Subs

I know seeing this header you think I'm nuts but think about the first ever sub the Huxley it was powered by a manual screw like the church is now using in its for want of a better description fast patrol boats. I know it had a shirt range but it could be carried on some sort of transport and used to hit shipping in 'safe' harbours

3353AndyRyan3353 wrote:I know seeing this header you think I'm nuts but think about the first ever sub the Huxley it was powered by a manual screw like the church is now using in its for want of a better description fast patrol boats. I know it had a shirt range but it could be carried on some sort of transport and used to hit shipping in 'safe' harbours

The CSS Hunley wasn't the first Sub, and it wasn't all that successful. It killed almost every crew to man it.

The Revolutionary War featured the Turtle. Less lethal to it's one-person crew, but also unsuccessful in combat use.

See http://www.history.com/this-day-in-hist ... ine-attack

Yes but between owl and merlin I'm sure the design could still be used

3353AndyRyan3353 wrote:Yes but between owl and merlin I'm sure the design could still be used

Why? Nobody knows exactly what sunk the CSS Hunley on her final mission, even after recovering the wreck and studying it for a decade or so.

Any number of people on Safehold could design and build something better than the CSS Hunley, even without knowing anything about the history of submarines on Earth. I doubt that anyone will, though. At least not for this war.

I don't know I think that as a use for attacking ships in port the sub's are ideal especially as torpedoes have now been developed the thing is due to range and seaworthiness only charis would really be able to use them effectively. Unloading from transports at sea travelling the last few miles underwater and striking at night. It would take a while for Thirsk to find a counter and I don't even know how effective anti sub nets would be due to materials available.

Well, it is technically possible to design more-or-less effective non-electric submarine. With some sort of chemical engine, it could even be really effective, I suppose. But I see no reason for Charis to do it at all, and frankly, I doubt that Dohlar or Church would be able to jump to working solutions that fast.

Unless, of course, the Church obtained their own high-tech adviser...

What would be the point of subs? Charis has already destroyed every other navy in the world except for Dohlar. And the KH's are getting ready to see to them. Furthermore several of the naval powers (Emerald, Tarot, and Corisande) Charis fought against early in the series have now been annexed into the empire so there is no danger of them rearming and fighting again. I don't see any need for developing subs.

Weird Harold wrote:

3353AndyRyan3353 wrote:Yes but between owl and merlin I'm sure the design could still be used

Why? Nobody knows exactly what sunk the CSS Hunley on her final mission, even after recovering the wreck and studying it for a decade or so.

Any number of people on Safehold could design and build something better than the CSS Hunley, even without knowing anything about the history of submarines on Earth. I doubt that anyone will, though. At least not for this war.

They have a pretty good idea about what sank it - a porthole in the forward conning tower had a hole in it. What is uncertain was whether it was one of the bullets being shot at it as it backed off or a result of the blast from the spar torpedo. Having ballast tanks open to the inside of the hull was also a bad idea as having the boat roll over would send it to the bottom with no hope of recovery (as the ballast pump was in the bottom of the ballast tanks).
That said a replica of a British K-class submarine would be possible with the described technology. (Oil fired Steam powered submarine - universally hated by its crews as being way too hot to be habitable (in the North Sea) but might work in Arctic waters (like round Zion)).

3353AndyRyan3353 wrote:I know seeing this header you think I'm nuts but think about the first ever sub the Huxley it was powered by a manual screw like the church is now using in its for want of a better description fast patrol boats. I know it had a shirt range but it could be carried on some sort of transport and used to hit shipping in 'safe' harbours

Technologically, I think it could work. Practically think there would be issues. The one that immediately came to mind is this - you've got some sort of transport to carry the sub. OK, I understand that. The transport needs to be protected by either ironclads or galleons while it gets relatively close to the (I assume) Dohlaran port - close because the sub will have to be "people powered". If the transport were guarded by ironclads (either a Haarhald or a City-class) then why wouldn't the ironclad just go ahead and shell the H##L out of the target itself? If the transport is protected by galleons the scenario is more plausible in my mind, but it seems unnecessarily complex in my mind to advance into a new area of technology when you don't need to! At this developmental period, just build some more ironclads with your limited resources and destroy the enemy "like a hammer on a slabnut."

WeberFan wrote:

3353AndyRyan3353 wrote:I know seeing this header you think I'm nuts but think about the first ever sub the Huxley it was powered by a manual screw like the church is now using in its for want of a better description fast patrol boats. I know it had a shirt range but it could be carried on some sort of transport and used to hit shipping in 'safe' harbours

Technologically, I think it could work. Practically think there would be issues. The one that immediately came to mind is this - you've got some sort of transport to carry the sub. OK, I understand that. The transport needs to be protected by either ironclads or galleons while it gets relatively close to the (I assume) Dohlaran port - close because the sub will have to be "people powered". If the transport were guarded by ironclads (either a Haarhald or a City-class) then why wouldn't the ironclad just go ahead and shell the H##L out of the target itself? If the transport is protected by galleons the scenario is more plausible in my mind, but it seems unnecessarily complex in my mind to advance into a new area of technology when you don't need to! At this developmental period, just build some more ironclads with your limited resources and destroy the enemy "like a hammer on a slabnut."

Or you could build a sub like the Surcouf and drop 8" shells from 30 miles out on Zion with complete surprise. (possibly in early spring)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_submarine_Surcouf