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Chapter 63: The Photo Tour 19
Dreadnought posted a City Journal entry in IMPERIAL DOCKYARDS: CUXHAVEN
IMPERIAL DOCKYARDS: CUXHAVEN By: Dreadnought & AP Chapter 63: THE PHOTO TOUR 19 MAIN TUGBOAT STATION “Way back in the Day”, SC4 hardly paid any attention to tugboats. In fact, there was only one tugboat set of any note in the game – the distinctly “Japanese” set by “Somy”. All of the “Somy” lots and ships were extremely well done, but the Japanese tugs were rather small and obviously not of European design. When “WofZe” made the gift of a small white steam tug, it opened up a whole range of opportunities. I modified the “Somy” tug docks (as mentioned in previous chapters) and was able to replace the Japanese tugboats with the “WolfZe” model. Eventually, @AP generously offered his considerable talents and created an entire line of wonderful tugboats to add realism and authenticity to our harbors. Tugboats, in general, are sorely neglected -- in games, movies, literature, and even in the history books. But without them, harbors simply could not function. They tow lighters out to ships -- loaded with supplies, stores, and fresh food. Tugs moved large barges loaded with machinery and fabricated parts for the ships. And – they were the only method of moving the big ships around in the harbor. They were small – but vital to the smooth operation of any harbor. This is an overview of the Main Tugboat Station in the Neu Hafen. Built at the head of “Pier 01”, it was originally intended to be the only tug station in the harbor and is the largest station yet built. The angular, flat-roofed building on the right is a machine shop used for the repair and maintenance of the tugboat fleet. Each dock has two storage sheds that double as warehouses and workshops. And each has a fuel oil storage tank. The more modern Passat Class tugs were equipped with supplemental oil-firing for their coal-fed boilers. The Quonset Huts are used for various purposes: some are partitioned into office space, others are partitioned into sleeping quarters, and at least one is used as a “junk shed” where bits of this and that are stored (with a Friday night card game in one corner). This is another example of the wooden landings created by @AP. It is, I think, my favorite landing model. It reminds me of the many aging wooden piers I saw along the shores of Hampton Roads in my younger days. Used in combination with “AP’s” sailors and small boat models, you can create almost any scene you might imagine. The weathered look of the pier decking is superb and the detailing of the pilings is equally good. The upturned dinghy on the pier is a sight common to almost any pier or landing. You might be surprised to learn that all through history, a great many sailors were unable to swim. The dinghy and “life-preserver-rings” were always found on docks and piers in the event someone fell in. One more view of these wonderfully versatile props. This is a closer detail shot of the tugboat station. If you have been following the previous chapters, you will already know where all the props came from, and might even know the names of the tugboats. You will also have heard several speeches about the value and flexibility of “modular lots”. This demonstrates, once more, how easily a tug station can be enlarged, and configured to fit the available space. You also have a glimpse of the surrounding landscape. This is the tug station from a different angle. Once I have laid out a particular scene – like the tug station – I always check it from all angles before declaring it “finished”. There are usually small details that become more obvious from different angles. This is a view of the offshore anchorage at the tug station. You will immediately notice the pair of Odin Class tugs nested along the breakwater at right – and the four Passat Class tugs moored to buoys in the center. They are among many diagonal models “AP” has included in his prop packs to add variety and realism to your harbors. Same view – different angle. In the lower left corner, you can see how I managed to get the breakwater end onto the shore. The portion of the breakwater “on land” is actually an overhanging portion of the “Uki” model – the “base” portion is planted on the harbor floor. On the far right is the County Class heavy cruiser HMS Dorsetshire entering through the East Entrance of the breakwater. I’m not sure you will find this of interest, but any of the ship lots in the game should be plopped over a completely flat surface. “Somy” models, for example, when plopped over an uneven ocean floor will look fine until you save and close the game. When you reopen the game – that model will likely disappear, or even sink to the ocean floor – which is entirely due to the uneven sea bottom. If an “AP” raised-prop model is plopped on an uneven seabed – it simply does not look right, and you will end up bulldozing the lot. So – make sure the entire seabed is flat wherever you plan to plop ships – any “bumps” will cause trouble. I settled on a harbor depth of 30 meters, mainly due to the transparent properties of the “PEG Brigantine” water MOD. The harbor is just shallow enough to see vegetation on the seabed, but deep enough to make it a bit “murky”. At 30 meters, there is a bit of an offset from the base of the lot and the model on the surface – you plop it “over here”, and it shows up “over there”. It sometimes takes a bit of work to get the plopped model in the right position, but the results are always worth learning the