WW II naval plans for the World's Naval Powers

[lordroel]

WW II naval plans for the World's Naval Powers

Taken from this great thread on Paradox called Naval Plans for the World's Naval Powers.

Will post all navies posted there in this thread, so the first one will be the Royal Navy.

(Royal Navy) United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

In 1936, the RN was the largest navy in the world and was responsible for holding together the vast British Empire. However, the RN was old and was quickly being outclassed by Japan and the US. Japan's navy in particular was considered the greatest threat to the RN, mostly because Japan's battleships and carriers were ahead of their western counterparts in terms of firepower, speed, and reliability, a direct result of Japanese ingenuity that was later copied by the other navies (see Japanese entry). To add to the RN's problems, due to the various naval treaties limiting the number and size of capital ships as well as the global depression, the RN was unable to modernize and had to rely on ships built during and shortly after WW1. The most important of which, when concerning the slow pace of RN modernization, was the 1922 Washington Naval Treaty, which forbid construction of battleships for 10 years and limited all signatories to hard limits. The RN was hurt the most by the treaty, as it exceeded the capital ship limits right from the start. All of that changed as a result of the German Deutschland-class Heavy Cruisers launched in the early '30s.

The German Panzerschiffe prompted the French, who hadn't yet reached the treaty limitations on battleships, to begin construction of the Dunkerque-class Fast Battleship, which in turn prompted the Italians to begin construction of their Vittorio Veneto-class Battleships, which in turn prompted the Anglo-German Naval Agreement, ultimately cascading into a new global arms race involving the naval powers of the US, UK, USSR, Germany, Italy, France, Netherlands, Japan, and Spain. However, because the UK maintained strict treaty adherence even while Japan, its chief rival, withdrew from the treaty in '36, the RN's ships were outdated, outgunned, and ultimately outclassed by Japan's ships, and as a result the RN suffered horribly in the Asian theater.

The 1936 RN OOB, commissioned ships only:

3 Courageous-class Carriers

1 Hermes-class Escort Carrier

1 Eagle-class Escort Carrier

1 Argus-class Escort Carrier

2 Nelson-class Battleships

5 Revenge-class Battleships (8 ordered prior to WW1, 2 converted to Renown-class BCs, 1 never finished)

5 Queen Elizabeth-class Super Dreadnoughts (6 ordered prior to WW1, 1 never finished)

1 Admiral-class Battlecruiser (4 ordered prior to WW1, only the HMS Hood completed)

2 Renown-class Battlecruisers (converted Revenge-class BBs)

2 York-class Heavy cruisers (5 planned, 2 completed)

2 Norfolk-class Heavy Cruisers (4 planned, 2 completed)

4 London-class Heavy Cruisers

7 Kent-class Heavy Cruisers

4 Hawkins-class Heavy Cruisers (5 completed, 1 lost in the interwar period)

2 Arethusa-class Light Cruisers (6 ordered, 4 finished)

5 Leander-class Light Cruisers (8 ordered, all finished)

2 Emerald-class Light Cruisers (3 ordered, 2 finished)

8 Danae-class Light Cruisers (12 ordered, 8 finished)

13 C-class Light Cruisers (28 completed, 15 scrapped by '36)

18 E & F-class Destroyers

14 C & D-class Destroyers

20 A & B-class Destroyers

27 V & W-class Destroyers (67 ordered, 27 completed)

8 Scott-class Destroyers (10 ordered, 8 completed)

3 River-class Submarines

12 S-class Submarines (62 completed in total, most of the 50 not in service were lost during storms in the interwar period)

4 Rainbow-class Submarines (6 ordered, 4 completed)

6 Parthian-class Submarines

12 Odin-class Submarines

10 R-class Submarines (12 ordered, 10 completed)

26 H-class Submarines (42 completed, 8 lost pre-war, 6 sold to Chile, 2 transferred to Canada)

The 1936 RN OOB, launched ships only:

2 Arethusa-class Light Cruisers (2 more were planned but ultimately canceled)

18 G & H-class Destroyers

Additional commissioned ships by the start of the war

1 Ark Royal-class Aircraft Carrier (launched in '37, commissioned in '38, designed to provide protection against enemy aircraft)

10 Town-class Light Cruisers

9 I-class Destroyers

16 Tribal-class Destroyers

8 J-class Destroyers (9 ordered, 1 canceled)

1 K-class Destroyer

3 U-class Submarines

15 T-class Submarines (71 ordered, 18 cancelled)

Additional launched ships by the start of the war (aka they were "in the build queue")

3 Illustrious-class Aircraft Carriers (launched in '39)

2 King George V-class Battleships

2 Lion-class Battleships* (4 planned, all cancelled; these ships were never launched, but construction did start on them hence why they're included)

1 Pretoria Castle-class Escort Carrier (repurposed armed merchant ship, purchased by the RN in October '39)

4 Crown Colony-class Light Cruisers

5 Dido-class Light Cruisers

4 I-class Destroyers (these were meant to be sold to Turkey, but 2 were delivered to Turkey and the other 2 acquired by the RN)

7 K-class Destroyers

Ships completed by the end of the war:

2 Implacable-class Aircraft Carriers (launched in '42, completed in '44)

3 King George V-class Battleships

1 Unicorn-class Light Carrier (launched in '41, commissioned in '43)

4 Colossus-class Light Carriers (16 planned, 7 re-purposed, 1 cancelled)

2 Colossus-class Maintenance Carriers (repurposed Colossus CVLs, these ships were meant to act as mobile aircraft repair-yards, as RN carriers were too small to fulfill that role)

1 Activity-class Escort Carrier (launched & commissioned in '42)

3 Nairana-class Escort Carriers (launched in '42, 2 commissioned in '42, last commissioned in '43)

1 Audacity-class Escort Carrier (originally the German merchant ship Hannover, captured in '40 and repurposed as a CVE in '41)

3 Minotaur-class Light Cruisers (8 planned, 5 cancelled; the first was transferred to Canada immediately after commissioning. All ships launched in '43 and completed in '44)

7 Crown Colony-class Light Cruisers (1 was transferred to the New Zealand navy)

5 Battle-class Destroyers (5 done by the end of the war, 10 launched; 26 total finished; 2 were given to Australia)

8 C-class Destroyers

8 Z-class Destroyers

8 W-class Destroyers

8 V-class Destroyers

8 U-class Destroyers

8 T-class Destroyers

8 S-class Destroyers

8 R-class Destroyers

8 Q-class Destroyers

8 P-class Destroyers

8 O-class Destroyers

8 M-class Destroyers

8 L-class Destroyers

83 Hunt-class Destroyer Escorts

22 V-class Submarines (42 planned, 20 cancelled)

4 Oruç Reis-class Submarines (originally for the Turkish navy, requisitioned by the RN in '40)

46 U-class Submarines

38 T-class Submarines

Ships still under construction at the end of the war:

4 Audacious-class Aircraft Carriers (4 planned, 2 completed in the '50s, other 2 cancelled)

4 Colossus-class Light Carriers

5 Majestic-class Light Carriers (renamed and updgraded Colossus CVLs)

1 Vanguard-class Battleship (launched in '44, commissioned in '46)

10 Battle-class Destroyers

24 C-class Destroyers

46 Amphion-class Submarines (only 16 completed)

[lordroel]

The second navy is the German Kriegsmarine.

