Shipbucket

Well not everyone here in the Bucket, even the best ones, have exactly the more advanced knowledge in marine engineering etc., and may not really have the experience yet, and know-how to be aware of and avoid the less apparent pitfalls when designing a particular ship. It boils down to having the best compromise possible at the conception and design phases.

With that said and done, I both agree with Krakatoa, since just because no design will ever be perfect isn't always the perfect excuse to repeat or dwell on flaws and mistakes, not fixing what can easily be fixed, or to cut corners; and with Colo, that while insightful posts amidst the one-liners of universal praise do go a long way for intelligent, sensible, and rational discussions, for the benefit of everyone else in the forum, at the end of the day, it is all about setting an increasingly higher standard in artistic excellence in drawing ships etc., real or fictitious.

Just my 0.02 on the matter, and I mean no offense to anyone.
cheers ~ wb21

_________________
>"Emotions are prohibited." —YoRHa No. 2, Type B ("2B"), NieR: Automata
>"Wow, if I wasn't a hardened killing machine, that mightta hurt..." —SSgt. John Lugo (1st SFOD-D), Spec Ops: The Line

Hello again!

Finally, I had the time to finish the text, so here they are (in several posts, lots of stuff):

THIARIAN DESTROYERS 1920 - 1955

1. Rebuilding the Fleet: The 1920s
The peace treaty of Norfolk stipulated cessation of all E-, F-, and G-class destroyers to the victors as war reparations. Of the seven E's, four went to Brazil and three to Japan/Koko; the nine remaining F's were divided between France (3), Brazil (2), Recherche (2) and Patagonia (2). The eight G's were divided between the USA and the UK (4 each), as were eight smaller I-class destroyers, the latest of which was only a few weeks old. The G's and I's were virtually yard-new and had too much use left in them to be given to anyone who might actually need them. Of the twelve M-class and eight L-class ships begun in 1917 and 1918, none had been launched by November 1918, and the contracts had to be annulled under the treaty of Norfolk. This reduced the Thiarian destroyer fleet to ten surviving D-class vessels (five of 1910/11 vintage, five new ones built under the 1916 emergency programme) with turbine propulsion and five B- and seven C-class ships with triple expansion engines. The latter were totally worn out and were sold for scrap within months after the armistice; of the D's, the oldest two were also quickly gotten rid of. Unlike the large E-, F- and G-types, the D's were based upon the French 800-tonne design of 1908 and quite at the end of their growth potential in 1919; the C's were tiny 500-tonners. Both types served on through the 1920s without any substantial modernization effort and all were scrapped.

1.1. L-Class.
The L-class, all eight laid down in 1918, were only little advanced when the war ended. Although the building contracts were to be annulled under the Peace Treaty of Norfolk, the Treaty made no provisions about what would then happen to the hulls, and although the treaty forbid the Thiarian Navy from placing orders for new construction for ten years, purchase of speculation-built ships was not explicitly forbidden. Some claim the Americans just made a mistake formulating the treaty, thinking cancellation of the orders would be enough, others think they intentionally wanted to enable Thiaria to quickly recover as a counterweight to Brazil with its massively bloated military paid for with British subsidies and crawling with British advisors, and the highly-militarized British Dominion of Patagonia. Whatever the case, in 1921 five Thiarian shipyards simultaneously decided to complete a total of two large light cruisers and 20 destroyers on speculation and then offer them to the highest bidder. The eight L-class vessels were completed at a leisurely pace in 1924 and 1925. They were simple repeats of the I-class, which itself was a repeat D-class with two trunked funnels for their four boilers instead four separate ones. They displaced 840 tons, had Curtis-turbines for 30 knots speed, two 100mm guns, a 75mm AA gun, four 450mm torpedo tubes and depth charges; although robust and seaworthy, they were distinctly second-class ships by international standards. The Americans and British did not even try to bid for them in order to deny them to the Thiarians, neither themselves nor via subsidiaries; the Brazilian offers were outbid by the Thiarian government, and all eight were purchased in 1924 at hilarious expense. Their names were unchanged from the wartime project: Luachmhar (Worthy), Lasanta (Fiery), Luaimneach (Nimble), Lubach (Subtle), Lufar (Agile), Laochta (Heroic), Luath (Swift) and Laidir (Strong).


They replaced the remaining B- and C-class boats in Thiaria's modest 1920s destroyer force and served without significant events. When Thiaria joined the LNT in 1930, construction of contemporary destroyer types became legal, and Thiaria's fleet strength was set to a quarter of the USN's tonnage. This translated to 25 active 1.500-ton vessels and left no place for the L's in the foreseeable future, as new destroyers were laid down at an initial rate of four per year from 1931. As the L-class was too large to fall into the torpedo boat category, of which an unlimited number was allowed, they had to be phased out in 1935. As the hulls had not seen any strenuous service, they still could be put to some decent use and were converted to Fast Coastal Convoy Escorts between 1935 and 1936. They landed their torpedo tubes and 100mm guns and were fitted with three 75mm DP guns and eight 13mm MGs, plus Hydrophones, a larger depth charge complement and ASW sweeps. In this guise, they went to war as Thiaria's only true destroyer escorts.


They were used mostly in home waters and had a relatively uneventful first half of the war; in 1942, all eight were still available. By that time, they were called upon to bring convoys to New Portugal and Uruguay, making their lives more interesting; two were torpedoed that year. By 1943, the six that were still left had swapped their 13mm MGs for eight 20mm cannon, doubled their DC outfit and received a complete radar suite with Air search, surface search, passive and DP fire control sets.


During 1943, another unit was lost; by that time, they were quite worn out and only good for 24 knots in the average. Newer specialized escorts were coming on line by that time and the remaining L's were relegated to ASW training. All five emerged undamaged after the war, but were not recommissioned, as co-belligerent Thiaria was allowed to keep enough newer destroyers and escorts. They were scrapped between 1948 and 1950.

1.2. M-Class
With their armament of five 100mm guns and six 559mm torpedo tubes in three twin sets, the 1917-designed M-class was a logical development of the 1915 vintage G-class, and when construction resumed in 1921/2 under the same conditions as with the L-class, some major redesign was deemed necessary to make them meet contemporary requirements. When the available hulls were surveyed early in 1922, four of the twelve M-class hulls were deemed unsuitable for completion because the yards had not taken sufficient measures to conserve them; the other eight were to be completed. A newly developed 130mm gun was chosen as main armament; although the hulls of the M-class had nearly the tonnage of the French Bourrasque-class at 1.280 ts (officially, they were rated as 1.200 ts), the battery was limited to three barrels, none of which superfiring, to satisfy Thiarian standards in stability and seakeeping. The guns outranged the standard British 120mm guns and also were more accurate, and their heavier shells (32 kg versus 22 kg in the 120mm) were significantly more effective. With their German-style sliding breech blocks, they were capable of a theoretical ROF of 12 rounds per minute, the same as the British 120mm. Six 559mm torpedo tubes and two 75mm AA guns were added, and two 8mm AAMGs were fitted to the bridge wings. The choice fell on Maorga (Majestic), Maistiriuil (Graceful), Misniuil (Brave), Maisiuil (Daring), Moralach (Proud), Meabhrach (Astute), Meanmhach (Courageous) and Mealltach (Cunning).


