Well, with school having wound down, and summer already here, I decided that it would be a good time to continue the Centennial AU, and maybe get around to the United States of the Pacific AU if I get a chance. So finally, with a new PC, I got Springsharp up and running. I went into some prewar designs and strategies, all based on Centennia attempting to return to a "neutral" international state, but returning to maintaining a strong offensive capability.
After the armistice, Centennia still had a great number of ships being built. Many destroyers were sold off to South American navies trying to catch up to the international standards of the time. Centennia was exempt from the resulting Washington Naval Treaty, which put limits on the tonnage and caliber of the great navies of the world (These are broken early on in this AU). Centennial propaganda and patriotism from the war wore off quickly as life returned to peacetime industry. The Army was quickly streamlined relegated to Home Guard duty, with the Navy and Air Force returning from potent offensive forces to almost completely dedicated defensive forces. For a decade, the only ships being built for the Centennial Navy were economical ships that could be built in quantity, all to serve as escorts for merchant vessels. The Navy decommissioned all but 5 capital ships and 8 cruisers (but kept 7 of the Winchester/New Rotterdams and 12 cruisers in mothballs). Conroy remained the hub of Naval activity, and constant expansion projects helped increase trade capacity, namely with the factories of the United States of America and Britain. Small sectors of Conroy were leased to these two nations, allowing collaborations in military tactics and designs. The early 30's were unchanged for Centennia even as the global economy began to dive. However, by the mid-1930's, the nation began to feel the effects of slow trade. As Japan began its conquests in the Far East, the Centennial assets at Formosa, Indonesia, Hong Kong, and the Philippines came under threat. The Army was mobilized, as 12 Battalions prepared for deployment to the Pacific to augment the 4 Battalions of Centennial Marines already stationed there. Within a week, the Army and Navy had reached the conclusion that in order to move the battalions quickly, standard Navy transports were too slow, old, and could carry too few troops at a time. Japanese forces had reached resources in China that were vital to the operation of the Centennial outposts in Formosa and Hong Kong. The Navy commissioned the construction of 3 large cruisers and 3 medium, armored carriers, as well as 8 light cruisers and two-dozen destroyers in order to modernize and globalize the capability of the fleet. Along with them, 3 new transports were designed, all optimized for the possibility of having to assault an area with limited port facilities. For assaulting an area with port facilities, the Navy purchased the incomplete SS Bretagne, whose construction had been stalled just weeks before being fitted out for her commissioning into the Compagnie Generale Transatlantique as the larger sister to the SS Normandie. They also commissioned the building of a similar vessel, except with a central cargo space and a pair of loading ramps built into each side of the hull. Centennia's projects were almost all completed by the beginning of hostilities between Germany and the United Kingdom and France. The Army and Air Force were similarly modernized to achieve a strong offensive push when needed. But even with the offensive fleet, Centennia opted to remain neutral with the USP and USA. The Navy was then divided into two groups. The Global Squadron took on control of the capital ships, cruisers, and vessels associated with Centennia's ability to project its power on foreign lands and protect distant Centennial interests and convoys. The Littoral Squadron took on the task of protecting and controlling the waters within a 400 mile radius of Centennia, as well as providing transports for the Army and Marines during expeditionary operations. Centennia became the hub of the Battle of the Atlantic during the war. It was also hit by many airstrikes from German and Vichy carriers during the height of the war. Centennia also provided great aid in fending off Japanese attacks in the USP, and later participated in the drive to liberate the Pacific. During the war, Centennia was productive in its shipbuilding industry, not only producing a sizable number of vessels, but in building some of the most powerful vessels in the world, as well as coming up with plausible designs for even more ships. It also made great advances in aviation technology. The US-based Platt-LePage aviation developers found great success with Centennial funding, creating and monopolizing the production of an entirely new type of aircraft. Centennia proved to be a powerhouse in the fight against both Japan and Germany, and it provided invaluable resources in order the success of the Allies during the war finally many years later.
Anyway, I have some Springsharp files ready for that prewar escort fleet. Those will be up at a later date.
But for now, All I've had time to do is the revolutionary aircraft by Platt-LePage:
I'm open to suggestions for a new name...
TV-1A ___________:
Capacity:
14 Troops
~2.5 tons
Speed:
176 mph