(Kriegsmarine) Third Reich

Of special note is the Anglo-German Naval Agreement, which limited Germany's navy to 35% of the Royal Navy for all ship types, with an exception for submarines (aka Germany was allowed to build of each class up to 35% of the Royal Navy's tonnage of that specific class). In regards to submarines, Germany was allowed to have its total submarine tonnage be no more than 45% of the Royal Navy's total submarine tonnage (I think; the wording of paragraph f in the link above is chock full of "legalese" and hard to decipher which "total tonnage" the 45% refers to, the RN's submarine tonnage or its total tonnage). Germany's goals in pursuing the agreement was to get British approval in regards to expanding the German navy and therefore improve relations, and to send a signal to the UK that Germany didn't want to repeat the pre-WW1 naval arms race. The UK's goal with the agreement was to limit Germany to building a "balanced fleet", which the UK felt was much less dangerous and easier to destroy than a Kreuzerkrieg (cruiser war) fleet. The UK felt that a German navy composed entirely of cruisers and submarines would be devastating to the UK and very difficult to defeat, and thus felt it won a victory when Germany agreed to limit construction to 35% of the UK's fleet on a per-class basis.

Germany, ships commissioned in 1936

* 2 Deutschland-class pre-Dreadnought Battleships (despite having the same class-name as the Panzerschiffe, these are actual battleships commissioned in 1908; these old pre-dreadnoughts were hopelessly obsolete when commissioned, let alone in 1936; the Schleswig-Holstein fired the first shots of WW2 by attacking the Polish base at Westerplatte)
* 2 Deutschland-class Panzerschiffe (fancy name for heavy cruisers with 11" guns instead of the 8" guns every other CA used due to treaty limitations, these ships were to be used as commerce raiders)
* 3 K-class light cruisers
* 1 Emden-class light cruiser
* 1 Leipzig-class light cruiser
* 1 Nürnberg-class light cruiser
* 12 Möwe-class heavy torpedo boats (these ships were the size of destroyers but armed exclusively with AA guns, mines, and torpedoes; these are the destroyers in the 1936 OOB)
* 8 Type IIB-class submarines (the Type IIs were coastal subs)
* 6 Type IIA-class submarines

Germany, ships launched by 1936: 

* 1 Deutschland-class Panzerschiffe
* 4 1934-class Destroyers
* 10 Type IIB-class submarines
* 2 Type I-class submarines (ocean-going subs)

Even before the rise of Hitler and the NSDAP, Germany was considering attempt to rearm its navy in violation of Versailles. In 1932, Reichswehrminister Wilhelm Groener presented a plan to build a carrier, expand Germany's destroyer force (which didn't exist at the time), and establish naval aviation and submarine arms for the Reichsmarine. To this end, after WW1 the Weimar Republic created a dummy Dutch firm known as NV Ingenieurskantoor voor Scheepsbouw, which designed, built, and sold submarines to Turkey, Finland, the USSR, and Spain. IvS also designed the Scharnhort-class ships and their Dutch equivalent, the Design 1047-class battlecruiser. The Scharnhorst and Gneisenau were designed shortly after the NSDAP coming to power and after the 1934 Build Plan below was created. The Anglo-German Naval Agreement was critical to Germany in part due to the fact that the Scharnhorst was already under construction, and Hitler wanted to legitimize its construction with the UK.

Germany, 1934 Build Plan (pre German-Anglo Naval Agreement), additional ships only:

* 3 Aircraft Carriers (none started)
* 0 or 2 Battleships (the first two Panzerschiffe in this plan were upgraded to fast battleships in response to the French Dunkerque and became the Scharnhorst and Gneisenau; this was done prior to the Anglo-German Naval Agreement, so I put those ships here since their funding came from this build plan)
* 8 or 6 Panzerschiffe (the KMS Graf Spee was started prior to this plan and not included in the 8 additional ships; 2 of these ships were upgraded to battleships in the design phase)
* 18 cruisers (no distinction made between heavy and light in the source I found; I would assume CLs)
* 48 destroyers
* 72 submarines

So, to sum that up, the 1934 build plan would result in a Kriegsmarine consisting of, using in-game units, 2 BC (the pre-dreadnoughts), 3 CV, 11 CA, 24 CL, 10-16 DD (depends on if you want DD units to be 3 ships or 5), 7-15 SS (depends on if you think subs units have 5 ships or 10), and be completed by 1949. The reason for the long buildup time is because when this plan was made, Germany still had to adhere to the Versaille Treaty limitations, and the Germans felt that by 1949 they could've gained the necessary knowledge to build aircraft carriers (Germany had started converting the passenger liner Ausonia into a carrier near the end of WW1, but didn't finish it, and thus had no experience building such ships since then) and change the global political situation to allow them to build the larger ships. Germany also didn't want to antagonize the UK, which Hitler sought in 1934 as a potential ally against the French and Soviets.

Of note is that the 26 submarines (the 4 in-game units) completed or "in the build queue" in the 1936 start are from this build plan, as well as the destroyers in the build queue. I have no idea what the level II destroyers already finished in the '36 vanilla OOB are, because the level II destroyers in the build queue are the 4 1934-class destroyers I mentioned above. The level I destroyers are the Möwe-class heavy torpedo boats. Also, building the Scharnhorst and Gneisenau as a replacement for two of the Panzerschiffe would fit into the '34 build plan, because those ships were designed and construction started shortly after the '34 build plan was made, after Hitler was persuaded to upgrade the ships from being Panzerschiffe to battleships.

