Republic of Texas

Funny to see ships named after towns I drive through all the time, e.g. Corsicana, Giddings, etc.

Yeah. I was in Houston last weekend for a wedding and spent the rest of the time in Huntsville with my folks. Gotta find a way to get the more interesting names in there...Cut and Shoot...Needmore...Gunbarrel City...

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Redhorse

Current Projects:
Republic of Texas Navy
FD Scale F-14s

Colosseum wrote:

Funny to see ships named after towns I drive through all the time, e.g. Corsicana, Giddings, etc.

Yeah, just like how the Navy has this submarine named after this state I live in and drive through all the time

Here's a snapshot of the BB1 Austin Class as I continue to work on her (and her sister):

[ img ]

I just finished the hull, armor belt, anchor position, scuppers and portholes (to correspond with their compartments). Still have to add the screws, bilge keels, hand/footrails, and shading before it's complete.

Then we'll move on to the superstructure details - filling in the conning tower, funnel and uptakes, cage masts, 3" guns, doors, hatches, ship's boats, searchlights, radio aerials, running lights, cranes and derricks, etc.

This image is the flattened PNG of the PDN I use to build them. There's a layer for the Inboard Profile and Main Deck, each deck and platform down to the hold, and when I have sufficient detail, I start the Outboard profile.

With the outboard profile I use multiple layers to add details from the ship's centerline and work my way out. Doing that allows me to make changes easily without having to remember what items look like behind whatever obscures them. My top layer is usually the railings, since they are the farthest out on any deck.

There's also a color code for each compartment (which I don't always use for sake of time). Medium blue is for ship control and navigation spaces, red for gunnery and fire control, grey for machinery and propulsion, maroon for medical facilities, orange for radio and electronics, green for marines, light blue for accomodations, buff for stores, spares and supplies. I spend a lot of time studying available plans to mimic how designers in a given time period arranged their ships internally.

It's all done on Paint.net. But it's very hard to draw good ship's curves on it, which is the only thing I don't like. Too bad I can't use the set I've had since studying Naval Architecture at UNO (alcohol pens and laptop screens don't mix).

I usually only post the finished product, but thought ya'll might be interested in how I've been building these ships for the Republic. All of the all-steam and some of the sail-steam and all-sail ships were produced using this method. Smaller ships are harder, because every line you draw is 6 inches thick according to scale.

Austin's sister ship Houston will have different turrets, with an backstory to explain it when I get them both finished.

_________________
Redhorse

Current Projects:
Republic of Texas Navy
FD Scale F-14s

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Worklist

"If people never did silly things nothing intelligent would ever get done." ~Ludwig Wittgenstein

So 8 15" guns, I'd presume Vickers manufacture. Btw, thank you for using the new, redesigned turrets I drew for the QEs. This is looking really interesting.

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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

A BB at last! Can't wait until she's finished!

-Matt

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[ img ]

MS State Guard - 08 March 2014 - 28 January 2023

The Official IJN Ships & Planes List

#FJB

In 1911 the Republic of Texas Congress authorized the construction of two battleships to counter the acquisition of similar vessels by South American Navies. They were to be armed with the British 13.5" gun and armored against the 12" guns provided to those countries by the United States. Ironically, it was US shipbuilders who were awarded the construction contract, with armament and final fitting out to be completed by the Navy Yard in Galveston.

However, in 1916 as the Stephen F. Austin was nearing completion, the British balked at providing the required 13.5" guns, citing the demands of the world war as justification for refusing them. The Navy scrambled to find suitable replacement ordnance, and requested to purchase 14"/45 guns from the United States. The US deferred, refusing to provide their best available gun but offering the 12"/50 as an alternative. Texas declined, adamant that they would not use the gun their ship was designed to resist. Superiority was desired, not parity. A diplomatic solution finally prevailed; Texas would receive their 14" guns in exchange for permission to move US troops through Texas on their way to fight Villista rebels in Mexico.

The replacement guns presented several challenges. First, the Austin's turrets were nearly complete with machinery designed to handle 13.5" projectiles. This all had to be replaced or modified, and delayed her completion while the required changes were made. The dillema was a lesser concern for Austin's sister ship, the Houston, as construction on her turrets had not even begun. The delays postponed her delivery, and though she was to have been delivered in the summer of 1916, she was not in Texas waters until December, and the Houston arrived a few months later (having been completed on schedule).

The end result was two sister ships with slightly different appearances:
[ img ]

Austin's turrets are very British, while Houston's are decidedly American in appearance. Both ships would be plagued by problems with their handling equipment throughout their lives, but less so in the Houston as she required less alteration than the Austin. Both were fitted with flag facilities and were oil burners, and despite the problems with their guns were considered efficiently designed:

Displacement:
17,607 t light; 19,092 t standard; 20,029 t normal; 20,778 t full load

Dimensions: Length (overall / waterline) x beam x draught (normal/deep)
(520.00 ft / 520.00 ft) x 85.00 ft x (26.00 / 26.80 ft)
(158.50 m / 158.50 m) x 25.91 m x (7.92 / 8.17 m)

Armament:
8 - 14.00" / 356 mm 45.0 cal guns
16 - 6.00" / 152 mm 50.0 cal guns
8 - 3.00" / 76.2 mm 50.0 cal guns
Weight of broadside 13,013 lbs / 5,903 kg
Main Torpedoes
2 - 18.0" / 457 mm, 10.00 ft / 3.05 m torpedoes

Armour:
- Belts: Width (max) Length (avg) Height (avg)
Main: 12.0" / 305 mm 338.00 ft / 103.02 m 16.00 ft / 4.88 m
Ends: Unarmoured

- Gun armour: Face (max) Other gunhouse (avg) Barbette/hoist (max)
Main: 12.0" / 305 mm 3.00" / 76 mm 12.0" / 305 mm
2nd: 6.00" / 152 mm - 6.00" / 152 mm

- Armoured deck - single deck:
For and Aft decks: 1.50" / 38 mm

- Conning towers: Forward 12.00" / 305 mm, Aft 0.00" / 0 mm

Machinery:
Oil fired boilers, steam turbines,
Direct drive, 2 shafts, 48,237 shp / 35,985 Kw = 24.00 kts
Range 5,000nm at 12.00 kts

Complement:
841 - 1,094

Cost:
£2.020 million / $8.081 million

_________________
Redhorse

Current Projects:
Republic of Texas Navy
FD Scale F-14s

Impressive. Does she have two torpedo tubes or four total? The drawing seems to show one fore and one aft, for four total, while the Springsharp only shows two total.

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"If you want to have dinner with the Devil, make sure to bring a long spoon!"
The New Wolf's Shipyard
The New Wolf's Shipyard Forum

Very nice BBs. Just out of curiosity, why did Texas choose to go with British armament instead of just buying them from their US neighbors?

Keep up the good work.

Shipbucket

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