Shipbucket

Wow! Great work! I've been wanting to do something very similar using the Boeing P-26 as a base.

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Salide - Denton - The Interrealms

I am not very active on the forums anymore, but work is still being done on my AUs. Visit the Salidan Altiverse Page on the SB Wiki for more information. All current work is being done on Google Docs.
If anyone wishes for their nations to interact with the countries of the Salidan Altiverse, please send me a PM, after which we can further discuss through email.

Prince Class AA Ships.

The British and Canadian Governments had given assistance to various merchant ship lines to build ships that would be assets in time of war. These ships included eight ships which comprised four Canadian Prince Class, and four British Engadine Class Cargo-Liners.

While the ships were not overly large at 385 x 57 x 21 feet, they were the size of the cruisers of old. At 5,800 tons displacement, the ships were exactly what the Admiralty had wanted to have built for conversion into Escort Cruisers. Classed as Anti-Aircraft Ships because of their dual purpose armaments, their main and most important role was as the Convoy Escort Commanders ship. With a speed of 22 knots the ships were able to shepherd any of the standard 8 and 15 knot convoys. Their long range of 3,500 miles at 20 knots made them ideal as long range escorts.

The ships were taken in hand, 2 at Esqimault, 2 at Glasgow, 2 at Belfast and the last 2 at Southampton. Being of merchant construction the conversion work could be carried out at non-naval yards, freeing up the navy yards for other essential work. The two Canadian conversions were initially armed with 4x6", 2x4" AA, 4x2pd, 8x0.5"mg. These two ships were then used for patrol work in the Pacific and Indian Oceans, chasing German Raiders. They also provided escort for the troop convoys going from Australia up to the Western Desert theatre. The three pairs of conversions completed in the UK had much enhanced weaponry with 4 twin 4.7" DP open mountings. These guns gave the ships a good Anti-aircraft capability better than the converted C Class cruisers. Two quad 2pd mountings and 9 twin 20mm finished the gun armament. What was just as important was the electronics armament. With both sea and air, search and targeting radar systems, this allowed the convoy escort commander to keep track of the convoy, who was in position and who was not. U-Boats could be targeted when on the surface or sub-surface using ASDIC. Aircraft coming near the convoy could be spotted far enough away so that the convoy could not be 'surprised', and would be waiting for their visitors. The Hedgehog was added in 1942 to surviving units.




With the drawing, it is based on that horrible line drawing that can be sourced off the net. The hull, upper deck and funnels are pretty much to real life but the rest of the details are very much personal design. I have added a few extras that the real Prince type never had.

Really nice work. Its good to see some lesser-known ships getting into this AU.

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Hood's Worklist
English Electric Canberra FD
Interwar RN Capital Ships
Super-Darings
Never-Were British Aircraft

Andania Class Escort Carrier.

With the signing of the WNT, all classes of major warships now had limits. Aircraft Carriers was no exception. With the carriers built, converted or under construction Britain had 70,000 tons left for future construction. If two large and one smaller carrier were built with that allowance then that would be it. The RN considered that in time of war it would need more of these vessels and so would need other ships that could be converted quickly to this use. A study was done on the type of vessel that would be most useful and quick to convert. The end result was a ship with approximately a 550 foot flight deck, 14-15,000 tons, 20-22 knots, able to fit a hangar to take 20+ aircraft. Those dimensions were chosen as they already existed in the cargo liner type merchantmen. The firm Cunard was contacted, as they were the largest British firm operating such vessels, and a deal done for RN assistance with six ships. This was the 'A' class ships built for Cunard during 1924-1927. For the next 15 years the ships plied their trade all over the world. On the outbreak of war, the six ships were scattered across the globe, one in the Indian Ocean, two in the South Atlantic, and the last three in the North Atlantic. One of those three was in Liverpool awaiting passengers and cargo. The ship was immediately requisitioned and sent to Belfast for Harland and Wolf to do the conversion work. The other five were ordered to complete their journeys and return to the UK. Builders would be allocated on arrival.

