Re: [GZG] Battlecruisers

[Ryan Gill <rmgill@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

At 12:14 AM +0100 12/25/06, Oerjan Ariander wrote:
> Sure they did; just like the USN called their 
> pocket battleship-equivalents "large cruisers" 
> rather than "battlecruisers". What they were 
> called by their builders doesn't change the fact 
> that the WW2 Scharnhorst and Gneisenau were 
> quite similar to the USN Alaskas in both 
> displacement and performance, contrary to your 
> above claim that "only the USN built ships like 
> that".

Except they had armor protecting them to the 
level of armament they had and the Alaskas are 
over twice as heavy displacement wise. The German 
pocket battleships were not armored in the same 
respect as their armament was significantly 
heavier than their armor protection.

An engagement between Alaska's and Deutschland's 
would have been entirely one sided. The Alaska's 
had more armor, more guns and more speed.

Though, pondering things, BC's would be, if not 
used for their primary commerce raiding or 
protection role or for their cruiser hunting 
counter recce role (in FT especially) would make 
excellent escorts for carriers. UP their PDS and 
ADS systems and otherwise use them in the ares 
between the carriers and the possible threats. 
This assumes if you actually have battles where 
the carriers are off separate from the battle 
line.


> From HazeGray.org

Alaska class large cruisers
Displacement: 34,253 tons full load
Dimensions: 808.5 x 91 x 32 feet/246.4 x 27.8 x 9.7 meters
Propulsion: Steam turbines, 8 600 psi boilers, 4 shafts, 150,000 shp, 33 knots
Crew: 1769
Armor: 5-9 inch belt, 3.8-4 inch deck, 11-13 inch 
barbettes, 5-12.8 inch turrets, 5-10.6 inch CT
Armament: 3 triple 12"/50cal, 6 dual 5"/38cal DP, 
14 dual 40 mm AA, 34 single 20 mm AA (CB 3-6: 15 
dual 40 mm AA, 4 twin 40 mm AA, 24 dual 20 mm AA)

Concept/Program: These are the most misunderstood 
of all US cruisers. Although often called 
"battlecruisers", they were truly an outgrowth of 
cruiser design. They were in effect "big 
cruisers", whereas battlecruisers were better 
considered "lightly armored battleships". The 
Alaskas were intended as cruiser-killers, to hunt 
down and destroy enemy 8"-gun cruisers engaged in 
commerce raiding. They were a response to the 
powerful 8" cruisers being built abroad, and the 
end of the arms limitation treaties allowed the 
design to grow without artificial limits.


Deutschland class raiding cruisers

Displ: 11,700 tons standard; 15,900-16,200 tons full load
Dim: 610 x 71 x 24 feet
Prop: 8 Diesels, 54,000 hp, 2 shafts, 28 knots
Crew: 619-1,150
Arm: 2 triple 11 inch, 8 single 5.9 inch, 3 dual 4.1/65,
       4 dual 37 mm, 6 20 mm, 8 21 inch TT (aw)
Armor: 2.25-3 inch belt, 1.5 inch deck, 3.25-5.5 inch turrets, 6 inch CT
        Designed as long range commerce raiders, powerful enough to sink
        anything they could not outrun and fast enough to outrun anything they
        could not sink, except for HMS Hood, Renown and Repulse.  Often classed
        as "pocket battleships"; officially listed as Panzerschiffe
        ("armored ships").  In reality they were raiding cruisers built to
        light cruiser standards and equipped with an exceptionally heavy main
        battery.
--
--
Ryan Gill              rmgill@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
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