They were commissioned from late 1924 (Maorga) through early 1927 (Moralach) and purchased by the Thiarian government, again hugely overpriced to discourage foreign attempts to deny them to the Thiarian fleet. They formed the core of Thiaria's destroyer force for the next decade. They proved comfortable and seaworthy vessels, although none of them attained the design speed of 35 kts (the best figure being Maistiriuil's 34.15 kts, the worst Meanmhach's 32.80 kts). A problem that was encountered in service was the lack of ROF, not due any design fault of the guns (like the French 130mm had), but rather to excessive crew fatigue while manhandling the powerful 32kg-shells; instead of the theoretical maximum of 12 rpm, even a well-trained gun crew could usually not sustain more than 7 over any length of time. This placed the M's at a distinct disadvantage in a fight against their primary enemies, British V/W-class destroyers, because although the Salvo weight of three 130mm guns was higher than that of four 120mm guns, the total weight of metal in the air per minute was only slightly more than half the figure for British ships. Size and design of the M's did not allow for any easy remedy, and they were considered obsolescent by 1935. When the first four O-class destroyers were laid down that year, the M's were in the line for retirement under the first LNT, but by the time the O's were delivered, the second LNT - which eliminated total tonnage limits for destroyers - was in force, and the M's could be retained, despite their shortcomings. By that time, all eight had landed their 75mm HA guns and 8mm MGs and embarked two twin semi-automatic 37mm cannon and eight 13mm AAMGs (1931/2); hydrophones were installed in 1933/4, and the old-fashioned ventilators were replaced with better protected air intakes.


By 1940, complaints from the fleet about smoke interference to the bridge were addressed by heightening the forefunnel; two more AAMG were mounted aft, and in 1938/9, all ships received ASDIC and a HF/DF coil. Moralach was the first Thiarian destroyer to be retrofitted with an experimental surface search radar set late in 1939; after successful trials, the other units of the class also received them till 1941. In January 1940, these eight units formed the 1st Destroyer Flotilla of the Thiarian fleet.


Despite these upgrades, the class was no longer fit to work with the fleet. Moralach, Maisiuil and Meanmhach were lost in the first six months of the war, having achieved nothing. None were capable of more than 29-30 kts in 1940, and as soon as the initial British/Patagonian onslaught had been weathered and the new S-class started to join the fleet, the five surviving Ms were taken in hand one at a time and converted to oceangoing escorts. They lost their torpedo tubes and 130mm guns and received four single 100mm HA guns with a state-of-the-art radar guided fire control system and a full radar suite. Eight (in some ships ten; the others retained two 13mm MGs in the bridge wings) 20mm cannon and one of the heaviest DC outfits in the entire Thiarian fleet were installed. The refits took place over a period of 18 months; when the last unit (Misniuil) was re-commissioned early in 1943, the first completely refitted ship (Mealltach) had already been lost.


The four survivors served on the routes to Montevideo and New Portugal throughout the rest of the war; although more modern radars became available, they had low priority for further refits. Maistiriuil was torpedoed early in 1944 and Maisiuil was sunk by air attack in the port of Sao Jorge da Mina later that year. When Thiaria plunged into civil war, only Maorga and Meabhrach were left, and the former was heavily damaged after surviving a torpedo that tore off the stern behind the rudder shaft. Both were scrapped in 1947/8.

1.3. Snathaid-Class
For an island nation located in probably the most violently hostile waters on the planet, the construction of small torpedo boats of limited seakeeping made preciously little sense. But since this was the only type of torpedo ship that could be built outside the restrictions of the WNT, whose qualitative limits applied to Thiaria via the Peace of Norfolk, a design for a 600-ton torpedo boat was ordered in 1924. It was the first Thiarian torpedo craft since the D-class of 1910 in which speed and armament were considered more important than seakeeping, range and accommodation; the result was a handsome, but thoroughly unpopular type of warship which was not repeated after two batches of 8 units each (ordered in 1924 and 1926) were delivered from 1926 through 1929. Like Thiaria's first torpedo boat type in the 1890s, these vessels received the names of insects: Snathaid (Dragonfly), Corrmhiol (Gnat), Muiscit (Mosquito), Tarantula (Tarantula), Bumbog (Bumblebee), Ciogar (Cricket), Dreoilin (Locust), Maintis (Mantis), Cornfhoiche (Hornet), Bain De (Ladybird), Baintreach Dubh (Black Widow), Sciaraibh (Dunbug), Snathadan (Crane Fly), Sceartan (Midge), Mioltog (Tick) and Feileacan (Butterfly). Two 100mm guns and four 559mm torpedo tubes were accommodated, and the very compact engines were good for 32 knots. As completed, the ships had no AA armament at all and extremely spartanic quarters. Although every corner was cut to save weight, the designers found it impossible to get the hull below 720 tons standard; any attempt at further weight reduction would have unacceptably impaired stability and structural strength. The Thiarian Navy simply ignored this dilemma and accepted the design without further comment; the 720-ton torpedo boats were officially labeled 600-tonners.


Although they could be rated among the better ones of their kind - they certainly were the most seaworthy, even compared with the German T1-type, which exceeded the 600-ton threshold even more blatantly, and they were much sturdier than any comparable foreign vessel, especially the French and Italian ones - they were still unsuited for South Atlantic conditions, where they would necessarily have to operate. As the Thiarian Fleet Command needed every hull in the late 1920s and early 1930s, their crews had to serve in the heaviest seas imaginable and suffered appalling conditions. The addition of six 13mm AAMGs, hydrophones, paravanes and a rack of DCs in 1931 through 1935 did nothing to improve their seakeeping; after this refit, there were no stability reserves left. This was amply demonstrated when Maintis sank in a storm in 1936; two more units of the class came in serious trouble in heavy seas during the 1930s, but were salvaged.


When the Thiarians signed the first LNT in 1930 and were again allowed to build destroyers, they immediately prepared to withdraw these boats from fleet service as soon as enough real destroyers were available. Like other older torpedo craft, they were to be refitted to ASW escorts; to that end, several of the class served as testbeds for Thiaria's indigenous ASDIC in the 1930s, and all were fitted with HF/DF antennae in 1937 through 1939.


Although the plans for their conversion to escorts were complete in 1937, the first four were taken in hand no sooner than late in 1938. Eight more were decommissioned in 1939, and only three were in active service when Thiaria joined the war. Of these, Sceartan became an early war loss when she rammed a Patagonian submarine and suffered uncontrollable flooding herself. The refitted units landed their torpedo tubes and 100mm guns and were fitted with three 75mm HA guns with an integrated radar-guided fire control system, eight 13mm AAMGs and a heavy loadout of depth charges. They re-joined the fleet between late 1940 and late 1941; the two remaining unconverted vessels were also converted from 1941 through 1942.


By that time, the class was gradually fitted with a full radar suite, as availability allowed. Two or four additional 13mm MGs were also installed. They were needed to protect troop and supply convoys to Montevideo and New Portugal, and their crews kept suffering. Two (Bain De and Sciaraibh) were lost in 1941, none in 1942 and three (Tarantula, Baintreach Dubh and Snathaid) in 1943.


The class had no priority for delivery of 20mm cannon, but unit after unit swapped eight 13mm MGs for four 20mm cannon in 1942 and 1943.


In 1943, three units (Feileacan, Bumbog and Cornfhoiche) were taken in hand for further refit; they were the only ones of their class to receive a modernized radar suite, necessitating the installation of a new tripod mainmast, and swapped one of their 75mm guns for a modern 37mm autocannon. Two additional 20mm cannon were added as well. The - admittedly very restrictive - stability margins demanded by the navy had been blown long before, so the Thiarians figured the added weight did not matter much.


1944 saw the loss of three more (Mioltog, Ciogar and Bumbog); the six survivors were worn out to the bones and scrapped in 1946 through 1951.

