There's several important differences between King George and Queen Elizabeth. 1) firepower: two twin turrets is not the same as one quad. Battles are usually decided at close range. When your target is 2 to 6 feet away, when a turret hits, you generally see most or all of the barrels in that turret hit, and often at the same level (above, on, or below the waterline). So if you've got an astoundingly high 10% accuracy, which would you rather have? one 10% chance of four holes, all at the same level, or two separate 10% chances of two holes? And just as important, which is better at deterring cruisers and destroyers, two separate chances of survivable damage, or one chance of fatal damage? On the other hand, the QEs have 1/4" guns, which have better underwater penetration and longer range. 2) mobility and agility: Queen Elizabeth goes 24 knots, vs 28 for King George. On the other hand, QE has twin rudders to KGV's single rudder. Overall, the QE is an in-fighter, excelling at close-range battle but lacking the speed to chase down its prey. KGV is much more mobile, and better able to get to where the battle is going. 3) cost: Queen Elizabeth has four turrets to arm, while King George only has two. While quad turrets are individually more expensive, two quads is cheaper than three twins, let alone the four twins you'd need for QE. If price is one of your concerns, this should be noted. 4) size/complexity: King George V has a roomy and simple hull, and few turrets to cram into it. In fact, it's probably one of the simplest battleships to build. Queen Elizabeth, on the other hand, is a much more complex boat to build. She's got casemate secondaries, a raised forecastle, and not a lot of room for those four turrets and CO2 bottle. Which one would I pick? I'm a poor college student right now, so I'd go with King George V. It also really is a much better first battleship than the Queen Elizabeth class.
I am also looking at smaller vessels than battleships. How many guns do you think would be able to fit in a La Galissonniere class cruiser (besides her torpedoes). She also seemed appealing (I have narrowed it down to the La Galissonniere and the KGV.)
I am also looking at smaller vessels than battleships. How many guns do you think would be able to fit in a La Galissonniere class cruiser (besides her torpedoes). She also seemed appealing (I have narrowed it down to the La Galissonniere and the KGV.)
I have seen a person fit nine non-rotating guns (plus non-reloading torpedoes) into a cruiser that size, but it was very cramped. I don't think that ship had more than a 4-oz CO2 bottle, and it was difficult to maintain. If I were to build a Galissonniere class cruiser, I would arm reloading torpedoes (it only gets doubles) and one rotating turret. Three barrels in that turret if possible, but even a single rotating barrel is useful when hunting other cruisers.
Kotori, I think he may have been talking about the WW1 King George V class battleship. Yes, they had two classes with the same lead ship name. The first KGV class came between the Orion and Iron Duke classes.
Waddya think would be the better first ship? A big, powerful battleship like the KGV or a small cruiser like the La Galissonniere?
I think if you build something that size, you want 1/4" guns. Personally if I were to build something for big gun it would be a torpedo crusier killer such as the Mogami or Tone.
Which ship you want depends on what you're expecting to face in combat. If you're expecting to face other battleships with heavy armor, then having 1/4" guns will be useful. There is a noticeable difference in underwater armor penetration between 1/4" shot and 7/32" shot. On the other hand, 7/32" is more useful against ships with medium or light armor, such as cruisers, battlecruisers, and transports. It is also perfectly capable of penetrating heavy armor above the water, so it can take on other battleships. La Galissonniere is a bit more specialized of a ship, in that it is particularly good at hunting cruisers and transports, but cannot swap broadsides with a battleship. If you know there will be prey for you to hunt, then La Galissonniere becomes a more desirable option. Also worthy of note is what your club needs. If a club's forces get too unbalanced (too many torpedo-cruisers, or too many Allied ships, or too many micro-sized transports, etc.) then the club as a whole suffers. In a club that's just starting up, a battleship can be very helpful for recruiting and expanding.
Baltimore and Kent have very different statistics and capabilities from the Mogami, Galissonniere, and other torpedo-cruiser hunters. They fill a separate role that requires a much higher level of skill, both in building and battling. Basically, Baltimore and Kent's shortage of torpedoes and (relatively) low speed put them in the gun-cruiser role. This is a role that I have very little experience with, as the only person who tried it swapped a few broadsides with various battleships and had to run for port. I have heard from other Big Gun clubs that gun-cruisers are good for both escorting and convoy attack, and the one gun-cruiser I have seen finally found success in harrassing WWI dreadnoughts. Still, their armament is primarily small-caliber guns, which means you'll need to arm most if not all of them in order to sink anything. Not only is that more expensive, it's more complex and takes up a lot of space inside a cruiser-sized hull.
Another interesting possibility for a torpedo cruiser hunter would be the Soviet Chapayev class cruisers. They're possibly the best cruisers nobody has ever heard of. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chapayev_class_cruiser
After looking at more lists of ships, one that popped out to me was HMS Abdiel, which was a mine laying ship. I think she might be to small to arm, but for a convoy (which she was used for) she is incredibly fast at 39 knots. The Kirov and Chapayev classes look interesting and unique (I haven't heard much about Soviet ships). Are there any hulls available for either one? Or if not, how difficult is it to build a hull from scratch?
I have a friend who's been working on the Kirov class for years now. I believe he has a mold for a fiberglass hull, but it is built to WWCC standards (extra depth added) and I don't know if he is able or willing to sell hulls. If you ask me, building a wooden hull isn't very hard. But then, all the ships I've built or worked on have been wooden hulls... HMS Abdiel is an interesting ship, both for its history and for its design. It's not quite a destroyer, but not quite a cruiser. It's fast, maneuverable, and can be used as a transport. Arming it is quite a challenge, though, as it does not have any torpedoes. I know someone who managed to fit six non-rotating bb guns into that boat. It was definitely not a rookie build, however. He needed several tries to fix the weight and stability problems, and it was only somewhat effective in combat. It was fun, but it took a lot of work by a veteran skipper to do.
I don't think I would attempt to arm Abdiel initially, and if I did it would definitely not be with six bb cannons!
Consider the Kitakami class cruiser. It's significantly bigger than the Abdiel, and it was specifically rebuilt as a fast transport. Even more interesting, they retained several torpedo launchers during the reconstruction, so you can run it as a torpedo-armed fast transport. Just make sure you put the correct superstructure on it. They rebuilt the superstructure as part of the modifications, and if you get the wrong one on top, it isn't a transport.
Can the French and Italians fight both Axis and Allies? Well, that depends on who shows up that day. Light turnout for the Allies? Axis they go. Poor turnout for the Axis? Invade and capture 'em, then use 'em against the Allies. Historical Accuracy Supernerd shows up? FREE FOR ALL!!! In all seriousness, though, the French and Italians (and to a lesser extent, other small nations) usually get used as balancing forces when the sides are uneven. We generally shift them around more often than ships whose side is obvious, like the British, German, and American ships. I have heard that some clubs require each skipper to pick one side for the year, though.
How are Italian cruisers like the Capitani Romani or Trento, of even battleships like the Littorio or Andrea Doria in combat?
