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Chapter 58: The Photo Tour 14
Dreadnought posted a City Journal entry in IMPERIAL DOCKYARDS: CUXHAVEN
IMPERIAL DOCKYARDS: CUXHAVEN By: Dreadnought & AP Chapter 58: THE PHOTO TOUR 14 Every naval base has an ammunition storage facility and the means to distribute the powder and shells to the warships. Some installations are big and some are small – but the one thing they all have in common, is that none of them are ever the same. The size of each facility is determined by the number and size of the warships it will serve, while the layout is usually governed by the available terrain. Some facilities are tucked into quiet corners of a naval base, while others are built in isolated locations a mile or more away from an anchorage. There are installations that handle ammunition across shoreline docks, while others transfer munitions at the end of piers half a mile out into a bay. (The long pier is an attempt to limit possible damage from accidental explosions. See “Imperial Dockyards: Wilhelmshaven” for this type of installation.) This is an overview of the different elements of the munitions Handling chain for the Cuxhaven dockyards. Ammunition is brought in by train via a spur line off the main railroad to the south of the picture. This is the “main line” running into the naval base. The ammunition is delivered to the main storage complex (bottom center of picture). At the storage complex, the ammunition is sorted into type of shell – high explosive or armor piercing – and size of shell – 12-inch, 11-inch, 5.9-inch – etc, etc. Once sorted by size, the shells would be stored in “dated lots” according to their date of manufacture. Distribution to the warships was by a “first in – first out” schedule, meaning that the oldest shells were always in the ship’s magazines, with the “next-oldest lot” waiting to be distributed. Powder charges, both “cased” and “bagged”, were handled in a similar manner. This method produced a complicated, but necessary, bookkeeping system within the storage facility, and required frequent testing of sample shells and charges within the “dated lots” to verify their quality. As the shells and powder charges aged, the explosive materials could become inert and fail to ignite, or became extremely volatile and prone to unpredictable explosions. In the Kaiserliche Marine, shells and powder charges approaching their “shelf-life” were often expended on the gunnery ranges. In the Royal Navy, it was not uncommon to simply dump them over the side while at sea. This view shows the Munitions Complex at top, with a loading dock just off the main rail line into the naval base. At the bottom of the picture, just right of the dry dock, is the munitions pier, where ammunition is distributed to the warships. (See Chapter 55 for details.) You will notice the rail line cuts through a pass between the hills surrounding the harbor. I did not build the “hills” in a measured progression (which I should have) and therefore have no idea of their actual height above sea level. I estimate them at anywhere from 200 to 300 feet – not exactly the Rocky Mountains, but certainly a “big hill”. This is another view from the north, showing the line of hills along the backside of the Neu Hafen. Once I had perfected a landscape style for the Cuxhaven map, I had the irresistible urge to create some mountains, much like those found in the superb work of @The British Sausage. His style inspired me to make an effort to create some realistic-looking mountains and cover them with my new landscape style. However, the generally “flat” nature of the North German Plain nagged at my conscience, so I settled for some large hills, instead. The “Meadowshire Terrain MOD” produces a grayish texture on slopes, which vaguely resembles a rock face. In order to make this look more realistic, I lowered the angle of the slope in some areas and flattened small areas in other places to produce a green, grassy terrain. I then individually placed MMP trees in the valleys between the hills, and along the grassy slope areas that I had created. The “terra-forming” was all done with the “God Mode” tools. This approach is very time-consuming and can be quite tedious – but I think the result was well worth the effort. This is an overview of the munitions bunker complex on the far side of the hills. The complex was an active and busy place on a daily basis. Shells and powder were shipped to the distribution docks on an almost daily basis to refill ship’s magazines when they participated in week-long gunnery practice. (This could be accomplished across the docks or by lighters for ships moored in the roadsted.) Shells and powder charges were constantly being rotated inside the bunkers in adherence to the “first in – first out” policy. And a given number of shells and charges were tested for quality every day. Constant handling of powder and shells was