Greetings
GD

2. Bestsellers of the 1930s: N-, O- and P-classes

2.1. N-Class
The LNT of 1930 in this AU awarded Thiaria 25% of the strength of the USN in every category. As the USN was allowed 150.000 tons of commissioned destroyers (they always had more, but many were mothballed most of the time), Thiaria was allowed 37.500 tons. Given Thiaria's geographical location, the maximum allowable size of 1.500 tons was just about the bare-bones minimum to create a ship with adequate sturdiness, stability, seakeeping and range. As the Thiarians sincerely planned to get rid of all older destroyers in favour of new construction, their tonnage allotment allowed for the construction of 25 new destroyers. Design work started even before the LNT was signed; the goal was the creation of a type that could operate in the South Atlantic under any weather conditions for prolonged time periods. Seakeeping, range and accommodation thus enjoyed top priority. The British proved at the same time that a destroyer meeting these requirements could be built even well below the 1.500-ton limit - the first A-class units commissioned just as the London Naval Conference was underway - but as the Thiarians were expecting these very ships to be their primary adversaries, it would not be enough to simply copy them. The Thiarians wanted a clear qualitative edge, which required either more or heavier guns. Since the Thiarians emphasized long-range engagements (easier to break off and flee if the inevitably numerically superior enemy got the upper hand) and a very satisfactory 130mm gun was already available, four of these were included in the package, together with eight 559mm torpedoes which outranged their British counterparts as well (their grave reliability issues were not yet known at that time). Although the French had managed to put four 130mm guns on a 1.350 ts hull (Bourrasque-class), these boats had neither the range nor the seakeeping the Thiarians considered essential. Actually, it became clear early during the design process that 1.500 tons would not be quite enough; Thiarian hull construction capabilities just were not on par with those of the USN, which put ten 533mm TTs and five 127mm DP guns on the 1.500-ton hulls of the Farragut class without jeopardizing stability. Since the Thiarians were of the opinion that treaty limits were only rough guidelines, they decided to cheat, just as they did with their contemporary cruiser designs. The final draft exceeded the treaty limit by 10%, but on 1.650ts, a balanced and effective design was achieved. The destroyers had twin-shaft 40.000 hp turbines (domestically designed, based on a Curtis license) with four domestically designed boilers. The design speed of 35 kts was achieved, but not significantly exceeded (trial figures were between 35,4 and 35,9 kts at standard displacement). Best sea speed was 31,5 kts, enough to operate with any contemporary Thiarian battleship or battlecruiser. Range came as a disappointment; at 4.500 nm at 15 knots, they were slightly shorter-legged than their British A-class adversaries despite their larger size. On the other hand, with their pronounced clipper bow and long forecastle they were excellent sea boats and unusually good gun platforms. Externally, they much resembled the Insect-class torpedo boats scaled up, but the four 130mm guns were arranged in single superfiring LA mounts for the first time in Thiarian destroyer building; on a 1650-ts-hull, stability was not significantly impaired. The guns were the same as on the M-class; the problem of crew fatigue while handling the heavy shells was handled by adding two more crewmen per gun, a measure not possible on the much smaller French ships. Nevertheless, practical sustained ROF was about 9 rpm, while RN destroyers usually could sustain 12 rpm. In terms of shell weight per minute, the Thiarian ships thus were only marginally ahead of their British adversaries' performance, and in short-range engagements, the smaller British ships had an even chance of getting the better of them; the larger Patagonian destroyers with their five 120mm guns repeatedly proved clearly superior. In terms of AA armament, the Thiarian destroyers were ahead of their time, mounting four semi-automatic 37mm guns in twin mounts side by side on the aft deckhouse; four 13mm AAMGs were provided for close range work. Eight 559mm TT in two newly-designed quad sets made up the torpedo armament; no reserve torpedoes were carried. The destroyers were fitted with hydrophones and a DC rack from the beginning. Four were laid down in 1931 and four in 1932; they were named Neahmthruailthe (Immaculate), Neartmhar (Powerful), Neamhfhaiteach (Undeterred), Neamhthuirseach (Untiring), Neamhbhuan (Inconstant), Nosmhar (Dignified), Neamheaglach (Fearless) and Neamhumhal (Rebellious). Two were commissioned in 1933, five in 1934 and one in 1935.


In the years before the war, the N-class aroused much interest; although the Thiarians did not market their destroyers very vigorously (exports might reveal their oversize and result in diplomatic trouble), the Argentine, Mexican and Turkish governments showed interest. In Turkey, the Thiarians were outbid (read: out-bribed) by the Italians, and US diplomatic pressure prevented a Mexican deal, but the Argentines, who already had purchased four British- and four Spanish-built destroyers of the British Admiralty-Leader type, could be trusted not to publicize the unfair size advantage of the new Thiarian destroyers. A contract over 4 ships was struck in 1933 after some Argentine admirals had visited the class ship Neamhthruailthe during acceptance trials, and two copies each were laid down in 1934 and 1935. As the Argentines had standardized the Vickers 120mm gun for their destroyer force, the Thiarian ships were to be delivered without guns. Five 120mm pieces, which were acquired from the La Carraca ordnance works in Spain, were mounted (the fifth gun on the aft deckhouse in Q position, displacing the 37mm cannon; the Argentine ships were limited to four 13mm AAMGs for air defence). The torpedoes were also acquired in Spain; each ship was given two triple 533mm TT sets. This armament variation resulted in somewhat reduced topweight, making the Argentine N-class slightly faster than their Thiarian counterparts and even better sea boats, and much better in-fighters into the bargain, in exchange for their completely lacking AA capability. They were named Buenos Aires, Corrientes, Entre Rios and Missiones. All four were delivered in 1938.


The Thiarian vessels meanwhile were retrofitted with ASDIC, HF/DF antennae and four more AAMGs by 1939. They formed the 2nd Destroyer Flotilla of the Thiarian fleet when the war started and acquitted themselves well; all eight emerged from the bitter battles with the RN and the Patagonians in the opening phase of the war without losses.


Over the next two years, these destroyers received the usual upgrades: the AAMGs were replaced with six single 20mm cannon, the DC outfit was doubled and a complete radar suite was installed. This process started early in 1941 and was not completed till late 1942. By that time, the class still had not taken any losses despite near constant involvement in heavy combat.


Neamhthuirseach then was lost in May 1943 in a surface action against the RN, and Neamhumhal went down late that year in an airstrike off the Brazilian coast. Of the other six, Nosmhar and Neamhbhuan remained unchanged for the rest of the war. The other four - Neartmhar, Neamhthruailthe, Neamhfhaiteach and Neamheaglach - were further upgraded between late 1943 and early 1944 as they became available for R&R. They lost both masts and received an all-new tripod mast forward; aft only a small signal mast was installed. The radar suite was replaced with the latest generation of centimeter-wave radars, and the semi-automatic 37mm cannon gave way for four fully automatic ones in single navalized army mounts. For these, a radar-guided centralized fire control system was installed. The number of 20mm cannon remained at 6, although they were rearranged, and even more DCs came on board. This modernization reached the limits of the growth potential of these destroyers; by mid-1944, the refitted units were only good for 32 kts and their formerly excellent stability reserve had been completely used up, resulting in a rather lively behaviour in heavy seas. But the luck of the class was unimpaired; all six survived the war, and none of their crews mutinied.


After the armistice, these ships were retained as training vessels for some time, but after the final peace treaty, they were quickly discarded. They had seen hard use and were worn out, and by 1950, they were all scrapped.

