admin7126 Project 1159 Del’fin class “patrol ships” Frigates NATO Koni I/II/III) 1975-1988: 15 completed. The Koni class (NATO reporting name) were fifteen anti-submarine warfare frigate built by the Soviet Union as Project 1159 Del’fin to replace the 1950s Riga class. Fourteen were built in Zelenodolsk shipyard between 1975 and 1988. However the project evolved into multirole … Read more
French Navy: 5 Frigates (F710-714), active: La Fayette, Surcouf, Courbet, Aconit, Guépratte. Bastille Day ! The Lafayette class were the last French Frigates designed in the Cold War, with a construction which started in 1990 and five completed until 2001, all active today and modernized. Their specificity was to embrace fully the stealthy characteristics we … Read more
Germany (1892) – Protected Cruiser 1892-1918 The second German protected cruiser: The design of this wooden-headed protected cruiser started in 1887 based on the Irene class, but with an emphasis on speed, swapping on three shafts. A first time for a German warship and a configuration that was found convenient and repeated on further vessels. … Read more
Project 945 Barrakuda (NATO SIERRA I) Project 945A Kondor (NATO SIERRA II) Nuclear attack submarines: 5 planned, 4 completed 1979-1992, partly active. On this last leg on our long trip on Cold War soviet submarines ending this year, are submarines currently in service. These are 3rd generation soviet SSNs, and arguably among the best overall, … Read more
IJN ASW aircraft (1943-1945) 153 built The Kyūshū Q1W Tōkai (“Eastern Sea”) was the first and last Imperial Japanese Navy (and world’s first) dedicated anti-submarine patrol aircraft (Allied name “Lorna”). Although superficially similar to the German Junkers Ju 88 it owe little to it in technical terms, being made deliberately slow and underpowered as well … Read more
broadside ironclad (1860-1865): HMS Prince Consort, Caledonia, Ocean, Royal Oak. The Prince Consort class were wooden-hulled ironclad types, converted from 91-guns two-deckers of the Bulwark class, the HMS Royal Oak on one hand and the HMS Prince Consort, HMS Ocean, and HMS Caledonia. HMS Royal Oak became Britain’s 5th ironclad completed. Prince Consort, Ocean, and … Read more
Santa Fe class Submarine (1928-1933) : Santa Fe, Santiago del Estero, Salta Development The three “Tarantino class” submarines were called that way in the Argentine Navy because they were built in Taranto. They were of the “Cavallini” type, purchased after the approval of Law 11.378, “Renovación del Material Naval” issued on 29 September 1926, authorizing … Read more
Oceanic Submersibles: 1939-40: Alessandro Malaspina, Leonardo da Vinci, Luigi Torelli, Major Baracca, Michele Bianchi, Guglielmo Marconi. The Marconi class were submersibles built in the years immediately preceding the Second World War built, at CRDA shipyard in Monfalcone. They were the first class of Italian submarines built with electric welding, although it was limited to the … Read more
UK Royal Navy: 23 (86 total) ships. The Hunt class were escort destroyer of the Royal Navy, with first vessels ordered early in 1939 specifically to taking on escort roles and free resgular destroyer for fleet work. The very first serie, seen here, was a famous design disaster in which stablilitary calculations proved totally wrong. … Read more
France. Central Battery Ironclad Colbert, Trident Built 1870-78, service until 1900 The Colbert class were a pair armored frigates and central battery ironclad of the French Navy built in 1870-78. They were improved Richelieu authorized by the 1867 naval program, reverting to a single shaft for 14 knots for a displacement of 8,800 tonnes, originally … Read more
