Real, but Fictional Ships

[Karle94]

Here's a thread for the ships I've been working on at, or around the same time as the WoWS ships, with some of the same ideas. Taking real (including never-built) ships and making an extended career around them.

Starting off with the Imperator Nikolai I (renamed Demokratiya by the new government) as completed in 1918:


Early Soviet days


Renamed to Karl Marx and fitted with a false bow


Rebuilt with an improved rake on the bow


I chose to keep the proposed version with the raised focsle. I am also currently working on a late 30s rebuild.

The Tashkent was historically sunk in 1942, but what if she hadn't?
Here she is in 42 with all the bells and whistles of the time (37mm AA guns and a twin mount for 76mm guns on her stern)


As refitted in 1944, with a pair of single 76mm mounts replacing the aftermost torpedo tube and gun shields added to the 37mm mounts.


As refitted in 45, with Lend-Lease British radar, and a snazzy paint job.


In the immediate post-war configuration, rebased to the Baltic, hence the blue paint-scheme.


As refitted in the early 50s, with all-Soviet radars, expanded foremast, the single 37mm and aft twin 76mm mounts replaced with the V-11 37mm twin mounts and repainted in the updated post-war colors.


Late 50s refit. Aft 37mm mount removed, updated the radars and added an air-search radar on foremast.


As seen in the early 60s. Nothing technical changes, only the paint job as she's rebased to the Far-East in preparation for transfer to the Chinese navy.


First overhaul in PLAN service, with a Chinese air-search radar added (forget the name)


Two twin HY-2 Silkworm launchers replacing the two remaining torpedo tubes, and four quad 57mm AA gund replacing all the 76 and 37mm mounts.


Aft portion rebuilt to facilitate the use of the M-1 Volna SAM system.


All 57mm mounts, and the #2 gun mount has been replaced with four 25mm AA guns, and the HQ-61B short-range SAM system. Fore 130mm gun mount has been replaced with a twin 100mm mount.


A fictional take on if the USSR had ordered the remaining three Tashkent class from Italian yards instead of trying (and failing) to build them in domestic yards. The three ships were then seized by the Regia Marina in 1940. All soviet systems have been replaced with corresponding Italian parts, such as single 37mm mounts, 135mm twin mounts, Italian torpedoes and launchers and an Italian director.
1941 double fish-bone camo.


1942 dazzle camo with fore and aft ends painted white.


1943 camo with ends painted grey and foremast rebuilt to accomodate the Gufo radar.


HMS Lion as completed in 1943.


HMS Lion serving with the BPF in 1945 with late-war electronics and AA suite. The aviation facilities have been removed and replaced with more boat stowage.


HMS Monarch, one of the last pair of Lion class was modified with additional fuel storage, extended splinter belt fore and aft of main belt. The shafts have been spaced further apart (as was done to the Vanguard,) a lesson learned from the sinking of the Prince of Wales. The bow has been lengthened, and raised to improve sea keeping. Ship is also completed without any aviation facilities, and have new masts to better fit the new electronics. The AA suite is quite advanced with the newest Bofors and Oerlikon mounts (40mm MkV and 20mm Boffin mounts.)


USS Kentucky and USS Illinois as completed post-war to the redesign as proposed by Adms King and Nimitz. Kentucky is completed in 46, and thus is equipped with standard late-war equipment. Illinois is completed the year after, and is completed with more modern gear, such as 3" guns replacing the 40mm mounts and more advanced radar.





USS Rhode Island, a fictional take on one of the Iowa class proposals armed with 9x18" guns. Depicted as completed in mid-late 42.


As depicted in 43 with improvements to AA and radar suite.


As depicted in 44 with Ms 32 dazzle camo.


As depicted in 45 with revised Ms 22 (#7 navy grey not yet available in the field, so replaced with 5-N navy grey)


As depicted post-war before deactivation due to her slow speed and cramped design.


Opposite side of the coin to the Rhode Island, the Connecticut is the faster Iowa prelim design with less armor, and smaller guns. Basically a lengthened South Darkota, or shortened Iowa, depending on if you're glass half-full, or half-empty.














Maybe later I'll do a Vietnam and 80s rebuild.

Here's a what-if the Norwegian Caribbean Cruise Lines was allowed to by the SS United States in 1976 and convert her into a cruise ship. Changes done mirror what was done to the historical SS Norway (former SS France) and a little hint of post-cruise conversion of the SS America.


After a rebuild that added two new decks.


Changes done to comply with new safety laws passed in 92 and 96 regarding small boats.

[emperor_andreas]

Awesome work on all these!

[Karle94]

Here's a second batch of ships for this thread.

Starting off with the Spanish:
The Asturias class was a large cruiser design drawn up by Ansaldo for Froncoist Spain. It has an armament of 8x203mm guns in twin mounts. It is large and fast with decent protection. Where this one differs from its real-life counterpart is the AA armament. I replaced the twin 90mm shielded mounts with the native Spanish 120mm twin enclosed mount and replaced all of the light and medium AA with German analogues.



