Grays Harbor Designs

[WhyMe]

It's a great job you've done but I don't get why you're doubling the posts in two separate threads...

[Zephyr]

It's a great job you've done but I don't get why you're doubling the posts in two separate threads...

Because this is the discussion, suggestion and kibbitz thread for my designs where I encourage folk to write to me about what I've done. This is wher I bounce ideas off y'all so I can get better, more realistic, designs. The other is my "naval history book" thread, for the finished projects, and which I would appreciate if folk didn't comment in, but would comment here instead.

I kinda liken it to opening a copy of Janes to find somebody has scribbled notes all over the pages, if that makes any sense.

[Zephyr]

heavy cruiser class laid down in 1925-26 and completed 1927-28.

Yeah, it needs work, thats why I'm posting it here in an unfinished state. I've been fiddling with this for a while now, and I seem to have entered a state of, well, "writers block" on it, so I really would value some input on alterations/changes/additions/etc on this design, please.

edit: image updated

[bezobrazov]

Only one thing comes to mind, and it's really more of a petty nitpick: for a British styled design, you really ought to use my boat sheet and not the one from the USN boat sheet. Now, if there might be any boat variations that you need, but don't have, I might be able to provide them.
Otherwise a neat, clean design!

[Zephyr]

What about the forward superstructure, though? It looks awful bare, but I don't want to fall into the trap of adding things just for the sake of adding things either.

[bezobrazov]

Well, duuh! It needs anchor(-s), hawsers, anchor bedding, mooring gear (all along upper deck!), but I thought you had those things on your checklist!

[Zephyr]

Well, duuh! It needs anchor(-s), hawsers, anchor bedding, mooring gear (all along upper deck!), but I thought you had those things on your checklist!

Oh, yeah, all those are on the checklist.
I was refering more to the con though. Right now it just has a few ports, a couple hatches and the some railings. But I guess not everything needs to look overcrowded in order to be functional.

I ought feed this through sprinsharp at some point as well, see if the bloody thing will actually float and not capsize on its first deployment.

[Zephyr]

Updated it some. I guess I'll just have to live with the sparce superstructure. Its not as bad as I thought anyhow.

[bezobrazov]

It has a tantalizing blend of British and French in it. I like its sleek lines, and wouldn't mind having it as a foundation for a development of my own in the future. Now, as I see it better on my iPad, I might've preferred to raise the outer shaft line more level with the inner one, but yours will work, so it's a trifle, personal comment.

[Zephyr]

And another Heavy C, this one the Rhiannon Class. Six ships, commissioned in 1940-41. Designed and build by the same folks who built the Colonies class light cruisers, they share many characteristics and design influences with them.



Springsharp'd info for the Rhiannon's

Displacement:
14,293 t light; 14,977 t standard; 16,213 t normal; 17,203 t full load

Dimensions: Length overall / water x beam x draught
678.50 ft / 658.50 ft x 68.00 ft x 23.00 ft (normal load)
206.81 m / 200.71 m x 20.73 m x 7.01 m

Armament:
12 - 8.00" / 203 mm guns (4x3 guns), 256.00lbs / 116.12kg shells, 1940 Model
Breech loading guns in turrets (on barbettes)
on centreline ends, evenly spread, 2 raised mounts - superfiring
2 - 4.70" / 119 mm guns (1x2 guns), 51.91lbs / 23.55kg shells, 1940 Model
Breech loading guns in a turret (on a barbette)
on centreline aft, all raised guns - superfiring
16 - 4.70" / 119 mm guns (8x2 guns), 51.91lbs / 23.55kg shells, 1940 Model
Breech loading guns in deck mounts with hoists
on side, evenly spread
34 - 1.57" / 40.0 mm guns (17 mounts), 1.95lbs / 0.88kg shells, 1940 Model
Anti-aircraft guns in deck mounts
on side, evenly spread, 8 raised guns
Weight of broadside 4,077 lbs / 1,849 kg
Shells per gun, main battery: 150

