Shipbucket

Nice work.

The Salt Lake City looks a little weird to my eyes. The beam turrets have no cross-deck firing capability due to the deckhouse behind, yet the boats are still raised rather high on the flying bridges. It could be possible to relocate the boats lower down and still mitigate for blast. Or maybe lower the flying deck as right now it makes the ship look rather top heavy.

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

The SLC's boat deck as arranged just wouldn't work structurally. It needs to be deepened, supported at mid-length, or simply removed (I'm not sure why it's necessary to have so much clear deck space below it).

Greetings!

Posted Helena class version 2.0 - feedback always welcome!

Thank you Hood and Erik_T for your comments and suggestions - this is a massive project and sometimes I trip over myself design-wise...

I'll be taking a short break to work on other interests, but rest assured I will be back!

Next up will be US protected (heavy) and scout (light) cruisers...stay tuned!

Cheers!
Stealthjester

That looks much better and realistic.

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

Greetings!

After a longer delay than planned (such is life) - here are the next set of US cruisers - enjoy!

Oakland class (US):


The follow-on to the Los Angeles class was the six-ship Oakland class of protected cruisers. They represented a significant advance over the older ships with a new design from the keel up. They not only had more hydrodynamic hulls, but carried their main armament entirely in twin turrets – but retained the triple shaft propulsion scheme of the Los Angeles’. Laid down between 1899 and 1901, the class consisted of Oakland, Chicago, Dearborn, Manchester, Cincinnati, and Warwick. Hull numbers ran from CR-19 to CR-24.

The Oakland class was 405 feet overall, with a beam of 60 feet and a nominal draft of 21 feet. They displaced 9,570 tons normal and 9,930 tons full load. Main armament consisted of eight 8”/40 Mk. 4 guns in four twin mounts; one forward, one in port and starboard wing positions, and one aft. Secondary guns were twelve 6”/45 Mk.8’s in casemate mounts with a tertiary battery of eight 4”/45” Mk.6 guns in open deck mounts. Torpedo armament consisted of two twin deck-mounted launchers for 18” torpedoes (with sixteen reload torpedoes in stowage bays inboard of the launchers). The Oakland’s were powered by three four-cylinder triple expansion engines producing 23,850 horsepower and driving these ships easily to their design speed of 22 knots. Range was 5,000 nautical miles. Armor comprised a 2” belt, 2” armored deck, 5” main turrets and barbettes, 4” casemates, and a 4” conning tower. Crew complement was 556.

The new protected cruisers (often referred to semi-officially as 1st Class Cruisers in the British fashion) entered service between 1902 and 1904. They served in both the Western Pacific War and the War of the Americas with USS Chicago (CR-20) sunk in the former and USS Dearborn (CA-21) lost during the latter. Re-classed as heavy cruisers (CA prefix – same hull numbers) in the massive USN reorganization of 1920, the surviving ships were deemed obsolete a mere ten years later. USS Oakland (CA-19), USS Manchester (CA-22), and USS Warwick (CA-24) were all scrapped beginning in 1933. USS Cincinnati (CA-23) was converted to a training ship in 1928 and renamed Stanford. She served in this role until early 1942 when she was decommissioned.

Bridgeport class (US):


The Bridgeport class was intended as larger, faster, better armed and protected versions of the Oakland class and was one of only a handful of US ship designs with more than four funnels – their five funnel arrangement giving them a distinct silhouette. They were also the largest class of cruisers built for the USN until the Astoria class of 1944. In all ten ships; Bridgeport, South Bend, Missoula, Kenosha, Omaha, Riverside, Sioux City, Lakewood, Ogden, and Meridian entered service between 1905 and 1908. Hull numbers ran from CR-25 to CR-34.

The Bridgeport class was 430 feet overall, with a beam of 60 feet and a nominal draft of 21 feet. They displaced 10,050 tons normal and 10,470 tons full load. Main armament consisted of eight of the new 8”/45 Mk.6 guns in four twin mounts arranged as in the Oakland class. Fourteen 6”/45 Mk.8’s in hull casements comprised the secondary battery while a tertiary battery of eight 4”/45” Mk.6 guns in open deck mounts and two twin 18” deck-mount torpedo launchers with 20 reloads completed the weapons suite.
The last US warships with triple-shaft propulsion as well as the last cruisers powered by triple expansion engines, the Bridgeport class was powered by three four-cylinder units producing 23,740 horsepower. Top speed remained 22 knots while range increased to 6,000 nautical miles. Armor protection consisted of a 3” belt, 2” armored deck, 5” main turrets and barbettes, 5” casemates, and a 4” conning tower. Crew averaged around 577.

