Video
Testing Out Soviet Battleship Designs...
Alternate HistoryBattleship DesignNaval GunneryNaval ProcurementNaval WargamingRoyal NavySoviet Navy
Study Testing Out Soviet Battleship Designs..., a Dr. Alex Clarke video from 17 Jul 2023, with 10 time notes. Topics include Alternate History, Battleship Design, Naval Gunnery.
Time notes
- 2:44A plausible Soviet capital ship for 1935Chapter
The design exercise asks what a Soviet battleship programme might have produced by 1935, using imported ideas and a hull constrained by the available simulated parts.
- 19:23Why the first Soviet silhouette looks wrongNotable Point
The first test exposes a modelling limit: the available Soviet hull produces a German-looking silhouette when an Italian-style superstructure would better fit the counterfactual.
- 25:06QuestionWhy should the simulated Soviet crew not simply be rated as recruits?AnswerQ&A
Because the Soviet Navy retained professional non-commissioned officers in its lower and middle ranks, preserving practical experience despite high turnover at the top.
- 26:47Why a British G3 hull fits the Soviet conceptNotable Point
The game's Soviet parts cannot reproduce the intended shape, so a Royal Navy G3 hull is proposed as a closer visual stand-in.
- 30:07Rebuilding the Soviet battleship around 1930 constraintsChapter
A second build starts from a 1930 programme and combines a 31-knot target, imported protection, mixed secondaries, torpedoes, and contemporary ammunition and mounting choices.
- 40:23Ambition versus a buildable Soviet battle fleetNotable Point
The completed design becomes a way to separate Soviet paper ambitions from the smaller number of capital ships industry might plausibly have delivered.
- 42:00Why Scharnhorst was not a battlecruiserNotable Point
Gun calibre and speed do not settle a ship’s classification: the Scharnhorsts were built as fast battleships within German industrial limits.
- 44:21How Soviet 16-inch ships could alter British calibre politicsNotable Point
A Soviet 16-inch programme could have weakened the political case for Britain’s 14-inch King George V armament and made a new 15-inch gun the compromise choice.
- 45:03A common 15-inch development path for the battle fleetNotable Point
The hypothetical gun is treated as a fleet-wide development programme that could influence new construction, older capital-ship upgrades, ammunition, and turret reliability.
- 47:38Building a 15-inch alternative to King George VChapter
The second design test turns the proposed Royal Navy 15-inch gun into a simulated capital ship and compares it with a German opponent.