admin7126 Soviet Navy Series IV (1935-56), 3 boats: Pravda, Zvezda, Iskra The “Pravda” (“Truth”) class, also the name of an early Soviet propaganda newspaper, was an attempt to design an oceanic, cruiser-style submarine for commerce raiding, following a trend started in 1917 with the German U-Kreuzer of the U151 and U139 class, inspiring the British X1, … Read more
Lighter than air “ships” seems today a 19th Century heritage. However, airships played an important part of naval warfare both in WW1 and WW2. In between airships, the largest air-going vessels ever built like those for the USN (aircraft carrier at that), USS Akron and Macon, disappeared in accidents, but one category, until then used … Read more
United Kingdom: Royal Navy CMB, MTBs, MA/SB, MBGs: c2,000 boats This is a Portal Page, long overdue, on British small crafts, boats of ships broadly assimilated to the “Motor Torpedo Boat” Family. In reality, MGBs and MA/SBs, used for ASW or general patrol would might to differ. This post starts with the WW1 CMB types … Read more
Regia Marina: 10 Built 1935-37: Ambra, Berillo, Corallo, Diaspro, Gemma, Iride, Malachite, Onice, Perla, Turchese The Perla-class submarines were the third class in the 600 Series, Regia Marina’s most important class of coastal submarines from the interwar to WW2. These were named after gemstones and ten boats were built between OTO and CRDA shipyards in … Read more
13 ships, 1954-1973 The Dealey class were the first attempt to build dedicated ASW vessel after WW2 by the US Navy. The primary goal was to replace the PC type submarine chasers of WW2, and to provide a ship that could be built en masse in case of war. A large, seaworthy, fast, well equipped … Read more
Japanese ASW escorts: IJN Shimush, Kunashiri, Ishigaki, Hachijo 1940-59. Albeit the Matsu and Tachibana of 1944-45 are often assimilated as the first “true” IJN escort destroyer, a first effort to produce something mid-way between a frigate and proper destroyer escort was already on the works since 1937, based on previous experience with torpedo boats and … Read more
Central Battery Ironclad, in service . The Audacious class… HMS Iron Duke in Bergen, visited by the Kaiser. Development The Admiralty since 1859 and the knowlege Napoleon III was built a fleet of ironclads, sparked a new naval arms race betwene Britain and France. The first happened at the time of the Crimean war, with … Read more
Dutch Netherlands Navy: Hr.Ms. Buffel, Guinea 1869-1897 The Buffel class were called “Ramtorenschip”, or Turret Ram armoured vessels. The Buffel is considered by some authors as the first of three ships, including Schorpionen, however due to many differences, we will see here the Buffel and Guinea as a separate class. Planned in 1966 and ordered … Read more
Ten aviso planned, 9 completed 1931-39: Bougainville, Amiral Charner, Dumont d’Urville, D’Entrecasteaux, La Grandière, D’Iberville, Rigault de Genouilly, Savorgnan de Brazza, Beautemps-Beaupré, La Pérouse* The Bougainville class were considered as “colonial aviso” (or sloopin some sources), designed as substitutes to cruisers, to operate and police waters in distant colonial outposts of the French Empire, aside … Read more
Germany U-Kreuzer U 139, U-140, U-141 The U 151 we already saw were civilian cargo submarines of 1916. Completed in the summer of 1916 for the Nord Deustchler Lloyd to trade with the US, they created quite a splash in the Kaiserliches Marine’s top brass. It proved such long range concept was valid and the … Read more
