Born out of time - Kuyu Island-class battleship

As a result, the design philosophy of the Kuye Island class has deviated significantly from the requirements of the navy

Some believe that a firepower configuration similar to that of the Kunlun Mountain class should be adopted, specifically five dual-mounted main gun turrets. This not only exceeds the basic requirements of the navy but also enhances the survivability of the turrets. At the very least, many believe that the survivability of five turrets is certainly higher than that of three turrets; even if one turret is lost, only 20% of the firepower is lost. In contrast, if three turrets are used, losing one turret results in a 33% loss of firepower. At the very least, many believe that the survivability of five turrets is certainly higher than that of three turrets; even if one turret is lost, only 20% of the firepower is lost. In contrast, if three turrets are used, losing one turret results in a 33% loss of firepower

Ultimately, the Qingdao Shipyard abandoned the twin-mounted turret and instead adopted a triple-mounted turret similar to that of the Wuyue class

Certainly, another issue to consider is that the displacement of the Kuyu Island class is only 21,500 tons, while the Queen Elizabeth class reaches 27,500 tons, the Nevada class also reaches 27,500 tons, and the Pennsylvania class even reaches 31,400 tons. Undoubtedly, in terms of performance per unit displacement, the Kuyu Island class is absolutely the most outstanding.

As early as the 541st year of the Ming calendar (1909 AD), the Imperial Navy initiated the development of this class of battleships, specifically to make technical preparations for the development of this class of battleships

In other words, the three triple-mounted turrets precisely meet the navy's minimum requirements for firepower

In this way, the protection level of the new battleship will not be significantly higher than that of the Qinling class. However, the navy requires that the new battleship must have no fewer than nine main guns, which means there should be an improvement over the Qinling class. Additionally, the speed must not be less than 24 knots, necessitating the use of a more powerful propulsion system

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The advantages of adopting triple turrets are quite evident. Firstly, three turrets are lighter than five twin turrets, thereby reducing the displacement. Secondly, the arrangement of three triple turrets is more straightforward, avoiding the placement of turrets in the middle of the warship, which would encroach upon the already limited deck space. Thirdly, the design of triple turrets can effectively shorten the ship's length, thereby reducing the area of the main protected zone, decreasing the amount of armor required, and enhancing defensive capability. Lastly, triple turrets are easier to command during naval engagements. Practical tests have shown that the impact points of three triple turrets during a salvo are more concentrated than those of five twin turrets, resulting in higher firing efficiency. The design of triple turrets can effectively shorten the ship's length, thereby reducing the area of the main protected zone, decreasing the amount of armor required, and enhancing defensive capability. Lastly, triple turrets are easier to command during naval engagements. Practical tests have shown that the impact points of three triple turrets during a salvo are more concentrated than those of five twin turrets, resulting in higher firing efficiency

It is evident that the engineers at the Qingdao Shipyard have a profound understanding of the traditional concepts of the navy

Later, as the battleships of the Wuyue class, Kunlun class, Qinling class, and Yinshan class were successively completed and commissioned, the Imperial Navy repeatedly revised the performance requirements for this class of battleships, resulting in slow progress in the development work, which was even interrupted multiple times

Moreover, when the construction of the Kuyu Island-class battleship commenced, World War I had already broken out, and the empire had entered a state of total war, making military expenditure a secondary concern. This means that the imperial navy's capacity to bear the cost of warships had significantly increased. Under these circumstances, the navy required not only affordable warships but also those with powerful performance. If the navy were to be significantly inferior to the enemy, it would certainly opt for the latter.

Main armor belt: 230 - 330 mm, deck: 75 + 85 mm, turret: 120 - 350 mm, gun mount: 330 mm, command tower: 150 - 350 mm

As a result, only three Kuyu Island-class battleships were constructed, and the navy, unable to endure any longer, canceled the orders for the subsequent two ships, opting instead to order the Chongming Island-class battleships that could truly meet the navy's needs

Since the protective requirements have not fundamentally improved, the Qingdao Shipyard naturally aims to align with the Navy's preferences (reducing costs and facilitating mass production) by minimizing displacement, while also striving to enhance speed and firepower intensity on that basis

In terms of the rate of ammunition delivery per unit time, the main gun firepower of the Kuye Island class is 30% weaker than that of the Queen Elizabeth class, 10% weaker than that of the Nevada class of the United States Navy, and 25% weaker than that of the Pennsylvania class, which was built around the same period.

At that time, the issue was not with the design of the battleship, but rather with the development of the main gun.

By the end of 1944, the Imperial Navy finally made a decision to not use 400 mm main guns, opting instead to develop new battleships based on the soon-to-be-successful 1945 model main guns.

