United States of Akitsukuni

Alright, so it's been a while but I've finally gotten around to drawing up some more stuff for this thread. To be honest, I've been thinking and I'm not too sure how much I like the way this TL is proceeding, at least in terms of the lore/backstory behind Akitsukuni, I'm considering doing a soft reboot at some point with Akitsukuni forming much earlier to let me do some stuff with sailing ships and whatnot, and too open up more options regarding their culture and societal setup. In any case, for now what I have already will do.

For reference, in regards to the timeline as it stands right now, here's the super-quick brief and a timeline of the World War:

The United States of Akitsukuni is a large equatorial collection of about a half dozen main islands and many hundreds of smaller ones, with their total landmass being about the same as the real United States. The real US is so economically powerful because of the Mississippi river and all the offshoots from it, which allows an unprecedented amount of material transport by barge or ship throughout the nation, as well as the extensive length of the east coast that’s sheltered from rough weather by a string of barrier islands. Akitsukuini is also like this, but dialed up to 11, with gigantic deep-water river networks across all of the main islands, allowing for an unprecedented amount of river access throughout the country. As a result, the Akitsukunian economy is about 150% as powerful as the US’s in real life.

To the west of the US islands is an ocean the size of the Atlantic, with the Empire of Huxia (think a mix of China and Japan) on the other side. To the east is an ocean the size of the Pacific, with hundreds of islands in it, with a landmass the size of Eurasia called Ionia on the other side, on which are two main polities, the Saxalonian Empire (think Germany, England, and a bit of Italy) and the friendly Kingdom of Anahuac.

Mid 1940 - Saxalon declares war on Anahuac.
Late 1941 - Huaxia declares war on the US. Shortly afterwards Saxalon declares war on the US. Both nations begin island-hopping towards the US.
Early 1943 - Anahuac surrenders to Saxalon.
Mid 1945 - An unofficial ceasefire between US and Saxalon is agreed on. Saxalon has taken over half the islands between them.
Early 1946 - The US finishes island-hopping towards the Huaxian mainland.
Late 1946 - The US invades Huaxia.
Early 1947 - Huaxia surrenders.
Late 1955 - The ceasefire between the US and Saxalon ends. The US begins an island-hopping campaign eastwards.
Early 1959 - The US finishes island-hopping towards the Ionian contenant.
Early 1960 - The US invades Saxalon-occupied Anahuac.
Mid 1961 - US troops reach the Saxalonian border.
Late 1962 - Saxalon surrenders.

Anyway, onto the drawings!

First off, some anti-aircraft cruisers from the World War. Here's some backstory for them, mostly copy-pasted from the drawing challenges submission for which I drew them.

Taikyū class anti-aircraft cruiser

The Senshi class of heavy cruisers were, by all accounts, excellent ships for their time. Designed in the mid 1930s and first commissioned in 1938, they boasted an impressive main battery of fifteen 6"/47 duel-purpose guns in five triple turrets, sixteen 5"/38 duel-purpose secondary guns in eight twin turrets, 6" of main belt armor, and a top speed of 30 knots, as was standard for all battle-line ships of the time. However, despite their downright impressive anti-aircraft firepower by 1930s standards, the outbreak of war between Akitsukuni, the Empire of Huaxia, and the Saxalonion Empire rapidly demonstrated that there was still much to be desired when it came their, and indeed the entire fleet's ability to reliably shoot down the latest naval attack aircraft.

Experience during the Third Akitsukuni-Saxalo war and the fleet problems during the interwar period had shown that stopping a massed air attack was effectively impossible, and that aircraft carriers with their thin deck armor would only survive by operating relatively alone, and trying to find and strike the enemy carrier before they themselves could be found and sunk. However, it had always been the case that the main battle line, with the thick deck armor of the battleships and high maneuverability of the cruisers and destroyers, were not subject to the same degree of vulnerability. Now with the advent of more advanced aircraft, bombs, and torpedos, it appeared that this was no longer the case. The employment of RADAR and improvements to aerial command and control did somewhat alleviate this, by for the first time offering carriers the possibility of truly stopping a massed air attack with their combat air patrols before it reached them. However, this alone could not always be relied on, and at the same time as better carrier and aviation doctrines were being perfected, work also began on improving the anti-aircraft capabilities of the Navy's surface ships.

Full development began on an improved version of the Senshi class in early 1942, only months after the US's introduction into the war. The basic hull configuration was kept, but the triple Type 16 6"/47 gun turrets were swapped out for duel Type 19 6"/50 guns. Although at first the decrease from three to two guns per turret may seem counter-intuitive, it was made worth it because it allowed for the installation of the advanced autoloaders used by the Type 19s, that could fire up to 17 rounds per minute. The size of the machinery these autoloaders required however was considerable, leading to the rather unusual turret shape used to accommodate them, and also resulted in a large increase in the weight and complexity of the turrets despite the decrease in the number of guns used. This was compensated for by increasing the length of the ships by about 70 feet, which combined with better machinery also allowed for a higher maximum speed of around 32 knots to be reached.

