Damage Mitigation, Prevention, and Repair Board Study
The newly established DMPRB, or Damage Mitigation, Prevention, and Repair Board, is undertaking a detailed study into the results of naval combat upon our own fine nation's ships, focusing on what hurts us the most, how we can most prevent that hurt from happening by good design, how we can decrease and repair the hurt after the damage happens most effectively, and what parts of the ship make either of those easier or harder and why. From this study they will give a multitude of design suggestions meant to make our ships harder to hurt, make them get hurt less when they get damaged anyway, and make them easier to repair after they do get damaged. Some suggestions, such as reinforced anti-explosion doors between the magazines and... basically anything else, will be easier the other suggestions, like their current focus on efficient pumping techniques for countering flooding and widespread training in proper damage control for all crewmen, but the hassle should be well worth it for us to have less sinking or maimed ships at the end of a battle.
Effectiveness: 5 | Cost: 3 | Bugs: 5
The DMPRB, newly established, has already bore fruit for us. Of course, we'd need to make some changes to our existing designs in order to properly apply the lessons learned. There are four main things, however, we have learned. First off, a ship that has 'compartmentalization' is much more likely to remain afloat than ones that don't, as this makes the ship need to have multiple compartment's flooded for it to properly sink, and if only a few are flooded and there is no risks to others, so long as the ship isn't sailing fast enough to risk the bulkhead rupturing, it'll be able to get back home. Secondly, having a metal door for ammo is helpful in not having a turret pop should the worst place get hit, and reinforcing those area's can help as well.
In addition to this, more advanced pumps, and more access to tools damage control can use will make our ships much more durable. While they will still take hits and the damage done will still be the same, the damage over time caused by flooding and fire among other things will be majorly reduced. Of course, this doesn't make ships unsinkable, but it certainly makes it harder for them to actually go under, and this information will certainly save not only ships, but lives as well.
Central Rangefinding Station
A proposed upgrade to naval firing control stations, the doctrine of the Central Rangefinding Station would consist of a central location on the ship equipped with both a powerful mechanical calculator and a large scale rangefinder, either of the stereoscopic or coincidence types. This rangefinder would thus feed data into the calculator, which would then calculate the proper firing solution to hit the target, which would then be communicated to the ships guns for firing, allowing increased effectiveness per shot in battle.
Effectiveness: 6 | Cost: 1 | Bugs: 1
The first prototypes for 'central range finding as its called, go...well...Its a mixed bag. On one hand, the estimated accuracy from this is expected to practically skyrocket, well, maybe not skyrocket but certainly increase significantly with this new invention. However, there are glaring flaws with the design as it stands now. For one, it is extremely complex, so much so that it takes quite a long time to make and its size is large enough that putting it on a corvette or destroyer is, at this stage, quite impractical. This by itself wouldn't be so bad if the rangefinder itself wasn't so delicate. If someone so much as gives it a swift kick, it'll seem to go on the fritz. Ironically, and somewhat amusingly, preforming percussive maintenance after it has been disabled in this way seems to actually work reliably well.
However, if something much more forceful comes by, like say, a shell hitting the bridge below the rangefinder, chances are it'll take more than a few smacks with a hammer or fist to get it working again, even though it itself wouldn't have been hit by the shell. Additionally, this seems to extend to the firing of the main guns as well, to an extent, though like with someone accidentally kicking it, percussive maintenance works. Regardless, we'll likely work out the kinks when we properly install it onto a ship...here's hoping at least. And if not? Well, at least we can just preform the sacred tried and tested rite of percussive maintenance...Until the ship gets hit by a shell vaguely nearby where the rangefinder is.
It is now the Revision & Refit phase of Pre game Turn 3, the Final Pre game turn. You have 1 die remaining to spend on Revisions or refits. Make it count.
Naval
Early 2/3/4/5/6/7/9/10/12 inch guns
Triple-expansion engines.
Steel hull construction.
Single Casemates.
Single and Double gun turrets.
Basic Steel making techniques.
Early Damage control techniques.
Basic Anti Flash fire measures
Prototype Central Rangefinding.
Mjolnir Class Self Propelled Torpedo (Reliable torpedo capable of 600 yards at 26 knots. A somewhat noisy, but leaves no wake.)
Marines & Installations
Defensive guns (Uses same calibers as naval guns)
Vetlesen Ironbone 83 (Basic Bolt Action Rifle)
Halfdan & Ivar Model 6 (Basic Revolver)
Minnow Class Corvette: A corvette with a single three inch gun and two, two inch guns. Additionally has three surface torpedo launchers and is capable of a speed up to twenty four knots. Is fairly maneuverable, and can carry a small platoon of soldiers should need be.
Costs 2/1 PP, 3 seasons construction time.
Serpent Class Light Armored Cruiser: A Armored cruiser armed with three six inch guns, two in a forward turret, one in the back. Additionally has a secondary armament of six three inch guns, three on each side of the ship along with two submerged torpedo tubes, one on each side. Capable of a surprising nineteen knots at flank speed, and armored with three inches along the ships belt with the main turrets having a similar level of armor.
Costs 5/2 PP, 5 seasons construction time.
4,000 Displacement Dry docks.
Author
Topic: Refit and Repair, Sothweg, Spring, 1890, Production & Deployment Phase. (Read 26707 times)