Germano-British Empire

[Thiel]

and that that 2nd turret is useless, except during broadside battles. this arrangement could work a few years later, when the superfiring turrets were introduced.

Be that as it may Ace, but there's plenty of precedents. The RN alone had the Orion Class, the original King George V class, the HMS Erin, The HMS Agincourt is a spectacularly good example, then there's the Iron Duke class and even the Nelson class had turrets that could only be fired on the beam, and that's without counting the battlecruisers.
I do agree with you on the other points, and I'd ad that the armoured belt sits too low. No period dreadnought that I know of had that deep a belt, be they British, German, French, American or Japanese.

[acelanceloet]

@ thiel: of course. even the dreadnought had one (the one just before the mast). having 2 of those turrets on board though, seemed a bit much to me I think we agree on that.

[Thiel]

Take a look at Agincourt, she had three.

[Rodondo]

She had a lot of space compared to APDAF's ship, nearly half as long again

[Thiel]

She had a lot of space compared to APDAF's ship, nearly half as long again

True, and as I said I agreed with all your other points, but the gun arrangement itself wasn't inherently wrong, though it would require a rather larger ship.

[Rodondo]

Exactly, as the second was up the first's behind and the anchors and magazines would have been cramped. IIRC super firing was not implemented till a few years later after Dreadnought

[Thiel]

As far as I'm aware the Orion was the first RN Dreadnought to feature a superfiring turret in 1909. The Germans did it on the Moeltke the same year.

[HMS Sophia]

The South Carolina did it first in 1908 (though she wasn't commissioned for two years).

[Thiel]

The South Carolina did it first in 1908 (though she wasn't commissioned for two years).

True, but since this is the Germano-British Empire, I thought RN and HSF ships would be the most relevant examples.

[Rodondo]

ah, I thiught it was the US that did it first. Is it possible then for APDAF's ship to enter service as is then, say five years later, have the second turret raised to be superfiring?