Shipbucket

Greetings!

I'm back after an extended period of dealing with life and medical issues - with a brand new AU...

Reader's Digest version: After winning Antietam and Gettysburg, the Confederates gain recognition from Europe (primarily the UK and France). These countries oversee a negotiated settlement allowing the CSA to retain its independence from the United States.
Following the enacting of the Secession Treaty of 1864; the two America's continue to push West along their mutual border and starting in the 1880's, become involved in a continuously escalating naval arms race. Tensions between the two nations continue to build after the conclusion of the Continental War (OTL's WWI), and a second civil war (known as the War of the Americas) begins in 1922.

The first posting is of the class that started it all:

Originating from a 1875 proposal to build a modernized version of the North Carolina class (the so-called "Laird Rams", built for the CSA in Britain), the design was modified several times until it was decided to base the new ships on the British Cyclops class turreted breastwork monitors. A total of five of this class; Virginia, South Carolina, Tennessee, Louisiana, and Alabama were built in British yards - commissioning between 1881 and 1882.
The Confederate ships differed from their British cousins by being a little larger and of greater displacement as necessitated by their heavier guns (11" vis 10") and slightly more powerful engines (12.5 knots vis 11.0 knots)



Originally intended to counter the US's Illinois (ex-Kalamazoo) class sea-going monitors, the Virginia's quickly became obsolete. However, all five served in the Caribbean during the Spanish-Confederate War (1895-1897), and one, Louisiana, was sunk by Spanish torpedo boats. The four surviving ships were decommissioned between 1902 and 1903 and later scrapped.

Enjoy!
StealthJester

I don't see any image.

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My Worklist
MD Scale, 4 Pixels : 1 Foot
Official German Parts Sheet
German Capital Ship Projects of The First World War

yeah, the image gives an 403 dropbox error.

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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

Hello,

Apologies for the technical difficulties - as I said, its been a while since I've been posting anything here.

Does Dropbox still work for loading images? If not, what is the preferred method?

I am working on re-posting, hopefully I can correct this soon...

Cheers,
StealthJester

Let's try this again...



Hope this works!

Cheers!
StealthJester

dropbox is at this moment one of shipbucket favorite image host. all you have to remember is to use the "public folder". and use the "public link".

Greetings,

After some issues with posting, and revisions in the initial image, I am re-posting the first Confederate ship and history, as well as the US counterpart built two years later.

Reader's Digest version: After winning Antietam and Gettysburg, the Confederates gain recognition from Europe (primarily the UK and France). These countries oversee a negotiated settlement allowing the CSA to retain its independence from the United States.
Following the enacting of the Secession Treaty of 1864; the two America's continue to push toward the West Coast along their mutual border and starting in the 1880's, become involved in a continuously escalating naval arms race. Tensions between the two nations continue to build after the conclusion of the Continental War (OTL's WWI), and a second civil war (known as the War of the Americas) begins in 1922.

The first posting is of the class that started it all:



Originating from a mid 1875 proposal to build a modernized version of the North Carolina class (the so-called "Laird Rams", built for the CSA in Britain), the design was modified several times until it was decided to base the new ships on the British Cyclops class turreted breastwork monitors. A total of five of this class; Virginia, South Carolina, Tennessee, Louisiana, and Alabama were built in British yards - commissioning between 1881 and 1882.
The Confederate ships differed from their British cousins by being a little larger and of greater displacement as necessitated by their heavier guns; 11" muzzle-loaders in place of the 10" guns of the British ships, and more powerful engines capable of a top speed of 12.5 knots. They had an 8” belt, 1.5” deck, and 10” turret armor.

Originally intended to counter the US's sea-going monitors, the Virginia's quickly became obsolete. However, all five served in the Caribbean during the Spanish-Confederate War (1895-1897), and one, Louisiana, was sunk by Spanish torpedo boats. The four surviving ships were decommissioned between 1902 and 1903 and later scrapped.



Knowing that the new Confederate monitors would outclass the Illinois (ex-Kalamazoo) class which formed the backbone of the US Navy in both speed and seaworthiness, the recommendation was made that the US build a class of heavy sea-going monitors of the type pioneered by the UK with their revolutionary Devastation class (commissioned 1873-77).

