WesWorld

Italy needs some cruisers NOW as she only has 3 which are a bit poxy. These ships are small enough to be rushed into service. They will also be good escorts when i get round to building real CLs.

Varese, Italian Light Cruisers laid down 1921

Displacement:
1,881 t light; 1,971 t standard; 2,206 t normal; 2,386 t full load
Loading submergence 236 tons/feet

Dimensions:
370.00 ft x 37.00 ft x 12.00 ft (normal load)
112.78 m x 11.28 m x 3.66 m

Armament:
8 - 5.12" / 130 mm guns
6 - 1.59" / 41 mm AA guns
Weight of broadside 548 lbs / 249 kg

Armour:
Belt 2.50" / 64 mm, ends unarmoured
Belts cover 93 % of normal area
Main gun shields 2.00" / 51 mm
Armour deck 1.25" / 32 mm, Conning tower 3.00" / 76 mm

Machinery:
Oil fired boilers, steam turbines,
Geared drive, 2 shafts, 12,479 shp / 9,309 Kw = 24.00 kts
Range 10,000nm at 10.00 kts

Complement:
160 - 209

Cost:
£0.467 million / $1.869 million

Distribution of weights at normal displacement:
Armament: 69 tons, 3.1 %
Armour: 394 tons, 17.9 %
Belts: 167 tons, 7.6 %, Armament: 25 tons, 1.1 %, Armour Deck: 191 tons, 8.7 %
Conning Tower: 11 tons, 0.5 %, Torpedo bulkhead: 0 tons, 0.0 %
Machinery: 430 tons, 19.5 %
Hull, fittings & equipment: 889 tons, 40.3 %
Fuel, ammunition & stores: 325 tons, 14.7 %
Miscellaneous weights: 100 tons, 4.5 %

Metacentric height 1.2

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: 2,792 lbs / 1,266 Kg = 41.7 x 5.1 " / 130 mm shells
(Approx weight of penetrating shell hits needed to sink ship excluding critical hits)
Torpedoes needed to sink: 0.9
(Approx number of typical torpedo hits needed to sink ship)
Relative steadiness as gun platform: 82 %
(Average = 50 %)
Relative rocking effect from firing to beam: 0.39
Relative quality as seaboat: 1.23

Hull form characteristics:
Block coefficient: 0.470
Sharpness coefficient: 0.32
Hull speed coefficient 'M': 8.69
'Natural speed' for length: 19.24 kts
Power going to wave formation at top speed: 51 %
Trim: 67
(Maximise stabilty/flotation = 0, Maximise steadiness/seakeeping = 100)

Estimated hull characteristics & strength:
Underwater volume absorbed by magazines and engineering spaces: 92.5 %
Relative accommodation and working space: 117.9 %
(Average = 100%)
Displacement factor: 116 %
(Displacement relative to loading factors)
Relative cross-sectional hull strength: 0.97
(Structure weight / hull surface area: 64 lbs / square foot or 312 Kg / square metre)
Relative longitudinal hull strength: 1.34
(for 12.00 ft / 3.66 m average freeboard, freeboard adjustment 0.81 ft)
Relative composite hull strength: 1.01

I've got a similar design sitting on the shelf, though its only purpose is as an escort/patrol vessel. We'll see if I ever have the resources to produce some.

I'd agree that this could be produced quickly, but don't see it really filling a traditional cruiser role on account of its low speed. In an offensive role, the only ships it can catch up to - dreadnoughts - are precisely what it doesn't want to catch up to. In a defensive role, it will be easily out-manuevered by enemy light forces seeking to torpedo your battleships.

Personally, I'd be inclined to put in the extra resources and build some 5,000 t CLs. It'll only cost you three more months of building time...

I might be wrong, but couldn't you use a hull strength between 0.5 and 1 for a ship of that size, something like a destroyer ? I'm not sure where the displacement limit is for designing a ship with a hull strength between 0.5 and 1.