technique. A final view of the fine model of HMS Dorsetshire, courtesy of @Barroco Hispano. Here you see three motor launches and four tugs – two Passat Class, and two Nordwind Class. Two motor launches are “tail moored” to the breakwater and are standing by as part of the security detail. One motor launch is waiting to put to sea on anti-submarine patrol. If it should run into any sort of trouble, the other two will be summoned in support. Even in peacetime, foreign submarines might be found snooping around – although that was unlikely in the shallow inshore waters of the North Sea. From a different angle – the tugs are preparing to take Dorsetshire under tow as soon as she clears the harbor entrance. This shot also provides a pretty good view of my experiment with the “NBVC Corals”. Technically speaking, you would not find corals in the cold waters of the North Sea – but I wanted to play around with them and see how it turned out. NEXT TIME…… CUXHAVEN: THE PHOTO TOUR 20 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- 2 Comments
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Chapter 09: Coronel And The Falklands
Dreadnought posted a City Journal entry in IMPERIAL DOCKYARDS: CUXHAVEN
SMS Scharnhorst, flagship, Imperial East Asiatic Squadron – moored to a buoy off Tsingtao, China – circa 1911. Note the old freighter at a pier to left, and notice the deployed boat booms on either side of the cruiser. The signal halyards are “dressed” for some “occasion” – but it’s impossible to make out the message. You can also see the shutters on the torpedo boat defense guns, in the bow casemates, are partially open to circulate air up forward. IMPERIAL DOCKYARDS: CUXHAVEN By: Dreadnought & AP Chapter 09: CORONEL & THE FALKLANDS German East Asiatic Squadron at anchor in Kiaochow Bay, off Tsingtao – circa 1911. Scharnhorst and Gneisenau are at center. SMS Gneisenau steamed out of Wilhelmshaven on 10 November 1910, and proceeded via the Mediterranean and Suez Canal before putting in at Colombo, Ceylon, on 10 December. The next day she embarked Kronprinz Wilhelm, who was touring British India at the time. Gneisenau steamed round to Bombay, where the prince debarked, before continuing on her way. She effected a brief rendezvous with SMS Emden and made port calls in Singapore, Hong Kong, and Amoy, finally dropping anchor in Kiaochow Bay in March, 1911. In April, Gneisenau sailed to Taku, China, where she embarked Arthur, Graf Rex, the new ambassador to Japan. Upon arrival in Yokohama, joined by Scharnhorst, the ambassador presented his credentials, and the squadron commander and ship’s Kapitans were presented to the Meiji Emperor. Though the Kaiser had little regard for Asian cultures, German naval officers and diplomats were very proper where the “Chrysanthemum Throne” was concerned. Not only was Japan allied to Great Britain, but they had the most powerful navy in the Far East – and – any major repairs and maintenance on German warships were usually carried out in their yards. With the exception of a brief war scare over the “Agadir Crisis” in November, 1911, the next few years were spent on routine assignments – port calls, diplomatic trips, dockyard maintenance, and occasionally anchoring off a Chinese port that showed signs of unrest. The Hamburg-American steamer Silesia ran aground off Pusan, Korea, in August 1912, and Gneisenau pulled her free, then escorted her to Nagasaki for repairs. In December, Konteradmiral Maximillian von Spee arrived to take command of the squadron and the pace of training and intelligence gathering increased. Von Spee kept the two armored cruisers at sea for most of 1913, paying several port calls in Japanese waters. Visiting German coaling stations in the Pacific archipelagos occupied early 1914, and they were anchored at Ponape, in the Caroline Islands, when news was received that Austro-Hungary had declared war on Serbia -- and Russia had begun military mobilization. With the political situation reaching the boiling point, von Spee ordered the ships stripped for war. All wood paneling in cabins and wardrooms was removed and sent ashore with as much of the wooden furniture as possible, and the coal bunkers and fresh water tanks were topped-off. At midnight on 4 August, Germany was officially at war with Russia, France, and Great Britain. On 6 August, von Spee issued immediate orders for the squadron’s light cruisers and all available colliers, supply ships, and passenger liners to rendezvous with him at Pagan, in the Marianas Islands. After dark, the cruisers slipped out of the bay and left their leased Japanese collier none the wiser. The Japanese were allied to Great Britain by treaty and could not be trusted with the knowledge of his whereabouts. Japanese Tsukuba Class armored cruiser – 13,750 tons – 20.5 knots – 4x12-inch guns – 12x6-inch guns – 12x4.7-inch guns – 3x18-inch torpedo tubes – belt armor 7 inches. Von Spee was in a difficult position. The Russian Pacific Squadron would be patrolling north of Tsingtao. The British Far East Squadron would already be searching the China Sea. The Royal Australian Navy would, doubtless, be at sea searching the Bismarck Archipelago and the bays along German New Guinea. This force was particularly dangerous because the flagship was the brand new Indefatigable Class battlecruiser HMAS Australia. And the entire Japanese fleet, having checked Tsingtao, would quickly fan out into the Pacific to search and seize control of the German island possessions. Spee had two of the finest armored cruisers in the region, but they were