admin7126 Broadside Ironclad (1859-1867), service until 1885. HMS Royal Alfred was a central-battery ironclad frigate laid down in 1859 as a 90-gun 2 decker, like the Prince Consort class (Prince Consort, Caledonia, Ocean) but also converted like Royal Oak, Repulse, Zealous… She was converted as an ironclad while on the stocks and completed in 1864 for … Read more
France. Central Battery 2nd class Ironclads: La Galissonière,f Victorieuse, Triomphante. Built 1868-80, service until 1905. The La Galissonnière class were a group of central battery ironclad warships built for the French Navy, started before the Franco-Prussian War and heavily modified postwar. They were designed as part of France’s continued naval expansion and modernization during the … Read more
Project 949 Granit (NATO OSCAR I) Project 949A Antey (NATO OSCAR II) Missile Launching Nuclear powered Attack Submarines (SSGN): 20 planned, 14 completed 1979-1992, 6 active. In the top tier of Soviet most outstanding submarines, are probably the Alfa class SSNs, Typhoon class SSBNs and Oscar class SSGNs. The latter, known as the Project 949 … Read more
UK Royal Navy (1912-1921) 1911-12 program, K-class 1913, 24 ships: HMS Acasta, Achates, Ambuscade, Christopher, Cockatrice, Contest, Lynx, Midge, Owl, Shark, Sparrowhawk, Spitfire. K-class Builders’ specials HMS Ardent, Fortune, Garland, Hardy, Paragon, Porpoise, Unity, Victor The Acasta class (K class from 1913) were the subject of the 1911-12 Programme, followed the path of the Acheron … Read more
Germany: SM U27, 28, 29, 30 (1913) The U27 class submarine succeeded to the U23 double-hulled type, part of the “mittel-U” prewar super-class, or third U19 sub-class, all equipped with diesels. They originated indeed in Dantzig’s U19. The imperial shipyard (Kaiserliches Werft) at Kiel manufactured their own version of the MAN diesels under licence, and … Read more
US Navy Torpedo Bomber (1921-28), 90 built. The Douglas DT was a U.S. Navy torpedo bomber developed in 1920 by the Douglas Aircraft Company, the company’s first military contract aircraft. The DT first flew in 1921, winning a competition for a torpedo bomber for the United States Navy and United States Marine Corps. As a … Read more
Royal Navy, Type 61 or Salisbury-class frigates: 7 ordered, 4 completed, service 1957-1985(2015*): Salisbury, Chichester, Llandaff, Lincoln. The Type 61 Salisbury were initially planned as aircraft direction (AD) frigates, to provide radar picket duties ahead of a carrier task force, as well as vectoring aircraft operating in their area. But the project evolved into a … Read more
US Navy Escort Destroyers (1942-44): 105 planned, 97 completed (8 cancelled, 46 to Britain) The GMT (also known as the Evarts class from its lead vessel) or “short hull” were the first escort destroyers of the US Navy. A new type of ship solely dedicated to ASW escort (British request for the Atlantic) but the … Read more
Peruvian Navy Ironclad built 1864-66, sunk 1879 Peru Day ! BAP Independencia was a modest broadside ironclad frigate (Spanish “Fregata Blindada”) built in Great Britain for the then still young Peruvian Navy in 1864-65. She had a relatively uneventful career until the War of the Pacific of 1879–83, when she saw combat the first year. … Read more
Marine Nationale (1887-80), Protected cruiser, 1890-1910 Suchet was a protected cruiser ordered under Admiral Théophile Aube of jeune ecole fame, Minister of Marine at the time. He favoured a cruisers-first fleet and defensive array of torpedo boats. As for cruisers, they needed to be of various types and Suchet repeated the same recipes as Davout. … Read more
