Hello, I was thinking recently about making a few suggestions for naval regarding some “paper-ish” designs, where only one part of the ships (usually the gun) was created and tested but no hulls were laid down. Do you think that would qualify under the somewhat more relaxed rules for naval suggestions/additions? Or would you prefer not to see them at all?
I personally would like to see them specifically for variety, but only in the long-long term if proper ships run out.
For example, an interpretation of a Final Design for a Modern RN Heavy Cruiser, according to a data sheet (probably from a book). According to the person who interpreted the data and made a design, they even had names; the Admiral-class, consisting of Albemarle, Blake, Cornwallis, and Hawke.
From what I could find, a single prototype BL 8-inch Mk IX was made, which was intended for this type of cruiser, would that qualify?
Another example for something like this would be the Japanese Design B-65 super-cruisers, of which two were planned, but not ordered. Ironically, these were drawn up as a counter to the Alaska-class, and those were drawn up due to mistaken intelligence saying that Japan was creating a “super-cruiser” - in essence they became self perpetuating. As I could find, no guns were started, but the ships were given hull numbers, 795 and 796 respectively. But because nothing for the ships was made, I don’t think even the engines were made, I don’t think these would qualify.
As a final example, the (preliminary) design for a Myoukou-class with three triple turrets. In essence a Japanese Baltimore-class, just on like 5,000t less displacement (they were still maybe half trying to comply with the treaty system), so it may be closer to Wichita than Baltimore. Link to original documents, which survived. No drawings (from what I could tell) but I think design specs were there. Because these would become the Myoukou-class, in technicality specific things were made for these ships. But since it was a scrapped design, I could also make an easy point for them not qualifying for addition, since the design was not the final one.
There was supposedly a 1941-type design, but I’m fairly certain that these were fabricated and not actually real, and due to the documents being burned at the end of the war, there’s no way to confirm if a design like this was actually planned.
But yeah, I want to know general thoughts on this kind of stuff. It would also extend to designs like the Montanas, the various German Plan Z proposals, the P- and D-classes, the modified Richelieu-class Gascogne, the Alsace-class, the N3/G3 type, the designs for an Italian ship with 406mm guns, and probably some others. Would these be viable for inclusion in the game? Should they even be included?