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Chapter 56: The Photo Tour 12
Dreadnought posted a City Journal entry in IMPERIAL DOCKYARDS: CUXHAVEN
IMPERIAL DOCKYARDS: CUXHAVEN By: Dreadnought & AP Chapter 56: THE PHOTO TOUR 12 THE DRY DOCK Not all harbors have dry docks. There are large and busy harbors around the world that are strictly dedicated to commerce -- but well established ports are usually found with a government naval installation, and possibly a private maritime construction yard. Either of them will almost always have one or more reasonably modern dry docks and possibly more than one floating dry dock of medium to large size. Permanent in-ground dry docks are traditionally built by digging a hole along the shore line to a desired depth below sea level. The bottom and sides of the hole are usually lined and sealed with a suitably erosion resistant stone (often granite), with the seaward end closed off by swinging steel lock gates. (Think of it as a large bath tub with a door at one end.) A pumping system is used to either fill or empty the dock of seawater. Once the dock is full, the gates may be opened, and a ship can be brought into the dock. The pumping system then removes the water and repairs or maintenance may be preformed on the lower hull. When the work is done, the dock is again flooded and the ship can be returned to the sea. The concept behind the dry dock is quite simple and makes difficult work much easier. But permanent dry docks take up a lot of space, obviously cannot be moved, and are very expensive to build and properly equip. Sometime in the late 18th Century, the idea of a “floating dry dock” was proven to be feasible and by the mid-1800’s had come into common use. A floating dock was much cheaper to build than a permanent dry dock, and often cheaper than building a ship. The dock was built as a double-hull (similar to the double bottom on a ship) and had a flat bottom with high sides – but no ends. The double-hull construction allowed for tanks that could be flooded to submerge the dock. A ship was moved inside the submerged dock, the tanks were pumped dry, and the ship and dock were lifted above sea level. Repairs or maintenance was carried out, the dock was submerged again, and the ship floated out. Floating docks could be very elaborate, with machine shops, boilers to provide steam for pumping, and electric dynamos. The floating dock could be placed at any convenient location in the harbor, and had the advantage of being able to be towed from harbor to harbor as needed. The Imperial Navy considered them quite “hi-tech” for their day and built numbers of them to service their growing battle fleet. This is an overview of Cuxhaven’s single dry dock. This dock was capable of serious repair when necessary, but complicated or large repair jobs were meant to be carried out at either the builder’s yard, or the extensive specialist docks in Wilhelmshaven. Cuxhaven’s dock was largely for temporary emergency repairs, light modifications to onboard equipment, or simple bottom cleaning and painting. The latter job, alone, would considerably relieve the congestion in the Wilhelmshaven docks. As you can see, the dry dock basin has the lock gates in place – but it is full of water. At the time this part of the harbor was laid-out, we had not yet solved the conundrum of how to make a dry dock without water. We did eventually resolve that issue, but for the time being, you’ll have to let your imagination remove the water. Anyone following the various chapters already knows how my landscape is “painted’ and which props I use. And anyone who knows the German North Sea Coast is well aware there are some fair-sized sand dunes, very few hills to speak of, and absolutely no mountains. But mountains and low hills extend across the rear of the Cuxhaven naval base – as clearly seen on the right of this picture. I had been wanting to try my hand at mountain landscapes for some time – and watching the positive mastery of @The British Sausage encouraged me to go ahead. There are not a lot of mountains on the Cuxhaven map – just enough to satisfy myself that I could “pull it off”. Once again, my THANKS to “The British Sausage” for his inspiration and encouragement. Looking at the above picture -- rail lines on the right side of the basin bring in parts, supplies, and large pieces of equipment. The cranes are set up in two lines on either side of the basin. On the right hand quay, 150-ton cranes unload trains and move the cargo/parts dockside, where the larger 250 ton-cranes pick them up and move them onto the ship as needed. On the left hand quay, the inboard crane line has one 250-ton crane to do heavy-lift work over the ship. The outboard crane line consists of one 150-ton crane and one 250-ton crane. The smaller crane lifts light cargo – pipe bundles, boxes, crates, etc, etc, while the larger crane can lift heavy sections of armor plate, gun tubes, and even pre-assembled steam turbine sets. Note the quay on the right has only rail access and the left quay receives all equipment and cargo via ship or barge (usually only the large objects that cannot be transported any other way). The 150-ton cranes are from the “PEG” SNM Dry Dock Series, while the impressive 250-ton cranes are by @AP. Another view. On the left of the picture, you can see the mountain looming over the dry dock area. At the bottom of the picture you can see a “half flotilla” of Italian Leone Class destroyers graciously provided by @Barroco Hispano. This is a closer view of the “crane lines” on either side of the dry dock. Each of the “crane lines” are set up with one line working inside the basin and the other line working outside the basin. The dual crane line in the foreground is designed to bring in large prefabricated items – such as machinery or gun tubes. The large crane immediately behind it is positioned to take those items and work them onto the ship. The crane line on the opposite side is serviced by a rail line. The crane lines were assembled from a wide variety of props on a 12x2 lot. The concrete surfaces of the dry dock area are composed of textures from the “Paeng Grunge