Arranoa Class Battlecruiser [WIP]

The Arranoa Class was a class of three “Fast, All Big Gun” Battlecruisers of the Estral Navy built between 1908 and 1910. This class of ships was the Estral answer to the problem of having two major coastlines separated from each other. Named EIU Arranoa, EIU Txolarre, and EIU Belatza, they were an expansion upon the idea of fast armored Cruisers although these were meant to be inbetween the armored cruisers of the day and the dreadnoughts and battleships that now littered the fleets of the Isles. The Arranoas were faster, larger, and better armed than any cruiser it might find on the seas.

All three ships served during the Tsunter War of Independence, (Insert other wars), all the way up to (insert war or year here). The ship class’ most notable battle came during the Tsunter War of Independence where on (date) 1917, the EIU Arranoa and the EIU Belatza broke off from the main blockade force and headed a small fleet of fast ships that raced to support the defenders of Varl from a Jerigan invasion force. Upon arrival the Battle of Varl broke out in which (say a few cool things the ships did) and the small fleet was able to (Say what happened). From there the Arranoa and the Belantza were able to assist the island defenders in routing the invasion force after a failed attempt to drive off the Jerigan fleet that had just destroyed the Estral blockade of the Tsunterlands.

The Captain of the EIU Txolarre, Trajano Lizarraga, earned a posthumous (Insert Naval Award) for (insert heroic actions during battle)

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Development

Between 1906 and 1907 Almirantea (Admiral) Ziti Amabizcar championed the creation of a new class of ship for the Estral navy. As in other navies around the world, the idea of a battlecruiser had started to develop for naval minds at the time. For Amabizcar this new ship would be able to be fast enough to get out of engagements with Dreadnaughts and be able to punish any cruisers or smaller ships that it came across. With superior speed, armor and armaments this class of ships would be cruiser killers, seeking out and destroying any fleet that did not have dreadnaughts supporting them. Along with that superior speed and range was a key concern for the Estral navy as there was need for the Mesder Fleets and the Southern Seas Fleets to be able to support each other.

During the design process, there were many weight increases due to growth in the size of the citadel, armor thickness, additions to the ammunition stores, and the rearrangement of the boiler system. While this was a novel and new type of ship for the navy, the Almirantazgoa decided to order three ships to be constructed between the 1908 and 1910 building years. This contract was given to Gaztellu Shipyards in Jainkiria.

The contract for the ships were awarded on May 4th, 1908 and the keel of the first ship was laid down on July 15th, 1908 with the first ship being launched on March 2nd 1910. The first battlecruiser was commissioned on April 12th, 1911 as the EIU Arranoa, lead ship of the class. The Arranoa class of ships were named after birds with the inspiration being the speed and strength of birds such as eagles or hawks.

Ships

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Design

General Characteristics

The Arranoa-class ships were 186.6 m (612 ft 2 in) long overall, 29.4 m (96 ft 5 in) wide, and had a draft of 9.19 m (30 ft 2 in) fully loaded. The ships displaced 22,979 t (22,616 long tons) normally, and 25,400 t (24,999 long tons) fully loaded. The Arranoa-class ships had 15 watertight compartments and a double bottom that ran for 78% of the keel of the ships. They were considered to handle well, with gentle movement even in heavy seas. However, they were slow to answer the helm and were not particularly maneuverable. The ships lost up to 60% speed and heeled 9 degrees at full rudder. The ships had a standard crew of 43 officers and 1010 men.

Propulsion

The Arranoa class ships were powered by four-shaft turbines in two sets and 24 coal-fired boilers, divided into four boiler rooms. The boilers were composed of one steam drum and three water drums apiece, and produced steam at 16 standard atmospheres (240 psi). The turbines were divided into high- and low-pressure pairs. The low-pressure turbines were the inner pair, and were placed in the aft engine room. The high-pressure turbines were on either side of the low-pressure pair, and were located in the forward wing rooms. The turbines powered four propellers, 3.74 m (12.3 ft) in diameter.

The ships' power-plants delivered a rated 51,289 and a top speed of 25.5 knots (47.2 km/h; 29.3 mph). However, in trials Arranoa attained 85,782 metric horsepower (84,609 shp) and a top speed of 28.4 knots (52.6 km/h; 32.7 mph). At 14 knots (26 km/h; 16 mph), the ships had a range of 4,120 nautical miles (7,630 km; 4,740 mi). The Arranoa-class ships were equipped with 6 turbo generators that delivered 1,200 kW (1,600 hp) of power at 225 volts. The ships were designed to carry 1,000 tons of coal, although in practice they could store up to 3,100 tons. Fuel consumption on the six-hour forced trial was 0.667 kilogram per horsepower/hour at 76,795 metric horsepower (75,744 shp).

Armament

The main armament was ten 28 cm (11 in) (classification) guns in five twin turrets. The guns were placed in (name)/1908 turret mounts; these mountings allowed a maximum elevation of 13.5 degrees. In 1915, during a refit, the elevation was increased to 16 degrees, for an increased range of 19,100 m (20,900 yd). One turret, was located fore, two aft super firing over one another, and two, were wing turrets mounted en echelon. The guns fired armor-piercing and semi-armor-piercing shells, which both weighed 302 kg (670 lb). The guns could fire at a rate of 3 rounds per minute, and had a muzzle velocity of 895 m/s (2,940 ft/s). A total of 810 of these shells were stored aboard the ship.

The ships' secondary armament consisted of twelve 15 cm (5.9 in) (classification) cannon, mounted in the (classification) mounts. The guns had a total of 1800 shells, at 150 per gun. The 15 cm guns had a range of 13,500 m (14,800 yd) at construction, although this was later extended to 18,800 m (18,373 yd). Initially, twelve 8.8 cm (3.5 in) guns were also fitted to defend the ships against torpedo boats and destroyers, but these were later retrofitted to serve better in an anti-aircraft flak role.

The Arranoa-class ships were also armed with four 50 cm (20 in) torpedo tubes; one fore, one aft, and two on the broadside, with 11 torpedoes stored. The torpedoes were of the (classification) model, which weighed 1,365 kg (3,010 lb) and carried a warhead weighing 195 kg (430 lb). The torpedoes had a maximum range of 9,300 m (10,200 yd) at 27 knots (50 km/h), and 4,000 m (4,400 yd) when set at 37 knots (69 km/h).

Armor

The ships were equipped with cemented armor. The level of armor protection for the Arranoa class was designed to 10 cm (3.9 in) in the forward main belt, 27 cm (10.6 in) in the citadel, and 10 cm (3.9 in) aft. The casemates were protected by 15 cm (5.9 in) vertically and 3.5 cm (1.4 in) on the roofs. The forward conning tower was protected by 35 cm (14 in), and the aft tower had 20 cm (7.9 in) of armor. The turrets had 23 cm (9.1 in) on the face, 18 cm (7.1 in) on the sides, and 9 cm (3.5 in) on the roofs. The deck armor and sloping armor were both 5 cm (2 in), as was the torpedo bulkhead around the barbettes. The torpedo bulkhead was 3 cm (1.2 in) in other, less critical areas. As with new ships of the fleet, the armor was cemented and nickel steel.

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Service History

Arranoa

Txolarre

Belatza

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Further Reading