Thiaria

Hello everyone!

Thiarian destroyers - Part 2: 1910 - 1918

1. E-Class
By the time the large orders of destroyers issued during the war against Brazil in 1907/8 were completed, several foreign countries had commissioned much larger, faster and better armed destroyers than the 450 - 550 tonners preferred by the Thiarian navy, most notably the British with their Tribal- and G-classes and the huge HMS Swift. Germany and the US also built destroyers in the 650 - 750 ton category by that time, and the French had ordered their first 800-tonners. This time, the Thiarians decided not only to follow the foreign lead, but to eclipse it; although they had become quite good at building 450-550 tonners, they enlisted French aid again. During 1910, the Chantiers de Bretagne yard was preparing a design for a 950-tonner for Argentina, armed with 4 102mm guns and six 457mm torpedo tubes and capable of 32 knots. With their good connections to Argentina, the Thiarians surveyed the design and considered it highly promising; they however needed better stability, better seakeeping abilities and more range, so they modified the design by changing the subsurface hull shape and increasing draught, thus increasing displacement to 1.050 tons. Two units were ordered at the Bretagne yard in October 1910, on the condition that two more were to be license-built in Thiaria in the following year. Like the Argentine ships building at the same time, the Thiarian vessels received imported Curtis-turbines from the USA, but their boilers were of the French Guyot du Temple type, with one boiler less, but one funnel per boiler, slightly less hp and a design speed of only 30 knots. They were named Ealaionta (Artful) and Easca (Quick).
[ img ]

Their Thiarian clones used five Thiarian-designed boilers similar to the French Normand-type and had three funnels arranged as on the Argentine destroyers; they had a design speed of 32 knots. Their names were Eifeachtuil (Effective) and Eirimiuil (Clever).
[ img ]

All were armed with four 100mm guns and four 450mm torpedo tubes, the latter still singles arranged at the ship's sides for a broadside of only two fish. They had sickle-shaped bows and a raised poop deck and were considered very good sea boats with comfortable accomodation. While delivery of the Argentine boats was delayed by lackluster payment, the Thiarian destroyers were delivered on schedule late in 1912; their domestic clones followed early in 1914. All served with the main battle fleet from 1916 and were refitted in 1917 with a single 65mm flak, three or four 8mm AAMGs, a DC rack, a rangefinder for the guns and hydrophones.
[ img ]

They took part in the battles of Tristan da Cunha (Ealaionta torpedoed the British cruiser HMS Nottingham, which however escaped), Tranacorr (Ealaionta sunk the Brazilian destroyers Pedro Ivo and Gustavo Sampaio with gunfire, Eirimuil did the same to the Brazilian destroyer Piaui and Eifeachtuil performed the coup de Grace to the crippled Brazilian cruiser Nueve de Julio) and Craigmiadh (no kills). None were lost; the E's were considered a particularly lucky class. Except Eifeachtuil, which was damaged by gunfire from HMS Liberty and Lucifer at Craigmiadh, they came out of the war unscathed and without personnel losses. The entire class was awarded to Brazil as reparations in 1919; as they were in good shape, they served with the Brazilian Navy for a quarter of a century. Their luck held under new management too; while employed as escorts during the second world war, they accounted for two Thiarian and two German submarines and still suffered no losses. They were scrapped in 1946 - 1948.

2. F-Class

2.1. Batches 1 and 2
In 1912, Brazil ordered eight K-Class destroyers on British yards and entered negotiations with the USA for an order of eight 1000-tonners to be built in 1914-1916. To keep up with this development, the Thiarians doubled the number of destroyers per peacetime fiscal year from two to four and ordered a slightly modified repeat of the E-class, four in 1912 and four identical ones in 1913. They no longer had a poop deck, resulting in slightly more cramped accomodation, but also a smaller sail area of the hull, resulting in better maneuvrability. Their armament was re-arranged with two of the 100mm guns mounted superfiring aft, and their 450mm torpedo tubes now were twins arranged on the centerline. The aft searchlight was suppressed. All had five boilers of domestic design with three funnels and locally produced Curtis-turbines, and a design speed of 32 knots. They also were the first Thiarian destroyers to be completed with rangefinders. Their names were Faghartha (Fiery), Fiain (Untamed), Faireach (Vigilant), Fuafar (Zealous), Fearuil (Manly), Fial (Selfless), Feidhmiuil (Overpowering) and Forsiuil (Forceful). Two were commissioned in 1914, the other six in 1915.
[ img ]

