WesWorld

First up the small and cheap 6in cruiser to replace the C and D classes, basically a lighter J class.

Scylla Class , Great Britain Light Cruiser laid down 1935

Displacement:
6,519 t light; 6,814 t standard; 7,432 t normal; 7,927 t full load

Dimensions: Length overall / water x beam x draught
556.65 ft / 545.00 ft x 56.60 ft x 16.60 ft (normal load)
169.67 m / 166.12 m x 17.25 m x 5.06 m

Armament:
9 - 6.00" / 152 mm guns (3x3 guns), 112.00lbs / 50.80kg shells, 1935 Model
Breech loading guns in turrets (on barbettes)
on centreline ends, majority forward, 1 raised mount - superfiring
8 - 3.70" / 94.0 mm guns (4x2 guns), 25.33lbs / 11.49kg shells, 1932 Model
Dual purpose guns in deck mounts
on side, all aft
16 - 1.57" / 40.0 mm guns (4x4 guns), 1.95lbs / 0.88kg shells, 1922 Model
Anti-aircraft guns in deck mounts
on side, all forward, all raised mounts - superfiring
4 - 0.79" / 20.0 mm guns in single mounts, 0.24lbs / 0.11kg shells, 1935 Model
Anti-aircraft guns in deck mounts
on side ends, evenly spread, all raised mounts - superfiring
Weight of broadside 1,243 lbs / 564 kg
Shells per gun, main battery: 200
6 - 24.5" / 622.3 mm above water torpedoes

Armour:
- Belts: Width (max) Length (avg) Height (avg)
Main: 3.00" / 76 mm 295.00 ft / 89.92 m 10.00 ft / 3.05 m
Ends: Unarmoured
Main Belt covers 83 % of normal length

- Gun armour: Face (max) Other gunhouse (avg) Barbette/hoist (max)
Main: 3.00" / 76 mm 2.00" / 51 mm 2.00" / 51 mm
2nd: 1.00" / 25 mm - -
3rd: 0.50" / 13 mm - -

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

Machinery:
Oil fired boilers, steam turbines,
Geared drive, 4 shafts, 50,000 shp / 37,300 Kw = 30.10 kts
Range 10,000nm at 12.00 kts
Bunker at max displacement = 1,113 tons

Complement:
399 - 520

Cost:
£2.819 million / $11.276 million

Distribution of weights at normal displacement:
Armament: 151 tons, 2.0 %
Armour: 1,378 tons, 18.5 %
- Belts: 381 tons, 5.1 %
- Torpedo bulkhead: 0 tons, 0.0 %
- Armament: 183 tons, 2.5 %
- Armour Deck: 797 tons, 10.7 %
- Conning Tower: 16 tons, 0.2 %
Machinery: 1,420 tons, 19.1 %
Hull, fittings & equipment: 3,450 tons, 46.4 %
Fuel, ammunition & stores: 914 tons, 12.3 %
Miscellaneous weights: 120 tons, 1.6 %

Overall survivability and seakeeping ability:
Survivability (Non-critical penetrating hits needed to sink ship):
15,177 lbs / 6,884 Kg = 140.5 x 6.0 " / 152 mm shells or 1.9 torpedoes
Stability (Unstable if below 1.00): 1.27
Metacentric height 3.3 ft / 1.0 m
Roll period: 13.1 seconds
Steadiness - As gun platform (Average = 50 %): 50 %
- Recoil effect (Restricted arc if above 1.00): 0.42
Seaboat quality (Average = 1.00): 1.68

Hull form characteristics:
Hull has rise forward of midbreak
and transom stern
Block coefficient: 0.508
Length to Beam Ratio: 9.63 : 1
'Natural speed' for length: 26.69 kts
Power going to wave formation at top speed: 55 %
Trim (Max stability = 0, Max steadiness = 100): 30
Bow angle (Positive = bow angles forward): 20.00 degrees
Stern overhang: 0.00 ft / 0.00 m
Freeboard (% = measuring location as a percentage of overall length):
- Stem: 32.00 ft / 9.75 m
- Forecastle (20 %): 25.00 ft / 7.62 m
- Mid (75 %): 25.00 ft / 7.62 m (14.00 ft / 4.27 m aft of break)
- Quarterdeck (15 %): 14.00 ft / 4.27 m
- Stern: 14.00 ft / 4.27 m
- Average freeboard: 22.81 ft / 6.95 m

