admin7126 Japan 1925-42: I-152. large oceanic submarines. The Type KD-2 (伊号第五十二潜水艦, I-go dai-go-jyuni sensuikan) or Kaidai-II (“navy large type”) was the second largest Japanese submarine design, part of a lineage going to the KD-VII or I-76 class, from 1921 to 1943. Albeit two were planned initially, the second, N°64, was re-planned as a KD-IIIa, leaving the … Read more
The Mexican Navy was probably the oldest in Latin America, created in 1800. Now 226 years old, the Armada de México still have to monitor 3,149,920 km2 (1,216,190 sq mi)) of coastline (11,122 km (6,911 mi)) between the Caribbean and Pacific, with 189 ships and 87500 personal today. It is a blue-green water navy with … Read more
Sjøforsvaret, Semi-protected Cruiser 1890-1920 HNoMS Viking, built in Horten, 1891, was Norwegian’s first protected cruiser after two earlier gunboats, initially armed with 149/40 Krupp Guns. She was modernized in 1904-06 and too, part in neutrality patrol in WWI, stricken in 1920. After that she was converted as an hospital ship in 1924, active until captured … Read more
Russian Empire/Soviet Navy 1913-1941: 22 destroyers ordered, 8 completed. The Lt. Ilin and Gavriil class were destroyer flotilla leaders for the Baltic Sea Fleet, created for the Imperial Russian Navy in World War I. These were part of the Novik-type destroyers, and an incremental evolution, near sisters of the Orfey class destroyer but from different … Read more
Norwegian Monitors (1867-1908): Skorpionen, Mjølner, Thrudvang The Skorpionen-class were three monitors of the Royal Norwegian Navy built from 1866 to 1869. HNoMS Skorpionen, Mjølner and Thrudvang were active until scrapped in 1908. The slightly later Thor can be seen as an improved Skorpionen-class monitor, but the concept, inspire by the US Civil war, remained valid … Read more
Soviet Navy Series II (L-1 to L-25), Four groups 1930-41. The Series II, also known as the “Leninets” or “L” class were the second medium submersible design for the Soviet Navy after the Dekabrist or D class of the late 1920s. They were the first also mass built to an extent, as part of the … Read more
38 floatplane built, 1943-44 The SAAB 17, former ASJA L10, essentially a locally made Northrop 8-A 1, was the first SAAB model, a land-based dive bomber and multirole cantilever all-metal model, to make Sweden independent from imports. A floatplane version called SAAB 17 BS was decided upon in 1942 as a replacement for the 1926 … Read more
Royal Yugoslav Navy 1939-1945: Beograd, Zagreb, Ljubljana As far as the Royal yugoslavian Navy in 1939 is concerned, if the talk in town is all about the formidable Dubrovnik, world’s largest destroyer when commissioned, but this leave in the shadow, the three more conventional Beograd class, led by Dubrovnik. They had a very interesting story … Read more
Sirena class (1933) Regia Marina: 12 Built 1931-34: Ametista, Anfitrite, Diamante, Galatea, Naiade, Nereide, Ondina, Rubino, Sirena, Smeraldo, Topazio, Zaffiro The Sirena-class submarines were the second in the “600 Series” coastal models of the Regia Marina. They were essentially an improved and enlarged version of the preceding Argonauta capable of 14 knots surfaced for a … Read more
Perhaps counter-intuitively, FRAM I destroyer were indeed the first, but also the best upgrade of the Gearing class destroyer. FRAM II was a later, “austere” conversion, so in principle no FRAM I was ever converted into a FRAM II. In short, ff the 44 original GEARING class not converted as DDE, DDK or DDR, 49 … Read more
