Navistory The Fokker T.III was a follow up of the T-II prototypes created for the US Navy (3 made). It was enlarged, 30% heavier, with cockpits for three rather than two, and a larger W-12 instead of a V-12. Another important addition was its convertible nature with floats that could be swapped for a wheeled undercarriage. … Read more
Nuclear Powered French Aircraft Carrier (Planned): FS Verdun (1958) Back in 1958, after the Clemenceau class was decided, was approved a third, much larger PA58 project or “Verdun class”: A nuclear-capable aircraft carrier. Authorized in 1958 it had dimensions already close to USN supercarriers. However Verdun was eventually cancelled before construction. It was engineered to … Read more
Coastal Minelaying Submarines – 64 completed 1916-17: UC 16, UC 17, UC 18, UC 19, UC 20, UC 21, UC 22, UC 23, UC 24, UC 25, UC 26, UC 27, UC 28, UC 29, UC 30, UC 31, UC 32, UC 33, UC 34, UC 35, UC 36, UC 37, UC 38, UC 39, … Read more
Regia Marina Protected Cruiser (1885-1920) Giovanni Bausan was the first large, modern protected cruiser of the Regia Marina, designed and built at Elswick between 1882 and 1885. She provided the basis later Italian-built designs, and was intended to be a “battleship destroyer” to defeat heavy armor, but there were many limitations to this role. She … Read more
Nihhon Kaigun: Protected Cruiser (1883) Commissioned 1894-1912 IJN Izumi (和泉) was purchased in 1894 as the Sino-Japanese war just broke up, to Chile, and through a murky transfer using Ecuador as a middleman. This was the former Chilean cruiser Esmeralda already well active for ten years in the Chilean Navy but also as the world’s … Read more
Armada de Chile: Protected Cruiser built 1881-84, sold to Japan 1894 The Chilean cruiser Esmeralda is certainly less famous for its short service of ten years in the Chilean Navy and more as a major prototype, the world’s first protected cruiser as recoignized by most naval historians. This cruiser type introduced a new type of … Read more
United Kingdom (1943-44) 78 US LL DDE The Captain class were 78 US-built destroyer escorts, transferred to the Royal Navy in World War II under Lend-Lease. They were identical to the first GMT or Evarts class “short-hull” destroyer escorts for 32 leased, then 46 of the Buckley class (TE type) “long-hull”. Officially classified as frigates … Read more
Germany (1938-40): 54 boats completed U-66 to U-68, U-125 to U-131, U-153 to U-166, U-171 to U-176, U-501 to 524. 49 lost The Type IXC was a revised Type IXB with essentially a slightly wider outer hull in order to maximize fuel storage, taking an extra 43 tonnes (208 total) for an unprecedented range of … Read more
The Naval Aircraft Factory TS-1 was a family of models, all biplane “scout fighters” for the United States Navy in service from from 1922 to 1929. A family that comprised five land-based NAF TS-1, thirty-four production Curtiss TS-1 both in floatplane and land-based versions for VO-1 and VF-1, two NAF TS-2 with Aeromarine engine, two … Read more
Minelayer Submersible (1925-44) HSwMS Valen (1925) was a unique boat in class, and only minelayer submarine of Sweden when WW2 broke out, but she was a prioneer leading to the construction of six more during the war. She was based on the Bävern design, that is, based in turn on the German WWI UB-III design. … Read more
