I like it. I thought you might have gone more 1950 project orion/ apollo on steroids but this is a much better fit. hmmmm.... feeling up for a challenge. with your permission id like to draw a few ships i think would "fit" into the AJND universe. I've wanted to do an Atompunk old school design for a while and i think it would be great if i could contribute a little to something so awesome.
Alternate Weapons of War thread...
- Thread starter Franz Josef II
- Start date
I like it. I thought you might have gone more 1950 project orion/ apollo on steroids but this is a much better fit. hmmmm.... feeling up for a challenge. with your permission id like to draw a few ships i think would "fit" into the AJND universe. I've wanted to do an Atompunk old school design for a while and i think it would be great if i could contribute a little to something so awesome.
Oh no man, I'd be totally fine with it. I've always really enjoyed your spaceship designs.
Oh no man, I'd be totally fine with it. I've always really enjoyed your spaceship designs.
sweet
i'll get working ASAP. before i do, just two questions: 1) who runs the space navy on the american side? 2) do you have any particular ship types you'd like me to draw (transport, warship, etc.)?sweet
The United States Space Force handles it for the U.S. It's descended from the Air Force and the Army, so it uses more traditional Army ranks. I have no real preferrence, whatever strikes your fancy. If you do do warships, I've always imagined they rely primarily on railguns (primarily higher energy ones and then a number of smaller ones), but also lots of missiles--and then different types would be (from largest to smallest) juggernauts, monitors, pickets and sloops. I know I have a few notes floating around here and there, so if you have any questions, I might be able to answer them. Like, for example, I have some notes here about the U.S. Rocket Force being all white and gold with flags and eagles, kind of like the old Great White Fleet when it circumnavigated the globe.
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ah, cool. i was going to do them in more NASA ispired livery, but white and gold, yes, ic an work with that
i'll have to do some reserch on the great white fleet then. il PM you the design when its done, for your consideration ah, cool. i was going to do them in more NASA ispired livery, but white and gold, yes, ic an work with that
Thanks! I look forward to it.
I figured the U.S. is decadent and showing off, and also rather arrogant about things.
What are the OTL craft used in the Scimitar and Grasshopper pictures?
Between 19 IA and 35 IA Allergonian steam engine technology has rapidly advanced. Thanks to the efforts of Malnov Yorigsov, his apprentices, other defecting engineers and a number of Dwarvish clans eager to refine their old atmospheric engine designs the Empire is now making use of a large number of steam engines in various fields from industrial applications to transportation. The latter manifested itself most distinctly in river and canal boats due to the fact that they made use of the existing waterways that had been prominent trade routes for thousands of years starting with modified barges and gradually going to larger purpose built craft. But while these did improve the Empire's economy on the whole the Imperial government was still primarily interested in the military applications of this new technology and one area where the Imperial Crown was particularly interested in using it was to power warships at sea.
The advantages that a steam powered warship would have were obvious in that they could allow a ship to sail against the wind without relying on weather mages. Never the less there was some resistance on the projects, which was championed by Lord Admiral Joharn von Frettchendorl. He and his supporters argued that while steam powered saws, drills, cranes and other such were a boon for shipbuilders employing a steam engine on a wooden warship was too risky to be worth it, especially under combat conditions. The fact that a few early river barges burned and steam engines exploded down gave his arguments credence even as Infrastructure was building both metal and wooden hulled steamships and Venoa had begun work on it's fleets of steam galleys. This limited the navy's steam engine projects to a few small unarmed testbeds until his retirement in 29 IA after a heart attack. The new leadership was more open to militarized steamships. In October of 31 IA the IAS Kestral was launched, a 18 meter long cutter outfitted with a rear mounted paddle wheel and the Empire's first armed steamship. Two more cutters were built before they moved onto work of a larger steamship capable of offensive action and from their efforts was born the frigate IAS Falchion.
In many respects the Falchion is a fairly conservative design. She is 42 meters long and weighs in at 680 tonnes. She has a crew of 220 personnel, including marines and has an armament of two 8-pounder forward long guns for it's forward chase armament and twenty six 40-pound carronades for it's main broadside armament. As his typical for Imperial sail frigates since 80 BIA she has as copper plated hull. Where she differs is that she is outfitted with a 420kw steam engine and a screw propeller. This allows her a top speed of 24km/h. As a general rule her sails are struck when under steam power to avoid them getting covered in soot and ash. Her steam engine has a crew of some twenty full time engineers and technicians. Stoking is handled by general sailors and is usually a disciplinary action.
