With Australia's massive size and even larger patrol area navy wise, will we see them refining and perfecting cruisers both heavy and light alongside battlecruisers? to get the most bang for their buck since they cant afford to maintain Battleships like a great power.
Under the Southern Cross we Stand, a sprig of Wattle in our hand
- Thread starter johnboy
- Start date
I could see a early Airforce and carrier focus, to get the best long range power projection.
I expect they will build some cruisers, but the units described seem to be battleships not battle cruisers. They can afford some, but don't want to build ships that can't fight an enemy BB. The cruisers are needed for scouting and screening in wartime and showing the flag/presence in peacetime.
I agree, with that long a coastline, they need scouting and rapid response. I expect they will be pressing for better maritime patrol and strike aircraft as soon as they become feasible.
I could see the Protectorate being very interested in a flying boat like the Curtiss NC-4, the first aircraft to fly across the Atlantic in 1919.
Curtiss NC-4 - Wikipedia
15 Mar 1907 - Chinese food revolutions
15 March 1907, Little Bourke Street, Melbourne, Aurelia, Australasian Protectorate
Chinese cooking in Australasia really started on the goldfield, with Chinese cookhouses abounding. These cookhouses that the Chinese started provided gold miners with meals and catered for both Chinese and European tastes. There were a number of these cookhouses in Victoria during the gold rush and the same phenomenon happened again later, during gold rushes in Capricornia, North Australia, Tasmania and Swan River.
After, the gold rush, Chinatown was well established in Melbourne, but any other cities had similar areas. Chinese food soon started to be appreciated by ‘bohemian’ people and workers requiring late-night meals. By the turn of the 20th century, the city’s emerging intelligentsia of artists, writers and later, university and college communities were venturing into Chinatown regularly.
City workers, people of Chinese descent, suppliers of local Chinese businesses, people coming off late shifts, all started eating at Chinese restaurants. They were grateful for the colourful welcoming atmosphere of Chinese restaurants in a city that was almost closed down at night. Menus also catered for Western tastes serving steak, chops, bread and stews, but many started to venture into eating outside their normal tastes, finding things they enjoyed.
Others, of course, drifted off into other activities, with Chinatown also the center of activity for many illegal casino, as well as cash card games. By 1907, it was a flourishing area of the city of Melbourne, but it was not only Melbourne that had a Chinatown. The popularity of Chinese food spread rapidly in the 1880's and 1890's and by 1907, most major towns had at least one Chinese restaurant.
Chinese cooking in Australasia really started on the goldfield, with Chinese cookhouses abounding. These cookhouses that the Chinese started provided gold miners with meals and catered for both Chinese and European tastes. There were a number of these cookhouses in Victoria during the gold rush and the same phenomenon happened again later, during gold rushes in Capricornia, North Australia, Tasmania and Swan River.
After, the gold rush, Chinatown was well established in Melbourne, but any other cities had similar areas. Chinese food soon started to be appreciated by ‘bohemian’ people and workers requiring late-night meals. By the turn of the 20th century, the city’s emerging intelligentsia of artists, writers and later, university and college communities were venturing into Chinatown regularly.
City workers, people of Chinese descent, suppliers of local Chinese businesses, people coming off late shifts, all started eating at Chinese restaurants. They were grateful for the colourful welcoming atmosphere of Chinese restaurants in a city that was almost closed down at night. Menus also catered for Western tastes serving steak, chops, bread and stews, but many started to venture into eating outside their normal tastes, finding things they enjoyed.
Others, of course, drifted off into other activities, with Chinatown also the center of activity for many illegal casino, as well as cash card games. By 1907, it was a flourishing area of the city of Melbourne, but it was not only Melbourne that had a Chinatown. The popularity of Chinese food spread rapidly in the 1880's and 1890's and by 1907, most major towns had at least one Chinese restaurant.
17 July 1907 - Screening units follow
17 July 1907, Horton's Main Yard, Hobart, Tasmania
With the proliferation of battleships being built at present in Protectorate yards, including one (PNS Fiji) right here in Hobart, it only made sense that scouting elements would also be required. Previously, Australasia had produced only coastal torpedo boats. Now, for the first time, a series of boats that were capable of operating in the wide Pacific expanse was planned.
Sixteen of the Cassowary Class destroyers were to be laid down in the 1907-09 period. At 1,100 tons, they were sizeable units. They were probably under armed, with only three of the new 90mm gun and two sets of twin torpedo tubes. However, they were capable of 32 knots, with 25,000 shp and had a range of 3,000 nautical miles at 12 knots, giving them the capacity to fully screen a fleet on deployment to the Central Pacific.
