Embiggened Cruiser Challenge

[kirk7070]

Dahuang-class Battlecruiser



In the mid-1930s, in response to the threat posed by "pocket battleships," the YRN (Navy of Yan Republic) deemed it essential to develop a specialized embiggened cruiser. At the time, the naval treaties were still in effect, the modernization of the outdated World War I-era battlecruisers remained incomplete, and the limited number of high-speed treaty battleships was insufficient to counter the potent threat that pocket battleships posed to maritime supply lines. Moreover, the YRN was keen on leveraging the capabilities of this new vessel to disrupt enemy shipping lanes. The overall design specifications for the battlecruiser were as follows:

• Armor capable of withstanding the primary armament of pocket battleships.

• A top speed of 33 knots, adequate for pursuing treaty cruisers.

• Main armament featuring the 305mm main gun caliber from older battlecruisers.

• Extended range, ensuring over 12,000 nautical miles at cruising speed.

• Construction should not require the 220-meter slipways designated for battleships and aircraft carriers.

In terms of design, the power unit of this class of battlecruiser features 4-shaft steam turbines with 12 boilers, 138,000 horsepower in total, along with a unique tiered secondary arrangement (155mm and 105mm), which is relatively uncommon in YRN cruiser designs.

The de facto invalidation of the naval treaties enabled the construction of this class of battlecruisers to proceed. The navy secured the budget to build two such vessels, naming them Dahuang (大荒) — an important agricultural city — and Pingye (平野), its sister city.

The keel of the lead ship, YRN Dahuang, was laid down in Dec 1937, and launched in Nov 1939. Due to the length limitation of the dry dock, the bow section was installed after the completion of the main hull during the construction process. The onset of war expedited the construction process, which also led to the construction plans for subsequent ships being redirected towards the construction of the new batch of 2 high-speed battleships. YRN Dahuang was commissioned into service in Feb 1941. Thereafter, YRN Dahuang participated in numerous combat operations during World War II, primarily providing escort for aircraft carriers and offering artillery support for land operations. Her sister ship, YRN Pingye, engaged in a series of naval battles around the Pancaro Islands, where she demonstrated overwhelming superiority over treaty cruisers during night engagements. Despite their extensive service, however, neither of the two Dahuang-class battlecruisers ever encountered their anticipated adversaries — the pocket battleships — in actual combat. Both ships were decommissioned in 1953 and 1954, respectively, and were subsequently broken up in the 1960s.

Specifications (YRN Dahuang in 1945), evaluated by SpringSharp:
Displacement: 21,765 tons (standard); 26,473 tons (full load)
Dimensions: length 215.0 m; beam 24.7 m; draught 8.3 m
Propulsion: 4-shaft steam turbines, double-reduction gearing, 12 boilers with 138,000 horsepower
Speed: 33.10 knots maximum
Endurance: 14,000 nmi at 14 knots
Armament:
6 x 305mm/50 caliber main guns in triple-mount
6 x 155mm/55 caliber secondary guns in triple-mount
12 x 105mm/50 caliber secondary dual-purpose guns in twin-mount
50 x 40mm/65 caliber AA guns
26 x 25mm/60 caliber AA guns
Armor:
Belt: 220mm/12°
Deck: 25mm + 85mm
Main Turrets: 305mm face, 160mm side
Conning Tower: 220mm

[RAIDER1_1]

Mythical Beast class Battlecruiser/Supercruiser/Cruiser Killer

Lead ship of the class A12 Hydra (έδρα)


Lore
-Immediately after the battles of the teleportation, the discussion about the transformation of the Royal Hellenic Navy was a hot debate. The presence of the natives' naval forces with capital ships, and especially battleships, armed with 12 in. weapons or of similar caliber, raised for many the need of developing equally powerful ships, able to take them down. However, neither the shipbuilding industry nor the artillery manufacturing industry of the time had such abilities, and thus for quite a long time Greece stayed with the light cruisers that were part of the Fleet. Instead, the significant presence of the Naval Aviation would give a strong deterrent, driving from the experience granted from WW2. As the years passed, the industrial abilities, especially in the shipbuilding industry, advanced and after 1970 they accelerated in copying vital systems, like the Mk37 director, the current naval radars available and the main gun directors.

