Republic of Texas

[Wolfman]

I agree with you.

[Redhorse]

The 1900 Galveston Hurricane devastated more than just the city. The Navy Yard was a shambles, and vessels tied up or docked for refits became casualties of the storm surge. The Corvette Guadalupe, docked for overhaul and reclassified as a light cruiser, capsized after hull openings allowed her interior to flood. Her slip filled with water and she rolled over, a complete loss that could only be salvaged. The Gunboats Liberty and Louisville could not raise steam fast enough to get out of the harbor were wrecked in the shallow waters of Galveston bay. Just these three losses represented 25% of the Navy's Hull strength.

To replace the loss of capability from the Guadalupe, the Leon Class Light Cruiser was authorized in 1901:



Laid down in 1902 and launched two years later, she would become the class leader for follow-on ships to replace the oldest of the fleet: the Colorado class corvettes. The last of the sail/steam ships would disappear within the decade. The modern 6" guns and the 3" QF guns were the best available at the time. A full complement of end and broadside torpedo tubes were also fitted, in keeping with the practices of the time. Relatively fast at a top speed of 18 knots, they could keep pace in range and speed with the new cruiser Invincible, which the older Colorados could not.

[nighthunter]

Red, dude, welcome back!

She looks awesome! Well done!

You can use my Patrol Gunboat if you wish.

[heuhen]

Here I sit and dream and then you came Red ... and I'm lost! so now I have started to do an "Stone Cold Austin" on me (what, what, ...!)

REDHORSE just Beautiful, beautiful, Ahhhh! did not know there were so many stars in my room!

[Redhorse]

Thank you all for the well wishes. It was a LONG year away and I am glad to be home again.

On with the story:

The 1900 hurricane also disrupted the Army's coast defense construction. Many emplacements had to be rebuilt or re-started at enormous expense. Competing with the Army's project was a Public Works program to raise the level of the island eight feet behind a concrete seawall. For the next ten years, coast defense emplacements were given second priority and were only completed after the associated part of the island was raised.

Internal to the Navy, there was much debate over many of the tactical developments of the previous twenty years. Big gun ships were well established and under no threat to change, but less expensive torpedo boats had been adopted by many navies to counter them. Initial strides had been made with submarines for similar purposes, but were much more expensive and dangerous to operate. Congress refused to fund either until the Navy made up its mind what it wanted to do.

The coast defense gap was the prime opportunity. The Navy offered to fill it with coast defense submarines, executing torpedo boat tactics from under the surface. Torpedo boat destroyers had been developed, but an effective counter to subs had not. The submarine crowd won out, and the same year the Leon Class was authorized two subs were contracted from the Electric Boat firm in the US:



Costly and tempermental, they were very similar to the American Adder Class, but slightly bigger. They were economical in terms of personnel, with crews of seven that did not risk exceeding the force cap of 1800 end manpower strength. But they were hazardous to operate - the crews were inexperienced and often were filled by rejects from surface fleet. There were more than one accidental sinkings when hatches were left open, and fumes from the gasoline engines were a constant hazard. But the tactics were proven, they could exit the harbor and were nearly impossible to detect when submerged until within range of their 18" Whitehead torpedos.

For a Navy that still intended its surface fleet for commerce raiding and limited fleet action, the subs were an ideal fit for coast defense against the larger vessels being built by or for less-friendly nations in the western hemisphere.

[Portsmouth Bill]

Great to see you back and on this project; and the cruiser looks emminently 'do-able'

[Dilandu]

Relatively fast at a top speed of 18 knots

Er... Are you sure, that 18 knots for the 1900-era cruiser is really enought? This is a speed of not-very fast battleship this era.

[Redhorse]

That's the most I can squeeze out of her dimensions realistically. Faster would mean bigger, which means more expensive. Much also depends on whether you are using reciprocating engines or turbines. Here's the Springsharp numbers for the Leon Class:

Leon Class, Republic of Texas Light Cruiser laid down 1902

Displacement:
2,824 t light; 2,921 t standard; 3,457 t normal; 3,886 t full load

Dimensions: Length (overall / waterline) x beam x draught (normal/deep)
(275.00 ft / 275.00 ft) x 40.00 ft x (20.00 / 21.95 ft)
(83.82 m / 83.82 m) x 12.19 m x (6.10 / 6.69 m)

Armament:
2 - 6.00" / 152 mm 50.0 cal guns - 114.33lbs / 51.86kg shells, 150 per gun
Breech loading guns in deck mounts, 1898 Model
2 x Single mounts on centreline ends, evenly spread
8 - 3.00" / 76.2 mm 50.0 cal guns - 14.29lbs / 6.48kg shells, 150 per gun
Breech loading guns in deck mounts, 1900 Model
6 x Single mounts on sides, evenly spread
Weight of broadside 343 lbs / 156 kg
Main Torpedoes
8 - 21.0" / 533 mm, 10.00 ft / 3.05 m torpedoes - 0.541 t each, 4.327 t total
In 2 sets of deck mounted carriage/fixed tubes
2nd Torpedoes
16 - 21.0" / 533 mm, 10.00 ft / 3.05 m torpedoes - 0.541 t each, 8.654 t total
submerged side tubes