Concrete” lots, “PEG SNM Series”, and the “NBVC Container Port”. “NBVC Marinas” provided the seawalls, and the suitably weathered lock gates are, of course, by @AP. This is a close-up of the barges delivering their loads. I have placed several sets of steam turbines in the shot so you can get a good look at them. There are ships in SC4 – but not very many. And there is a “boiler works” lot in the game. But very little attention has been paid to the propulsion plants of ships. “AP” has very skillfully created a set of high-pressure steam turbines (left on the barge) and low-pressure turbines (on the right). Each turbine has a cylindrical gearing unit on the end. A 250-ton crane is lifting a small auxiliary engine from the barge. It is to be installed up forward in the Capstan Flat to replace an engine with too little horsepower. This scene is “busy” and cluttered – many sailors and workmen running about in a maze of barrels, crates, cases, rope coils, hoppers, boxes, anchors, and winches. To the right of the steam turbines on the quay, you see a detail of sailors performing winch maintenance. Notice the detail on the back of the crane...”CUX 4 – 250t”. That is but one example of the degree of historical detail “AP” has researched and incorporated into his models. The barge, turbines, engine, gangway, rope coils, sailors, anchors (on the quay), cranes, Atlantic fenders, and winches – all by “AP”. The cargo barge on the right is from the “PEG Pier One Seaport”. The two white harbor steam tugs were “gifted” by “WolfZe”. Here is a view of the head of the Dry Dock Basin. The basin pumping station is in the center (a “borrowed” Maxis pump house). The powerful pumps housed underground are responsible for emptying the dry dock basin. The water towers were taken from the old “Maxis Reward Movie Studio”. The four water towers in the dry dock area actually have nothing to do with the operation of the dry dock -- they supply running water to the buildings and docks and are primarily for fire-fighting. To the left of that is a fenced area where old anchors are refurbished (30-ton crane by “AP”). To the right of the picture is a group of small lighters, loaded with boxes and barrels, tied-up at “mooring dolphins (by “AP”). The old barge crane on the left is also by “AP”. Here you see boilers (by AP) being unloaded from rail flat cars onto the port side quay. These are being readied for the next warship to enter the dock. Note the sailors on the flat cars preparing to hook up the crane hoist. To the left are other sailors inspecting and preparing auxiliary engines – two of them to replace under-powered steering motors. It was not uncommon for naval architects to specify certain auxiliary engines (capstan engines, steering engines, ventilator fan motors) that proved to be under-powered and had to be replaced with engines/motors of greater horsepower. This is a close-up of the area where they are unloading the boilers. If you examine the picture closely, you will find a number of individual vignettes being acted out. There are sailors working on auxiliary engines, preforming winch maintenance, refurbishing anchors and, of course, unloading boilers from the train. These are the more common cylindrical-type boilers, rather than the angular, custom-made boilers used by the Kaiserliche Marine. (“AP” also included the angular version boilers in the prop pack.) When making the cylindrical boilers, we thought it would be interesting to include a bit or history. Everyone who has seen the movie, or seen any of the picture books, will be familiar with these boilers. You will notice there are three circular coaling doors on the front of the boiler, with detailed gauges – just like those on the RMS Titanic. This scene shows one of many small landings found scattered around harbors and naval bases. Here you see small boats coming and going from the nearby destroyer flotillas -- odd bits of cargo and equipment laying around the landing – even a motor launch that brought senior engineers to hurry along Goeben’s repairs. The landing, small boats, motor launch, and the bulk of the odd bits on the landing are all by “AP”. This is a look at the rear areas of the dry dock facility. It is, appropriately, a small area, since the main work is done around the basin. The two warehouses were re-lotted from one of the “PEG Seaports. The fenced roadway along the rail line is from the “NBVC Container Port” kit. The remainder of the paved areas are “Paeng Grunge Concrete”. With the exception of the two warehouses and the Pumping Station”, the entire area was created using custom-made 1x1 and 1x2 modular lots – almost all of which are “standardized” and can be used in many other locations and scenes. Just to the right of the Dry Dock area, there is a Passat Class tug tied-up at “mooring dolphins” with an Asgard Class and Odin Class tug “nested” along the diagonal section of the seawall. (Note: diagonal models!) This green storage shed is just one of the “perfect” storage buildings I stumbled across after a good deal of searching. This allowed me to seriously curtail the continued use of the “IRM” filler lots with shipping containers. (Since I found these sheds rather late in the map building process, you will still see the “IRM Shipping Containers”, but they were eventually phased out in all new “mapping”.) The storage shed and “balk” timber are from “SimCoug’s Historic Harbors”. The large warehouse on the left is from a “PEG” seaport. The concrete areas are Paeng Grunge lots modified with a variety of props. The sailors, small boats, rope coils, Atlantic fenders, “dolphins”, and beautiful little tugs are by “AP”. Here we have a close-up view of the back of the warehouses. This is a classic example of how much activity can be added to a scene by using custom-made modular lots. The warehouse sits on a 3x2 lot and has limited space for additional props, and hardly any room for vehicles. You could make the lot bigger and add all sorts of activity to it – but that would limit its usefulness, or it would become repetitive. By leaving the warehouse on the smaller lot with limited props, you can then use any number of different 1x1 lots to