Idea: Dump the weak Japanese K-cruisers, use the tonnage for something else

[FDRLincoln]

For my first attempt at a mod, I'm working on a scenario where the Japanese did not build the weak K-series training cruisers circa 1940. Instead, they used the materials and labor thus freed to construct an additional large cruiser and a couple of extra destroyers.

My idea for the cruiser would be a large light cruiser, designed for commerce raiding, utilizing the spare 6.1-inch turrets left over from the Mogami class CL-CA conversion. I know two of these were used to arm Oyodo, but there should be some left over.

Has anyone else done anything similar to this?

[2ndACR]

Go one better and scrap the Shinano and give me an extra Shokaku class CV and a bunch of DD's or DE's. Or better yet 2 Shokaku class CV's.

[kokubokan25]

I'm working now in a mod scen 15 with many changes, all in japanese side because i think the allied superiority is very high.
My mods in japanese ships are:
-Scrap Shinano like say 2ndACR
-In this slot and another i put two battleships never finished; Kii and Owari.
-Also i supposed the Tosa was converted like the Kaga CV. Another japanese CV with capacity of 80 planes is a very very substantial addition.
-Put another CL Oyodo, the Niyodo, never constructed.
-and reduce the delay of some classes of submarines and Destroyers to arrive in 43 not 44.

Also modified the aircrafts:
-Put a slot with the C8N1 Genzan and four hikotais to arrive middle 44. The bmp was a particular modification of a scan in a book i have.
-Put a slot with Tokay, a recon plane to upgrade the Dinah III end of 44.

[FDRLincoln]

The ship I came up with to replace the K-class is a commerce-raider variant cruiser. I call her Yodo, named for an old cruiser which historically was stricken from the Navy list in 1940. This ship is a bit different from standard Japanese cruiser designs, optimized for commerce raiding. Based on the Mogami class, but with thinner side armor, a bit less speed (33 knots), but much longer range and endurance.

Main Guns 12x6.1 inch, 4 triple turrets (two forward, two back) taken from the Mogami class.
Secondary weapons: due to shortages of the new 5inch AA weapon, her secondary weapons are 8 of the older 4.7inch AA gun.
Light AA weapons standard for Japanese cruisers of the era.

I'm trying to figure out how to make a visual for the ship, but right now i'm using the regular Mogami class.

The three "not built" K-class training cruisers were about 6,000 tons displacement each. So that gives me 18,000 tons to work with. I'm estimating that Yodo takes 12,000 tons of that. So I have 6,000 more tons of material to work with. I'll probably put this into two large destroyers.

[FDRLincoln]

I've renamed my new cruiser design Tsushima. Ran a couple of turns in a modified version of Tanaka's scenario, and the ship shows up and can move around just fine.

Next step: a couple of new Japanese destroyers.

Other ideas: Perhaps a mod including the carrier Ryukaku, the alleged sister ship of Shokaku and Zuikaku that did not actually exist, but that the Americans thought did exist for awhile. My thinking is that Ryukaku would commission in early 1942, and would be "paid for" tonnage-wise by cancelling Shinano altogether.


Or, if you like big guns, complete Shinano as a battleship and put No. 111 in the game as a possible build...

[Tankerace]

Hopefully you let the Allies counter them with the Montanas and vanguards, right?


<------ Allied Super Dreadnought Fanboy

[2ndACR]

Just play a Lemurs mod 4.0. he has 3 Yamato class BB's in the build list WITH Shinano being built.

Just mod that one and remove the Shinano completely and stick that Shokaku and maybe 5 DD's in the build list. That would be perfect.

The DD's should be all around ships. Not sure of the class, but good at surface combat and ASW with an upgrade to have radar capability. If Japanese DD's had radar. Have not checked that one.

[FDRLincoln]

Yeah, any thing with a radical change like adding Ryukaku would have to be balanced by something on the allied side. Perhaps having Ranger in the Pacific?

Making Shinano a BB and having No. 111 constructable I would balance by completeing the other two Iowa class hulls.

[Tankerace]

Yeah. Don't forget, you can also have the Ibuki aswell (Converted Mogami style cruiser).

[FDRLincoln]

I'm thinking any DD additions would be additional Yugumo hulls. IIRC from Conway's, there were six or seven Yugumos that were planned and even named but not built.

Right now I'm tinkering with a modified Tanaka scenario just to see what works, learning the editor, trying out this new cruiser, etc. A mod with lots of ship additions like Ryukaku would be a larger project.

[FDRLincoln]

Another idea would be to re-design Shinano to make her carrier capabilities a bit better considering her size. Larger air group and such.

[ladner]

Since someone mentioned ship No. 111 which was to be the sistership to Shinano, as a battleship, does anyone have any ideas for a name, or for that matter a comprehensive list of old Japanese Imperial Provinces? From what I have learned the Japanese named their battleships (BBs) after provinces and their battlecruisers (BCs) after mountains, of course the Kongo's are the exception to the rule since they were BBs upgraded to BCs. I am also thinking about adding another project that was not built, a class of BBs with 20.1" guns.

However, before anyone accuses me of being a Japanese fanboi, since Tankerace was nice enough to provide me with graphics I will be adding the two Iowa's that were not finished and the Montanas for the USN and Vanguard (with perhaps a sistership) to the RN. I know the CVs rule the seas in WiTP but I really want to set up an epic surface combat clash with some of these incredible ships, even the hypothetical ones.

[FDRLincoln]

In my mod, I am going to give the name Tosa to the fourth Yamato-class ship. Tosa was the planned sister of Kaga, but was scrapped under the Washington Treaty.

[ladner]

Here is the graphic that I came up for the warships '795' and '796' also known as the Type B65 project. I have them rated as BC's. Can post the stats if anyone is interested.

Also a couple of request, either an explanation of how to do it or if someone could generate the back ground (i.e ship silohoute with purple background) and touch up the blending of this graphic I would greatly appreciate it. Overall, I look the shape that I came up with, just not entirely pleased with how I blended the colors, anyone who has skill in this regard has earned my admiration for it is more difficult than you might think.

I probably still need to work on the catapult. Basically I shortened the Yamato graphic and added a Tone superstructure which I tweaked. Also I adjusted the turrents, hopefully someone with better eyesight than I can verify that the turrents are symmetrical. I have a feeling that one may be a few pixels too small.