Shipbucket

Stunning drawings!

updated and replaced http://www.shipbucket.com/forums/viewto ... 12#p201812

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Work list: 1. various pre-1900 Zipang ships 2. Some protected cruisers and other miscellaneous projects

Parting ways with the British Empire 1799-1803

with the continuous expansion of the British Empire in the late 1700s it was quickly realised by the British government that certain territories of the Empire were simply outliving their usefulness, it also didn't help that quite a few of these territories inhabitants were screaming out for their own form of independent government from the empire, the most notable of these territories was the Mary islands of the British Empire later to be named Zipang, unlike most other British territories it was relatively independent, with a form of local government and its own coastal protection force and combined with a small militia of British trained locals, this meant that it was relatively close to being an independent state with the caveat of still having to obey British law, however in 1798 then Prime Minister Kaito amano proposed a referendum for the populous to decide whether they wanted to be part of the British Empire or be their own sovereign country, the British Parliament debated this proposal in the House of Commons, with many for it and many against it. eventually the House of Commons came to an agreement and it was decided that this referendum would go ahead on the 16th of November 1799. the final results were 79% in favour of becoming an independent country and 21% for staying part of the British Empire, a written constitution was quickly prepared with the 3-year transitional period being used for creation of a currency and the official creation of military structures, Zipang would copy the British governmental structure of a constitutional monarchy, on the 17th of September 1803 Zipang officially became its own independent country, with its own navy and standing army, with much of its initial equipment being left over British equipment, as well as a few warships that the British government was willing to sell to them.

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Work list: 1. various pre-1900 Zipang ships 2. Some protected cruisers and other miscellaneous projects

Interesting stuff.

Nice work thus far!

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Work list: 1. various pre-1900 Zipang ships 2. Some protected cruisers and other miscellaneous projects

Originally ordered as a slightly modified version of the Tsurumi class, the Akan class was instead reordered after the specifications of the newly commissioned Japanese Yakumo class armoured Cruisers became known,with the classes new design being finalised in 1902 and with Akan and Unebi being laid down that same year

Ordered: 27 January 1902
Laid down: 9 October 1902
Launched: 11 August 1905
Commissioned: 14 November 1906
Fate: Sunk 1934
Status: Sunk 1934

General characteristics

Displacement: 11,869 tons standard , 13,731 tons full load
Length: 159.26 m (522 ft)
Beam: 22.25 m (73 ft)
Draft: 8.08 m (26 ft)
Installed power: 2-triple-expansion engines, 26 Babcock & Wilcox boilers, 37,703 shp
Speed: 24 knots (27 mph; 44 km/h)

Armament: as commissioned 1906-Akan
6 x single TYPE 95 25cm (10 inch guns)
8 x single TYPE 89 15cm (6 inch guns)

Armament: as Sunk 1934-Oze
2 x single TYPE 95 25cm (10 inch guns)
4 x single TYPE 89 15cm (6 inch guns)
4 x twin TYPE 18 14cm mod-2 (5.5 inch guns)
2 x single TYPE 26 12cm (5 inch guns)
4 x single TYPE 20 12.7mm machine guns

Armour:
Main Belt: 6 inches
Ends: 3 inches
Upper Belt: 1 inches
Conning tower: 16 inches
Torpedo Bulkhead: 5 inches
Armored Deck: 2 inches max
Main Battery: 7 inch face, 4 inch sides/top, 8 inch barbettes


as commissioned in 1906 Akan was by some measure the most powerful armoured Cruiser in all of Asia, it also caused quite the stir among the Western powers who realised that Zipang was capable of building advanced and Powerful warships without outside assistance, this was also wake up call to Japan who realise that Zipang wasn't some backwards nation who couldn't build up a Navy to challenge them. the first couple years of Akan's of service were uneventful, being joined by her two sisters in 1907 and 1908, the three members of the class was assigned to the 1st Cruiser Squadron in 1910 replacing the three Tsurumi class cruises. With the Outbreak of WWI in 1914 all three members of the class would be sent to Britain at the request of the British Admiralty.