The four Argentine ships actively participated in the Axis war effort - in one memorable pitched four versus four battle in the River Plate estuary in 1941, they sank two Patagonian destroyers without losses - but their modernizations were much more austere. The Thiarians did not declassify their radar technology for export before mid-1942, when they started shipping their newest sets to Koko by submarine; at that time, the Argentines received full suites of Thiarian first generation radars. They also received a total of eight 20mm cannon, ASDIC and more DCs; the refit was completed by late 1943 on all ships.


Unlike the older Argentine Destroyers, which mostly stayed with the Argentine battleships, frequently came under air attack and took severe losses, the Buenos-Aires-class accompanied the Argentine heavy cruisers which usually were assigned to raiding task forces. They seemed to share the luck of the Thiarian N-class and emerged from the war in full strength. As Argentina was the only Axis country that had been dragged into the war by an aggression of an Allied nation, they got off easy when the peace was signed, and all four Buenos Aires-class ships remained with the Argentine Navy. They had a long postwar career and were not deleted before the early 1970s.

2.2. O-class
The N-class had been the result of a long and thorough design process and was considered most satisfactory. Not surprisingly, the destroyers of the 1933 and 1934 were externally identical to this successful class. The only visible differences were the absence of a mainmast, which was replaced with a short signals mast, and the addition of two more twin 13mm AAMGs amidships. What qualified these ships as a new class was hidden deep in their bellies: Although their turbines were the same as before, their boilers were of a novel type with significantly increased steam pressure and temperature. This resulted in more compact size for the same power, allowing larger bunkers, and better fuel efficiency, giving these vessels 1.500 nm more range than their predecessors and placing them on par with contemporary US vessels. As the Thiarians had raised steam pressure and temperature much more moderately than the Germans (500 versus 1.000 psi pressure and 350 versus 460 °C working temperature), they did not face the same reliability problems that made the early German high-pressure plants virtually useless, althouth teething troubles persevered until into the war. Oigeanta (Youthful), Oilte (Skilled) and Oirirc (Illustrious) were commissioned in 1935, Olc (Wild), Ollmhor (Tremendous), Omosach (Chivalrous), Ollgairdeach (Jubilant) and Onorach (Honourable) followed in 1936. Together, they made up the 3rd Destroyer Flotilla.


The O-class went through similar improvements as the N-class: First, they received ASDIC, HF/DF-coils and more AAMGs;


then, air surveillance radars, four 20mm cannon and more depth charges were added till late 1941;


and by 1943, all units had a full radar suite and a total of eight 20mm cannon.


The only thing this class utterly lacked was what their predecessors had in abundance: Luck. By mid-1943, the class had become the only Thiarian destroyer type of both world wars to be completely wiped out. Olc was Thiaria's first destroyer loss of the war, and Omosach and Ollgairdeach also did not survive past mid-1940. Oigeanta and Oilte went down in 1941, Onorach in 1942 and the last two, Ollmhor and Oirirc, in 1943. Two of them perished in gunnery actions, where they proved inferior to interwar British and Patagonian destroyers because of their lack of ROF. Fortunately for Thiaria, this matter had already been solved in the follow-on class.

3.2. P-class
By the time the FY 1935 destroyers were being presented for approval, first service experience with the N-class had already been collected. Although the Navy was generally very content with their new destroyers, the gun crews reported difficulties with working the guns in their half-open single gunshields in heavy weather. Moreover, the 37mm HA guns had rather limited sky arcs, and their single optical director did not even cover all of them; on any bearing forward of dead athwartships, the 37mm guns were limited to local control. The Navy's design department tackled both problems by replacing the single shielded gun mounts with two fully enclosed twin single purpose gunhouses, one forward and one aft. These turrets were fitted with mechanic loading aids, enabling them to make full use of the theoretical ROF of their guns over sustained engagements. This effectively increased firepower by 25% without increasing the number of guns. Main artillery fire control arrangements remained unchanged, although the separation of rangefinder and director had been identified as obsolescent. By shortening the forward shelter deck, turret A would not need to be placed any more forward than the previous gunshield, so the design could retain its excellent seaworthiness. By providing only one gun mount fore and aft, the B and X positions were freed for the 37mm twin mounts, and a second director could be installed atop the bridge. Sky arcs of the 37mm guns were much improved, and their directors shared them without restrictions. Moving the 37mm guns allowed for the installation of two more twin 13mm AAMGs on their old positions, increasing their number to 12. Torpedo armament remained at eight tubes without reserve torpedoes. Since the total weapons and fire control package was heavier than before, the ships were made slightly beamier for compensation. Displacement increased to 1.700 tons; since the Thiarian Navy was cheating the other treaty signatories already, this further increase in size was viewed with dignified indifference. To retain the previous design speed of 35 knots, the previous round stern was replaced with a transom stern. This modification was successful; all ships exceeded 36 knots on trials, although their engines were pushed well beyond their designed hp. Preabuil (Gallant) and Piaclach (Eager) were completed in 1937, Pras (Witty), Pearlach (Radiant), Prapailte (Ready), Preabach (Vibrant), Praitinniuil (Astute) and Poncuil (Precise) in 1938. They formed the 4th Destroyer Flotilla.


Although these destroyers were the first Thiarian destroyer class to be completed with ASDIC, it took till mid-1940 until all had been retrofitted with HF/DF. When the war started, all of them quickly received four additional 13mm AAMGS forward and more depth charges. Poncuil was lost in early 1941 in this state.


By late 1942, all others had swapped their 13mm AAMGs with eight single 20mm cannon and received a full radar suite; the short mainmast was stepped as a tripod to carry the surface search radar antenna, although this arrangement was not considered very satisfactory either; it was not until the later R-class that the Thiarians achieved a really workable radar arrangement. The first unit to complete this conversion was Preabuil in November 1941, the last one was Praitinniuil in December 1942. Pras and Preabach were lost before the conversion programme was over.


In this guise, Preabuil and Prapailte served throughout the war. Pearlach was lost early in 1944 without further modifications as well. The increased air threat however prompted another refit, which was applied in late 1943 and early 1944 to Praitinniuil and Piaclach. The radar fit was thoroughly modernized, requiring installation of a tripod foremast, and the four old 37mm AA guns were replaced with six single fully automatic ones, mounted two abreast fore and aft on platforms widened over nearly the full width of the deck (the arcs of the main guns were restricted, but in 1944, this was considered a very secondary problem) and alongside the mainmast. The 20mm had to be reduced to six for lack of deck space.


The four surviving units had seen strenuous service and were scrapped in the late 1940s after the war was over. Interestingly, three of the four joined the Mutiny against the Murchada regime, whilst most crews of the older destroyers stayed loyal to the Fascists.

By the time the Thiarians were building the P-class, the whole world had entered an ever more frenzied rearmament mode. This also spread to South America. Chile had ordered six large destroyers based on the F-/G-class leaders in Great Britain in 1935 to counter the Argentine acquisition of Thiarian N-class vessels, which in turn prompted the Peruvians to look for a replacement for some of their quickly ageing Russian-built destroyers. They chose the Thiarian P-class over an American-built Farragut-derivative (France and Italy were eliminated from the bidding process early), citing superior seakeeping, stability and accommodation of the Thiarian ships as the decisive factor (as usual in South America, bribery was probably an even more decisive factor). Four units were ordered in 1936 and delivered in 1939. Unlike the Argentines, the Peruvians also obtained the complete armament in Thiaria; the ships were completely identical with the Thiarian P-class. They were named for battles involving the Peruvian Navy: Iquique, Islay, Malpelo and Chipana.


As Peru managed to stay neutral in the second world war, none of these ships was modernized during this period; they served until well into the 1970s, Islay and Malpelo even till 1982.

