new battle cruiser

Hi guys I am out to ask an opion here to see what you guys could come up with. Here is the deal I sold my HMAS Austraila BC to a new guy joining our club which is the Buckey Battle Squadron (Fast Gun). An dI am looking for a new 24 sec Bc to take it place. Now on the dark side there is a French Dunkirk BC, a IJN Kongo WW1,and a IJN Kongo WW2, a Derfflinger BC and along the lines is a Bismark working up. Now on the Light side i have been running a South Dakota, there is a North Carolina BB, HMS Tiger BC,and HMZS New Zealand,there is also a HMS Sheffield Ch working up and another cruise or two.
So here is the deal I am looking at a building either another Tiger and calling it HMS leapoard which was to be the sister ship,or the other ship I like is the late version of HMS Renown, there is one other the USS Alaska.
Buddy Friend

 

Hi Tug
Yes I wanted to stay Allied I am still interested in the Alaskas ,You never did tell me what you wanted for a hull with out plans.

 

I think for fast gun action, the Tiger is the best choice. there just aren't a lot of 24 second choices out there, and I think the Tiger class has a better weapons layout then the Lion class does.

Of course that isn't going to stop me from building the Queen Mary for my primary capital ship next year.

Also, if you choose to go with the Renown, have you thought about setting up A and B turrets to hold sidemounts that hit at about the same place to ghetto simulate duals, and run a 75 round sidemount in X turret? As a Courageous driver, I can attest you won't really turn well enough to get the most out of stern guns, but a 75 rounder very very close to the water and two sides simulating duals will definitely garner a little respect.

If they don't respect it, there's always the fact you can make em pay for the disrespect!

 

Buddy,
Another 24 sec battlecruiser option is my new HMS Furious hull, though Furious is limited to 2 guns and 2 pumps under IRCWCC and MWC rules. In Treaty Furious can have 2 x 75 shot guns and a pump as in Mike's Courageous (which used to be mine and was most effective with 2 x 1.5 unit sidemounts). Don't bother with stern guns in long, slow turning beasts like Furious, Courageous and Renown!

The Furious hull differs from Courageous only in having 1/2" greater beam through the wider bulges, and in having slightly greater displacement. I've enlarged the turret drawings to 1/144 scale and will soon be able to provide the 18" gun turrets with the hulls. Those and their barbettes were quite a bit wider than the standard British 15" turret.

If you're interseted in a Furious let me know. Photos of the new hull are in the 'photos' section.

Bob

 

I forgot to mention that Rich Wands of the OAF bought my Courageous mold and could probably make you a hull if you wanted something less weird than Furious.

Bob

 

Thanks Bob I will give it some serious thougth.

 

Wait a second ... who said the French is the "Dark Side"?? Heh

Seriously though, the Dunkerque is a pretty good ship and has been sucessfully battled in MWC. Although it only has a single rudder, it will get the 50% added rudder bonus that most fast gun clubs allow for ships over 700'. Its a fast 24 seconds too. It's only downside is it is merely 4 units.

 

Dunkerque is 4.5 units in all of the small-gun groups.
Mikey

 

Hey Bob if you ever try Combat-X furious would get 5 units. You could utilize both turrets with both barrels in each turret. Make one of those rotate and you could covera sidequadrant with dual cannons. Or Leave dual Turret in a side quadrant have the other one rotate. When you aim both in the same side quadrant you would be under the allowable maximum of 4 firing cannnon in a sidequadrant. This would make Courageous a more formidable ship. Something to think about.

 

Hi Curt,
I could do that with the Courageous but Furious has only 1 gun barrel per turret. Would your Combat X rules allow a 100 shot magazine instead of duals in one turret? That would give Furious 2 units per gun.

Furious does have 5.0 units under the Treaty rules but only if built as a full carrier. (It has 4 units as a hybrid BC/CV or as a BC.) The carrier version can divide 4 units of BB cannons in the fore and aft quadrants only - no sidemounts for carriers.

Bob

 

Bob, does the 'no side mounts for carriers' rule apply to a Hybrid CV even though there are full turrets available that can rotate from side to side?