Kingdom of Grays Harbor

[Thiel]

Given the timeframe and the state of the kind of gunnery directors you could cram into a cruiser sized hull I'm not convinced 8" guns are a real upgrade.
Their practical range isn't really longer, their ammunition and stores takes up more space and you can fit less guns.

[Zephyr]

Yeah, it was just an idle thought. I would probably stuck with 6", but there was that "early morning, at work, and not enough coffee yet" idea bouncing around, and thought i would confirm the "yeah, bad idea" aspect of it.

[Thiel]

We all have our moments of weakness

[Zephyr]

little bit more done.
Made some changes in the catapult, moved it aft a bit and a single catapult midships.
removed the hanger complex.
ditched the pole mast
added main battery gun directors
relocated the prop shafts, and reduced props from 4 to 3
improved the galley

[Krakatoa]

I like the look of the Cordelia a lot now. Has a much sleeker look than before.

The thing that strikes me when I look at the ship is the chunkiness of the hull. There seems to be a lot of draught compared to freeboard. Not that that is bad, it just looks odd when I have been seeing a lot of US CL's in the Atlanta class Colo has been posting.

[Hood]

Can't help feeling you've got a tad too much draught and excessive freeboard given the placement of the portholes. Normally I'd aim for 16-17 pixels per deck in terms of height.

[Zephyr]

Can't help feeling you've got a tad too much draught and excessive freeboard given the placement of the portholes. Normally I'd aim for 16-17 pixels per deck in terms of height.

Yeah, 16-17 is normally my standard as well. I just used the mark 1 eyeball for those as a general guideline. Those will be changed to correct spacing prior to the next upload.

The draught, these class cruisers (like all my "scout" cruisers"), in my theory anyhow, have extra fuel bunkerage and stores stowage for extended operations, so the space is used for that, also giving better crew accommodations. I believe a deeper draught also gives better stability? They are not really designed for use with the fleet, but optimized for independent operations. All my Scout Cruisers were like that. Protected and 3rd Class cruisers were the ones who filled the traditional screening function for the fleet. Scouts were small classes, rarely more than 3-4 ships, and the classes were only built "as needed" to fulfill their mission, advanced intelligence gathering and monitoring enemy operations. This class was planned, authorized, and designed in the late teens as replacements for scouts built in the late 1890's, and as follow-ons to the Lilith Class of 1920-22. By the time they were laid down aircraft carriers and submarines had begun fulfilling that mission. The Cordelias were reclassified as Light Cruisers upon completion, and as they did have the extended range and accommodations they were primarily tasked as flagships for remote and colonial squadrons. Only 2 were built, with the third hull being converted to an aircraft carrier.

[Zephyr]

[Zephyr]

Something else I've been fiddling with when I need a break from cruisers. An early all big gun BB. 8 x 12" (2 x 2; 4 x 1)

very early stages so nothing is set in stone. Or steel.

[RegiaMarina1939]

Looking splendid, Zephyr!