Cassowary Class destroyers
Four new Napier Class light cruisers were also ordered, with two to be built in U.S yards, due to the glut of orders filling those in Australasia. At 4,100 tons, they were armed with 5 6 inch guns and 3 90mm, whilst having 8 torpedo tubes, four twins, although none were on the broadside. With a power plant of 50,000 shp, they were capable of 30.5 knots with a 4,000 nautical mile range at 10 knots and represented the first class of light cruisers built by the Protectorate navy.
Napier Class CL
With the proliferation of battleships being built at present in Protectorate yards, including one (PNS Fiji) right here in Hobart, it only made sense that scouting elements would also be required. Previously, Australasia had produced only coastal torpedo boats. Now, for the first time, a series of boats that were capable of operating in the wide Pacific expanse was planned.
Sixteen of the Cassowary Class destroyers were to be laid down in the 1907-09 period. At 1,100 tons, they were sizeable units. They were probably under armed, with only three of the new 90mm gun and two sets of twin torpedo tubes. However, they were capable of 32 knots, with 25,000 shp and had a range of 3,000 nautical miles at 12 knots, giving them the capacity to fully screen a fleet on deployment to the Central Pacific.
Cassowary Class destroyers
Four new Napier Class light cruisers were also ordered, with two to be built in U.S yards, due to the glut of orders filling those in Australasia. At 4,100 tons, they were armed with 5 6 inch guns and 3 90mm, whilst having 8 torpedo tubes, four twins, although none were on the broadside. With a power plant of 50,000 shp, they were capable of 30.5 knots with a 4,000 nautical mile range at 10 knots and represented the first class of light cruisers built by the Protectorate navy.
Napier Class CL
This will likely happen, especially after the rise of aviation and the increasing capability of cruisers themselves.
This will be definite focus. With distances what they are, air power becomes an important leveler, especially ost 1920's, when the aircraft become a reliable peice of equipment.
Flying boats are ideal for Pacific work, or work around the islands to the North. What is being built are battleships, rather than battle-cruisers. Building that many units means it will be a while before more are laid. It then remains a question, do you stay with the 13 inch gun, just adding more barrels, or do you then upgrade to 14, 15 ,16 inch?I expect they will build some cruisers, but the units described seem to be battleships not battle cruisers. They can afford some, but don't want to build ships that can't fight an enemy BB. The cruisers are needed for scouting and screening in wartime and showing the flag/presence in peacetime.
I agree, with that long a coastline, they need scouting and rapid response. I expect they will be pressing for better maritime patrol and strike aircraft as soon as they become feasible.
I could see the Protectorate being very interested in a flying boat like the Curtiss NC-4, the first aircraft to fly across the Atlantic in 1919.
Curtiss NC-4 - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org
I think the gun question depends a lot on how good the gun is. For example, is it a 35, 40 or 45 caliber gun? I think a 35 caliber gun will definitely need to be replaced, a 40 caliber version could go either way, and a 45 caliber gun should be good for at least a decade or two.
I agree that they are intended to be battleships, but their speed is near battle cruiser standards. Effectively they are like a cross between the Iron Dukes (guns, and probably armor) and the Queen Elizabeths (speed). The interesting thing is that they are being laid down earlier than either.
I wonder how the Protectorate's designs are influencing the larger naval design community? I think they will get a lot of attention and might well draw interest from France, Italy, and Russia, and possibly the Americans as well. I think the British and Germans are convinced they know as much or more.
I wonder if the widespread nature and success of Chinese restaurants will act as the inspiration for other cultures, including standard Australasian cuisines, to start their own restaurants. It's good to see Australasia is much more cosmopolitan than OTL, which can only be a benefit in the years to come.
What could be more
I'm curious what this could mean for the future. Assuming China modernises, and becomes a superpower again, I would be hard pressed to imagine that they don't remember this.
Also, I'm curious for the fate of the Polynesian Confederation in this TL. It seems like they have a closer relationship to Australasia than the US, so they might avoid being a part of each nation, but I don't know if a country like that would be economically self-sustaining. Same for the Fly River Protectorate, but I guess that could form the basis for a PNG of sorts.
On that note, why is Australasia calling themselves a protectorate? They're not really protected by any country, so is it a case of the meaning changing with the establishment of the office of Lord Protector?