Later expansion plans, Germany, 1938 Bauplan III, total fleet size:

* 6 H-class Battleships
* 2 Bismarck-class Battleships (designed for both commerce raiding and surface combat)
* 2 Scharnhorst-class Battleships/Battlecruisers (the Royal Navy called them BCs due to their small guns, while everyone else called the BBs; after the war the RN reclassed them as BBs; they were designed for commerce raiding)
* 2 Graf Zeppelin-class Aircraft Carriers
* 6 unknown-class Aircraft Carriers
* 12 P-class Panzerschiffe
* 3 Deutschland-class Panzerschiffe
* 5 Admiral Hipper-class Heavy Cruisers (These used 8" guns just like every other CA in the world outside of the Panzerschiffe; designed for commerce raiding)
* 24 M-class light cruisers (these would've been scouts for the commerce raiders)
* 36 Spähkreuzer-class heavy destroyers (these would've been screens for the battleships and carriers, their name translates to "scout cruiser")
* 158 Destroyers and Torpedo Boats
* 249 Submarines

Note that the 2 pre-dreadnoughts and the light cruisers that Germany gets in vanilla aren't counted here. The whole fleet was supposed to be completed by '47. You won't see the Spähkreuzer destroyers in a vanilla game either, and will either need to play a mod that has a destroyer model for them (HPP for sure, maybe others), or a mod that has heavy destroyers, like ICE.

Germany, 1939 Plan Z (A revision of the 1938 build plan), total fleet size

* 6 H-class Battleships
* 3 O-class Battleships/Battlecruisers (depends on how you classify them, and varies by source; these ships had BB-type guns but cruiser-type armor and were to be commerce raiders)
* 2 Bismarck-class Battleships
* 2 Scharnhorst-class Battleships/Battlecruisers
* 2 Graf Zeppelin-class Aircraft Carriers
* 2 unknown-class Aircraft Carriers (since design work was never started, the class was never named; every book I've read simply says "2 other carriers")
* 12 P-class Panzerschiffe
* 3 Deutschland-class Panzerschiffe
* 5 Admiral Hipper-class Heavy Cruisers
* 12 M-class light cruisers
* 3 K-class light cruisers
* 1 Emden-class light cruiser
* 1 Leipzig-class light cruiser
* 1 Nürnberg-class light cruiser
* 22 Spähkreuzer-class heavy destroyers
* 158 Destroyers and Torpedo Boats
* 249 Submarines

The new ships in this plan were to be finished by 1945, the original planned year Hitler wanted to start the war. As a side note, Rügen Island was supposed to be transformed into Germany's main naval base as part of this plan.

To sum this up, Plan Z would've been centered around 4 core battle fleets consisting of 2 BBs, 1 CV, and 5 Spähkreuzer destroyers each, while the 5 BCs, 20 CAs, 18 CLs, and 249 SSs performed convoy raiding using the CL's as spotters. The remaining destroyers and torpedo boats would've been in a separate branch, performing coastal patrols and convoy escorting.

Germany, what it really built after 1936, new construction only:

* 2 H39-class Battleships (construction started, neither launched nor named)
* 2 Bismarck-class Battleships
* 2 Scharnhorst-class Battleships/Battlecruisers
* 2 Graf Zeppelin-class Aircraft Carriers (1 was launched, the other was started but not launched; neither ship was finished)
* 1 Europa-class Aircraft Carrier (converted troop transport, never finished)
* 5 Admiral Hipper-class Heavy Cruisers (3 were commissioned, 2 launched but not completed; Lützow was sold to the USSR, Seydlitz repurposed)
* 1 Weser-class Aircraft Carrier (converted Admiral Hipper CA Seydlitz, never finished)
* 2 Jade-class Aircraft Carrier (converted merchant ships Potsdam, and Gneisenau, never finished)
* 1 De Grasse-class Aircraft Carrier (converted French CL, never finished)
* 2 M-class light cruisers (construction started in '38, neither finished)
* 0 1944-class destroyers (8 planned, none finished; these ships were the resulting design from experience from the 1942-class)
* 0 1942-class destroyers (1 planned as an experiment with diesel engines, sunk by Allied bombers during construction)
* 0 1938B-class destroyers (12 ordered, all cancelled)
* 0 1938A/Ac-class destroyers (3 ordered, all cancelled)
* 0 1936C-class destroyers (6 ordered, all cancelled)
* 3 1936B-class destroyers (5 ordered, 2 cancelled)
* 7 1936A "Mob"-class destroyers
* 8 1936A "Narvik"-class destroyers
* 6 1936-class destroyers
* 12 1934A-class destroyers
* 61 Type XXIII-class submarines (coastal version of the Type XXI, these were by far the fastest subs in the world at the time)
* 118 Type XXI-class submarines (these subs had triple the battery power of the Type VII's and could operate mostly submerged)
* 7 Type XVII-class submarines (17 planned, 10 cancelled; these were experimental ships that used High-test peroxide as its fuel)
* 10 Type XIV-class submarines (24 planned, 14 cancelled; these ships only had AA guns and were used to supply other subs)
* 8 Type X-class submarines (these mainly acted as transport subs rather than combat ones)
* 32 Type IXD-class submarines (36 ordered, 4 cancelled; these mainly acted as transport subs rather than combat ones)
* 87 Type IXC/40-class submarines
* 54 Type IXC-class submarines
* 14 Type IXB-class submarine
* 8 Type IXA-class submarines
* 0 Type VIIC/42-class submarines (164 ordered, all cancelled in favor of the new Type XXI)
* 91+ Type VIIC/41-class submarines (91 commissioned, possibly more under construction; can't find more details)
* 568+ Type VIIC-class submarines (568 commissioned, possibly more under construction; can't find more details)
* 24 Type VIIB-class submarines
* 10 Type VIIA-class submarines
* 16 Type IID-class submarines
* 8 Type IIC-class submarines
* 2 Type IIB-class submarines

[lordroel]

Spanish State

For all versions of Spain's "Plan Imperial", the battleships would've been Spanish-built copies of Italy's Vittorio Veneto-class BBs, and the destroyers, submarines, and light cruisers would've also been copies of their Italian counterparts. The carriers would've likely been Spanish-built copies of the Graf Zeppelin-class CV. The heavy cruisers would've been improved versions of the Canarias class. The ships listed under the "Plan" tags are new ones to be built, and the numbers don't factor in the ships that survived the civil war. None of the ships in the build plans were actually built, and each build plan is a revision of the previous one rather than additional construction.

Warships of the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939)

Spain, 1936 Fleet

2 Espana-class dreadnoughts (I hesitate to call these BBs, because they were very short; when designed, Spain didn't have shipyards large enough to construct full-sized BBs. 3 were built in total, but the original Espana was lost in a storm before the war)

2 Canarias-class heavy cruisers (3 planned, 2 completed).

3 Cervera-class light cruisers.

1 Méndez Núñez-class light cruiser.

1 Reina Victoria Eugenia-class light cruiser.

14 Churruca-class destroyers.

3 Alsedo-class destroyers.

6 B-class submarines.

6 C-class submarines.

5 torpedo boats.

Spain, ships lost during the Civil War

The dreadnought España (ex-Alfonso XIII), struck by a mine.

The dreadnought Jaime I, sunk by an internal explosion.