The newest US cruisers in service during the Western Pacific War, the class was heavily involved in the fighting with two, USS South Bend (CR-26) and USS Omaha (CR-29) both sunk in 1906 – the same year they were commissioned. Two other members of the class; USS Kenosha (CR-28) and USS Sioux City (CR-31) were both lost in 1908 during the Second Battle of Hawaii. After the war, the surviving ships were re-classed as heavy cruisers in 1920 when modernized with oil-fired boilers and redesigned superstructures. Two; USS Riverside (CR-30), and USS Ogden (CR-33) were sold to Peru in 1915 and thus retained their original coal-fired boilers. USS Missoula (CA-27) was sunk by a Confederate submarine in 1925 but the remaining three ships survived the War of the Americas and continued in service until the early 1930’s when they were decommissioned. USS Meridian (CA-34) was the last to be taken out of service and was scrapped in 1935.

Spokane class (US):


Entering service between 1909 and 1910, the Spokane class was innovative in a number of ways. They were products of the Tallmadge Era of naval design and thus resembled their contemporaries, the Helena class of armored cruisers, featuring a hull with raised forecastle deck, tripod masts, and vastly improved uptakes and funnels for their turbine propulsion systems – another first for protected cruisers. In one particular feature, however, they blazed a trail for all US heavy ships to come. Their main armament of ten 8” turrets was two guns heavier than their predecessors, but was more significant for its arrangement – the single turret forward and two amidships turrets (this time mounted en echelon) was commonplace on US ships by this time, but the two aft turrets were arranged as a superfiring pair for the first time in naval history – an innovation soon to spread worldwide as the preferred turret configuration. Ordered during 1905, and laid down between 1906 and 1907, a total of eight ships entered service; Spokane, Wichita, New Rochelle, Erie, Fall River, Rochester, Elizabeth, and Hillsboro. Hull numbers ran from CR-35 to CR-42.

The Spokane class was 497 feet overall, with a beam of 61 feet and a nominal draft of 22 feet. They displaced 10,710 tons normal and 11,590 tons full load. Main armament consisted of ten 8”/45 Mk.6 guns in five twin mounts, while the secondary battery consisted of sixteen 4”/45 Mk.7 guns; ten in unarmored hull casemates and six in open-mounts in the superstructure. Like all US protected cruisers they carried an above deck torpedo battery – two twin launchers for Mk.11 18” torpedoes. Twenty-four reloads were carried.
Four Avondale direct-drive steam turbines drove four shafts producing a top speed of 26 knots from 43,230 shaft horsepower. This speed was often bested in service, however, with speeds of 27 knots or more not uncommon (for example, USS New Rochelle reached 27.6 knots in light-ship conditions in 1913). Range was an impressive 7,000 nautical miles. Armor was similar to the earlier Bridgeport class with the most significant improvements being a 2.5” armored deck and conning tower armor increased to 5”. Crew compliment rose to 605.

Entering service too late to serve in the Western Pacific War, the new cruisers were nevertheless a valuable addition to the peacetime fleet. Like their predecessors, the Spokane class was re-classed as heavy cruisers in 1920 and was converted to oil-burners beginning in late 1919. In an unusual move, two of the class; USS Fall River (CA-39) and USS Elizabeth (CA-41) were sold to Argentina to counter a build-up in heavy warships by Brazil. Three of the class; USS Wichita (CA-36), USS New Rochelle (CA-37), and USS Hillsboro (CA-42) were sunk during the War of the Americas – Wichita being lost during a gun-duel with the superdreadnought CSS Lafayette in the Caribbean in 1925 following the Confederate ship’s breakout from Mobile. USS Rochester (CA-40) survived the war and was donated to the city of Boston as a museum ship in 1930. The last active members of this class; USS Spokane (CA-35), and USS Erie (CA-38), remained in active service until 1935.

Next up: US Scout (Light) cruisers.

Cheers!
Stealthjester

Awesome! Glad to see you back in action!

_________________

MS State Guard - 08 March 2014 - 28 January 2023

The Official IJN Ships & Planes List

#FJB

As usual, top quality ships and top quality lore. It's good to see you back!

Greetings!

