One could argue that Spain's Espana class dreadnoughts were bought from Britain, since the guns, machinery and IIRC armour were all British sourced and then assembled in Spain.As I understand it Turkey, Brazil, Argentina and Chile all bought new-build dreadnought battleships in the WW1 period, although not all were delivered as contracted. Have I missed any other purchasers?
Ironically, I've just read that the export Battleship building industry was highly profitable.The most difficult thing to make is the money.
The ship itself is ungodly expensive (the Iowa class ran $100 million each in 1942 dollars or ~$1.7 billion in today's value) and it is just the surface cost. You need to come up with infrastructure that can create all the parts that make the whole. Many of the infrastructure pieces are not dual use and those that are can not perform their civilian tasks at full scale while producing materials for the ship.
There is also the difficulty that the BB can not operate alone. It requires a substantial support system ranging from escort vessels to supply ships.
It is vastly less expensive to buy "off the shelf" than to create the necessary structure.
Ironically, I've just read that the export Battleship building industry was highly profitable.
.... You need to come up with infrastructure that can create all the parts that make the whole. Many of the infrastructure pieces are not dual use and those that are can not perform their civilian tasks at full scale while producing materials for the ship….
A example of this comes from the last operating years of the Iowa class. The diesel auxiliary power engines were wearing out & required removal for a rebuild. It was not possible to do this in place. Removing the engines through the top or side of the ship was difficult as the armor was in the way. Restoring the armor after it had been cut through required:
1. Building electrical welding machines that were camp able to the correct arc, power & heat for the steel allow. The design of the originals dated to the 1930s & the materials to build those designs no longer existed. A new one off elector welding machine for the task would have to be built & tested/adjusted.
2. Electro welding rod & alloy filler metal for the specific alloy of the armor alloy no longer existed. that would have to built, tested, and rebuilt to test results.
3. Only a handful, if any, of very elderly welders remained alive with experience in welding the armor alloy. The welders doing the task would have to experiment to refine their technique to that needed.
4. Testing protocols for quality control of the welds would have had to been adapted from the 1930s/40s era to modern equipment, with the added complication of having to relearn the behavior of the armor alloy under test conditions.
It was proposed it would be faster & cheaper to dry dock the ship & remove the engines through the bottom of the ships hull.
Source: Naval Institute Proceedings circa 2003 (?)
As I understand it Turkey, Brazil, Argentina and Chile all bought new-build dreadnought battleships in the WW1 period, although not all were delivered as contracted. Have I missed any other purchasers?
Since I have basically made the same comment earlier in this thread, who am I to dispute such an astute argument?Oh, absolutely.
Still it is rather like an automobile. The manufacturer makes a ton of money every sale, but how much would it cost for the car-buyer to make one from scratch?
Since I have basically made the same comment earlier in this thread, who am I to dispute such an astute argument?![]()
That depends on what you're defending. IIRC the Dutch had plans for battleships that were not built, they were to defend their East Indies archipelago as part of a balanced fleet. In that case you'd need fleets of short range TBs to cover such a large area, making BBs a better investment.
If a likely enemy has a battleship, it's almost essential that you have one. There's too much mischief a battleship can accomplish if unopposed. Vulnerable to torpedo boats--yes. Able to do great amounts of harm at times and places where torpedo boats can't get a clear run--like daylight--VERY!
Essentially, the only really reliable counter to a battleship up until the 1940's is another battleship of comparable power.
That's right, the Dutch had coastal defence ships but decided before both world wars that they needed BBs to counter Japan, CDS just weren't going to cut it.
If a likely enemy has a battleship, it's almost essential that you have one. There's too much mischief a battleship can accomplish if unopposed. Vulnerable to torpedo boats--yes. Able to do great amounts of harm at times and places where torpedo boats can't get a clear run--like daylight--VERY!
Essentially, the only really reliable counter to a battleship up until the 1940's is another battleship of comparable power.
Beg to differ. In defense, coastal defense networks, torpedo boats, coastal defense ships should do fine. A lot of those battleships got destroyed by torpedo, mines. Even those big gun coastal artillery can be a deterrent, cheaper than buying a battleship.
If a likely enemy has a battleship, it's almost essential that you have one. There's too much mischief a battleship can accomplish if unopposed. Vulnerable to torpedo boats--yes. Able to do great amounts of harm at times and places where torpedo boats can't get a clear run--like daylight--VERY!
Essentially, the only really reliable counter to a battleship up until the 1940's is another battleship of comparable power.
A maze of small islands and tight waters is great for torpedo boats and coast defense ships. But if your primary vulnerable points aren't so shielded, then it becomes more difficult. If the enemy has a battleship, and you don't, you've conceded control of everything beyond range of coastal guns to the enemy, any time he wants to take it. If you know when and where he's coming, you can prepare--but a torpedo boat squadron in daylight likely won't get any fish off, if the battleship is escorted.
Equally important, when it comes to diplomacy, a battleship is seen as a symbol of military power--which comes into play when you're trying to make alliances.
Japan bought Kongo technically a battlecruiser if you want to be picky.As I understand it Turkey, Brazil, Argentina and Chile all bought new-build dreadnought battleships in the WW1 period, although not all were delivered as contracted. Have I missed any other purchasers?