From bird guns to cannons – Kunlun Mountain-class battleship

Main guns: 10 units of the 41-year type 350 mm L40 naval gun (5 × 2); secondary guns: 16 units of the 30-year type 150 mm L50 naval gun; quick-firing guns: 12 units of the 32-year type 80 mm L55 naval gun

As the first battleship to adopt fuel oil boilers (the British Navy's battleship "HMS King George V" also utilized fuel oil boilers, but was commissioned ten months later than the "Kunlun Mountain"), from the moment of its inception, the Kunlun Mountain class was destined to possess a heart that was stronger than that of its predecessors.

Subsequently, after testing, the thickness of the main armor belt of the Kunlun Mountain-class battleship, which is 20 millimeters thicker than that of the Wuyue-class, fully meets the naval protection requirements

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It can be said that without the fuel boiler, Jiangnan Shipyard would not have been able to complete the design work for the Kunlun Mountain-class battleship according to the Navy's requirements

Incredibly, two years later, Jiangnan Shipyard indeed produced a design document that fully met the requirements of the Imperial Navy

Due to the higher output power of the fuel boiler, the drainage capacity of the Kunlun Mountain class, with an increase of 1,500 tons compared to the Wuyue class, still exceeds 20 knots. During testing, it operated under short-term overload through the power system, even achieving a maximum speed close to 21 knots.

Upon completion of construction, the performance specifications of the Kunlun Mountain-class battleship are as follows

Ultimately, the benefits brought by the fuel boiler are paramount. After adopting the fuel boiler, only one chimney is required to meet the intake and exhaust demands, thereby reducing the deck area occupied by the chimney. Furthermore, the arrangement of the boiler room is more compact, which frees up space in the hull for the installation of a fifth turret and the corresponding ammunition storage.

At that time, Britain was already developing a 13.5-inch main gun, while the United States was working on a 14-inch main gun. Battleships of the Imperial Navy equipped with 300 mm main guns would find it difficult to compete with the battleships of Britain and the United States that were armed with "super" main guns. To say nothing of other factors, the weight of the armor-piercing shell for the 300 mm gun is only 60% of that of the 13.5-inch armor-piercing shell and 50% of that of the 14-inch armor-piercing shell, indicating a significantly inferior armor-piercing capability.

In the year 539 of the Ming calendar, concurrently with the decision to construct the Five Mountains-class battleships, the Imperial Navy mandated the Jiangnan Shipyard to simultaneously commence the development of the next class of battleships. It was explicitly stipulated that the main armament should consist of 350 mm guns, with a minimum of eight guns required. The protection standards must meet the criteria established by the Imperial Navy, the speed should not be less than that of the Five Mountains-class, and the operational range must reach at least 8,500 nautical miles. Most importantly, to reduce construction costs, the displacement must be kept within 20,000 tons. Furthermore, the number of guns must not be fewer than eight, the protection requirements must meet the standards set by the Imperial Navy, the speed must not be lower than that of the Five Mountains-class, and the operational range must reach at least 8,500 nautical miles. Most importantly, to lower construction costs, the displacement must be within 20,000 tons.

The participants in World War II include: Anima Qing Mountain, Tianshan, Daxing'anling, Changbai Mountain, and Qilian Mountain

Additionally, due to displacement limitations, an excessively compact power design makes the power compartment highly susceptible to destruction by a single shell. Furthermore, this has posed significant challenges for future improvements, as no room for modifications was allocated during the design phase, leaving little scope for enhancements.

Certainly, the design of the Kunlun Mountain class is not without its flaws, and there are still some deficiencies present

It was also from the level of the Kunlun Mountains that subsequent warships equipped with main guns exceeding 12 inches (300 millimeters) were referred to as "super dreadnoughts"

At that time, the development work on the 350 mm main gun was also completed

In the year 41, after comprehensive verification, the Imperial Navy approved the construction of the Kunlun Mountain-class battleships and simultaneously issued orders to five shipyards

Standard displacement: 19,500 tons; full load displacement: 22,300 tons. Overall length: 164.4 meters; beam: 27.5 meters; draft: 8.2 meters; capacity: 975 persons

After repeated discussions and experiments, the designer adopted a bold and highly creative design. The fuel tanks of the warship were placed on both sides, reinforced with inner and outer layers of armor plates to enhance the protection of the hull. The benefits of this design are quite evident. First, it reduces the space occupied by the fuel tanks within the hull, as the area between the armor plates on both sides has no other use. Second, it strengthens the protective capability, reminiscent of the later concept of "composite armor." Third, it expands the range of the "sacrificial zone," thereby indirectly improving the protective capability.