In addition multiple smaller improvements were also made, such as redesigning the superstructure, adding more 40mm anti-aircraft cannons, and improving the ship's fire control and electronic equipment, among dozens of other changes. Design work on the new ships would ultimately take a little under a year, with the lead ship USS Taikyū (CB 181) being laid down in late 1942, though her Type 19 guns would not be ready to be installed until she was almost finished over a year and a half later. By mid 1944 she and several of her sisters had been commissioned, and they quickly began showing their worth as effective anti-aircraft ships, capable of downing even the most modern enemy aircraft. Subsequent refits in 1945 added more advanced radar gunlayers, and allowed them to even effectively intercept Huaxian suicide attacks.

With the end of the first part of the World War in early 1947 came a small degree of respite. However, despite the official cease-fire, no actual terms for the end of the war with Saxalon had been signed, and as such the concern that at any point the conflict might flare up again persisted. As a result, in the late 1940s the Surface Combatant Modernization Program began, which among other things involved several refits for the Taikyū class ships. These comprised of upgrading their electronics and fire-control systems, replacing the duel 5"/36 turrets with faster-firing duel 3"/50 turrets which promised to be more effective against the newest jet-powered attack aircraft, adding Type 5A1 launchers for the new Type 3A1 anti-aircraft heat-seeking missiles, redesigning some of their superstructure to accommodate new command and control systems, completely revamping her aviation facilities by removing her catapults, redesigning her hangar with a new elevator, and adding a helicopter landing pad, and a multitude of smaller changes as well.

With all said and done, the ships now had considerably more punch than before. Their Type 20 guns had been slightly modified to allow for the firing of the atomic anti-aircraft shells that now filled up the majority of their magazines, as well as the new experimental Type 8A3 guided anti-aircraft rounds, which allowed them to remain an effective weapon system even in the face of ever-faster and more capable enemy aircraft. They also received four fixed 21" torpedo tubes, capable of firing guided anti-submarine torpedoes. However, since the ships lacked a sonar system of their own, they would be forced to rely on datalinking to the systems mounted aboard other ships. Speaking of which, part of the upgrade process included the instillation of the computers and antennas needed for the Ījisu combat system, which allowed the ship to network her sensor and fire control systems with other vessels also equipped with the system, as a result massively simplifying the command and control process and allowing for a fleet of such networked ships to much more quickly and effectively mount a coordinated defense against enemy attacks.

Taikyū class, USS Rakurai CB-188 as of 1955

[Image removed, see http://www.shipbucket.com/forums/viewto ... 15&t=11040]

Of course, the modernization process didn't just stop in 1954. The recommencement of hostilities with Saxalo in late 1955 and subsequent island-hopping campaign eastwards towards the Ionian continent resulted in a return to the wartime economy of 1941-46, and as the need to screen ever-increasing numbers of carrier, battleship, battlecruiser, and amphibious assault groups from enemy air attack grew, a considerable number of 1940s era ships started being refitted with the latest anti-aircraft missiles, and the Taikyū class was no exception. The forward three 6"/50 turrets were removed, and in their place a new Type 9A1 twin-arm anti-aircraft missile launcher was fitted, along with the associated fire control equipment. In addition, the two Type 5A1 AAM launchers amidships were replaced with the new Type 12A1 AAM launchers for close-in defense, which fired Type 14A1 semi-active radar homing missiles that would prove much more effective than their heat-seeking predecessors. And finally, a Type 10 ASuM launcher for Type 3A1 anti-submarine missiles was fitted atop the barbet for the now-absent C turret, giving the ship some much-needed ranged ASW capability besides just relying on her rotorcraft.

Taikyū class, USS Kyōdo CB-195 as of 1959

[Image removed, see http://www.shipbucket.com/forums/viewto ... 15&t=11040]

Next up, some submarines!

Sealion class nuclear submarine

With the advent of atomic power generation in the mid 1940s, various committees were set up in the United States Navy to examine the potential uses of nuclear power in ships. Since atomic power plants did not require any fuel or oxidizer, and could operate without generating extensive amounts of exhaust gasses, their use as a submarine propulsion system very rapidly became apparent. By utilizing a nuclear power system both to provide propulsion, and as a source of electricity with which to electrolyze seawater into oxygen for breathing, a submarine with such a power source could theoretically remain submerged for months on end. In addition, the high efficiency of a nuclear reactor promised to allow such a boat to not only obtain a very high top speed, but to maintain it indefinitely.

