also shown up this week at Baldonnel. The planes are painted in a new scheme recently showing up on Irish planes - the port third of the wings is painted green, the center third and the fuselage white, and the starboard third of the wings is painted orange. This scheme is not shared by the Irish fighter planes, which are painted silver/aluminium with red rudders.

May 24
The destroyer Munster finished her sea-trials today and was accepted into the Irish Naval Service. She is the third Irish-built destroyer to enter the INS, joining Connacht, Ulster, and four formerly British "S"-class destroyers. The fourth vessel in this class, LE Leinster, is still running sea-trials and will commission later this year.

June 5
The Irish Army has announced the results of their 1939 procurement program. Six Westland Lysanders will be ordered for aerial spotting and liaison duties, and thirty-two AEC armoured cars will be procured to replace the Lanchesters currently in the Armoured Car Company

June 6
A court-martial of an Irish Air Corps Hurricane while crashed April 11th was vindicated today when the court found the crash was due in part to mechanical failure. The court saw evidence which proved the destroyed Hurricane had incorrectly announced that the gear was down and locked, when it was in fact still retracted. Further, the court noted that the 'wave-off' signal currently used by Baldonnel's ground controller is insufficiently visible to landing pilots and is therefore easily missed (and regularly ignored). The court requested that Baldonnel begin using magnesium flares to signal wave-offs rather than colored flags. [2]

June 22
The Galway naval yard launched the submarine Bradan Feasa today after almost three months of furious work. The submarine was launched mostly complete, and the naval constructors indicate the boat should be ready to start sea-trials sometime in August. [3]

[Note 1]: An OOC uncertainty, too. I like both the Petrel and the Barracuda, so I've no idea which I'll buy. Probably I'll flip a coin...
[Note 2]: Do you remember the movie? "You can teach monkeys to fly..."
[Note 3]: I prefer to keep subs on the slip for longer periods, and launch them mostly complete, as I feel that's more realistic.