Shark7
Posts: 7937
Joined: 7/24/2007 From: The Big Nowhere Status: offline
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quote:
ORIGINAL: Gary Childress quote:
ORIGINAL: mike scholl 1 quote:
ORIGINAL: Gary Childress I've been messing around with some alternative history "never-were" designs. Here's my first batch. 2. Middle: Apparently there were very tentative plans to convert some Omaha class cruisers into light carriers in the 1930s I believe. Never even got off the drawing board but if they had... And of course a boiler and armament refit for Omaha. Problem here was that the Omaha's hulls were too narrow to become a stable platform for A/C operations/storage. 3. Right: What if the Royal Navy had upgraded its "D" Class cruisers to destroyer leaders utilizing DP guns? Problem here is that the RN just didn't have enough good DP weapons. They even tried to buy US 5/38's to fill this gap..., but even the massive production of America wasn't enough to meet more than our own needs. I'll post some shils and sides over the weekend for these ships. In the mean time, here are some teasers. EDIT: These ships are basically standard WITP:AE images which have been doctored up a bit. The bottom row are the original AE ship sides. Above are my conversions. The more I look at it, the more I have to agree regarding the Omahas as CVLs. As far as having enough good DP weapons, I suppose you could sacrifice some wartime BB production to free up resources for modernization, get rid of Vanguard and Howe maybe? Likely the Omaha CV would have ended up a lot like Langley did...used as a test platform and learning experience (after they figured out it wouldn't work), before being converted into a seaplane support ship. As far as ship sides I'm looking at, will have to compile a list...some already exist in the old WiTP add-on artwork...but some, like the Tillmans might be an interesting foray into over-built failures. Also looking into the feasibility of keeping some of the older ships in reserve service, seeing how there is no treaty to force their scrapping (obviously not talking turn of the century relics, but rather some of the WWI built ships that the various navies scrapped in favour of new tonnage).
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