1. Royal Navy - deep cuts in 1945
Now, as a result of reading far too many Jeff Hawke -comics during my childhood and fond memories of listening to Roberts transistor-radio I have certain warmth towards British 1950's technology. As a result of some incurable anglophilia here's my effort to bring on more powerful RN into existence in post-war era. As a limitation I'm trying to keep the effort within realistic economical frame.
POD:
In October 1943 Admial Dudley Pound, First Sea Lord, resigned due to ailing health. He is replaced by Admiral Andrew Cunningham, an admiral who was C-in-C Mediterranean Fleet until then. The war proceeds as in OTL, but close towards end of the war Admiral Cunningham starts a study on what kind of navy Britain and British Commonwealth will need post-war. This work is done in secret from Prime Minister Winston Churchill, as Cunningham cunningly thinks that PM Churchill will try to interfere with it's work.
After VJ-day the inevitable demobilization is at hand and Cunningham presents his program to Clement Attlee who holds both the positions of PM and Minister of Defence. Cunningham knows the civilian politician is most probably interested mostly in cutting the gargantuous amount of military expenditure and manpower, not as much in what is suggested. Furthermore, as basis of the plans it is estimated that no major war will occur before 1955. Cunningham is aware of the experience of 1920's when maintenance of obsolete, useless ships such as HMS Iron Duke class was kept in service eating money and consuming men.
Thus the following radical program is suggested:
1.) Work on four Malta-class carriers will continue on priority basis. Work on four Audacious class carriers will continue. These carrriers can credibly carry the high-performance aircraft of next generation.
2.) Of fleet carriers HMS Victorious, HMS Implacable and HMS Indefatigable will be kept. Rest will be scrapped as due to obsolescense and wartime fatigue they will have no operational value.
3.) Light carriers will be kept in commission or in reserve as situation permits. Some may be sold to Commonwealth or Allied navies. Work on light carriers on slips will continue.
All escort carriers, short of those which will can be used for reasonable auxiliary work, will be scrapped or sold as they will not be able to operate a reasonable number of next generation aircraft.
4.) All battleships will be decommissioned and scrapped. There is no point keeping the battleships even in reserve, as they were only marginally useful during last years of war. Within ten years the advances in technology will make them completely useless. HMS Warspite will be kept as a museum.
[in OTL HMS Vanguard was completed and KGV's put into reserve and even operated for some time.]
5.) Of cruisers six ships of Crown Colony -class will be kept in service and one in reserve. Rest of the cruisers will be scrapped or sold. Six cruisers will be enough for peacetime duties of showing the flag and can also conceivably handle any "leakers" of aerial and submarine effort in case of quick emergency against Russia.
6.) Of destroyers under construction or in service Daring-class will be completed, Battle-class will be kept in service and completed. C, W and Z class respectively will be kept in service until Battle and D-class replacements arrive. After that the ships will be kept in reserve for possible reconstruction. Rest of the destroyers wil be scrapped, sold or given.
7.) Of escorts all current frigates and corvettes will be either scrapped, sold or given to foreign countries. Any future submarine threat will be formed of fast submarines in line of late German XXI or XXIII types. Against this threat no modernization will suffice. Escort destroyers of Hunt-class will also be scrapped, sold or given.
Sloops of Black Swan -class will be kept mainly for colonial use.
8.) Of submarines T-class will be completed and modernized. Amphion-class will be completed (on reduced basis) and modernized. U-class will be scrapped, some number of S-class will be kept.
Now, as a result of reading far too many Jeff Hawke -comics during my childhood and fond memories of listening to Roberts transistor-radio I have certain warmth towards British 1950's technology. As a result of some incurable anglophilia here's my effort to bring on more powerful RN into existence in post-war era. As a limitation I'm trying to keep the effort within realistic economical frame.
POD:
In October 1943 Admial Dudley Pound, First Sea Lord, resigned due to ailing health. He is replaced by Admiral Andrew Cunningham, an admiral who was C-in-C Mediterranean Fleet until then. The war proceeds as in OTL, but close towards end of the war Admiral Cunningham starts a study on what kind of navy Britain and British Commonwealth will need post-war. This work is done in secret from Prime Minister Winston Churchill, as Cunningham cunningly thinks that PM Churchill will try to interfere with it's work.
After VJ-day the inevitable demobilization is at hand and Cunningham presents his program to Clement Attlee who holds both the positions of PM and Minister of Defence. Cunningham knows the civilian politician is most probably interested mostly in cutting the gargantuous amount of military expenditure and manpower, not as much in what is suggested. Furthermore, as basis of the plans it is estimated that no major war will occur before 1955. Cunningham is aware of the experience of 1920's when maintenance of obsolete, useless ships such as HMS Iron Duke class was kept in service eating money and consuming men.
Thus the following radical program is suggested:
1.) Work on four Malta-class carriers will continue on priority basis. Work on four Audacious class carriers will continue. These carrriers can credibly carry the high-performance aircraft of next generation.
2.) Of fleet carriers HMS Victorious, HMS Implacable and HMS Indefatigable will be kept. Rest will be scrapped as due to obsolescense and wartime fatigue they will have no operational value.
3.) Light carriers will be kept in commission or in reserve as situation permits. Some may be sold to Commonwealth or Allied navies. Work on light carriers on slips will continue.
All escort carriers, short of those which will can be used for reasonable auxiliary work, will be scrapped or sold as they will not be able to operate a reasonable number of next generation aircraft.
4.) All battleships will be decommissioned and scrapped. There is no point keeping the battleships even in reserve, as they were only marginally useful during last years of war. Within ten years the advances in technology will make them completely useless. HMS Warspite will be kept as a museum.
[in OTL HMS Vanguard was completed and KGV's put into reserve and even operated for some time.]
5.) Of cruisers six ships of Crown Colony -class will be kept in service and one in reserve. Rest of the cruisers will be scrapped or sold. Six cruisers will be enough for peacetime duties of showing the flag and can also conceivably handle any "leakers" of aerial and submarine effort in case of quick emergency against Russia.
6.) Of destroyers under construction or in service Daring-class will be completed, Battle-class will be kept in service and completed. C, W and Z class respectively will be kept in service until Battle and D-class replacements arrive. After that the ships will be kept in reserve for possible reconstruction. Rest of the destroyers wil be scrapped, sold or given.
7.) Of escorts all current frigates and corvettes will be either scrapped, sold or given to foreign countries. Any future submarine threat will be formed of fast submarines in line of late German XXI or XXIII types. Against this threat no modernization will suffice. Escort destroyers of Hunt-class will also be scrapped, sold or given.
Sloops of Black Swan -class will be kept mainly for colonial use.
8.) Of submarines T-class will be completed and modernized. Amphion-class will be completed (on reduced basis) and modernized. U-class will be scrapped, some number of S-class will be kept.