no match for Japanese battleships and British, and he knew it. HMAS Australia – Indefatigable Class -- 18,500 tons – 25 knots – 8x12-inch guns – 16x4-inch guns – 2x18-inch torpedo tubes – belt armor 6 inches. The three ships of the Indefatigable Class quickly followed the Invincible’s into service, and due to budgetary concerns, were largely identical. After the warships and support vessels assembled at Pagan, von Spee detached Commodore Karl von Muller’s light cruiser SMS Emden on a diversionary commerce raid into the Bengal Sea and Indian Ocean. On 15 August, the East Asiatic Squadron weighed anchor and set course for Valparaiso, Chile – Scharnhorst and Gneisenau, the light cruiser Nurnberg, several colliers, and the armed merchant cruiser Prinz Eitel Friedrich. With the outbreak of war in Europe, neutral nations could no longer be relied upon for coal and supplies. Britain’s political influence stretched around the World, and once friendly neutral ports would soon be closed to the German squadron. Without a guaranteed coal supply, von Spee’s only hope was to fill his bunkers at Valparaiso, round Cape Horn, and try to reach Germany. SMS Emden: Commissioned 1909 – 3,664 tons – 23.5 knots – 10x4.1-inch guns – 8x2-inch guns – 2x17.7-inch torpedo tubes – deck armor 3.1 inches. On 14 August 1914, Kapitan Muller and Emden, accompanied by the collier Markomannia, departed Pagan Island bound for the Indian Ocean. From that day until November 1914, Emden began a one-ship “cruiser war” and played “merry Hell” with the British shipping lanes between Singapore, Colombo, and the Gulf of Aden. On 9 November 1914, the light cruiser HMAS Sydney caught up with the German raider off the Cocos Islands, crippled her, and Muller ran her aground to save his crew. Emden would have been nearly identical to the other light cruisers in von Spee’s squadron. https://i.imgur.com/OThYJ0B.jpg[/im Model Courtesy of Barroco Hispano. SMS Emden engaged with the light cruiser HMAS Sydney. The German ship was delivering a rapid and accurate fire, but Sydney’s larger 6-inch guns prevented Emden from closing to torpedo range – and eventually crippled her steering and range-finding apparatus. (Claus Bergen) Around 8 September, von Spee learned German Samoa had been occupied by the enemy and he altered course to investigate. Arriving off the colony on 14 September, he found no enemy ships in the harbor and saw no point in bombarding a defenseless port – but a little retribution was in order. On 22 September, the squadron turned up off Papeete, French Tahiti, and opened fire on the harbor facilities. After sinking the gunboat Zelee, Spee thought about landing and coaling from the french stocks, but feared the harbor might be mined. And when shore batteries returned fire, the cruisers steamed off to the west, only returning to an easterly course after dark, to conceal his movements. Spee could not have known the French had set their own coal afire to prevent him getting it. By 12 October they reached Easter Island and paused to fill their bunkers from the colliers. The light cruiser SMS Dresden arrived from American waters later that day, and the light cruiser Liepzig arrived on 14 October with three colliers from Mazatlan, Mexico. The squadron remained for a week, coaling, resting, and performing engine maintenance, then moved on, arriving in Valparaiso early on 1 November. Learning the light cruiser HMS Glasgow had been anchored in the port of Coronel the day before – von Spee immediately steered south to find her. HMS Good Hope – 14,150 tons – 23 knots – 2x9.2-inch guns – 16x6-inch guns – 12x3-inch guns – 2x18-inch torpedo tubes – belt armor 6 inches. Rear Admiral Sir Christopher Cradock commanded the “North American and West Indies Station”, and the Admiralty in London had been sending telegram after telegram ordering him to dispatch cruisers on special missions in every conceivable direction. One such mission involved New York Harbor. When war broke out, there were a number of big German passenger liners in the port. The United States was a neutral nation – and under Neutrality Laws, the German ships would be given only sufficient coal to reach Germany, and had to depart within 24 hours. But the Admiralty (First Civil Lord – Winston Churchill) was worried the liners would get loose and be armed as “merchant cruisers” with guns carried in their cargo holds. Consequently, Cradock was ordered to send three cruisers to New York to lie off the harbor and intercept them. Cradock headed north to carry out the orders, stopped in the Bahamas to coal, and received new orders. Now he was to take part of his force and cover the sea passage around Cape Horn (South America) in case the German East Asiatic Squadron should come that way. Cradock dutifully divided his force again and turned south. HMS Bedford – Monmouth Class – 9,800 tons – 23 knots – 14x6-inch guns – 10x3-inch guns –2x18-inch torpedo tubes – belt armor 4 inches. This entire affair was micro-managed from a map with pins stuck in it, hanging on Churchill’s office wall. Telegrams went out in rapid succession, only to be changed when new information came in. There were hardly enough cruisers to cover all the possible problems in the North and South Atlantic. But what cruisers there were, charged off in one direction, only to have their orders countermanded, and sent charging off in another direction. The panic ensued because there were, actually, two German light cruisers loose in the Atlantic – SMS Karlsruhe and SMS Dresden. Karlsruhe had been spotted off Watling Island, in