before their departure all three members of the class were painted into the standard type 1-3 camouflage which they would wear for the entirety of the war. with the three cruises arrival at Scapa Flow in late 1914, they will immediately be assigned to the first Cruiser Squadron under the command of Sir Archibald G. H.W. Moore. in July 1914 the first Cruiser Squadron immediately be deployed to the Mediterranean theatre where it would partake in The Pursuit of the German battlecruiser SMS Goeben and the Cruiser SMS Breslau. In February 1915 the first Cruiser Squadron was present at the Battle of dogger bank where the three Zipang cruises we'll meet up with the battleships Chikugo and Kazusa, during the battle Oze would be hit by two 12-in shells from one of the German battlecruisers rendering her forward gun turret not operational, Akan scored six hits on the battlecruiser Seydlitz causing one of her 5 inch magazines to explode. Oze would be hit by a single torpedo from the light Cruiser Rostock, this torpedo hitting her amidships causing her first and second boiler rooms to flood rendering her completely dead in the water and out of action for the rest of the battle, after the end of battle Oze taken under tow by the battlecruiser HMS lion telling her back to Scapa Flow for much needed repairs. in 1916 the first Cruiser Squadron would participate in the Battle of Jutland Akan,Unebi and Oze would participate in the battle alongside the British battlecruisers, all three ships would survive the Battle but all three of them took heavy damage throughout the course of the battle with Oze taking the brunt of it, the damage that she sustained was so extensive that she would not be fully operational until after the end of the First World War.

with the end of hostilities in 1918 the three armoured cruisers returned to home Waters, with Oze and Unebi immediately going into the dry dock for refit and minor repairs, this refit entail the addition of several new observation platforms to the main mast as well as the building up of the bridge superstructure, atop the bridge was added a type 19 rangefinder to aid with better control of her main battery, midships 12.7 mm anti-aircraft machine guns were added as well, Oze and Unebi would emerge from dry dock in 1920 Akan would however never received this refit, because of the signing of the Washington naval treaty 6 days before she was scheduled to go into dry dock, in compliance with the Washington naval treaty all armoured cruisers above a certain age would be retired and scrapped. Unebi and Akan what would both be sent for scrap with their guns being spread amongst Shore installations and coastal artillery batteries, Oze on the other hand would be refitted into a training vessel, this refit entailed the removal of her first boiler room dropping her speed by 7, as well as the removal of four of her 10-in main battery guns, with them being replaced four 5.5 inch twin turrets, other modifications included the removal of four of the casement mounted 6-inch guns and the addition of two single 127mm dual purpose guns and the installation of a type 24 rangefinder set for the 5.5 inch guns, she emerged from dry dock on the 16th of September 1925 in her new role as a training vessel.

throughout the course of the late 20s and early 30s Oze would spend most of her time floating at anchor training new recruits, with the occasional training Cruise and the obsolete review here and there. however in 1934 with the Japanese declaration of war on Zipang, she would begin to see more active service in the opening weeks of the war, however when one of her engines failed on the 5th of September, she would be relegated to a floating artillery barge moored at Rokubungi naval Arsenal, on the 15th of September a surprise attack by Japanese aircraft from the carrier ryujo, meant Oze would finally see her end, she would be hit by two torpedoes on the right side ironically enough in the exact same position that she had suffered a similar attack in her much earlier life at the Battle of dogger bank, she would quickly take on the water and would capsize at her moorings with the death of only 150 sailors it would be one of the less severe losses in the short conflict, her wreck will remain in place until 1937 when she would be partially dismantled and scrapped, with much of her hull still remaining to this very day

Ships in class: (laid down-launched-commissioned - fate)

Akan (ACR-10) 1902-1905-1906 - Decommissioned 1922
Unebi (ACR-11) 1903-1906-1907 - Decommissioned 1922
Oze (ACR-12) 1904-1907-1908 - (reclassified as training vessel 1922) sunk 1934

I made some small revisions and edits

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Work list: 1. various pre-1900 Zipang ships 2. Some protected cruisers and other miscellaneous projects

Excellent series - as always.

