Theemile wrote:David ( the author) has even commented on this and specifically said that the situation in 1920 is not the same as it was in 1905. Everyone was using variations of the same theme in 1905, since then the Manty tech advantage has made its construction quite different than the galactic "standard", and every other independant combatant in the Havenite sector wars have developed their own path.
My previous signature was from that post, quoting David saying that the SLN SDs were useless.
RedBaron wrote:TO ALL YOU LAZY PEOPLE WHO KEEP MAKING EXCUSES WHY THE SOLLY SD'S CAN'T/SHOULDN'T BE REFITTED....
Why were the Peep Wallers refitted by Grayson then instead of just being shoved into their sun?
Saying something can't be done, or that there's no point trying, only shows your own lack of intelligence.
MaxxQ wrote:I guess that means you are calling the author of this series lazy and that he lacks intelligence.
No one here has said that any modifications hertofore proposed for the SLN wallers CAN'T be done, or that there's no point to it. What most of us have been saying is that it is IMPRACTICAL to do anything like that. Grayson and Manticore are both trying to rebuild their infrastructure to build their OWN ships. They don't have the time, money, yard space, or manpower to waste modifying these tubs. They don't even have the manpower to ferry them elsewhere to get worked on by someone else.
And even Admiral Kingsford, the acting Chief of Naval Operations of the SLN, has said that the reserve of SLN SDs are
totally useless, in the new combat environment:
A Rising Thunder, Chapter 31 wrote:“Mr. Permanent Senior Undersecretary,” Kingsford said flatly, “any ‘additional fleet actions’ could only be one-sided massacres. Even assuming what Harrington said to Filareta in the recordings they’ve sent us represents a full statement of their capabilities, without holding any nasty tactical surprises in reserve, we simply can’t match them at this time. There probably hasn’t been this great an imbalance in combat power since the introduction of the machine-gun put an end to massed infantry assaults.”
Kolokoltsov’s eyes widened, despite himself, at the frankness of that response. It was refreshingly—and utterly—different from anything Rajampet had ever said.
“It’s really that bad?” he asked, curious to see how far are Kingsford would go.
“It’s probably worse than that, frankly, especially with Haven added to the equation,” the acting CNO said unflinchingly. “For all intents and purposes, the Reserve has just become several billion tons of scrap material. The superdreadnoughts we have mothballed are the wrong ships for this war, and I don’t see any way the existing hulls could be refitted to turn them into effective combatants.”
Boldface and underlined text is my emphasis.
If even the SLN--the navy with the most of these units (both in active status and in the reserve), as well as the navy that understands them the best and is best equipped with the knowledge, manpower, materials and equipment to refit them--is not willing to modernize them (considered a waste of money) and considers them unfit for use as they currently exist (both active and reserve units) in the new combat environment, they might just be right.
I realize that the SLN is considered primarily as a collection of idiots by most of the characters in the Honorverse in a position to properly judge it, but we (the readers) have seen a few individuals with functional brains, albeit mostly in lower level positions--which doesn't apply to Kingsford, he seems to be one of the very few exceptions to that rule by both possessing a functional brain (and willing to actually use it, when provided with information that doesn't fit into the preconceived notions of the SLN status quo) as well as being in a position to actually implement decisions (at the top of the SLN ranks).