create scenes tied to the building. And here we have the masterpiece of the whole dry dock scene – repairs to Goeben’s turbines – in progress. (For background details, see Chapter 19.) The work gangs and cranes have already removed the steel plates of the Upper Deck, Battery Deck, and the layer of armor pate over the machinery, to create a sufficient opening down to the starboard engine room. The heavy locking bolts have been removed from the massive mountings securing the turbines to the “Hold Deck” in the bottom of the ship. And the ship’s boat boom has lifted out one of a series of steam transfer pipes running above the turbines. Only five sections remain to be removed. The way will then be clear for the 250-ton crane on the quay side to lift out the damaged high-pressure turbine. SMS Goeben had two steel decks above the engine rooms, while the height of the engine room extended down four more decks. In effect, in this shot, you can see six decks down – into the very bottom of the warship. You can see workmen on the inner deck levels – if you look carefully. (These are Hi-res pictures. If you download the image, you can enlarge it and see much more detail.) From this angle you can see the five remaining sections of steam transfer pipes that have to be removed. The workmen have been augmented by technicians specially sent down by Blohm & Voss to supervise the work. Three work gangs have been organized and will work round the clock. Admittedly – not a good angle, but there are many points of interest in the picture. You will notice there are sailors and workmen – both above deck and below. I firmly believe the scenes we create in SC4 are more realistic when “peopled”. I go to great lengths to put figures in every conceivable location – doing things sailors and workmen would do. Dockyards are busy places – and work is done by gangs or “details” – not by individuals. Building a warship at the turn of the century might employ up to 3,000 men. “Fitting-out” a launched hull could require 2,000 men. And repairs were handled on an “as needed” basis. If the repairs were extensive – a large work force would be used. If the repairs were minor – perhaps only 50 men. My philosophy is to bring realism and life to the scenes by including the people. Show me a picture of a 1910 dockyard without workmen – and I’ll show you a dockyard on a Sunday morning, during peacetime, when Congress or the Parliament failed to appropriate sufficient funds! Now – I cannot possibly compliment @AP highly enough for this ground-breaking modeling effort. His first-hand knowledge of ships and the sea – and his tireless quest for authenticity has made it possible to create models representing history/ real-life at a level yet unseen in SC4. I can research it – and write about it – and explain it – but “AP” can bring it to life. I can create the game lots and make scenes like this. But my talent at “showcasing” this ship pales in comparison to his “landmark” work. This has to be a “first” for SC4 – and if anyone deserves a “medal” – it is “AP”. He skillfully crafted this battlecruiser – then disassembled it and created this view down into the bowels of the ship. A truly commendable achievement. NEXT TIME…… CUXHAVEN: THE PHOTO TOUR 13 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- 4 Comments
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Chapter 13: Death Of A Hybrid
Dreadnought posted a City Journal entry in IMPERIAL DOCKYARDS: CUXHAVEN
HMS Lion (flagship 1st Battlecruiser Squadron) On her way to a fateful rendezvous north of Dogger Bank, 23 January 1915. Note a screening destroyer in foreground. IMPERIAL DOCKYARDS: CUXHAVEN By: Dreadnought & AP Chapter 13: DEATH OF A HYBRID Panzerkreuzer of 1st Scouting Group at sea. The ship on the left is SMS Derfflinger. Note the rough seas and the heavy clouds of funnel smoke that would be visible for miles. In early January 1915, German light forces patrolling the Dogger Bank discovered British light forces were also conducting regular patrols in the area. No doubt they planned to harass German patrols and detect possible bombardment forces bound for England. Admiral von Ingenohl was reluctant to intervene because Von der Tann was in dry dock for regular maintenance. However, Konteradmiral Richard Eckermann (Chief of Staff of the Hochseeflotte) kept insisting this enemy activity on their very “doorstep” be dealt with. Von Ingenohl finally relented and ordered Admiral Hipper to take his Panzerkreuzer out to Dogger Bank. With the afternoon tide on 23 January, Hipper sortied, with Seydlitz (flagship) in the lead, followed by Moltke, Derfflinger, and reinforced by Blucher (taking Von der Tann’s place), accompanied by the light cruisers Rostock and Graudenz in the forward screen, and the light cruisers Kolberg and Stralsund assigned to starboard and port. Each light cruiser had a half-flotilla of destroyers attached (18 in total). Hipper planned to appear off Dogger Bank at first light and throw his big ships at the British light forces – “like a cat amongst the pigeons” – and see how many pigeons he could bag. The German Squadron – Front to back: SMS Seydlitz (flagship) – SMS Moltke – SMS Derfflinger __ SMS Blucher. (The model of Derfflinger is courtesy of @Barroco Hispano – all others are the work of @AP.) Once again, “Room 40” in the Admiralty, though unable to get a complete picture, provided enough advance warning for the British to be prepared for Hipper. Beatty was to take the 1st Battlecruiser Squadron -- HMS Lion (flagship), Tiger, and Princess Royal. The 2nd Battlecruiser Squadron – HMS New Zealand and Indomitable. And the 1st Light Cruiser Squadron – HMS Southampton, Birmingham, Lowestoft, and Nottingham. It was also arranged for the “Harwich Force” of light cruisers (HMS Aurora, Arethusa, Undaunted) and 35 destroyers to rendezvous with Beatty at 08:00 on 24 January. The British Squadron -- Front to back: HMS Lion – HMS Princess Royal – HMS Tiger – HMS New Zealand – HMS Indomitable. All models courtesy of Barroco Hispano. THE DEBACLE AT DOGGER BANK With the rising sun, the cruiser HMS Aurora opens the Battle of Dogger Bank. In the dawn haze of 24 