ADMIRAL ORLOV class monitors in 1/200
Адмирал Орлов, 1870
Hello colleauges,
I decided to do something fictional construction on a kind of ships I love very much - Russian Baltic Fleet Monitors of the 70th (of the XIXth Century ). So I asked my self a few questions about the consequences and possibilitys of such a decission to try to build one in myself.
What if the Baltic Fleet stayed with an enlarged homebuild monitor concept in a fifth generation? And what if the same type was in use with the Black Sea Fleet? What if the Tzar risked a II. Crimean War by reentering the blocking position at Åland Island but being tricky not occupying the land itself? And also freeing the water passage through the Bosporus?
What if the Baltic and Black Sea Fleet decided to enlarge the ADMIRAL SPINIROV class up to a floating fortress securing the harbours of Russia and being able to do more? If this Giant Monitors were also acting at Bomarsund without injuring the humiliating treathy of Paris of 1856 by mooring the "Giant Monitor Quartett" (The Times) at the coast as fortresses - what would Napoleon III. and Queen Victoria had had done? And by this ships the Imperial Russian Navy would had been able to open the Dardanelles for the Russian Black Sea Fleet? By entering Ottoman waters from north being armoured in a way withstanding all Ottoman costal artillery fire and so winnig these duells? Taking down the fortifications?
What kind of ship could do this?
Here my ideas in a rought first 1/400 scetch for a 1/200 (or bigger model) of the Russian 5th generation monitor class 1870:
Length: 158,6m
Breadth: 39,8m
An arrangement of a quartett of turrets were placed in a layout to bring the eigth (or twelve) guns into the biggest possible arc of fire by mixing in a row and en echelon design:
Avoiding the superstructure of the last two classes before on the stem helps to give a chease fire option by six guns instead of only four (or nine smaller ones instead of six).
The ship is a typical doubleender so it can use its two screws allways in both directions allways one screw pushes and the other pulls from the "then-stem". The navigation lights have to be interchangeable due to the directions and this possibility should be as hidden as possible.
This as the strategical and tactical background of the class in history...
I am still dealing with several details figuring out if they are possible, intelligent, available at time of 1868/69 (or not):
- the superstructure's layout (as mainly in harbours she doesn't need much crew night accomodation beside for the watch guard and staff)
- looking for a breech-loaded Russian gun bigger than 229mm for the diameter 8ms turrets
- design of the big gun twin turrets or 229mm tripple gun turrets (leaving my 8.000mm turret ring?)
- inventing a double light for changing directions and starboard becomes suddenly port and red becomes green
Solved
- rangefinders ontop the turrets and wheelhouses
- conning towers only being enteted from below to stiffen the structure by avoiding hatches(so they need to be in some way larger)
- making the hull more interstingly shaped by preshadowing a French 1880th thumblehome design
- davits construction and boats configuration
Last two till questionable...
- cranes for the eight anchres
a) pre-Ingelfieldt-type
b) mushrom-type as a floating fortification
-figuring out about the gangways layer above the turrets and conning towers
- dealing with the hatches and vents for the engine and boiler rooms
-adding torpedonet booms and netting (and also keeping boats traffic possible)
-designing V-shaped torpedo net booms (for use in recuced speed)
Certainly I could diminish the distances between first and last turret and the conning tower to shorten the hull but for shallow water fights I like to get as much breadth as possible to get an as stabile gunnery platform as possible - so the expensive rangefinders do make really sense.
The coloursheme for the four northern ships is a blueblack hull and limbstone white turrets and superstructure the funnels are creme yellow the southerners are at all white with red lineing and creme yellow funnels. The boats should camouflage on the hull and the iron v-shaped torpedonetbooms are painted as the masts in orange-brown.
This is my playground for the next weeks - I so hope you like it (and it is placed right in this section?)...
Have a good time!
Адмирал Орлов, 1870
Hello colleauges,
I decided to do something fictional construction on a kind of ships I love very much - Russian Baltic Fleet Monitors of the 70th (of the XIXth Century ). So I asked my self a few questions about the consequences and possibilitys of such a decission to try to build one in myself.
What if the Baltic Fleet stayed with an enlarged homebuild monitor concept in a fifth generation? And what if the same type was in use with the Black Sea Fleet? What if the Tzar risked a II. Crimean War by reentering the blocking position at Åland Island but being tricky not occupying the land itself? And also freeing the water passage through the Bosporus?
What if the Baltic and Black Sea Fleet decided to enlarge the ADMIRAL SPINIROV class up to a floating fortress securing the harbours of Russia and being able to do more? If this Giant Monitors were also acting at Bomarsund without injuring the humiliating treathy of Paris of 1856 by mooring the "Giant Monitor Quartett" (The Times) at the coast as fortresses - what would Napoleon III. and Queen Victoria had had done? And by this ships the Imperial Russian Navy would had been able to open the Dardanelles for the Russian Black Sea Fleet? By entering Ottoman waters from north being armoured in a way withstanding all Ottoman costal artillery fire and so winnig these duells? Taking down the fortifications?
What kind of ship could do this?
Here my ideas in a rought first 1/400 scetch for a 1/200 (or bigger model) of the Russian 5th generation monitor class 1870:
Length: 158,6m
Breadth: 39,8m
An arrangement of a quartett of turrets were placed in a layout to bring the eigth (or twelve) guns into the biggest possible arc of fire by mixing in a row and en echelon design:
Avoiding the superstructure of the last two classes before on the stem helps to give a chease fire option by six guns instead of only four (or nine smaller ones instead of six).The ship is a typical doubleender so it can use its two screws allways in both directions allways one screw pushes and the other pulls from the "then-stem". The navigation lights have to be interchangeable due to the directions and this possibility should be as hidden as possible.
This as the strategical and tactical background of the class in history...
I am still dealing with several details figuring out if they are possible, intelligent, available at time of 1868/69 (or not):
- the superstructure's layout (as mainly in harbours she doesn't need much crew night accomodation beside for the watch guard and staff)
- looking for a breech-loaded Russian gun bigger than 229mm for the diameter 8ms turrets
- design of the big gun twin turrets or 229mm tripple gun turrets (leaving my 8.000mm turret ring?)
- inventing a double light for changing directions and starboard becomes suddenly port and red becomes green
Solved
- rangefinders ontop the turrets and wheelhouses
- conning towers only being enteted from below to stiffen the structure by avoiding hatches(so they need to be in some way larger)
- making the hull more interstingly shaped by preshadowing a French 1880th thumblehome design
- davits construction and boats configuration
Last two till questionable...
- cranes for the eight anchres
a) pre-Ingelfieldt-type
b) mushrom-type as a floating fortification
-figuring out about the gangways layer above the turrets and conning towers
- dealing with the hatches and vents for the engine and boiler rooms
-adding torpedonet booms and netting (and also keeping boats traffic possible)
-designing V-shaped torpedo net booms (for use in recuced speed)
Certainly I could diminish the distances between first and last turret and the conning tower to shorten the hull but for shallow water fights I like to get as much breadth as possible to get an as stabile gunnery platform as possible - so the expensive rangefinders do make really sense.
The coloursheme for the four northern ships is a blueblack hull and limbstone white turrets and superstructure the funnels are creme yellow the southerners are at all white with red lineing and creme yellow funnels. The boats should camouflage on the hull and the iron v-shaped torpedonetbooms are painted as the masts in orange-brown.
This is my playground for the next weeks - I so hope you like it (and it is placed right in this section?)...
Have a good time!
Last edited:
ky
