Fallschirmjager -> RE: Need help with names for some fictional Tribal Class DD (6/16/2014 1:28:09 AM)
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ORIGINAL: geofflambert quote:
ORIGINAL: Fallschirmjager quote:
ORIGINAL: mind_messing quote:
ORIGINAL: Fallschirmjager HMS Macedonian is a good name. Did the RN reuse ship names that were captured? The Macedonian was one of the early ships used by the USN after it was captured in the war of 1812. A 38 gun frigate if I recall. Captured ship names were re-used, HMS Java, another victim of the USN in the War of 1812, was reused. Interesting naval history note. The ship that captured the Macedonia, the USS United States survived long enough to make it to the American Civil War. It was at Norfolk when the naval yard was captured by Confederate forces. They were going to use it as a harbor defense vessel but when Norfolk was about to be recaptured by Union forces they decided to sink her in the harbor as an obstruction. However, the timbers of the ships, despite being almost 70 years old. Were so strong and so thick that the men who were ordered to sink her used an entire box of axe blades and ruined them without doing much damage. They finally had to ordered in a large hand drill and have to drill her out from the inside in order to sink her. Those six original USN frigates were built to last. Three of those were 44 gun and in my view the equivalent of Battlecruisers, fast an powerful. the other 3 were 38 gunners but still better than any British frigate considering the protection (in the thickness of the hull) and in firepower ( they mounted a large number of 32 pounders) and there was no warship faster. correction: The primary weapon of all six was the 24 pounder. I'm sure I read somewhere that some 32 pounders were also used. Many of the smaller British frigates carried nothing above a 12 pounder. The early US had very limited funds and so it built the original six frigates with longevity in mind. They were designed to compete with any frigate then under sail and be able to operate independently. They used extra thick hulls with the best timber that could be found and had a unique ribbed design. As for armament. The first 4 were 44s and the last 2 were 36s. Guns were mixed and it is hard to know exactly what they were armed with. Back in those days it was fairly easy to mix and match guns and change up what you carried. By the war of 1812 all four of the 44s had been rerated as a 36 or 38. But I have read sources that this was incorrect and they were still 44s. I have also read that when you add in chase guns, swivel guns and anti personal cannonades that sometimes they carried as many as 50+ cannon. USS President actually launched with 55 guns. Thirty-two 24-pounder , twenty-two 42-pounder carronades, and one 18-pounder long gun. My understanding is that larger RN Frigates like the 38 gun class preferred the 18 lb long gun. It was a great mix of accuracy, hard hitting power and firing rate in a manageable weight and size.
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