Chapter 2433: Those Things About the Cruiser One
As for destroyers and submarines? Needless to say, destroyers, the future is mainly about air defense and anti-submarine. As for the submarine, Doenitz is there, and the submarine can be handed over to the future Doenitz, and the Crown Prince does not need to worry about it now. Only things like cruisers need to be considered by themselves.
Because the concept of a cruiser covers a wide range! Taking World War I as an example, the Linxian-class light cruiser with a displacement of more than 3,000 tons can be called a cruiser. German battleships equipped with 175MM artillery can also be called cruisers. And the Mainz-class battleship that desperately held Thomas in the Norwegian Sea battle can also be called a cruiser! And when the Americans were building a large number of capital ships, they were also building cruisers equipped with 10-inch artillery... So, this matter is troublesome!
So, now the problem is that the tonnage of the cruiser has expanded from 4,000 tons to 14,000 tons! This span is a bit big! If you think about some BT products in future history, such as the Japanese super-armor cruiser and the American Alaska-class super-large cruiser, the title span of this cruiser is like from Jingba to Tibetan Mastiff!
Regarding the development of cruisers, to some extent, it can be seen as a matter of adding more water to the surface, and adding more water to the surface! Leaving aside the armored and protected cruisers of the pre-Dreadnought era, let alone the so-called first-, second-, and third-class cruisers. Take the light cruisers built after the Dreadnought Era.
The British began to build light cruisers with 6-inch guns and 2 to 3-inch armor belts very early. The main task of these light cruisers is to deal with destroyers and the earliest German light cruisers equipped with 105MM artillery. Then, the German Navy quickly increased the artillery of the light cruiser to the 6-inch level, and at the same time enhanced the protection. Ever since, after ensuring the speed, 6-inch artillery and a certain degree of armor belt, the tonnage of the light cruiser generally reached 5000 tons up and down!
However, in order to suppress the British light cruisers equipped with 6-inch guns, the German navy on this plane began to build light cruisers with main guns arranged on the central axis and equipped with 175MM turret guns. It is no surprise that the tonnage of light cruisers of this level is directly approaching To 7000 tons! However, the British are actually preparing to continue to expand the tonnage and armament of light cruisers. This is true both in this plane and in history, but it is a pity that because the loss of the British capital ship is too great, a lot of resources and manpower have been transferred to the construction of the capital ship. So these light cruisers were not completed.
Historically, the first cruiser equipped by the British with guns larger than 6 inches was the famous Hawkins-class cruiser. Construction of this class of light cruisers started in 1916 and has been in service since 1919. The standard displacement of this class of light cruisers is as high as 9,500 tons! Equipped with seven 7.5-inch guns. The output power is 70,000 horsepower, the maximum speed is 31 knots, and the range is 5,400 nautical miles at a speed of 14 knots.
However, the inability of the United Kingdom to equip this class of light cruisers does not mean that other countries are incapable! For example, the United States on this plane is already building cruisers with more than 6-inch guns. This is the Omaha-class cruiser that is now in service! That's right, it is Omaha. Historically, this class of cruiser was the first American light cruiser. But in this plane, it became an existence closer to a heavy cruiser! And with the requirements for heavy armor, long range and high endurance, the tonnage of this class of warships has approached 10,000 tons!
Well, there are German pots in this one. The Germans created this cruiser with 175MM guns to suppress the British light cruisers. In actual combat, this cruiser performed really well. And in line with the principle that if the enemy has it, we must also have it, the British are prepared to be high but short of money. Americans will naturally start to make a big deal if they are not short of money! 7 ships were launched in the first batch!
However, due to the different environment and positioning,
The Germans can do this, but it may not be worthwhile for the Americans to do this! First of all, it must be understood that the role of light cruisers is to counter lightning strikes and reconnaissance. A light cruiser with a displacement of 5,000 tons is actually very cost-effective, the cost is average, the quantity is sufficient, and it is enough to deal with the general 4-inch artillery of the destroyer, and the speed is fast enough.
However, the German 175MM artillery cruiser has only one task, and that is to deal with the opponent's 5,000-ton light cruiser. In fact, the 175MM artillery is not easy to use against destroyers. That's right, so you have to configure heavy and complicated servo equipment, that is, to turret the artillery, and all of this is due to the higher tonnage and cost. When dealing with destroyers, the performance of the 6-inch gun is actually sufficient. Therefore, the mission of this German 175MM artillery light cruiser is too single.
But the Germans still did it. The reason is simple. Although the tonnage has increased, generally speaking, because Germany mainly operates offshore, it does not need to consider endurance. This can save a lot of tonnage, and because British light cruisers do not have artillery above 6 inches, and artillery shells rarely have special armor-piercing shells, so the German 175MM cruiser only needs to be able to defend against 6.5-inch armor-piercing shells. After weakening the armor and range, the Germans can take it with 7000 tons. The cost rise is not high.
But it is different for the British and Americans. Whether it is the United Kingdom, which has colonies all over the world, or the United States, which needs to fight in the remote Western Pacific, they all need warships with a long range! And if we also consider the problem of the residence of personnel who perform missions for a long time, the tonnage of light cruisers in the United Kingdom and the United States will definitely increase!
The British Hawkins-class cruisers are meant to deal with the German 175MM artillery light cruisers, so the defense must not be too low, which requires additional armor. The Americans also have to consider dealing with Japanese light cruisers of the same level in the future, so they also need to increase their armor. Under the requirements of increased armor and range, it is normal for the so-called 7.5-inch gun cruisers of the United States and Britain to have a tonnage close to 10,000 tons. It can be said that the behavior of the German High Seas Fleet has led to a certain degree of vicious competition!
Of course, it is foreseeable that in the future, the Germans will also be affected. The reason is very simple. After acquiring a large number of British colonies in Africa, the German navy has also begun to enter the ocean! In the future, it will also need to face cruisers of the same level from other countries, and the armor and range must also be increased. Therefore, without exception, all performance requirements must be converted into increases in tonnage and cost... This was originally an expedient measure, but under the circumstances of various vicious competitions, everyone couldn't even brake if they wanted to!
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