Shipbucket

Cassidy-class fast minelayer



The Cassidys were the natural evolution of the Cager class minelayers, with a larger hull more suited to minelaying - which also gave it better seakeeping and stability. Despite this, Cassidy was still top heavy due to her larger guns mounted high on the ship. While her engines were rated for 34 knots, for safety reasons her captains restricted it to under 30 due to excessive rolling when running at high seas.

Cassidy, Lennox & Fischl were primarily responsible for laying the West Gate minefield between Monmouth peninsula and Riverbank, in 1342. West Gate sealed off Antara's inner Tanomagne Sea from unwanted submarines, with few entrances known only to Antaran captains. While reports of enemy sinkings as a result of the minefield are dubious at best, seven friendlies are known to have deviated from the passages and struck mines, most of which were merchants. Other minefields laid include high traffic areas of Aspary Bay - next to Arcadia - as well as between Fergusan Bay and Sinclair City.

West Gate was cleared in 1351, however mines that were missed continued to result in fatal accidents until as late as 1394, resulting in 32 deaths and 9 sinkings of civilian craft.



Ships in Class

Cassidy - scrapped, 1358
Lennox - scrapped, 1354
Fischl - scrapped, 1346

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That's a nice design, looks very reasonable as a small minelayer.

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

Thx

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Kaika-class battleship



The Kaikas began construction in 1312 as a near clone of the Wesmere Effulgent class, which in turn was an upgunned counter to the Antaran Franklin I class battleships. Kaika and Akizora were built in Osoran shipyards, while Zaishi was built in Wesmere. These vessels were commissioned in 1317, 1318 and 1316, respectively. While not the first battleship built mostly in home shipyards, they were still a big undertaking at the time and Osoran shipbuilders failed to launch their vessels on schedule due to various troubles sourcing components and inefficient construction methods. This problem was largely rectified with time.

Kaika, Akizora and Zaishi formed the 3rd Battle Squadron which remained mostly unchanged for 20 years. The 3rd BATRON was present in both the Hang and Zang wars, which was largely uneventful for the squadron in particular who had 'missed out on the fun' of the opening days of the war. This streak of missing out continued in the World War, at least at first. The squadron was assigned to the 2nd Fleet (known as the Northern Fleet) which guarded the northern Scyllic waters from potential Antaran intrusion, and while this did occur in the form of the Etoko Islands Campaign, the squadron encountered mostly just air attacks and harrassment by submarines. Zaishi was struck by two torpedoes and was forced to return to home waters for repairs until early 1345.

In late 1344, as part of the navy's end game plan to break the Antaran Scyllic fleet, the 3rd Battle squadron would be reassigned to the 4th Fleet (South-Eastern Fleet) to counter an Antaran push while the 1st and 2nd Fleets drive east towards Tuscadia to finish off the Antarans. Kaika and Akizora fought in the confusing 2nd Battle of Balara. Both vessels were set ablaze by 5", 6" and/or 8" fire, both friendly and enemy, apparently. Both vessels lost their commanding officers, and Kaika was struck by a destroyer launched torpedo. According to reports from Akizora, she had fired on a 'large enemy cruiser or battleship for about 7 minutes and destroyed it', there were however no Antaran battleships present. It is likely the heavy cruiser Shiloh which was lost during the battle.

Kaika and Akizora returned to friendly waters for temporary repairs, and after further inspection of Kaika's torpedo damage, the battleship returned to home waters for proper repair. While Kaika awaited repairs outside in the bay beyond port, she was torpedoed and sunk by the submarine V-80 Anchorhill, who also went on to sink the carrier Akuryū, also awaiting entrance into drydock.

In early 1345, Zaishi returned to the 1st Fleet after finishing repairs and was assigned to the 5th Battle Squadron. Zaishi was crippled during the Battle of Tuscadia in March, and then mercy killed by submarine V-80, who had sunk Kaika a patrol earlier. In October 1345, Akizora sank a submarine that had surfaced as a result of being depth charged by escorting destroyers.

As both Zaishi and Kaika had been lost, Akizora was transferred to the 3rd Fleet and folded into the 4th Battle Squadron. The 1st, 3rd and what remained of the 4th Fleet partook in the Battle of the Danan Sea, where Akizora was lost during heavy combat.



Specifications

Displacement - 24 400 tonnes standard
Speed - 23 knots
Range - 8000nm at 14 knots
Main battery - 5xII 330mm/45
Secondary battery - 14xI 152mm/45, 6xII 120mm/45 (1334)
Armor - 305mm main belt, 105mm extended, 135mm upper belt, 76mm decks, 360mm barbettes/turret face/conning tower (as built)

Ships in class

Kaika - torpedoed in port, 1345
Akizora - sunk in surface action, 1346
Zaishi - sunk in surface action, 1345

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V-84 class fleet submarine



Largely identical to the V-78 class, the V-84s were originally intended to have an incremental improvement on artillery firepower by increasing the deck gun count to two 100mm guns and in semi-enclosed mounts which provided gun crews with weather protection. The mounts were shortlived for most boats as skippers feared the increased weight and drag would effect the vessel's underwater performance, and by the World War the changes were rolled backwards. Some captains on the other hand kept the mounts.

The class was made up of 15 boats, V-84 to V-99. Six were lost between 1342-1346.





Displacement - 1600 tonnes surfaced
Speed - 21 knots surfaced
Range - 11 000nm at 10 knots
Test depth - 80 meters
Torpedo armament - 6 forward, 4 aft, 24 torpedoes
Deck armament - 2xI 100mm/45 semi enclosed mounts (as built)

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Mayonaka-class destroyer



The Mayonakas were all commissioned in 1326 and were big leap from Great War destroyers in both displacement and firepower. Mayonaka grew to almost 1800 tonnes, up from 1400 of the last class. With this increased displacement came more space for guns and torpedoes, as well as speed. At the time of their construction, Osora saw only the Hangs and Zangs as a potential enemy, and range was not a factor that really needed to be considered.