All served with the main battlefleet during the war. At Tristan da Cunha, Fial was destroyed by HMS Yarmouth; at Tranacorr, Feidhmiuil torpedoed the Brazilian destroyer Goias. By that time, all had received the usual wartime upgrade with a 65mm flak, four 8mm AAMGs, a DC rack and hydrophones. Their forward gun had received a gunshield, the bridge breastwork was strenghtened and enlarged, and the rangefinder was replaced by a larger unit with better performance.
[ img ]

The battle of Craigmiadh was quite disastrous for this class: Faireach, Fearuil and Forsiuil were destroyed while securing the retreat of the damaged battleship Crionna. Their flotilla of four (Fuafar made it home as the sole survivor) launched three torpedo attacks against the pursuing British battleships HMS Marlborough and Benbow and their escorts, scoring a hit on the destroyer Laertes (which was however a dud), but getting themselves pounded by the battleships, two light cruisers and eight destroyers; all losses were due to gunfire. Their mission was accomplished, however; Crionna made it home. Faghartha, Fiain, Fuafar and Feidhmiuil survived the war and were awarded to the USA as prizes; they were used for trials and eventually sunk as targets.

2.2. Batch 2
When the first world war started in late July 1914, Argentina and Turkey lost four respectively six modern destroyers under construction on french yards, as France requisitioned them for her own navy. Thiaria, still neutral, approached both governments within days and offered to build replacements at a discount price. As the Argentine ships had served as a basis for the Thiarian E-class and the Turkish ships were quite similar to the Thiarian F-class, the offer seemed logical, and both governments placed orders for four ships. Turkey entered the war a few days after the order was placed, making delivery effectively impossible, but the Thiarians kept building; they already anticipated that they might need these destroyers themselves one day. Four were laid down in late 1914, four in early 1915. All eight were built to an identical design. They had the same hull shape and length as the Thiarian F-class, but were a little beamier. Their ventilation arrangements were changed to create additional deck space needed to replace the 450mm torpedo twins with 559mm twin sets; they also got the aft searchlight back and received the larger type rangefinder from the beginning. They drew slightly more than the first batch, displacing 1150 tons, and design speed had dropped to 30 knots. Building took longer than the anticipated 18 months, and the planned delivery dates could not be met, due to the large number of destroyers simultaneously under construction in 1915 (the G-class of the Thiarian Navy was built at the same time, with greater priority). When Thiaria rather abruptly declared war on Britain after the Easter Uprising in 1916, they immediately seized all eight ships, of which two were already running trials; six of them were completed and commissioned before the year 1916 was over, and the other two followed early in 1917; all missed the intial battle of Tristan da Cunha. They were given F-names: Fuinniuil (Strong), Fraochmhar (Fierce), Fireanta (Righteous), Feilmeanta (Excellent), Fiochmhar (Furious), Fadbhail (Pugnacious), Flaithiuil (Generous) and Fairtil (Sturdy).
[ img ]

Although the seized F-class vessels clearly fell behind the first two batches in terms of speed and stability, they had longer range and were similarly reliable and habitable. Modifications were less visible than on the first two batches; the bridge for instance was left unchanged, and only three (Flaithiuil, Fraochmhar and Feilmeanta) were fitted with heavy flak (two 65mm pieces abreast the aft funnel; with these fitted, topweight had become dangerously high, and they were considered the worst seaboats of the class). The usual four AAMGs, DC rack and hydrophones were fitted to all, and the forward 100mm gun received a gunshield.
[ img ]

Their more powerful torpedo armament paid off handsomely: At Tranacorr, Feilmeanta's torpedoes accounted for the brand new Brazilian light cruiser Quinze de Novembro, and Fiochmhar and Fairtil sunk the destroyers Para and Santa Caterina, respectively (although Fairtil did it with her guns). Fairtil survived her triumph only for six weeks, being blown up by a British drifting mine off Abernenui; Fadbhail was sunk in a short cruiser-destroyer engagement early in 1918 by the Guns of HMS Liverpool, and Flaithiuil was torpedoed by the British destroyer HMS Trident at Craigmiadh. Fraochmhar and Fireanta avenged her sister by torpedoing HMS Lookout and HMS Lightfoot; Fadbhail also put a torpedo into the battleship HMS Colossus (which however had received so many 305mm hits from the Thiarian battleships by that time that she would have been lost anyway). After the war, the five remaining ships were awarded to the USA (4) and France (1). The Americans soon scrapped their allotment, but Fiochmhar survived till 1936 under French colours.

