Shipbucket

I was perusing the AU Threads and came upon Sumeragi’s Kurenai no Rika-Greater Korean Empire thread. As you all know, I love battleships —but 90,000 tons? Here is an idea I’ve been playing with since I was drawing Alsace. The US Standard battleships look very elegant with their symmetrical 4x3 turret layout. What if the French fallowed their prior reactions to the European arms race and had the infrastructure to build a hull larger than the Richelieus, say 918ft overall, 60,000 plus tons, with 4 x 3 15in guns. Seems Super enough for me.

Here is the Springsharp Report on my design:

Super-Alsace Class,
French Design Bureau,
Battleship,
Designed 1939

Displacement:
50,705 t light; 53,726 t standard; 60,689 t normal; 66,260 t full load

Dimensions: Length (overall / waterline) x beam x draught (normal/deep)
(918.00 ft / 906.35 ft) x 120.00 ft x (30.00 / 32.28 ft)
(279.81 m / 276.26 m) x 36.58 m x (9.14 / 9.84 m)

Armament:
12 - 15.00" / 381 mm 45.0 cal guns - 1,701.88lbs / 771.96kg shells, 150 per gun
Breech loading guns in turret on barbette mounts, 1940 Model
2 x 3-gun mounts on centreline, aft evenly spread
1 raised mount aft
2 x 3-gun mounts on centreline, forward evenly spread
1 raised mount
6 - 5.98" / 152 mm 45.0 cal guns - 108.07lbs / 49.02kg shells, 100 per gun
Breech loading guns in turret on barbette mounts, 1940 Model
1 x 3-gun mount on centreline, aft deck forward
1 raised mount
1 x 3-gun mount on centreline, forward deck aft
1 raised mount
4 - 5.98" / 152 mm 45.0 cal guns - 108.07lbs / 49.02kg shells, 100 per gun
Breech loading guns in turret on barbette mounts, 1940 Model
1 x 2-gun mount on sides amidships
1 raised mount
1 x 2-gun mount on sides amidships
1 raised mount
16 - 3.94" / 100 mm 45.0 cal guns - 30.78lbs / 13.96kg shells, 150 per gun
Dual purpose guns in deck and hoist mounts, 1940 Model
4 x 2-gun mounts on sides, evenly spread
2 raised mounts
4 x 2-gun mounts on sides, evenly spread
2 raised mounts
28 - 1.46" / 37.0 mm 70.0 cal guns - 1.72lbs / 0.78kg shells, 150 per gun
Anti-air guns in deck mounts, 1940 Model
6 x 2-gun mounts on sides, evenly spread
4 raised mounts
8 x 2-gun mounts on sides, evenly spread
4 raised mounts
Weight of broadside 22,044 lbs / 9,999 kg

Armour:
- Belts: Width (max) Length (avg) Height (avg)
Main: 14.0" / 356 mm 543.81 ft / 165.75 m 13.15 ft / 4.01 m
Ends: 6.00" / 152 mm 362.52 ft / 110.50 m 13.15 ft / 4.01 m
Upper: 10.0" / 254 mm 543.81 ft / 165.75 m 8.00 ft / 2.44 m
Main Belt covers 92 % of normal length

- Torpedo Bulkhead - Strengthened structural bulkheads:
10.0" / 254 mm 543.81 ft / 165.75 m 29.16 ft / 8.89 m
Beam between torpedo bulkheads 90.00 ft / 27.43 m

- Hull void:
0.00" / 0 mm 0.00 ft / 0.00 m 0.00 ft / 0.00 m

- Gun armour: Face (max) Other gunhouse (avg) Barbette/hoist (max)
Main: 10.0" / 254 mm 8.00" / 203 mm 10.0" / 254 mm
2nd: 8.00" / 203 mm 6.00" / 152 mm 8.00" / 203 mm
3rd: 8.00" / 203 mm 16.0" / 406 mm 8.00" / 203 mm
4th: 1.00" / 25 mm 1.00" / 25 mm 1.00" / 25 mm

- Box over machinery & magazines:
6.00" / 152 mm
Forecastle: 4.00" / 102 mm Quarter deck: 4.00" / 102 mm

- Conning towers: Forward 18.00" / 457 mm, Aft 0.00" / 0 mm

Machinery:
Oil fired boilers, steam turbines,
Geared drive, 4 shafts, 176,591 shp / 131,737 Kw = 30.00 kts
Range 6,000nm at 25.00 kts
Bunker at max displacement = 12,533 tons

Complement:
1,932 - 2,513

Cost:
£26.967 million / $107.868 million

Distribution of weights at normal displacement:
Armament: 4,615 tons, 7.6 %
- Guns: 4,615 tons, 7.6 %
Armour: 20,678 tons, 34.1 %
- Belts: 7,337 tons, 12.1 %
- Torpedo bulkhead: 5,867 tons, 9.7 %
- Armament: 4,816 tons, 7.9 %
- Armour Deck: 2,059 tons, 3.4 %
- Conning Tower: 599 tons, 1.0 %
Machinery: 4,722 tons, 7.8 %
Hull, fittings & equipment: 20,291 tons, 33.4 %
Fuel, ammunition & stores: 9,984 tons, 16.5 %
Miscellaneous weights: 400 tons, 0.7 %
- Hull below water: 100 tons
- Hull void weights: 100 tons
- Hull above water: 100 tons
- On freeboard deck: 50 tons
- Above deck: 50 tons

