Republic of Algarve.

[citizen lambda]

Great looking ships, and I must say I particularly like the looks of the Sledgehammer monitor. That's a mean-looking little ship with that main battleship turret, though I wonder how stable it would be at sea with the turret that high up, even if most of the voyage to the area of operations is in coastal waters.

[ALVAMA]

Not so original.

[Krakatoa]

Thanks to Hood and Citizen Lambda for their comments.

The side and overhead view of HMS Roberts shows how much length to breadth ratio is required to mount the twin 15".

[citizen lambda]

OK, seen like this, the design looks a lot more stable
From your comments I had assumed that it was inspired by real RN designs, but it still looks surprising (to the untrained eye) how much the barbette just sits atop the bridge with nearly no intrusion.
BTW how does this kind of beam relate to this superior speed of yours?

[Krakatoa]

Roberts is 390 feet, Sledgehammer is 460 feet. The extra length gives a finer hull for better speed and the extra length is used for a larger propulsion system. There is also an extra deck of height of freeboard as well.

The reason for the turret being so high above deck, is the barbette mounting. On a standard BB you have about 28 foot of hull below water, on a monitor 12-14 feet. That extra 14 feet of barbette has to end up above water. Same for the difference between above water hulls (freeboard) of BB and monitor.

[citizen lambda]

OK. I hadn't realized that the turret barbette was that deep.

[Tempest]

Great drawings Krakatoa. I Also like the Sledgehammer monitor the most. I don't know what ALVAMA's problem is.

All the best

Tempest.

[Krakatoa]

Thanks for the comments guys. Always much appreciated.

The Sword class flotilla cruisers did still look a lot like their Dutch forbears of the Tromp Class, so to give them a bit of separation I have redrawn the ship with twin funnels.




Penzance Class Heavy Cruisers

The Algarvian designers had a small problem. How to reduce what they wanted to build, the Vengeance class cruiser type vessels, to what the Washington Treaty said they could build, the ubiquitous 10,000 ton Treaty cruisers. The Vengeance class were almost twice the size of the Treaty cruisers at 18,500 tons. To get down to the new tonnage, the new cruiser class was going to take a lot of pain.

Less armour, smaller gun size, smaller ship overall. What the designers ended up with was no worse than the ships being built in other countries, and better than some. Two ships were built to the first initial design.



As built:
Displacement: 10,250 tons standard, 13,200 tons full load.
Dimensions: 600 x 64 x 24 feet
Machinery: 2 shaft, geared turbines, 75,000shp
Speed: 31.5 knots
Endurance: 8,500 miles at 15 knots
Armour: 3.4” belt, 1.5” deck, 4/2/2” turrets
Armament:
8 x 8” (4x2)
6 x 4” (6x1)
8 x mg’s (8x1)
12 x 21” TT (4x3)
Crew: 685



As refitted to 1940:
Displacement: 11,500 tons standard, 14,100 tons full load
Dimensions: 600 x 64 x 25 feet
Machinery: 2 shaft, geared turbines, 75,000shp
Speed: 31 knots
Endurance: 8,000 miles at 15 knots
Armour: 3.4” belt, 1.5” deck, 4/2/2” turrets
Armament:
8 x 8” (4x2)
8 x 4” (4x2)
22 x 40mm (11x2)
6 x 21” TT (2x3)
Aircraft: 2
Crew: 710

[Krakatoa]

Torquay Class Heavy Cruisers.

Second of Algarves heavy cruiser classes, the four ships of the Torquay class were a major advance despite having similar dimensions and a comparable hull layout to the previous Penzance Class.

Numerous alterations were made between the two classes. The new Mk.XIV BD 4” twin turret was fitted hot off the press as it only entered service in 1934 just in time to be placed aboard the Torquays with two new HACS directors to control them. A new triple 8” and Director control units were fitted. The hangar was resited from around the after funnel to around the fore funnel. Slightly larger propulsion system, increased from 75,000 to 80,000 shaft horsepower which increased the speed from 31.5 knots to 32 knots, despite a bit of extra weight and breadth. Many more minor alterations made to enhance the ships over the previous class.



As completed:
Displacement: 10,800 tons standard, 13,700 tons full load
Dimensions: 602 x 67 x 25 feet
Machinery: 2 shaft, geared turbines, 80,000shp
Speed: 32 knots
Endurance: 8,000 miles at 15 knots
Armour: 3.4” belt, 1.5” deck, 4/2/2” turrets
Armament:
9 x 8” (3x3)
12 x 4” (6x2)
8 x AA mg’s (8x1)
6 x 21” TT (2x3)
Aircraft: 2
Crew: 680



As refitted to 1942:
Displacement: 12,200 tons standard, 14,900 tons full load
Dimensions: 602 x 67 x 25 feet
Machinery: 2 shaft, geared turbines, 80,000shp
Speed: 32 knots
Endurance: 8,000 miles at 15 knots
Armour: 3.4” belt, 1.5” deck, 4/2/2” turrets
Armament:
9 x 8” (3x3)
12 x 4” (6x2)
30 x 40mm (15x2)
6 x 21” TT (2x3)
Aircraft: 2
Crew: 740

ARS Torquay

ARS Newquay

ARS Truro

ARS Polzeath

[Krakatoa]

Condor Class Light Cruisers.

While Algarve may have been allied to the Commonwealth countries, the Commonwealth did not pass on the new inventions straight away. At least 6-12 months might pass before Algarve was made aware of new fittings for its ships, otherwise Algarve had to invent their own parts. The cost of such research and development over the whole spectrum of armed forces was beyond the financial resources of Algarve and most other countries. It is only the largest of the Major Powers that had the resources and money to continually advance and develop their war machines.

Algarve was still completing the Torquay class cruisers when the rest of the Major powers went to the 6” cruisers. By the time Algarve laid down their Condor class cruisers, the British had built or were building nineteen 6”ships (8 x Leander type (3 improved), 3 x Arethusa , 8 x Southampton). The four Condor class were laid down in pairs in 1935 and 1936, with completion dates in 1938-39.

The Condor class missed out the twin 6” ships and went straight to the triple mounting and ships that were as big as the earlier heavy cruisers. Twin 4”, twin 40mm, triple torpedo tubes, aircraft handling facilities all featured on the new ships. But the largest innovation was the radar for the search and gunnery sets for the 6”, and the dual purpose sets for the HACS units for the 4”. The sets for the 40mm were under production but not enough were available at the time of the Condor classes completion dates - the battleships and carriers got first go at the new equipment.



Displacement: 10,400 tons standard, 13,500 tons full load
Dimensions: 610 x 63 x 24 feet
Machinery: 2 shaft, geared turbines, 75,000shp
Speed: 32 knots
Endurance: 10,000 miles at 15 knots
Armour: 4” belt, 2” deck, 4/2/2” turrets
Armament:
12 x 6” (4x3)
10 x 4” (5x2)
30 x 40mm (15x2)
6 x 21 TT (2x3)
Aircraft: 1
Crew: 740

ARS Condor
ARS Eagle
ARS Goshawk
ARS Fulmar