The final South American customer for Thiarian destroyers was the Venezuelan Navy. Their destroyer force had been acquired in 1919 from the estate of the defunct Imperial Mexican Navy and consisted of six Austrian-designed 950-tonners, closely patterned on Austria's own Tatra-class, and six smaller units, which had long been relegated to secondary duties. Four of the improved Tatras had been thoroughly rebuilt and were still usable, but to replace the entire rest of their torpedo craft, the Venezuelans ordered four Thiarian P-class ships in 1937, which were laid down in 1938. They differed from all other P-class ships by their bow shape; the Thiarians had introduced bulbous bows for their destroyers with the R-class of 1937 and adapted the Venezuelan P-class to this novelty. The bulb increased top speed by about half a knot, but in practice the difference was not discernible. The bow also improved flotation forward, but on the downside it was - particularly on this class, less so on the larger R-Class and its derivatives - a source of vibration. The Venezualen vessels had tripod foremasts from the start. More importantly, they replaced the old-fashioned fire-control system that separated director and rangefinder with an integrated director. The destroyers would have been named for Venezuelan generals and statesmen: Presidente Castro, Generalissimo Miranda, Marescal Sucre and Presidente Gomez; if delivered, they would have been painted in 'Caribbean Blue' and poison green lower hulls, like the ships of the former Imperial Mexican Navy, whose colour scheme was adopted by the Venezuelans and not changed before the 1950s.


None of the four was delivered when Thiaria entered the Second World War, and they were requisitioned forthwith. They were renamed Saoradh (Liberating), Seiftiuil (Resourceful), Scoipiuil (Confident) and Seasmhach (Steadfast); although they were P-hulls, they received S-names, reportedly because the Thiarians had run out of suitable P-names. They were completed with HF/DF, ASDIC, air surveillance radars and one K-gun on each side, but still without stern DC racks or radar fire control and assigned to the 3rd and 5th destroyer flotillas to replace losses. Seiftiuil was lost in 1941 in this state, only a few weeks after commissioning.


The other three received a complete radar suite and six 20mm cannon instead of their AAMGs by mid-1942. Saoradh and Scoipiuil were the only units of her class to accompany the Thiarian fleet on the famous Panama raid; they remained off Peru with the replenishment ships while the rest of the task force went on the final leg of their mission.


In early 1943, the two Panama Raid participants were further upgraded by the addition of two twin 20mm mounts aft; the former singles were moved to the bridge wings, increasing the total number of 20mm to 12. Now they finally received stern racks for DCs. Scoipiuil was lost in this state in 1944 in a surface action against the Rechercheans, days before the Armistice.


Seasmhach as the only unit of the class had her electronics suite totally refurbished in early 1944. She also had her 37mm cannon replaced by four fully automatic singles, mounted two abreast fore and aft. She and Saoradh survived the war. As Venezuela had joined the Allies in 1943, the destroyers were demanded by and conceded to the Venezuelan Navy under peace treaty conditions. They were thoroughly modernized in the late 1950s and remained in service till the mid-1970s.


Greetings
GD

3. The Big Eight: Thiarian Leaders
The second LNT of March 1936 removed the upper limit on total tonnage of a nation's destroyers; the rules governing their individual size remained in force. At the same time, the first US destroyer leaders of the Porter class were commissioned. These remarkable ships accommodated a 50.000hp plant for a design speed of 37 kts and an armament of eight single purpose 127mm/38 guns, eight 28mm AA autocannons and eight 533mm TTs with a full loadout of reserve torpedoes on a hull not exceeding the LNT's 1.850 ts size limit for destroyer leaders. Thiaria had a well developed Humint network inside the US and was aware of the Porter's particulars long before they were presented to the public, and the Navy authorized development of a ship of similar performance as soon as it was clear that Thiaria could legally expand her destroyer force.

3.1. Pioraid-class, Batch 1
As with the N-class, it was soon evident that Thiarian industry was incapable of building a similarly light and strong hull or a similarly compact machinery plant; to achieve the same performance and armament as the Porters, a 2.500 ton hull would be required. The larger hull in turn would require more hp for the same speed; to ease maintenance and supply, the Thiarians decided to use half again the engine installation of an O/P-class destroyer with three shafts, six boilers and 60.000 hp design power. The large, sturdy hulls paid off handily in terms of seakeeping and stability, although they limited design speed to 36 kts. They also allowed for sufficient fuel storage for a range of 6.500 nm at 15 kts, which was an excellent figure for a destroyer. Eight 130mm L/45 single purpose guns were installed in four of the same twin gunhouses as installed in the P-class, and for the first time since the first world war, four reserve torpedoes for the two quad 559mm TT sets were included in the design. The light AA battery was very heavy for the interwar period, consisting of four twin semi-automatic 37mm cannon and four quad 13mm AAMG mounts. They also were the first Thiarian destroyers which were designed for, although not yet with radar; their foremast design already contained prepared slots for the later installation of radar sets, which were still under development. They also had the same ASW equipment as the standard fleet destroyers. Compared with allied destroyer leaders, these Thiarian ships turned out remarkably well. With the relatively high RoF of their 130mm guns, they could put more metal into the air per minute than the French Mogadors, whose heavier guns fired markedly slower; the Pioraids also had more than twice the range of the Mogadors, which admittedly were faster. Compared with the American Porters, the Thiarian ships were equal in speed, range and armament (their guns fired somewhat slower, but had more range and were more accurate), but were much more stable and better sea boats. The British Tribals were at least equal as sea boats and just as fast, and their range was not much worse, but they were significantly weaker armed; although their 120mm were now also mounted in twins, their ROF still stood at 12 rpm (this would only be improved to 15 with the later L/M-class). Two ships were ordered in 1936, two more in 1937. They were named for Gaelic Buccaneers who had at some point in their careers fought the British: Grainne Mhaol, an Irish 16th century noblewoman famous for her strife with Elizabeth I.; Tiopraid, a pure criminal of the worst sort who late in his life gained redemption (from a Thiarian point of view) by joining Jean Lafitte in his fight against the British; Cormac Blaosc, one of Conaire's most trusted Captains, who was a key figure in the battle of Trionaid; and Sean an Dearg, a native of Tir Parthas and descendant of one of the first Irish settlers in Thiaria, who fought valiantly against the Brits for the French in the Seven Years War and quite some time afterwards, acquiring a reputation of extreme bloodthirstyness even by contemporary pirate standards. Grainne Mhaol was the only unit of her class which was commissioned prior to Thiaria entering the war and the last Thiarian destroyer to enter service without ASDIC.


Tiopraid and Sean an Dearg commissioned in 1940, already with ASDIC and two K-guns for additional ASW muscle.


Cormac Blaosc was the last of her class to enter service early in 1941 with an air surveillance radar and eight 20mm cannon instead of the 13mm AAMGs.


These ships were not assigned to any destroyer flotilla, but came under immediate command of the CINC-Fleet. The whole class was retrofitted by late 1942 with a complete radar suite and a total of twelve 20mm cannon.


Although nominally 'leaders', these ships were never operationally employed to lead destroyer squadrons, but usually attached as private ships to various raiding task forces; thus they were all painted in raider blue for most of their wartime careers. All four participated in the Panama raid and various raids into the Indian Ocean during 1943; Grainne Mhaol was lost on one of these late in 1943. The other three received a completely upgraded radar suite and yet two more twin 20mm cannon for a new total of 16 during 1944; Sean an Dearg was lost soon after completion of this refit.


Cormac Blaosc was scuttled by loyalist crewmembers during the civil war in late 1944. Tiopraid also remained loyal, but suffered many desertions and could be captured by rebel forces without damaging her too badly. She was chosen to accompany the co-belligerent Thiarian fleet to the Pacific and fitted with a quad mount for fully automatic 37mm cannon on position B, landing her 130mm LA turret; six more single 37mm were mounted amidships instead of the old semi-automatic twins, and an integrated fire-control system for them was mounted on top of the bridge. Twelve 20mm cannon remained on board.