the Bahamas, transferring guns and ammunition to the liner SS Kronprinz Wilhelm – but both ships were fast and alluded pursuit. Karlsruhe later sank (1 November, 1914) from an internal explosion some miles east of Barbados. But the Naval High Command kept her loss a secret, and the British tied-up eleven cruisers in a five month search for her. With war imminent, SMS Dresden put to sea from Port-au-Prince, Haiti, with the intention of beginning “Handelskrieg” (trade warfare). The little cruiser headed south for the coast of Brazil, where merchant traffic would be plentiful. Kapitan Ludecke stopped a number of ships, found them to be neutrals, and let them go – but this meant his presence would be known, so he had to keep moving. Sinking only a few ships, Dresden rounded The Horn, and put into Hoste Island, on the western side of Tierra del Fuego for engine maintenance. The Hamburg-American steamer Santa Isabel arrived from Punta Arenas and informed Kapitan zur See Ludecke that merchant shipping was heavy along the west coast of South America. Ludecke transited the Strait of Magellan on 18 September, and while laying-over in the Juan-Fernandez Islands, made wireless contact with SMS Leipzig. By 12 October, Dresden had found her way to Admiral von Spee’s squadron at Easter Island. But her brief rampage in the South Atlantic had led the British cruiser groups (five of them) a merry chase, indeed. The movements of the two marauding cruisers had thoroughly confused the Admiralty as to German intentions. HMS Shannon – Minotaur Class – circa 1909. 14,600 tons – 23 knots – 4x9.2-inch guns – 10x7.5-inch guns – 5x18-inch torpedo tubes – belt armor 6 inches. HMS Defence was one of the Minotaur Class and would have looked much like this. All four ships had their funnels raised by 12 feet during their first refit, to keep smoke clear of the ship. Mid-September, Cradock’s orders changed again. Admiralty intelligence indicated the German squadron was likely heading for the west coast of South America, or the Strait of Magellan. Cradock was to detach a force sufficient to deal with Karlsruhe and Dresden, and take his remaining ships to meet von Spee in the South Atlantic. He was to use Port Stanley, in the Falkland Islands, as a coaling station. Cradock would be reinforced there by the modern armored cruiser HMS Defence, transferred from the Mediterranean. Combined with the armored cruisers Monmouth and Good Hope, and the old pre-dreadnought battleship Canopus, the Admiralty deemed the force sufficient to seek out and destroy the German ships. The orders stipulated he was to keep at least one Monmouth Class cruiser and the Canopus with his flagship Good Hope, until his force was concentrated. That condition should have provided adequate force if the East Asiatic Squadron was encountered. Just two days later, the Admiralty decided Spee’s appearance off German Samoa, and then French Tahiti, put together with SMS Emden’s commerce raiding in the Bay of Bengal, indicated von Spee intended to operate in the western Pacific. They promptly canceled the transfer of HMS Defence from the Mediterranean, messaged Cradock that Spee was moving west, and directed him to search the south west coast of South America for German merchant shipping. Since the Germans were moving away from South America, they further advised he no longer needed to keep his force concentrated – but they failed to notify him they had canceled Defence’s transfer. Again, Whitehall’s attempt to micro-manage every aspect of the war at sea by telegram was confusing the issue. Commanders at sea were unable to formulate or carry out cohesive search plans because of constant Admiralty interference. Large warships with high-maintenance engines were being shuffled about like berserk pieces on a chess board. And the information the orders were based on was often incomplete – or incorrect conclusions were being drawn. And the orders, themselves, were largely “knee-jerk reactions” – incomplete, lacking in detail, and not well thought-out. By late September, it was obvious SMS Dresden had gone into the Pacific. Cradock’s ships searched the anchorages around Tierra del Fuego, to no avail, and retired to Port Stanley for coal on 3 October. After coaling, he put to sea again, with the intention to “scout” Tierra del Fuego, then spread out in a search line and work north along the Chilean coast. By late October, Cradock had reliable intelligence that Spee’s East Asiatic Squadron had reached South America’s west coast. His squadron was substantially weaker than the Germans – all of them elderly vessels and crewed by largely inexperienced men. He steamed north along the coast with the armored cruisers Good Hope (flag) and Monmouth, the light cruiser Glasgow, and the merchant cruiser Otranto. (Cradock had opted to steam ahead of the pre-dreadnought battleship Canopus, because she was far too slow -- 10 knots -- to participate in an effective search. As a result, her 12 inch guns would not participate in the battle.) SMS Scharnhorst opens fire on HMS Good Hope, opening the Battle Of Coronel – November 1, 1914. Note the Konteradmiral’s (Rear Admiral) flag flying from the foremast peak. The German squadron arrived off Coronel in the afternoon, and to von Spee’s surprise, he not only found HMS Glasgow, but SS Otranto, Good Hope, and Monmouth. These were exactly the kind of British cruisers Scharnhorst and Gneisenau were designed to overpower, and this engagement would demonstrate that superiority. Sighting approaching smoke clouds below the horizon, Cradock knew