Shipbucket

So what would the RN build with a crystal ball ?

I was thinking of writing an AU of what the RN might build in the pre WW2 rearmament build-up if they had had a crystal ball.

The most important part of any navy is obviously the battle fleet ! So we will need to build battleships as soon as they are allowed to lay them down post 1936 and the LNT(1) expiring.

I give you the KGV class (AU).



AU KVG,
- RN needs fast BBs for the 1937-43ish era (before CV get any good at night/bad weather)
- treaty's are effectively dead post LNT2 in 1937 (and we know they will fail so can plan as such)
- need speed 28+KN
- can reuse old 15inch turrets (as they are cheap and will speed us up) we have 4 in storage + 4 monitors + R class that are the least useful (20)
- need good AA (4.5 and 40mm)

So the plan would be to build a set (4 or 5) of Vanguard type ships (a bit weaker than the real one) quickly in 37.

JSB

what do you mean with christal ball? that they could see into the future?

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Drawings are credited with J.Scholtens
I ask of you to prove me wrong. Not say I am wrong, but prove it, because then I will have learned something new.
Shipbucket Wiki admin

Yes (ie a blatant rip off of many other peoples ideas normally involving time travel etc.)
JSB

but.... if they knew the future, would they still be building battleships? and would they go for smaller guns? (as the turrets seem smaller, and build to an older design) and smaller secondaries? seeing that they should then also know how the prince of whales was sank, would they not increase efforts in AA?

_________________
Drawings are credited with J.Scholtens
I ask of you to prove me wrong. Not say I am wrong, but prove it, because then I will have learned something new.
Shipbucket Wiki admin

Surly seeing into the future they would see that the aircraft carrier would become king and not build battleships anyway....

Interesting concept, I'm looking forward to seeing more ships! I think the 4.5in secondaries are a good choice despite the smaller caliber, and I do think that battleships would still have a place in a WW2 fleet even (especially?) with the benefit of hindsight. The carrier became king but only after years of wartime development, and I assume the same technological restrictions apply here.

I do however agree with Ace about the main armament - I would think 15in or 16in triples designed along the same lines as the real KGV turrets would be more likely.

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I did one of these several years ago with a straight swap of triple 15" for the mixed 14" armament. I agree that leaving out the 14" out of the inventory of ammunition that needed to be held is a good thing.

Krakatoa, I think any British 15" turrets of that time would look like tripple versions of the KGV's quad turrets: very squared off, with completly straight fronts.
On another note, I can't help but feel it's a shame the KGVs weren't completed with three tripple 15" guns instead. They would've made for excellent ships with the heavier armament.

EDIT: JSB, while the story behind your idea is... going to force a lot of other changes, I really like your design.

Well, they were considered... 15A and 15B were both 3*3 15" designs.

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Blood and Fire

Howdy Hugo,

I did the design of the turrets different to the 14" for just that reason - so they would be different. Otherwise they would look indistinguishable from 14" KGV.