United Kingdom (1939-1960) Genesis of the Vanguard design It should be tempting to reduce HMS Vanguard to a solution for “reusing old turrets”. A monitor could have done the job just as well for a fraction of the price. The truth is that the design went by leaps and bounds with a real theater in … Read more
The broadside ironclads with a double life Austro-Hungarian Navy, 1862-1883: SMS Kaiser Max, Juan d’Austria, Prinz Eugen Austrian Fleet | pre-WW1 fleet | WW1 fleet The Kaiser Max class were three broadside ironclads ordered in and later laid down in 1861: Kaiser Max, Prinz Eugen, and Juan de Austria, improved version of the Drache class, … Read more
French Navy (1949-70), Rebuilt Battleship Backstory: An unfinished battleship in WW2 FS Jean Bart was the sister ship of Richelieu, the last class of French battleships. And if the first was barely completed when the 1940 summer offensive commenced, the second still was months ahead before completion. She had to sail out in emergency from … Read more
Project 627 “Kit” nuclear attack submarines 14 submarines 1957-63: One project 627, twelve project 627A, one project 645 Known in the west by NATO identifier “November”, Project 627 “Kit” (whale) were the first Soviet class of nuclear-powered attack submarines. They were in service from 1958. These were a concern for the USN, soon after USS … Read more
US Navy Fleet Destroyers (1944-90): 104 vessels The Gearings were the last American destroyers of the war. They mirrored the Sumner specifications for armament, but with a new, longer hull for extra oil storage and extended range. The initial program included 116 ships but in the end, 106 were completed, roughly half in the last … Read more
Project 35/35M ASW Frigates 18 ASW Frigates of the Mirka I & II, 1960-1990 After the early phase centered around multirole frigates, the threat seen by the Politburo posed by the new USN nuclear attack submarines (and soon SSBN) prompted the definition of a new generation of decicated ASW Frigates built en masse with specialized … Read more
Royal Navy Guided Missile Destroyers (1975-2013): HMS Sheffield, Birmingham, Newcastle, Coventry, Glasgow, Cardiff, Exeter (b2), Southampton, Liverpool, Nottingham, Manchester(b3), York, Gloucester, Edinburgh, +ARG Hércules, Santísima Trinidad The Type 42 class destroyers were designed in the late 1960s, in parralel to the ambitious Type 82 escorting the CV01 class carriers. This was was seen as a … Read more
Nuclear Attack Submarine 1958-1985. USS Seawolf (SSN-575) was the third of this name, and the USN second nuclear submarine, and a very interesting as she was the only one ever fitted with a Sodium liquid metal cooled beryllium-moderated nuclear reactor S2G. This was supposed to be the next gen “super-safe” reactor, but it was not … Read more
Nuclear-Powered Guided Missile Cruiser CGN-25 (1961-96). USS Bainbridge (DLGN-25/CGN-25) was a nuclear-powered guided missile cruiser of the United States Navy, sole in her class. Originally the tenth planned Leahy class guided missile destroyer leader, she was converted on slip to a nuclear-powered variant as a DLGN (nuclear-powered guided missile destroyer leader) and first nuclear-powered “destroyer” … Read more
Floatplane Fighter, Imperial Japanese Navy Imperial Japanese Navy (1942-45), 327 built The world’s best seaplane fighter ? The A6M2-N floatplane was developed as requested by the Navy to support amphibious operations (operated by one of the many IJN seaplane tenders), or defend remote bases. Based on the A6M-2 Model 11 technically, it had a modified … Read more