Tiopraid led the desperate torpedo run on Yamato during the battle of the Leyte Gulf in October 1945 that forced Yamato to retreat, but was so heavily damaged by Japanese and Kokoan gunfire that she had to be scuttled. This left only Cormac Blaosc, which had been salvaged early in 1945, but was awarded to the USA as a prize under peace treaty conditions.

3.2. Pioraid-class, Batch 2
For FY1938, the decision to continue the construction of Destroyer Leaders came easy, as the Thiarian Navy was chronically short of cruisers and wanted as many large heavily armed destroyers as possible to offset this disadvantage. By 1938 however, both the 130mm twin DP mount and the fully automatic 37mm quad mount had reached maturity, and the navy wanted both systems integrated into the follow-on destroyer. Unfortunately, a hull that could take the projected four 130mm and two 37mm turrets would need a displacement of some 3.000 tons, which was rejected in the Oireachtas on grounds of cost. In the end, the decision was made to get rid of one 130mm turret; this move would allow to retain both 37mm quads and a complete fire control system on a hull only 100 tons heavier than that of the first batch. These could be arranged to optimize sky arcs for weapons mounts and directors both, a matter not always solved satisfactorily in Thiarian destroyers. The hull's underwater shape was refined and a bulbous bow added. Improvements in engineering allowed a further increase in boiler pressure, so designed hp could be increased to 72.000 (half again the figure of the contemporary R/S-class standard destroyers) for a design speed of 37,5 knots at no penalty in size and range. Torpedo armament remained unchanged. Dennaic (named for a Thiarian resistance fighter of the independence wars who died a hero in an Alamo-like engagement) and Tainiu an Sceimh (named for a short-lived and slightly mad female pirate of the early 19th century) were laid down in 1938; Seagar (named for an Irish-born buccaneer of the early 18th century with an uncharacteristic gentlemanly streak) and Bhaltair Cinneide (named for an Irish buccaneer of the 18th century who four times escaped execution by the British) in 1939. Dennaic was completed in December 1941, Tainiu in April 1942; both carried a full radar outfit, ASDIC, K-guns and twelve 20mm cannon. Tainiu was the fastest-ever Thiarian destroyer with a trial speed of 42,1 kts at over 80.000 hp; no other unit of the class was taken to its limits on trials. The first two units of the class both participated in the Panama raid.


Seagar and Cinneide completed in the first half of 1943. They already carried the new R7FA air surveillance radar and four additional 20mm cannon. They also joined the raiding force; Seagar was lost a few weeks after commissioning, together with the super heavy cruiser Aigean.


By mid-1944, the remaining three units had their radar suites completely brought to the latest standard and yet another four 20mm cannon added for a new total of 20.


All three were in harm's way during the vicious battles of 1944, and all but Cinneide remained loyal to the fascist government during the civil war. Dennaic was blown up when the loyalists surrendered; Tainiu could be taken over by mutineers and was severely damaged in the process. She was not reactivated for the co-belligerent forces, but Bhaltair Cinneide was modernized with US commo and IFF gear, the light flak outfit was changed to sixteen 37mm (two mounts were installed side by side aft) and sixteen 20mm. One 559mm torpedo set was removed to accomodate the additional flak; she was the only Thiarian destroyer which ever had her torpedo battery reduced.


Bhaltair Cinneide led the re-organized 2nd DF into the battle in the Leyte Gulf, but did not see the same kind of desperate action as the first DF, although they came under heavy air attack. After the war, Bhaltair Cinneide and Tainiu an Sceimh were awarded as prizes to Great Britain and the USA, respectively.

Greetings
GD

4. Wartime workhorses: R-, S- and T-classes
The 1933 pattern 37mm AA cannon, a joint French-Thiarian development, and its purely Thiarian quad mount had a prolonged, troubled design history. Although probably the most potent intermediate AA gun on the planet - it was the only of its kind which beat the Bofors 40mm in accuracy, ROF and ceiling - its very power resulted in extreme barrel wear, which the French never brought under control, and the Thiarians only after a seemingly endless series of redesigns and adjustments. Nevertheless, the gun was approved for all battleships, aircraft carriers and cruisers ordered after 1933, long before the end of its development and test phase. By the time a glimmer of light was appearing at the end of the tunnel in 1936, the decision was made to approve a single quad mount for future Thiarian destroyers. With the new gun providing a quantum leap in power over the old semi-automatic ones, air defence capability increase by a factor of four. This was particularly important because the Thiarian 130mm/45, for which a DP mount had been developed to be installed on the new battlecruisers and aircraft carriers, had been severely criticised in the Oireachtas as useless in the AA role (it was indeed slower firing than the US 127mm/38 DP and traversed and elevated slower as well; on the other hand, the Thiarian 130mm was still a better antiaircraft weapon than the French 130mm DP and the British 5,25", so this criticism was somewhat exaggerated) and the FY1937 destroyers were to receive LA mounts just as the P-class had.

4.1. R-class
Design work for the FY1937 destroyers commenced in early 1936. Two 130mm twin LA turrets fore and aft and a 37mm quad turret superfiring aft were specified, plus eight 559mm TTs with four reserve torpedoes and ample stability reserve to add more ASW and AA assets should this prove necessary. Although perfectly satisfactory in its time, the old N/O/P-class hull had become too tight to accommodate all requirements, particularly as the 37mm quad turret with its huge amount of ammunition was significantly heavier than two semi-automatic 37mm twins. A completely new hull with a thoroughly conceived hydrodynamic shape and a slightly bulbous bow was thus adopted; displacement had grown to 1.950 ts. There was ample space for five quad 13mm AAMG mounts. To attain the unchanged 35kts speed requirement, designed hp were increased to 48.000. Fuel storage was copious, and the new destroyers had a range of 6.000 nm at 15 knots. Like the FY1936 leaders, they had tripod masts forward which were already prepared for accepting various radar systems then under development, and their fire control arrangements were state of the art and also already anticipated radar retrofits. Rachtmhar (Irascible), Righin (Tough), Rathuil (Lucky) and Ropanta (Violent) were laid down in 1937; Reimiuil (Rampant), Rimhaith (Matchless), Rabach (Vigourous) and Ruisciuil (Impetuous) in 1938. Although Rathuil and Righin were completed in late 1939, they were still undergoing trials when the war started. Five more were completed in 1940 and Rimhaith only in 1941. They formed the 5th Destroyer Flotilla.


Trial results were impressive. The engines could be pushed to nearly 60.000 hp, and Rathuil touched 40 kts on her flank speed run. Although the ones completed after the war had started were only taken to their designed hp for safety reasons, all exceeded their designed speed by at least half a knot; Rachtmhar was the fastest at 36,2 kts. If the N/O/P's were good sea boats, the Rs were outstanding ones. Although their antisurface armament was criticized as too weak for their size, they were capable of employing their weapons in sea states and weather conditions that would incapacitate most other destroyers in the world, except the British Q-W type, which was similarly lightly armed for its size. They also were comfortable and reliable. Despite this impressive performance, Righin and Rabach were lost before 1940 was half over; the latter on her maiden mission after a shortened trials pase. These brand-new ships with their green crews were thrown into some desperate surface actions during the initial British-Patagonian onslaught and paid the ultimate price. After this threat had evaporated with the retreat of the RN in April 1940, the remaining R's operated with Thiaria's carrier strike force and were mostly kept out of surface engagements for the next two years. Like other Thiarian destroyer classes, they were upgraded in many little steps, as the required equipment became available; it took till late 1942 before they all had received a complete radar suite, radar fire control, K-guns and 12 20mm cannon instead of their 13mm AAMGs.