The heavy cruiser Beleares, sunk by the destroyer Lepanto and light cruiser Libertad.

The destroyer Almirante Ferrándiz, sunk by the heavy cruiser Canarias.

Spain, '38 Plan

4 battleships
4 heavy cruisers
2 aircraft carriers
12 light cruisers
48 destroyers
48 "torpederos" (small destroyers)
50 submarines

Spain, '39 Plan (revision of '38 plan)

4 battleships
2 heavy cruisers
12 light cruisers
54 destroyers
36 "torpederos" (small destroyers)
50 submarines
100 torpedo boats

Spain, '43 Plan (revision of the '39 plan)

4 battleships
4 aircraft carriers
8 light cruisers
12 "exploradores" (kind of fast cruisers)
72 destroyers
36 small destroyers
50 submarines
100 torpedo and anti-submarine boats

[lordroel]

Kingdom of the Netherlands

The Netherlands saw Japan as their most likely enemy, relying on Germany to adhere to the Versailles treaty or go through Belgium instead of the Netherlands in case of a war in Europe. As such, their naval buildup was planned with the assumption that Japan's carriers and big ships would be distracted by the RN and/or the USN, and the Netherlands would only have to deal with Japan's cruisers and smaller ships. Dutch submarines were to harass Japanese shipping and attempt to ambush patrols, while Dutch cruisers would attempt to prevent any Japanese landings in Indonesia. Old ships were to be retired and replaced, as the Dutch preferred quality over quantity. The planned expansion began in 1935 after the Anglo-German Naval Agreement and was to end in 43.

Ships in service in 1936 that were to remain in service by '43

- 1 De Ruyter-class CL.

- 2 Java-class CLs (finished shortly after WW1).

- 8 Admiralen-class DDs (completed in the '20s).

- 18 submarines.

Ships in service in 1936 that were to be scrapped by '43

-Coastal Battleship Soerabaja (was to be scrapped after the Design 1047 BCs were built; ultimately was sunk by Japan in Indonesia in 1942).

-Coastal Battleship Hertog Hendrik (scheduled for scrap in '39, start of war postponed decommissioning; captured by Germany).

-Coastal Battleship Jacob van Heemskerck (partially disarmed in '39, scuttled by crew when Germany invaded; raised by Germany and used as a floating AA gun; ended service in 1974 as a barracks ship).

- Light Cruiser Gelderland (decommissioned in '39 and partially disarmed; captured by Germany and used as mobile AA battery; sunk by Soviets near Finland in 1944).

Ships to be completed by '43

-3 Design 1047 BCs (less-armored copies of the Scharnhorst, which was developed with Netherlands help; construction never started and the class never named).

-2 De Zeven Provinciën-class CL (only 1 built pre-war, the other was finished later).

-2 Tromp-class CL (intended to lead destroyer flotillas, both finished).

- 4 Gerard Callenburgh-class DDs (only 2 built).

Whether the Netherlands actually expected 3 BCs, 5 CLs, 12 DDs, and 18 subs to take on the IJN's cruisers I don't know, but it seems highly unlikely, IMO, that their naval plan would've been adequate even with the assumption that the bulk of the IJN would be occupied by the USN and/or RN. The BC's might've been able to tip the balance in their favor, but the Netherlands didn't have any experience building such ships, and only considered this option after Germany requested Netherlands assistance in designing the Scharnhorst, which gave the Netherlands the necessary plans to build the ship on their own. However, construction on the Battlecruisers never started due to Germany delaying and hindering orders for the ships' main guns. With no other reliable trade partner willing to sell the Netherlands the required heavy weapons because they themselves were rearming, construction never started.

[lordroel]

French Navy French Third Republic

The Marine Nationale was the fourth largest navy in the world when the war started, after the UK, US, and Japan. The MN's pre-war buildup was centered around the two tasks the French government had for it: to be able to tackle the Italian navy on equal or greater terms, and to blockade Germany and hunt down the surface raiders. As we now know, the French were confident that their army could hold the Germans at bay, and indeed, if you were to look at both OOBs on paper and compare them, then the obvious winner would've been France. However, hindsight shows that there were a large variety of factors that led to France's defeat, and one of them was the redirection of resources from the army and airforce to the navy.

Like Germany's planned Spähkreuzers, France also had large destroyers. When the French heavy DDs were patrolling with other Allied ships, the Allies referred to them as cruisers instead of destroyers due to their size. That makes it difficult to translate these ships to in-game units- are they high level destroyers, low level cruisers, or should a new unit be made for them?

Overall, the MN underwent a truly massive overhaul starting in 1932 in response to Weimar Germany's Panzerschiffe, fielding the world's first "fast battleships". The French fleet was so advanced and powerful that the Royal Navy could not under any circumstances allow it to be used by Germany, leading to the the Attack on Mers-el-Kebir by the UK against their former French allies.

The 1936 French Naval OOB, commissioned ships only:

1 Bearn-class CV
3 Bretagne-class BB
3 Courbet-class BB
1 Danton-class BB (scrapped in '37)
1 Algérie-class CA
4 Suffren-class CA
2 Duquesne-class CA
1 La Galissoniere-class CL
1 Émile Bertin-class CL
1 Jeanne d'Arc-class CL
3 Duguay-Trouin-class CL
6 Fantasque-class heavy DD
6 Vauquelin-class heavy DD
6 Aigle-class heavy DD
6 Guépard-class heavy DD
6 Chacal-class heavy DD
14 Adroit-class DD
12 Bourrasque-class DD
1 Surcouf-class SS
31 Redoutable-class SS
4 Circé-class SS
4 Sirène-class SS

Ships still under construction in '36; all were completed:

1 Dunkerque-class BC (officially a "fast battleship" F.BB, as opposed to a BB; whether it's a BB or BC in-game is up to your personal preference)
4 La Galissoniere-class CL
6 Minerve-class SS

Additional Ships that were finished by the time France surrendered:

2 Richelieu-class BB
1 Dunkerque-class BC
1 La Galissoniere-class CL
2 Mogador-class heavy DD
8 Le Hardi-class DD

Additional ships that were planned but not finished:

2 Joffre-class CV (construction started on 1 and captured, construction on the other never started)
4 Alsace-class BB (never built)
2 Richelieu-class BB (construction started & both captured by Germany)
3 De Grasse-class CL (construction on 1 started, Germany tried to convert it to a carrier)
4 Le Hardi-class DD

So, to sum that up, when the war started France had 1 CV, 8 BB, 2 BC, 7 CA, 11 CL, 32 heavy DD (about 6 or 7 in-game units), 34 DD (about 6 in-game units), and 46 submarines (about 4 or 5 in-game units). An additional 2 CV, 6 BB, 3 CL, and 4 DD were planned or under construction. In-game terms, the completed fleet would be 3 CV, 14 BB, 2 BC, 7 CA, 14 CL, 13 to 18 DD, and 4 or 5 SS. Because CA's aren't screens like they should be, that would be a total of 26 capital ships and 27 to 32 screens.