The result was two separate USN black projects, each designed to build and test one aspect of the technology needed for such a vessel to be constructed. The first, Project Side Polar, aimed to produce a working nuclear-powered submarine with all the endurance benefits such a system entailed. The second, Project Tail Awash, had a seemingly less exciting but equally important role; to develop a large submarine with a high-speed hullform, capable of reaching as many as 30 or more knots submerged, and doing so without suffering any significant losses in weapon or sensor capability.

Project Tail Awash began in 1947, with a significant number of engineers brought over from the Permit class development project which had first pioneered high-speed submarine hulls back in 1945. However despite said class already having a fairly high submerged speed of 19.5 knots, their hullform was essentially a dead end, prioritizing surface speed and thus not allowing for any significant improvement in submerged speed to be made. Thus, adopting an all-new hullform was proposed, and development work began that year. The advantages of a teardrop-hull in underwater speed and maneuverability at this point in time were already fairly well known, and thus it was almost immediately selected as the primary competitor, with initial wind and water-tunnel testing confirming that it showed the most promise.

Additionally, several other innovations were undergoing consideration. The first was an X-stern rudder configuration, which promised to reduce the surface area of the control surfaces required to reach a given maneuverability, thus reducing drag and noise. The problem was that in order to get the most usefulness out of such a design each control surface should have an individual actuator and not be yoked together, but such an arrangement is complex and proved difficult for a pilot to manage. This prompted another project to begin, looking into the potential of developing a computer-control system for the submarine to ease the workload on the pilot.

The second innovation was a dramatic reduction in the size of the submarine’s sail. By reducing or even completely eliminating the sail, the drag on the submarine could be reduced, which would result in a greater top speed and higher maneuverability. The problem associated with this was that it would require some other, possibly retractable, structure be used for conning the ship when surfaced, and it would necessitate the use of slightly shorter masts.

However, the number of innovations being developed prevented the construction of a single prototype being sufficient, and instead two prototypes were ordered. The first would test the teardrop hull, contra-rotating propellers, and an X-stern rudder with yoked control surfaces. Construction on her proceeded fairly smoothly, and in 1950 she was commissioned as the USS Catfish. Her design succeeded beyond all expectations, managing to reach a blistering 34.5 knots underwater.

The second would be more ambitious, with plans for a completely eliminated conning tower, and independently-actuated control surfaces on her tailplanes. However, it turned out that even with a full extra year of development time allocated beyond what was originally planned for, this proved to be too much, too fast. While her hullform performed as expected, her retractable conning tower proved leaky and too heavy and mechanically complex to be worth it, and her tailplanes proved almost impossible to control without the help of a specialized computer system which ended up breaking down more often than not.

In the end, the independently actuated control surfaces were abandoned until more reliable computer systems could be produced, and a small but still fairly conventional-looking sail would be adopted on the next class of submarines.

Meanwhile, over in the development center for Project Side Polar, things were progressing much more smoothly. At least, for a given definition of the word. Development of the reactor itself had begun in 1948, and by 1951 it had mostly been finalized. However, its size did end up proving to be a concern, and as such the second largest submarine then in the Navy’s arsonal, the Corporal class, was selected as the basis of the new design. In order to accommodate the new reactor, the engine, battery, and machinery compartments had to be significantly overhauled. The diesel motors and most of the batteries were removed, and the hull was lengthened by about 36 ft to fit the reactor. In addition, air filters and electrolysis equipment also had to be fitted, and due to the rushed nature of the project, extensive safety margins were required. Nevertheless, the engineers worked beyond all expectations, and by 1953 the boat had been finished. She was commissioned later that year as the USS Octopus, and despite experiencing numerous early issues, including having to scram her reactor several times, over the next year and a half the kinks were slowly worked out, and the way was paved for the next class of nuclear boats to follow.

Speaking of which, two years earlier in late 1951, intelligence reports from one of the Akitsukunan spy rings in Saxalo discovered something concerning; they were currently working on building a new class of submarine, faster and quieter than anything before. While her hullform was fairly conventional in profile, it had been streamlined as much as was feasible, and was theorized to be capable of reaching as many as 25 knots underwater. In addition, there were also rumors that even as the first of these new submarines were being built, work was already underway on their successors, and even more concerning; another spy ring had managed to get information from the Saxalonion nuclear power program, which hinted at them developing an atomic reactor for naval use. Clearly, something had to be done.

Thus in early 1952, at the Naomi Sound Naval Development Center, Project Solo Reply began. Its goal: to develop a vessel capable of hunting down and killing the Saxalonion submarines.

Four years later, that goal was met.

