Comments by "William Cox" (@WildBillCox13) on "IJN Nagato - Guide 086" video.

  1. Referring to one of your other presentations, I feel that the Kongos were the most aesthetically pleasing of all warships. Many like the Hood, or Bismarck, and I am quite fond of Dunkerque's odd lines . . . ( http://www.bismarck-class.dk/shipmodels/french_models/dunkerque_moitrot.html ), But the picture of the Kongos you placed in your video says it all. Beautiful, both in proportion, and in motion.
    3
  2. The USN Sumner class DDs are also beautiful ships.
    2
  3. Imagine if those heavies escorting KB's 1st Carrier Fleet had replaced their 25mm, Hotchkiss-derived, autocannon with Vickers "Pompom guns"(which they had a small number of already). An IJN Battleship (or Kongo Class) bristling with quadruple or octuple 40mm pompoms, rather than similar numbers of 25mm cannon in pairs and triples, might've been a more dangerous beast. Such a choice might not have altered the war's course, but could have made it a tougher ride. World War One Battleships were hulls, to which various upgrades might be applied and new gear amalgamated in order to improve general or specific utility. Rather than Weapons Systems (meant for a specific task), by the 1930s they were Weapons Platforms (which are meant to be altered to fit changing requirements). The best use of them in the Second World-ish* War seems to have been shore bombardment and, to this end, they were stippled with AA weapons (something Drachinifel has occasionally pointed out). This rendered them more resistant to attack from the air, something very likely when you are bombarding an enemy coast. Most WW1 veterans were not the equal of modern battleships, no matter how comprehensive their upgrades were or had been. For one thing, their decks were paper thin against plunging fire. Consider: if you add weight above the waterline you raise your metacentric and your ship becomes a bad roller. Add 2 or 3" inches of deck armor to a topheavy design (and many, many, warships are precariously balanced against topweight), and your BB might turn turtle in a storm . . . From Combined Fleet dot Com: "The ingenuity of the Japanese in these achievements in adhering to, while also defeating treaty limitations, were widely, if grudgingly, praised overseas at the time. However, the result with ships that follow these principals such as the HATSUHARU and CHIDORI-class are ships whose area above water was very great in relation to below surface. Even to layman, they appear somewhat ungainly and top-heavy. That impression will receive devastating confirmation the year after the first ships of both classes make their 1933 debuts." In other words, these venerable WW1 ships were already pushing their hulls' tonnage limits when launched. When you try to add Between the Wars innovations and concept changes in terms of torpedo bulges, additional armor plating, and the inevitable extra ballast to counter rolling, you become aware that World War One battleships could never be World War Two battleships. Unfortunately, WW1 Battleships were all that Japan had got, realistically speaking. The Nagato was not going to defeat the Washington, despite her considerable weight of metal. The Yamashiro was never going to defeat the South Dakota, and the Yamato, national prestige in a brightly wrapped box that she was, complete with Type 13 and Type 22 bows, was no match for the three Iowas.
    1
  4. * The First World War--ish conflict was in 1066--1186, when almost every notable civilization was eager to beat the living Sanzu out of its neighbors and competitors. The Second World War-ish conflict was the British against almost everyone, ever*, from about 1540 to 1904 . . . whew! peace at last! *Spain, France, Holland, itself, the German principalities, India, China, Turkey, Russia, Afghanistan, the Zulu, the Tutsi, the . . . oh, hell! Just throw a dart at the map.
    1