Lake Huron class (US):



Although the USN had undergone a dramatic transformation beginning with the Albany class of 1883 and by the beginning of the 20th Century had a navy fully the equal of any in Europe save Great Britain (and her emerging rival – Germany) a serious gap had developed in its fleet structure. Having always sought to counter any of the CSN’s design innovations the US had developed the protected cruiser quite differently than had happened elsewhere. Unlike true protected cruisers US ships had an armored belt and were armed with 8” guns while their Confederate rivals lacked an armor belt but also armed their ships with the 8” guns normally found on armored cruisers.
Thus in September of 1900 BuC&R issued a set of specifications for what would become the scout cruisers of the Lake Huron class. The new ships would sacrifice an armored belt and heavier guns for speed and range and were intended to serve in independent patrol and scouting missions for the main battle-fleet. Ordered in 1901, the keel for USS Lake Huron was laid down in the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard on March 5, 1902. When she commissioned in 1905, she was for the US Navy just as revolutionary as Dreadnought had been for the Royal Navy and indeed had sparked a “mini-arms race” with the CSN, who commissioned the similar Europa class a year later.
A total of six of this class were built; Lake Huron, Lake Champlain, Lake Vermilion, Lake Erie, Flathead Lake, and Lake Tahoe. Hull numbers ran from CS-1 to CS-6. In addition, two additional ships of this design; Libertad and Valiente, were built for the Armada Mexicana (Mexican Navy).

The Lake Huron class was 405 feet overall, with a beam of 40 feet and a nominal draft of 18 feet. They displaced 6,840 tons normal and 7,361 tons full load. Main armament consisted of twelve 6”/45 Mk.8 guns in a twin mount forward and aft and eight single casemates amidships. The secondary battery consisted of eight 3”/45 Mk.10 light anti-torpedo boat guns in open deck mounts, and finally, two twin 18” deck-mounted torpedo tubes with 12 reloads completed the armament suite.
The only scout (light) cruisers built for the US Navy with reciprocating engines, the Lake Huron class were twin-shaft powered by two three-cylinder triple expansion engines producing 23,100 horsepower which gave a design speed of 23 knots and a range of 6,000 nautical miles. Armor consisted of a 2” deck, 3” turrets and casemates, and a 3” conning tower. Crew numbered 432.

Commissioned between 1905 and 1906, the new scout cruisers were given their baptism of fire in the Western Pacific War with two of their number; USS Lake Champlain (CS-2) and USS Lake Erie (CS-4) lost in the conflict. After the war ended, the remaining four ships were scheduled to be modernized with oil-fired boilers among other improvements, but the work was postponed by the outbreak of the War of the Americas in 1923. During that war, two; USS Lake Huron (CS-1) and USS Flathead Lake (CS-5) were sunk – the latter in the Confederate air attack against the San Diego Naval Base in 1923. After the war ended in 1927, the last two surviving members of this class were kept in service postwar despite growing obsolescence, before being finally struck in the summer of 1938.

Lake Pend Oreille class (US):


Originally intended as a follow-on design to the Lake Huron class, the Lake Pend Oreille class was significantly redesigned and included a number of refinements – they were the first US cruisers of any type to be powered by steam turbines and the first to house their main armament entirely in turrets – in fact they had no casemate-mounted weapons – highly unusual for the period. A total of five of this class were built; Lake Pend Oreille, Pyramid Lake, Lake McConaughy, Lake Winnibigoshish, and Oneida Lake. Hull numbers ran from CS-7 to CS-11.
The Mexican Navy did consider having at least one ship built to this design, but in the end decided to take a pass until the more advanced Lake St. Clair class ships were available. The Mexican Admiralty was planning to replace the bulk of their cruiser force – which at the time was a rather eclectic collection of vessels – and standardize on one large class, replacing all the older ships save for the Libertad class – then under construction in the United States.

The Lake Pend Oreille class was 425 feet overall, with a beam of 45 feet and a nominal draft of 19 feet. They displaced 8,067 tons normal and 8,845 tons full load. Main armament consisted of twelve 6”/45 Mk.8 guns in six twin turrets – one forward, one aft, and two wing turrets to port and starboard. The secondary battery was twelve 3”/45 Mk.10 light anti-torpedo boat guns in open deck mounts, and again, two twin 18” deck-mounted torpedo tubes with 18 reload Mk.11 torpedoes were carried – however, the old deckhouse stowage system was abandoned in favor of the arrangement used by current US destroyers – under-deck stowage with a collapsible crane to hoist the torpedoes to the launchers.
Powered by Avondale direct-drive turbines, the new cruisers were quad-shaft and had a design speed of 25 knots at 35,130 shaft horsepower, while range increased to 6,500 nautical miles. Armor protection featured a 2.5” belt, 2” deck, 3” turrets, and a 3” conning tower. Crew complement was 489.

