WesWorld

Peruvian Naval Buildup 1933-1935

The plan for the year 1933 is to try to triple the size of the destroyer and submarine force and that will be achieved by using every single Type 1 slip and drydock in Peru during the year. 1933 be spend laying down destroyers of the Capitan Valdes class and two more submarines of the P-1 type but the big news for the Peruvian Navy will be the arrival of their first true battleship, the Huascar. The rebuilding of the former Sarmiento will be completed and a sister ship for the Coastal Battleship will also be laid down on the later part of the year.

1934 will be a slow year for the Peruvian Navy. The ships laid down in 1933 will be completed but deals have already being made to acquire a heavy cruiser and a battleship overseas and that will eat the majority of the resources of the Peruvian Navy for the best part of the year. Still laying down a heavy destroyer is in the books for now.

1935 is too far into the future to decide but for sure another heavy destroyer will be laid down, with a decision possible being made to build more destroyers and/or MTB if funds and slips are available.

I'd be interested in your views on Peru's strategic needs. At a glance, it would seem you're on good terms with your immediate neighbours, so I'm curious as to how you're determining what ships are needed in the future.

Pretty much I have too many capital ships and not enough escorts. 1933 construction is aimed to at least increase the size of the destroyer force from the 3 in late 1932 to 8 by the middle of 1934.

1934 is an aberration but has to be done IMO. A crop of capital ships will be available by them and is cheaper for me to buy a used one than to build one from the ground up. Also the heavy cruiser will be a new one but is political considerations, the reasons will be visible after a while.

I think after that two purchases I will concentrate into destroyers for the rest of the decade to have at least 20 + of them by 1937 or 1938. My secondary concern will be to replace the two old light cruisers.

With the possibility of a permanent Iberian Task Force in the area IMO I can concentrate in small ships for the rest of the decade.

True, you certainly want to take advantage of good sales on used warships when they become available.

I agree that building up your destroyer force is good, but consider diverting some of those resources to coastal vessels such as submarine chasers, sloops, and mine warfare. You don't want to stick a big, modern destroyer with the job of escorting a bunch of tramp freighters up and down your coast, after all.

If Iberia is deploying a force there for a while, I'm assuming you'll be building up your own navy so the two forces can work together effectively? Things like common armaments, speeds, and operating radius are worth considering.

Hum! Pretty much all the resources for 1933 and 1934 are allocated but what you said is a good idea for 1935 forward. Three heavy destroyers are being plannned to be build to serve in the role of light cruisers until proper cruisers appear but the rest of the available resources after destroyers will be spend in minesweepers and more modern sloops and sub chasers.

In regard to Iberia it could be a problem. We already have different calibers thanks to purchasing from all over the world but it would make sense to try to at least get the same caliber in the post 1934 designs.

It seems Itheko started a craze in Latin America :-) Lets see if the fever moves to the other small nations. A good way to showcase our needs. '-)

It seems a lot of used battleships will change hands in 1933-34.

3 to Mexico
1 to Columbia
1 to Chile
1 to Peru
1 to Bulgaria
1 to Siam
2 possible to Australia

If everything goes as planned up to 10 Capital Ships are expected to change hands...

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We already have different calibers thanks to purchasing from all over the world but it would make sense to try to at least get the same caliber in the post 1934 designs.

Where the opportunity exists, yes. But it's more important to minimize the number of calibers in use in your fleet, I think.

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It seems Itheko started a craze in Latin America :-) Lets see if the fever moves to the other small nations. A good way to showcase our needs. '-)

The trend won't make it over to my part of the world. Though I'm happy to comment on your plans, I prefer to keep mine close to my chest, lest I spoil storylines.

Something I'm sensing from all of you guys is a perceived need to get out and buy used cruisers and battleships ASAP. Consequently, you all seem to be heading towards top heavy fleets centred on a crazy mix of old (if refurbished) hulls, with limited infrastructure available to support it. This is not something I'd recommend, for a few reasons:

-The usual gripe about not having enough escorts and light forces, which we've already discussed.

-The mix of major warships - 2 Limas, 1 Huascar, 1 new BB, 1 Callao, and 1 new CA - suggests you're going to have difficulty operating them together. They'll all have different speeds, cruising radii, armor schemes, and armaments. There won't be a lot of common strengths to base your strategy around, but there will always be weaknesses that hold you back.

-Lack of infrastructure. You've got two drydocks that can deal with a destroyer or anything larger; just one can handle a cruiser or larger, and neither of them are likely to be big enough to handle a new heavy cruiser or battleship. You might have a sizeable fleet, but it might take you years to repair the damage incurred in a single battle.

Similarly, you've got a lot of small slipways you're not making use of. Expand some, or keep them busy with small projects.

-Finally: the world is absolutely covered with battleships right now. I don't think the Perus and Mexicos of the world need to be making hasty moves to buy something. It'll be a buyer's market in a couple of years, as the major powers compete to sell for a price better than scrap value to a very small pool of small nations who, collectively, will only buy a fraction of the BBs that hit the market. Shop around - but don't buy big stuff until you have the small stuff and infrastructure to back it up.

I agree with all the points you're making.

1) Agree in the calibers. I guess after 1934 I will start working on it. I have already decided as standard on the 37mm and the 25mm as the calibers for the AA guns.

2) I already took the different speeds into consideration and by 1936 I was trying to match ships with similar speeds together. For example the two CDS will work in tandem and be escorted by the oldest destroyers. But I agree it will be a mess.

3) I agree in regard to the infrastructure and something will need to be done.

Well remember that some nations project what they are building for various reasons, including intimidating their rivals. Some plans don't go forward as planned. Check almost any Jane's and you'll see ships that are planned by the major nations and even some by the lesser nations. In the days around the wars these plans get bold sometimes, and are generally wrong for one reason or another.

Chile does it to get better ideas while still insighting others to react to them rather than being the one reacting all the time.

You'll notice Colombia's keen interest in the Posiedon has been preceeded by a drydock expantion project.

Having a fleet is one thing, having the infrastructure to maintain it when its damaged or needs an upgrade is another matter.

Ithekro: fair enough. I hadn't considered these plans in from the aspect of intimidation or deception. Personally, I just limit my discussion of my plans to the next year or so in order to keep folks guessing about what happens afterward (assuming they can be bothered to do so).

Wes, I confess I've not paid attention to matters in Colombia, but it sounds like a good approach.

Im not discussing Australia either, no point in scaring people. :-P

Ithekro hit it head on. One of the BCs Im planning on purchasing is to counter El Cid. And like Ithekro said the two BC purchases have a high probability that they may be canceled (or blocked).