a daily hazard that was subject to the “law of averages”. Eventually, there would be the inevitable accidental explosion. Considering the huge amount of gunpowder in such a small area – the explosion would likely be big, deafening, and enormously destructive. The storage bunkers were deliberately built on the far side of the hills to reduce the blast effects on the harbor facilities and the moored warships. You can see a rail line loading dock outside the bunker compound where shells and powder can be brought into the complex by rail or road – and can be sent out to the distribution docks in the harbor. Another loading dock and rail line can be seen inside the compound in the upper left. This one is strictly for the receiving and distribution of torpedoes. (At this point, I should point out the Kaiserliche Marine never had more than five battlecruisers in service in the North Sea. The magazine space aboard these ships averaged about 800 rounds. That means there were 4,000 shells, 4,000 bagged charges, and 4,000 cased charges filling the main battery magazines of 1st Scouting Group. Roughly twice that amount was held in the munitions complex, which could be augmented by express rail deliveries from a central storage complex located near Rendsburg. This, of course, does not take into account the 5.9-inch secondary ammunition – nor the ammunition for the armored cruisers, light cruisers, and torpedo boats. For game purposes, I created a Munitions Complex large enough to represent the basic idea, but the real complex would have been two or three times this large.) This is the receiving and distribution dock for shells and powder. Ammunition can be brought in by rail or sent out to the replenishment docks in the harbor. The loading dock was deliberately built outside the bunker complex and offset from the entrance to the compound to reduce the possibilities of damage in the event of an “accident”. Two shuttle engines with loaded rail cars are preparing to leave for the ammunition piers. To the rear of the loading dock, trucks can be seen unloading shells they have brought out from the bunker complex. To the right of the dock area are the administrative offices of the complex. Note the landscape details. In this close-up of the dock, you can see full shell racks lined up and waiting to be loaded onto the next available train. You have an excellent view of one of the shuttle engines and the ammunition rail cars. At the rear of the dock a 20-ton crane is unloading shells from the trucks. The loading dock is re-purposed from the “PEG SNM Battleship Dock”, while the dockside cranes are from the “PEG” trash lots. The railroad crane is from “Simmer2” with its shuttle engine provided by “PEG”. The small shuttle engines and ammunition cars are by @AP – as are the 20-ton cranes, shells, and some of the sailors. The water tower was borrowed from the Maxis Movie Studio lot. This is the main bunker complex. Powder charges are stored in the four large bunkers on the left, while the shells are stored in the smaller bunkers on the right. The center of the complex is occupied by a large, more or less, empty quadrangle. The “quad” provides a safety zone between the powder bunkers and the shell storage, and there are practically no structures in the compound other than the bunkers – no need to build anything that might, literally, go up in a large puff of smoke. The bunkers are thick, concrete structures buried under an earthen mound and can be found in the “PEG SNM Series”. This is a close-up of one of the fire-fighting water towers. Beside it, the fire brigade is undergoing training and maintenance of their equipment. The landscape has just a few trees, with some berry bushes scattered about, on gravel-covered terrain. The concrete road sections are “Paeng’s Grunge Concrete” with tire tracks -- some have been modified for lighting. The fire brigade and their equipment is by “AP”. The trees and berry bushes are by @Girafe and the gravely-looking areas are actually “Heblem” grey sand. This is a view of the outer wall of the bunker complex. This consists of a 16-meter earthen berm built-up around the whole complex, then layered with reinforced concrete on the inner side and a thinner layer on top of the berm. The outer side of the mound has been left natural and a controlled amount of vegetation has been allowed to grow to prevent erosion of the soil. The bunker complex has been built as close as possible to the hills. In the event of an explosion, the basic idea was to use the berm to channel any blast effects upward, rather than outward. These are the testing facilities. The building on the left is used for storage of small goods, supplies, and tools, with office space for clerical work and record keeping. The right hand building is used for periodic inspection, maintenance, and testing of the various lots of stored powder and shell. This is the torpedo loading dock on the