The conversion of these ships was quite comprehensive. The plans for conversion had been around since the ships were built. Taken out every few years, dusted off, updated and returned to their slot. By the time the conversion of the Andania was complete it looked like a miniature of the Fleet Carriers in RN service. Each conversion took approximately 12 months. The Andania's conversion took 13 months (being the first) and after working up, spent the next six months in league with the Argus, training new pilots in deck landing. In April 1941 the Andania was relieved of this duty by another of the class, joined up with an escort group working out of Liverpool on the North Atlantic run. By this time of the war, the North Atlantic was a killing ground for U-boats over merchantmen. Not enough escorts, little or no air cover gave the U-Boats the run of the roost. Two of Andania's sister ships were already on the North Atlantic run and their actions were just starting to be noticeable in the number of merchantmen from their convoys making port compared to those unsupported. It would be another six months before all of the Andania class would be at sea and helping in the U-Boat war. By then more austere conversions would also be completed and starting to enter the battle.

Throughout their service the 'bomber' of choice was the Fairey Swordfish. While obsolete by the outbreak of war, several of the smaller carriers were unable to handle the later and bigger Fairey Battle, so the Swordfish was kept in production. With the entry of the Andania class into the war, the Swordfish was kept in production to supply these ships. The Gloster Griffon with its power to weight ratio was able to fly off and on with no problems. The other fighter used off these ships was the Grumman Martlet (Wildcat), which was also of a small size. The normal aircraft complement was one squadron of Swordfish to half a squadron of fighters. From 1943, those ships not on convoy duties would have the Swordfish replaced with a squadron of Grumman Avengers. These ships aided the fleet carriers in supplying support for the retaking of places like Madagascar and other Vichy French aligned areas.





Andania,
Antonia,
Ausonia,
Aurania,
Ascania,
Alaunia.

Niteroi Class Heavy Cruiser.

Once the Admiralty had time to take stock of what was under construction, what had been halted on outbreak of war, and what was still needed to be ordered, they found the Brazilian order for six H/I type of destroyers, and one heavy cruiser of an improved Sirius type. It may be hard to envision an improved Sirius with its 16x6", but Armstrong Whitworth had tried very hard. The Brazilian cruiser had been launched as the BNS Niteroi and was 75% complete at the outbreak of war when construction was suspended. At 640x72 feet the ship was not huge but the armament, armour and propulsion pushed it out to over 14,000 tons standard and 18,000 tons full load. The main armament of 12x8" gave it an advantage over any cruiser then in existence. Which was what it was supposed to do as the Argentinians had a cruiser under construction in Germany at the same time. Armour was also made to protect the ship against the same ship with 6" side armour and 3.5" of deck armour. Propulsion had not been stinted either with 120,000shp for 32 knots.

In early 1940 the Niteroi was purchased from the Brazilians and work on the ship recommenced. The ship being renamed Agamemnon. Completion was slated for late 1941, with new specifications for the electronics suite which the ship would not have originally been built with. The RN was not willing to give away its new toys to anybody. The main armament of 12x8" was a strange one for the RN as the rest of its heavy cruisers were armed with 7.5" guns. AW's had forseen that in the original specs by making the guns able to take US pattern 8" shells. The lesser armament had not been forgotten, 12x4" dual purpose guns with 16x2pd and 18x20mm AA weapons. British ships were still mounting torpedoes and two triple mountings of 21" were fitted.

Agamemnon, now that is a beast!

I like and very nice, if you can allow the RN to let AW build a treaty threatening cruiser killer

Slightly revised Admiral class. I had ot move the superstructure around a bit for the main belt to actually cover everything.

First up, as designed in the early thirties:




Second, as build with a revised superstructure, operational in 1942. Radar and 34 single 20 mm mounts have been added.



Edit: Yes, I've got permission to post revised Admirals in this thread.

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Would you please not eat my gun...

That looks very good Mihoshik.

The only thing I might suggest is that from 1942 onwards the RN was removing the aircraft facilities, moving the boats into that area and using where the boats were on the after superstructure for more AA. That might be drawing number 3?

They are certainly magnificent looking ships. I like the revised funnels, those tops look better than the originals.

I am still looking forward to the 'Beast' you showed me a preview of.

I really like the concept of Andania Class. As a link with the premise of the this thread, its worth noting that it was Fisher that stopped the auxiliary cruiser subsidies that gave rise to the Mauretania and other fast liners. At least one historian has argued that the Invincibles were Fisher's method of stopping the planned German armed fast commerce raiders converted from liners.

So, such a concept may well have been born again in the 1920s for such auxiliary carriers.
Drawing wise, the black panel lines look odd, some shade of grey would work better I think.

The Agamemnon looks good too, as do Miho's revised Admirals.

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Hood's Worklist
English Electric Canberra FD
Interwar RN Capital Ships
Super-Darings
Never-Were British Aircraft