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Work list: 1. various pre-1900 Zipang ships 2. Some protected cruisers and other miscellaneous projects

I wonder if the funnels should have stays holding them, and if the mast stays fore and aft should really be darker.

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w o r k l i s t :
Hatsuyuki-class Escort Ships . . . <3

Tsuta Class destroyer

developed from the previous Hamakaze class, the Tsuta was the first class of post WWI destroyers to be designed, as a result many lessons that will learn to during the Great War were incorporated into it's design, and the class would serve as the basic blueprint for future Zipang destroyers. the class what was the first to Mount the newly developed type 18 127mm/38 and type 19 600mm torpedo.

Displacement: 1,450 tonnes standard
Dimensions: 304ft x 28ft x 9.5ft
Machinery: 2-shaft geared turbines, 4 water tube boiler, 26,500 shp
Speed: 37 knts
Endurance: 5,000 nautical miles at 10 knots
Armor: 25mm splinter protection

Armament: Tsuta as Commissioned: 1920
1x3 12cm Type-19
3x2 60cm Type-18 torpedo tubes

Armament: Take as Decommissioned: 1945
1x2 12cm Type 25 Mod 6
2x9 3cm Type 28 Mod 3 autocannons
1x5 2cm Type 31 Mod 2 autocannons
1x2 60cm Type-18 torpedo tubes


Tsuta was commissioned in the summer of 1920 and was the first member of a brand new class of post Great Wall destroyers, as a result many lessons learnt in that conflict or incorporated into her classes design, upon her commissioning she would be placed into the first Destroyer Squadron several members of this particular Squadron fought at the Battle of Jutland with several of them being lost in that battle. by 1926 a father 12 members of the class will be constructed and separated amongst all 6 Destroyer squadrons, in 1928 two members of the class would be on routine Patrol in the Zipang Straits, both ships have departed from their home port earlier that day and were on the return journey home when the Lookouts on one of the Destroyers spotted smoke plumes in the distance, these smoke plumes on closer inspection were found to be the funnel exhaust of a Japanese warship, as the distance between the Destroyers and the unidentified Japanese ship closed the Japanese warship was identified as a sendai class scout Cruiser, as the Cruiser and the Destroyers got closer the captain on one of the Destroyers try to communicate with the Japanese Cruiser however no response was given, with the distance between the ships closing rapidly the lookouts reported that the Japanese ship had fired its forward main guns approximately 10 seconds later two shells Splashdown in between both destroyers narrowly missing both of them, one of the captain's ordered to return fire with a warning shot, however before the shot could be fired the Cruiser turned away disengaging from what could have been a potential military engagement, upon the Destroyers return to their home port this incident was reported straight to the Admiralty which was very quickly passed on to the House of Commons, many more incidents like this would continue to happen throughout the rest of the 1920s and into the early 1930s.

On the 4th of September 1934 Tsuta and several other members of her class that belongs to the second Destroyer Squadron were all at anchor in Tajima Bay preparing for a large exercise that was to take place on the 6th, when distressing news came over the radio saying that a Zipang light Cruiser had been engaged by a Japanese destroyer without provocation with no alternatives the light Cruiser had to return fire, as a result on the 5th of September Zipang officially declared War on Japan, over the course of the following weeks the first and second Destroyer Squadron will try unsuccessfully to counter Japanese naval operations around the northern coast of Zipang, however due to the Japanese destroyers being more modern and more heavily armed, meant that the Tsuta class proved themselves to be woefully inadequate, on the 21st of October the first strike Squadron would try to intercept what they believed to be a Japanese reinforcement convoy destined for Northern coast, however the convoy escorts proved to be much more substantial then a couple of destroyers with the convoy being escorted bye buy for heavy Cruisers two light Cruisers and 10 destroyers 6 of which were the much more powerful fubuki class, the first Destroyer Squadron suffered heavy casualties with 6 ships sunk and to so badly damaged that the cruise abandon them with both of them being scuttled with scuttling charges, by the morning of the 22nd the first Destroyer Squadron had retreated from the area however the Squadron would come and air attack from Japanese carrier dive bombers and would lose two more destroyers, the remaining members of the first Destroyer Squadron would take part in the major fleet operation of November 5th where two more destroyers would be sunk, with the remaining ships falling into Japanese control at the end of the conflict on them on November 9th 1934.