Her torpedo armament was up to the standard of newer destroyers, and her artillery was no slouch either, so much so that she was a template for later ships. Despite her poor range and old age, the Mayonakas were the oldest destroyers to still be rated as 1st class destroyers and thus participated in a frontline role in the World War.

Akebono officially holds the honor of having torpedoed St Vandillo, an Antaran battleship, at the Battle of Tuscadia. Tasogare and Yūgure however were also involved in the torpedo attack against St Vandillo's battle line, but Akebono explicitly targeted the battleship. While Akebono's accolades are less impressive when put against Osora's top vessels, her commander, Captain Tadeo Furuya, was regarded as a disrespectful hot-head. Ironically this made him popular among subordinates. Furuya was known to lambast superiors whilst still maintaining a degree of professionalism to prevent him from getting punished.

This hot-headedness was born out of the overconfidence and aggression of the navy. Osora cut a swath through the Scyllic, and were mostly undefeated until 1345, where both the Antarans and Osorans had suffered their highest amount of casualties in the war. In combat this was further exemplified, Furuya expressed his displeasure with repeated tactics and formations that was sure to be picked up on. Furuya was also known for pioneering surface anti-aircraft formations in the war in order to counteract increased Antaran air presence. Despite the success afforded by innovation from Furuya and other officers, it wasn't enough. Captain Furuya was killed by a dive bombing run in 1347 in the Osoran home islands. The navy could not afford to repair Akebono and she was abandoned in dock.

The Damaged Akebono was to be repaired to sailing condition and sold to Hangzhou or Heryu, however neither country wanted the old destroyer. She was seized by the Antarans and sent to the shipbreaking yard in Haraburg, where she was abandoned as the company shutdown. Save for Akebono, no other Mayonaka survived the war.



Specifications

Displacement - 1760 tonnes standard
Speed - 38 knots
Range - 3200nm at 14 knots
Main battery - 1xII, 3xI 120mm/45
Torpedoes - 2xIII 610mm
Armor - 3mm splinter protection on gun shields

Ships in class

Mayonaka - torpedoed by submarine, 1343
Akebono - abandoned, 1349
Tōji - sunk in surface action, 1345
Yūgure - torpedoed by submarine, 1346
Tasogare - run aground, 1346
Geshi - sunk by aircraft, 1345

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PGR-21 class river gunboat



The PGR-21s, commissioned in 1333, were a unique class of riverine warships in two ways: they were designed by the navy but used by the army, and they were more heavily armoured than the navy's treaty cruisers. The class filled a special spot in Antaran military doctrine that arose from growing trends in the warfare unique to Antara's Western region, on her border with Ilyanora.

While inland seas gave the navy access to important coastal cities and choke points, there were a great deal many rivers that needed to be patrolled. While previous river gunboats could have done the job somewhat adequately, the military was worried by the prevalence aircraft and tanks began to play in war. This meant the 21s became one most heavily armoured river boats in the world, and we expected to come under fire from tanks, bombs and artillery from the shore.

Another threat that was only realized once the class had entered its design faze was naval incursion from the Ilyanorans. While the navy was already prospecting on the potential of mounting cruiser level artillery on the boat for shore bombardment, the naval threat further solidified the desire to install somewhat overkill weaponry on a river boat.

The artillery would be procured from the stocks of 8"/50 guns and mounts from the Cascadia class cruisers, who had swapped out their armament for the standardized 8"/55 gun. While the navy had plenty of guns in stock, the army wanted only six vessels and took the bill for the ships. The navy design went to the Bureau of Construction and Repair, who drew up the final plans and contracted the boats out to Riberton Naval Shipyard and Entarro State Shipyards.

When the World War erupted in June 1342, the six PGR-21s were at the forefront of the action. True to their design, no boats were sunk directly in naval combat or from fire from ground forces, rather half were sunk via sabotage, and one was boarded and captured, the ARS Lake Chimera. Chimera, was however sunk by 1000 pound bomb from an Antaran naval aircraft in February 1343. No monitors saw action against anything larger than torpedo boats or gunboats, with the exception of a destroyer which fled from combat.

When the boats were not offering fire support to ground forces along rivers, they were instead pounding coastlines meters from the shore. By the end of the war five gunboats were lost, the 5th by air attack (unrelated to Lake Chimera) in 1344.

Specifications

Tonnage - 2730 tonnes standard, 3050 tonnes full load
Speed - 15 knots
Range - 5000nm at 11 knots
Main battery - 1xII 203mm/50 Mk24
Secondary battery - 4xI 100mm/45, 2xI 152mm/45, various 12.7mm machine guns
Armor - 152mm main belt and conning tower, 100mm extended belt, 36mm deck amidships, 20mm fore and aft decks,
152mm turret face and barbettes, 100mm casemates
Complement - 215

Ships in class

Lake Anara - captured and ran aground, 1342
Lake Chimera - captured and sunk by aircraft, 1343
Lake Vissenu - destroyed by explosive charges, 1343
Lake Barton - sunk by aircraft, 1344
Lake Jinora - scrapped, 1348
Lake Rasmise - destroyed by explosive charges, 1342

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Lovely monitor! I especially like the fact, that you didn't go overboard with its main armament calibre.

Thx That was primarily due to the fact that it had to be a river monitor instead of a regular one. Maybe next time i'll do a coastal monitor instead.

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Updated the Empress Azura class battleships with post World War refits.

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