Considerations about naval designs

I would think that after one or two battles that no other navy would engage them. The riverboats would be better at going to the heads of the rivers in order to sink the opposing fforces. They would better serve to show the flag. I would hope that they would be designed to be easily upgraded.

n7axw wrote:But it probably would make sense to develop a fleet of cruiser sized vessels for response and power projection purposes along with whatever the required coaling stations to fuel the fleet.

I'd be trying to go straight to oil, rather than building up a full coal infrastructure. (Remember that the UK had coal, rather than oil, and it looks like Old Charis has oil more than coal, and that oil avoids the stoker problem.)

Since one of the goals has to be the meta-goal of encouraging innovation and general development, I'd be trying to go to twenty-five knot steam turbine passenger liners, too; steel hulls, double bottom, hot showers and gas light and lots of nice fittings. If you know about bulbous bows and can cut reduction gears, you should be able to get a thousand passengers on one of those, and generally turn the mainland aristocrats green with envy.

But also help tie the island empire together and kick off the hull tech for serious freighters.

Graydon wrote:
Since one of the goals has to be the meta-goal of encouraging innovation and general development, I'd be trying to go to twenty-five knot steam turbine passenger liners, too; steel hulls, double bottom, hot showers and gas light and lots of nice fittings. If you know about bulbous bows and can cut reduction gears, you should be able to get a thousand passengers on one of those, and generally turn the mainland aristocrats green with envy.

But also help tie the island empire together and kick off the hull tech for serious freighters.

This idea is VERY important IMO. Creating a true nation state for the EoC means communication and commerce.

n7axw wrote:I agree that there is not much point in developing large warship design for the EOC further as long as there are no peers for the ICN on the horizon.

But it probably would make sense to develop a fleet of cruiser sized vessels for response and power projection purposes along with whatever the required coaling stations to fuel the fleet.

Don

Personally I think the greatest need at the moment is for a freighter and a destroyer.

1. The fleet needs a freighter that can keep up with the new steam powered warships. So a freighter design that is all steel is definitely needed. Also a freighter moving even at 15knots would be a hard target to catch for most current navies.

2. The fleet has a large amount of wooden vessels still. I would design a destroyer next to begin replacing the wooden hulled ships in the navy. Cruisers are great but a decent destroyer design would be light years ahead of any designs anyone else could put into the water.

Once Charis can convert to an all steel navy it will take the rest of Safehold years to catch up. During which Charis can reassert itself as the king of commerce. Moving cargo in steel freighters will make over seas trade even more profitable. Once the war is over Charis can start rebuilding its war chest with the profits from its high seas trade.

Jeroswen wrote:

n7axw wrote:I agree that there is not much point in developing large warship design for the EOC further as long as there are no peers for the ICN on the horizon.

But it probably would make sense to develop a fleet of cruiser sized vessels for response and power projection purposes along with whatever the required coaling stations to fuel the fleet.

Don

Personally I think the greatest need at the moment is for a freighter and a destroyer.

1. The fleet needs a freighter that can keep up with the new steam powered warships. So a freighter design that is all steel is definitely needed. Also a freighter moving even at 15knots would be a hard target to catch for most current navies.

2. The fleet has a large amount of wooden vessels still. I would design a destroyer next to begin replacing the wooden hulled ships in the navy. Cruisers are great but a decent destroyer design would be light years ahead of any designs anyone else could put into the water.

Once Charis can convert to an all steel navy it will take the rest of Safehold years to catch up. During which Charis can reassert itself as the king of commerce. Moving cargo in steel freighters will make over seas trade even more profitable. Once the war is over Charis can start rebuilding its war chest with the profits from its high seas trade.

A steam powered freighter that runs at 15 knots is the best part of uncatchable by the remaining navies of the world - all it has to do is turn upwind, and run and the Desnarians or the Trellheim pirates, or the Dohlarans basically watch here steam away.

Charis doesn't need to restore its war chest - it has the equivalent of 10 billion marks under the ground on Silverlode Island. I agree that a fleet of steam powered freighters would ensure that Charis will remain mistress of the seas for a very long time, especially since it appears that Dohlar and Desnair are about to be taken out of the war, and Harchong and the Temple Lands are naval jokes.

Jeroswen wrote:

n7axw wrote:I agree that there is not much point in developing large warship design for the EOC further as long as there are no peers for the ICN on the horizon.

But it probably would make sense to develop a fleet of cruiser sized vessels for response and power projection purposes along with whatever the required coaling stations to fuel the fleet.

Don

Personally I think the greatest need at the moment is for a freighter and a destroyer.