Armour:
- Belts: Width (max) Length (avg) Height (avg)
Main: 8.00" / 203 mm 386.88 ft / 117.92 m 9.90 ft / 3.02 m
Ends: 4.00" / 102 mm 237.10 ft / 72.27 m 9.90 ft / 3.02 m
34.52 ft / 10.52 m Unarmoured ends
Upper: 4.00" / 102 mm 386.88 ft / 117.92 m 8.00 ft / 2.44 m
Main Belt covers 90 % of normal length
Main belt does not fully cover magazines and engineering spaces

- Torpedo Bulkhead:
4.00" / 102 mm 386.88 ft / 117.92 m 21.11 ft / 6.43 m

- Gun armour: Face (max) Other gunhouse (avg) Barbette/hoist (max)
Main: 8.00" / 203 mm 6.00" / 152 mm 8.00" / 203 mm
2nd: 4.00" / 102 mm 2.00" / 51 mm 4.00" / 102 mm
3rd: 2.00" / 51 mm - -

- Armour deck: 5.00" / 127 mm, Conning tower: 8.00" / 203 mm

Machinery:
Oil fired boilers, steam turbines,
Geared drive, 4 shafts, 86,510 shp / 64,537 Kw = 31.00 kts
Range 8,100nm at 15.00 kts
Bunker at max displacement = 2,225 tons

Complement:
717 - 933

Cost:
£7.513 million / $30.051 million

Distribution of weights at normal displacement:
Armament: 510 tons, 3.1 %
Armour: 7,892 tons, 48.7 %
- Belts: 2,176 tons, 13.4 %
- Torpedo bulkhead: 1,209 tons, 7.5 %
- Armament: 1,384 tons, 8.5 %
- Armour Deck: 3,012 tons, 18.6 %
- Conning Tower: 110 tons, 0.7 %
Machinery: 2,313 tons, 14.3 %
Hull, fittings & equipment: 3,578 tons, 22.1 %
Fuel, ammunition & stores: 1,921 tons, 11.8 %
Miscellaneous weights: 0 tons, 0.0 %

Overall survivability and seakeeping ability:
Survivability (Non-critical penetrating hits needed to sink ship):
13,568 lbs / 6,154 Kg = 53.0 x 8.0 " / 203 mm shells or 3.2 torpedoes
Stability (Unstable if below 1.00): 1.01
Metacentric height 2.9 ft / 0.9 m
Roll period: 16.9 seconds
Steadiness - As gun platform (Average = 50 %): 73 %
- Recoil effect (Restricted arc if above 1.00): 0.95
Seaboat quality (Average = 1.00): 1.31

Hull form characteristics:
Hull has raised forecastle
and transom stern
Block coefficient: 0.551
Length to Beam Ratio: 9.68 : 1
'Natural speed' for length: 29.19 kts
Power going to wave formation at top speed: 54 %
Trim (Max stability = 0, Max steadiness = 100): 56
Bow angle (Positive = bow angles forward): 17.20 degrees
Stern overhang: 7.00 ft / 2.13 m
Freeboard (% = measuring location as a percentage of overall length):
- Stem: 42.00 ft / 12.80 m
- Forecastle (18 %): 33.00 ft / 10.06 m (32.00 ft / 9.75 m aft of break)
- Mid (40 %): 20.00 ft / 6.10 m
- Quarterdeck (20 %): 20.00 ft / 6.10 m
- Stern: 21.00 ft / 6.40 m
- Average freeboard: 24.41 ft / 7.44 m

Ship space, strength and comments:
Space - Hull below water (magazines/engines, low = better): 101.2 %
- Above water (accommodation/working, high = better): 191.4 %
Waterplane Area: 32,565 Square feet or 3,025 Square metres
Displacement factor (Displacement / loading): 98 %
Structure weight / hull surface area: 68 lbs/sq ft or 333 Kg/sq metre
Hull strength (Relative):
- Cross-sectional: 0.50
- Longitudinal: 0.77
- Overall: 0.52
Caution: Hull subject to strain in open-sea
Hull space for machinery, storage, compartmentation is adequate
Room for accommodation and workspaces is excellent
Ship has slow, easy roll, a good, steady gun platform
Good seaboat, rides out heavy weather easily

I'm really tempted to declare this to be THE FINAL NO MORE CHANGES AT ALL DESIGN OF THIS SHIP because when I do that is when I seem to get the most, and best, suggestions and comments. *shrug* Go figure, huh?