According to the naval protection capability requirements, any class of battleship must withstand the armor-piercing shells fired from its own main guns within the designated "deflection zone"

This is another dilemma that troubles designers; after all, if the armor is too thick, it will only result in the battleship being overweight

This is undoubtedly a design requirement that can perplex any designer when it comes to books

Certainly, to be strict, this design is not novel. In the past, there have been battleships that designed coal bunkers on both sides.

Even more incredible is that the engineers at Jiangnan Shipyard installed a fifth twin 350 mm turret behind the battleship's smokestack, increasing the number of main guns on the Kunlun Mountain-class to ten, instead of the eight requested by the navy. This means that its firepower has been increased by 25% compared to the navy's requirements

Additionally, ten Kunlun Mountain-class battleships performed excellently during World War I. Among them, five participated in World War II, making significant contributions to the Imperial Navy

In fact, this also indicates from another perspective that the imperial navy places great importance on the development and application of new technologies and new equipment, and has accurately grasped the progress of the research and development of these new technologies and equipment. As a result, when planning the design and construction of warships, it is able to fully consider the significant impact brought about by these new technologies and new equipment

Compared to the nearly contemporaneously constructed British "Ares" class battleships, the Kunlun Mountain class is significantly superior in terms of firepower and protection, although it is slightly slower. Furthermore, when compared to the "Wyoming" class battleships built by the United States Navy during the same period, it is comprehensively ahead, and it is not at all inferior to the "New York" class, which commenced construction two years later.

In other words, the imperial navy possesses the full capability to construct new battleships

However, regardless of the circumstances, the Kunlun Mountain class, as the world's first "super-dreadnought," was undoubtedly a highly successful class of battleships at that time. After completing the first batch of construction, the Imperial Navy ordered a second batch of five ships, bringing the total number of battleships of this class to ten, making it the most numerous battleship class in the world at that time

It is precisely because of this "heart" that the Kunlun Mountain-class battleship possesses superior performance compared to previous battleships

In other words, for ship designers, the greatest challenge is that the displacement must be within 20,000 tons

Certainly, the Imperial Navy is also developing a main gun with a caliber of 350 millimeters

Main armor belt: 230 - 300 mm; Deck: 55 - 85 mm; Turret: 120 - 320 mm; Gun mount: 300 mm; Command tower: 120 - 320 mm

For instance, the design featuring only a single chimney rendered the battleship's exhaust system extremely vulnerable. Once this issue was exposed in subsequent combat, it became quite serious. If the sole chimney were to be destroyed, not only would the toxic smoke produced by the boiler be unable to escape, but the power system would also struggle to operate normally, leading to very severe consequences

Power: 8 units of 40-year model fuel boilers; Main engine: 4 units of 41-year model steam turbines; Power: 28,500 shaft horsepower; Propulsion: 4 shafts with 4 propellers; Speed: 20 knots; Endurance: 8,500 nautical miles at 10 knots

Before the Kunlun Mountain-class battleship, all dreadnoughts and battleships utilized coal-fired boilers

Relatively speaking, boilers that use heavy oil as fuel are far superior to those that use coal. Firstly, the calorific value of heavy oil combustion far exceeds that of coal, thus allowing oil-fired boilers to provide warships with greater endurance when loaded with the same amount of fuel. Secondly, the storage of heavy oil is relatively easy (under conditions that exclude air, heavy oil is not easily combustible), allowing for flexible arrangement of fuel tanks, thereby making full use of the space on the warship. Finally, and most importantly, oil-fired boilers are much more compact than coal-fired boilers; for the same power output, they occupy significantly less volume, thus saving both space and weight.

Without further ado, the British Navy's Aries-class battleships of the same period had a standard displacement of 22,200 tons, and their level of protection corresponded to the equipped 13.5-inch main guns; the New York-class battleships of the United States Navy, which commenced construction two years later, had an even greater standard displacement of 27,000 tons

After the construction of the Five Mountains class commenced, the imperial navy did not feel completely satisfied, as the primary concern remained insufficient firepower

Measured by the standards of the time, the Kunlun Mountain-class battleship was undoubtedly advanced and powerful

Ultimately, the excessively low drainage capacity limits the overall defensive capabilities of the warship, particularly its underwater protection capabilities

At that time, a significant technological breakthrough, or rather the emergence of a new device, assisted the engineers at Jiangnan Shipyard in overcoming design challenges. This was the "fuel boiler"

Due to the fact that the power of the 350 mm armor-piercing shell is nearly double that of the 300 mm armor-piercing shell, it is essential to significantly enhance the armor protection capability in order to meet the naval defense requirements

Given the circumstances at the time, Jiangnan Shipyard had no room for negotiation; it had to either accept the task or allow another shipyard to undertake the design work