In 1943, as more and more S- and T-class units became available, the 5th Flotilla was assigned to the slow battleship squadron, frequently co-operating with Argentine warships. Although often operating close to the Brazilian coast, all six survived into 1944. Between late 1943 and mid-1944, their AA capabilities were improved by the installation of four more single fully automatic 37mm cannon and a state-of-the-art radar suite. The number of 20mm cannon dropped to 8. Unlike many other Nations, the Thiarians were generally reluctant to land torpedo tubes and replace them with AA guns; they had suffered from their unreliable torpedoes in the first half of the war, and when a world-class oxygene-powered torpedo had finally become available in quantity during 1943 (courtesy of the Kokoans), they wanted to make maximum use of it.


Reimiuil and Ropanta were lost during the tumultous events of 1944; the other four were stripped of their loyalist crews when the regime was in agony and needed the sailors to fight rebellious army units. Unlike most of their crews, the ships survived the civil war and were awarded to Brazil as prizes after the war had ended. They were in decent shape, but soon ran out of spare parts and were stricken in the late 1950s without any further modernization efforts.

4.2. S-Class
In the opinion of the Thiarian Fleet command, the R-class came close to the perfect destroyer, so the FY1939 ships were proposed as unchanged repeats. By that time however, initial service experience indicated that the 130mm/45 was better than expected as an AA gun; moreover, the DP turret was only marginally heavier than the LA turret. Installing two DP turrets thus promised better allround firepower at little weight penalty. The HA director was more of a problem, but the hull had enough stability reserves to compensate. Just to be on the safe side, the hull was widened marginally, at no discernible loss in top speed. Otherwise, these vessels were identical to the R's. Sainiuil (Unique), Sarmhaith (Unmatched), Scafanta (Spirited) and Siorai (Immortal) were laid down in 1939; Solasta (Brilliant), Spadhruil (Impulsive), Sotalach (Arrogant) and Spreacuil (Lively) in 1940. All were completed with a full radar suite, ASDIC, K-guns and 12 20mm guns. Sarmhaith was built the quickest and entered service in October 1941; Spreacuil as the last one was commissioned in March 1943. They were assigned to the 1st, 2nd and 5th Destroyer Flotillas to replace losses.


These destroyers operated with the Thiarian carrier strike force throughout the war, which limited direct surface engagements and thus losses. Only Sarmhaith was lost in 1943 to a British air strike. Apart from her, the rest of the class operated successfully when they could not prevent to go into harm's way; Spadhruil was the most successful Thiarian destroyer with an enemy cruiser and a destroyer sunk and a battleship severely damaged. Solasta was used to trial the 'destroyer antenna' of the powerful R7FA air surveillance and search radar, which was subsequently fitted to all other units of the class as the first Thiarian destroyers to be so upgraded.


By 1944, the medium AA was upgraded in a similar way as on the R-class to a new total of eight 37mm and eight 20mm cannon. The radars were also upgraded to the newest standard.


When the Thiarians launched their war emergency destroyer programme in 1940, a total of 20 destroyers were simultaneously ordered from every available yard. Four of them were identical with the S-class in every respect and consequently received S-names: Stuacanta (Stubborn), Stuama (Dignified), Scanruil (Terrible) and Spidiuil (Spiteful). None of them could be laid down before 1941, and their construction took longer than with their pre-war sisters due to constant priority reassessments. Despite all hindrances, all four were commissioned in 1944 before the Thiarian civil war to the same standard as the refitted older units of the class and assigned to the 3rd DF. Stuama was lost nearly immediately in battle against the US and Brazil; the other three only took part in a single fleet action against the Rechercheans days before the armistice. At that time, 10 of 12 S-class boats were still available. The newest two (Scanruil and Spidiuil) were scuttled by loyalist forces during the civil war; neither was salvageable. The other eight received another refit for service with the co-belligerent Thiarian fleet heading to the pacific. They embarked three additional 37mm pieces for a total of eleven, and the eight remaining 20mm cannon were re-arranged. US sourced IFF and communications gear was installed to enable them to closely co-operate with the USN; eight S-class destroyers and the leader Tiopraid were assigned to the reorganized 1st DF.


At Leyte, the 1st DF performed one of the last torpedo charges of the war; they sank the Japanese cruiser Takao and two Kokoan destroyers and badly damaged the battleships Yamato and the Kokoan flagship Nakamori, but lost their leader and three S-class ships (Solasta, Siorai and Sainiuil). Seven S-class ships survived the war and were surrendered as prizes to Patagonia (2), Recherche (3) and France (2). Only the French used their prizes operationally for a few years, and valued them much more highly than their German prizes.

4.3. T-class
The S-class design was chosen for mass production under the war emergency programme. Although the ships were identical in size and construction, all but four of the emergency destroyers received T-Names. The only difference was the addition of eight reserve torpedoes in quick reload racks; the sixteen units with these were designated T-class. The T-class units were laid down in 1940 (6), 1941 (6 plus four additional S-class, see above) and 1942 (4). All twenty destroyers were completed. The T-class units were commissioned in the following order: Taodmhar (Impulsive), Treithiuil (Versatile), Tapaidh (Quick), Teasai (Hot-Tempered), Trodach (Quarrelsome), Trean (Mighty) and Tric (Nimble) in 1943; Tacuil (Reliable), Tairiseach (Loyal), Tailc (Strong), Tapuil (Impetuous), Treis (Sturdy), Tiarnuil (Imperious), and Teann (bold) in 1944; Trathuil (Opportune) and Taibhsiuil (Stealthy) after the armistice in 1945. As completed, these destroyers were virtually undistinguishable from the S-class; the fast reload racks, which were mounted in a slightly oblique angle abreast both funnels, were hardly visible except from up close. In 1943, the class took no losses, but Trodach and Tric were lost early in 1944 before any modifications were made.


When the AA armament was augmented in 1944 with additional 37mm cannon, the presence of the fast reload racks prevented the T-class destroyers to receive more than two of these; the number of 20mm cannon remained at 12. Of the ships commissioned in 1944, all except Tacuil and Tapuil were already completed with this fit. In this shape, Treis and Teann were lost during the second half of 1944.


Of the ten units operational at the time of the Armistice - unlike the older destroyers, whose crews tended to be more indoctrinated, all T's except Trean joined the Mutiny and survived the civil war unharmed - five (Tapaidh, Tacuil, Tailc, Tiarnuil and the brand-new Trathuil) were chosen for the co-belligerent fleet and refitted with three more 37mm cannon (placed differently than on the S-class) and additional commo and IFF gear.


All five survived the Pacific War, but never returned home; they were divided between the USA and Great Britain as prizes. The seven that had remained in Thiaria however - Taodmhar, Treithiuil, Teasai, Trean, Tairiseach, Tapuil and Taibhsiuil - were left to the Thiarians to form the core of their much reduced postwar fleet. Trean was quite beyond economic repair and scrapped soon, but the other six were partly disarmed (they lost all but two 20mm cannon and their torpedo tubes) and recommissioned as purely defensive ASW destroyers. During the late 1940s, they received additional DCs and three Hedgehogs, two of which were placed in rather unorthodox swiveling positions amidships with firing arcs of 30 to 90 degrees off-axis.


