Interesting thing, is that the Iowa’s were originally planned to use the 16"/50 caliber Mark 2. But the guns were too heavy for the Iowa’s hull and turrets, So the 16in Mk7 was developed, and provided SIMILAR performance, But still was weaker than the guns the Sou Daks were being built with.
Also, doing some digging into the Sou Daks turrets, and i BELIEVE (Could be wrong) they had shell hoists that were big enough to use the later Super heavy AP developed for the Fast Battleships.
Which is important because the Colorado’s didn’t have that ability, due to their shell hoists not being strong enough, nor large enough, to fit the massive rounds.
Would have been imported from Germany had 1941 not happened but since 1941 did happen, Soyuz should reflect this with about 15% to 25% worse armor protection.
As for og SoDaks, my comment was obviously based off my lack of knowledge on their construction.
Also, interesting tid bit, the reason the Soyuz looks so complete in pictures, despite the fact it never even had machinery, armor, guns, or anything, is because it basically was just a Giant hollow metal skeleton.
To appease Stalin they broke basically every rule in ship building, and put half the thing together, with none of the internals, Just so it would look more complete than it was from the outside, to appease Stalin when ever he came to visit it.
That is why Soyuz was never finished as well, they would have had to tear the thing down back to the blocks basically, and start over. fitting the boilers, armor, and everything As they went.
She was Empty inside, and just had the hull walls built up to make her look more complete than she was.
Soyuz her self barely had the up to the first platform complete when the war broke out
and by the end the only notable thing that was even nearing completing was the barbettes, but they would have needed removed to fit the machinery and such if the they wanted to actually finish it.
Not like it would be physically impossible to install engines and everything into the ARMORED CITADEL of a Battleship that was already built. Not at all.
And if you believe it is impossible to install engines after armored citadels were made, how could you explain all navies boiler change during ovehaul?
US/Japan/British all has changed their boilers on WW1 battleships during 1930s
They cut the armor out, and then replaced it, and in the cases of Ships like the Queen Elisabeth’s, upgraded it substantially. With class members like Malaya getting a 6in armored deck and turtleback during her 1930s modernization. (which is probably why she will never come to the game, because that would probably make her the strongest BB in the game)
But that still created weaknesses in the armor, as weld back then was never as strong as solid plate.
When you are building a ship from NEW, doing that is just needlessly making your deck armor weaker. and making it needlessly complicated in construction.
EVERYONE else fitted their machinery during early construction since it was SO much easier to do, and resulted in a much stronger overall ship.
Being able to build it all in layers, and get it all done at once is way simpler than having to go back, and fit the engines and everything once half the ship is built.
(which its not like Soyuz ever had a Single boiler or turbine made for it)
Are you thinking battleship citadel is made of one steel plate like tank?
No it isn’t. Except of Yamato class, which proved out to be failure, citadel is just structual steel box covered with armor plate’s’. Not single armor, but multiple plates.
Those plates are just when needed, like when they need to change armor or are damaged by shell hit.
There are no ‘weakening’ citadel by making hole and changing/installing engine.
Yamato’s citadel was the exact reason traditional steam boilers were chosen over diesel as the japanese steam boilers were far more reliable than diesel and lasted longer. IJN command knew how much of an absolute pain in the ass it would have been to cut open the citadel plate to replace them.
The reason the Yamatos failed was a combined variety of logistical and oppositional problems.
No, but it does make it really fuckin funny when i slap them from 10km away in a WW1 battleship with Contact fuse AP, and blow them sky high in Naval EC.