After the 1975 war with Konsenia, the building of cruisers came up in the surface again, now with the form of two Cruiser Squadrons with four ships each, one battlecruiser, one heavy cruiser and two light cruisers. The heavy cruiser, however, was not to be following the norm, because the role it would have was to hunt and kill enemy armoured cruisers, thus the need was for main guns more powerful than the existing 8 in. Also, the ship had to be well armoured, so as to counter enemy capital ships, but small enough to operate safely in the waters of East Mediterranean Sea. Vickers developed a radically redesigned Dido class ship, with an enlarged hull to accomodate turrets for big cannons, better armour partition along the hull and high speed. The result would be a 217m long hull and with 28.800 tons standard displacement (33.200 tons deep load), with three twin turrets of 12 in. L50 cannons, based on existing drawings available in Royal Ordnance, and eight twin turrets with 5.25 in. cannons, which were the selected DP cannnon after a quite lenghty procedure.The engines were similar of the typical Royal Navy cruiser engines, with eight boilers and four steam turbines for 150.000 shaft horse power, driving two screws, giving the ship speed of 33.5 knots. With 9 in. main belt armour, 11 - 13 in. on the barbettes and 4 in. armoured deck armour, it was quite well armoured and capable to outpace and outgun every opponent in the East Mediterranean Sea, thus fitting in the offensive doctrine that the Greek captains preferred for their ship to hit enemy capital assets with their powerful guns at long range and then invading into the disrupted enemy formation and striking with their powerful secondaries from close distance. A powerful anti-aircraft armament concluded the weapon suit, with ten quadruple 40 mm autocannons and a vast number of the new 15 mm BESA HMG/ autocannons in double and triple mounts along the ship.

Two ships were ordered and constructed, one for each of the Battle Groups, RHS A12 Hydra (Α12 Ύδρα) and RHS A13 Leviathan (Α13 Λεβιάθαν). The build started in 1979 in Elefsina Shipyards and they were completed in May 1981 for RHS Hydra and August of that year for RHS Leviathan. The sea trials were completed in June 1982, when they were both commissioned. They enjoyed a relatively quiet carreer, though, as so powerful of ships were not posed in the Mediterranean until very late. RHS Hydra participated in the incursions that were part of the Constitutinal Crisis in 1991, while RHS Leviathan was part of the Southern Battle Group during the battle of Kos against Ingonia in 1993, where her performance was exceptional, receiving a Medal of Honour. They were decommissioned in 2020, after the change of the naval doctrine, with a good service of over 30 years, bearing the flag around the Mediterranean and protecting the country with exceptional results.
(AU owned by nikoszaxarias from Discord and has altered technology development dates)

Specifications
Displacement - 28,800 t~33,200 t (standard tons)
Length - 217 m
Width - 29.5 m
Draft - 7.3 m~8.7 m
Speed - 33.5 knots
Armament -
•6x 305 mm [BL12inch Mark 14 L50]
•16x 133 mm [QF 5.25inch mark8 RHN]
•40x 40 mm Bofors L60
•66x 15 mm Besa HMG M3p
•32x 15 mm Besa HMG M2p
Armor -
•Deck: 4 inches
•Belt: 9 inches
•Barbette: 11~13 inches
Propulsion - 8 marine boilers (150,000 hp), 4 steam pipes, 4 screws

[maxwell john]

Buyskes Class Super-Cruiser

Created in the 1930s, the Dutch government wanted a cruiser to patrol its pacific colonies. However, following the Fall of the Netherlands and a very daring act of resistance, the hull was brought across the Channel and fitted with available British equiptment. This was then brough into service in the Pacific, joining the Free Dutch navy and working alongside the Australian navy, until the Netherlands were liberated.

Seen here on its way to the Pacific:
3x 12 inch guns
2x 2 5.2 inch guns
2x 2 40 mm bofors
6x 20 mm oerlikons

3x Seaplanes

[waff]

It's been so long that I forgot mostly what this was meant to be. .

Asahi, formerly hull number 797, was a large cruiser ordered by the IJN during WW2, commissioned in 1945. After the war ended, 797 was transferred to the new People's Republic of Hokkaido and commissioned as Asahi. She was upgraded with assistance of the USSR in the 1950s, before being sunk off the eastern coast of North Korea during the Second Korean War in 1965.

[VC_]

Wolpertinger 1590 (OTL 1940)

The Transcollinian Navy was somewhat blindsided by the the 4th International Naval Construction Conference (INCC) of 1585 (OTL 1935). Despite their vocal objections to Irvennia refitting otherwise obsolete battlecruisers into large "cruiser killers", the solution agreed upon was an exception clause in the treaty allowing other signatories limited construction in response.

Several Transcollinian Admirals complained that such a ship would be an unsatisfactory mix of cruiser and battleship features that would be expensive and tactically useless. The head of the Construction Department joked that such a ship would be "ein wolpertinger", referencing local folklore of a creature that was a mix of different animal parts. Nevertheless, the need to have an answer to Irvennia's large cruisers without taking up capital ship allocation (or wasting the treaty exception clause) eventually won out and a design was prepared.

