Shipbucket

After 1932 the Navy was under orders from Congress not to build any new ships until 1937, but the Air Force had no such restriction due to the fast pace of aircraft development. Though their newest fighter design entered service in 1930, by 1932 it was already outclassed by other designs.

In 1933 the Air Force purchased examples of the Curtiss XP-23, but they would only equip one squadron.



It was the first all-metal fighter aircraft in Texas service. Though faster than any other fighter, the Air Force was already looking to all-metal monoplanes as the future of fighter aviation. The sixteen purchased that year were outclassed by two other designs before they were replaced in 1939.

The 6th Fighter Squadron aircraft is typical of "Depression Era" airframes - devoid of paint except for national markings and the squadron number. But if you look closely below the cockpit, you can see a squadron badge painted on the side. Pilots pooled their money for extra paint to apply unique designs for their squadron, a practice that would soon be repeated on their flight jackets. These badges would later become the basis for the squadron patches in common use today.


Badge of the 6th Fighter Squadron

The other revolutionary aircraft purchase in 1933 was the Martin Model 139T, known in the US as the B-10.



Pilots from the 9th and 14th Bomber Squadrons travelled to the Martin Factory and spent the better part of year learning to fly the first all-metal, monoplane bomber ever built. An exception to policy allowed the Texas Air Force to make their own recommended modifications and purchase aircraft while the US Army Air Corps received their orders (normally, foreign buyers had to wait until USAAC contracts were complete).

The Model 139s built for Texas were known as 139Ts and designated the B-3. The major modification was change to the bomb bay doors for carrying a torpedo under the fuselage, a common practice for bomber squadrons as they continued to develop their maritime strike capabilities. Texas would continue to adapt medium bombers for this role as the limitations of high altitude bombing on moving targets hampered effectiveness against ships.

At $52,083 per copy, the B-3 was the most expensive aircraft to date and the most expensive to operate, but the capabilities of the aircraft outweighed the expense - it could outperform most fighter/pursuit aircraft at that time.

Can I just say that that's one helluva butt-ugly aircraft! Your drawing is superb though, and you've done an amazing job rendering its whole ugliness very well!

bezobrazov wrote:Can I just say that that's one helluva butt-ugly aircraft! Your drawing is superb though, and you've done an amazing job rendering its whole ugliness very well!

I always thought the Martin B-10 and Model 139 were kinda neat looking...

Excellent drawings BTW!

The last new addition to the Texas Armed Forcesin 1933 was the S-18 Class submarines. Saved by a loophole in the 5-year construction moratorium, they took to the water to replace older, worn out boats.



Often known as the Basking Class, these subs were outgrowths of the previous S-14 Class. They were the first subs with stern torpedo tubes and maintaned sufficent range to prowl the Atlantic, where their long range radio aerials allowed them to serve as "advance scouts" for the capital ships.

Show here in an experimental paint scheme, Basking has haze gray vertical surfaces and ocean gray horizontal surfaces. The Ocean gray can be seen curling over the deck in several places.

Excellent additions.

The Nueces Class light cruises started their refits/rebuilds in 1935.



It took longer to decide on the proposed changes than it did to actually complete the work. The Nueces were too small to take the larger 6" two-gun turret on the Pecos Class. Cruiser officers disliked the idea of mounting 5"/25 guns, the same weapon used on destroyers, unless two-gun mounts were developed. Adding to the choices was the availability of a more powerful 5"/38 dual purpose gun.

The decision was made to mount 5"/38s in single, semi-enclosed mounts. The fire director installed on the Oakwood Class destroyers replaced the old low-angle fire rangekeeper and provided high-angle control for the new main battery. A second director was proposed for a remodeled aft tower, but this was rejected due to cost. Common practice was a single director for light cruisers, which would not change until 1937.

Curtiss SOC Seagulls, known as O-4s in the Texas Air Force, were put aboard. Though they were still exposed to the weather their folding wings meant up to four could be carried (three on deck and one on the catapult) instead of two, doubling the air scouting/observation capacity of the ship.

Ultimately, the Nueces' rebuilds blurred the line between light cruiser and destroyer for the Texas Navy. Their main armament, though numerically superior to Texas destroyers, was no better than a US or European destroyer. The smaller caliber put them at a disadvantage when facing other light cruisers, even though they were protected against 6" shells. They were also hampered by low speed - the new engines could not acheive more than 25 knots (faster speeds were possible, but it ruined their seakeeping). The Nueces would never be considered first-line light cruisers after their rebuilds, and would actually spend most of the next war protecting convoys with the destroyers and destroyer escorts.

In 1935, the Consolidated O-2s were replaced by Curtiss SOCs, known in the Texas Air Force as O-4s.



Their folding wings allowed capital ships to carry more of them, improving the fleet's ability to scout over a larger area. The compact stowage inspired the Texas Navy to convert two older cruisers laid up in reserve into their first seaplane carriers, a decision that moves the Navy closer to flight deck operations and aircraft carriers.

When the Curtiss O-4 was selected to replace the old O-2s, the Texas Navy took note of the folding wings. The reduced storage area for an aircraft allowed them to carry more floatplanes per ship. More available aircraft meant they could spend more time scouting, as opposed to just observing during gunnery or surface engagement.

There was immediate interest in Naval Headquarters to develop a dedicated vessel to carry floatplanes exclusively for scouting purposes. Unfortunately, Congressional mandate halted all new ship construction until at least 1937, forcing the Navy to make a hard choice - wait for the moratorium to expire, or convert an existing hull? Converting and rebuilding hulls was allowed, and there were two hulls available for conversion:



The Navidad Class cruisers were twenty years old in 1933. They were scheduled for scrapping because in 1933, they couldn't even hold up against the newer destroyers in terms of firepower. If they were retained, they would have been reclassified as gunboats, but the Naval Staff was ready to dispose of them for a newer vessel. But when Congress clamped down on ship construction during the Great Depression, they were laid up in reserve instead of going to the cutter's torch.

Conferences were held with the Texas Air Force, who agreed that more aircraft at sea could increase the range at which the fleet could detect hostile ships, citing the US Navy's extensive use of aircraft carriers (developments that were closely watched by the Staff, but beyond possibility for Texas at that time) for the same purpose. When looking at the Navidad hulls, they were in decent shape, but still rather small and in need of new engines. It was estimated that a converted hull with an enclosed hangar could operate 4 O-4s easily with a catapult, six if needed with the additional two on the catapult and flight deck.

The Navy gave it's go-ahead in 1934, and the Navidad emerged from Gray's Iron Works in late 1935.



And lord, was she ugly. The conversion was an ugly process, too. Her after funnel was trunked worse than a macaroni strand, and the hangar built over the now-cleared space. A flight deck was constructed with considerable overhang from the hangar end to the stern. A crane was installed for aircraft positioning on the catapult, aircraft recovery, and boat handling. A single catapult was offset from the centerline to allow the planes to be moved with carts that ran on tracks in the deck. The forward 6"/53 was replaced with a single 5"/38, and a 3"/50 anti-aircraft gun was retained on the hangar roof. Interior spaces were provided for a larger complement of Air Force mechanics and support personnel.

The end result was functional, but not without problems. Aircraft on other ships were more easily repaired when the AVP was present, and major repairs could now be made at sea. But the flight deck slapped in heavy seas - buckling it more than once during their service. But that was to be expected from an ad-hoc conversion of a hull that was probably too small for a seaplane tender. The Navidad AVPs would serve only until better, purpose designed ships were built to replace them.

Interesting concepts (though certainly not best looking). Fantastic AU!