Alt-history writing project

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Captain Wheelgun
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Re: Alt-history writing project

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randy wrote: Tue Jun 28, 2022 6:36 pm Not a bubble head, but IIRC even in those days US subs had antenna masts they could put up out of the water to send traffic from periscope depth. So, assuming they had such a mast, they would not have to wait to surface to send their messages, and a SPOT report such as this would be important enough, I think, to do so.

[Radio Geek] The vertical antenna mast might not be efficient enough to get back to TX depending on time of day and propagation for the frequency band they are using. Then the longer horizontal antennas often used by subs of day (running from the conning tower to the bow and stern of the sub) might be needed. Use of the horizontal antennas might require a course change to bring the sub (thus the antenna) broadside to the intended receiving station.[/Radio Geek]
Thank you. The radio info will be useful.

They had surfaced to recharge their batteries. (Spoiler - this won’t be necessary for much longer :twisted: )
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MiddleAgedKen
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Re: Alt-history writing project

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Not a bubble head, but it strikes me that 16 knots submerged in the late 1930s needs a bit of 'splainin. That's a lot faster than anything contemporary I've ever heard of. The U-boats that made high submerged speeds were either Walter air-independent propulsion boats or the Type XXI, that packed a lot of battery capacity into a streamlined hull. Everything else seems plausible to me.
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Captain Wheelgun
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Re: Alt-history writing project

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MiddleAgedKen wrote: Wed Jun 29, 2022 1:26 am Not a bubble head, but it strikes me that 16 knots submerged in the late 1930s needs a bit of 'splainin. That's a lot faster than anything contemporary I've ever heard of. The U-boats that made high submerged speeds were either Walter air-independent propulsion boats or the Type XXI, that packed a lot of battery capacity into a streamlined hull. Everything else seems plausible to me.
Option two is exactly what they have done. Lots of batteries in a streamlined hull. Maybe I need to bump up the length and displacement a bit to account for that?

Also, the Type XXIs were capable of over 20 knots, while many standard boats could get up to 10-12. 16 seemed like a good compromise.
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MiddleAgedKen
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Re: Alt-history writing project

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Okay, makes sense. Remember that Type XXIs were about 1,600 tons surfaced, while Type VII were about the size of Texas's boats. I don't know how much of that displacement (internal volume as well as mass) was battery, but batteries are bulky. Hell length maybe(?) isn't a consideration submerged, though, other than streamlining; I'm thinking here of the boat's "hull speed." (One way to make a surface ship faster without changing the motive power is simply to make the hull longer without changing the beam -- hull speed increases with length/beam ratio.) Maximum speed still depends on power -- you can drive a ship faster than its hull speed, but it gets progressively expensive in terms of power consumption.
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Re: Alt-history writing project

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MiddleAgedKen wrote: Sat Jul 02, 2022 11:55 pm Okay, makes sense. Remember that Type XXIs were about 1,600 tons surfaced, while Type VII were about the size of Texas's boats. I don't know how much of that displacement (internal volume as well as mass) was battery, but batteries are bulky. Hell length maybe(?) isn't a consideration submerged, though, other than streamlining; I'm thinking here of the boat's "hull speed." (One way to make a surface ship faster without changing the motive power is simply to make the hull longer without changing the beam -- hull speed increases with length/beam ratio.) Maximum speed still depends on power -- you can drive a ship faster than its hull speed, but it gets progressively expensive in terms of power consumption.
Yeah, my understanding is that ‘hull speed’ is a function of wave formation at the surface, so it shouldn’t be a factor in underwater performance. I’m running my ideas past someone who used to hunt subs for a living, to see if it’s plausible.

And I sit corrected on one point. The Type XXI could only do 17 knots underwater. I’m not sure where I got 20 knots from. :oops:

Still, my design is in the ballpark.
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Re: Alt-history writing project

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Sorry for the delay in posting. Here is a fairly long snippet - The French strike back...
(Note: TNS Los Angeles is the former USS Los Angeles, and TNS Laredo is a Galveston class cruiser.)

Removed due to upcoming publication of Book 2. See my post on 09/07/2022 for more info.
Last edited by Captain Wheelgun on Wed Sep 07, 2022 3:18 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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tfbncc
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Re: Alt-history writing project

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Using gas on a civilian target? Boy, they done Fupped Duck now. The whole of the civilized world will turn on them.

I didn't see any glaring technical errors. The story is developing nicely.

Ray
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Re: Alt-history writing project

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tfbncc wrote: Fri Jul 08, 2022 11:24 am Using gas on a civilian target? Boy, they done Fupped Duck now. The whole of the civilized world will turn on them.

I didn't see any glaring technical errors. The story is developing nicely.

Ray
Thank you, Ray.

Yup, they’ve screwed the pooch. I’m debating whether to have them try to walk it back, claiming the gas was only intended for the navy base, or have them double down, claiming that since Texas requires voters to possess arms that there are no non-combatants in Texas.
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tfbncc
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Re: Alt-history writing project

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Quick question: In your alternate history, do the Geneva Conventions still get signed in 1925? If they do, then poison gas is outlawed in warfare, no matter the target. So the French would really be in deep doo doo.
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Re: Alt-history writing project

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tfbncc wrote: Fri Jul 08, 2022 9:32 pm Quick question: In your alternate history, do the Geneva Conventions still get signed in 1925? If they do, then poison gas is outlawed in warfare, no matter the target. So the French would really be in deep doo doo.
Yes, they were, but France threatened to withdraw if Texas was allowed to sign them. Same thing with the League of Nations and other international agreements. That was part of the effort to keep Texas isolated internationally. So, part of their claims will be that since Texas wasn’t a signatory, the conventions aren’t binding against France in a war between those nations. :evil:
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