Ship space, strength and comments:
Space - Hull below water (magazines/engines, low = better): 80.8 %
- Above water (accommodation/working, high = better): 195.9 %
Waterplane Area: 21,534 Square feet or 2,001 Square metres
Displacement factor (Displacement / loading): 134 %
Structure weight / hull surface area: 94 lbs/sq ft or 457 Kg/sq metre
Hull strength (Relative):
- Cross-sectional: 0.91
- Longitudinal: 2.41
- Overall: 1.00
Hull space for machinery, storage, compartmentation is excellent
Room for accommodation and workspaces is excellent
Excellent seaboat, comfortable, can fire her guns in the heaviest weather

Class Names: [Censored]

Misc weight includes:

Provision for two aircraft
6 reload torpedoes and handling gear



Next is the Colony Class, a further development of the L Class but with the newer AA guns under development.

Colony Class , Great Britain Light Cruiser laid down 1935

Displacement:
8,278 t light; 8,748 t standard; 10,371 t normal; 11,669 t full load

Dimensions: Length overall / water x beam x draught
568.65 ft / 557.00 ft x 62.00 ft x 19.50 ft (normal load)
173.32 m / 169.77 m x 18.90 m x 5.94 m

Armament:
12 - 6.00" / 152 mm guns (4x3 guns), 112.00lbs / 50.80kg shells, 1934 Model
Breech loading guns in turrets (on barbettes)
on centreline ends, evenly spread, 2 raised mounts - superfiring
8 - 4.50" / 114 mm guns (4x2 guns), 45.00lbs / 20.41kg shells, 1935 Model
Dual purpose guns in deck mounts with hoists
on side, all aft, all raised mounts - superfiring
8 - 2.24" / 57.0 mm guns (4x2 guns), 6.00lbs / 2.72kg shells, 1935 Model
Anti-aircraft guns in deck mounts
on side, all aft, all raised mounts - superfiring
8 - 1.57" / 40.0 mm guns (2x4 guns), 2.00lbs / 0.91kg shells, 1922 Model
Anti-aircraft guns in deck mounts
on side, all amidships, all raised mounts - superfiring
24 - 0.66" / 16.8 mm guns (4x6 guns), 0.14lbs / 0.06kg shells, 1935 Model
Machine guns in deck mounts
on side ends, evenly spread, all raised mounts - superfiring
Weight of broadside 1,771 lbs / 803 kg
Shells per gun, main battery: 250
8 - 24.5" / 622.3 mm above water torpedoes

Armour:
- Belts: Width (max) Length (avg) Height (avg)
Main: 4.00" / 102 mm 350.00 ft / 106.68 m 10.00 ft / 3.05 m
Ends: Unarmoured
Main Belt covers 97 % of normal length

- Gun armour: Face (max) Other gunhouse (avg) Barbette/hoist (max)
Main: 3.00" / 76 mm 2.00" / 51 mm 2.00" / 51 mm
2nd: 1.00" / 25 mm 0.50" / 13 mm -
3rd: 0.50" / 13 mm - -
4th: 0.50" / 13 mm - -
5th: 0.50" / 13 mm - -

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

Machinery:
Oil fired boilers, steam turbines,
Geared drive, 4 shafts, 74,000 shp / 55,204 Kw = 31.50 kts
Range 12,000nm at 16.00 kts
Bunker at max displacement = 2,921 tons

Complement:
513 - 667

Cost:
£3.895 million / $15.581 million

Distribution of weights at normal displacement:
Armament: 216 tons, 2.1 %
Armour: 1,781 tons, 17.2 %
- Belts: 593 tons, 5.7 %
- Torpedo bulkhead: 0 tons, 0.0 %
- Armament: 249 tons, 2.4 %
- Armour Deck: 919 tons, 8.9 %
- Conning Tower: 20 tons, 0.2 %
Machinery: 2,102 tons, 20.3 %
Hull, fittings & equipment: 4,029 tons, 38.9 %
Fuel, ammunition & stores: 2,092 tons, 20.2 %
Miscellaneous weights: 150 tons, 1.4 %

