SMS Blücher 1929

May 10th, 2018, 6:51 pm

This is the secondary reason. If this technology was really possible in late WW1, we would see Frobishers and Emeralds with turrets and Omahas with superfiring layout. However, no cruisers had superfiring layout until Duguay-Trouin.
For example, one of the very first US cruiser designs with superfiring layout is dated 1923 - Design 292, 11 500 tons of displacement, 4x2 203 mm guns (source - Norman Friedman's book "US Cruisers - Illustrated design history, page 119). I am absolutely sure that for other nations this date is relevant too - Counties appeared in 1928, Leanders - in 1929. German Emden was built in 1925 and had no turrets at all.

American cruisers and destroyers were outdated design at the beginning of the 20's. Emden original design was prepared with four twin 150 mm canons but Allied authorities didn't aproved it. This is the original Emden project:

http://www.shipbucket.com/drawings/4411

Keisser wrote: *

May 10th, 2018, 6:51 pm

I dont say this is impossible, I respoded to statement "heavy cruiser outlived the armored cruiser" that is a bit wrong. Armored cruisers and pre-dreadnoughts were "pair" pretty much as battlecruisers and dreadnoughts. Heavy cruisers (thanks to Washington) were limited and thus served for different roles (BCs in dreadnought era and ACRs in pre-dreadnought era could be used for charging retreating battlefleet, for example - a thing that CA cant do for obvious reasons).

Royal Navy discharged almost all their battlecruiser and rebuilt the three remaining sample as fast battleship.

Keisser wrote: *

May 10th, 2018, 6:51 pm

Yes, but much more effective and suitable in that time period. Heavy cruiser feels herself incomfortable outside the Washington era because in that time she simply cant be faster than a battlecruiser (because yeah, technology level - no way you can be faster then HMS Princess Royal built 1911, for example, with her 28 kts - this will require a massive and expensive machinery; Later Renowns with 32 kts are an absolute instant death), therefore helpless in a fleet battle (just like Blucher) - cant fight, cant run. Heavy cruiser of WNT era can easily escape from larger enemies - because advancements in turbine technology made during years after WW1 allowed to produce small and powerful engines.

Blücher used an outdated and heavy layout with triple expansion engines. With turbines, she could performe a lot better. My estimative is conservative. Hood introduced new boilers technology and this could be used in new British Cruisers after WW1.

pepembr_mb wrote: *

May 5th, 2018, 5:55 pm

All other surviving heavy cruisers were obsolete and in disrepair condition.

Keisser wrote: *

May 10th, 2018, 6:51 pm

But you said that heavy cruisers were used well after WW2?

British County Class were 1920's projects and served until the end of 1950's. The American ships were used until the 1970's.

pepembr_mb wrote: *

May 5th, 2018, 5:55 pm

Ersatz Scharnhorst's could be useful as raiders and scouts.

Keisser wrote: *

May 10th, 2018, 6:51 pm

I mean, yes, she can be deployed for foreign station and can be succesful, since she is a relatively fast an powerful ship. But she cant pursuit lighter cruisers because she is too slow (Arethusas of 1913 are capable of ~29 kts) and battlecruisers are too deadly.
I dont want to say, however, that the design itself is bad, no-no. My point is that she is a bit off her era - she uses doctrines of ~1920s and ideas of ~1910s which is somewhat strange to see in WW1. German Empire already was in a harsh conditions and it is very unlikely to see her returning to ideas of an armored cruiser.
But well, this is an alternate universe where everything may happen. Ersatz Scharnhorst is certainly a nice looking ship and that 1929 Blucher is even better (at least to my taste). Best wishes in further drawing

Thank you! By the way, I love battlecruisers as technical designs (my proposal at the capital ship Washington Treaty Challenge IS a battlecruiser), but I think heavy cruisers with armour, as Algerie and Zara Class, were more useful ships in the 1930's and 1940's scenarios.

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