[lordroel]

Empire of Japan

The Imperial Japanese Navy was the third largest in the world. It was also the most advanced navy in the world. Japan was the first to build purpose-built aircraft carriers (IJN Hosho), the first to build destroyers with multi-purpose guns that could be used against ships and aircraft (IJN Fubuki), the first nation to use oxygen-fueled torpedoes (Type 93 torpedo, the best throughout the war), the first nation to use torpedo tubes in splinter-proof turrets (IJN Fubuki), the first nation to create ships with 14" guns (IJN Kongo), the first nation to build ships with 16" guns (IJN Nagato), and the only nation to build ships with 18" guns (IJN Yamato). The IJN was admired by the other naval powers, and its innovations copied. The IJN's night fighting capabilities were also the best in the world; no other navy came close to the training and experience the IJN had during night fights. In addition, the blueprints for the planned German aircraft carrier Graf Zeppelin and its sister ship the Peter Strasser (and in extension, the planned Spanish carriers) came from the IJN Akagi aircraft carrier.

The IJN was created with two conflicting doctrines in mind; to take over the European colonies and defeat the USN, which was correctly deemed much more dangerous than the aging RN. On one hand, due to Japan's reliance on external resources like the UK, Japan had to be able to project power across long distances. Carriers fit this role nicely, as planes could reach further inland than a battleship's guns, and were much more flexible.

However, the second focus of beating the USN meant that the IJN should operate close to home, with the aim of attritioning the USN then soundly defeating the survivors. The IJN's pre-war plan to beat the USN was to use its Pacific island holdings to harass the USN using air strikes, cruiser and destroyer attacks, and submarine amushes, all attacking at night; the Type 93 torpedo mentioned above was designed and created with exactly this type of warfare in mind. Then, once the USN got close to Japan itself, Japan's fresh battleships would strike and eliminate the USN in one decisive battle. As a result, Japan was unique in that its submarines were specifically designed and its crews trained to hunt warships instead of merchant shipping. In addition, Japanese destroyers were designed more as large torpedo boats than traditional western ASW ships, reflected by the high percentage of Japanese destroyers being sunk by American submarines.

As history has shown us, Japan's Decisive Battle Plan doctrine would lead to its ultimate defeat, because precious resources would be diverted from carrier and airplane production to building the Yamato-class battleships (take a look at the last list), which proved to be worthless in actual combat. The proponents of aircraft carriers proved to be correct, but by the time this realization occurred it was too late. Japan's hopes for a decisive win were destroyed by the very ships it intended to achieve such a victory with.

As a result of the opposing doctrines, Japan's ASW capabilities were poor, and unable to deal with Allied submarine raids against its civilian and supply convoys. This lead to the supply shortages Japanese troops in the Pacific experienced. You'll notice in the last list a huge focus on destroyers that never materialized, which reflected the IJN's leadership realizing their ASW capabilities were inadequate.

A note about Japan's carriers. The notation CVE refers to RN and USN escort carriers, which were slow ships designed to escort convoys and hunt submarines. In contrast, Japan fielded light carriers, CVL. These ships were simply smaller aircraft carriers; they were just as fast as normal fleet vessels and served the same purpose as normal fleet carriers. Often, info sites like Wikipedia will list CVL's as normal fleet carriers, when in fact these ships were not fleet carriers, but light carriers.

Japan, 1936 naval OOB

1 Akagi-class CV
1 Kaga-class CV
1 Ryujo-class CVL
1 Hosho-class CVL
2 Mogami-class CA
4 Takao-class CA
4 Myoko-class CA
2 Aoba-class CA
2 Furutaka-class CA
2 Kasuga-class CA
3 Sendai-class CL (8 planned, 5 canceled due to the 1922 Washington treaty)
6 Nagara-class CL
1 Yubari-class CL
5 Kuma-class CL
2 Tenryu-class CL
6 Hatsuharu-class DD
24 Fubuki-class DD
12 Mutsiki-class DD
9 Kamikaze-class DD (ironically, all were sunk by US submarines...)
8 Wakatake-class DD
15 Minekaze-class DD
21 Momi-class DD
25 Kaidai-class SS
6 Junsen-class SS
18 Type L-class SS
22 Kaichu-class SS

Japan, ships launched by Jan. 1, 1936

2 Nagato-class BB (undergoing reconstruction)
2 Ise-class BB (undergoing reconstruction)
1 Fuso-class BB (undergoing reconstruction)
4 Kongo-class BC (undergoing reconstruction, reclassed as fast battleships after reconstruction)
1 Soryu-class CV
1 Mogami-class CA
4 Kaidai-class SS
2 Junsen-class SS
1 Kaichu-class SS

Japan, ships finished by December 7, 1941

2 Shokaku-class CV
1 Soryu-class CV
2 Zuiho-class CVL
1 Fuso-class BB (reconstructed from 1937 to 1940)
2 Tone-class CA
1 Mogami-class CA
3 Katori-class CL (4 ordered, 3 completed)
19 Kagero-class DD (note: 22 were planned, but the extra 3 were actually dummy ships to cover up the Yamato's budget)
10 Asashio-class DD
29 Otu-class SS

Japan, ships built or under construction between the start of its entry in WW2 and its surrender

5 Yamato-class BB (2 finished, 1 converted to carrier, 1 scrapped, 1 never laid down)
1 Shinano-class CV (the converted BB from above, sunk 10 days after commissioning by a single submarine torpedo)
16 Unryu-class CV (3 finished, rest canceled to divert funds to the Shinano)
1 Taiho-class CV
2 Hiyo-class CV
1 Ibuki-class CVL
2 Chitose-class CVL
1 Ryuho-class CVL
1 Ibuki-class CA (repurposed to CVL while under construction, see above)
2 Oyodo-class CL (only 1 finished)
4 Agano-class CL
80 Tachibana-class DD (only 14 finished)
74 Matsu-class DD (only 18 finished)
17 Shimakaze-class heavy DD (1 finished)
38 Yugumo-class DD (19 finished, 1 was ready before Pearl Harbor)
39 Akizuki-class DD (12 finished)
23 Sen Taka-class SS (3 finished)
18 Sen Toku-class CV.SS (3 finished; these were submarine aircraft carriers, designed to carry 3 seaplanes and conduct raids on the US West Coast and Panama Canal)
20 Hei-class SS
6 Kou-class SS

[lordroel]

Republic of China

Until the 1st Sino-Japanese war, China had the largest navy in Asia. The war was disastrous for China, which saw all of its battleships and the majority of its fleet destroyed by Japanese cruisers. In the early 30's, China began rearm its navy and overhaul the ships that survived the 1st Sino-Japanese War and the Warlord Era of the Chinese Civil War. The first step was ordering the Ning Hai cruiser from Japan, which was finished on September 1, 1932. The Ning Hai's sister ship, the Ping Hai, was built in Shanghai under Japanese supervision, and was launched on Sept. 28, 1935 and commissioned on June 18, 1936. Aside from those two vessels, the newest Chinese ships were the two American-built Chao Ho-class cruisers, commissioned in 1911. The rest of the navy was built in the late 1890's and was hopelessly outclassed by the IJN.