Overall survivability and seakeeping ability:
Survivability (Non-critical penetrating hits needed to sink ship):
15,459 lbs / 7,012 Kg = 143.1 x 6.0 " / 152 mm shells or 1.9 torpedoes
Stability (Unstable if below 1.00): 1.12
Metacentric height 3.0 ft / 0.9 m
Roll period: 15.0 seconds
Steadiness - As gun platform (Average = 50 %): 70 %
- Recoil effect (Restricted arc if above 1.00): 0.53
Seaboat quality (Average = 1.00): 1.13

Hull form characteristics:
Hull has rise forward of midbreak
and transom stern
Block coefficient: 0.539
Length to Beam Ratio: 8.98 : 1
'Natural speed' for length: 27.04 kts
Power going to wave formation at top speed: 59 %
Trim (Max stability = 0, Max steadiness = 100): 62
Bow angle (Positive = bow angles forward): 20.00 degrees
Stern overhang: 0.00 ft / 0.00 m
Freeboard (% = measuring location as a percentage of overall length):
- Stem: 32.00 ft / 9.75 m
- Forecastle (20 %): 26.00 ft / 7.92 m
- Mid (47 %): 25.00 ft / 7.62 m (17.00 ft / 5.18 m aft of break)
- Quarterdeck (15 %): 17.00 ft / 5.18 m
- Stern: 17.00 ft / 5.18 m
- Average freeboard: 21.58 ft / 6.58 m

Ship space, strength and comments:
Space - Hull below water (magazines/engines, low = better): 85.2 %
- Above water (accommodation/working, high = better): 148.1 %
Waterplane Area: 24,828 Square feet or 2,307 Square metres
Displacement factor (Displacement / loading): 132 %
Structure weight / hull surface area: 104 lbs/sq ft or 507 Kg/sq metre
Hull strength (Relative):
- Cross-sectional: 0.94
- Longitudinal: 1.71
- Overall: 1.00
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

Class Names: [Censored]

Misc weight includes:

Surface search RDF
Provision for 3 aircraft (two normally carried)
8 reload torpedoes and handing gear



The F Class destroyers are a basic design to replace the S, T, V and W classes.

F Class Destroyer, Great Britain Destroyer laid down 1935

Displacement:
1,610 t light; 1,684 t standard; 1,884 t normal; 2,044 t full load

Dimensions: Length overall / water x beam x draught
368.74 ft / 360.00 ft x 33.00 ft x 13.00 ft (normal load)
112.39 m / 109.73 m x 10.06 m x 3.96 m

Armament:
4 - 4.70" / 119 mm guns in single mounts, 62.00lbs / 28.12kg shells, 1930 Model
Quick firing guns in deck mounts with hoists
on centreline ends, evenly spread, 2 raised mounts - superfiring
4 - 1.57" / 40.0 mm guns (1x4 guns), 2.00lbs / 0.91kg shells, 1922 Model
Anti-aircraft guns in deck mount
on centreline amidships, all raised guns - superfiring
4 - 0.79" / 20.0 mm guns in single mounts, 0.24lbs / 0.11kg shells, 1935 Model
Anti-aircraft guns in deck mounts
on side ends, evenly spread, all raised mounts - superfiring
Weight of broadside 257 lbs / 117 kg
Shells per gun, main battery: 250
6 - 24.5" / 622.3 mm above water torpedoes

Armour:
- Gun armour: Face (max) Other gunhouse (avg) Barbette/hoist (max)
Main: 0.50" / 13 mm 0.25" / 6 mm -
2nd: 0.50" / 13 mm - -

Machinery:
Oil fired boilers, steam turbines,
Geared drive, 2 shafts, 40,000 shp / 29,840 Kw = 34.21 kts
Range 4,000nm at 16.00 kts
Bunker at max displacement = 360 tons

Complement:
142 - 185

Cost:
£1.070 million / $4.280 million

Distribution of weights at normal displacement:
Armament: 27 tons, 1.4 %
Armour: 5 tons, 0.3 %
- Belts: 0 tons, 0.0 %
- Torpedo bulkhead: 0 tons, 0.0 %
- Armament: 5 tons, 0.3 %
- Armour Deck: 0 tons, 0.0 %
- Conning Tower: 0 tons, 0.0 %
Machinery: 937 tons, 49.7 %
Hull, fittings & equipment: 566 tons, 30.0 %
Fuel, ammunition & stores: 274 tons, 14.6 %
Miscellaneous weights: 75 tons, 4.0 %