In this guise, they served till the mid-fifties. By that time, the Thiarians had re-started destroyer production already, but Taodmhar, Teasai, Tairiseach and Taibhsiuil were chosen for further modification in 1955. They landed their 130mm twin turrets in favour of two fully automatic 127mm singles from US production, and the 37mm was replaced by a fully automatic 76mm twin. American radars and fire control systems were installed and a tripod main mast was erected. The depth charges were landed, and four triple 400mm ASW torpedo tubes - license built French systems - were installed instead. The three eccentrically placed hedgehogs remained on board, and the superstructure was not rebuilt, resulting in a very awkward arrangement of sensor control stations. All four emerged in 1957/8 from the refit; although they were not up to date in any way, they remained in service till 1966/69 and were not scrapped before 1980, when the first units of a new generation of ASW frigates became available.


Greetings
GD

5. The Flushdeckers: U- and A-classes
In 1941, the Thiarian standard destroyers had proven capable of successfully dealing with their British, Recherchean, Brazilian and Patagonian adversaries; only Britain's L- and M-class destroyers with their semi-automatic 120mm guns and their Recherchean equivalents could use the superior ROF of their guns to fight the Thiarian destroyers on equal terms. To ensure individual superiority, future Thiarian destroyers were to have three 130mm twin mounts and at least one, preferably two 37mm quads. This was exactly the armament of the 2.600 ts Pioraid-class (Batch 2) destroyer leaders, and there were serious intentions to mass-produce this class. This was eventually rejected as too costly and time-consuming; 2.000 tons was considered the maximum for a design suitable for mass-production. The only way to solve this dilemma was a total redesign of the hull: A flush-decked hull like the US Fletcher-class had could provide enough strength for the planned armament at lower weight and more compact size than the big Pioraids. By providing more freeboard for the upper deck and substantial sheer forward, the Thiarians hoped to attain the same seakeeping as the R/S/T-class offered, and some payoffs in accomodation were at this point considered acceptable. During the designing stage, it became clear that the 2.000 ton limit could not be met even on a flush-decked hull; by the time calculated stability was considered sufficient, the hull had grown to 2.350 tons and a LoA of 125,6 meters. This however was still significantly smaller and about 20% cheaper than the late Pioraids with the same armament, and the new type was approved for series production in 1942. The engines had to be upgraded to 52.000 shp for the same design speed (35 kts) as the R/S/T-classes; range slightly decreased to 5.400 nm at 15 knots. The final armament consisted of six 130mm DP guns, eight 37mm AA guns, 12 20mm guns, eight 559mm TTs (with reserve torpedoes in fast reload racks). Four were laid down in 1942, eight in 1943 and four in 1944. Of this class, none could be completed in time for operations against the Allies, but three were delivered between the Armistice and the departure of the co-belligerent feet to the far east. These destroyers - Urranta (Stalwart), Uasmheidiuil (Matchless), and Udarasach (Authoritative) - underwent a shortened trials phase before they were manned with the crews of older destroyers who had previously joined the mutiny and joined the new 2nd DF together with five T-class units.


Service experience in the Far East proved that their stability and seakeeping were inferior compared with the S- and T-class. The U's were still somewhat better sea boats than the similarly sized US Sumner-class and favourably commented upon by US naval officers, but the US destroyers were designed for the relatively benign weather conditions in the Pacific, whereas the Thiarian ships were designed for the violently hostile South Atlantic. Although the U's survived the pacific war without casualties, they never had the opportunity to prove their mettle in the South Atlantic; all three became Allied prizes after the war and were awarded to Great Britain. Of the other thirteen units, five - Uathuil (Unique), Urramach (Respectful), Uasal (Noble), Urchoideach (Malignant) and Uailteach (Proud) - had been launched before Thiaria's surrender; their hulks were towed to Brazil and Patagonia and broken up there as reparations. Eight unlaunched hulls - Uafar (Terrible), Uamhnach (Dreadful), Uilechumachtach (Omnipotent), Ullamh (Determined), Uaibhreach (Arrogant), Uafasach (Fearsome), Uathmhar (Impulsive) and Uachtaranach (Ascending) were scrapped on stocks between 1946 and 1947.

Late in 1942, another batch of sixteen destroyers was approved. They were identical to the U's, but received names that started with A. The only reason for this was that the Thiarian Gaelic language offered no further suitable names with U. Due to the increasing escort and submarine programme, Thiaria's shipbuilding capacity was at its limit, and no ships could be laid down in all of 1943. During this time, the decision was made to upscale the hulls to 2.500 tons and over 128m LoA to address some nagging doubts about the vessels' stability. This measure would eventually prove successful, but price and building time had increased to the same figure as with the Pioraids, and there was no way the building rate of the R/S/T-class could be upheld with this design. Amid fierce discussions about whether to proceed with the current course, return to the proven T-class or launch yet another, all-new smaller destroyer design better suited for mass production, the first eight units were laid down during 1944: Ardeirimiuil (Brilliant), Aclai (Skillful), Aduain (Extraordinary), Ainscianta (Furious), Amharach (Fortunate), Abalta (Competent), Anamuil (Lively) and Aigeanta (Intelligent). Apart from the larger hull, they carried the same equipment as the U-class; designed hp was further increased to 60.000 hp for 36 kts. Range was again 6.000 nm at 15 kts. Stability and seakeeping was much superior to the U-class and quite on par with the R/S/Ts. All things considered, the A's were one of the most complete destroyer designs of their time, but the time of the regime that had ordered them ran out before any of them were ready to launch.


Unlike the U's, which the Navy did not really want any more after experience in the Pacific, the A's were not scrapped forthwith, but conserved for further use. Having jumped the Axis train just in time and shown some remarkable fighting spirit at Leyte, the Thiarians were treated relatively mildly in the peace treaty, and completion of the eight A's was approved by the US as early as 1950. Before construction resumed, the type was completely redesigned to become a state-of-the-art ASW destroyer. Two fully automatic 127mm guns and six automatic 76mm guns made up the new gun armament. A Weapon Alfa automatic depth charge mortar was installed forward, and four triple 400mm ASW torpedo tubes amidships. Radar and Fire control was completely US sourced, and the whole superstructure was (unlike the rebuilt T's) tailor-made for to offer enough space for the electronics suite. Construction resumed in 1953, and the eight destroyers were completed between 1958 and 1960.


In this shape, they served faithfully for over twenty years. Although their weapons and sensors suite was already obsolescent when they were re-commissioned, Thiaria's political swing towards the Soviets in the late 60s prevented any significant modernization effort. Installation of Soviet SA-N-4 SAMs was proposed in 1972, but the Soviets took their time deciding about the request, and the alliance ended before any were delivered. These years were the nadir of Thiarian naval power; by the mid-seventies, they were the only operational destroyers of the Thiarian fleet, and thoroughly obsolete; installation of Crotale SAMs was considered in 1977, but rejected as not cost-effective for these old ships. The A's were phased out between 1980 and 1983 and replaced with a new generation of multirole frigates

Greetings
GD

Spectacular display. Great fun to see yet another series of Thiarian vessels. I particularly like the Pioraid-class, with their almost cruiser like appearence.

Wow! A fabulous series.

WOW GD

Excellent series of ships old boy, Jolly WELL DONE

Will there be any more by any chance ( >Present perhaps)

_________________
https://discord.gg/5PHq8Dk
My artwork is posted here: https://www.deviantart.com/adenandy/gallery/all

Great to see you back

_________________
My Worklist
Sources and documentations are the most welcome.

-Koko Kyouwakoku (Republic of Koko)
-Koko's carrier-based aircrafts of WWII
-Koko Kaiun Yuso Kaisha - KoKaYu Line (Koko AU spinoff)
-Koko - Civil Aviation