After trials, shakedown and drills, the Falchion was deemed to be a success. As such, work has begun on five additional steam frigates with improved engines and additional mechanized systems. Plans for a steam powered ship of the line are still in the works and are being resisted by a few pockets of conservatives among the Imperial Admiralty's top staff, even though their resistance to the idea has fallen in light of the Escort War.
So I haven't posted anything in a long time...I totally forgot about a few additional cruisers/battleships for the Austro - Hungarians that I had started on and then lost interest. I polished them off and will post for you guys, maybe some "althist" details as well if I have time. Until then:
The fireforce was originally devised by the Rhodesian Security Forces during the Rhodesian Bush War in the 1970s. Like the Rhodesians, the U.S. Minutemen face indigenous insurgencies who are less well equipped, but can move swiftly over varied terrain. The fireforce is a vertical envelopment air assault using an entirely helicopter borne force, and it is very modular depending upon local conditions.
Most fireforces operate out of Minuteman firebases, which are heavily fortified airfields located in remote locations on frontier worlds. They react to enemy ambushes, attacks on settlements or observation post sightings, but they could also be called in by ground-based patrols who call in for reinforcements. The firebases commonly use OV-26G Cardinal forward observation tilt-rotors. The OV-26G is a variant of the base MV-26--it has more armor than the standard version, along with target marking pods, lasers for bomb/missile guidance, extra communication gear and a chin-mounted 7.62mm mini-gun. If enemy forces are spotted, the OV-26G will call in to the firebase and will remain on station to track and monitor the opposing forces. ARH-74D Omaha helicopters are also sometimes used for forward patrols.
A fireforce combat force is effectively a reinforced platoon of 6 squads. 3 squads are carried on board an MV-26D Dragonfly (the D-Car), which can land and deploy all its troops or once, or over a larger area. The 3 other squads are carried on board the three UH-60R Blackhawk helicopters (the G-Cars), which then often land on the edges of the combat zone to surround and flank the enemy. The fireforce commander flies on board the K-Car, which is an AV-26M Dauntless II that is armed with a 7.62mm mini-gun, 30mm canon and up to 10,000 pounds of missiles, bombs and rockets on external and internal weapons bays. Finally, riding Shotgun is a light attack aircraft, usually either an ARH-74D Omaha or AH-1Z SuperViper. The Omaha or Viper would usually initiate the assault, with the K-Car providing heavy fire support as the D-Car and G-Cars landed their soldiers. Landed soldiers would then use smoke grenades or flares to mark positions requiring heavy fire support from the Shotgun or the K-Car.
Fireforces have proven very effective in the Minutemen's counter-insurgency campaign over the years, particularly since the introduction of the AV-26M Dauntless gunship. It is a very modular and flexible formation, using any possible combination of Dragonflies and Blackhawks. Heavier assets like a CV-38 Grasshopper can also be used to bring in additional troops (up to 90) or even various types of armored vehicles--up to 3 M945 Mastiff General Purpose Vehicles or 1 Common Vehicle Combat System such as an M880 Coyote Infantry Combat Vehicle or M882 Badger Mobile Gun System. Heavier AV-38H Stunners or AC-130W Spectres can also be used to support fireforces (25mm five-barrel mini-gun, 40mm cannon and 105mm Howitzer each), along with heavier combat aircraft such as the A-17 Scimitar or FV-34 Matador. Seaborne fireforces have also been used, primarily operating off of Valley Forge-class amphibious assault ships on anti-piracy missions.
Minutemen from the 655th Infantry Brigade Combat Team being deployed from a UH-60R Blackhawk during a fireforce assault on Dione, c.2132
Most fireforces operate out of Minuteman firebases, which are heavily fortified airfields located in remote locations on frontier worlds. They react to enemy ambushes, attacks on settlements or observation post sightings, but they could also be called in by ground-based patrols who call in for reinforcements. The firebases commonly use OV-26G Cardinal forward observation tilt-rotors. The OV-26G is a variant of the base MV-26--it has more armor than the standard version, along with target marking pods, lasers for bomb/missile guidance, extra communication gear and a chin-mounted 7.62mm mini-gun. If enemy forces are spotted, the OV-26G will call in to the firebase and will remain on station to track and monitor the opposing forces. ARH-74D Omaha helicopters are also sometimes used for forward patrols.