The design strived in good faith to conform to the target 25,000 standard displacement treaty limit, though the lapse of the treaties by the time of its completion meant some overgrowth was ignored. Weight was saved by using a stepped hull with two turrets aft, reducing topweight in the process. Although the treaty allowed 30.5cm guns, 28cm were chosen because the weapon was already being developed for an abortive export bid, and because the slight weight saving would allow 9 barrels. Secondary armament was somewhat sparse, being the same as previous (much smaller) cruisers at eight 12.8cm DP guns and four triple torpedo tubes. Armour followed the "all or nothing" principle, with a main belt 180mm thick and a main deck 80mm thick covering all machinery and magazine spaces. Machinery produced 150,000 SHP for a design speed of 32 knots, allowing her to outrun any Irvennian battlecruisers.

Two ships were ordered, with the lead taking the (initially joke) name "Wolpertinger". Laid down in 1586 (OTL 1936), she commissioned in 1589 (OTL 1939). That year, Transcollinia was bound by secret alliance to declare war on Irvennia, but the Navy did not pursue the task with much enthusiasm, losing the chance for initiative at sea. Ironically, the Wolpertinger became one of Transcollinia's busiest and most useful ships in the early stage of the war. Being the largest and most powerful unit allowed tactical freedom to operate while the main fleet was held back, she skirmished frequently with Irvennian cruiser forces.

[frankfletcher_1]

Constitution-Class Large Cruiser


Displacement:
23,300 tons standard, 27,800 full load

Dimensions:
Length: 787 feet
Beam: 78.5 feet
Draught: 27 feet

Armament:
4x2 12"/50 caliber Mk. 8
6x2 5"/38 caliber Mk. 32 Mod. 4
7x4, 4x2 40mm/56.3 Bofors Mk. 1
32x1 20mm/70 Oerlikon Mk. 2
3x OS2U Kingfisher

Armor:
203mm main belt, 102mm ends, 76mm upper belt
254mm turret faces, 51mm armored deck

Maneuverability:
32.50 knots maximum speed
12,000 nautical miles at 15 knots
150,000 horsepower

Complement:
1323

Following the complete loss of USS Arkansas after an unexplained magazine explosion, Congress approved the 1934 Naval Act; in addition to the 6 battleships authorized, it was agreed upon that a newer ship would replace her as was allowed under the provisions of the Washington Naval Treaty. Constitution's design was selected for construction in 1937, with the ship being laid down in late 1938 and completed in 1941. The "cruiser" was commissioned as CB-1, the first of her designation.

Still undergoing see trials during the Attack on Pearl Harbor, Constitution was deployed to reinforce the Asiatic Fleet but arrived too late to participate in the Battle of Java Sea and was reassigned from the now defunct ABDA. Constitution would go on to escort carriers during the Battles of Coral Sea, Midway, and Eastern Solomons and was credited with sinking 2 destroyers at Guadalcanal. Submarine I-26 would hit her with a torpedo following the latter battle, necessitating a return to port in the United States where she promptly received a refit to enhance her lackluster AA capabilities.

Constitution would return in late 1943 to fight in the Battle of Empress Augusta Bay and was later assigned to the 5th Fleet, where she remained during the Battle of Philippine Sea. During the Battle of Leyte Gulf, Constitution exited the 3rd Fleet to regroup with escort carriers to the south and was sunk along with her 2 escorting destroyers engaging Center Force during the Battle off Samar, making her the largest American warship to be lost in a surface action. Over the course of her lifetime, Constitution earned a total of 13 battle stars.

[Min]

Minoriko Class

The Minoriko Class Super Heavy Cruiser was originally conceived as a battleship for the Yasakan Navy. However, it was decided that the original battleship proposal was far too ambitious for the Yasakan navy.

However, they then received intel that the Fusang were building what appears to be super cruisers that would outclass the strongest Yasakan cruisers. As a result, the plans for the proposed battleship were dragged out and downsized, resulting in the conception of the Minoriko-class super heavy cruiser. A total of six vessels were ordered, four of which were built and two canceled.

The Minoriko-class vessels were armed with a primary armament of nine 13-inch guns. The ship could be considered innovative for a Yasakan vessel as they were the first large ships equipped with radar fire directors. Due to the size and armaments of the vessels, they could in theory be called a battlecruiser, but the ships were never officially classified as such.

