admin7126 German Empire (1900), Armoured Cruiser 1902-1920 Setting up a standard- The Prinz Heinrich: The SMS Prinz Heinrich (“Prince henry”) was a single German armored cruiser (called “heavy cruiser” in German nomenclature), built in 1898-1901 for the Kaiserliche Marine. She was named in honor of Kaiser Wilhelm II’s younger brother. She was the second German armoured … Read more
US Navy 1941-44 USS Atlanta, Juneau, San Diego, San Juan, Oakland, Reno, Flint, Tucson, Juneau (ii), Spokane, Fresno The USN first AA cruisers (1941) At the end of the 1930s, the concept of “super destroyer” became trendy, and the US Admiralty also had plans to replace the light cruiser of the Omaha class from the … Read more
French Navy AA destroyers (Built 1951-57, service until 1974-88): Surcouf, Kersaint, Cassard, Bouvet, Dupetit-Thouars, Chevalier Paul, Maillé-Brézé, Vauquelin, D’Estrées, Du Chayla, Casabianca, Guépratte D621-630 The first French postwar destroyers: The T 47 class or Surcouf class were the first destroyers built for the French Navy after the Second World War. Twelve ships were built between … Read more
Australia (1934-36) HMS Perth, Hobart, Sydney The Australian light cruisers These three light cruisers (Perth, Hobart, Sydney) were built specifically for the Australian Navy. They were largely inspired by the Leander class, but now are seen as part of a sub-group called the Amphion class. They distinguished themselves by their two funnels, reflecting a different … Read more
Heavy Cruisers Nachi, Haguro, Myoko, Ashigara. The Nachi: First true IJN heavy cruisers The heavy cruisers of the Nachi class* were laid down between 1924 and 1925, completed in 1928-29. This represented a brave leap forward in terms of capabilities of the Imperial Japanese Navy, as they reached the very limits of the Washington treaty … Read more
Königsberg, Nürnberg, Stuttgart, Stettin The Königsberg class were a continuation of the 1902 Bremen class, inaugurating the “cities” serie, followed by the Dresden and Kolberg class, all relatively similar. Gradual improvements were made, and the four ships participated in WWI with various fortunes, also reflecting the German far-flung colonial Empire of the time: SMS Königsberg … Read more
Marine Nationale, 11 Battleships (1910-1940) Introduction In thirty years, from her first dreadnought battleship, Courbet, started late, in 1910 to the Jean Bart and Gascogne project in 1940, France only had produced four classes of battleships, the Courbet, Bretagne, Dunkerque, and Richelieu, transitioning from dreadnought to super dreadnought, and semi-battlecruiser to fast battleship, respectively. Each … Read more
UK 1913-1914: HMS Queen Elizabeth, Warspite, Barham, Malaya, Valiant PART I: A new breed of super dreadnoughts The Queen Elisabeth class battleships carved quite a path in the Royal Navy. When they appeared they redefined altogether the dreadnought genre, levelling up to “super-dreadnought” or “fast battleship”. By their heavy armament, oil-fired turbines and greater speed … Read more
USN Scout Floatplane (1938), 1,519 built The standard ww2 USN observation floatplane The Vought OS2U Kingfisher became the staple of the USN’s battleships and cruisers catapulted spotters/recce models, in the shape of a rugged and dependable floatplane. The Kingfisher lacks the aura of the fighters of that time, but they played a vital role when … Read more
Italy (1931)- Heavy Cruisers Zara, Pola, Gorizia, Fiume. The best protected Italian cruisers ? – The four Zara class cruisers for most authors and historians are the most famous, well-known Italian cruisers of the Second World War. Of course because they were in the other end of British barrel mouths at Matapan, but also due … Read more
