Shipbucket

Yea, it is always nice to see "standard" destroyer type ships in AUs rather than all sort of super-destroyers...

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Shipbucket mainsite, aka "The Archive"
New AU project "Aravala"

I never have seen the appeal in the super destroyers myself with the possible exception of the Fantastique solely due to her speed. I've always felt the standard sized destroyers of under 2,500t were more effective on their displacement and also more could be built of them than the larger, usually flawed, designs.

The next class after these which I'm also working on is kinda similar to Germany's type 1934 destroyers albeit a bit smaller and using more conventional power plants.

Also got another submarine and a few more MTBs as well as another merchant type in the works in various stages of construction.

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"The first rule is not to lose; The second rule is not to forget the first rule"

I like her.

Super DD's have their place as DDL's, but their sheer expense means you can't built too many of them. And _everybody_ needs lots of DD's.

Can never have too many DDs, don't want to be in a situation like the RN found itself in at the outbreak of war. It had too few strong destroyers to spread throughout its entire operation. Sierans navy is a lot smaller but still has a large fleet of destroyers as well as MTBs and an ever growing fleet of submarines.

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"The first rule is not to lose; The second rule is not to forget the first rule"

Nice drawing. I'll be much happier when I see a credit though

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Jabba's Worklist

Oh whoops I thought I had already. F5 for new version

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"The first rule is not to lose; The second rule is not to forget the first rule"

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Jabba's Worklist

Hehe, I swear I had that layer made visible in GIMP, ah well. The new version still is a bit confusing. I'll get there eventually though.

I used the Bourrasque as a ref as though I'm not a fan of her funnels or bridge, that hull is just perfect appearance wise.

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"The first rule is not to lose; The second rule is not to forget the first rule"

Here's the latest drawing I've completed (or rather modified from one of my previous drawings), the R class submarine;



Constructed during the late 1920s and early 1930s, the R class were for most of the interwar years the largest SRN submarines in service. They had been designed to be true oceangoing vessels unlike their predecessors the E I and E II types which were little more than coastal craft with their limited range. As resources at the time of their development were spread thin due to numerous other projects being undertaken as a part of the 1928 Fleet Plan, it was decided to modify the basic E II and stretch it to allow for increased fuel and battery space as well as slightly more space for the crew (albeit still very cramped even by submarine standards).

Most of the subs design was common between vessels to minimize the resources needed to produce the new type. The same standard 3 inch deck gun and twin 20mm AA gun were retained along with the standard 4 torpedo tubes forward and single aft with a single reload for each. The R was also equipped to carry two additional torpedoes in the fairing behind the conning tower. This was less than satisfactory in practice however as the collapsible derrick was found to be prone to damage and the torpedoes hard to load into the main hull. Mines could also be stored in the casing.

The early production versions suffered from poor ventilation, fumes posing a hazard in the boats hull even when all hatches were open on the surface. Special valves and ducting had to be designed along the port side of the tower in an effort to force more air through the boat on the surface however the problem was never completely solved. The boats were found to have a poor dive time as well with air frequently being trapped under the deck casing. Later models had a grate decking and increased free flood holes which helped improve the situation somewhat.

Performance overall was less on the surface than their E II predecessors though they did prove to be more steady in a swell. Underwater performance was found to be sluggish but was considered acceptable at the time. Underwater endurance was 4 hours at 7 knots or 19 hours at 2 knots (with the 'creep' motors engaged). On the surface the class averaged 17-18 knots though 21 knots was recorded by R-75 'Ryba' during trials. Range was also vastly improved from their fore bearers with a range of 8,000nm at 17 knots and further at cruise standard speed of 12 knots.

Despite their flaws, the R class were overall considered good boats and served the SRN well through the interwar years and into WW2 even after their more capable replacements had entered service.

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"The first rule is not to lose; The second rule is not to forget the first rule"

Good work on one of the most interesting AU threads! Keep it up!