Main guns: 9 units of the 45-year type 350 mm L50 naval gun (3 × 3), secondary guns: 16 units of the 43-year type 150 mm L50 naval gun, quick-firing guns: 12 units of the 43-year type 100 mm L47 naval gun

Only battleships that can be purchased and mass-produced are considered the most excellent battleships. If they cannot be afforded or mass-produced, and can only remain on paper, they are fundamentally not battleships

Boilers: 12 units of 1944 model oil-fired boilers, Main engines: 4 units of 1946 model steam turbines, Power: 44,750 shaft horsepower, Propulsion: 4 shafts with 4 propellers, Speed: 24 knots, Endurance: 9,000 nautical miles at 10 knots

It was not until the year 544 of the Ming calendar (1912 AD) that the British Navy began the construction of the Queen Elizabeth-class battleships, equipped with 15-inch main guns and achieving a speed of 25 knots, that the Imperial Navy realized its 350 mm main guns had become outdated. The following year, the British Navy's Revenge-class battleships (which were actually inferior in performance to the Queen Elizabeth-class) also adopted the 15-inch main guns

Moreover, the construction cost of the Kula Island class is only 65% of that of the Queen Elizabeth class, 60% of the Nevada class, and 53% of the Pennsylvania class. In other words, if the same budget were used to build warships, the Kula Island class would achieve a significant numerical advantage, thereby compensating for its performance shortcomings

After weighing the pros and cons, the Imperial Navy decided to prioritize the development of the 400 mm main gun while maximizing the potential of the 350 mm main gun. The 45-Year Type 350 mm L50 naval gun was developed under these circumstances. By lengthening the barrel, using new propellant, and introducing new armor-piercing shells, the firepower of the 45-Year Type main gun was significantly enhanced, making it comparable to the British Navy's 15-inch main gun.

In fact, at that time, the imperial navy was not only facing the issue of insufficient main gun caliber

One might say that the Kuyu Island-class is a victim of unfortunate timing. Had it been conceived a few years earlier, it likely would have garnered the Navy's favor

The issue is that the significant performance gap is also unacceptable to the imperial navy

At the end of 1946, as the design was just completed, the Imperial Navy eagerly issued the construction order

When measuring maneuverability performance by maximum speed, the Kula Island class is essentially on par with the Queen Elizabeth class, surpassing the United States' Nevada class by 20% and the Pennsylvania class by 18%

If we measure protective capability by armor thickness, the Koryo-class is roughly on par with the Queen Elizabeth-class, approximately 15% weaker than the American Nevada-class, and about 20% weaker than the Pennsylvania-class

At that time, Jiangnan Shipyard was busy designing the Yinshan class, while the Dalian and Guangzhou shipyards were also involved in the design work for the Yinshan class. The Kaohsiung Shipyard, on the other hand, revealed deficiencies in its capabilities during the design of the Qinling class. Consequently, the design work for the new battleship fell to the Qingdao Shipyard.

The participants in World War II were: Kuyu Island, Taiwan Island, Hainan Island

A belief that the pace of the enemy should be caught up with as soon as possible, prioritizing the development of the 380 mm main gun, thereby ensuring that the battleship's firepower does not fall too far behind that of the enemy

Now, the imperial navy has no choice but to hurry up

In other words, the imperial navy must construct battleships equipped with larger caliber main guns and stronger armor

Relatively speaking, the issue of strengthening armor protection is not significant, but the problem with the main gun is quite serious

Although extensive arguments have been made, the 350 mm armor-piercing shell can still penetrate the armor of the Queen Elizabeth-class battleships at conventional engagement ranges. However, the battleships constructed by the Imperial Navy at that time had a significantly reduced "deflection zone" against the fifteen-inch armor-piercing shells, and it was difficult to ensure the safety of the battleships through armor protection.

However, the Imperial Navy still wishes to install 400 mm main guns on the new warships, as only 400 mm main guns can achieve overwhelming firepower superiority in naval battles

Compared to the Yinshan-class battleship, the Kuye Island-class battleship does not show significant improvements in various key performance aspects

At that time, the imperial navy held two viewpoints regarding the caliber of the main guns

Undoubtedly, the overall performance of the Kuyu Island-class is the weakest among these classes of battleships

Standard displacement: 21,500 tons, full load displacement: 25,500 tons; overall length: 164 meters, beam: 29.5 meters, draft: 8.3 meters; crew capacity: 984 persons

Relatively speaking, the heaviest weight on a warship is occupied by armor

The United States Navy is also facing the same issue, and it did not develop a transitional 15-inch main gun, but instead directly developed a 16-inch main gun

The main performance indicators are

Another perspective holds that the existing 350 mm main gun is still capable of dealing with enemy battleships. To avoid redundant development, the focus should be placed on the research and development of the 400 mm main gun. As long as the 400 mm main gun can be successfully developed in a timely manner, the Imperial Navy will achieve absolute superiority in firepower

At that time, the main issue was the allocation of firepower