I think it was mostly thumbing their nose to the UK during their independence. They made a Lord Protector as the head of state in reference to the English Civil War, seeing as they saw their rebellion in similar terms - overthrowing an uncaring oligarchic government, albeit without the subsequent religious extremism.
I wonder, assuming things go like OTL in Europe and the Nazis rise to power, if this proposed plan, or something similar to it, happens in OTL: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kimberley_Plan.
Good TL, BTW...
Good TL, BTW...
Would seems that the English Football Association, if it wasn't already introduced that it would have had a hard time to get a foothold in Australasia.
I'd assume that TTL Australasian internal championships/tournaments would be one of the more if not the most competitive Rugby competences among the then Rugby Nations. Also, I would suppose that it would be noted when/if they would get the chance to face/play against British teams.
I wonder if given its popularity if the Australasian Navy, would as the Royal Navy, play an rol on its potential spreading out of the Protectorate on any visited friendly ports...
I'd assume that TTL Australasian internal championships/tournaments would be one of the more if not the most competitive Rugby competences among the then Rugby Nations. Also, I would suppose that it would be noted when/if they would get the chance to face/play against British teams.
I wonder if TTL most of the OTL Chinese immigration to the US and Canada, here, it would be diverted to the Protectorate...
I think there are still plenty of Chinese immigrants in California thanks to the gold rush there, but it wouldn't surprise me if most who left China from the 1860s onwards went to Australasia instead, and not only to the mainland but the Pacific islands too.
16 SEptember 1907 - Australasian Universities
16 September 1907, Protectorate University, Woolwich, Sydney
Caroline Plantagenet was happy to officially open what would be Australasia's 18th university. Politics was always a balancing game and it was, of course, located in a marginal electorate. It was a rare thing for her to become partisan herself in the political process, but she had indicated that she thought it would be better located out of Melbourne.
As it was , the University would focus heavily on both politic and law. In all, there were 18 Universities, namely: Sydney, Melbourne, Otago, Canterbury, Australasian School of Mines (Ballarat), Adelaide, Auckland, Tasmania, Wellington, Capricornia, West Sydney, East Melbourne, Institute of Technology(Armidale), Swan River, Glass Private , Defense Force (Albury), Pacific (Fiji) and now Protectorate (Sydney). All were public universities, aside from the Defense Force University and Glass Private University in Burnley.
University places were filled by a combination of 25% fee paying students and 70% general admission, the later based on secondary school results. Tuition was free, although books and accommodation were not. The remaining 5% was reserved for overseas students, chiefly from the Polynesian Confederation and China, although lately increasing numbers were coming from Singapore.
Caroline Plantagenet was happy to officially open what would be Australasia's 18th university. Politics was always a balancing game and it was, of course, located in a marginal electorate. It was a rare thing for her to become partisan herself in the political process, but she had indicated that she thought it would be better located out of Melbourne.
As it was , the University would focus heavily on both politic and law. In all, there were 18 Universities, namely: Sydney, Melbourne, Otago, Canterbury, Australasian School of Mines (Ballarat), Adelaide, Auckland, Tasmania, Wellington, Capricornia, West Sydney, East Melbourne, Institute of Technology(Armidale), Swan River, Glass Private , Defense Force (Albury), Pacific (Fiji) and now Protectorate (Sydney). All were public universities, aside from the Defense Force University and Glass Private University in Burnley.
University places were filled by a combination of 25% fee paying students and 70% general admission, the later based on secondary school results. Tuition was free, although books and accommodation were not. The remaining 5% was reserved for overseas students, chiefly from the Polynesian Confederation and China, although lately increasing numbers were coming from Singapore.
It is a 45 calibrate weapon. The designs are speedy and long ranged, as well as being well armed. The main issue is armour. They have less armour than many foreign designs. Dreadnought had armour belt of 11 inches, Iron Dukes 12 inch, Queen Elizabeth's 13 inches. These are only 10 inches. The main reason for that was an inability to manufacture armour above 10 inches. Although that will be resolved eventually, its a problem at present.
Well, not much doubt that the the favourite ethnic food in Australia these days is Thai.
Australian Rules has become the dominant sport in just about all states aside from Aotearoa and Fiji. Due to the changed political situation, it became popular in New South Wales almost immediately and his spread to Capricornia. Soccer(as we know it here) really rates well down the list.
In regards migration, USA population numbers are around 86 million, not 87.2 million, due to more migration to the Protectorate and no Hawaii.
