Luchtaine-class battleship

Class overview
Name:	Luchtaine-class battleship
Operators:	Royal Ossorian Navy
Preceded by:	Taranis-class
Succeeded by:	Dian Cécht-class
In commission:	1916 - 1949
Planned:	6
Completed:	6
Retired:	3
Preserved:	3
General characteristics (1937 refit)
Type:	Battleship
Displacement:	33,143 t standard 36,137 t full load
Length:	196 meters
Beam:	32 meters
Draught:	10 meters
Propulsion:	2 screws 4 geared turbines
Speed:	24 kts
Range:	7,000 nm at 12 kts
Complement:	1,273
Armament:	4 x dual 380 mm/45 caliber guns 10 x twin 115 mm/45 caliber dual purpose guns 8 x quad 40 mm/55 caliber anti-aircraft guns 30 x single 20 mm/70 caliber anti-aircraft guns 6 x submerged 533 mm broadside torpedo tubes
Armor:	Belt: Main: 300 mm Ends: 150 mm Deck: 125 mm Gun: 250 mm Barbette: 250 mm Bulkhead: 200 mm Conning tower: 250 mm

The Luchtaine-class was a class of six battleships built for the Royal Ossorian Navy starting in 1916. The class comprised of the ships Luchtaine, Cairbre, Druantia, Ogma, Néit, and Amaethon.

Design

General characteristics

The Luchtaine-class ships were 198 metres long overall, had a beam of 32 m and a draught of 10 m with a normal displacement of 34,806 t. The ships were powered by two screws powered by four turbines driven by steam provided by 24 oil-fired boilers. The engines were rated at 56,000 shaft horsepower and delivered a top speed of 21 knots. Luchtaine and her sisters were capable of a maximum range of 7,000 nautical miles at a cruising speed of 10 knots.

Armament

The Luchtaine-class ships mounted a main battery of eight 38 cm breach-loading guns mounted in four two-gun turrets placed in two superfiring pairs fore and aft of the superstructure ("Beith" and "Luis" turrets forward and "Saille" and "Nion" turrets aft). The gun housings allowed for the guns to depress to −5° and elevate to 30°, and while capable of being loaded at any angle, the guncrews typically returned them to +5 degrees, as the guns could be cleared faster at that elevation. The gun turrets could train 150° in either direction from the centreline. The guns could fire 875 kg shells at a rate of approximately 1.6 rounds per minute, and were capable of firing a variety of shells. At their maximum elevation of 30°, the guns had a range of approximately 30,000 m.

The original secondary battery consisted of twelve 15 cm guns mounted in casemates in the hull around the forward superstructure, but these weapons were removed and their gunports plated over during refit in 1937. The secondary armament was replaced by twenty 115 mm dual purpose guns in ten twin turrets placed along the two broadsides of the ship. These guns fired 25 kg shells at a rate of approximately 12 rounds per minute. The guns could elevate to 80°, which enabled a maximum range of 19,000 m.

Armor

The Luchtaine-class ships had a main armor belt that was 300 mm thick in the central area of the ship (covering the ammunition magazines, machinery spaces, and other vital parts of the ship). The belt tapered down to 150 mm towards the bow and stern. The main gun turrets were 250 mm on the sides and 75 mm on the rear, where shells were less likely to hit. The barbettes in which the turrets sat were 250 mm thick. The ships' armored deck was 125 mm thick.

Ships

Ship	Namesake	Builder	Laid down	Launched	Commissioned	Fate
Luchtaine	God of Crafts	HRM Dockyard, Gabhrán	1916	1917	1919	Preserved as a museum ship
Cairbre	God of Poetry	HRM Dockyard, Thiar	1916	1917	1919
Druantia	Goddess of Wisdom	HRM Dockyard, Cléire	1916	1917	1919	Preserved as a museum ship
Ogma	God of Writing	HRM Dockyard, Thiar	1917	1918	1920
Néit	God of Warfare	HRM Dockyard, Gabhrán	1917	1918	1920
Amaethon	God of Revelry	HRM Dockyard, Cléire	1917	1918	1920	Preserved as a museum ship