Beyond The Sprues
Modelling => Completed GBs => Group and Themed Builds => Extended Service Life and/or Back dated GB => Topic started by: dy031101 on April 27, 2015, 02:49:15 PM
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Yorck class battlecruisers were Imperial Germany's response to Britain's Repulse and Renown. The class sports the same main guns as the Bayern class battleships. Three were ordered as far as I know, but none was completed by the end of the World War I in real-life.
Since I'm likely too slow to come up with a story on how one could have been completed, surrendered to the US, escaped the fate of being scrapped or expended as a gunnery target that might have resulted from Inter-War naval treaties, and been pressed into service against the Japanese in World War II, I'll just settle with "Americanizing" a German-built battlecruiser to a level serviceable in late-WWII.
Further details to come in due course. Comments and suggestions are welcomed.
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Looked at Yorck class battlecruisers drawing. Appears closer to WW2 designs than WW1. Like the concept.
Is there a Yorck kit or you have another kit in mind to start from ?
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Looked at Yorck class battlecruisers drawing. Appears closer to WW2 designs than WW1. Like the concept.
The primary reasons why I chose Yorck are that it's got the same gun as the Bayern class, its speed is on the high side, and faster ships got the spotlight in WWII rather than looks (because modernisation will include reconstruction) ;D
Is there a Yorck kit or you have another kit in mind to start from ?
A quick visit at Google nets me this (http://ihphobby.tripod.com/shippages/ersatzyorck.html), but I don't know for sure.
I've unfortunately gotta stick with Shipbucket format for the foreseeable future.
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There's a new plastic kit of the Derflingers from Flybawk in 1/700. Not the same hull but could serve as a basis. I also discovered a few old IJN BBs are shockingly closer to Imperial Germen BBs in shape and size. Scratch building would be required but it would be easier then the expensive resin route.
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Love the later Imperial German Battle Cruisers, better balanced and protected than the RN equivalents and even toyed with a post WWI war prize allocation to the Commonwealth and a different Washington treaty, perhaps one that adds battle cruisers as a different category to battleships with their own tonnage limits. It would all rely on the RN being able to prevent the scuttling of the German fleet though, otherwise there would be no prize ships to allocate.
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Real life. What do we know.
Guess getting this one ready for the GB isn't gonna happen, either.
I will finish it in the next two days (because, you know, real life) and post it in my mental notes thread instead.
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Despite not making it for the GB, here she is, for whatever it's worth:
(http://i846.photobucket.com/albums/ab22/dy031101/CB-4 ErsatzYorck.png~original)
After SMS Yorck, a battlecruiser that entered service with Hochseeflotte only to be met by the inconvenient timing of armistice, was allocated to the US as reparation at the end of World War I, her new owner couldn't seem to figure out what to do with her. Nothing came of any plan for her, including reducing her to a target ship, until the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941. In an effort to put as many warships into service as possible, the US Navy decided to modernize what was now the USS Yorck. Her superstructure was rebuilt; 15cm secondary guns were replaced with surplus 5-inch L/51 guns; 8.8cm AA guns were originally planned to be replaced by 5-inch L/25 AA guns but ultimately replaced with 5-inch L/38 dual purpose guns (pedestal mounts with shields) after a series of twists of events; and search radars, new fire control equipments, two stern-mounted seaplane catapults and a crane, and 20mm Oerlikon & 40mm Bofors autocannons were added.
Since the reconstruction didn't do much about her armour protections, the USS Yorck was designated as a "large cruiser" (CB-4) and operated alongside the fully-indigenous Alaska class cruisers in anti-aircraft escort, shore bombardment, and anti-shipping raider roles. The US Navy attempted to avoid deploying her against German forces; unfortunately, events would not agree- when German light battleship Brunhilde sortied into the Pacific, Yorck was one of the first USN ships to engage and would keep crossing paths with the elusive German battleship at various points during the remainder of the war.
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That's a great looking ship! Maybe its too late for the group build but its finished and looks awesome.
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Nice work ... and great backstory :)