Royal Hellenic Navy's Cruiser Force 1925-41

[odysseus1980]

I like very much the last one ship,could I use the 7.5" inch gun to an AU cruiser I plan to do,please? For HLK midwar navy.

[Novice]

Very nice, and now it hit me what is wrong when looking at both the Makedonia class and the Ktiti, they are lacking directors on top of the cage masts, and if not directors than at leat spoting platforms. Other than that these are beautifully worked out designs.

[bezobrazov]

Novice, thanx for your kind compliment! You're right, at least on the Kriti-class. I meant to cover the spotting platforms but forgot - plus I noticed an annoying pixel above the wireless aerial! So, when I get home from work I'll attend to those issues.

[emperor_andreas]

Nice work!

-Matt

[bezobrazov]

Updated both scout cruiser classes per Novice's suggestions!

[bezobrazov]

I realize, as I'm posting more and more drawings of different cruiser classes that I've failed to explain the strategic and tactical ideas and reasons behind this force concentration.

My fictional 'Jackie Fisher of the Hellenes', Adm. Stephanos Stephanopoulos-Comnenou, is steeped in the activist, daring traditions of Capt. Miaoulis et al. during the War of Greek Independence in the 1820s and 1830s. In this war, a hugely inferior, scratch built and extemporized Hellenic force, caused the Osmanli commander in Greece, Ibrahim Pasha so much consternation that he resorted to a war of sheer terror, thus eliciting a positive Anglo-Franco-Russian response on behalf of the beleaguered Greeks, resulting in the climactic battle off Navarino, Oct. 20, 1827.
Also Stephanopoulos, who I've set as Rear-Adm. Pavlos Kountouriotis' Flag Captain, onboard the armored cruier Averoff, during the Balkan Wars of 1912-13, thus participated in the decisive naval battles of Elli (Dec. 16, 1912) and Limnos (Jan. 18, 1913) which effectively rendered Osmanli naval power completely impotent in the Eastern Mediterranean.
The significant thing with these clashes was the fact that Kountouriotis realized the advantage and importance of the speed factor, and the long-term superiority of crack medium calibre quick-firing guns over slow and raw heavy guns. His order for Independent Action was both correct and extremely bold, but paid huge dividends.
The battle of Tsushima (May 27-28, 1905), the earlier battles at Tsushima Straits (1st Tsushima; July 1, 1904) and Ulsan (Aug 14, 1904) also seemed to confirm the overall superiority of the medium calibre gun.

Thus the re-orientation from slow, man power intense battleships towards less crew demanding and far nimbler, swifter and - faster, much faster - cruisers!
The RHN developed a tactic, based on the tactical lessons gained, especially from Ellis, but also from 1st Tsushima and Coronel, with strong emphasis on a combination of fleet work and independent tactical action.
The cruisers were the mainstay of the RHN. They could, as was most suitable at the moment, either be used in a fleet formation, or operating together, be used in independent operations. This entailed a high degree of tactical and strategic insight and finesse among the Hellenic commanders; hence the Annual Around-the-World cruises.
The concept inferred that, if a cruiser squadron or fleet, joined action with an enemy force, the individual ships would split up to commence the battle, but still be prepared to support each other as the situation demanded. Evolutions were conducted every two years; sometimes even every year with the purpose of finding the right fighting formations, tactical orders of battle etc.
The torpedo weapon took a very prominent place, so too, did the effect of the principle of concentrated withering fire to disable an enemy ship's vital superstructures. One aspect which the RHN practiced with an almost religious zeal was the conduct of night fighting. Neither the Regia Marina nor the Turkish navy could ever reach the very high degree of proficiency in this particular art.
Old, venerable Kountouriotis' shadow hung prominently over the Naval Academy at Salamis, so, too, did Themistocles'.

[odysseus1980]

This could be plausible,seems good!

[SrGopher]

I can't wait to see a cruiser built just before the war!

[bezobrazov]

Working on them! (The Psara-class scoutcruisers of 1924/25 and the large Thevai-class CAs (1936/37)

[odysseus1980]

I look foward to see the Thevai Class CA!I designed my own CA,based on Italian Trento hull with weapons loaned from Kriti/Makedonia.