Shipbucket

The two submarines of the S-7 Class were ordered to replace the S-1s, which had been laid up in reserve to function as school boats. They were bigger than the previous S-3 Class, and carried four 18" torpedo tubes instead of two. They were also subdivided into three compartments with watertight bulkheads for increased survivability - engine, control room, and torpedo room. Meant to be squadron leaders, they could be seen with two of the previous S-3s nearby on exercises or excursions into the Gulf for target practice.



Still designed for coast defense, their range was limited by fuel load and provisions (limited to dry goods and whatever the crew could load aboard for a few days).

These would be the last submarines designed with gasoline engines. Electric Boat would begin building safer, less noxious diesel boats instead. The Submarine Force would have no choice but to follow the change in technology.

Nice, but given its short range coastal defence nature, have you considered external aft firing tubes? They were fairly popular at the time and the short range of your boats means that their main weakness, degradation of the fish due to lack of maintenance, becomes irrelevant bacause you'll be back in harbour before the problems can manifest.

Nice, but given its short range coastal defence nature, have you considered external aft firing tubes?

Not yet. I'll probably start fitting stern tubes in the next class, which should take the Submarine Force into longer range patrolling of the Gulf of Mexico instead of harbor/coast defense. I'm pretty sure European subs already have them, but Electric Boat is much closer and taking delivery is much easier - you can skirt the coast instead of loading it onto a collier and crossing the Atlantic.

Gray's Iron Works launched the Navidad into Galveston Harbor in 1914, just as the Great War was starting in Europe. She and her sister, the Neches, replaced two 30 year-old light cruisers that were worn out and could not endure the rigors of a rebuild. The Navidads were driven by turbines and were most economical at high speeds. Designed to make 24 knots, they were several knots faster and seen as the future of light cruiser design - fast scouts or commerce raiders.



They were only fitted with four of the planned eight 3" guns, and were criticized as too lightly armed to be effective. The destroyer program created a shortage, and the Navy was eager to launch these ships as quickly as possible.

I've been absent for a while, but here's a snapshot of the Texas Navy from 1906 to 1915:



All ships are included that served in this ten year period, except the battleships (under construction) and the auxiliary oilers (still searching for a good source drawing to use).

There's a color error I'll have to fix later on one of the ensigns...should be fixed now.

This great au lives!!!

Glad to see the Texans back at sea.
Can't wait to see the battleships!

Carthaginian wrote:Glad to see the Texans back at sea.
Can't wait to see the battleships!

Same here!

You have very good designs here!Keep it up!

This is great...keep it up!

-Matt