Here's a maverick design, supposing that the
Greater Korean Empire designed in case the 1936 London Naval Conference resulted in a 25,000 ton limitation, and eventually built when the Sino-Korean War started in 1936:
Heuksu, KJH Battlecruiser laid down 1936
Displacement:
24,128 t light; 24,974 t standard; 26,557 t normal; 27,823 t full load
Dimensions: Length (overall / waterline) x beam x draught (normal/deep)
(790.03 ft / 771.00 ft) x 91.86 ft x (26.25 / 27.15 ft)
(240.80 m / 235.00 m) x 28.00 m x (8.00 / 8.28 m)
Armament:
9 - 9.84" / 250 mm 50.0 cal guns - 504.70lbs / 228.93kg shells, 100 per gun
Breech loading guns in turret on barbette mounts, 1936 Model
3 x Triple mounts on centreline ends, majority forward
1 raised mount - superfiring
12 - 4.92" / 125 mm 45.0 cal guns - 60.10lbs / 27.26kg shells, 150 per gun
Breech loading guns in deck and hoist mounts, 1936 Model
6 x 2-gun mounts on sides, evenly spread
16 - 1.57" / 40.0 mm 70.0 cal guns - 2.19lbs / 0.99kg shells, 150 per gun
Anti-air guns in deck mounts, 1936 Model
4 x Quad mounts on centreline, evenly spread
Weight of broadside 5,299 lbs / 2,403 kg
Armour:
- Belts: Width (max) Length (avg) Height (avg)
Main: 13.0" / 330 mm 431.76 ft / 131.60 m 11.52 ft / 3.51 m
Ends: Unarmoured
Main Belt covers 86 % of normal length
- Torpedo Bulkhead:
1.50" / 38 mm 431.76 ft / 131.60 m 23.10 ft / 7.04 m
- Gun armour: Face (max) Other gunhouse (avg) Barbette/hoist (max)
Main: 12.8" / 325 mm 7.87" / 200 mm 13.8" / 350 mm
2nd: 0.98" / 25 mm 0.98" / 25 mm -
- Armoured deck - multiple decks: 6.30" / 160 mm For and Aft decks
- Conning towers: Forward 9.84" / 250 mm, Aft 0.00" / 0 mm
Machinery:
Oil fired boilers, steam turbines,
Geared drive, 4 shafts, 116,806 shp / 87,137 Kw = 31.50 kts
Range 7,500nm at 14.00 kts
Bunker at max displacement = 2,848 tons
Complement:
1,039 - 1,352
Cost:
£9.741 million / $38.964 million
Distribution of weights at normal displacement:
Armament: 1,327 tons, 5.0 %
Armour: 9,622 tons, 36.2 %
- Belts: 2,785 tons, 10.5 %
- Torpedo bulkhead: 552 tons, 2.1 %
- Armament: 1,850 tons, 7.0 %
- Armour Deck: 4,245 tons, 16.0 %
- Conning Tower: 189 tons, 0.7 %
Machinery: 3,277 tons, 12.3 %
Hull, fittings & equipment: 9,901 tons, 37.3 %
Fuel, ammunition & stores: 2,429 tons, 9.1 %
Miscellaneous weights: 0 tons, 0.0 %
Overall survivability and seakeeping ability:
Survivability (Non-critical penetrating hits needed to sink ship):
50,203 lbs / 22,772 Kg = 105.3 x 9.8 " / 250 mm shells or 8.1 torpedoes
Stability (Unstable if below 1.00): 1.06
Metacentric height 4.9 ft / 1.5 m
Roll period: 17.4 seconds
Steadiness - As gun platform (Average = 50 %): 83 %
- Recoil effect (Restricted arc if above 1.00): 0.42
Seaboat quality (Average = 1.00): 1.32
Hull form characteristics:
Hull has a flush deck,
a normal bow and large transom stern
Block coefficient (normal/deep): 0.500 / 0.506
Length to Beam Ratio: 8.39 : 1
'Natural speed' for length: 32.14 kts
Power going to wave formation at top speed: 51 %
Trim (Max stability = 0, Max steadiness = 100): 63
Bow angle (Positive = bow angles forward): 22.00 degrees
Stern overhang: 3.28 ft / 1.00 m
Freeboard (% = length of deck as a percentage of waterline length):
Fore end, Aft end
- Forecastle: 22.00 %, 38.98 ft / 11.88 m, 27.89 ft / 8.50 m
- Forward deck: 18.00 %, 27.89 ft / 8.50 m, 21.33 ft / 6.50 m
- Aft deck: 38.00 %, 21.33 ft / 6.50 m, 21.33 ft / 6.50 m
- Quarter deck: 22.00 %, 21.33 ft / 6.50 m, 21.33 ft / 6.50 m
- Average freeboard: 24.34 ft / 7.42 m
Ship space, strength and comments:
Space - Hull below water (magazines/engines, low = better): 75.9 %
- Above water (accommodation/working, high = better): 187.5 %
Waterplane Area: 49,074 Square feet or 4,559 Square metres
Displacement factor (Displacement / loading): 124 %
Structure weight / hull surface area: 152 lbs/sq ft or 740 Kg/sq metre
Hull strength (Relative):
- Cross-sectional: 0.98
- Longitudinal: 1.25
- Overall: 1.01
Hull space for machinery, storage, compartmentation is excellent
Room for accommodation and workspaces is excellent
Ship has slow, easy roll, a good, steady gun platform
Good seaboat, rides out heavy weather easily
It basically gave up gun caliber in exchange for armor that could withstand 14" shells 19,000~30,000 yards and cruiser-level speed. The gamble was that foreign capital ships with 12" would barely be able to withstand 10+" shells, so Korea decided to reduce the gun caliber to divert the saved displacement for armor, and then secretly use superheavy APs to punch through the "pocket battleships". If the potential enemy were to have enough armor, then the main guns would be upgunned to superheavy 280 mm, with enough punching force to beat 14" shells, although this came at installing reduced machinery for a maximum speed of 28 knots (which was what actually happened in 1936).
I like how I managed to make this ship very good in all aspects. Working on the drawing now.