@monroe_mcadoo thanks for the suggestion bro, did see that and many others, although the one fundamental problem is that when those ships fire they don’t get pushed back by their own recoil when their is no resistance like the sea.
Hmm the only thing I can think of when it comes to stable air platforms are helicopters and AC-130. But Hellys have small caliber cannons and the 130 has forward momentum with a slow firing 105.
You might want to think how ship-to-ship combat evolve in your setting. Do ships shell each other at significant range? If so, you do need powerful guns to send out the payloads considering many factors: shells, environment, and, well… range. Again, I’m not a history buff, but if combat occurs in the range of miles, you need big firepower just to send the shell across the seas. If your ships has capability to go in and personal, you can go away with smaller guns, similar to how destroyers compare to battleships.
I think smaller ships would be more common than big ones. And to that extent, the big ships would take the role of somekind like mobile HQ, operation center, and such (which means they’re no longer IRL battleship-sized; even bigger, legit floating fortress). The only event where such ships got involved in combat I can think of is large-scale battle scenarios such as capturing cities, taking down superweapons, etc.
Food for though, as in the case of real world, aerial combat is proven to be more effective to have something more mobile with accurate precision for strike rather having a big station that houses big guns. Aircrafts are easier to field and maintain than zeppelins (assuming there’s equally abundant resource to field both), not to mention their versatility on many kinds of OPs.
And I’d consider copters or aircrafts’ cannons more like a rifle than the guns of warships. Though… yeah, what happened to an AC-130 when it fires its weapons like a crazy?
P.S.
The resistance doesn’t come from the sea. Or, should I clarify, it doesn’t come from the friction between the hull and the ocean. Too small considering the area-contact between the hull and the sea. The resistance comes from metacentric design of said ships. Think of it like a pendulum; wherever you nudge the weight, it will always return to its stable position–straight downward.
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Hi @Szaal, once again thank you for the informative feedback, its fine if your not a history buff you are giving me information I really need and I can easily cover the history part with research.
In regards to my flying ships: Yes as you have stated I will go small, I knew from the start that big battleship size flying vessels is not possible, I am going with destroyers and cruisers. Maybe even battle cruisers but not anything bigger. The armaments are expected to be small, I just needed something that can be used for engaging enemies at maybe 5 miles minimum, not over the horizon.
Basically all the ships can be used for engaging other ships in visual range using their guns and rockets (air torpedoes:guided and unguided). If they do encounter other vessels that can fire at longer distances they can be countered by flying high and shooting from above and can use smoke screens like ships during the 19th and 20th century. they are also useful for heavy ground support.
Boarding is common place and will be done with fast moving destroyers.
The biggest ship that will be fielded will be an aircraft carrier, it won’t have a lot of heavy guns as its main protection comes from the other ships and its main defense would primarily consist of anti aircraft weapons. They will serve as mobile HQ’s and launching aircraft to bomb and “torpedo” other ships and do ground support. It will also be used for power projection.
Planes would still be made and improved in this world as they are cheaper, faster and easier to produce than ships themselves.
I also have ships than can parachute and launch glider planes bringing large amount of men and material behind enemy line, but these are cargo vessels than anything else.
I once again offer my thanks for your valuable feedback
Exceeding 5 miles your looking a big naval guns.
in the ocean the horizon line was close range with curvature you were looking at over 2 miles ships would dissapear. in the air your getting a lot more range for that but anyway…
more than 5 miles range 1920s era
range varied on firing arc but in short aim really high.
primary battleships sooo i guess skip
much closer to what you want a cruiser mounted weapons
max range ~14 miles or ~22 km
to get a range exceeding 5 miles you need big cannons and with the tech period you need really big cannons to do that. with a consideration for not wanting recoil you shoot yourself in the foot.
given the time period high range goes hand in hand with size & recoil. unless you have some thing that negates it magically or super-science. Small armarments equal small range, more than 5 miles is however in that time big guns.
the other options are either raise the tech, wave your hand magically and say suspension of disbelief activate, or accept lower range and just give ships weaker armor so smaller guns work.
i’m trying to help as much as i can but only using real life logic and tech of the period i’m trying to headbutt a tank into submission.
Edit: im not trying to be critical at you just frustrated at my inability to find anything useful that fits your needs. please dont take this as aggravation or hostility.
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Hi @Drakeye by all means I am not offended at all, in fact I am getting the same problem, I could as writer just give a reason not too, but I do want it to be…realistic as possible…if not at least realistic enough. I might just go for good enough.
In regards to it though, your right technology at the time dictated if wanting more range the guns could be heavier. Although being in the air means that you can increase the range so I can work with that. Plus I can always “advance” some parts of weapon tech, after all when having weapons like these and others would generate a lot of arms race.
Range wise I could just lower it, plus I could use rocket assisted rounds/munitions or even just rockets and missiles themselves. These would solve the range, and recoil. Plus they could be guided (guided torpedo’s already existed before the 1900’s so the tech is their).
Thank you for the reply and the feedback. All of it will be taken into consideration. Just need to see how far I could get more useful info.
Hmmm. How hard/costly is to build a ship in your world?
The reactors are a common tech? A lost artifact? Recently discovered technology?
How much of the nation’s wealth are dependent on air trading? Or they use normal sailing ships and railroads to movement their logistics?
Hi @Nahim_Kerman
Thanks for asking and I did have those prepared.
The setting of the story is a massive empire of 1920’s Europe. Basically combine the German Empire (1871), ,Austrian - Hungarian Empire, Sweden, Norway and Finland. The size of the nation would make it at least self sufficient. Their trade relies more on export than imports.
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The ships are limited to size of battle cruisers, not battleships. We already know that nations like the U.K. was able to create the largest fleet of that era so that would give it an idea. Construction and cost would be equivalent or more to cruisers.
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Yes the reactors are a common tech (for military and large cargo and cruise ships). Those who could afford to create, run and maintain them are common place. The “reactors” are like electric generators in construction, they contain refined unobtanium ore, this is what gives it the ability to float/fly (kinda like refining uranium). These are powered by massive petrol or diesel engines. Zeppelins during the first world war were propelled and powered similarly.
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Technology in this fiction would be almost the same as 1900’s europe with the exception of having the industrial revolution happening in the 17th century instead of the 18th. Trains, cars and planes will still exist and trade would still be more reliant on land and sea transport as using airships to do it is to expensive to operate.
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