January, around 07:14, SMS Kolberg spotted the light cruiser HMS Aurora accompanied by several destroyers. Aurora flashed on her searchlight, whereupon Kolberg opened fire and hit her three times. Aurora returned fire and scored two hits. Hearing the gunfire, Hipper immediately swung the battlecruisers to close Kolberg’s position. Within seconds, SMS Stralsund, screening several miles off the port quarter, sighted and reported a large smoke cloud to the northwest of her position. Some minutes later, this was identified as a number of large British warships closing on Hipper’s squadron from the west. (Again – we see the value of scouting forces and most especially the value of timely sighting reports being passed to the flagship.) Hipper instantly realized the proximity of such a large force indicated the likelihood of additional forces in the area – a notion confirmed by wireless intercepts indicating the approach of the British 2nd Battlecruiser Squadron. This further indicated the possibility the Grand Fleet might be no more than an hour astern of these ships. Just as quickly, another report was received from SMS Blucher, which had opened fire on a light cruiser and several destroyers coming up from astern. Hipper smelled a trap – and he was in it! SMS Blucher opens fire on the British scouting cruisers coming up from astern. The Panzerkreuzer were in a line spread in echelon to port, with the British approaching from the rear and southwest. The wind was coming in from the northeast and would blow huge clouds of funnel smoke down in front of the British, who were already going to be partially obscured by the morning darkness and haze to the west. This would make shooting very difficult for Hipper’s already outnumbered force. Caught in a trap, and disadvantaged by funnel smoke, Hipper turned south to make a run for it. Unfortunately, he was hindered by Blucher’s 23-knot speed (her bottom had not been cleaned lately). Around 07:32, Stralsund sent a second sighting report – four battlecruisers closing from the west. This confirmed Hipper’s worst fears. The British battlecruisers in pursuit were making 27 knots and quickly closed the range. HMS Lion (leading) opened fire on the trailing Blucher at 08:52, at a range of 20,000 yards. Soon after, HMS Princess Royal and Tiger joined in. Around 09:09, the first British 13.5-inch shell struck Blucher. SMS Blucher around 10:09 taken under fire by HMS Lion, Princess Royal, and Tiger. (Claus Bergen) Approximately 09:12, the Panzerkreuzer returned fire, mostly concentrating on Lion, the closest target at 18,000 yards. Around 09:25 a 13.5-inch shell from Lion struck Seydlitz on the forecastle deck, with minor damage. Lion was first struck at 09:28, on the waterline, opening a hole and flooding a coal bunker. Almost at the same time an 8.3-inch shell from Blucher hit Lion’s forward turret – failing to penetrate the armor – but the concussive force disabled the left gun. Two minutes later, HMS New Zealand (fourth in line) came into range and opened on Blucher as well. Panzerkreuzer return fire around 10:12 – Right to left – Seydlitz, Derfflinger, Moltke. Around 09:35 the distance had dropped to 17,500 yards and the entire German line was within gun range, so Beatty hoisted a flag signal to “engage opposite number”. (Basically – leading British ship to engage leading German ship – an effective means to damage all enemy ships, while harassing their return fire.) Around 09:40, Lion landed a 13.5-inch in the fantail of Seydlitz, which holed the deck and struck the rear barbette in the “tweendecks” spaces. The shell failed to penetrate the barbette, but the blast effects managed to ignite the propellant charges inside the handling chamber. The flash carried on through a connecting door to the superfiring turret as well – killing both gun crews (159 men) and burning out the interior spaces of the barbettes. Both rear turrets were destroyed, but quick action flooded the magazines and saved the ship. Seydlitz later took a final shell in the midships armor belt with little damage. HMS Lion’s 13.5-inch shell punched a hole in the “D” turret barbette of SMS Seydlitz and the resulting fire burned-out both stern turrets. You see here the flames from the powder fires rising high into the air, but the magazines were flooded, preventing the loss of the ship. By 09:55 the Panzerkreuzer had gotten Lion’s range and began to score regular hits. About 10:01 an 11-inch shell from Seydlitz struck Lion and knocked out two of her electrical dynamos. At 10:18 Derfflinger hit Lion with two 12-inch shells, one of which penetrated her armor belt. The shell opened a large hole along the waterline causing flooding, and eventually allowing seawater to contaminate the port feed tank to the boilers and condensers. This damage would soon cripple Lion when they were forced to shut down the engines because of salt water contamination. Another 11-inch shell landed at 10:41, piercing the barbette armor of “A” turret. The shell, miraculously, caused little damage, but the magazine had been partially flooded as a precaution. By 10:52, Lion had been hit 14 times and taken on some 3,000 tons of water, which caused her to list 10 degrees to port, and reduced her speed to 15 knots. SMS Blucher under a withering fire from HMS Lion, Princess Royal, Tiger, and New Zealand. SMS Blucher was severely damaged by 10:00, having been pounded by many heavy shells from four British battlecruisers. The armored cruiser had several main battery turrets out of action, her steering gear jammed, one engine room flooded, and a large fire amidships. But Seydlitz, Derfflinger, and Moltke had concentrated their fire on HMS Lion with some success – two of her three dynamos were disabled, and the port side engine room was flooded. Around 10:48, HMS Indomitable arrived and was directed by Beatty to finish off Blucher. Her battered and burning hulk was already listing heavily to port. HMS Indomitable engaging the heavily damaged Blucher. A Survivor of Blucher’s crew later told what he saw as the 12-inch Lyddite shells crashed inboard… ”The shells...bored their way even to the stokehold. The coal in the bunkers caught