My Conway's is still packed in a box somewhere in one of three storage units. The original Battlestations website has the Conway data for the Graf Spee, but not for the Viribus Unitis. Can some kind soul give me the official Conway specs for the Viribus Unitis? Thanks, Carl
RE: Viribus Unitus Displacement (Design) 20,013.5 (Deep) 21,595 Dimensions 495'5" w/l 499'3" o/a; Beam 89'8"; Draft 29' deep load 4 shafts 20.3 knots
RE: Viribus Unitus Hmmm... that's a tough choice. Szent Istvan is the one most people have seen: any WW1 documentary that mentions the naval war will automatically include at least a few seconds of the battleship rolling over (after being struck by only a single torpedo during her only wartime action) to illustrate the futility of the naval arms race leading up to the war. Add to that the fact that the shipyard building her misread the plans and built her with only two shafts instead of the four her sisters had... Viribus Unitis was blown up and sank in port just days after being handed over to a neutral nation to avoid being given to the Allies. Prinz Eugen (named for a general) was given to the French, disarmed, and expended as a target ship for battleships and aircraft. Not sure which is worse: being disarmed and expended as a target, or being given to the French. The fourth was Tegetthoff, named for the Admiral who won the largest (and only) fleet battle of ironclads. This ship has a longstanding place in cinema: Tegetthoff was the platform on which cameras filmed both the Szent Istvan and the Viribus Unitis sinking, and later was a key actor in an Italian film after the war.
RE: Viribus Unitus Hey Tug, My plan was to build Graf Spee first, followed by the Viribus. But the more I look at the Viribus Unitis plans, the more I like it. If not for her slow speed and the casemate guns (making the casemates scares me a bit), Viribus would be a slam dunk. So I guess I'm on the fence right now. :blush: Carl
RE: Viribus Unitus The casements aren't that tough really. Take a look at the Erin thread for some casements done in wood. Speed is nice when you have to chase someone down. Yet even that speedy ship is going to have to get close enough to shoot at the slow ship which of course will shoot back.
I was thinking more along the lines that speed is nice to have when you need to run. I checked out the Erin thread. Nice work! After seeing the damage done to your wood casemates, though, I think I'll use some thick plastic (like delrin) or fiberglass instead. Many thanks, Carl
Try using metal also, like aluminum or stainless steel, for the stringers. The Erin survived Nats very well after the casement and stringer refit using hardwoods and carbonfiber.
Thanks! So a 1-1/2 gal/min pump and 3/32" armor. Along with 12 7/32" and 12 BB guns. Not bad! I especially like that she's only a little over 62" long, making her easy to transport. Carl
I gotta say, I am excited you are thinking about building this boat. If you decide against it, I would seriously look at building it myself as the Arkansas/Ozark is looking at height problems with fitting in the cannon and a torpedo boat is a long-term challenge.
von Tuggy and I discussed the Arkansas/Ozark and came up with an inch greater hull depth to make it workable. Big Gun rules already allow such modifications we just scaled up.
Hey Carl, with the VU you don't run from scary opponents. You turn from them, and shoot your stern guns, and then THEY run from YOU. Funny how that works, but it hasn't failed me yet
Oh, I thought it was 1/2" on the Arkansas... The VU turns sooo well, the las place you want to be is behind.
OK, you guys have convinced me. I'll build the Viribus Unitis. If I'm only able to arm two turrets at first due to cost, then I'll probably arm the two stern mounts first. Thanks for all the great input, guys! Kitori, is it OK if I copy your dual laser cut turret design to make my triples? I have some MPA-7s already, so I can make the bases and accumulators, but I really like the simplicity (and low cost!) of your design. Carl
Certainly! The idea behind the laser-cut turret was to reduce cost and complexity. You will need to modify the design into a triple, and enlarge it to fit a 1:96 VU. I would also recommend that, if you only arm two turrets, that you do one bow and one stern. If all you do is turn away from other ships and shoot them with stern guns, eventually they just won't approach. I learned that the hard way.
Also, you can do daisy-chained Arizona cannons for fixed stern guns. It would probably be a bit cheaper, and not a whole lot less effective considering how well that thing turns. Speed is the only disadvantage to that boat, IMHO.