Due to the tensions between China and Japan, the RoC began a naval rearmament plan that was vastly different from other nations. Aside from the two Ning Hai cruisers, the focus of the rearmament was to modernize the existing fleet, especially the ships' AA guns. The reason for focusing on the existing ships was that Japan was unwilling to build or sell more to China, and the Europeans refused to build or sell ships to the RoC for two reasons. The first was that France, the UK, the US, and the Netherlands didn't want to antagonize Japan and prompt an attack on their colonies. The second reason was that all of the European naval powers, majors and minors, were busy rearming themselves due to tensions in Europe and couldn't spare ships for China.

The Chinese fleet when the 2nd Sino-Japanese war broke out, excluding small craft like torpedo boats, was:

- 2 Ning Hai-class cruisers.

- 2 Chao Ho-class cruisers (3 were ordered, but the revolution in 1912 forced the Fei Hung to be canceled; it was sold to Greece instead and renamed the Elli).

- 3 Hai Yung-class cruisers.

- 1 Hai Tien-class protected cruiser (the Hai Chi was the only surviving ship of the class).

- 1 Tung Chi-class cruiser.

- 3 Chang Feng-class Destroyers.

All ships were either sunk in port by Japanese bombers or sunk in the Yangtze river to act as a blockade. Both Ning Hai-class cruisers were raised and served in the IJN. 

[lordroel]

The United States of America

After WW1 and the signing of the 1922 naval treaty, the USN's main rival was determined to be Japan, as the US and UK were on friendly terms while Japan sought to expand its power in Asia. Japan's ambitions would place it as the main threat to US interests in the region (trade with China as well as its colony of the Philippines), as well as a threat to the British, French, and Dutch colonies in Southeast Asia.

The naval doctrine of the USN was in a state of transition in 1936. The previous school of thought prior to Japan commissioning the IJN Soryu was the same as the UK's naval doctrine; secure the sealanes from submarines with destroyers, and defeat the enemy's core fleet with battleships using carriers to provide air cover. After Japan left the naval treaties in 1936, an overhaul of the USN's doctrine was made, with an increased focus on using carrier groups escorted by battleships instead of battleship groups escorted by carriers. All battleships but the 5 planned Montana's built by the US after the 1936 naval treaty were built as fast battleships, which sacrificed armor for speed in order to keep up with the USN's much faster carriers. These fast battleships were meant to provide AA fire as well as sink any Japanese cruisers attempting to attack the carriers. The ships also had large 16" guns in order to potentially fight on-par with Japan's Kongo-class Battlecruisers (the North Carolina's were designed explicitly to be able to keep up with carriers and punch through the 28-year old Kongo-class BCs' armor). Because of the nature of Pacific warfare, all cruisers after the Atlanta-class were designed with increased range and AA guns in mind over anti-surface weapons and armor, reflecting the new focus on aircraft carriers. Similarly, American submarines (Japanese too) were designed for long-range missions with the intent of attacking Japanese surface vessels, as opposed to commerce raiding. In fact, it's quite possible that American subs sunk more military tonnage than any of the other world navies, despite there being far fewer of them. Many early-model Japanese destroyers were sunk by American subs, and the Japanese super-carrier Shinano was sunk by a submarine.

In general, from a purely objective standpoint, Japanese ships were of higher quality than the American and British ships and Japanese crews, pilots, and leaders were far better trained and experienced when Pearl Harbor was bombed. Japan's major problem was its lack of industrial output, which limited its ability to absorb losses and create new designs. Despite Japan's initial successes, they ultimately succumbed to an enemy that was able to outnumber them by 2:1 within a year, and by the end of the war had over 5 times as many ships as Japan had when everything started. As TZoli pointed out in a post after this one, the US had produced more naval tonnage by 1945 than the rest of the world's navies combined, dooming Japan's ambitions the moment it awoke the "sleeping giant".

The 1936 USN OOB, commissioned ships only

1 Ranger-class Aircraft Carrier
2 Lexington-class Aircraft Carriers (originally built as battlecruisers)
1 Langley-class Light Aircraft Carrier
0 South Dakota-class Battleships (6 planned, all cancelled due to 1922 naval treaty)
3 Colorado-class Battleships (4 planned, 3 finished)
2 Tennessee-class Battleships
3 New Mexico-class Battleships
2 Pennsylvania-class Battleships
2 Nevada-class Battleships
2 New York-class Battleships
2 Wyoming-class Battleships
5 New Orleans-class Heavy Cruisers
2 Portland-class Heavy Cruisers
6 Northampton-class Heavy Cruisers
2 Pensacola-class Heavy Cruisers
7 Brooklyn-class Light Cruisers
10 Omaha-class Light Cruisers (these ships were designed to be scouts for battleships)
8 Farragut-class Destroyers
156 Clemson-class Destroyers (161 planned, 5 cancelled)
69 Wickes-class Destroyers (111 finished, 42 lost or repurposed by 1936)
10 Porpoise-class Submarines
2 Cachalot-class Submarines
51 S-class Submarines
27 R-class Submarines

The Jan. 1, 1936 USN OOB, launched ships only

2 New Orleans-class Heavy Cruisers

Additional commissioned ships by December 1941

1 Wasp-class Aircraft Carrier
3 Yorktown-class Aircraft Carriers
2 North Carolina-class Fast Battleships
1 Wichita-class Heavy Cruiser
2 St. Louis-class Light Cruisers
21 Gleaves-class Destroyers
6 Benson-class Destroyers
12 Sims-class Destroyers
10 Benham-class Destroyers
5 Somers-class Destroyers
8 Bagley-class Destroyers
4 Gridley-class Destroyers
18 Mahan-class Destroyers
8 Porter-class Destroyers
1 Gato-class Submarine
12 Tambor-class Submarines
10 Sargo-class Submarines
6 Salmon-class Submarines

Additional launched ships by December 1941 (aka they were "in the build queue")

