So I'm having fun running the Chester class scout cruiser in WOW so I decided to see how she stacks up in the IRC shiplist. 1.5 units and GASP.... 24 seconds. Scout cruisers were amongst the fastest ships of their day, but it looks like nobody designated a class for them on the shiplist so they got stuffed into the pre 1922 light cruiser category and the dismal 24 seconds. To bad. The Chester at 23 would be a decent starter boat. Simple hull, no casemate decks, and little superstructure.
I'm currently having fun running my Kriegsmarine scout cruiser (DKM Konigsberg, tier 5). Kinda makes me wish I hadn't sold my Koln.....
I've pondered the Chesters for years. I was thinking of the Birminham, set up with a stern gun and the little flight deck on the front.
Yeah. It's a little shorter than my Mogador but wider so wouldn't be that difficult of a build. At 23 seconds it would make sense but not at 24.
I'm not sure if it is not 23 seconds. There was a rule change within the last couple years that gave cruisers 23 seconds. Not sure if that rule change was updated on the rules page or not.
Light cruisers after 1922 got 23 seconds. Protected cruisers pre 1922 remain at 24. Something built in 1922 itself probably has to remain at anchor since the rules are delightfully ambiguous.
Chester is definitely not a protected cruiser. She's basically an up-scaled DD meant for fleet scouting and flotilla leader duties. FYI, first turbine driven ship of the USN.
Chester had an armor belt providing machinery protection, which seems to be the main defining characteristic that makes a ship a cruiser. Have not found any destroyers with an armor belt yet. Also no other ships called destroyers were over 3000 tons standard displacement, Chester is ~3750. 24 seconds or even 26 seconds is not a handicap at all for a ship in this size range, it will accelerate better and turn quicker than any ship with sidemounts. It will also out run them handily over a straight course, due to losing less speed during course corrections.
IIRC Chester and Salem tested different types of turbines while Birmingham retained triple expansion machinery.
