Brand new design - Qinling-class battleship

Relatively speaking, these improvements make the Qinling class more powerful than the Kunlun class

The main guns were reduced to eight, thereby saving over a thousand tons in weight and decreasing the occupied internal space of the hull, which provided a foundation for the dispersed arrangement of the power equipment

The installation of a rangefinder above the bridge has made it the first battleship of the Imperial Navy capable of conducting a full broadside fire from the entire ship

Integrating these designs, when the Qinling class is completed and put into service, apart from having fewer main guns than the Kunlun class, its performance in all other aspects surpasses that of the Kunlun class. Subsequent real-world combat has proven that the design of the Qinling class is highly successful, with its survivability far exceeding that of the Kunlun class

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Even though the Imperial Navy is very satisfied with the performance of the Kunlun Mountain-class, it is not content with merely one improved warship

The installation of a second chimney has enhanced the safety of the intake and exhaust channels

It was during the design phase of the Kunlun Mountain class that the Imperial Navy issued a new tender, requesting shipyards to provide a completely new design for a battleship, with an emphasis on achieving balanced performance

This coincidentally aligns with the meaning of the navy. In simple terms, there has always been controversy regarding the protective design of the Kunlun Mountain class, which was improved from the Wuyue class, particularly concerning its underwater protection capabilities, which have faced considerable criticism. At that time, torpedoes posed a serious threat to warships, and neglecting underwater protection would undoubtedly lead to significant losses

Subsequent tests have also proven that even with only eight main guns, the Qinling-class battleship's firing efficiency still surpasses that of the Kunlun Mountain-class battleship, which is not equipped with a rangefinder. Therefore, prior to the outbreak of World War I, the Imperial Navy made every effort to install rangefinders on its earlier battleships to enhance the combat efficiency of their main guns

The issue is that the Kaohsiung Shipyard has only completed the preliminary design, and given its capabilities, it is difficult to complete the detailed design according to the Navy's timeline.

Similar to every previous class of battleship, the construction of the Qinling class was carried out very swiftly

Boilers: 12 units of 43-year model fuel oil boilers, Main engines: 4 units of 43-year model steam turbines, Power: 29,000 shaft horsepower, Propulsion: 4 shafts with 4 propellers, Speed: 21 knots, Endurance: 9,000 nautical miles at 10 knots

It can be said that the Qinling class is a battleship designed and built entirely with a priority on protection. It was from the Qinling class that the Imperial Navy raised its requirements for battleship protection, placing it on an equally important level as firepower. Subsequently, the Imperial Navy also revised the naval protection standards based on the protection design of the Qinling class

At that time, the main distinction between the Qinling level and the Kunlun level was

After careful consideration, the imperial navy abandoned the turret-style secondary guns and continued to use the casemate-style secondary guns

In other words, the design of the Kaohsiung Shipyard places great emphasis on the balance between firepower and protection

The participants in the Second World War were: Qinling, Nanling, Dabieshan, and Altai.

Ultimately, the design plans of the Kaohsiung Shipyard, which had just acquired the capability to produce battleships, attracted the attention of the Navy. At that time, the Kaohsiung Shipyard did not excessively pursue firepower, believing that eight 350 mm main guns would be sufficient to meet combat needs. In contrast, the battleship's protective capability was deemed more critical than firepower; without good protective performance, even the most numerous main guns would struggle to exert their power in a fleet engagement.

In the year 546 of the Ming calendar (1914 AD), when the "Qinling" was completed and put into service

During World War I, the Qinling class was the only battleship among the early-built "Hushan" series of the Imperial Navy that was not sunk by enemy ships during the war. This fact sufficiently illustrates the formidable survivability of the Qinling class. In comparison, among the battleships built by other countries during the same period, hardly any class of battleship surpassed the survivability of the Qinling class

At that time, in addition to Jiangnan Shipyard participating in the bidding, several other shipyards also took part in the competition

Strictly speaking, the Kunlun Mountain-class battleship is an improved version of the Wuyue-class. Engineers extensively drew on the design achievements of the Wuyue-class, thereby reducing the design burden and accelerating the design process; otherwise, it would have been difficult for the Kunlun Mountain-class battleship to complete all design work within two years

In the year 545 of the Ming calendar (1913 AD), after all design work was completed, the navy issued an order for five battleships and designated this class of battleships as the "Qinling" class. Soon, the lead ship, the "Qinling," began construction at the Jiangnan Shipyard.

Standard displacement: 20,500 tons, full load displacement: 23,800 tons. Overall length: 167 meters, beam: 27.5 meters, draft: 8.1 meters; capacity: 874 persons

Many people overlook one point: the Qinling-class battleship is the first battleship of the Imperial Navy to be equipped with double-layer horizontal armor

When four Qinling-class battleships were deployed during the Second World War, the level of protection of this class of battleships was not significantly inferior

Main guns: 8 units of the 41-year type 350 mm L40 naval guns (4 × 2), secondary guns: 16 units of the 43-year type 150 mm L50 naval guns, quick-firing guns: 12 units of the 43-year type 100 mm L47 naval guns

Moreover, according to the tradition of the imperial navy, the quantity of battleships is always more important than their quality. Therefore, before the official design finalization of the Qinling class, many new equipment that were difficult to develop in a timely manner were canceled, and instead, relatively mature equipment was adopted. For instance, the power system utilizes the boilers and steam turbines from the Kunlun Mountain class.

The previous improvements were almost all related to protection and survivability, while the final improvement compensated for the firepower deficiency caused by the reduction of two main guns

In other words, this new class of battleship is still designed by the most powerful Jiangnan Shipyard

In this context, the Navy authorized Jiangnan Shipyard to assist Kaohsiung Shipyard in completing the entire design work for the new battleship

Increase the thickness of the horizontal armor to enhance long-range protective performance

Comprehensively enhance underwater protection capabilities, capable of withstanding the destructive force generated by the explosion of 150 kilograms of TNT.

At that time, the imperial navy was also preparing to adopt turret-style secondary guns. However, the related development work was not completed on schedule. Additionally, the turret-style secondary guns would increase the weight of the superstructure and raise the center of gravity of the warship, while the Qinling class already had a high center of gravity after enhancing its protection.

Certainly, due to budget constraints, the Qinling class had to forgo many features that were considered highly advanced at the time

In simple terms, the hit rate when all main guns of the ship fire simultaneously is certainly higher than when each turret fires simultaneously on its own

This design has almost become the standard design for battleships in the future

For instance, during the design phase, the designers at Kaohsiung Shipyard advocated for the use of turret-mounted secondary guns instead of casemate-mounted secondary guns. This approach not only allows for a reduction in the number of secondary guns while maintaining firepower density, thereby saving weight, but also enhances the firing arc of the secondary guns, thereby expanding their operational range. Additionally, it improves the defense of the warship and effectively increases the operational efficiency of the secondary guns

Additionally, the underwater anti-torpedo compartment design of the Qinling class has been adopted by many subsequent battleships

Main armor belt: 230 - 320 mm; Deck: 55 + 85 mm (with an additional 55 mm auxiliary armor plate in key areas), Turret: 120 - 330 mm, Gun mount: 320 mm, Command tower: 120 - 330 mm