I am still think that the USS Omaha would be good for you. Displacement 7,050 Tons, Dimensions, 555' 6" (oa) x 55' 4" x 20' (Max) Armament 12 x 6"/53, 2 x 3"/50AA, 10 x 21" tt. Armor, 3" Belt, 1 1/2" Deck, 1 1/2 Conning Tower. Machinery, 90,000 SHP; Geared Turbines, 4 screws Speed, 35 Knots, Crew 458. 35 Knots, 3inc belt so thicker armor, and 10 torpedoe tubes. That is if you want to do Allies you initially mentioned. I know Floating Drydock has plans for them and htey have nice plans. www.navsource.org/archives/04/004/04004.htm
I am considering the Omaha as well, along with the Capitani Romani. Also, after visiting http://www.strikemodels.com/ I am adding the La Galissoniere and the Brooklyn class to my list, leaving me with a choice five warships (those aforementioned four and the Deutschland-class pocket battleship.)
uhm i hate to throw a stick in the wheels but. Z class are not cruisers but destroyers .. and the shimakaze is the ultimate in torpedo-destroyer she blows a z class away in several area's (machinery, speed,torpedo arnament, reliability) some stats on the shimakaze Year(s) Class Members Completed 1943 Displacement 3,048 tons Dimensions 413'4" x 36'9" x 13'7" Speed 39 knots Armament 6 x 5"/50 DP, up to 28 x 25mm AA, up to 4 x 13mm AA, 15 x 24" TT, 18 DCs
most italian cruisers carry a decent torpedo arnament, most us cruisers dont carry any torpedoes, all japanese cruisers carried torpedoes and thoese where the famous "long lance" the Oi and kitakami are the most well known pure torpedo-cruisers but in our hobby they are small and in ircwcc and other small gun stuff having 30 + torpedo tubes doesnt meen a thing compared to the Z class destroyers they are over 2000 tonnes larger, also over the french fantastique they are 1000 tonnes larger, the italian cruisers are mostly larger then the old kitakami and oi and in general larger then all true japanese light cruisers (excluding the mikuma,mogami,suzuya,kumano in "light cruiser" disguise. Boise/st louis and there classmates are nice LARGE light cruisers with lots of hull space and heavy arnament. the Omaha's are large but i think that they would be tippy, their arnament layout was so strange that the 2 dual turrets where added later in the design when someone commented the broadside of these ships was ridiculous and prehistoric. Krijn
Agreed. I am definitely considering the Brooklyn class, to whom the USS Boise and St. Louis belong to, as well as the La Galissoniere and Northampton, all of which are avialable from Strike Models (ex Swapworks hulls): http://www.strikemodels.com/products/ Of those three ships, which one would fare best in combat? Brooklyn is larger, so couldn't she take more damage? Alternatively, Galissoniere and Northampton both carry torpedoes as well as cannons.
Brooklyn could take more damage, but with no torpedoes she won't GIVE as much damage. The advantage of Omahas in biggun is their speed (35 knots) and torpedo armament.
What about the graf spee? Decent in small gun, better in big gun. Fun as hell in Battlestations! (i hope)
I thought I would share an interesting anecdote to illustrate the importance of the captain, as well as the importance of the whole process of building and battling a boat. The WWCC just had a battle over the weekend including five torpedo boats. USS Juneau was one of the torpedo boats. The other boats were faster, but were skippered by less capable skippers, or were older boats, or were limited to twin torpedoes. Despite her slower speed, Juneau gave a very strong showing compared to the other torpedo boats as her skipper set up and successfully executed numerous torpedo attacks on enemy battleships. This really emphasizes the importance of the skill of the skipper in using the ship to its full potential. Even compared to more capable ships, the skill of the captain can make a very big difference. However, the captain is only one of three important areas. I always say that the three points to a killer ship are: select a ship with good potential, built it well (and maintain it) so it can reach its potential, then use it to its full potential. The proof is the comparison between Juneau and Scipione Africanus (a Capitani Romani-class cruiser). Juneau has been built well and has a very good skipper, but despite her triple torpedoes she does have the best combat potential due to her slower speed. Juneau usually gets creamed by the Scipione Africanus, which has everything Juneau has and more: similar reliable construction, similar skilled skipper, similar triple torpedoes, and much higher speed.
That is very true. Whatever I decide on, this will be my first ship, so I am trying to find not only a powerful one but one that I can learn on. The Omaha and New Orleans class cruisers sound nice, but who are they to pilot, and is there anyone that sells hulls for them?
In addition to finding one you can learn on, it's important to find one you don't get creamed on. That's why something faster then a Northampton (or any other Allied CA really) is probably a better choice. If you don't mind French, the Suffren available from battler's connection might be a solid choice. She's something like 34 knots and carries torpedoes, has twin rudders, and has a lot of room inside to work with.
Another vote for the Suffren. She's a fairly easy build as well. No overly complex superstructure and being French she can fight axis or allied.
Thanks for all the advice. I think I'll go with Suffren, she seems to be the closest ship to what I want.
Only three shafts too, so you really only have to power the center shaft. At biggun speeds, I wouldnt think that the shaft torque would be much of a problem.
Suffren is a large cruiser, not a light cruiser as is popular. She will have more space to work with than a smaller cruiser like the Capitani Romani, but probably won't have the same maneuverability. You should have enough space for a bottle and some guns, in addition to the primary armament of torpedoes, but I would consider waiting on those since this is your first boat. Leave room and make plans for a future addition of guns, but keep it simple and you should do well enough. Her torpedoes are well placed, but Conways only gives her 33 knots, not 34. It's not the end of the world, but it's going to be a bit tougher to attack or escape from faster battleships like Iowa. Another ship with similar size and armament is a personal favorite of mine, the Mogami, which goes up to 37 knots.
The Tourville french heavy cruiser is built on the suffren hull but is 35 kts with more torpedoes . The Emile- Bertan is a 40 knot light cruiser with good torpedoes and speed
I'm still considering other ships along with the Suffren, like the Emile-Bertan and the Capitani Romani.
I'm not sure how the Capitani Romani type ships maneuver, but I can tell you beyond a shadow of a doubt that The Frog's Treaty Suffren is probably the most maneuverable cruiser I have ever seen. It made my Salem look silly (although Salem is huge).
The Capitani Romani handles like a hot rod car, as long as you've got powerful enough motors in it. When first built, the Romani's in the WWCC could only hit 35-36 knots, and they didn't turn very well. increasing battery voltage from 7.2v to 8.4v and installing more powerful motors got them up to their proper 42 knots, and suddenly they started handling better. Driving one now is easily comparable to flying a thoroughbred warplane like the P51 or Spitfire. It's quite an experience.
Yea, and to add even more to my list, Strike Models also has the British cruiser HMS Exeter. Plus, going beyond cruisers, I've always liked battleships such as the Queen Elizabeth, carriers like the USS Sangamon, and convoys like the USS Samaritan. I guess deciding on a ship isn't as easy as I thought it would be!