The first two ships of the Minoriko-class were received in 2621(Adrian Calendar) just in time for the Second Weltkrieg. A total of four ships were built, with two canceled. The lead ship of the class, the Minoriko, was part of Task Force Ki sent to intercept Fusang amphibious operations in the southern islands of Yasaka. The Minoriko came under gunfire from the Fusang battleship Choshu and was lost with all hands after the B turret magazine was hit. The rest of the class managed to survive the war.

The ships saw combat once more during the Yasakan syndicalist revolution of 2626 where the Hina found herself in service to the Syndicalists and the Shizuha and Shion remained loyal to the Republicans. The Shion was sunk by an airstrike by Syndicalist forces and was salvaged for scrap post war. Large portions of the wreck still remained in the harbor she sank in. Shizuha ended up engaging the sister ship Hina and was crippled. In order to avoid the ship from falling into Syndicalist hands, the crippled Shizuha was scuttled.

Hina saw service for another 12 years before being mothball. With her position in the fleet being replaced by the newer Yasaka-class cruisers, she was eventually stricken from the registry and is now permanently moored at Inaba bay as a museum ship.

Shizuha as of the Start of the Second Weltkrieg:




Class Overview
Name: Minoriko-class super heavy cruiser
Planned: 6
Built: 4
Canceled: 2
Lost: 3
Preserved: 1

Specifications
Displacement: 31,907 tonnes
Length: 708.5 ft(
Beam: 97 ft 3 in
Draft: 25 ft
Max Speed: 32.7 knots

Armaments
9x 305mm Type-17 guns (3x3)
16x 100mm Type-17 Model-2 dual-purpose guns (8x2)
36x 25mm Type-15 Anti-Aircraft guns

Ships in Class
Minoriko
Shizuha
Hina
Shion

[PhoenixMoscva13]

Knavengrad class

Kronshtadt class -> Knavengrad class -> Dalny class

Calamity Era:
The Knavengrad class battlecruiser was designed during the final years of the Great Calamity for the Red Fleet in order to counter more larger ships of the era.
Originally planned in 1942 and laid down in 1945 the first and only unit, SRFS-Knavengrad was delayed due to a raid against the N:o 402 shipyards in Belogan by Volken forces. As a result of the attack the ship wasn't launched until 1947, right at the wars end.
One other was planned but was cancelled due to the conclusion of the war and the delay from the raid.

Cold War Era:
Knavengrad was commissioned in 1948 one year after the end of the Great Calamity and would be assigned to the Vostok Fleet to conduct patrol operations during the reconstruction era. Later that year she was one of the first ships to test helicopters on deck (Yakovlev EG prototype). Sometime around 1949-1952 she was put into drydock for refit to have her weaponry and fire control systems upgraded to suite its needs for the era.

As she entered though the 1960s, Following the demand for needed ASW warships in the fleet, Knavengrad was selected for a major rebuild between 1962-1967.

(This ship is a bit older and is planned to be redone.. I just didn't have enough time before the challenge ends.)

Class Overview
Name: Knavengrad-class battlecruiser
Built: 1
Canceled: 1
Lost: 0
Preserved: 0

Specifications
Displacement: 26,230t standard, 30,748t full
Length: 252.5m
Beam: 25.7m
Draft: 8.35m
Max Speed: 34.5 knots

Armaments
9x 254mm/55 B-48 guns (3x3)
12x 152mm/57 BL-115 guns (Twin mount) (6x2)
6x 100mm SM-52 guns (Twin mount AA capable) (3x2)
16x 57mm/75 ZiF-75 AA guns (4x2)

Electronics
1x Bahma air-search radar
1x Fut-N air search radar
1x Zarya surface-search radar
2x Zalp fire-control radars
1x Razliv height-finding radar
__________________________
2x Yakhod fire control (for B-48s)
4x Fut-B fire control (for SM-52 and ZiF-75s)

Aircraft carried
1x Yakovlev EG

Ships in Class
SRFS-Knavengrad (1948-1962)

[Soode]

Unmunsan-class super-heavy cruiser


Unmunsan as commissioned in 1942, showing her experimental deceptive camouflage

Displacement: 21,840t standard, 26,400t full load
Length: 228.7 m (waterline)
Beam: 24.66 m
Draft: 9.15 m (full load)
Propulsion:
4 sets of steam turbines
160,000 shp total
10 M-type oil-burning boilers
4 shafts
Speed: 34.7 knots
Range: 10,000 nautical miles (18,500 km) at 16 kts
Complement: 1,171
Armament:
4×II 250mm L/60 Type 37 naval gun
8×II 130mm L/60 Type 32 naval gun in Type 38 DP mount
12×II 37.5mm L/70 Type 38 AA gun in Type 41 mount
19×I 20mm Type 36 autocannon in Type 39 mount
Armour:
Main belt: 200mm
Turret faces and barbettes: 200mm
Conning tower: 200mm
Citadel deck: 100mm
Deck over steering: 75mm
Torpedo bulkhead: 50mm
Aircraft carried: 3× Chanam Type 41 reconnaissance plane
Aviation facilities: 2× pyrotechnic catapult; hangar; elevator; folding recovery crane