Overall survivability and seakeeping ability:
Survivability (Non-critical penetrating hits needed to sink ship):
538 lbs / 244 Kg = 10.4 x 4.7 " / 119 mm shells or 0.3 torpedoes
Stability (Unstable if below 1.00): 1.31
Metacentric height 1.5 ft / 0.5 m
Roll period: 11.2 seconds
Steadiness - As gun platform (Average = 50 %): 50 %
- Recoil effect (Restricted arc if above 1.00): 0.45
Seaboat quality (Average = 1.00): 1.05

Hull form characteristics:
Hull has rise forward of midbreak
and transom stern
Block coefficient: 0.427
Length to Beam Ratio: 10.91 : 1
'Natural speed' for length: 21.71 kts
Power going to wave formation at top speed: 67 %
Trim (Max stability = 0, Max steadiness = 100): 48
Bow angle (Positive = bow angles forward): 20.00 degrees
Stern overhang: 0.00 ft / 0.00 m
Freeboard (% = measuring location as a percentage of overall length):
- Stem: 24.00 ft / 7.32 m
- Forecastle (20 %): 21.00 ft / 6.40 m
- Mid (42 %): 21.00 ft / 6.40 m (11.00 ft / 3.35 m aft of break)
- Quarterdeck (15 %): 11.00 ft / 3.35 m
- Stern: 11.00 ft / 3.35 m
- Average freeboard: 15.44 ft / 4.71 m

Ship space, strength and comments:
Space - Hull below water (magazines/engines, low = better): 176.9 %
- Above water (accommodation/working, high = better): 78.5 %
Waterplane Area: 7,729 Square feet or 718 Square metres
Displacement factor (Displacement / loading): 73 %
Structure weight / hull surface area: 35 lbs/sq ft or 170 Kg/sq metre
Hull strength (Relative):
- Cross-sectional: 0.50
- Longitudinal: 2.20
- Overall: 0.58
Hull space for machinery, storage, compartmentation is cramped
Room for accommodation and workspaces is cramped


Class Names: [Censored]

Misc weight includes:

ASDIC
Full load DCs (two racks and four throwers)
3 reload torpedoes and handling gear



Lastly is a new humble minesweeper designed for Home and Med operations.

Poole Class , Great Britain Fleet Minesweeper laid down 1935

Displacement:
442 t light; 461 t standard; 490 t normal; 514 t full load

Dimensions: Length overall / water x beam x draught
200.36 ft / 195.00 ft x 30.00 ft x 7.70 ft (normal load)
61.07 m / 59.44 m x 9.14 m x 2.35 m

Armament:
2 - 4.00" / 102 mm guns in single mounts, 31.00lbs / 14.06kg shells, 1935 Model
Anti-aircraft guns in deck mounts
on centreline ends, evenly spread, 1 raised mount
6 - 0.66" / 16.8 mm guns (1x6 guns), 0.14lbs / 0.06kg shells, 1935 Model
Machine guns in deck mount
on centreline amidships, all raised guns - superfiring
2 - 0.30" / 7.7 mm guns in single mounts, 0.01lbs / 0.00kg shells, 1935 Model
Machine guns in deck mounts
on side, all forward, all raised mounts - superfiring
Weight of broadside 63 lbs / 29 kg
Shells per gun, main battery: 250

Armour:
- Gun armour: Face (max) Other gunhouse (avg) Barbette/hoist (max)
Main: 0.50" / 13 mm 0.25" / 6 mm -
2nd: 0.50" / 13 mm - -

Machinery:
Diesel Internal combustion motors,
Geared drive, 2 shafts, 1,600 shp / 1,194 Kw = 16.98 kts
Range 6,000nm at 8.00 kts
Bunker at max displacement = 54 tons