it could be no one other than von Spee, and reversed course so both forces were now steaming south. Scharnhorst and Gneisenau were closing quickly at 20 knots. It was cold, and windy, with the seas running high, and Cradock’s older ships were too slow to escape. At 17:10, Cradock decided he must engage the enemy, and altered course to close the range so his 6 inch batteries could open fire. Cradock was undoubtedly aware the German cruisers mounted 8.3 inch guns, out-ranged the bulk of his weapons, and could bring a total of twelve guns to bear in broadside. And considering their advantage in speed, firepower, and armor – many historians have professed to be puzzled as to why he chose to engage the enemy. But the answer is quite simple. It was a matter of “honor”. Three months prior to the Battle Of Coronel, an event occurred that certainly influenced Cradock’s decision to engage the superior German squadron. Late on 5 August, in the Mediterranean, the German battlecruiser SMS Goeben and the light cruiser Breslau had finished coaling in Messina, Sicily. Germany had been at war with Great Britain not quite twenty-four hours when Konteradmiral Wilhelm Souchon (commanding the Mediterranean Division) received coded orders from Admiral Hugo von Pol (Hochseeflotte). Souchon was instructed not to try to reach Germany or Austria (what the British would expect) – but to make a dash for Constantinople and the protection of a sympathetic Turkish government. In the early morning hours of 6 August, in the dark of night, Goeben and Breslau quit Messina, worked up to cruising speed, and exited the southern Straits of Messina -- setting course for the eastern Mediterranean. Two British battlecruisers were 100 miles away, while a third was coaling at Bizerta, Tunisia. The only British force between Souchon and Turkey was the 1st Cruiser Squadron, patrolling the Straits of Otranto, several hours to the northeast. The armored cruisers HMS Defence, Black Prince, Duke of Edinburgh, and Warrior were commanded by Rear Admiral Ernest Troubridge and had been positioned to keep Goeben out of the Adriatic Sea. With annoying persistence, a patrolling British light cruiser began shadowing the German squadron as they cleared the Straits of Messina. In an effort to shake off the small cruiser, Souchon feinted toward the Austrian ports in the Adriatic, then turned back on course for Turkey. The move initially mislead Troubridge, who soon realized his mistake and gave chase. Unaware of the approaching armored cruisers, the German admiral finally decided to rid himself of the overly inquisitive British light cruiser. The Germans overloaded their boilers, pushed their turbines to the limit, and managed to lose their pursuer in the gathering darkness. Troubridge, within hours of making an intercept, broke off the chase early on 7 August – convinced by his “flag captain” that Goeben’s 11-inch guns would make an attack by his four old armored cruisers suicidal. Troubridge was relieved of his command and would face a court-martial for “failure to pursue the enemy”. Though acquitted, he never received another seagoing command. (In all fairness, there is little probability Troubridge could have prevented Goeben from reaching Turkish waters – while it is certain he would have lost, at least, one armored cruiser before breaking off the action. (See Chapter 20 for full details.) Cradock was a close friend of Troubridge – and would have been aware of the pending court-martial. We will never know what transpired on the bridge of Good Hope that afternoon, but it is certain Troubridge’s fate weighed heavily on Cradock’s mind. Conversations with other officers and officials at Port Stanley, and a letter he left behind, indicated he did not expect to survive an encounter with the German squadron. I know it sounds a bit cliche’ – but Cradock chose “Death before dishonor”. SS Otranto was ordered away as unsuitable for the battle line, and she escaped destruction. HMS Glasgow fought until she was alone, then disengaged and fled. But Good Hope and Monmouth were quickly reduced to burning wrecks and took more than 1,660 men down with them. Even with Canopus and Defence, the outcome of the battle would have been in doubt. Von Spee had fought a text-book-action, with skill and logic -- and a bit of luck. But there is only so much “luck” – and there is always the “unexpected” – isn’t there? To make a long story much shorter – the German East Asiatic Squadron rounded Cape Horn as planned, and turned-up south of Port Stanley in the Falkland Islands on 8 December – intent on seizing British coal stocks and destroying their wireless tower. Around 05:00, Gneisenau and Nurnberg were detached from the squadron to reconnoiter, and if possible, open the bombardment of the wireless towers. Some three hours later, Gneisenau’s Kapitan Maerker could begin to make out details of the port and the wireless towers on a hill. The two German cruisers closed up at battle stations and continued their approach, when thick smoke began rising from the inner harbor. Maerker just assumed the British were trying to burn their coal supply to keep it from falling into German hands. But as they drew closer, the smoke rapidly increased in volume and density, and they could clearly make out the distinctive shape of tripod masts and spotting tops. Moments later, two large caliber shells screeched overhead and splashed into the sea to starboard – raising two gigantic water columns uncomfortably close to Gneisenau. In Port Stanley, the battlecruisers HMS Invincible (flag) and