Bit of a rambling post I know but its 0128 and I cant get to sleep because its too damn hot. I am sorry if this post makes little sense.
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Cross648 |
HMS Nile and Trafalgar |
Lead | |
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Posts: 72 (14-May-2008 02:29:20) |
Had amazingly thick armour, up to 20 inches thick over their vitals with heavy armour everywhere else, even their battery was sheilded with over 5 inches of
armour. Given this, despite their drawbacks (Freeboard...whats that?) would these ships have been able to stand up to Pre-dreadnoughts of a later age? Lets
say for example that for XYZ reason the old two foes go at it again, France and the UK in 1903. Both ships were still in service then. Would their massive
protection of been of value considering their age?
Bit of a rambling post I know but its 0128 and I cant get to sleep because its too damn hot. I am sorry if this post makes little sense. |
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steevy |
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Posts: 125 (14-May-2008 02:36:46) |
They were probably armoured with wrought iron so 20 inches wasn't even equivalent to say 13 of Krupp cemented.....
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NewGolconda |
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Posts: 3340 (14-May-2008 03:04:36) Commonwealth Moderator |
The quality differential is even more high, I think you will find. The Canopus class were not particularly poorly protected compared to their predessors.
Search the Belisle trials for an iron armoured ship hit by circa 1900 projectiles. |
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SirGoodall |
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Posts: 593 (14-May-2008 06:02:27) |
Late 1890s AP steel ammo would have had little difficulty getting through those thick wrought iron plates. Unless this pair happened to be 'wondering',
I canot see them being included within the line. 1903 see the Brits completing pre-dreads in vast quantities of great quality. The French might have advantages
in FC to open up at greater ranges and hit at those ranges although the Brits still have many more ships plus faster loading guns, then can also cope better
with underwater damage! Nile and Trafalger will simply not be there.....
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Desert Sailor |
HMS Nile | ||
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Posts: 1127 (15-May-2008 18:44:37) |
Solid looking, though!
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Cross648 |
RE: Krupps steel | ||
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Posts: 73 (15-May-2008 22:23:23) |
Yes they were armoured with wrought Iron but was Krupps that much stronger? I have no idea about the types of armour, I simply thought it lighter.
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Wijnand vd Beek |
They were quite well protected but wet | ||
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Posts: 3512 (16-May-2008 11:37:08) Dutch moderation |
Nile and Trafalgar actually had compound armour, which had about half the resistance of KC against APC. In 1903 there was no effective APC yet, just uncapped
steel shot, so the advantage of KC would be even greater (as uncapped shot would shatter on KC*). Still, they had excellent protection against the shot and
shell of 1903, and would have been comparable in this respect to the latest battleships like HMS Formidable which had a deep 9" KC belt.
The key disadvantage of Nile and Trafalgar were low freeboard, which would severely affect their battle efficiency in a seaway. That is why they mainly served in the Med and not the Atlantic. Also, by 1903 the rate of fire of their main guns was low at one RPG per 2 minutes. The best 12" mountings in 1903 could manage a loading cycle of about 40 secs, so would have at least twice the RoF. Still in the 1890's they were well regarded, and some would prefer them to a Royal Souvereign in the Med. * Note: many readers who are not very familiar with the effects of ordnance think that if (the nose of) a shell shatters, nothing happens. This is a serious misunderstanding. If only the nose of a projectile shatters, it may still penetrate with devastating consequences. In fact, up to WWI intact penetration of a projectile was the exception, not the rule. Even after that, shells did often not work as advertized. Although this often diminishes the damage that is caused, even a damaged shot or shell that does not function properly smashing into your ship at high velocity is a very bad thing that can cause extensive and sometimes fatal damage. |
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