Sealion class, USS Archerfish SSN-725 as of 1957

[Image removed, see http://www.shipbucket.com/forums/viewto ... 15&t=11040]

And finally a pair of modern ships, starting with a new cruiser design:

Yasoshima class nuclear heavy guided missile cruiser

There isn't too much to say about these, really. With the current fleet of 80s and 90s era guided missile cruisers proving to be less and less effective in a modern threat environment, in 2010 the United States Navy began a series of design studies into replacing them with more modern ships. Ten years and four billion dollars of cost overruns later, the first ship of her class, USS Yasoshima (CBGN 250), finally slipped her moorings and put to sea, followed by two of her sisters the following year.

Designed as multipurpose vessels, the Yasoshima class is equipped with top-of-the-line BMD, AAW, AShW, and ASW systems, including but not limited to her 128 twenty-eight inch VGMLS cells, large helicopter hangar, and advanced sonar systems developed from the SSN-21 program. She also sports the most capable electronics fit yet put to sea, incusing all-new 3D AESA RADARs in both the C and S bands, and the Block V Ījisu Combat System. She also featured a huge number of quality-of-life improvements, mostly centering around a massive increase in shipboard automation that allowed her to operate with only around 170 crewmembers aboard, but also including such things as new multi-person inflatable liferafts and an increased emphasis on stealth and low-observability features.

Yasoshima class, USS Ryōshi CBGN-252 as of 2022

[Image removed, see http://www.shipbucket.com/forums/viewto ... 15&t=11040]

Shinsato Ken'Ichi class coastal corvette

The Shinsato Ken'Ichi class guided missile corvettes were named after Lt. Commander Shinsato Ken'Ichi, a sailor during the Saxalo-Akitsukuni War who went down with his ship while commanding a small flotilla of corvettes in battle against two Saxalonian heavy cruisers. The lead ship, USS Shinsato Ken'Ichi, was launched in late 2021 and commissioned almost two years later in mid 2023. Her class was in many ways an experiment, and were the first ships in the USN to possess a number of later common features.

Most notably among these was her trimaran hullform, which was selected to improve stability and maximize deck and superstructure space. She also was the first large ship to have an outer hull made entirely from Carbon-Kevlar composite, albeit reinforced with steel structural members, which helped keep weight down and also ever so slightly reduced her radar signature, at the cost of making her around 10% more expensive than she otherwise would have been. In addition to all that she was also highly automated, to the point that she could operate in emergencies with less than a dozen crewmembers aboard.

Her design was rather large for a corvette, but her classification as one was somewhat justified by her role and parent country. Akitsukuni, being a large collection of islands, naturally has a whole lot of coastline and an enormous amount of littoral regions, and small, fast ships optimized to fight in them have always been sorely needed by the nation throughout her history. These ships have traditionally been given the title of corvettes, and though other nations usually use different definitions, this is the one used by the USN.

Her primary mission was to serve as a multipurpose patrol vessel, keeping watch over the Akitsukuian coastline for enemy submarines, and even engaging other ships in or below her weight class one-on-one. For this purpose she was fitted with one of the largest hangars and flight decks mounted on a USN warship, which was rated for simultaneous flight operations of 2 medium-weight helicopters (albeit only in light weather, as only one of the pads had a beartrap system).

The secondary mission her class was designed to fulfill - though it should be noted she was just as capable in it as her primary one - was one that would have been familiar to the torpedo-boat destroyers of the late 19th century that her larger sisters descended from; to patrol the Akitsukunian coastline, being ready to group into wolfpacks and help intercept any threats that managed to get close to the shore. Unlike her predecessors however, while she was extremely fast and relatively small, her main method of doing so was her low radar signature and suite of extremely advanced passive sensors, that would allow her to ambush and hopefully mission-kill larger warships from close range.

Finally her tertiary mission, which she again was also extremely adept at, was to escort amphibious groups and provide fire support during landing operations, and to screen landing forces from enemy light naval attacks in the littorals. To help accomplish this, in addition to all of her other systems, she was fitted with a 55mm main gun capable of firing at 250 rounds per minute that could be loaded with a selection of chaff rounds, conventional rounds, guided extended range rounds, and the new Type 200A1 experimental 5.5x44cm special weapons, which had a dialable yield between 0.05 and 0.2 kilotons. This allowed her to destroy small and fast enemy combatants at close range, provide effective fire support, and the atomic rounds even allowed her to assist in putting up a screen against enemy high-performance missiles and aircraft.

Shinsato Ken'Ichi class, USS Henrietta Armstrong CK-1215 as of 2023

[Image removed, see http://www.shipbucket.com/forums/viewto ... 15&t=11040]

Shipbucket

United States of Akitsukuni

Who is online