Inflexible rode at anchor taking on coal. The loss of Cradock’s squadron at Coronel had been ill-received by the British public, and the Admiralty had taken swift action to redress the humiliation. Vice-Admiral Doveton Sturdee had been detached from the Grand Fleet and sent south with a powerful force to hunt down and annihilate von Spee. Sturdee exhibited no particular sense of urgency during his voyage into the South Atlantic, and having put into Port Stanley to coal, he was taking his time about it. He fully expected a long search for the German squadron -- south along the Argentine coast, and quite possibly round Cape Horn. HMS Invincible and Inflexible coaling in the north end of Port Stanley harbor. Though Port Stanley was a Royal navy coaling station, little money had been spent on improvements and it was necessary for large vessels to coal from lighters or colliers. Here we see Invincible taking coal over the starboard side, while another tug is coming alongside to port, and yet a third tug and lighter is waiting just astern. This is HMS Inflexible with a “coal tow” maneuvering into position alongside while another tug with two more lighters stands by. The battlecruisers are courtesy of @Barroco Hispano. The tugs and coal lighters are the beautiful scratch-built work of @AP. The two German cruisers had been sighted around 07:30 from a lookout post on a hill above the harbor. By 08:00 the lookout identified them as two warships – probably cruisers – definitely German. Unfortunately, his only means of communication was a hand-set telephone line that ran down to HMS Canopus. The old pre-dreadnought battleship had been beached on a mudflat at the entrance to the harbor to act as a guard ship. She might have been too slow for sea duty, but her guns were still lethal. Canopus had no line of sight to Invincible, so she was unable to pass word of the enemy’s approach, but the light cruiser HMS Glasgow was coaled and anchored nearby and attempted to relay the signal. As luck would have it, both battlecruisers were shrouded in a dense cloud of coal dust, and neither flags nor a signal lamp seemed to penetrate. Finally, Glasgow fired a signal gun and trained a 24-inch searchlight on the flagship and sent the message...”enemy in sight”. Sturdee, in his quarters shaving when informed, simply told the young lieutenant...”Signal all ships – raise steam for full speed – send your crews to breakfast.” Moments later Canopus opened fire at extreme range and all Hell broke loose in Port Stanley. HMS Canopus opens fire – 08:05. HMS Glasgow is steaming out to harass the German squadron (in the distance to the southeast) until Sturdee can get his ships to sea. This is an illustration from the London Daily Telegraph and though accurate for the most part, it is a bit lax in some respects. Canopus is shown underway when she was, in fact, beached on a mudflat. But you get the general idea. Out at sea, Kapitan Maerker had been startled by the rounds fired from Canopus – they were undoubtedly 12-inch shells -- and they landed close enough to throw water over Gneisenau’s forecastle. Forty seconds later two more shells impacted directly ahead of the cruiser – one ricocheting off the water and striking the base of Gneisenau’s first funnel. Fortunately, it was a practice round without an explosive charge. Maerker immediately got off a wireless to Admiral von Spee, and was promptly ordered to break off the attack and rejoin the squadron. Vizeadmiral Graf von Spee was watching the action unfold from Scharnhorst’s port bridge wing. Staring intently through his binoculars, he had seen the columns of smoke rising inside the harbor and was able to make out the fighting tops of a warship. The tall columns of water around Gneisenau could be nothing less than the impact of 12-inch shells. But worst of all – he could just make out the signature tripod masts of what could only be a British battlecruiser. Von Spee knew he would have been informed (through German spy networks) if a battlecruiser had been sent out from the Grand Fleet – but there had been no such message. The only thing he could imagine was the battlecruiser HMAS Australia followed him from the Pacific and managed to get to Port Stanley ahead of him. While still pondering this possibility, Gneisenau, straining her boilers, was closing the distance astern of Scharnhorst. If it was, in fact, Australia – von Spee’s squadron was doomed – and he knew it. His only chance was to get as far ahead of the enemy as he could, and hope for a rain squall, storm, or even Antarctic fog to cover his escape. Von Spee signaled a course change and began a “flank speed” run to the southeast. SMS Scharnhorst starting her high speed run to the southeast to disengage from the British. Gneisenau is just astern of her – and the smoke from pursuing warships can be see on the horizon at left. Around 10:20, the awful truth slid out of Port Stanley’s harbor. Black smoke gushed from their funnels as stokers desperately piled on coal to build a head of steam. The big British cruisers sliced through the water as a trailing wind blew the smoke clouds back upon them. The roiling smoke thickened as engineers opened valves and sprayed fuel oil onto the boiler fires, pushing the steam gauges ever higher. Rated at 24.5 knots, the British would exceed that this day. Von Spee eyed them anxiously through his binoculars and recognized the sleek and threatening silhouettes of two Invincible Class battlecruisers. (By now the Royal Navy had dropped the armored cruiser designation.) Von Spee knew he could