The new Wisconsin class of three ships; Wisconsin, Nevada, and Delaware, was laid down between 1880 and 1881 and commissioned in 1883-1884. They displaced 10,801 tons fully loaded and carried four 15” Dahlgren-type guns in twin turrets fore and aft becoming the last major US warships to carry muzzle-loaders (these were replaced by 13” breach-loading rifles in the 1890’s). They were propelled by two vertical compound steam engines driving twin screws and had a top speed of 15 knots. The new ships were protected by 14” belt, 3” deck, and 14” turret armor.

Serving their active careers in the Atlantic, the Wisconsin’s were also rendered obsolete by the rapid advance in warship design during the late 1880’s and early 1890’s, and other than the replacement of their original guns with 13”/35 Mk.1’s in 1895, they changed very little. Decommissioned in 1901-1902, they were scrapped between 1904 and 1905.

More to come.
Cheers!
StealthJester

A couple of very interesting designs and well drawn too.
I look forward to more of this AU.

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Hood's Worklist
English Electric Canberra FD
Interwar RN Capital Ships
Super-Darings
Never-Were British Aircraft

Next up, the successors to the Wisconsin class:



Somewhat controversial when they commissioned in 1886, the Pennsylvania class were the product of their times. All the major naval powers were investigating different ideas in capital ship design and construction, which, added to the advent of heavy breach-loading guns, triple expansion steam engines and arguably most important; steel hulls and armor, produced a variety of diverse designs. The US Bureau of Construction and Repair (BuC&R) was no different as the new Pennsylvania’s showed.
After abandoning the Ericsson style turrets of previous classes in favor of open barbettes, the designers of the new ships – led by Hiram Langford – settled on a central citadel-style configuration. Although freeboard and thus sea-keeping was greatly improved by eliminating the heavy turrets of earlier designs, opponents pointed to the armament layout of the earlier Wisconsin class as more effective, and the ships were derided for their awkward main battery arrangement throughout their service lives.

Despite this, the new ships did feature some innovations. They were the first steel-hulled US capital ships as well as the first with breach-loading main guns – the new 12”/35 Mk.1 being fitted to both ships. In addition, they were the first to carry a heavy secondary battery; here consisting of eight 6” casemate guns. A very heavy 18” belt protected the ship’s vitals, deck armor was increased to 3” (which would be the US standard until well into the dreadnought era), while the barbettes were armored to 13”, all armor being of the compound type. Speed remained 15 knots, although range did improve.

Although originally planned to be a class of four, only two; Pennsylvania and New Jersey, were built. The last pair was canceled in favor of a new design pattered after the Wisconsin class. After commissioning, the two ships became the nucleus of the newly organized Pacific Fleet, where they spent their active careers before being decommissioned in 1906. Pennsylvania was broken up in 1908, while New Jersey was expended as a target ship in 1910.

Cheers!
StealthJester

After the last two Pennsylvania class ships were canceled early in 1883, Congress authorized them to be re-ordered to a new design sponsored by the Secretary of the Navy during FY1884 – thus was born the Michigan class. Based on the earlier Wisconsin class design, the new ships would be barbette-type battleships carrying the new 12”/35 Mk.1 in two twin mounts fore and aft rather than en echelon as in their predecessors.

Intended to be complete keel-up redesigns, rumors of advanced twin barbette battleships ordered in Britain by the Confederate Navy caused the designers to adopt a slightly enlarged version of the Pennsylvania’s hull to save design time. When commissioned in 1889, the two ships; Michigan and Connecticut, were 352 feet long overall and displaced around 11,400 tons. They were armed with four 12”, eight 6”, and ten 3-pounder guns. Armor was similar to earlier classes with a belt of 18”, 3” armored deck and 14” barbettes. These were the first US capital ships powered by triple expansion steam engines, and were designed for 15.5 knots; although both exceeded this in service (Connecticut achieving nearly 16.75 knots on trials).

Assigned to the Atlantic Fleet after commissioning, the new ships were intended to counter the CS Navy’s Missouri class – which entered service a year later – and with which the US ships were frequently compared, even in Europe. Jane’s Fighting Ships (1901 Edition) remarking that the two classes were “…virtually equal in nearly every respect, save in speed and main armament, which must favor the Confederate ships…”.

The progenitors of US pre-dreadnoughts; Michigan and Connecticut remained in active service into mid-1909, when both were decommissioned. They were scrapped between 1911 and 1912.

Next up: Confederate Missouri class

Cheers!
StealthJester