after the conflict the remaining members of the Tsuta class would be incorporated into the newly reformed people's Zipang navy, however due to their age many of them did not receive refits during the latter half of the 1930s, however with tensions in Europe rising in 1939 and Japan for war with the US all remaining ships of the class, underwent various refit with some of them having new new DP guns added while others had add a reinforced aircraft Armament installed consisting of 4 twin 30 mm cannons at the expense of one of the twin torpedo tubes being removed by 1941 all members of the class had underwent some kind of refit, however this refit that all of the members received only address some of the classes problems with the biggest one of which being age, but nonetheless they were pressed into service mainly as convoy escort ships and Harbour defence units

from 1942 to 1943 all members of the class were exclusively used in convoy escort Duty however with the Americans beginning their invasion of the Gilbert and Marshall Islands, the remaining members of the class along with other Japanese vessels were deployed to try and stop the Americans advance, on November 29th Yomogi would be sunk by a US submarine just off the Makin Atoll, with their usefulness been called into question the remaining four members of the class would be recalled to Japan and then moved to Zipang for repair and refit, however on January 5th Zipang riots began with many members of the Zipang Armed Forces joining these riots which quickly turned into a full-scale Insurrection of the Japanese occupying government, Taka and Nire were at Heguri naval Arsenal undergoing repairs and refit when the riots began both the Destroyers Crewes joined in the riots along with the crew of the super Dreadnought battleship Heguri, with many other ships joining in on the Rebellion, by March 1944 the newly established free Zipang government open up talks with the allied powers, britain who has always been a close Ally of Zipang was quick to invite them into the allied powers and help them liberate their home from the Japanese, throughout the rest of 1944 the remaining four members of the Tsuta class would be primarily used for anti-submarine work and convoy escort Duty by 1945 all remaining pockets of Japanese resistance on Zipang were eradicated, and will the end of the war in sight, Zipang Admiralty assessing the state of the Navy and began the process of decommissioning much older vessels the however the remaining Tsuta class somehow against the odds remaining in service until the very end of the war on the 2nd of September 1945, on the 15th of December the remaining members of the class were finally decommissioned and sent to the scrapyard


Ships in class: (laid down-launched-commissioned - fate)

Tsuta (DD-80) 1918-1919-1920 - sunk on the 21st of October 1934
Kuri (DD-81) 1918-1919-1920 - sunk on the 21st of October 1934
Ashi (DD-82) 1919-1920-1921 - decommissioned on the 15th of December 1945
Hasu (DD-83) 1919-1920-1921 - sunk on the 5th of November 1934
Shiranui (DD-84) 1919-1920-1921- decommissioned on the 15th of December 1945
Kiku (DD-85) 1920-1921-1922 - sunk on the 5th of November 1934
Nire (DD-86) 1920-1921-1922 - decommissioned on the 15th of December 1945
Aoi (DD-87) 1921-1922-1923 - sunk on the 27th of November 1942
Fuji (DD-88) 1921-1922-1923 - sunk on the 21st of October 1934
Yomogi (DD-89) 1922-1923-1924 - sunk on the 27th of November 1942
Kaya (DD-90) 1922-1923-1924 - decommissioned on the 15th of December 1945
Sumire (DD-91) 1922-1923-1924 - sunk on the 5th of November 1934
Taka (DD-92) 1923-1924-1925 - decommissioned on the 15th of December 1945

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Work list: 1. various pre-1900 Zipang ships 2. Some protected cruisers and other miscellaneous projects