fire – and being half empty – the fire burned fiercely. In the engine room a shell kicked up the oil and sprayed it around in flames of blue and green...The terrific blast pressure in the confined space roared through every opening and tore its way through every weak spot...Men were picked up by that terrific pressure and tossed to a horrible death among the machinery.” I quoted this passage because it so vividly describes the all too human experience of war at sea. SMS Blucher, heavily engaged by the British battlecruisers, is listing to port and her fantail is a sea of fire. Numerous fires have been started all over the ship and her upper works have been devastated by numerous large and medium caliber shells. SMS Moltke can just be seen in line ahead of her. Suddenly, one of the British light forces signaled a “periscope sighting” and Beatty immediately ordered evasive maneuvers. The ensuing twists and turns among the British allowed Hipper to increase the distance between his ships and the enemy. (This was a common problem with the British – they saw periscopes everywhere – and it always resulted in them breaking off an action, or their target getting away in the confusion.) Lion’s last operational dynamo chose this moment to fail and the ship’s speed dropped below 15 knots. Beatty, unable to pursue in Lion, signaled the remaining battlecruisers to “engage the enemy’s rear”. He obviously wanted them to continue the pursuit and destruction of the German squadron. But faulty wording of the flag signal caused all the battlecruisers to engage Blucher! (The incompetent Lieutenant Ralph Seymour strikes yet again!) SMS Blucher – A smoking, flaming, wreck – with British destroyers approaching from the left. SMS Blucher resisted stubbornly. Though badly mangled, with flames raging, she repulsed attacks by four light cruisers and four destroyers – but the light cruiser HMS Aurora managed to hit her with two torpedoes. Blucher’s only remaining main battery was the aft turret, which continued to fire on anything that entered the firing arcs. Finally, a volley of seven more torpedoes were fired at point-blank range and the ship capsized to port at 12:13. During the course of the battle, Blucher is estimated to have been hit by 70 to 100 large caliber shells and (possibly) nine torpedoes. Blucher could not have survived the engagement – but German engineering had made her damned hard to sink! An artist’s conception of Blucher rolling to port as crewmen scramble down her starboard side and into the frigid waters of the North Sea. The Periscope sighting, signal confusion, Beatty being sidelined when Lion was damaged -- all contributed to Hipper escaping with Seydlitz, Moltke, Derfflinger, and his light forces. But it is a matter of great debate as to who actually out-fought who. Seydlitz had taken 3 hits, with both stern turrets out of action. Derfflinger had taken 3 hits with only minimal damage. Moltke had been spared with only a few scratches on her paint work. Lion was hit 17 times and crippled. Tiger was hit 7 times with “Q” turret out of action. Indomitable had been hit once, with minimal damage. Princess Royal and New Zealand were undamaged. The Kaiserliche Marine’s gunnery was, as usual, far superior to the English. The Panzerkreuzer fired 200 fewer shells and scored four times as many hits as the Royal Navy. (Records do not indicate how many shells were fired at – or missed -- the stationary Blucher, though recorded hits vary between 70 and 100 rounds.) An actual photograph taken as the stricken armored cruiser rolls onto her port side. Hundreds of sailors attempt to save themselves by clinging to the rolling hull. Official German archives list 792 dead from a crew of 853. As a group, historians have tended to focus on Blucher’s misfortune in being assigned to take Von der Tann’s place in the battle line – or the cataclysmic nature of her destruction. But mostly they focus on the simple fact that the Germans lost a capital ship and the British did not (score-keeping). Few analysts (if any) have realized the most significant feature of her loss – the British, with all their ships – had a great deal of trouble sending her to the bottom. During the course of the three hour engagement, Blucher had trailed the German battle line, her speed dropping gradually as the damage increased. And her position in line guaranteed she would receive fire from each of the five British battlecruisers as they came within range. As the battle progressed the British took other German ships under fire as they came within range, but Blucher never received a moment’s respite. At times, only a single battlecruiser fired on Blucher, while at other times there were two or even three. At one point Beatty had ordered HMS Indomitable to “finish her off”. Then, due to confused signaling toward the end of the battle, all five of the battlecruisers took her under fire once more. HMS Indomitable towing the crippled HMS Lion home at 12 knots – repairs would be extensive. The reports of the ship’s Gunnery Officers have not survived, in their entirety, in the Admiralty Archives, while Blucher’s survivors had little knowledge of the matter – and the “hard evidence” lies at the bottom of the North Sea. Consequently, there is no record of how many shells were fired at Blucher, but it was estimated between 70 and 100 rounds of 12-inch and 13.5-inch actually struck the target. It is, indeed, a wide-ranging number – but a true testament to the strength of Blucher’s Krupp armor, and the designer’s skill in creating the warship. Judging by damage reports after Jutland (1916), the average British battlecruiser could be sunk with anywhere between 3 and 14 hits by heavy caliber shells. German battlecruisers, on the other hand, were made of sterner stuff. SMS Derfflinger suffered 17 heavy caliber hits and returned to base under her own steam – earning the British nickname of the “Iron Dog”. SMS Seydlitz was struck by 21 large caliber shells and one torpedo – but stubbornly refused to sink and reached Wilhelmshaven. SMS Lutzow was the only “dreadnought” warship lost by the Germans at Jutland. She was hit by 27 large caliber shells – many of them 15-inch -- from Rear Admiral Sir Evan-Thomas’ 5th Battle Squadron of fast Queen Elizabeth Class battleships. And Blucher, after all that punishment, could only be put down with a spread of torpedoes. Rather then simply tallying-up the score of ships sunk, the British would have done well to consider why the “hybrid cruiser” had absorbed so much damage and still had a working gun turret when she went down. The logical implications might have been chilling. In the end, SMS Blucher was lost. Too slow to outrun the British battlecruisers, she was caught and, literally, shot to pieces. Her slow speed prevented Hipper from getting away at full speed early on – and actually endangered the entire squadron. The 1905 decision not to incorporate steam turbines in Blucher’s design had finally come full circle. Von Ingenohl should never have attached her to the Panzerkreuzer Squadron. She was bigger than any armored cruiser, and tempted operational commanders to employ her with bigger ships. But she was NOT big enough nor fast enough to be a battlecruiser. “Neither fish, nor fowl” – she paid the price for von Ingenohl’s poor judgment. He forgot she was no more fit to lie in the line of battle in 1915, than a frigate had been in 1815. Needless to say, Admiral von Ingenohl was sacked within days of Hipper’s return to the Jade. SIDEBAR During the early phase of the Battle of Dogger Bank, SMS Seydlitz came under fire from HMS Lion. The first shell to strike the Panzerkreuzer landed at 10:25 on the forecastle deck, resulting in a hole, with some blast damage to the compartments below, on the Battery Deck. Some eighteen minutes later (10:43), a second 13.5-inch shell from Lion hit the Fantail Deck aft, passing through the deck and into the “Between Deck” spaces before striking the “D” turret barbette. The 1,300-lb shell struck a glancing blow and did not penetrate the 9-inch Krupp, face-hardened, nickel-steel armor of the barbette. No enemy shell parts were ever found inside the barbette spaces or working chambers. However, an armor-piercing shell traveling at high velocity – with a large bursting charge -- generates enormous heat when it strikes thick armor. If the kinetic energy is sufficient, it can turn the armor plate white hot. In the case of Seydlitz, the kinetic blast effect caused “spalling” on the inside of the barbette and sent a large chunk of red-hot metal into the working chamber – igniting the “main” and “fore” powder charges stored there. German “brass-cased” main charges would only burn at extreme temperature, while the “bagged” fore charges burned readily and fiercely. But – unlike British powder charges – they did NOT explode. An intense blue flame shot up into the gun house and down through the elevator shafts, igniting charges in the turret, on the handling room turntable, and in the elevator room. Later, it was found that charges still sealed inside their storage containers had not burned. With the first sign of “flash” and poisonous gases, the “D” turret handling room crew tried to save themselves by passing through a double door arrangement into the handling room of “C” turret. Investigation later determined they only managed to open the first door before the burning gasses forcefully blew the second door open. With both doors open, the flames raced into the working chambers of “C” turret and the whole grizzly scene repeated itself. In just a matter of seconds, some 6,000kg (6.5 tons) of powder had gone up in smoke, completely burning-out both aft turrets. The flash-blast shot upward, peeling back the thin turret roof plates, and sent smoke and flame shooting mast-high. From the bridge, it looked and sounded like a volcano. Out of the two turret crews, four men survived – all extensively burnt – except one gun loader with light scorching and some cuts and bruises. A total of 165 men perished – virtually instantly. Within seconds, Chief Artillerie Offizier Richard Foerster had realized Seydlitz was on the verge of destruction – and ordered the aft magazines flooded. SMS Seydlitz would remain in dockyard hands until 1 April 1915, having her burnt-out turrets replaced and other battle damage repaired, before rejoining 1st Scouting Group. Forgive us – but you’ll have to use your imagination just a bit for the next few pictures. It would have been tyrannical of me to ask “AP” to create “damaged” versions of the various warships to populate repair scenes. SMS Seydlitz is tied up at the repair docks in Cuxhaven, undergoing extensive repairs to her two burnt-out aft turrets. The damaged turret assemblies have been lifted out by "Langer Heinrich" -- the largest floating crane in the world. The interior of the barbette trunks have been refurbished, and newly assembled gun turrets have been brought alongside on barges. The first gunhouse is being hoisted aboard. In this detail shot, a machinists shop barge has been secured alongside Seydlitz to handle the myriad of drilling, bending, and punching required to cast and tool many of the repair parts and structural braces required to rebuild the barbette interiors and the damage to surrounding compartments. The steam tug Goliath stands by to assist. In the lower right, you see the motor lighter Ajax bringing in assorted spare parts and assemblies that may be required. A barge has been brought alongside with various assemblies – a gunhouse with a working chamber and another lower trunk working chamber assembly. A Thor Class tug holds the barge in place. The crane in the process of lifting a turret assembly is the “Langer Heinrich” – the largest floating crane in the world in 1915. “Heinrich” is self-propelled, but is so slow she is usually towed around to save time. A Nordwind and Thor Class tug wait attendance on the big crane. (You have a pretty good view of Seydlitz’ aft turrets – just pretend they’re not there.) Another view of the repairs in progress. The stern just visible at the top of the picture belongs to a Prometheus Class collier, while the ship moored next to her is a Proteus Class collier (sometimes referred to as a Jupiter Class). They were both US Navy colliers from 1913. The sheds on the machinists barge