far side of the compound. A separate dock was provided to reduce the congestion in the main compound. The dockside cranes are 100 ton capacity, while the cranes on the lower level are of 20 ton capacity. When needed, torpedoes are removed from the bunkers on the left, transported by truck to the loading dock, then hoisted across and placed in special railway cars for transport to the munitions docks. In this close-up, you get an excellent view of the small shuttle engines and the torpedo laden rail cars. If you look closely, you can see the torpedoes in the back of a truck waiting to be unloaded, while working parties behind the truck are inspecting and preparing other torpedoes that will be hoisted up onto the loading dock in their turn. The cranes, torpedoes, Imperial officers and sailors (black & white uniforms), fire brigade personnel, small shuttle engines and torpedo railway cars -- are all the intricate work of @AP. Without these specialized props, the degree of detail portrayed in this scene simply would not be possible. Finally – some additional shots of the hills and landscape. This is an overview of the hills between the munitions complex and the harbor. Note that the tree patterns are confined to the grassy portions of the hills and tend to concentrate in the valleys and low spots between the hills. Same hills – different angle. The heavily forested areas are concentrated in the “flat-lands” and they thin out considerably as they extend up the slopes. The vast flat-land forested areas were filled in largely with custom-made, 1x1 Tree Filler lots and blended with MMP work. The trees on the slopes and hills were all individually plopped MMP’s. Notice how, even at this zoom level, you can pick out the individual trees by their shape, size, and color. I specifically used mostly lighter green trees for the higher altitudes. This is a closer zoom level of the landscape details on the two largest hills. You can see the differences in the “Meadowshire MOD” texturing. It gives the impression of rocky-faced areas, without getting into minute detail. I thought about adding the odd “NBVC Rocks” – but didn’t want to risk spoiling the overall look. Same zoom level of the smaller hills that trail off toward the map edge. I was particularly pleased with this area. The terrain MOD produced some earthen areas in addition to the grass and rock faces. In this type of terrain, the trees would naturally grow in the low spots where erosion has dumped sand, soil, and gravel. Again, each tree has been individually placed. This is a shot of the lower hills as they trail off and disappear into the heavily forested area on the right. This is a last shot of the second largest hill. It has a gentle slope in the rear with a much more vertical face along the harbor edge (to the right). This is another view of the hills fronting the munitions depot. Note the "pass" through the hills and the trees along the grassy areas. A “green” landscape is another of my “qwerks”. It could be an industrial zone, a harbor, or the down-town banking district of a major metropolis – but it must have greenery. Many years ago, before the military got hold of me, I took extensive courses in mechanical drafting, architectural drafting, and landscape architecture. I even took a light-weight course in city planning. My “planning” professor was always nagging at me because I insisted on “green belts”, leafy boulevards, shady plazas, and landscaped skyscrapers and office complexes. (The “Prof” invariably pointed out all that “high-dollar” real estate growing nothing but trees.) I grew up in Chicago and Los Angeles – skyscrapers, concrete, and asphalt parking lots – and a virtual ocean of housing subdivisions with postage-stamp yards. Even with 36,000 square miles in Los Angeles, I can’t think of a more ecologically hostile environment for 18.3 million inhabitants. So that goes a long way to explaining why I went to just as much trouble to plant trees as I did to make docks. NEXT TIME…… CUXHAVEN: THE PHOTO TOUR 15 MANY THANKS to @Barroco Hispano for his beautiful warship models. SPECIAL THANKS to my friend and partner, @AP, for his talents, meticulous models, colorful imagination, and extreme dedication. If you enjoyed anything – please punch the “like” button so WE will know. A comment would be even more informative. Comments and critiques requested and gratefully accepted. All questions answered promptly to the best of our ability. THANK YOU for your visit! You may wish to visit these CJ’s as well…… SERIES I: IMPERIAL DOCKYARDS: WILHELMSHAVEN SERIES II: IMPERIAL DOCKYARDS: CUXHAVEN Appearing – Work In Publication SERIES III: IMPERIAL DOCKYARDS: BREMERHAVEN Appearing -- ??? And please feel free to drop in at… THE SIMTROPOLIS SHIPYARD https://community.simtropolis.com/forums/topic/761469-simtropolis-shipyard/?tab=comments#comment-1766496- 3 Comments
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