Aífe-class battleship

Class overview
Name:	Aífe-class battleship
Operators:	Royal Ossorian Navy
Preceded by:	Arduinna-class
Succeeded by:	Lugh-class
In commission:	1934 - 1977
Planned:	6
Completed:	6
Retired:	2
Preserved:	4
General characteristics
Type:	Battleship
Displacement:	46,383 t standard 52,819 t full load
Length:	248 meters
Beam:	33 meters
Draught:	11 meters
Propulsion:	8 x 8 3-drum boilers 4 x geared turbines 4 x screws
Speed:	30 kts
Range:	11,000 nm at 15 kts
Complement:	1,670
Armament:	8 x 380 mm/45 caliber guns 20 x twin 120 mm/45 caliber dual-purpose guns 40 x quad 40 mm/55 caliber anti-aircraft guns 40 x single 20 mm/70 caliber anti-aircraft guns
Armor:	Belt: 400 mm Deck: 150 mm Gun: 350 mm Barbette: 350 mm Bulkhead: 300 mm Conning tower: 100 mm

The Aífe-class was a class of six fast battleships built for the Royal Ossorian Navy starting in 1930. The class comprised of the ships Aífe, Donn, Belisama, Anu, Nuada Airgetlám, and Ecne.

Design

General characteristics

The Aífe-class ships were 256 metres long overall, had a beam of 33 m and a draught of 11 m with a normal displacement of 49,958 t. The ships were powered by four screws powered by four turbines driven by steam provided by eight 3-drum oil-fired boilers. The engines were rated at approximately 165,000 shaft horsepower and delivered a top speed of 30 knots. Aífe and her sisters were capable of a maximum range of 11,000 nautical miles at a cruising speed of 15 knots.

Armament

The Aífe-class ships mounted a main battery of eight 38 cm breach-loading guns mounted in four two-gun hydraulically powered 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°, though the guns were loaded at +5°. The gun turrets could train 270° in either direction from the centreline. The guns could fire 880 kg shells at a rate of approximately two 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 33,500 m.

The secondary battery consisted of twenty 12 cm dual-purpose guns mounted in twin turrets amidships. 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 Aífe-class ships had an all or nothing armor layout, with its armor belt that was 40 cm thick in the central area of the ship (covering the ammunition magazines, machinery spaces, and other vital parts of the ship) leaving the fore and aft sections of the side hull unarmored. The main gun turrets were 35 cm on the sides and 75 mm on the rear, where shells were less likely to hit. The barbettes in which the turrets sat were 35 cm thick. The ships' armored deck was 150 mm thick across the maindeck and the quarterdeck.

Ships

Ship	Namesake	Builder	Laid down	Launched	Commissioned	Fate
Aífe	Goddess of Warfare	HRM Dockyard, Gabhrán	1930	1931	1934
Donn	God of the Underworld	HRM Dockyard, Thiar	1930	1931	1934
Belisama	Goddess of Music	HRM Dockyard, Cléire	1930	1931	1934
Anu	Goddess of Flame	HRM Dockyard, Thiar	1931	1932	1935
Nuada Airgetlám	God of Oceans	HRM Dockyard, Gabhrán	1931	1932	1935
Ecne	Deity of the Moon	HRM Dockyard, Cléire	1931	1932	1935