are from “Nob’s 1905 Naval Series” – while the steam tug Goliath is courtesy of Barroco Hispano. The pier-side cranes, colliers, battlecruiser, floating crane, barges, motor lighter, tugboats, and small boat – are the work of the talented "AP". BONUS SIDEBAR When “AP” published “Volume 11 of Historic Harbors 1900”, I had forgotten he included the model of SMS Blucher in the dry dock -- with scaffolding erected. That was actually just a “test” model we were working with to try and figure out how to make a “genuine” dry dock. Consequently, I did not prepare a scene in the dockyard for that model. However, since you have already downloaded it – it only seemed proper that I include some pictures to demonstrate what could be achieved. This is an overview of the dry dock area with all the necessary elements – warehouses, rail lines, foundries, machine shops, cranes, etc, etc. This model of Blucher is not “waterline only” – it’s a “full hull” rendering – just as you would see on any warship in a dry dock. We did not go to great lengths to show the ship in a state of “construction” (partial superstructure – missing turrets – etc, etc). It was, after all, just a test model we only spent a couple of days working with. But if you examine Blucher, you will note that it could plausibly be portrayed as a ship constructed in a dry dock that has reached the “fitting-out” stage – or -- is just in dry dock for minor repairs and a bottom-cleaning and paint job. In this shot, you will notice the huge Cantilever Crane (250 ton lift capacity) and several Port Cranes (150 ton capacity) arranged on both sides of the dry dock. The Port Cranes are on tracks and can be moved up and down the dock as needed. The massive Cantilever Crane is fixed in position and has a limited lateral movement capability. During the later “fitting-out” stages, if a heavy lift was needed at Blucher’s bow, the dock would have to be flooded and tugs would move the ship far enough under the crane to effect the heavy lift. (Cantilever and Port Cranes by “AP”.) Another view – this one showing the scaffolding erected around Blucher’s hull. It simply amazes me to see “AP’s” detailed work on the scaffolding, while imagining the amount of time it must have taken him. Yet another view. At the top of the picture you can just make out the fine detailing “AP” included on the rear of the dry dock lock gates. Port side view. Here you can see that the roof of the starboard, aft wing turret has been lifted off to facilitate work on the gun cradles and recoil buffer mechanism. You can also see numerous working details on the floor of the dry dock around the big ship. When work was in progress, dry dock floors were littered with all sorts of supplies, machine parts, tools, “junk”, and almost anything you can imagine. On the right of the picture, you have a clear view of the “buffer” timbers placed beneath the hull of the ship. The timbers are cut to fit the general hull form of a ship and are bolted to the floor of the dock. The ship’s keel rests on these cushioning timbers rather than the concrete or stone floor of the dock. At various points along the bilge line of the hull, smaller timber “blocks” will be stacked up to support the outer edges of the lower hull. Exactly where to place the support blocks is determined from the ship’s plan drawings by marine engineers. These are bolted in place before the dock is flooded and the ship is floated in. Once the water is drained, the ship will come to rest on the stacked blocks and the keel support beams. Without the stacked blocks the ship would tilt to one side or another as the water was removed. Also – without the supporting blocks and timbers, the immense weight of the ship would damage or distort the hull plating. In this shot, you see the ship’s anchor chains laid out beside the ship. Whenever a ship is taken into dock for several days, the anchor chains are removed for inspection, repair, and cleaning. When a ship puts to sea, her anchor is hoisted from the seabed and winched inboard by the capstans on the forecastle deck. The enormously long chains are stored in “chain lockers”, below deck in the bow. Normally, the anchor party uses a seawater pump to hose down the chain as it goes into the “hawse hole” at the bow – where the anchor is secured for sea. During dry docking, these chain lockers are also cleaned out to remove bits of mud, vegetation, and even the odd crustacean that finds its way inside. Another view of Blucher. In the left lower corner of the picture you can see another work party repairing, cleaning, and re-painting Blucher’s 8-ton anchors. This should give you a good idea of just how much work goes on in a docking area. Everywhere you look – people are going about a hundred different tasks. And last – but certainly not least – the magnificent dry dock gates modeled by @AP. The gates were patterned after those used on the old Panama Canal. For such a simple structure, it took us several days to get the shape, size, and exact placement worked out. Once that was done with a test model – “AP” worked his magic and turned out a superbly detailed set of gates. The colors, texture, and detailing – even the “rusty look” of the gates -- is stunning! Along with this Chapter, "AP" has published TWO prop packs -- Paddle Wheel Tugboats and Colliers -- see below for a link. NEXT TIME…… BIRTH OF THE IMPERIAL GERMAN BATTLECRUISER But – let’s look at something else…… The West Loch is the assigned anchorage of the III Scouting Group of the Hochseeflotte. The group is composed of 9 older armored cruisers, 5 protected cruisers, 2 light cruisers, and a flotilla of 12 torpedo boats (for screening purposes). This scouting group is, of course, fictitious. Historically, the III Scouting Group was a temporary, ad-hoc, unit created for special purposes (The US Navy would call it a “task force”). I have put it into the game to showcase the Imperial armored cruisers and their part in the evolutionary chain leading to battlecruisers. Here you see two views of the destroyer anchorage. I have chosen to use destroyers rather then torpedo boats in the West Loch. As a matter of record, the Kaiserliche Marine