Complement:
51 - 67

Cost:
£0.146 million / $0.583 million

Distribution of weights at normal displacement:
Armament: 8 tons, 1.7 %
Armour: 2 tons, 0.4 %
- Belts: 0 tons, 0.0 %
- Torpedo bulkhead: 0 tons, 0.0 %
- Armament: 2 tons, 0.4 %
- Armour Deck: 0 tons, 0.0 %
- Conning Tower: 0 tons, 0.0 %
Machinery: 45 tons, 9.3 %
Hull, fittings & equipment: 291 tons, 59.4 %
Fuel, ammunition & stores: 48 tons, 9.9 %
Miscellaneous weights: 95 tons, 19.4 %

Overall survivability and seakeeping ability:
Survivability (Non-critical penetrating hits needed to sink ship):
1,654 lbs / 750 Kg = 51.7 x 4.0 " / 102 mm shells or 0.9 torpedoes
Stability (Unstable if below 1.00): 1.05
Metacentric height 0.9 ft / 0.3 m
Roll period: 13.2 seconds
Steadiness - As gun platform (Average = 50 %): 50 %
- Recoil effect (Restricted arc if above 1.00): 0.16
Seaboat quality (Average = 1.00): 2.00

Hull form characteristics:
Hull has rise forward of midbreak
Block coefficient: 0.381
Length to Beam Ratio: 6.50 : 1
'Natural speed' for length: 13.96 kts
Power going to wave formation at top speed: 51 %
Trim (Max stability = 0, Max steadiness = 100): 25
Bow angle (Positive = bow angles forward): 15.00 degrees
Stern overhang: 0.00 ft / 0.00 m
Freeboard (% = measuring location as a percentage of overall length):
- Stem: 20.00 ft / 6.10 m
- Forecastle (20 %): 18.00 ft / 5.49 m
- Mid (70 %): 18.00 ft / 5.49 m (9.00 ft / 2.74 m aft of break)
- Quarterdeck (15 %): 9.00 ft / 2.74 m
- Stern: 9.00 ft / 2.74 m
- Average freeboard: 15.46 ft / 4.71 m

Ship space, strength and comments:
Space - Hull below water (magazines/engines, low = better): 65.5 %
- Above water (accommodation/working, high = better): 212.2 %
Waterplane Area: 3,568 Square feet or 331 Square metres
Displacement factor (Displacement / loading): 194 %
Structure weight / hull surface area: 37 lbs/sq ft or 180 Kg/sq metre
Hull strength (Relative):
- Cross-sectional: 0.75
- Longitudinal: 13.20
- Overall: 1.00
Hull space for machinery, storage, compartmentation is excellent
Room for accommodation and workspaces is excellent
Excellent seaboat, comfortable, can fire her guns in the heaviest weather

Class Names: Poole, Whitehaven, Rothesay, Lyme Regis, Tenby, Ardrossan, Dornoch, Dunbar, Bootle, Beaumaris, Brdilington, Bridport, Blyth, Peterhead, Rhyl, Bude, Eastbourne, Fraserburgh, Romney, Seaham, Sidmouth, Portland, Seaford, Stornoway, Ingonish, Wedgeport, Shippigan, Cromer, Felixstowe, Guysborough, Hythe and Clacton.

Thoughts and comments, as ever, are welcome.

Scylla class - other than a relatively low top speed for a cruiser, looks good. Looks like displacement that on previous British designs went into speed went into armor on this one.

Colony class - Hmmmm. Looks like GB is going to be letting the Treaty fall (the standard displacement is over the 5% fudge factor). Another new light AA weapon being trialed (the 16.8mm MGs)? Armor is good, speed is (again) a little low for the type, and given past designs I'd have expected a bit better seakeeping. Good armor, though, unlike some previous British CLs.

F class - Seems slightly confused: the torpedo armament (and reloads) suggests a fleet destroyer, but the ASDIC suggests more of an escort role.

I'm not sure the trade offs made on the Scylla class work well. You sacrificed just enough speed so that most opposing cruisers can choose the range, but she has a fairly typical armament and armor designed for long range only. Plus, for a cruiser designed for long patrols, wouldn't you want a full length belt?

The Colony class is only 25% larger, and fixes the issues and has a main battery to match most opposing CLs to compensate for the speed.

I'd make the hull on the Colony Class a bit bigger. The 4.5" mountings take up a lot of room even without the 6pdrs.