A fireforce combat force is effectively a reinforced platoon of 6 squads. 3 squads are carried on board an MV-26D Dragonfly (the D-Car), which can land and deploy all its troops or once, or over a larger area. The 3 other squads are carried on board the three UH-60R Blackhawk helicopters (the G-Cars), which then often land on the edges of the combat zone to surround and flank the enemy. The fireforce commander flies on board the K-Car, which is an AV-26M Dauntless II that is armed with a 7.62mm mini-gun, 30mm canon and up to 10,000 pounds of missiles, bombs and rockets on external and internal weapons bays. Finally, riding Shotgun is a light attack aircraft, usually either an ARH-74D Omaha or AH-1Z SuperViper. The Omaha or Viper would usually initiate the assault, with the K-Car providing heavy fire support as the D-Car and G-Cars landed their soldiers. Landed soldiers would then use smoke grenades or flares to mark positions requiring heavy fire support from the Shotgun or the K-Car.
Fireforces have proven very effective in the Minutemen's counter-insurgency campaign over the years, particularly since the introduction of the AV-26M Dauntless gunship. It is a very modular and flexible formation, using any possible combination of Dragonflies and Blackhawks. Heavier assets like a CV-38 Grasshopper can also be used to bring in additional troops (up to 90) or even various types of armored vehicles--up to 3 M945 Mastiff General Purpose Vehicles or 1 Common Vehicle Combat System such as an M880 Coyote Infantry Combat Vehicle or M882 Badger Mobile Gun System. Heavier AV-38H Stunners or AC-130W Spectres can also be used to support fireforces (25mm five-barrel mini-gun, 40mm cannon and 105mm Howitzer each), along with heavier combat aircraft such as the A-17 Scimitar or FV-34 Matador. Seaborne fireforces have also been used, primarily operating off of Valley Forge-class amphibious assault ships on anti-piracy missions.
Minutemen from the 655th Infantry Brigade Combat Team being deployed from a UH-60R Blackhawk during a fireforce assault on Dione, c.2132
Here's a forgotten Austro - Hungarian dreadnought that I put the finishing touches on...she's based on the German Helgoland class ships, my favorite design of the Great War era.
Wow. It's been more than a year since I posted to this thread o-o.
Anyway: I had a hankering to build a Leviathan-style land battleship.
I figured you all would appreciate a look at it.
Obviously it's not done; and not quite so wonderfully intricate and deliciously mechanical as Keith Thompson's designs: but I'm mostly satisfied with the mechanical bits.
Anyway: I had a hankering to build a Leviathan-style land battleship.
I figured you all would appreciate a look at it.
Obviously it's not done; and not quite so wonderfully intricate and deliciously mechanical as Keith Thompson's designs: but I'm mostly satisfied with the mechanical bits.
Good job so far! I've always loved the style of the walkers and zeppelins used by the "Clankers", so I find this project to be really interesting!
Steam and Steel
Folks may like to see the designs here - scroll down for images: http://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/82211/steam-and-steel
Folks may like to see the designs here - scroll down for images: http://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/82211/steam-and-steel
Former ship of the line USS Independence converted to floating battery circa 1864. Shown here moorned at Mare island ship yard undergoing repairs after an engagement with CSS Catalina in San Fransisco Bay.
USS San Francisco Bay circa 1865
First ironclad constructed on the west coast. Constructed using scavenged steam engine and scrap iron. Single rifled gun from fort Alcatraz in an octagonal turret. Possessed insufficient deck armor. Dueled twice with CSS Catalina. Involved in the final assault on San Diego. After the war it acted as an armored river transport ship between San Francisco and Sacramento. Moorned at Mare island naval yard after WWI until restored by the California civil war historical society in 1991. Currently a historic landmark it does tours along the rivers and in the bay and performs annual historical reenactments up and down the California-Colorado coast.