3. G-Class
By 1914, several nations were building destroyers with speeds of 35 knots or above; the Thiarians were particularly impressed by the Russian Novik. Their E- and F-class ships were generally satisfactory, robust and well armed ships, but the follow-up class was to be considerably faster. To accomodate the stronger machinery (for 36 knots, six newly designed boilers and 40.000 hp were necessary, compared to the 28.000 of the F-class), the hull had to be considerably stretched, and deplacement increased to nearly 1.300 tons. For the first time in Thiarian destroyer design, the bow was flared; construction was complicated by this feature, but seakeeping was significantly improved. The added deckspace and weight reserve allowed for an increase of the torpedo caliber to 559mm and the fitting of a fifth 100mm gun; with their large deckhouse aft, they were the most comfortable of all Thiarian destroyers. They were also the first Thiarian destroyers to be commissioned with two 8mm AAMGs, and their forward 100mm guns had gunshields from the start. Their names were: Glormhar (Glorious), Gusmhar (Lively), Gaisciuil (Valiant), Gasta (Clever), Galach (Valourous), Galanta (Elegant), Glic (Cunning) and Gniomhach (Active). The four begun under the 1914 estimates were ready for action when Thiaria entered the war; the four 1915 ships needed till mid-1917 to complete.
[ img ]

Unlike their predecessors, these ships were large enough to be refitted with two 65mm flaks each (abreast the after funnel) with no penalties in terms of stability, plus two additional 8mm AAMGs, a DC rack and hydrophones.
[ img ]

Gasta had the shortest career of all Thiarian destroyers and was sunk at Tristan da Cunha by a torpedo from HMS Ithuriel. At Tranacorr, only Galanta was missing; Glormhar sunk the Brazilian destroyer Pernambuco with gunfire. Later in 1917, Gaisciuil and Gniomhach intercepted the US-built destroyers Marcilio Diaz and Traiano on their transfer to Brazil and sunk both with guns and torpedoes. At Craigmiadh, all seven belonged to the advance squadron around the battlecruiser Aigean, and repulsed an attack by US destroyers, with Galanta sinking USS Rowan and Glormhar sinking USS O'Brien. Then they launched an attack of their own, and Gaisciuil put a torpedo into USS United States, which did not critically endanger the US battlecruiser, but prompted her commander to disengage, enabling the Thiarian fleet to escape after reducing USS America to a sinking condition. Glic was hit by several 127mm shells from United States and finished off by USS Shaw, and Galach was hit by two 533mm torpedoes from USS Conyngham and blown up. The five survivors were awarded to Great Britain (4) and France (1); as with the F-class the French retained their prize in service till 1935, while the English scrapped their loot.

4. I-Class
As advanced as the E- and F-class had been in 1910, they were nothing special anymore in 1916; they were outgunned (more exactly out-torpedoed) by newer US-supplied Brazilian destroyers, which started to enter service in 1916, and badly outnumbered by contemporary British destroyers. Facing rather overwhelming numerical odds, the Thiarians decided to try and build ships of individually superior quality, one of which could take on two or three enemy destroyers. The design for the FY 1916 destroyer was remarkably similar in size, speed and armament to their German contemporaries of the S113-class; both designs however owed nothing to each other, the Thiarian I-class being an evolutionary development of the G-class with eight instead of six boilers and more powerful turbines (52.000 hp for 34 knots). The Thiarian ships were built around four very powerful 140/55 cannon and carried four 559mm torpedo tubes, four (!) 65mm flaks, two or four 8mm AAMGs and a DC rack. Two were ordered from private yards and two from naval dockyards in April and May 1916. The former ones were named Inniuil (Capable) and Ionraic (Honest).
[ img ]

The dockyard-built ships differed by having a simpler bridge, a different location for the mainmast and a heavy crane behind the aft funnel. They were Iontaofa (Reliable) and Inmholta (Admirable).
[ img ]