The Syclla Class is designed for service on the Foreign Stations rather than the Home Fleet or even the Med. Therefore it is designed to be cheap to build and operate and offers a blend of everything to be average rather than sparkling. Speed is lower than I'd hoped for but for commerce protection and patrolling it should be sufficent.

Armour is much better than RLBHs insistence on 2.5in belts and 1.5in decks!!

The Colony Class is at the Type 2 slip/dock limit which should allow them to dock almost anywhere in the Empire. True it may be tad too small but the next class might well be longer. The three new AA guns do seem a tad experimental but I'd rather the heavier MGs than the .55in ones or .303in. The 20mm will also become more standard as time goes on but I'm just indulging my fancy for strange Imperial measurements at sea!

The F Class too is designed for the overseas role and therefore may have to be a jack-of-all-trades in the South Atlantic or off East Africa or somewhere until my V and W classes can be refitted into more general purpose designs. A bigger fleet destroyer will be built at some time depending on things.

As a trade protection cruiser against armed merchants or most pirates, the Scylla's should be fine.

I'm guessing the sudden upsurge of new calibers are a result of the change of government: the old government was looking for commonality between the services to reduce costs, the new government is less focused on that side of things so where the previous several years the RN and RA were being encouraged to use the same weapons now they're diverging again. Though I have to say that I doubt there's much difference in capability between a 0.55" and a 0.66" projectile, that's one place commonality might still be worthwhile.

Are ASDIC systems well enough advanced in 1935 to withstand full-speed destroyer operations? Or might the F class be better served to reduce the ASW systems and armaments and focus strictly on AAW and ASuW roles?

Quoted

Are ASDIC systems well enough advanced in 1935 to withstand full-speed destroyer operations?

Retractable domes by this time. Sweep speed is limited to about 20knts.

Half of the A-I classes were fitted with asdic and DCs, the other half fitted with mine laying equipment.

I'm curious as to the variety of guns in the 94-120mm range shown here: the small light cruiser has 94mm heavy AA guns, the minesweeper has 102mm guns, the larger light cruiser has 114mm heavy AA guns, and the F class DD has 120mm main guns. Is this proliferation of medium-caliber guns intentional, or might it be wise to consider reducing from 4 calibers to 2 or so?

It's the bloody British again. They had like a million different guns between 4" and 6" historicly.

The 120mm is a single purpose weapon. I'm not quite sure about the 4.5" / 3.7", it would make more sense to standardise on one or the other, or even use the 4".

The previous government decided to standardize on the 3.7" gun for the role, but it appears that the new government has gone another direction. Oh, well, more problems for the RN quartermasters, I suppose!

Just to clarify the picture for the quartermasters.

The 4.5in DP will replace the 4.7in in destroyers (as main armament) and the 4in AA guns in major units (as secondaries) from 1937 onwards. These are the last classes to have the older guns.

The 3.7in gun will continue as a secondary armament on cruisers only.

The 4in may continue on smaller craft due to its simplisitic controls and exra firewpower over the 3in AA gun.

Ah, OK, so there IS a plan.

You know I think Italy and Atlantis round out the top three most confusing naval weapons arsenals in the Wesworld universe.

Atlantis has 4" SA, 3" AA as well as 5.1", 4.5" and 3.95" DP guns. In addition 40mm, 25mm and 20mm AA. The 4", 3" and 25mm are being replaced by other weapons but refits are slow in coming to replace them.

Italy's also got quite a deverse naval armament going as well.

Canada's on the other end of that spectrum with it's slavish devotion to the 5.5" gun. :B

The Dutch had 13.2mm, 20mm, 23mm, 40mm, 57mm, 75mm, 88mm, 100mm, 105mm, 125mm, 130mm, 152mm & 155mm.

We're trying to simplify in the course of refits and replacements

Hmm, Italy...

13.2mm, 20mm, 25mm new, 37mm, 2pdr old, 47mm old, 47mm new, a few 57mm, 65mm old, 65mm new, 76/40 and 76/50, 100/47, 100/65, 102mm old, 135mm, 152mm old, 152mm new

Things are sort of being standardised but it takes time to phase out the older weapons.

Not to mention the fact that we need to find time for the refits. My Vengeance BC's need some new medium and light AA weapons as they are still shiping the 3" and 25mm AA weapons.