A Danish AU

And here she is armed with the rather feeble but historically accurate 47mm PK L/50.
They are a modified version of the Hotchkiss 47mm L/44 gun and they were invented in 1903.

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“Close” only counts with horseshoes, hand grenades, and tactical nuclear weapons.
That which does not kill me has made a grave tactical error

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Source Materiel is always welcome.

Still a little cutie...if ever a warship can so be termed...

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My Avatar:Петр Алексеевич Безобразов (Petr Alekseevich Bezobrazov), Вице-адмирал , царская ВМФ России(1845-1906) - I sign my drawings as Ari Saarinen

Thanks, I think.
Anyway I'm working on the turbine powered version, but I can't figure out how to make them visually distinct.
I could just change the text and the dates and say "whee this one has turbines", but that would be boring, so if anyone has an idea I'm all ears.

Ok, turbines are in need of relatively large ventilators, so, a deck house with vents, instead of the cowlings might be one idea. Also, I'd increase the height of the foremast, add a main mast, either equal in height or only slightly shorter and suspend an aerial between them. Those are simple, but yet distinguishing features in my mind!

I've gotten stuck on the two torpedoboats, so I thought I'd draw something else until inspiration hits again.
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Behold the No 17 class Self-Deploying Floating Batteries and the No 19 Sub-class.
As some of you might know the OTL RDN had some success with purpose built floating batteries in the Battle of Copenhagen.
Floating batteries had a number of advantages compared to normal ships, namely that they require smaller crew, less training, can mount heavier guns and (ironically) can command a wider swathe of water due to their ability to pivot with their four anchors.
Of course this only work in a defensive situation where the enemy can't outflank you. Another big disadvantage is that they take a bloody long time to deploy properly.
These ships, built in 1858, seek to get around some of those handicaps by mounting a small steam engine that allows it, as the name implies, to self deploy and redeploy in response to the movement of the battle.
I'll post a full backstory once I'm done typing it, but rest assured it'll explain most of your questions, amongst others why the No 19 is longer than the rest.
Anyway, in 1861 their main battery was replaced with rifles and in order utilize their full range the gun ports were modified.
[ img ]

Very interesting. Typical battery boats with a touch of the ironclad.

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That was the intent. The main source of inspiration was the French floating batteries from the Crimean War. I decided to use slanted armour because it would require less metal and thus reduce anti weight and cost, yet at the same time increase stability and provide cover against a taller oponent firing downwards from close range.

Inspiration struck, albeit not where I thought it would.
Anyway, so far armament consists of 5 150mm guns and 6 75mm HA/LA guns. 8mm MGs and 21" torpedoes will also make an appearance at some point and so will the by now ubiquitous mine rails.
Main mission is colonial patrolling and training during peace time and commerce raiding in wartime. As a result I plan for them to be ungodly fast and have seriously long range, hence the rather light armament.
Thought an suggestions are always welcome. Rotten tomatoes are not, but I'll take them anyway.

Originally the plans called for as many as eight, unfortunately they turned out to be more expensive than expected so the order was cut in half, leaving the RDN with a mere 3 light cruisers to cover colonies on both sides of the world.
This obviously wouldn't do, so as a stop-gap (That nearly ended up being permanent!) a number of old torpedo boats and other small craft were converted for colonial duty. In order to keep cost under control they were manned with Danish officers and senior ratings, the rest of the positions being taken up by locals.
Anyway, over the next decade or so several attempts were made at designing a cheaper cruiser, unfortunately all the designs that matched the requirements would break the budget rather brutally and the designs that didn't were to feeble to be a threat against the many threats that had matured since the Great War. The project was finally killed in 1930 when the full effect of the Wall Street Crash hit the Danish Economy. For three years design work was all but halted until the new Colonial Law was passed on the 5thJuly 1933.
The Law was one of the result of a number of reforms intended to get the economy back on course and it had many far reaching effects. (I'll get further into it later)
For the RDN it resulted in higher responsibilities in the colonies and for once they came with a matching pay-check.
Engineers who'd spent the last couple of year mostly on make work were recalled and put to work on a ship that would be at home in the ice and snow of Greenland, the heat of Africa, the humidity of Asia and India and the Hurricanes of the West Indies.
It was a daunting task and it's hardly surprising that the first couple of designs looked a lot like cruisers. However even with the extra funding the budget didn't stretch that far.
It was clear that new blood was needed to get the design team to looking in a new direction. The new blood was eventually found in Lieutenant Søren Kåreby's veins. He had joined the navy in '24 and spent four years on Greenland and one in the West Indies. In 1931 he'd been assigned to the Naval Yard for a stint in the design department.
Almost from day one he had started publishing a succession of designs to solve the "Cruiser Gap" as it had been named by then.
It was one of these designs that attracted his seniors to him and in December 1933 he was assigned to the design team.
After the initial resistance had been overcome (With some timely assistance from his superiors) designwork on what were to become the Sehested Class finally began and in February 1935 the final design was finally submitted for approval.
The contract was awarded five months later and the first steel was cut September.
Finally, after a torturous journey of more than a decade the first ship, the F1 Sehested was launched on a chilly morning in March 1936
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The story is still a rough draft and I'll clean it up on a later date.

Some progress on the cruiser.. I'd really like some feedback on this one, because cruisers really aren't my forte.

I'm giving you my feedback on my phone, so cannot help you except with words. I like the style sofar. It appears to be a handsome blend of British and German design elements. Sofar, as far as I can tell, you've got it right, but I'll look more closest it when home from work!

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