4 South Dakota-class Fast Battleships
1 Cleveland-class Light Cruiser (52 planned, 3 canceled, 27 completed as CLs, 9 converted to CVLs, and 13 reordered as missile cruisers)
4 Atlanta-class Light Cruisers
41 Gleaves-class Destroyers
2 Benson-class Destroyers
2 Gato-class Submarines

Ships completed by the end of the war

19 Essex-class Aircraft Carriers (32 planned, 24 finished in total)
9 Independence-class Light Aircraft Carriers (converted Cleveland CLs)
4 Iowa-class Fast Battleships (6 planned, 4 finished)
2 Alaska-class Heavy Cruiser (these were almost as large as battleships, and therefore could be modeled as BCs in-game; in fact, they had 12" guns and were the only CA's aside from Germany's Panzerschiffe to not have 8" gun main armaments)
12 Baltimore-class Heavy Cruisers (14 planned, all finished)
26 Cleveland-class Light Cruisers
7 Atlanta-class Cruisers
47 Gearing-class Destroyers (152 planned, 98 completed overall)
58 Allen M. Sumner-class Destroyers
175 Fletcher-class Destroyers
22 Benson-class Destroyers
31 Tench-class Submarines (146 planned, 115 canceled)
128 Balao-class Submarines (191 planned, 128 finished)
74 Gato-class Submarines

Ships still under construction at the end of the war

3 Midway-class Aircraft Carriers (3 planned, all completed)
5 Essex-class Aircraft Carriers
0 Montana-class Battleships (5 planned, construction never started; these were the USN's answer to Japan's Yamato-class battleships and would be SH.BBs in the game)*
2 Iowa-class Fast Battleships
1 Alaska-class Heavy Cruiser (6 were planned in total, only 2 finished)
3 Oregon City-class Heavy Cruisers (10 planned, 4 finished)
2 Batlimore-class Heavy Cruisers
2 Worcester-class Light Cruisers (10 planned, 2 finished)
3 Fargo-class Light Cruisers (13 planned, 2 finished, 11 canceled)
62 Gearing-class Destroyers

[lordroel]

Kingdom of Norway

Despite the fact that Norway had one of the largest merchant marines in the world, its military ship building capacity was negligible. In 1938, when tensions rose all across Europe, Norway began a small program to expand its coastal defense capabilities by building its own destroyers. I can only find concrete info on 8 of these ships, so I can't say if more were planned.

Ships commissioned in 1936

2 Norge-class Coastal Battleships (these are just big CAs and not true battleships; they were built in Britain in 1901)
3 Draug-class Destroyers
3 A-class Submarines (German-built subs)
6 B-class Submarines (American subs built in Norway under license)

Ships commissioned by the time of the German invasion

4 Sleipner-class Destroyers

Ships laid down or launched by the time of the German invasion

2 Sleipner-class Destroyers
2 Alesund-class Destroyers (neither finished, both sabotaged by the dock workers)

Kingdom of Denmark

While Denmark was in no way a major naval power, it was fully capable of building its own submarines, torpedo boats, and coastal battleships. After the Anglo-German agreement became public, Denmark began to expand its submarine and torpedo boat forces. 

Ships commissioned in 1936

2 Herluf Trolle-class Coastal Battleships (Olfert Fischer sunk as a target ship in October '36)
1 Niels Juel-class Coastal Battleship
2 Daphne-class Submarines
3 Rota-class Submarines
3 Ægir-class Submarines
3 Glenten-class Torpedo Boats
3 Dragen-class Torpedo Boats
10 Springeren-class Torpedo Boats
1 Hvalrossen-class Torpedo Boat
3 Sorrideren-class Torpedo Boats

Ships commissioned by the time of the German invasion

4 Havmanden-class Submarines

Ships commissioned after the German invasion

2 Huitfeldt-class Torpedo Boats

Kingdom of Sweden

Like Denmark, Sweden wasn't a major naval power, but was still fully capable of building its own coastal battleships, cruisers, destroyers, and submarines. After the Anglo-German Naval Agreement was signed, Sweden began to increase its defensive capabilities by building new destroyers and submarines. Prior to 1935, Sweden's last major naval armament program was during the years leading up to WW1, which saw the development of the 8 coastal battleships in order to counter the Russian and German navies. As a reminder, coastal battleships are basically very slow heavy cruisers with heavy armor and larger than normal guns for their size.

Ships commissioned in 1936

3 Sverige-class Coastal Battleships (4 planned, 1 cancelled)
1 Oscar II-class Coastal Battleship
4 Äran-class Coastal Battleships
1 Fylgia-class Heavy Cruiser (built in 1907, modernized in 1939)
1 Gotland-class Seaplane Cruiser (a light cruiser that carried 12 seaplanes)
1 Clas Fleming-class Light Cruiser
2 Klas Horn-class Destroyers
2 Ehrensköld-class Destroyers
2 Wrangal-class Destroyers
6 Ragnar & Hugin-class Destroyers
3 Draken-class Submarines
2 Bävern-class Submarines
1 Hajen-class Submarine

Ships launched in 1936

3 Delfinen-class Submarines

Additional ships commissioned by the end of the war

4 Visby-class Destroyers
6 Göteborg-class Destroyers
4 Mode-class Destroyers
2 Romulus-class Destroyers (purchased from Italy in 1940)
2 Psilander-class Destroyers (purchased from Italy in 1940)
3 Neptun-class Submarines
9 U1-class Submarines
9 Sjölejonet-class Submarines

Ships launched before 1945, but commissioned after the war ended

2 Tre Kronor-class Light Cruisers

[1bigrich]

Nov 10, 2019 11:51:57 GMT lordroel said:

The United States of America



Additional launched ships by December 1941 (aka they were "in the build queue")

3 South Dakota-class Fast Battleships
1 Cleveland-class Light Cruiser (52 planned, 3 canceled, 27 completed as CLs, 9 converted to CVLs, and 13 reordered as missile cruisers)

I think you mean 4 South Dakota class

Ships still under construction at the end of the war

2 Midway-class Aircraft Carriers (3 planned, all completed)

I think that should be 3 Midway class. Midway and F.D. Roosevelt were laid down in 1943, Coral Sea followed in 1944.

Regards,

[lordroel]

Feb 12, 2020 18:10:50 GMT 1bigrich said:

Nov 10, 2019 11:51:57 GMT lordroel said:

The United States of America



Additional launched ships by December 1941 (aka they were "in the build queue")

3 South Dakota-class Fast Battleships
1 Cleveland-class Light Cruiser (52 planned, 3 canceled, 27 completed as CLs, 9 converted to CVLs, and 13 reordered as missile cruisers)

I think you mean 4 South Dakota class

Ships still under construction at the end of the war

2 Midway-class Aircraft Carriers (3 planned, all completed)

I think that should be 3 Midway class. Midway and F.D. Roosevelt were laid down in 1943, Coral Sea followed in 1944.

