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About This File
Officers
It is fair to say any navy is only as good as their ships – and the men that sail them. And it is equally true to say a navy is only as good as the men that lead it. A small, but efficient navy can go on to victory – while a large, but poorly led navy can go down in defeat. That is, of course, a rather “broad” statement – but the Royal Navy and the Kaiserliche Marine were no exception to this dictum. And the crews in both navies were obvious products of the society in which they existed.
The Royal Navy of the late Victorian and Edwardian Era was an institution undergoing enormous technological changes at the same time science was forcing social changes as well. It must be remembered the crew of a large capital ship was, quite literally, a microcosm of the society that created it. While the Royal Navy officer corps was largely composed of the well-to-do and minor nobility (the snobbish “public schools” – Eaton and Harrow, etc,) -- it was not uncommon to find a ship’s captain and even more senior officers ennobled as Dukes, Earls, or Barons. But the coming of technology forced an ever increasing rise in the importance of the “engineer” officer. This gradually forced the upper ranks in the navy to include the “below decks” officers in their social groupings. This transformation also applied to “specialist officers” – schooled experts in gunnery, wireless communications, and torpedoes.
The Kaiserliche Marine of the Wilhelmine Era (approximately 1880 – 1918) was also undergoing many of the scientific changes brought on by steam power and big guns. But the Germans embraced the advance of technology as a means to an end, rather than a social shift. If possible, Wilhelmine society was even more rigid and class structured than the British. It was quite common to find even a torpedo boat captain with the noble “von” attached to his name. The German (Prussian) class structure was deeply ingrained in the officer corps, but their logical approach to shipboard life allowed them to tightly integrate the engineering and specialist officers while strictly maintaining their social status divisions. This approach worked well up until 1918, when the old social order collapsed.
But there is one thing certain – wherever you find a large body of enlisted men (Army or Navy) – you will find an officer keeping a watchful eye to make sure they are on the job and not sitting on their “duff”. “AP” has created a small Officer Prop Pack to make sure your “Sim-sailors” are properly supervised.
How to use
This pack contains .SC4model-files and props as .SC4desc-files. So, by installing this pack nothing will directly appear in your game. You can use the props on your own lots or convert the SC4models into buildings, as you please. Since most props are to be used on water lots and props naturally align with the surface level, they will sink to the sea floor, if you do not stick to the guidelines on how to use props on water lots. Finally you will need to follow the instructions on how to make a lot transparent. You will find the props in any Lot-Editor under the prefix A_1P_h_
As per request from the community, I have also included a version of the ship without historic flags and crew.
Please visit @Dreadnought's CJ to get detailed descriptions and the historical backgrounds to these prop packs. You will see a wonderful display of the results of our long collaboration there and can get a preview of what might be hidden in the coming prop packs or simply get some inspiration for your own harbour!
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