admin7126 German Pre-dreadnoughts (1890-94) – Brandenburg, Kurfürst Friedrich Wilhelm, Weissenburg, Wörth Germany’s first pre-dreadnoughts Certainly the oldest battleships of the German Navy in 1914, two were left (two others sold, see later) in active service. Originally the class was composed of Brandenburg, Kurfürst Friedrich Wilhelm, Weissenburg, and Wörth. They were approved in 1889, laid down at … Read more
Aéronautique Navale: 17 built total 1936 The Potez 452 was designed as a shipboard flying boat for observation on board cruisers and battleships of the Marine Nationale, in service from 1936 to 1944 in the Marine Nationale, notably to replace the loire-Gourdou Lesseure floaplanes of the 1920s. It saw service frontline until 1938-39 and was … Read more
Germany: SM U51 to U-56 (1915-16) The U51 class U-Boats were essentially a repeat of the U41, the last, modified boat of the U31 class by Germaniawerft. They were the first double-hull U-Boats of this type, part of the mobilization program and were internally called the Ms type. Six were built, laid down in the … Read more
Chile Day ! The Chilean Navy during the Cold War (roughly 1947–1991) played a complex role shaped by Chile’s geography, domestic politics, and shifting global alliances. Chile’s 4,000 km coastline gave its navy enormous strategic importance for controlling maritime trade routes in the South Pacific and Southern Cone, including approaches to Antarctica and the Strait … Read more
France (1916-1953): Bretagne, Provence, Lorraine Choices made in 1905 meant France only ever had two classes of Dreadnoughts ever: The Courbet and Bretagne, a total of seven ships, all sharing the same hull essentially, and only differing by the artillery type and arrangement. The three Bretagne (4 planned initially, the extra one for Greece) were … Read more
IJN Type D class Destroyer (松型駆逐艦): 42 planned, 18 completed 1943-45. The Matsu class, approved in the 1942 Supplementary Programme, was laid down 1943-44 and completed between April 1944 and January 1945. Designed for simplicity and rapid construction, they were analogous to the American destroyer escorts, but much more heavily armed. The six 21-in TT … Read more
United Kingdom – Battlecruisers – Indefatigable, Australia, New Zealand The Indefatigable class Battlecruisers were the second generation, after the Invincible, wanted by Jackie Fisher, accepted into the 1908 naval plan. The artillery plan mirrored that of HMS Neptune, albeit with improved cross-deck arc of fire for their midships wing turrets. They also had a getter … Read more
Indian Navy (1977-today) INS Rajput, Rana, Ranjit, Ranvir, Ranvijay The Rajput class (or “R” class) were basically Kashin II class destroyers built in Nikolaiev, USSR between 1979 and 1988. Project 61ME, the export version for Indian their only buyer, they had SSN-2C “Styx” launchers mounted forward on either side of the SAM. These missiles for … Read more
Kriegsmarine (1941), 6 minelayer submarines (U-213 to U-218) from Germaniawerft At the start of World War II, the Kriegsmarine waited for four Type XB minelayers under construction, based on the Type IX long range U-boats for laying the intended anchored SMA mines on the US coast and in Asia. Regular VIIC on the other hands … Read more
US Navy 1945-70 USS Fargo*, Huntington*, Newark, New Haven, Buffalo, Wilmington, Vallejo, Helena, Roanoke, unnamed, Tallahassee, Cheyenne, Chattanooga (CL-106 – CL-118) The Fargo class cruiser were a sub-class of the famous Clevelands of WW2 fame, completed on a completely reworked design. USS Fargo and Huntington were the only one not cancelled in this 13 cruiser … Read more