Regards,

Thanks will edit it.

[lordroel]

Kingdom of Italy

Italy seriously considered building carriers during the inter-war years. Many tests were done using the seaplane-tender Giuseppe Miraglia concerning using catapults to launch seaplanes, and the Giuseppe Miraglia was in service during the war. It was due to political squabbling that the carrier Aquilia wasn't completed before the war started, since the navy and airforce couldn't come to terms about which branch the Aquilia's planes would answer to.

In May 1935 the Italian navy began procurement activities to expand the RM by 4 battleships (2 were the modernized Conte di Cavour class being reconstructed and the other two were the first of the Littorio class), 3 carriers, 4 cruisers, 54 subs, and 40 smaller ships. The battleships Roma and Impero were added in December 1935.

The Regia Marina in 1936

2 Andrea Doria-class BB
2 Conte di Cavour-class BB
2 Trentos-class CA
4 Zaras-class CA
1 Bolzano-class CA
1 San Giorgio-class CA
2 Duca d'Aosta-class CL
2 Montecuccoli-class CL
2 Cadorna-class CL
4 Di Giussano-class CL
1 Pillau-class CL (captured from Germany after WW1, renamed RM Bari)
1 Magdeburg-class CL (captured from Germany after WW1, renamed RM Taranto)
1 Libia-class CL (ex-Ottoman Drama)
1 Brindisi-class CL (ex-Austrian Helgoland)
1 Venezia-class CL (ex-Austrian Saida)
1 Ancona-class CL (ex-German Graudenz)
4 Maestrale-class DD
4 Freccia-class DD
12 Navigatori-class DD
8 Turbine-class DD
4 Sella-class DD
4 Sauro-class DD
4 Curtatone-class DD
3 Leone-class DD (5 were planned, 2 were canceled)
3 Mirabello-class DD
4 Archimede-class SS
12 Sirena-class SS
7 Argonauta-class SS
3 Mameli-class SS
4 Pisani-class SS
4 Bandierra-class SS
4 Ballila-class SS

Construction after 1936

4 Vittorio Veneto-class Battleships (4 launched, 3 commissioned)
1 Sparviero-class CV (converted ocean liner, never finished)
1 Aquilia-class CV (converted ocean liner, never finished)
2 Costanzo Ciano-class CL (construction never started, designs were done)
2 Etna-class CL (the Thai Navy ordered them in '38, Italy took over ownership; damaged during construction & never finished)
12 Capitani Romani-class CL (12 ordered, 4 commissioned)
2 Duca degli Abruzzi-class CL
21 Commandanti Medaglia d'Oro-class DD (only 9 launched, none finished)
24 Soldati-class DD (19 finished)
12 Cagni-class SS (4 finished)
6 Marconi-class SS (all finished)
11 Marcello-class SS (all finished)

To sum that up, the total of completed construction and existing ships by the time of Italy's surrender in 1943 would've been, using in-game units: 7 BBs, 8 CA, 22 CL, 12 DD, and 6 SS. An additional 2 CV, 1 BB, 12 CL, 3 DD, and 1 SS were planned but never completed.

[1bigrich]

Feb 13, 2020 19:04:22 GMT lordroel said:

Kingdom of Italy


4 or 5 Zara-class CA (the Bolzano can either be considered the last Trento cruiser, or the first Zara cruiser; officially, the Bolzano was the last Trento CA, but was different enough that it could have its own class. The Zara was the next cruiser, and was a slightly modified version of the Bolzano)
2 or 3 Trento-class CA

Bolzano is actually a somewhat unique ship in that her design was driven by a desire for tactical similarity rather than finances, returning to previous design/concept after a successor.

Italy completed the two Trento class in 1928-29. They were fast but lightly armored.

The RM's next effort, the Zara class, were very well armored and were very different from their predecessors, including having only 2 shafts. Four were laid down, with one Pola, fitted as a Fleet Flagship. They were completed 1931-1932.

With Pola as Flagship, the RM had a squadron of three Zaras and a squadron of two Trentos. The desire for two, even, homogeneous squadrons drove the design of Bolzano. She was much closer in concept, design, performance and protection to Trento than Zara. In most ways, she is that 'third' Trento to provide the RM with two squadrons of three heavy cruisers with similar characteristics within each squadron.

See Brescia's Mussolini's Navy





www.amazon.com/Mussolinis-Navy-Reference-Marina-1930-1945/dp/1591145449


I would call it 2 Trentos, 4 Zaras and 1 Bolzano, but many would say 3 Trentos and 4 Zaras.


My thoughts,

Edit --  I thought it might be helpful to show the difference between the Zaras and Pola's outfit as Fleet Flagship

Zara:



Pola, note how her forcastle is built out to the funnel to provide more space for command staff



Regards,

[lordroel]

Feb 13, 2020 20:11:45 GMT 1bigrich said:

Feb 13, 2020 19:04:22 GMT lordroel said:

Kingdom of Italy


4 or 5 Zara-class CA (the Bolzano can either be considered the last Trento cruiser, or the first Zara cruiser; officially, the Bolzano was the last Trento CA, but was different enough that it could have its own class. The Zara was the next cruiser, and was a slightly modified version of the Bolzano)
2 or 3 Trento-class CA

Bolzano is actually a somewhat unique ship in that her design was driven by a desire for tactical similarity rather than finances, returning to previous design/concept after a successor.

Italy completed the two Trento class in 1928-29. They were fast but lightly armored.

The RM's next effort, the Zara class, were very well armored and were very different from their predecessors, including having only 2 shafts. Four were laid down, with one Pola, fitted as a Fleet Flagship. They were completed 1931-1932.

With Pola as Flagship, the RM had a squadron of three Zaras and a squadron of two Trentos. The desire for two, even, homogeneous squadrons drove the design of Bolzano. She was much closer in concept, design, performance and protection to Trento than Zara. In most ways, she is that 'third' Trento to provide the RM with two squadrons of three heavy cruisers with similar characteristics within each squadron.

See Brescia's Mussolini's Navy


www.amazon.com/Mussolinis-Navy-Reference-Marina-1930-1945/dp/1591145449


I would call it 2 Trentos, 4 Zaras and 1 Bolzano, but many would say 3 Trentos and 4 Zaras.


My thoughts,

Seems you are right 1bigrich .

2 Trento-class cruisers (Trento and Trieste).

4 Zara-class cruisers (Zara, Fiume, Pola and Gorizia).

1 Bolzano class cruiser (Bolzano). Wikipedia article about this cruiser says it is sometimes considered to be a member of the Trento class but also reading the article it seems that Bolzano while based heavily on the Trento class, also incorporated improvements from the Zara design.