Commissioned between 1907 and 1908, the class was immediately sent into action during the Western Pacific War with USS Pyramid Lake (CS-8) lost only ten days before the crease-fire – she was, in fact, the last US warship sunk during the conflict. Postwar, the surviving ships were modernized with oil-fired boilers during 1921-22 and served throughout the War of the Americas. Two were lost during the war; USS Lake McConaughy (CS-9) in 1925 and USS Oneida Lake (CS-11) in 1924 – both sunk by Confederate submarines – which the CSN used to great effect until the massive Emergency Building Program instituted by the USN in early 1925 produced enough destroyers and frigates to counter them. After the War ended in 1927, the two surviving ships served as second-line units for another thirteen years before being retired in early 1940.

Cheers!
Stealthjester

Awesome work!

_________________

MS State Guard - 08 March 2014 - 28 January 2023

The Official IJN Ships & Planes List

#FJB

Lake St. Clair class (US):



The final group of “first generation” US scout (light) cruisers, the Lake St. Clair class was based on earlier designs but took advantage of contemporary naval architectural elements such as a raised forecastle and tripod foremast, as well as being better armed and protected, faster, and with greater range than their predecessors. The quest for greater speed in particular resulted in the new ships’ unique appearance – twenty boilers were required to power the turbines in order to reach the desired design speed of 27 knots, and these in turn required six funnels (and were the only US warships built to that configuration) in two groups of three – similar to some contemporary French cruiser designs.
A total of eight ships were built for the USN and an additional ship – NRM Valoroso – was built for the Mexican Navy to serve as a model for a large group of eleven sister-ships to be built in Mexico. The US ships were the Lake St. Clair, Lake Superior, Clear Lake, Seneca Lake, Lake Oahe, Lake of the Woods, Yellowstone Lake, and Lake Chelan. Hull numbers ran from CS-12 to CS-19. Of the twelve Valoroso class ships planned ten were completed, with two being cancelled due to lack of funding and were later broken up on the slipways. Hull numbers ran from C-22 to C-33 (the Mexican Navy did not differentiate between cruiser types until the late 1930’s).

The Lake St. Clair class was 440 feet overall, with a beam of 50 feet and a nominal draft of 19 feet. They displaced 9,190 tons normal and 9,985 tons full load. Main armament was identical to the preceding Lake Pend Oreille class save that the guns were newer 6”/45 Mk.9’s. The secondary battery consisted of twelve 4”/45 Mk.7 guns again mounted in armored hull casemates while the light battery was reduced to eight 3”/45 Mk.10’s in open deck-mounts. The new cruisers carried twice the number of torpedo tubes as earlier ships, arranged in four twin launchers; twenty-four reloads were carried.
Propelled by four direct-drive turbines producing 52,250 horsepower, the class routinely bested their design speed of 27 knots – for example, USS Seneca Lake (CS-15) reached 27.6 knots while on trials in 1910. Range improved as well, to 7,000 nautical miles. Armor consisted of a 3” belt, 2” deck, 3” turrets and casemates, and a 3” conning tower. Crew numbered 540.

Entering service between 1909 and 1910, the ships were re-classed as light cruisers (CL prefix – same hull numbers) in 1920 and were rebuilt with oil-fired boilers shortly before the outbreak of the War of the Americas. Seeing considerable action during the conflict, three; USS Clear Lake (CL-14), USS Lake Oahe (CL-16), and USS Lake of the Woods (CL-17) were sunk while USS Lake Superior (CL-13) was severely damaged in a collision with the cruiser USS Augusta (ACR-19) in 1927 and was still under repair when the war ended three months later – she was not returned to service and was scrapped beginning in 1928.
Bad luck followed the class postwar. In the summer of 1933 USS Yellowstone Lake (CL-18) was lost with all hands in a violent typhoon off the Philippines while the class ship was nearly lost to a grounding incident in 1936, although she was later re-floated and repaired. The remaining three ships served until 1941 when, thoroughly worn out, they were decommissioned and scrapped.

Next up: US destroyers

Cheers!
Stealthjester