Walter

I would personally add 1000 tons to the design, ditch the CT armor and increase speed. If you intend to relegate them to escorts they will need speed. You could also possibly use them as destroyer leaders (classed as cruisers though) and you could still build them in sufficient numbers. Heres a design but its nearly twice the size of yours.

varese, Italy light cruiser laid down 1921

Displacement:
3,228 t light; 3,348 t standard; 3,734 t normal; 4,027 t full load
Loading submergence 324 tons/feet

Dimensions:
440.00 ft x 44.00 ft x 15.00 ft (normal load)
134.11 m x 13.41 m x 4.57 m

Armament:
8 - 5.10" / 130 mm guns
6 - 1.59" / 40 mm guns
Weight of broadside 543 lbs / 246 kg
4 - 18.0" / 457.2 mm above water torpedoes

Armour:
Belt 2.50" / 64 mm, ends unarmoured
Belts cover 90 % of normal area
Main belt does not fully protect magazines and engineering spaces
Main gun shields 2.00" / 51 mm, 2nd gun shields 1.00" / 25 mm
Armour deck 1.25" / 32 mm

Machinery:
Oil fired boilers, steam turbines,
Geared drive, 2 shafts, 51,561 shp / 38,464 Kw = 32.08 kts
Range 8,000nm at 12.00 kts

Complement:
238 - 310

Cost:
£1.031 million / $4.125 million

Distribution of weights at normal displacement:
Armament: 68 tons, 1.8 %
Armour: 503 tons, 13.5 %
Belts: 210 tons, 5.6 %, Armament: 31 tons, 0.8 %, Armour Deck: 262 tons, 7.0 %
Conning Tower: 0 tons, 0.0 %, Torpedo bulkhead: 0 tons, 0.0 %
Machinery: 1,680 tons, 45.0 %
Hull, fittings & equipment: 927 tons, 24.8 %
Fuel, ammunition & stores: 505 tons, 13.5 %
Miscellaneous weights: 50 tons, 1.3 %

Metacentric height 2.5

Remarks:
Caution: Hull subject to strain in open-sea
Hull space for machinery, storage & compartmentation is cramped
Room for accommodation & workspaces is excellent
Ship has slow, easy roll, a good, steady gun platform

Estimated overall survivability and seakeeping ability:
Relative margin of stability: 1.36
Shellfire needed to sink: 1,230 lbs / 558 Kg = 18.5 x 5.1 " / 130 mm shells
(Approx weight of penetrating shell hits needed to sink ship excluding critical hits)
Torpedoes needed to sink: 0.5
(Approx number of typical torpedo hits needed to sink ship)
Relative steadiness as gun platform: 70 %
(Average = 50 %)
Relative rocking effect from firing to beam: 0.19
Relative quality as seaboat: 1.17

Hull form characteristics:
Block coefficient: 0.450
Sharpness coefficient: 0.31
Hull speed coefficient 'M': 8.67
'Natural speed' for length: 20.98 kts
Power going to wave formation at top speed: 62 %
Trim: 60
(Maximise stabilty/flotation = 0, Maximise steadiness/seakeeping = 100)

Estimated hull characteristics & strength:
Underwater volume absorbed by magazines and engineering spaces: 160.8 %
Relative accommodation and working space: 138.1 %
(Average = 100%)
Displacement factor: 80 %
(Displacement relative to loading factors)
Relative cross-sectional hull strength: 0.56
(Structure weight / hull surface area: 45 lbs / square foot or 219 Kg / square metre)
Relative longitudinal hull strength: 1.03
(for 17.00 ft / 5.18 m average freeboard, freeboard adjustment 4.57 ft)
Relative composite hull strength: 0.59

Those "cruisers" (they also fit the DD category a) are way too slow as others have already pointed out.

What good are they for?

Well they are more destroyer leaders than cruisers. Before i could build as many as a wanted because they are unlimited. However they fit into destroyer category quite well. I've cut back on the armour and given it some more speed. 30knts isn't too bad but 31-32 leaves me with no armour.



