HMS N°1, 2, 3, 4, 5 (1900-1921) The start of the British sub. lineage HMS N°1 on sea trials. Initial Resistance The Royal Navy long resisted the idea of having submarines (submersibles would be more exact) in its ranks, ajthopugh the type gained traction already before the US Civil war and especially in Europe in … Read more
Marine Nationale, 1899-1954: Gloire, Marseillaise, Sully, Amiral Aube, Condé The Gloire class consisted of five armored cruisers built for the French Marine Nationale in 1901-1904, designed after a long internal debate in the Navy staff between three factions to determine the best type of cruiser in the next decade. A compromise was found and the … Read more
Ten ships (DDG 37 – DDG 46) 1957-93: USS Farragut, Luce, MacDonough, Coontz, King, Mahan, Dahlgren, William. D. Pratt, Dewey, Preble USS King off Oahu in September 1961, freshly commissioned. The Farragut-class were the first were ten USN guided-missile destroyers in the 1950s, creating a brand new branch in the US fleet classification. Second destroyer … Read more
Porter class destroyers (1935) USN Flotilla Leader Destroyers (1933-59): Porter, Selfridge, McDougal, Winslow, Phelps, Clark, Moffett, Balch The first interwar Flotilla Leaders Second step of the renewal of the US Destroyer force in the interwar, started with the Farragut class, the Porters were eight 1,850-ton large destroyers authorized by Congress on 26 April 1916 with … Read more
USN Fleet Destroyers: Paulding, Drayton, Roe*, Terry, Perkins, Sterett, McCall, Burrows, Warrington, Mayrant (Paulding class, Roe sub-class) Monaghan, Trippe, Walke, Ammen, Patterson, Sons, Fanning, Jarvis, Henley, Beale, Jouett, Jenkins (Monaghan class) The first USN oil-fired Turbines Destroyers The Smith and Paulding were closely similar fleet destroyers sharing similar caracteristics and steam turbines. When the 1000-tonners … Read more
Nakajima C6N saiun “Myrt” (1944) Imperial Japanese Navy 1943-45, 463 built The Nakajima C6N Saiun (彩雲, “Iridescent Cloud”) was the fastest IJN carrier-based reconnaissance aircraft of the war. Very advanced for its time, it first flew on 15 May 1943, and was produced and introduced from September 1944 on the few surviving carriers. Allied reporting … Read more
Fleet destroyers (1908-1921): Smith, Lamson, Preston, Flusser, Reid (DD-17 to DD-21) The Turbines Destroyers or “Flivvers” The Smith and Paulding were closely similar fleet destroyers nicknamed “flivvers” restrospectively after the after the small and shaky Model T Ford after the 1000-tonners entered service. But they were a landmark: The first USN steam turbine fleet destroyers. … Read more
Devonshire class Armored Cruisers (1903) HMS Devonshire, Antrim, Argyll, Carnarvon, Hampshire, Roxburg (1902-1922) The synthesis of past designs The Devonshire class were follows-up of the previous Monmouth an attempt to improve their general characteristics while keeping dimensions and tonnage acceptable in peacetime. Nothing really changed between the armament quite close but with larger main guns, … Read more
Garibaldi class armoured cruisers (1901) Italy (1894-1904) 10 Armoured Cruisers (+1 cancelled). Italy: Giuseppe Garibaldi, Francesco Ferruccio, Varese The best Italian Armoured Cruisers ? Among the best armoured cruisers of their time with 10 ships built (11 planned, one cancelled), The Garibaldi class were sold to Argentina, Spain and Japan. Italy operated Varese (launched 1899), … Read more
Austrian Navy 1854-88: SMS Radetzky, Adria, Donau Design In 1852, the Austro-Hungarian Navy’s high command proposed the construction of a modern steam frigate, to be declined into a class of three vessels, the first built in Britain and the two others in Austria, bringing with it valuable technological and engineering lessons. SMS Radetzky and her … Read more