did not have “destroyers”, as such. The term “destroyer” comes from the longer “torpedo-boat-destroyer”, and was coined by Admiral Jackie Fisher. Fisher increased the gun armament on British torpedo boats to make them more able to deal with German torpedo boats. The gun armament of both British and German boats remained pretty much the same – three or four guns of 3.5-inch or 4-inch. But the Imperial torpedo boats were more attack-oriented and carried six to eight torpedo tubes, while the British boats were mostly defensive and carried only two to four tubes. The British “destroyer” was meant to keep the German “torpedo boat” away from the battle fleet. This is a closer view of the mooring arrangements and the land-based support infrastructure. If you examine the picture carefully, you can see a wide variety of activity -- formations of sailors, sailors unloading trucks, more sailors handling cargo, etc, etc. The Quonset huts are from the “PEG SNM Naval Series”. The pier-side offices are re-purposed from an “SFBT” rail signal box. The whole layout is largely composed of various custom-made 1x1 filler lots, with additional 1x1 fillers from the “T-Wrecks IMR Industrial Set”. The pavement is Paeng’s Grunge Concrete – some of them modified for cargo, sailors, vehicles, etc, etc. The “floating landings” were taken from one of the “PEG Marina Sets” and attached to a modified “NBVC Marina Seawall”. If you look closely at the center pier, you will see an Admiral being greeted with a “side party”. He is about to board one of the destroyers on an inspection tour. A “Midgard Class” tug is tied-up at the end of the first pier, and a motor launch is hove-to off another. The tugs, motor launch, and sailors are by “AP”. This is a close-up of an area around one of the Quonset huts. The lots are all 1x1 fillers – some by “T-Wrecks” – but mostly my custom-made lots. As you can see, there are sailors all over the place – some by “PEG” and the rest by “AP”. The props on the lots are generally found in “Lot Editor”, but the really good stuff has been created by @AP – the anchors next to the hut – rope coils (a common sight around docks) – the Atlantic Fenders (another common sight – almost anywhere you look in a harbor). Note that “AP’s” props are very “Hi-def”. “AP” is very familiar with the sights around a harbor, and he has gone to great efforts to provide the props necessary to create a realist environment. Some may be a bit on the “modern” side – but they fill in a gap – usually where historical information is simply not available. In this scene, you see an Asgard and an Odin Class tug “nested” along the diagonal seawall – both by “AP”. And just above them is a storage warehouse for “Atlantic Fenders”. The warehouse on the “lumber lot” is from the Maxis Industrial props. This is a close-up of the “Atlantic Fender” storage facility. The “Atlantic Fender” is actually a modern invention, though the concept has been around for centuries. The fender is just that – a fender. Any time a ship (small or large) moors at a dock – or “nests” with another ship – these large, rubber, “pontoons” are placed between the ship’s hull and the dock (or the other ship) to prevent damage. The variety shown is made of a very thick rubber, and part of the interior is filled with water to ballast it down, so that half will be below water. This keeps the fender upright, even when floating, and ensures it will not “pop” to the surface like a balloon. During the Kaiser’s time, the device would likely have been a long, thick, piece of timber wrapped with several layers of canvas, and suspended from the ship or dock. The warehouses are from “Nob’s 1905 Japanese Naval Base Series”. USS Clemson Class destroyer: 1,215 tons – 35.5 knots – 4x4-inch guns – 1x3-inch gun – 12x21-inch torpedo tubes – armor: none. She was the lead ship of a class of 111 ships. (It was a very large class – and there were slight variations between “batches”.) Commissioned in 1919, she saw no active service in WW I. However, Clemson’s design was an incremental improvement over the preceding Wickes and Caldwell Classes that did serve during the Great War. Clemson was visually quite similar to her sisters. I chose to use the Clemson’s for two reasons (1) I had a beautiful 3-D model, and (2) at age eight, I built my first plastic model kit – the USS Clemson. Because they were long, thin, very fast, and had a single weather deck from stem to stern, they were referred to as “flush-deck four-stackers”. They tended to roll in any sort of seaway, and their weather decks were soaking wet at high speed – but they were fast, packed a lethal punch – and destroyer captains loved them. They had, for the most part, long and active careers and did yeoman service in WW II when fifty of the class were loaned to Great Britain. This beautifully detailed model is courtesy of Barroco Hispano. I took his model, converted it to a prop, and created the “nesting” lots – a common mooring method with all destroyers. “AP’s” props are all over this picture, but the detail on the two tugs is exceptional. I never dreamed tugs could be this fascinating! I never thought I would hear the word “beautiful” linked with a tug boat – but in this case – it is appropriate! Here is a nice shot of a destroyer “division” hove-to off “Gull Rocks”. For those of you interested in destroyers, rocks, and disasters – go to Wikipedia and search for “Honda Point Disaster 1923”. A classic example of command incompetence and “Murphy’s Law”. LINKS FOR NEW PROP PACKS...... MANY THANKS to @Barroco Hispano for his many beautiful and highly detailed warships. SPECIAL THANKS to my collaborating partner @AP” for volunteering his talent and very hard work creating so many beautiful and wonderfully detailed models. The Cuxhaven Series would be impossible without him. If you enjoyed anything you saw – please punch the “like” button so I will know. A comment would be even more informative. Comments and critiques requested and gratefully accepted. All questions answered promptly to the best of my 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- 9 Comments
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