The Unmunsan-class super-heavy cruisers (Menghean: 운문산급 초중 순양함 / 雲門山級超重巡洋艦, Unmunsan-gŭb Chojung Sunyangham) were a pair of warships built by the Greater Menghean Empire shortly after the outbreak of the Pan-Septentrion War. Conceived to take advantage of Menghe's withdrawal from the Selkiö Naval Treaty, which had limited the displacement and armament of individual signatories' cruisers, they displaced over 26,000 tonnes at full load and carried a main battery of eight 250mm guns. In Menghean wartime sources they were formally classified as "super-heavy cruisers" (chojung sunyangham), though Anglian-language sources sometimes refer to them as battlecruisers or large cruisers.

Owing to Menghe's changing strategic situation in the late 1930s and early 1940s, the Unmunsan-class cruisers underwent a number of dramatic evolutions during their design and construction process. The idea to build a class of super-heavy cruisers upon exiting the Selkiö Naval Treaty in 1935 existed as far back as 1932, with preliminary plans for super-heavy cruisers drawn up in secret under the guise of hypothetical design exercises. In practice, however, these were held up by the development of a suitable 250mm gun, and Menghe's first post-treaty cruisers were the 200mm-armed Hasŏlsan class. Their intended role also evolved during the design process, from "cruiser-killers" to "super-cruiser-killers" and back, before eventually settling on the commerce raiding mission. As such, they were completed with relatively sparse command facilities and a 200mm main armor belt, but an impressive top speed of 34.7 knots.

When Menghe surrendered to the Allied powers in November 1945, both ships in the class were still intact and fully serviceable, having waited out the final years of the war at anchor in Hyŏngnam. They were handed out to the victorious powers as war prizes, serving until 1955, when they were deemed obsolete and returned to the Republic of Menghe Navy in lieu of reparations. Near the end of the Menghean War of Liberation, the ships' crews mutinied in Gyŏngsan and handed over the vessels to the newly-formed Democratic People's Republic of Menghe. There, they served as flagships for the Menghean People's Navy, undergoing additional modernizations in the 1970s to convert them to fleet flagships. By the time of their retirement in 2006, they were the only surviving ships of the former Imperial Menghean Navy in service anywhere in the world. Both have been converted to museum ships.

[Kiwi Imperialist]

Polls Now Open
The submission period for the Embiggened Cruiser Challenge has finally come to an end. You may now evaluate each entry. If you are interested in another challenge, also consider ranking the five options shown below. Both polls will remain open until 23:59 (UTC-12) on Wednesday, 27 November 2024 (countdown timer).

The Landship Threat (Any Scale)
1. Your submission must depict a fictional weapon or vehicle designed to neutralise an early tank with limited mobility and armoured protection.
2. The weapon or vehicle should enter service between 1915 and 1920.
3. It is required immediately and must enter production as soon as possible.

Precision Rifle (Any Scale)
1. Your submission must depict a fictional military-issue rifle.
2. The rifle should be optimised for engagements beyond 300 metres (328 yards).
3. A telescopic sight must be mounted to the rifle.

Brazilian Main Battle Tank (FD Scale)
1. Your submission must depict a fictional main battle tank or wheeled fire support vehicle marketed to the Brazilian Army.
2. The vehicle's combat weight should not exceed 50 tonnes (55.1 short tons, 49.2 long tons).
3. A 105 mm (4.1 inch) or 120 mm (4.7 inch) main gun is required.
4. The vehicle should be marketed to the Brazilian Army after 2010, with an expected in-service date no later than 2030.
5. The vehicle must appear as if it is being presented to the Brazilian Army before an order is placed (perhaps during an expo, or trials).

Airborne Early Warning System (FD Scale)
1. Your submission must depict a fictional airborne early warning system.
2. The system must be shown in active service at some point between 1945 and 2000.

Evolution Challenge (Soldierbucket Scale)
1. This challenge will examine nine distinct periods: 1575-1624, 1625-1674, 1675-1724, 1725-1774, 1775-1824, 1825-1874, 1875-1924, 1925-1974, 1975-2024.
2. You must depict nine figures originating from the periods listed in Requirement 1. Each period should have its own figure, and no period should have more than one.
3. The nine figures should represent an evolution (of country's typical infantryman, or of fashion, for example).