The Strategypage is a comprehensive summary of military news and affairs.
 News As History - February 9, 2010




New Strategy - Wargames at Discount Prices
1.Modern Air Power: War Over the Middle East
2.Commander: Napoleon at War
3.Close Combat: Watch am Rhein
4.Gallic Wars
5.Fast Action Battle: The Bulge

100+ Computer and Board games all with free shipping.
 
 
 
Military History | How To Make War | Wars Around the World Rules of Use
How to Behave on an Internet Forum
Surface Forces Discussion Board
Sign In   Return to Topic Page
Subject: HMS Battleship or BattleCruiser?
scooter    8/21/2004 8:55:27 PM
It doesn't matter where you look, the Hood appears in text as both a BS and BC. Which one is it, and what defines the two? Is it dispacement, overall length, armour, armament (firepower)or crew size(it can't be all these things as there would be no difference between the two classes then)?
Alot of books I've read class Hood as a Battlecruiser, however, it compares favourably with Queen Elizabeth and Royal Oak Battleships.
This brings up the issue of Scharnhorst. Also classed as a BC, however, with 9 11inch main guns, this would be a heavy cruiser in USN parlance would it not?

Thoughts, Gentlemen...
 
Quote    Reply

Email Me When A New Comment Is Made
Show Only Poster Name and Title     Sort in Reverse Order Posted
scooter    RE:HMS Battleship or BattleCruiser?   8/21/2004 8:57:13 PM
Oops, I meant to title it "HMS Hood, BS or BC?" sorry, not enough caffeine & rum for me this morning.
 
Quote    Reply

HorribleSailor    RE:HMS Battleship or BattleCruiser?   8/21/2004 9:28:06 PM
Put very simply, the difference between battleships and battlecruisers revolves around WW1 designs, where the BCS was a BC that traded armour for engine power and fulfilled a different role - scouting for the BC fleet and trade protection. Hood was designed a battlecruiser, indeed, she was basically the BCS variant of the BC battleship, incorporating lessons learnt at the Battle of Jutland. These lessons caused her to be up-armoured so that the line blurred. Post WW1, with engine development giving battleships the speed of battlecruisers, the distinction disappeared. Vessels such as the Scharnhorst and the French Dunquirks were commonly referred to as battlecruisers, but were really light battleships or large heavy cruisers, and not particularly successful for it.
 
Quote    Reply

scooter    RE:HMS Battleship or BattleCruiser?   8/21/2004 11:05:42 PM
I am confused about your last paragraph - HorribleSailor. My understanding is that a Battle Cruiser lies between the Battleship and Heavy Cruiser. What is the difference between a light battleship, battle cruiser and the German Panzerschiff (pocket-battleship)as far as YOUR understanding? Could you give me an example of a light Battleship, as I was not aware of a class distinction between Battleships per say. If there is a difference between light and (heavy?) or any other battleship, is it similar to the generational difference in jet fighters. By this I mean a distinct diff. between generation 1, 2, 3, 4, 4.5 and 5. (If you get what I mean). The line between battleships, battle cruisers, heavy cruisers etc can be muddled.
 
Quote    Reply

ex-98C    RE:HMS Battleship or BattleCruiser?   8/21/2004 11:20:58 PM
The original comcept of the battlecruiser was a ships with the size and firepower of a battleship and the speed of a cruiser. To meet these specs something had to give..which was armor thinkness. As Sailor was saying as time went on technical advances blurred the line til at the end of world war II you had the "fast" battleships like the Iowa with all the firepower and armor of a battleship with 32+ knot speed. Naval designations are not set in stone the California and Virginia class Cruisers (approx 11,000 tons) were initally called frigates. The new DDX destroyers are believed to be about 14,000 tons, heavier than most cruisers. The move seems to be towards classifying ships by function (Frigates single purpose, Destoyers multi-purpose, Cruisers ummm not sure as the US is the only one planning on building them)
 
Quote    Reply

HorribleSailor    RE:HMS Battleship or BattleCruiser?   8/22/2004 8:02:33 AM
Like ex-98c says, the battlecruiser was not between a battleship and a cruiser, but rather was a battleship with greater speed and less protection. The term 'pocket battleship' is not a translation of 'panzerschiff' - the term was coined by the allies. The Germans (correctly) considered them large cruisers configured for commerce raiding. There was never a designation 'light battleship' - battleships ranged in displacement from 25k tons to over 60k tons - it was merely my way of pointing out that the smaller battleships built in the 1930s and 1940s were not battlecruisers in the original sense, merely smaller battleships. ex-98c is very right, certainly in the Royal Navy the terms used to describe ships have been based upon role rather than size ever sicne the early 1950s. Oh, and a correction, I meant to say that HOOD was the BCS version of the Queen Elizabeth class.
 
Quote    Reply



StrategyWorld.com© 1998 - 2010StrategyWorld.com. All rights Reserved. StrategyWorld.com, StrategyPage.com, FYEO, For Your Eyes Only and Al Nofi's CIC are all trademarks of StrategyWorld.com Privacy Policy