Overall survivability and seakeeping ability:
Survivability (Non-critical penetrating hits needed to sink ship):
125,544 lbs / 56,946 Kg = 74.4 x 15.0 " / 381 mm shells or 29.1 torpedoes
Stability (Unstable if below 1.00): 1.22
Metacentric height 9.5 ft / 2.9 m
Roll period: 16.3 seconds
Steadiness - As gun platform (Average = 50 %): 62 %
- Recoil effect (Restricted arc if above 1.00): 0.62
Seaboat quality (Average = 1.00): 1.23

Hull form characteristics:
Hull has rise aft of midbreak, low quarterdeck ,
a normal bow and small transom stern
Block coefficient (normal/deep): 0.651 / 0.661
Length to Beam Ratio: 7.55 : 1
'Natural speed' for length: 32.42 kts
Power going to wave formation at top speed: 49 %
Trim (Max stability = 0, Max steadiness = 100): 50
Bow angle (Positive = bow angles forward): 20.00 degrees
Stern overhang: 0.00 ft / 0.00 m
Freeboard (% = length of deck as a percentage of waterline length):
Fore end, Aft end
- Forecastle: 15.00 %, 32.00 ft / 9.75 m, 24.00 ft / 7.32 m
- Forward deck: 20.00 %, 24.00 ft / 7.32 m, 22.00 ft / 6.71 m
- Aft deck: 40.00 %, 32.00 ft / 9.75 m, 32.00 ft / 9.75 m
- Quarter deck: 25.00 %, 22.00 ft / 6.71 m, 22.00 ft / 6.71 m
- Average freeboard: 26.98 ft / 8.22 m
Ship tends to be wet forward

Ship space, strength and comments:
Space - Hull below water (magazines/engines, low = better): 77.3 %
- Above water (accommodation/working, high = better): 244.6 %
Waterplane Area: 85,562 Square feet or 7,949 Square metres
Displacement factor (Displacement / loading): 121 %
Structure weight / hull surface area: 252 lbs/sq ft or 1,232 Kg/sq metre
Hull strength (Relative):
- Cross-sectional: 1.12
- Longitudinal: 1.28
- Overall: 1.13
Excellent machinery, storage, compartmentation space
Excellent accommodation and workspace room
Good seaboat, rides out heavy weather easily

Here is the Work In Progress:

Super-Alsace As Designed 1939:





Super-Alsace As Completed 1944

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My Avatar is
French Vice-admiral Louis-René-Madeleine Le Vassor de La Touche, comte de Tréville
The original spelling of my last name is: LaTouche.

That is one huge battleship David. Similar size to the German 'H' series with triple 15" replacing the twin 16".

Agreed. But I think it fits the bill that Sumeragi was look for rather than his 90,000 ton Leviathan.

Regardless, she sure is pretty ain't she

I stuck with 15"since France had not actually developed the 16", it was only theoretical.

I am working-up an "As Designed Version" sans radar, more apropos for 1939 .

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My Avatar is
French Vice-admiral Louis-René-Madeleine Le Vassor de La Touche, comte de Tréville
The original spelling of my last name is: LaTouche.

Now THAT'S a French battleship! She would've been BEAUTIFUL!

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MS State Guard - 08 March 2014 - 28 January 2023

The Official IJN Ships & Planes List

#FJB

Yeah, she's one of my favorites.

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My Avatar is
French Vice-admiral Louis-René-Madeleine Le Vassor de La Touche, comte de Tréville
The original spelling of my last name is: LaTouche.

Well you've made my Marine Nationale fan day. Other than some weird artefacts on the hull she's exceedingly pretty.

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AU Projects: | Banbha et al. | New England: The Divided States
Blood and Fire

I like the Ouroboros/Infinity very much

What weird arefacts are on the hull?

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My Avatar is
French Vice-admiral Louis-René-Madeleine Le Vassor de La Touche, comte de Tréville
The original spelling of my last name is: LaTouche.

The bilge keels and lighter bits appear a bit too light compared to the rest of the hull and there's some what look like parts of the prop skegs that have been left over just behind the outermost props..

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AU Projects: | Banbha et al. | New England: The Divided States
Blood and Fire

All of these are in the works--back to the drawing board

_________________
My Avatar is
French Vice-admiral Louis-René-Madeleine Le Vassor de La Touche, comte de Tréville
The original spelling of my last name is: LaTouche.

Silly builders forgetting to remove bits in the yard!

_________________
AU Projects: | Banbha et al. | New England: The Divided States
Blood and Fire