Although it was clear that these ships would need at least two years to complete, their construction was continued after Thiaria entered the war; a proposition to cancel them and build more F- or G-class vessels instead was rejected, mainly because eight additional F-class destroyers under construction for Argentina and Turkey could be acquired anyway. In the end, only Inniuil and Iontaofa were completed before the end of hostilities. Both took part in the battle of Craigmiadh with the advance squadron and engaged the light cruiser USS Salem, flagship of the US destroyers. Each of the Thiarian destroyers would have outgunned the old US cruiser, and together they peppered her with a dozen hits and forced her to retreat. If the Thiarians had not been on the run themselves, they would probably have sunk the Salem. After the war, all four I-class destroyers (two being 90 - 95% finished) became British prizes. Inniuil briefly underwent a comparative test series against S113 and was rated superior in nearly every respect; for the British, this was one reason more to scrap all four forthwith.

5. L-Class
With the war against Great Britain in full swing and losses mounting, the Thiarians soon reversed their decision to stick with the I-class. The FY 1917 destroyers (remarkably enough, the peacetime procurement procedures were retained throughout the war) reverted to an austere version of the G-class design with less superstructure aft and many detail simplifications to speed up production. It was planned to complete all eight ships within one year; actual building times varied between 13 and 16 months, still no bad performance for a shipbuilding industry yet unaccustomed to modern mass production methods. Although six could be completed before the war ended, none saw any active service, and only two were in full commission at the time of the armistice. Their names were Laochta (Heroic), Lasanta (Irascible), Luachmhar (Worthy), Luaimneach (Nimble), Laidir (Strong), Lufar (Awake), Luath (Swift) and Lubach (Subtle). All were completed with ASW gear, two 65mm flaks and four AAMGs. After the war, all were ceded to Great Britain and scrapped.
[ img ]

6. M-Class
First reports about Britain's new V/W-class destroyers reached Thiaria early in 1918. Superfiring guns forward had previously been rejected for stability reasons, but in order to counter the V/Ws, the Thiarians decided to adopt that feature for their FY 1918 destroyers. Britain's adoption of triple torpedo tubes was matched by adding a third twin set. The hull had to be lengthened almost to the length of the I-class and widened accordingly to retain stability. Deplacement increased to 1.400 tons; as the machinery of the G- and L-classes was retained, speed dropped to 33 knots. The bridge was kept unusually simple in an attempt to reduce topweight; as none was completed to the original design, their open bridges were never put to the test. They were named Maorga (Majestic), Maisiuil (Graceful), Misniuil (Brave), Mearganta (Daring), Maistriuil (Authoritative), Mallaithe (Wicked), Meanmhach (Obstinate) and Mealltach (Devious). None were launched when the war ended. They were not mentioned in the armistice conditions nor the peace treaty and completed to a slightly different design in 1924/5. All eight had active careers in the second world war, where six were lost.
[ img ]

Next: Sloops, Minelayers and Minesweepers

Greetings
GD

Hello again!

Thiarian Gunboats, Sloops and Minesweepers

1. Gunboats

1.1. Straeir-Class
Thiaria had no colonies (her politicians always made a point of telling everyone how morally superior that made them to the rest of the world), so her navy was not tasked with protecting or controlling colonies, which considerably limited the need for gunboat-type ships. The requirement for some muscle to protect Thiarian economic interests in underdeveloped countries was however recognized in the early 1890s, and in 1893 and 1894, four large gunboats primarily intended for 'diplomatic' missions in the most cynical sense of the word were ordered. They displaced 1.700 tons and carried four 140mm and six 65mm pieces, plus four 37mm revolvers, placing them among the most powerful of their kind. Their completion was delayed by the 1894 war against Brazil, and they commissioned in 1896 and 1897. Their names were Straeir (Ranger), Ambasadoir (Ambassador), Toscaire (Envoy) and Teachtaire (Messenger). They were single screw ships with long range and comfortable accomodation, but poor speed and maneuverability; in the classical gunboat role, they were not very useful due to their deep draught which prevented them from operating on most Chinese rivers and other shallow waters. All four were fitted as cadet training vessels, but usually only one of them at the same time performed that duty. All units of this class spent lengthy detachments on foreign stations; from 1900, Thiaria always maintained one gunboat in the Caribbean (usually based in Venezuela) and one on the China station (based in Macao under an agreement with Portugal dating to 1898). Three of four were sunk during the first world war: Teachtaire was intercepted by the cruiser HMS Amethyst on her way back from a visit to New York a few days after the war was declared; she was eventually sunk, but gave the Amethyst a fierce fight for her life. Ambasadoir was rather unceremoniously sunk by HM submarine D2 in August 1916, and Toscaire was stranded on a well charted rock while chasing an imaginary british submarine late in 1917. Straeir's engines were in a poor condition in 1916 and she was laid up in February; she was used as a stationary TS till 1919, then broken up.
[ img ]