Armour:
- Belts: Width (max) Length (avg) Height (avg)
Main: 6.00" / 152 mm 178.75 ft / 54.48 m 7.59 ft / 2.31 m
Ends: Unarmoured
Main Belt covers 100 % of normal length
Main belt does not fully cover magazines and engineering spaces

- Gun armour: Face (max) Other gunhouse (avg) Barbette/hoist (max)
Main: 3.00" / 76 mm - -

- Armoured deck - multiple decks:
For and Aft decks: 1.00" / 25 mm

- Conning towers: Forward 6.00" / 152 mm, Aft 0.00" / 0 mm

Machinery:
Coal fired boilers, complex reciprocating steam engines,
Direct drive, 2 shafts, 6,337 ihp / 4,727 Kw = 18.00 kts
Range 5,000nm at 12.00 kts
Bunker at max displacement = 964 tons (100% coal)

Complement:
225 - 293

Cost:
£0.252 million / $1.006 million

Distribution of weights at normal displacement:
Armament: 82 tons, 2.4 %
- Guns: 59 tons, 1.7 %
- Weapons: 23 tons, 0.7 %
Armour: 512 tons, 14.8 %
- Belts: 349 tons, 10.1 %
- Armament: 17 tons, 0.5 %
- Armour Deck: 117 tons, 3.4 %
- Conning Tower: 30 tons, 0.9 %
Machinery: 960 tons, 27.8 %
Hull, fittings & equipment: 1,270 tons, 36.7 %
Fuel, ammunition & stores: 633 tons, 18.3 %
Miscellaneous weights: 0 tons, 0.0 %

Overall survivability and seakeeping ability:
Survivability (Non-critical penetrating hits needed to sink ship):
3,629 lbs / 1,646 Kg = 33.6 x 6.0 " / 152 mm shells or 1.9 torpedoes
Stability (Unstable if below 1.00): 1.34
Metacentric height 2.1 ft / 0.7 m
Roll period: 11.5 seconds
Steadiness - As gun platform (Average = 50 %): 100 %
- Recoil effect (Restricted arc if above 1.00): 0.19
Seaboat quality (Average = 1.00): 2.00

Hull form characteristics:
Hull has rise forward of midbreak,
a normal bow and a cruiser stern
Block coefficient (normal/deep): 0.550 / 0.563
Length to Beam Ratio: 6.88 : 1
'Natural speed' for length: 16.58 kts
Power going to wave formation at top speed: 53 %
Trim (Max stability = 0, Max steadiness = 100): 50
Bow angle (Positive = bow angles forward): 0.00 degrees
Stern overhang: 0.00 ft / 0.00 m
Freeboard (% = length of deck as a percentage of waterline length):
Fore end, Aft end
- Forecastle: 20.00 %, 19.07 ft / 5.81 m, 19.07 ft / 5.81 m
- Forward deck: 30.00 %, 19.07 ft / 5.81 m, 19.07 ft / 5.81 m
- Aft deck: 35.00 %, 11.61 ft / 3.54 m, 11.61 ft / 3.54 m
- Quarter deck: 15.00 %, 11.61 ft / 3.54 m, 11.61 ft / 3.54 m
- Average freeboard: 15.34 ft / 4.68 m

Ship space, strength and comments:
Space - Hull below water (magazines/engines, low = better): 103.9 %
- Above water (accommodation/working, high = better): 96.0 %
Waterplane Area: 7,677 Square feet or 713 Square metres
Displacement factor (Displacement / loading): 133 %
Structure weight / hull surface area: 89 lbs/sq ft or 436 Kg/sq metre
Hull strength (Relative):
- Cross-sectional: 1.33
- Longitudinal: 6.02
- Overall: 1.55
Adequate machinery, storage, compartmentation space
Adequate accommodation and workspace room
Ship has slow, easy roll, a good, steady gun platform
Excellent seaboat, comfortable, can fire her guns in the heaviest weather

Like all engineering problems, she's a series of compromises. The Cruiser Invincible she was designed to follow is already over 10 years old. She's comparable to other vessels of similar displacement of that time.

[Novice]

First, Welcome back redhorse.
I like the Leon class very much and that little sub, well, it is awesome. Good drawings of craft that look very life-like.
Anyway welcome back and good to see you're working this project.

[emperor_andreas]

Is this going to be all the way to the present day, or is there a specific year you plan on stopping at?

-Matt