Type XB, the minelayer U-Boats Germany (1939-45): U-116, U-117, U-118, U-119, U-219, U-220, U-233, U-234 The Type X (XB) U-boats were a special type of German submarines of WW2 originally designed as long-range minelayers, but later used as long-range cargo transports as the Type IXD U-Boats, Italian Romolo-class submarines and several Japanese Types. In all, … Read more
HDMS Niels Juel (1918) Denmark Coast Defence ship laid down 1914, rebuilt 1918, 1929, 1937, captured 1943 HDMS Niels Juel was a Danish warship built in WWI, named after probably the most famous Danish admiral of the 17th century, winning a battle against Sweden. Initially she was laid down in 1914, and classified as a … Read more
Protected Cruiser Varyag (1899) Russian Empire 1898-1925 The ship with six lives* The Russian cruiser Varyag was a ship that was commissioned in 1901 and played an important role in the Russo-Japanese War. The Varyag was part of the Russian Pacific Fleet, and was stationed in the port of Port Arthur in Manchuria when war … Read more
Light, Heavy and Specialized Imperial Japanese Cruisers of WW2. The fleet’s spearhead In December 1941, the most valuable asset of the Imperial Japanese Navy, after the aircraft carriers of the combined 1st air force (Kido Butai), were its Cruisers. Indeed, contrary to the older, slower battleships, cruisers were built along along the interwar and perfected … Read more
Minelaying Submersibles 1932-1945: HMS Porpoise (prototype), HMS Grampus, Narwhal, Rorqual, Cachalot, Seal The first British internwar minelaying submersibles: The 1,800-tons Grampus-class were derived in 1936-38 from the single prototype HMS Porpoise launched 1932. Five of a modified design were built therefore after years of testing and improvements. They shared the same marine mammals names, and … Read more
US Navy 50 Escort Aircraft Carriers (1942-44): USS Casablanca, Liscombe Bay, Coral Sea, Corregidor, Mission Bay, Guadalcanal, Manila Bay, Natoma Bay, St. Lo, Tripoli, Wake Island, White Plains, Solomons, Kalinin Bay, Kassan Bay, Fanshaw Bay, Kitkun Bay, Tulagi, Gambier Bay, Nehenta Bay, Hoggatt Bay, Kadashan Bay, Marcus Island, Savo Island, Ommaney Bay, Petrof Bay, Rudyard … Read more
Cristóbal Colón (1896) Spanish Armada (1894-1898): Armoured Cruiser The Spanish armored cruiser Cristóbal Colón was a warship that was built for the Spanish Navy in the late 19th century. It was launched in 1896 and commissioned in 1897. The ship was part of a naval program that aimed to modernize the Spanish Navy and increase … Read more
Curtiss SBC Helldiver (1933) USN Carrier Dive Bomber 1935-1940 (257 built) Curtiss biplane dive bomber The Curtiss SBC Helldiver was a two-seat scout/dive bomber from Curtiss-Wright and the last military biplane of the USN, introduced from 1937. Although a biplane, it was a modern and very strudy, reliable model seeing service on USS Saratoga, Yorktown … Read more
Giuseppe Garibaldi, 1st Italian STOVL carrier Built 1981-85 currently in service Italy Unification Day ! Giuseppe Garibaldi is one of the two current Italian aircraft carriers, and the first “through-deck” aviation ship ever built for the Italian Navy, first to operate fixed-wing aircraft (Aquila was never completed and Miraglia only operated floatplanes). She is equipped … Read more
US Navy Fleet Destroyers (1934-48): USS Mahan, Cummings, Drayton, Lamson, Flusser, Reid, Case, Conyngham, Cassin, Shaw, Tucker, Downes, Cushing, Perkins, Smith, Preston, Dunlap, Fanning The Mahan-class were 18 standard fleet destroyers, 16 planned FY33 and laid down in 1934 and the last two (Dunlap and Fanning) FY34, all commissioned in 1936-1937. They were an improvement … Read more
