Alternate Eendracht Class light cruiser

[JSB]

I agree not he best looking ship (not the drawings fault) but just think how easily it would beat any WW2 (or earlier) cruiser (and how powerful the AA fit is v any ship only 10 years older)

Then again how much do 2 of them cost v a cheap CV may not be worth it ? (and SAMs will be the cool next thing in 10 more years)

[Dmitri97]

You said it yourself "quite awesome, but quite ugly". Yeesh that massive block superstructure really kills the looks. Question, was there ever a proposal for a triple 152? Only 6 guns just seems a tad weak for the size

[acelanceloet]

JSB, I agree, her battle potential is not bad at all, even when comparing her with ships in service next to her (compare for example with the belfast or maybe even the tiger)

as for the cost, we know that the dutch build 2 ships with the same background story but an slightly different design in real life. as one of these ships is currently still in service (although not for the Dutch) I will say, in hindsight, that it was money well spend . As for SAMs 10 years later...... look up the real ship and maybe I have an surprise in store as well

Dmitri97, There was an proposal for tripple 152...... the drawing on top of the page was even armed with them.
IRL, the Eendracht class had 2 twin turrets and 2 tripples. in rebuild (comissioned 1953) the ship had 4 twin turrets. The tripple turret was build (it was used on the Tre Kronor class when the turrets for the Eendracht could not be delivered in the Netherlands) but of the modern turrets fitted postwar to the ships, there were only twins. due to the more modern design being heavier then the original (they had higher elevation and better fire control, for example) , I had to make the choice: decrease the heavy gun battery or decrease the AA battery. With the reserve weight gained by that I was able to add 2 more 57mm's and heighten the middle turret (for better forward arcs).
While 8 guns would be better (as the real ship got) in this case it was a choice to be made because this would not have been a clean sheet design.

As for the massive superstructure: no way to avoid that. The entire upper deck is filled with fire control equipment (this area is the same size as that on the original eendracht) the only big difference being that the funnel and mast are behind the superstructure instead of being part of it. I think however that the masts and funnel position have a lot more to do with bad looks, making the ship looking a bit unbalanced.

[Hood]

It's interesting to compare this to the historical rebuild, and with the AU version.
I agree with you, its probably the funnel layout that's affecting the looks, she does look less balanced now. On the other hand, who said it has to be good looking?
Overall it looks a very powerful cruiser, more than a match for anything in European waters.

[acelanceloet]

and there we go, the last drawing of this series.

in the postwar years, the threat on the Dutch fleet changed. supersonic anti-ship missiles could no longer be repelled by the AA fit as fitted on board the cruisers, so an new anti-air weapon system was required. the USA made a deal with the Dutch: the Mk 10 GMLS and the missiles would be paid by the US government, but the modifications done to the ships were to be paid by the RNLN. The Zeven Provinciën was first in line to get this new weapon system. cuts on defence spending, higher then expected costs of the reconstruction and the costs of an new maritime patrol aircraft made that no money was available for the second cruiser to be converted.

her armament consists of:
1*Mk 10 Mod 1 GMLS for RIM-2C Terrier Missiles
2*2 152mm/53 Bofors M42
5*2 57mm/60 Bofors M50
4*1 40mm/60 Bofors #6

[Hood]

Looks even uglier now! The forward superstructure looks very bare.

[Novice]

Good thing that this ship was never built, its so ugly...
A very good drawing, though.