Varese, Italian Light Cruisers laid down 1921

Displacement:
1,896 t light; 1,987 t standard; 2,224 t normal; 2,406 t full load
Loading submergence 236 tons/feet

Dimensions:
370.00 ft x 37.00 ft x 12.10 ft (normal load)
112.78 m x 11.28 m x 3.69 m

Armament:
8 - 5.12" / 130 mm guns
6 - 1.59" / 41 mm AA guns
Weight of broadside 548 lbs / 249 kg

Armour:
Belt 1.50" / 38 mm, ends unarmoured
Belts cover 158 % of normal area
Main gun shields 2.00" / 51 mm
Armour deck 0.50" / 13 mm, Conning tower 3.00" / 76 mm

Machinery:
Oil fired boilers, steam turbines,
Geared drive, 2 shafts, 31,079 shp / 23,185 Kw = 30.00 kts
Range 10,000nm at 10.00 kts

Complement:
161 - 210

Cost:
£0.637 million / $2.549 million

Distribution of weights at normal displacement:
Armament: 69 tons, 3.1 %
Armour: 285 tons, 12.8 %
Belts: 171 tons, 7.7 %, Armament: 27 tons, 1.2 %, Armour Deck: 76 tons, 3.4 %
Conning Tower: 11 tons, 0.5 %, Torpedo bulkhead: 0 tons, 0.0 %
Machinery: 903 tons, 40.6 %
Hull, fittings & equipment: 591 tons, 26.5 %
Fuel, ammunition & stores: 328 tons, 14.7 %
Miscellaneous weights: 50 tons, 2.2 %

Metacentric height 1.5

Remarks:
Caution: Hull subject to strain in open-sea
Hull space for machinery, storage & compartmentation is cramped
Room for accommodation & workspaces is excellent
Ship has slow, easy roll, a good, steady gun platform

Estimated overall survivability and seakeeping ability:
Relative margin of stability: 1.18
Shellfire needed to sink: 724 lbs / 328 Kg = 10.8 x 5.1 " / 130 mm shells
(Approx weight of penetrating shell hits needed to sink ship excluding critical hits)
Torpedoes needed to sink: 0.4
(Approx number of typical torpedo hits needed to sink ship)
Relative steadiness as gun platform: 75 %
(Average = 50 %)
Relative rocking effect from firing to beam: 0.41
Relative quality as seaboat: 1.12

Hull form characteristics:
Block coefficient: 0.470
Sharpness coefficient: 0.32
Hull speed coefficient 'M': 8.66
'Natural speed' for length: 19.24 kts
Power going to wave formation at top speed: 63 %
Trim: 67
(Maximise stabilty/flotation = 0, Maximise steadiness/seakeeping = 100)

Estimated hull characteristics & strength:
Underwater volume absorbed by magazines and engineering spaces: 157.2 %
Relative accommodation and working space: 146.5 %
(Average = 100%)
Displacement factor: 74 %
(Displacement relative to loading factors)
Relative cross-sectional hull strength: 0.53
(Structure weight / hull surface area: 40 lbs / square foot or 193 Kg / square metre)
Relative longitudinal hull strength: 1.07
(for 15.00 ft / 4.57 m average freeboard, freeboard adjustment 3.79 ft)
Relative composite hull strength: 0.57

This one looks much more like a useful DL. :o)

I understand that you prefer lightly armored CTs from another thread. Your BB had 3 inches of CT armor as well, so why does a ship as small as this one have 3 inches of CT armor as well ? It seems a lot comparing it to an italian BB.

Walter

... Does that mean that the designers will join those clerks with the construction of wooden yachts ?

Walter

There will be torpedoes mounted on the actual design; It started out in the unlimited category which does not allow torpedoes. I didn't change it when it transitioned to a destroyer leader.

Curiously i am making a wooden yacht at the moment, however it is only a foot long.