1. The fleet needs a freighter that can keep up with the new steam powered warships. So a freighter design that is all steel is definitely needed. Also a freighter moving even at 15knots would be a hard target to catch for most current navies.

2. The fleet has a large amount of wooden vessels still. I would design a destroyer next to begin replacing the wooden hulled ships in the navy. Cruisers are great but a decent destroyer design would be light years ahead of any designs anyone else could put into the water.

Once Charis can convert to an all steel navy it will take the rest of Safehold years to catch up. During which Charis can reassert itself as the king of commerce. Moving cargo in steel freighters will make over seas trade even more profitable. Once the war is over Charis can start rebuilding its war chest with the profits from its high seas trade.

1. Make a lot of sense, but it's so expensive, that for at least few years it doesn't make any sense to build, easier would be to just build wooden hull ships, but with steam power plants.
2. Destroyers are nice, but a good cruiser design is even better, it could do anything what destroyer could and even a few things which normal destroyer can't.
3. They don't need any steel hull ships, even iron hull would be sufficient to compete with Charis designs.
Also Charis is earning huge amounts of money from various fees and taxes, Silverlode Island is very big gold mine, but putting huge amounts of gold into your treasury at once will produce huge amounts of inflation.

Draken wrote:

n7axw wrote:I agree that there is not much point in developing large warship design for the EOC further as long as there are no peers for the ICN on the horizon.

But it probably would make sense to develop a fleet of cruiser sized vessels for response and power projection purposes along with whatever the required coaling stations to fuel the fleet.

Don

Jeroswen wrote:Personally I think the greatest need at the moment is for a freighter and a destroyer.

1. The fleet needs a freighter that can keep up with the new steam powered warships. So a freighter design that is all steel is definitely needed. Also a freighter moving even at 15knots would be a hard target to catch for most current navies.

2. The fleet has a large amount of wooden vessels still. I would design a destroyer next to begin replacing the wooden hulled ships in the navy. Cruisers are great but a decent destroyer design would be light years ahead of any designs anyone else could put into the water.

Once Charis can convert to an all steel navy it will take the rest of Safehold years to catch up. During which Charis can reassert itself as the king of commerce. Moving cargo in steel freighters will make over seas trade even more profitable. Once the war is over Charis can start rebuilding its war chest with the profits from its high seas trade.

1. Make a lot of sense, but it's so expensive, that for at least few years it doesn't make any sense to build, easier would be to just build wooden hull ships, but with steam power plants.
2. Destroyers are nice, but a good cruiser design is even better, it could do anything what destroyer could and even a few things which normal destroyer can't.
3. They don't need any steel hull ships, even iron hull would be sufficient to compete with Charis designs.
Also Charis is earning huge amounts of money from various fees and taxes, Silverlode Island is very big gold mine, but putting huge amounts of gold into your treasury at once will produce huge amounts of inflation.

I would hope that OWL's library has at least a few books on economic planning that would point out the dangers of pumping too much money into the economy too fast. In fact. I believe that we have textev that Ironhill is already aware of the dangers.

About ships design what about taking Fletcher class hull and redesigning it? We really don't need guns bigger than breech-loaded 120 mm with AP shells and some of HEAT and HE. Even armor of Fletcher would be hard to destroy for CoGA ships.
About dreadnoughts and battleships: KGV was bad design, but for Charis it would be very good, also Hood would be very good design for them. Nice looking ship, good for shoving a flag, going after privateers, escorting cargo ships and fighting in normal battles. Ship design which is needed ASAP is small gunboat for river and canal operations, by canal you can get anywhere in Haven and Howard, if we could squeeze into it sea going capabilities, even for shallow seas, like gulf between Howard and Haven.

Weird Harold wrote:

6L6 wrote:Steam powered ships require two sets of blowers, one to provide air for the boilers and another to supply ventilation to the engine spaces. Powering the blowers with hydrolic fluid would be a fire hazard if hit with a shell.

That would, of course, depend on what you use for hydraulic fluid and where you route the tubing.

FWIW, water is an excellent hydraulic fluid for most applications. It's only real problem is it's low boiling point.

And it's freezing point, as well. bearing in mind Safeholdian weather extremes.

chrisd wrote:

Weird Harold wrote:FWIW, water is an excellent hydraulic fluid for most applications. It's only real problem is it's low boiling point.

And it's freezing point, as well. bearing in mind Safeholdian weather extremes.

True. The point is that "Hydraulic Fluid" doesn't have to be flammable (or explosive when atomized by a pinhole and high pressure.)