admin7126 France (1890) – Armoured Cruiser The cruiser Dupuy de Lôme was not only the first French armoured cruiser, but also one of the most revolutionary of her time. She was named after French engineer Dupuy de Lôme, a visionary that -among others- created the first steam battleship, seagoing ironclad, and submarine. The cruiser was also … Read more
Japan (1855-1877) 35+ ships Definition: The arrival of Perry’s ships in 1853 quickstarted a serie of events called the “Bakumatesu” era, literraly “the end” of Japanese isolation on the International scene. This also comprised the Boshin war. The “Meiji era” is the little-known early era for the fledging Imperial Japanese Navy. Yards were being constructed, … Read more
Kaiserlichesmarine vs Royal Navy A missed second Jutland The island of Heligoland, at the outposts of the German coast, was the object of another minor engagement after Jutland. This was an attempt to lure out the German fleet by attacking lighter ships, but the germans being too cautious, it ended as an inconclusive action, unsatisfactory … Read more
Chinese PLAN (1965) – Haikou, Dongchuan, Nanchong, Shimonoseki Based on the “Riga” The previous Chengdu class frigates (type 065) were ex-Soviet ships of the 1950s, “Riga” ASW warfare class shipped and assembled in China, as well as some blueprints, and with a lot of local ingenuity. They were launched in 1956-57 and served with the … Read more
United Kingdom (1911) King George V, Centurion, Ajax, Audacious If the King George V class battleships are generally assumed to be the one which soldiered in WW2, there was another one which did the same in the previous war, in 1914-18. These were “super-dreadnoughts” (faster with a heavier artillery) presenting a new aspect of the … Read more
Armoured Cruiser (1895) The USS Brooklyn in a few lines Recognizable by her three very tall funnels, the USS Brooklyn (ACR3) built in Cramp, New York and named after a famous quarter of the City was completed in 1896. She embodied grace and might, bing the tallest, fastest cruiser in the American arsenal. She had … Read more
Confederate Navy CSS David The confederacy, always trying to wage a potent naval warfare with its limited resources, tried several spar torpedo vessels and rams, notably to deal with blockading ships. These anchored targets were perfect ones, beeing unable to built steam fast enough to sail out of harm… If only the attacking ship was … Read more
Italy (1916-43) – About 60 ships Overview: WW2 Italian Destroyers were still called cacciatorpediniere, “torpedo boat hunters”, the equivalent of French contre-torpilleur or general torpedo-boat destroyer, later simpified as “destroyer”. Part of these were dating back from WW1, and were reclassified as torpedo-boats due to their range, tonnage and armement, while others, 1918 to 1921 … Read more
Habsburg class battleships Habsburg, Babenberg, Árpád (1898) The first Austrian sea-going Battleships: After the three Monarchs in 1898, the director of shipbuilding Siegfried Popper studied the design of a deep-sea battleship, the first since the Tegetthof of 1878. Unfortunately, the low credits allocated for its construction generated a ship inferior to other battleships of the … Read more
Confederate Navy CSS Savannah CSS Savannah was part of the larger Richmond-class, one of the two classes or casemate ironclad built by the confederate navy during the war. The Richmond class was conceived a genuine design for ships to be built locally with limited resources, but in sufficient numbers, not to turn the tide of … Read more