1.2. Pionsoir-Class
After the defeat in the war of 1894, piracy and smuggling became worse around Thiaria, and the fight against this kind of crime assumed greater priority. In 1896, 1897 and 1898, the Thiarian navy ordered four 1000-ton gunboats every year. As they were intended for police duties only, they carried only light armament (five 65mm guns), but they had quarters for a 40-strong Marine detachment, a spacious prison and - most importantly - could carry two steam launches armed with 47mm guns for pursuit of pirates and smugglers to waters which were a little too littoral for the gunboats themselves. Speed and maneuverability were essential, so they had twin screws for 18 knots. All were commissioned prior to 1900. Their names were Pionsoir (Fencer), Dornalai (Boxer), Fiagai (Chaser), Garda (Guard), Gunnadoir (Gunner), Peas (Policeman), Marascal (Marshall), Sealgaire (Hunter), Rialtoir (Governor), Sirriam (Sheriff), Coimirceoir (Guardian) and Tarrthalai (Rescuer). They were instrumental in quelling the pirate scourge in the first decade of the 20th century; by 1915, their primary mission was all but accomplished. From 1910, the Thiarians deployed two of them to the China station; in 1916, it was Rialtoir's and Dornalai's turn. Rialtoir was sunk by HMAS Melbourne just outside Macao, while Dornalai made it to Corregidor and was interned. After the US entered the war, her crew was given leave by the Thiarian Admiralty to surrender her. She was scrapped in Japan in 1920.
[ img ]

The class was slated for replacement from 1916, but the first world war shifted priorities, and they had to soldier on as minelayers. Their size, speed (after a major overhaul, their machinery was still good for 16 knots in 1916) and maneuverability made them well suited to the task, and when 1916 was over, all ten had been converted. They were so successful that Thiaria did not need to build any purpose-designed minelayers. Corai caught the Brazilian submarine F5 surfaced in March 1918 and sunk it with gunfire; Garda was wrecked 1917 on a mining mission off the Brazilian coast, and Marascal was torpedoed by HMS E17. After the war, the survivors were completely worn out and were broken up in 1921 through 1924.
[ img ]

2. Sloops

2.1. Ursan-Class
A few weeks after the war had begun, British D-, G- and J-class long range submarines started to operate around Thiaria and prey on Thiarian shipping, at first with near impunity. There were no provisions for effective ASW warfare, and the Thiarians were lucky that the British could only spare a dozen submarines at the same time to harass them. A convoy system was proposed, but at first not implemented because almost no escorts were available; the fleet command jealously kept all active destroyers for itself, and did not start to fit them with ASW gear prior to mid-1917. To close this obvious capability gap, the 1916 supplementary estimates provided funds for a crash-development programme of a dedicated ASW escort vessel with secondary mine warfare capability similar to the British Flower-class sloops. As the ships were supposed to be oceangoing and reasonably fast (turbine propulsion and 20 knots were specified), the Thiarians designed them big; at 1.100 tons, the hulls were approximately the same size as a contemporary F-class destroyer, but shorter and beamier and with only 40% of a destroyer's designed hp. They were comfortable and good seaboats, but due to their very small rudder, they were not really maneuverable enough to be effective escorts, having the same tactical diameter as a Neamhspleachas-class pre-dreadnought battleship. Few WW1-era Thiarian ships featured serious design flaws, but this certainly was one. They carried four 100mm guns in a lozenge arrangement and were fitted with DC racks and Hydrophones from the beginning. Two 65mm AA guns and four 8mm AAMGs were retrofitted to all completed units before the first one was commissioned. The 1917 and 1918 estimates provided for 12 units each; the first four were laid down before funding was authorized in November and December 1916, which clearly shows how direly they were needed. Like the torpedo gunboats of 25 years before, which served as the Thiarian Navy's principal minelayers during the first world war, these ships were named for predatory animals: Ursan (Bear), Cadhoit (Coyote), Tiogar (Tiger), Sionnach (Fox), Broc (Badger), Mactire (Wolf), Nathair (Snake), Siota (Cheetah), Fiachat (Wildcat), Faolchu (Jackal), Leon (Lion), Hieana (Hyenah), Gairial (Gharial), Dobharchu (Otter), Grisun (Grison), Lincse (Lynx), Pantar (Panther), Firead (Ferrett), Mangus (Mongoose), Caiman (Caiman), Minc (Mink), Easog (Stoat), Neas (Weasel), and Fosa (Fossa Cat).
[ img ]

