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User:The ed17/Sandbox/List of large cruiser classes

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On the eve of the Second World War, many countries showed interest in warships that could destroy any cruiser they came across, but outrun any battleships that happened to find them. Variously called "large cruisers", "super cruisers", "cruiser killers" or "battlecruisers" by official and unofficial sources, no ships of this type were completed due to the war with the exception of two ships of America's Alaska class.

Both Axis and Allied countries planned for these ships. Under the Two-Ocean Navy Act, the United States ordered six of the aforementioned Alaska class ships. The Netherlands authorized three Design 1047 ships (modified Scharnhorst's[A 1] that could protect their East Indies colonies from invading Japanese cruisers, although the project was ended when Germany invaded in 1940. The Soviet Union laid down two ships of the Kronshtadt class in 1939. Germany ordered three ships of the O class to replace the Deutschland class, but they were canceled due to the outbreak of war. Japan planned to build battlecruisers of a Design B-64, but news of the Alaska's caused the required specifications to be increased, culminating in Design B-65; due to the war and a need for aircraft carriers, no ships were laid down.

Alaska class

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Kronshtadt class

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Main article: Kronshtadt class battlecruiser

250px|thumb|Right elevation of Kronshtadt class

In the 1930s the Soviets began development of a large cruiser (Russian: bol'shoi kreiser) capable of destroying 10,000-long-ton (10,160 t) cruisers built to the limits imposed by the Washington Naval Treaty, to which the Soviets were not a signatory. Several designs were proposed, but rejected by the Navy before the concept was merged with the small battleship (Battleship 'B') then being designed for service with the Baltic and Black Sea Fleets after the Soviets agreed to follow the terms of the Second London Naval Treaty in 1937. The new design was significantly larger and was also tasked with dealing with German pocket battleships. Four were ordered shortly afterwards, but the beginning of the Great Purge in August 1937 hindered the completion of the design process and the project was cancelled in early 1938 after being criticized as too weak in comparison to foreign ships.[1]

The Navy, however, still had a requirement for a ship capable of dealing with enemy cruisers and the original concept was revived as Project 69. The size of the ship continually escalated as the requirement was revised to make it able to fight larger ships like the German Scharnhorst-class battleships. The preliminary design was finally approved in January 1939 and two ships were laid down in November 1939, before the detailed design had even been approved.[2]

The Project 69 ships were intended to use a newly designed 305-millimeter (12.0 in) gun in a new triple turret, but they were both well behind schedule when Joseph Stalin asked the Germans in February 1940 if any triple 283-millimeter (11.1 in) turrets were available for purchase under the German–Soviet Commercial Agreement When they said no, he then asked if any twin 380-millimeter (15.0 in) turrets were available instead. Krupp had six incomplete turrets on hand that had originally been ordered before the war to rearm the Scharnhorst-class battleships, but they had been cancelled after the start of World War II. A preliminary purchase agreement was made to buy twelve guns and six turrets later that month, well before any studies were even made to see if the substitution was even possible. It was later determined that they could be used so the agreement was finalized in November 1940 with the deliveries scheduled from October 1941 to 28 March 1943.[3]

The two ships were modified to use the German guns as the Project 69-I (Russian: Importnyi—Imported), even though they still lacked data for the turrets and their barbettes. The detailed design was supposed to be completed by 15 October 1941, but it was rendered pointless when the Germans invaded the Soviet Union in June.[4] Neither ship had progressed very far when the Germans invaded and both had been damaged during the war so they were ordered scrapped on 24 March 1947 after some thought had been given to completing Kronshtadt as either an aircraft carrier or a mother ship for whalers.[5]

Ship Main guns Displacement Propulsion Service
Laid down Launched Fate
Kronshtadt ([Кронштадт] Error: {{Lang-xx}}: text has italic markup (help)) 6 × 38 cm (15.0 in)[4] 42,831 t (42,155 long tons)[6] 3 screws, steam turbines, 32 kn (59 km/h; 37 mph)[7] 30 November 1939[5] — Ordered scrapped 24 March 1947[5]
Sevastopol ([Севастополь] Error: {{Lang-xx}}: text has italic markup (help)) 6 × 38 cm (15.0 in)[4] 42,831 t (42,155 long tons)[6] 3 screws, steam turbines, 32 kn (59 km/h; 37 mph)[7] 5 November 1939[5] — Ordered scrapped 24 March 1947[5]

O class

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Main article: O class battlecruiser

250px|thumb|A painting of the O class The O class battlecruisers were designed in 1937 to supplement the P class cruisers then planned for the new German fleet. The three ships were armed with six 38 cm guns in three twin turrets, similar to the arrangement of the main battery of the Scharnhorst-class battleships. They were intended for use as long-range commerce raiders, with the goal of forcing Great Britain to disperse its battleships as convoy escorts. The ships were never laid down due to the outbreak of World War II in September 1939.[8]

Ship Main guns Displacement Propulsion Service
Laid down Commissioned Fate
O 6 × 38.1 cm (15.0 in)[9] 35,400 long tons (36,000 t)[9][A 2] 3 screws, 8 × 24 cylinder diesel engines, 1 steam turbine, 35 kn (65 km/h; 40 mph)[9] — — Canceled after the outbreak of World War II[9]
P 6 × 38.1 cm (15.0 in)[9] 35,400 long tons (36,000 t)[9] 3 screws, 8 × 24 cylinder diesel engines, 1 steam turbine, 35 kn (65 km/h; 40 mph)[9] — — Canceled after the outbreak of World War II[9]
Q 6 × 38.1 cm (15.0 in)[9] 35,400 long tons (36,000 t)[9] 3 screws, 8 × 24 cylinder diesel engines, 1 steam turbine, 35 kn (65 km/h; 40 mph)[9] — — Canceled after the outbreak of World War II[9]

Design 1047

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Footnotes

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  1. ^ The Design 1047 ships were to have used the same 28 cm SKC naval gun in three triple turrets as in Scharnhorst. The ships were outwardly similar in appearance, but the Dutch ships had a much thinner armored belt)
  2. ^ Figures here are reversed intentionally; following the signing of the Washington Naval Treaty in 1922, the use of long tons to calculate ship displacement was standardized.

References

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  1. ^ McLaughlin 2004, pp. 100–05
  2. ^ McLaughlin 2004, pp. 107, 109, 112
  3. ^ McLaughlin 2004, pp. 109, 111
  4. ^ a b c McLaughlin 2004, p. 111
  5. ^ a b c d e McLaughlin 2004, pp. 112, 114
  6. ^ a b McLaughlin 2004, pp. 107, 112
  7. ^ a b McLaughlin 2004, p. 109
  8. ^ Sturton, p. 49
  9. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Gröner, p. 68

Bibliography

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  • Gardiner, Robert; Chesneau, Roger, eds. (1980). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships, 1922–1946. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0870219138. OCLC 18121784.
  • Gröner, Erich (1990). German Warships: 1815–1945. Annapolis: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0870217909. OCLC 22101769.
  • Sturton, Ian, ed. (1987). Conway's All the World's Battleships: 1906 to the Present. London: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0851774482. OCLC 246548578.
  • McLaughlin, Stephen (2003). Russian & Soviet Battleships. Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-55750-481-4.
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