not sink the two battlecruisers – and he stood little chance of damaging them enough to make them disengage. He signaled the light cruisers to break off and scatter, in the hope they might escape destruction. Nurnberg and Liepzig went down later that evening, but Dresden would escape in a rain squall. (She was later tracked to the Juan Fernandez Islands and sunk.) Meanwhile, von Spee signaled Gneisenau and turned toward the enemy. He could not outrun them, or outgun them, but he might buy some time for the others to get away. HMS Inflexible opens fire, shortly after Invincible’s ranging shots. Note the high speed bow wave and the way the stern dips down into the water. This is due to the action of propellers turning at high revolutions. The “digging action” of the screws literally sucks the stern down a few feet in the water. In extreme cases, this results in waves washing over the fantail. Scharnhorst maneuvered well and fought bravely, scoring several hits on Invincible and forcing her to open the range more than once. But in the end, Scharnhorst was bludgeoned to death by the battlecruiser’s powerful 12-inch guns. Von Spee went down with her when she capsized to port at 16:17 that afternoon – so did two of his sons. Gneisenau carried on – unable to score a mortal blow on her tormentors, and too slow to run away. When her ammunition was exhausted, she continued to fire training rounds at the British warships. Around 17:15 hours, three large caliber shells struck Gneisenau in quick succession and she began taking on water as she burst into a mass of flames. Kapitan zur See Maerker ordered scuttling charges to be set and the ship abandoned. At 17:42 hours, she rolled over slowly and sank. Unfortunately, very few of the drifting survivors were able to withstand the frigid waters of the South Atlantic. SMS Scharnhorst (foreground) going down while Gneisenau bravely carries on the fight. Vice Admiral Doveton Sturdee had handled his battlecruisers well – using his speed to chase down his prey. He also used his speed to stay beyond reach of the German 8.3-inch guns, while remaining well within range of his own 12-inch rifles. This is exactly the situation Jackie Fisher had envisioned for his fast armored cruisers – and they had performed beyond all expectations. But make no mistake – the Invincible’s were not armored cruisers. Fisher originally “called” them armored cruisers because he did not want to create controversy among the conservative ranks of the Royal Navy – and because he did not want to argue with the Chancellor of the Exchequer to obtain funds for a completely new type of warship. Fisher, in effect, took the armored cruiser and gave it a “dreadnought make-over”. The result was a cruiser the size of a battleship, with battleships guns, a speed far in excess of existing cruisers, and cruiser armor (the lighter armor making the higher speed possible). Fisher had, in fact, created the concept of the battlecruiser – and the result was the cruiser-killing Invincible Class. A story beginning with an Italian naval architect and ending with the Battle Of The Falkland Islands had come full circle, and it produced one of the truly great ironies to come out a war full of them. Scharnhorst and Gneisenau had been sent half way round the world to avoid meeting Invincible and Inflexible in battle. And within five months of hostilities breaking out, the Gods Of War had brought them together off an obscure group of islands in the South Atlantic – with the already predicted results. But – there is always the unexpected... HMS Inflexible, hove-to, rescuing survivors from Gneisenau’s crew. NEXT TIME…… NEITHER FISH NOR FOWL But there is a bit more for you…… This chapter may seem more like a history lesson – and that is partly true. It was necessary to include these two pivotal naval battles to illustrate two things: (1) the superiority of the Scharnhorst Class over existing British armored cruisers, and (2) the superiority of British battlecruisers over the two finest armored cruisers built by the Kaiserliche Marine. On another level, it is necessary to bring “closure” to the life of a warship – much like people. Anyone with a love of the sea will tell you a ship is a living, breathing, being – and some believe it even has a “soul”. So it becomes necessary to tell of its’ death. Unfortunately – we could not use very many SC4 models in this chapter. Some models you have seen in previous chapters, but to create models for all of the ships in the narrative would probably turn “AP’s” hair gray!! Plus -- “AP” and I have not yet been able to figure out how we could create models to represent ships in battle. BUT – I felt obligated to include some in-game pictures for you…... This image shows the southern end of the West Loch, to include the Southend Light, the Replenishment Docks, and the railyard that serves them. Note three small subchasers in the crook of the breakwater. They are modified models of AP’s motor launch, equipped with a 3.9 inch gun on the bow and depth charge racks on the stern. One of them is putting to sea to make a regular “anti-submarine-sweep” of the deep-water channel off the harbor entrance. Those pesky British submarines are like vermin – they get into everything! This is a close-up of Southend Light – one of “FrankU’s” many fine lighthouse models – modified for use in Cuxhaven. I believe the “Keeper’s” residence is an SFBT cottage, and the small warehouse is taken from “Nob’s 1905 Japanese Naval Series”. The sea walls and small boat landing are, of course, by NBVC – and the pavement is “Paeng’s Grunge Concrete” (some of them modified with random props). The warship model, lower right, is courtesy of @Barroco Hispano, and is a US Navy gunboat – Erie Class – details seen in a previous chapter. Erie is performing “guard duty” at the breakwater entrance. The landscape is MMP work made up of almost every possible type you can find on the STEX. My trees, bushes, and ground cover are predominantly @Girafe – whom I highly recommend. I use a combination of the “Poseidon Terrain Brushes” and “Heblem Sands” for dirt, slopes, and beaches. I long ago gave up trying to create a “minimalist terrain” style, and opted instead to “paint terrain” in a realistic style-- crowded, cluttered, and rarely bare. Night shot of the same. This is the railyard that serves the Replenishment Docks. The trackside cranes are from the “PEG-SNM Dry Dock” lot. They are unloading two rather large supply trains made up of “PEG” steam engines and various rail car props. The engines have been modified for “steam”. The concrete apron between the rails and the road is made up of 1x1 custom lots composed of a wide variety of props to create a busy, cluttered, feel. Another train is parked on a siding next to some “SFBT” props used to make trackside offices and a loading ramp. As soon as there is room, it will move under the cranes. Two more steam engines are on the top siding – one is waiting for orders from “dispatch” – while the other is taking on coal and water. The coaling tower and adjacent water tower are from “PEG” railroad lots. The forest behind the railyard, on top of the bluff, is a mix of MMP work and 1x1 custom “Tree Filler” lots designed to blend in. Here you can see the Replenishment Docks in the lower right, adjacent to another tug station. Going around the basin counter-clockwise – a Midgard and an Odin Class “nested” at lower left – a Passat Class at the mooring dolphins – two “steam tugs” by “WolfZe” – another Passat – and an old Nordwind Class. The tug docks and sheds are lots from Somy.s “Japanese Tug Set”. I modified the docks to appear less modern, and removed the small Japanese-style tugs so “AP’s” models could be used. The tugs and mooring dolphins are by “AP”. At the far end of the Replenishment Dock siding is a “directional switch out”. If the dock area is too crowded, a train can “park” here until there’s an opening – or they can use the “T” track layout to reverse the direction of the engine. Thereby avoiding space-consuming track loops. Note the sand dunes on the left. The degree of vegetation on and around them indicates the dunes have “stabilized” and are in the early stages of being grown-over. The “Poseidon Terrain Brush” MOD is excellent for making sand dunes and, THANX to @MissVanleider and her “Sand Dune Coastline” tutorial – I loved it instantly! However, I took a little different approach. Instead of making low sand dunes (7.5 meters), I chose to go for tall dunes (15 meters). I think the added height allows for deeper shadows and depressions between the dunes – and allows room to apply foliage down the side of a dune to accentuate the slope. MANY THANKS to @Barroco Hispano for his generosity in providing so many beautiful warships. SPECIAL THANKS to my partner -- @AP -- for volunteering his very considerable talents, valuable time, and vivid imagination in helping me bring the Imperial Dockyards to life. 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- 4 Comments
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Now that we have these new awesome walls to play with, I would love to see them in action by the community. I'll start with my first experiments. My shoreline park is totally transformed. I just have to do something on the top of the wall with some kind of decoration....walkway, lamps, maybe some benches. The shorelines are getting more interesting I'm also experimenting with new textures. This one is a test using the rock template
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Version 1.1
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Curved lots in Squaresville? Oh Shirley... you jest!! Don't bother pinching yourself...you're not dreaming. With the use of an innovative, highly sophisticated process I call "mojo", you can now break up that monotonous squared look prevalent in your cities with some seductive curves! There have been numerous requests for rounded & curved lots... and quite a few for single-tile high wall sea walls as well. Two birds... one rock... BAM!! Most of the normal rules governing lot development were broken with this new approach. Its a bit like saying, "Screw gravity... I want to go up!" But the end result bears fruit. Single tile lots covering 2 or three tiles and a collection of 21 new custom BAT models all combine to make the impossible... possible. I decided to make this style the new RTK... because it plops like the RTKs. Unlike the CDK sea walls, you must level the terrain at the top of the bank for these lots to work. However, unlike the older RTKs, you don't need to worry about having even slopes or the water depth. Just level the Top... and Plop!! You can even control how high the walls are by raising or lowering the level of the lot above the water. New in Version 2.05: The repetitive gazebos on every outer corner have been replaced with a random prop family to add some variety. Every outer corner will now have either the gazebo or 1 of 3 new statue props. All Pegasus files are now legacy content and are no longer officially supported - however support from the wider community can be requested here.