All were laid down before they were officially authorized, the last two in February 1918, and they averaged a building time of 12 months. When the war ended, 16 were complete and 12 in commission. Ursan and Broc fell prey to British submarines (G4 and G2, respectively) in 1918, the others survived the war. Since the Thiarians were slow to develop a sound ASW doctrine and training regime, they were not very efficient; none of them ever sunk an enemy submarine. But their presence alone was a considerable deterrent, and Thiarian merchant shipping losses dropped sharply in the final year of the war, for which these vessels have to be at least partly credited. With allied escorts abounding, there was no interest in them as reparations, and all 14 completed units remained in Thiaria. Two further ones were completed postwar; Fosa, Neas, Easog, Caiman, Mangus and Minc were dismantled on stocks. When the Thiarian coast guard was established in 1922, twelve of these ships were transferred to the new service (minus their lateral 100mm guns, their 65mm flaks and their ASW gear) and formed the nucleus of its fleet. The other four (Sionnach, Nathair, Leon and Lincse) were completely disarmed during the 1920s and used as tenders and later as accomodation ships till the end of the second world war. Although they were sturdy ships, their engines were in poor shape (12 knots top speed in 1939), so they were not reacivated. The Coast Guard ships, which were thoroughly refurbished in the early 1930s and still good for 18 knots in 1939, were rearmed in 1940 and pressed into escort service, although they remained under Coast Guard command. They were mostly used in low-threat areas, so ten of them survived the war and continued to serve with the Thiarian coast Guard till they literally fell apart in the late 1950s.
[ img ]

2.2. Caithne-Class
While the Ursan-Class was designed to wait for the submarines to come to them and then pound them, be it surfaced or submerged, the simultaneously acquired 750-ton Caithne-Class adhered to the other common ASW tactic employed in the first world war, the offensive ASW patrol by warships disguised as coasters (Q-Ships), which carried only guns (two 140mm monsters in front and aft of the bridge and a 65mm flak aft), but no depth charges. They not only looked like merchants - some 30 genuine ones of similar size were requisitioned in 1916 and converted to makeshift Q-ships - but also had cargo berths to double as supply ships or troop transports. Twelve were authorized in 1917 and twelve more in 1918. They were very similar to the later French Amiens-class, but neither was based upon the other; there simply were not many different ways to design such purpose-built Q-ships. Unlike the Ursan-Class, which were built by naval yards and large private shipbuilders rather quickly, the Caithnes were contracted to small private yards which had to operate with very limited manpower, so building time varied wildly from nine to seventeen months. They were named for trees: Caithne (Arbutus tree), Peine (Pine), Dair (Oak), Mailp (Maple), Cuileann (Holly tree), Fearn (Alder Tree), Beith (Birch) Ceadar (Cedar), Mahagaine (Mahogany), Conbhaiscne (Dogwood Tree), Eabann (Ebony), Crannrubar (Hevea/Rubber tree), Acaicia (Acacia), Faibhile (Beech), Hicearai (Hickory), Poibleog (Poplar), Cufrog (Cypress), Giuis (Fir), Siorghlas (Thuja), Learog (Larch), Sprus (Spruce), Iur (Yew), Pailm (Palm tree), and Beallai (Laburnum tree). Although the first units of the class entered service as late as May 1918 and the last twelve not at all, they accounted for two enemy submarines between them (HMS D3 and the Brazilian F1), both by gunfire. Acacia was lost on action to a Brazilian mine, while Beith, Dair and Conbhaiscne were sunk by British submarines (G4, J6 and E19, respectively). After the war, all but four were broken up within five years, as the concept of the Q-ship had become obsolete. The four survivors (Mailp, Cuileann, Mahagaine and Eabann) were used as minesweeper tenders throughout the second world war and broken up soon afterwards.
[ img ]

