French Navy (1946-1976) De Grasse was the first French post-WW2 cruiser completed, with Colbert. Both their stories went back to the interwar, De grasse being the lead ship of a class of three light cruisers designed to replace the old 1922 Duguay Trouin class. Caught by the war, she was captured by the Germans that … Read more
German Empire (1901): Prinz Adalbert, Friedrich Carl Standard Armored Cruiser – The Prinz Adalbert class: After Fürst Bismarck (1897), the first German armoured cruiser, Prinz Heinrich (1900) setup the standard for future armored cruisers, and its design was found so successful it was just upgaded on three successive classes until the arrival of the Dreadnought: … Read more
US Navy (1939) – Fleet Aircraft Carrier 1940-42 USS Wasp (CV-7) was the seventh USN aircraft carrier, sole in her class. The main reason of this was pure, simple mathematics. She was there to “consume” the remaining tonnage of the Washington treaty concerning aircraft carriers. Coming after the excellent Yorktown class, this gave the engineers … Read more
Swedish Navy 1944-64 HSwMS Tre Kronor, Göta Lejon The “Three Crowns” class was the most ambitious naval program of Sweden during WW2. It was created out of necessity in case Sweden’s neutrality would end one way or another. Launched in 1943, however the first one was only completed in 1947. Undoubtedly the best Swedish cruisers … Read more
British Royal Navy Gunboats 1880s to 1918 About 31 gunboats 1914 Gunboat diplomacy The story of the Royal Navy is forever linked to its high seas grand fleet at Scapa Flow, but behind, the Empire depended on a myriad of smaller, less glamorous vessels: The Gunboats. Slower, less protected and less armed with everything afloat, … Read more
IJN Kaga (1927) Japan, 1927. Fleet Aircraft Carrier The Kaga, second IJN fleet aircraft carrier IJN Kaga was the third IJN carrier to enter service, converted, as her sister ship Akagi, on a cancelled capital ship of the original 8-8 plan, according to the Washington treaty. But contrary to the former, Kaga was not the … Read more
Douglas TBD Devastator (1935) USN Dive Bomber (1935-42) Best of its day, less in 1942 First line USN torpedo bomber in 1941-42, the Douglas TBD was caught before its replacement. Ordered in 1934, it entered service in 1937 and at the time, it was not only the most advanced USN aircraft, but possibly the most … Read more
IJN Akagi (1925) Japan, 1925. Fleet Aircraft Carrier The Akagi, first IJN fleet aircraft carrier: IJN Akagi was the second IJN carrier to enter service, converted, as her sister ship Kaga later, on a cancelled capital from “8-8 plan” due to the Washington treaty limitations. With Kaga, the Zuikaku class, IJN Hiryu and IJN Soryu, … Read more
Germany (1907-1927): SMS Kolberg, Mainz, Cöln, Augsburg The Kolberg class is a class of light cruisers built for the Kaiserliche Marine shortly before the early 1910s. Four ships, SMS Kolberg, Mainz, Cöln, and Augsburg, were designed by the shipyards Schichau-Werke, AG Vulcan, Germaniawerft and Kaiserliche Werft from the cities of Danzig, Stettin and Kiel. Design … Read more
USS United States (1949) – The atomic carrier 1 laid down (April 1949) The missing link between the wartime Essex class fleet aircraft carriers, the next-gen Midway, and the supercarriers of the 1960s was a near-forgotten ship class that was projected under the Truman administration and that would have easily dwarf any other warship on … Read more
