Shipbucket

I noted in another thread that I tried to do the Spanish Reina Victoria Eugenia as the never were with 8x13.5". That ended badly and got recycled.

2-3 years later and as one of my first top views I did another Reina Victoria Eugenia as the 15" version. In this, the scenario is that Portugal and Spain had come together in the 1600's to form Iberia, linked by the royal families that became one.

Armstrongs had the Almirante Lattorre under construction when Iberia came looking for new battleships. They had the two Espana class, but these had been outclassed so quickly that Iberia had cancelled a third and wanted to place orders for 2 more ships with the latest and greatest weapons and technology. Armstrongs were to build the first with the second ship to be built in Iberia with Armstrongs assistance. The Almirante Lattorre design was altered from 10x14" to 8x15" with the extra space provided by removal of the Q turret to be used for obtaining extra speed (more boilers, bigger engines). Iberia did not need long ranged ships so bunkerage was kept to a minimum and was approximately half of that in equivalent RN ships.

The Royal Navy purchased the first ship on the outbreak of war and named it HMS Triumph after a recently sunk pre-dreadnought. The Triumph joined the 5th Battle Squadron (replacing the Queen Elizabeth while that ship was away at the Dardanelles) and had transferred to the 2nd Battlecruiser Squadron as Flagship by the time of Jutland. To the ships crews chagrine they missed Jutland being docked at Rosyth undergoing a boiler clean. The Triumph continued as Flagship of the 2nd Battlecruiser Squadron for the rest of the war. The ship was returned to Iberian control in 1919 and re-christened Reina Victoria Eugenia on arrival at Cadiz. The sistership Cristobal Colon had started building at the SEC Ferrol yard in 1914 and work continued slowly through to 1916 when further work was suspended (though more material for the ship was stockpiled) until 1920 when a second set of 15" guns and turrets was received. The first set had been purloined by the Admiralty and graced the first of the Admiral class battlecruisers. The Colon was eventually completed in 1923.

Nice design. I have a few questions/etc.:
1. Why the 4" guns in between the wars version? You have a strong secondary battery of 6" and it seems like additional AA could be mounted in the 4" spaces. Plus, the reason the RN went to 6" was the 4"'s lack of firepower against torpedo craft.
2. I love you kept a captain's gallery. Captains deserve a little comfort.
3. The 4.5" mounts look like 4.7" mounts from the RN parts sheet
4. Good idea to stretch her to keep the hull/beam ration with the bulges, but she looks more German than British with that bow. More a style question than criticism.

Thanks for your comments Seeker3640,

1. Quite frankly the 4" guns were there as much as placeholders to fill a blank area. 1915-16 was too early to have more than the 4x3"AA. I could possibly have put another pair of single 6" in that area or another set of boats and a crane. Plenty of choices, I just took an easy option.

2. As a Flagship the stern cabin would have been shared with an Admiral, and they always want some extra comfort.

3. The secondary turrets are the 4.7" turrets refitted with the 4.5" guns and elevation raised to 80 degrees (same mark guns as used in the round BD mountings on the QE rebuilds and the Illustrious type CV's) but I have fixed the turrets major problems by fitting the guns further in to the center of the turret, giving them electrical training and elevation and simplifying the ammunition supply. The other change is with the 4.5" guns, I've changed the fixed ammunition to shell and bag which should ease crew fatigue.

4. I can not remember where I pinched that bow from, looks like it may have come from one of Alvamas Peruvian battlecruiser creations. Where he got it from I have no clue on.

I have no problems with any questions on my creations. Any questions I will try to answer.

Would it not be better to start from a blank piece of paper ?

The ones you are using (4.7"/50 QF Mark XI in Mark XX turret) have the wide spacing due to not having a fully rotating base (the bit under the turret in the ship) so they need to feed the shells up in the middle (where its always the same position when rotated).
Would it not be much better to swap to a full turret with a rotating room underneath that moves with the turret. (and add all the things you have said above).

This new turret would be very unlikely to look like the MKXX (maybe more like a mini 6 inch one ? or a BD but higher ?)

just IMO

JSB

Ok One more Q (hope you don't mind)

Why...

Iberia did not need long ranged ships so bunkerage was kept to a minimum and was approximately half of that in equivalent RN ships? does Iberia not have colony's as well ?

Hey JSB,

I keep using the 4.7" turret because I like the look of it. It is a pity that every time I use it, everybody sees the 'bad' 4.7" turret and tells me so. Altering one of the other turrets to something that resembles an RN style of turret is an option, I just have not tried it because of my liking for the MKXX turret shape.

The range issue is fairly simple. The furthest out an Iberian ship needed to travel was the Azores/Canaries so a long range was not required. Iberia did not have any long sea lanes to patrol.

Mozambique or Angola etc? or did they lose them earlier than the Portuguese did OTL.

JSB

[quote="Krakatoa"]Hey JSB,

I keep using the 4.7" turret because I like the look of it.

There's nothing wrong with that, if you like it use it.

JSB
In my other world from the Congo level down is all "Southern Africa" a Commonwealth self determining Dominion from 1919. The UK goes wild in the 17-1800's with massive expansion and annexing of various other countries colonies as those countries choose the wrong sides against the British Empire at various times. Not the most realistic to RL events but I was looking for excuses to expand the British Empire and provide future enemies for it. Nothing like a bit of lingering hatred when you take a countries external playgrounds away.

Bombhead
I do indeed like it and use it. My favourite looking DD's of WW2 is the L&M class ships.