3. Minesweepers

3.1. Seabhac-Class
Unlike ASW, for which the Thiarians showed little aptitude, they were well versed in mine warfare since the Brazilian war of 1907/8; even before they entered the first world war in 1916, they had already converted 16 old destroyers and torpedo boats to minesweepers and employed four old torpedo gunboats as minelayers. Within days after the declaration of war, some 90 civilian trawlers were earmarked for activation as auxiliary minesweepers, complete with their crews, and ten large patrol gunboats were converted to minelayers. In July 1916, 24 purpose-built minesweepers were ordered. They were trawler-type ships with minimal armament (only a single 65mm gun to explode mines after their wires were cut), but very good seakeeping abilities. They were named for birds: Seabhac (Hawk), Iolar (Eagle), Ulchabhan (Eagle Owl), Meirliun (Merlin), Croman (Harrier), Bultur (Vulture), Cur (Kite), Screachog (Owl), Pocaire (Kestrel), Fabhcun (Peregrine Falcon), Clamhan (Buzzard), Condar (Condor), Preachan (Crow), Meirleach (Skua), Spiorog (Sparrowhawk) and Naoscach (Snipe). All were begun in August - October 1916 and completed within six months. During the war, they were mostly used in Thiarian home waters and around New Portugal. Meirliun, Pocaire, Meirleach and Naoscach were lost, all to mine detonations while doing their job.
[ img ]

As neither the British nor the Brazilians were very active with mines, half the class were refitted to patrol ships with two additional 65mm guns aft; of the 90 requisitioned civilian trawlers, only 20 received sweeping gear, and the other 70 were used as patrol caft only. After the war, they were considered redundant and sold to civilian interests to be used as fishing trawlers.
[ img ]

3.2. Coirneach-Class
The Thiarians had realized the requirement for large fleet minesweepers since the war of 1908, but due to the absolute priority of the battlefleet, no funding was made available in peacetime. The 1916 emergency programme had provided the Thiarian fleet with a large number of auxiliary minesweepers, which were however deemed too small, too slow, too uncomfortable for prolonged operations and not sufficiently armed. Moreover, due to the relative inactivity of Thiaria's British and Brazilian enemies on the mine warfare sector, the initial fear that numbers might not suffice had evaporated early in 1917. At this time, a smaller number of larger, more versatile ships was considered more useful, and a design for a large oceangoing minesweeper which could double as a fleet tug if necessary was adopted in May 1917. Construction commenced in September, and the first unit was commissioned in June 1918. Like all purpose-built Thiarian minesweepers, they were named after birds: Coirneach (Osprey), Peileacan (Pelican), Frigead (Frigatebird), Canog (Puffin), Piasun (Pheasant), Broigheall (Cormorant), Cruidin (Kingfisher), Guardal (Petrel), Gainead (Gannet), Faoilean (Gull), Piongain (Penguin), Fulmaire (Fulmar), Fainleog (Swallow), Colur (Pigeon), Corr (Heron), Gealbhan (Sparrow), Lasairean (Flamingo), Faracha (Guillemot), Eala (Swan), Saidbhear (Kittiwake), Tucan (Toucan), Ibis (Ibis), Pearaid (Parrot) and Eamu (Emu). When the war was over, the first batch of 12 was completed, and the others followed at a leisurely pace in 1920 through 1922. 16 boats remained in service with the navy and formed the core of its minesweeping force between the wars; all saw active service in the second world war, where five were lost.
[ img ]

Eight (Peileacan, Piasun, Broigheall, Guardal, Piongain, Corr, Gealbhan and Eamu) were refitted to oceangoing salvage tugs without armament or sweeping gear and handed over to the new Thiarian Coast Guard in 1923. A few of them served in this capacity till the late 1950s.
[ img ]

This post wraps Thiaria's WW-I-era fleet; all purpose-built combatants are now included.

Next, I'll post a few other ships I thought up for a slightly alternate (and considerably more bloody) course of the naval war in WWI, like French and US battlecruisers and light cruisers, Brazilian, Dutch and Spanish superdreadnoughts, and a few Greek and Ottoman ships.

Greetings
GD

Shipbucket

Who is online