Thursday, November 14, 2013

Deutschland class German predreadnought battleship.

I have seen this photograph identified as both the SMS Deutschland and the SMS Schleswig-Holstein. My gut feeling is it's the Deutschland due to the bow ornament.
Class details: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deutschland-class_battleship

Tuesday, November 12, 2013

French predreadnought battleship Liberté on the Hudson River in 1909.

From Wikipedia: "1909 Hudson-Fulton Celebration" in 1909. From Saturday, 25 September, to Monday, 11 October 1909, the U.S. state of New York commemorated the 300th anniversary of the discovery of the Hudson River by Henry Hudson in 1609 and the 100th anniversary of the first successful navigation of the river with a steamboat Robert Fulton in 1807."
Ship details: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_battleship_Liberté

Regioni class Italian protected cruiser Etruria on parade, Hudson-Fulton Celebration, Hudson River, New York,1909.


Ship details:

Displacement: ~2450 metric tons
Dimensions: 84.8m L, 12.03m W, 4.87m D
Machinery: 2 sets of three-cylinder triple expansion reciprocating steam engines, 2 propellers 7585 IHP
Speed: 19.8 knots at maximum power during sea trials
Endurance: ~2100 nautical miles
Armour: deck 51mm, tower 50mm
Armament as completed: four 6" 40-caliber guns, six 4.7" 40-caliber guns, eight 57mm 43-caliber guns, two machine guns, two 17,7" torpedo tubes
Armament 1905-1914: two 6" 40-caliber guns, eight 4.7" 40-caliber guns, eight 57mm 43-caliber guns, eight 37mm 20-caliber guns, 2 machine guns, two 17.7" torpedo tubes
Armament from 1915: six 4.7" 40-caliber guns, six 57mm 43-caliber guns, two 37mm 20-caliber guns, one machine gun, two 17.7" torpedo tubes

Etruria was laid down on April 4th 1889 at the Orlando Shipyard in Livorno (Italy), launched April 23rd 1891, and completed July 11th 1894. She sank on August 13th 1918 following the explosion of an ammunition barge in the Livorno harbour.

Source: Italian Warships of World War 1, by Aldo Fraccaroli, Ian Allan press, London, 1970, 304pp.

Battleship USS Idaho fitting out at New York Ship Building Corporation, June 23rd 1919.

Note the lack of hull-mounted secondary armament. According to navsource.org, she was the first battleship to be completed without such guns as their ports were plated over before her commissioning; however, the emplacements remained as her hull was otherwise like that of her sister ships.
Ship details: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Idaho_(BB-42)

Monday, November 4, 2013

German predreadnought battleship SMS Elsass in Kiel.

I have seen this photograph identified as both the SMS Elsass and her sister ship SMS Hessen. The name plate seems to read Elsaß rather than Hessen under forensic sharpening but appears mirrored left to right.
Ship details: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SMS_Elsass

Saturday, November 2, 2013

Imperial Russian Navy predreadnought battleship Tri Sviatitelia in Sevastopol.

She had the thickest armour ever carried by a Russian battleship and her 12" guns were 40 calibres in length, a gradual increase following the 35 calibres of the previous Navarin and 30 calibres of the Dvenadsat Apostolov.
Ship details: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_battleship_Tri_Sviatitelia