The Aguila represents the first of the second pair of Spanish Littorio class ships. In contrast to the first pair, the single 120mm and the triple 152mm mounts have been replaced with twin 120mm DP mounts, and the German semi-automatic 37mm twin mounts have been replaced with the fully-automatic LM43 mounts and most of the 20mm single mounts have been replaced with quad 20mm mounts. The He-114 has replaced the old He-60. The Aguila also commissioned with German radar, unlike the previous two ships of the class.



Now on to the Regia Marina.
Here's a modified Impero serving as a test-bed for the succeeding class of battleship. What the Impero was supposed to test was the viability of the twin 135mm DP mount, and the single 65mm mount replacing the 37mm twin on larger ships. Otherwise, nothing else has been changed.



The Costanzo Ciano class was a class of 2, possibly 3-4 cruisers meant for oceanic operations, namely raiding the Atlantic for British and French merchant ships. The cruiser was to have mixed steam-diesel propulsion and armed with 9x152mm guns in three triple mounts. To disguise the true intent of the new cruiser class a "false" design was made that was an incremental improvement over the Abruzzi class, as such this false design has retained the mixed twin-triple 6" mounts of the previous cruiser design. The improvements come in the form of a 2m hull extension for increased fuel storage, replacing the 100mm Minizini mounts for the single 90mm stabilized mount, improved armor protection and being built with 20mm and 37 mounts whereas older cruisers had 13,2mm mounts begore being replaced with the 20mm.



With the changing tides in Europe Italy was caught in a precarious postition. It needed more ships and fast. Most of Italys' cruisers were designed for speed for dashing up and down the long Italian coast-line, but would easily be caught out in a fight againts many of its peers. To speed up the process the Ansaldo design for Spain was adapted to suit Italian needs. The triple 152mm mount replaced the twin 203mm mounts, and the stabilized 90mm mount was added. This resulted in the Amalfi class of four large cruisers.



This is the first ship of the batch that has no basis in a real or proposed design.
The Falco class represents what the future of Italian destroyer design might have been if there had been no WW2, or it all kicked off later. It has an enlarged Soldati class hull, and has an additional twin 120mm mount totalling 3 twin mounts, one fore and two superimposed aft. It has two triple torpedo launchers amidships, and has an increased AA battery consisting of twin 20mm and single 37mm mounts. The propulsion plant has been increased for higher speed (37kts) and the design has the unit layout of alternating boiler-engine room for increased survivability against torpedo hits. In total 10 ships of the class would be built.



Here's the first German ship, and the second completely fictional design. This represents a possible carrier conversion of the Gneisenau started in 1942 when she was damaged by bomb hits and historically went in for her conversion to 15" guns. She has the rebuilt bow, increasing her length to counteract the added weight. Overall her appearance has a striking resemblance to that of the Weser, as many of the conversions of pre-existing ships has a similar appearance. She has a single, almost full-length hangar deck, housing 30 aircraft; 20 BF-109 fighters and 10 JU-87 dive/torpedo bombers. She has a standard fit of 37mm C/30 and 20mm quad mounts.

[emperor_andreas]

Awesome drawings, all of them! And a Gneisenau carrier conversion would've been interesting! Certainly more valuable to the war effort!

[1143M]

Amazing and wonderful works！The highest praise！

[Karle94]

Here's a little play on some of the designs that would lead up to the Littorio, but it's actually the Littorio, or a slightly earlier version of her.

2x4 15" guns and 16x135mm guns:


3x3 15" guns and 12x135mm guns:


4x2 15" guns and 16x136mm guns:


Semi-real version of the 1936 version of the Littorio, but with the 1934 bulbous bow and 16x135mm guns:

[ptdockyard]

These Italian ships are beautiful. I would love to see what you could do with these from Stefano Sappino's site.

https://stefsap.wordpress.com/2015/10/1 ... engineers/

https://stefsap.wordpress.com/2015/10/1 ... engineers/

Dave G

The PT Dockyard

[BvonTeapot]

These Italian ships are beautiful. I would love to see what you could do with these from Stefano Sappino's site.

https://stefsap.wordpress.com/2015/10/1 ... engineers/

https://stefsap.wordpress.com/2015/10/1 ... engineers/

Dave G

The PT Dockyard

Interesting you mention those, as I currently have them as WIPs in my worklist. Will probably be a bit, but if Karle does not get to them first, I will have them out in a bit.

[Karle94]

I don't have any plans to do any of those designs.

[Karle94]

Here comes another wave for this thread.

Starting with the TA50, the Commandanti Margottini, the only one of the Commandanti class destroyer to be launched. As the name Torpedoboot Ausland denoted, this is if it had been vompleted by the Germans (and German-leaning Italians) with German equipment and general changes that were done to similar ships completed by the Germans.


This is my take on the destroyer Ålesund being completed after the war for Norwegian service with mostly British equipment.


The Combattere class is a redo of the Tashkent class in Italian service.

Battaglia in 1940:


Battaglia in 1941:


Combattere in 1940:


Combattere in 1941:


Combattere in 1942:


Combattere in 1943:


Guerriero in 1941:


Guerriero in 1942:


Guerriero in 1943:


Guerriero in 1944:


Guerriero in 1956: