Say for example that Germany had plenty of money, but were not allowed to build replacements for the Deutschland class pre-dreadnoughts (Schlesien and Schleswig-Holstein) and wished to make them as competent ships as ever possible for battle.
OTL, they had most of their casemate guns removed and replaced with 20mm AA guns, the torpedo tubes were removed and the ships partially converted to oil-firing (havign a dual system).
So, if the Germans want to make them into a kind of coastal battleship capable of fighting in the Baltic Sea, what could they do?
Some suggestions from me:
1. Remove the ramming bow with modern cruiser style bows, which should reduce weight slightly and increase speed sligthtly.
2. Replace all the coal boilers with oil boilers.
3. Extensive refit of the engines, hopefully allowing maintained or even higher pressure, which together with the new bow perhaps could get the ships up to 20-21 knots instead of the 18-19, minus degaradation they were capable of OTL.
4. Replace the casemate guns with 4x2x12,7cm DP secondaries (four dual turrets, two on each side).
5. Update the main artillery - perhaps allow an increase in elevation and/or new shells increasing the range (like Sweden did on the Sverige class in the 30s).
6. Remove torpedo tubes.
7. Update fire control and range finding equipment, fire control place din the former torpedo room - one of the best protected part of the ship.
8. Updated AA - perhaps 2x2 3,7cm AA and ~20x20mm AA.
Any further suggestions?
OTL, they had most of their casemate guns removed and replaced with 20mm AA guns, the torpedo tubes were removed and the ships partially converted to oil-firing (havign a dual system).
So, if the Germans want to make them into a kind of coastal battleship capable of fighting in the Baltic Sea, what could they do?
Some suggestions from me:
1. Remove the ramming bow with modern cruiser style bows, which should reduce weight slightly and increase speed sligthtly.
2. Replace all the coal boilers with oil boilers.
3. Extensive refit of the engines, hopefully allowing maintained or even higher pressure, which together with the new bow perhaps could get the ships up to 20-21 knots instead of the 18-19, minus degaradation they were capable of OTL.
4. Replace the casemate guns with 4x2x12,7cm DP secondaries (four dual turrets, two on each side).
5. Update the main artillery - perhaps allow an increase in elevation and/or new shells increasing the range (like Sweden did on the Sverige class in the 30s).
6. Remove torpedo tubes.
7. Update fire control and range finding equipment, fire control place din the former torpedo room - one of the best protected part of the ship.
8. Updated AA - perhaps 2x2 3,7cm AA and ~20x20mm AA.
Any further suggestions?