Amika Carpio-Class Battleship
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| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Amika Carpio-Class Battleship |
| Builders: | Royal Shipbuilders of Cacerta |
| Operators: |
 Cacertian Royal Navy |
| Preceded by: | Isa Frazione-class |
| Succeeded by: | Andrea Doria-class |
| In commission: | 1932 – 1948 |
| Planned: | 4 |
| Completed: | 2 |
| Cancelled: | 2 |
| Lost: | 1 |
| Retired: | 1 |
| Preserved: | 1 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type: | Battleship |
| Displacement: |
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| Length: | 257 meters |
| Beam: | 36 meters |
| Draft: | 10 meters |
| Propulsion: |
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| Speed: | 33 knots (61 km/h) |
| Range: | 11,800 nautical miles at 19 knots |
| Complement: | 1,874 Officers and Crew |
| Armament: |
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The Amika Carpio-class was a class of heavy steam-powered battleship built for the Cacertian Royal Navy in the 1930s. It is characterized for being the heaviest warship afloat when put to sea in 1932 and was the first Cacertian warships to be armed with guns that exceeded 400mm in caliber. Despite the success of the class, their large expense limited their production which was further hampered with the start of the Siduri War. As a result, only two ships of the class were built—both served extensively in the Bara and Sabri Seas against the Inner Sphere combined navy.
The lead ship of the class, HMS Amika Carpio, had a distinguished career in the Eastern Theater as the flagship for Task Force Center and was involved in several major engagements which included the Operation Winter Phantasm and the Battle of the Sabri Sea. She survived the war and is currently being preserved at the Fumicino Naval Warfare Museum.
The HMS Azalia D’Orio served as the command vessel for Task Force Andria and also saw significant action. She was scuttled during the fateful Battle of the Sabri Sea after suffering incapacitating damage. Her loss was seen as a severe blow to the CRN and served as a rally cry for the remainder of the war.
Design
The design process of the Amika Carpio-class began in early 1920s as a successor class to the Isa Frazione-class of battleships. Despite their success and generally reliable characteristics, damage suffered by the Isotta Cusato during the Divide War and the Zoe Accardo at Rammelles highlighted the possible dangers of warships equipped with quadruple turrets. The resulting studies conducted of their combat performance determined that a newer ship needed to be developed and should be armed with guns that were at least 380mm, capable of maintaining the Isa Frazione’s combat speed of 30 knots, and be well protected. At the time, Ossoria—considered Cacerta’s primary naval rival—and Acrea were viewed as the most likely threats. Thereby the Amika and Azalia were intended to counter the Ossorian Taliesin-class, which had begun a series of refits in 1933, and the new generation of Acrean battleships.
The warship’s primary designer was Eugenia Davion and, despite the initial draw-up that utilized eight 380mm new generation naval guns, she departed from the original design. After it was discovered that the Taliesin-class refit would be armed with a 14-inch main battery, Eugenia decided to opt for a larger caliber the would ensure better damage potential and have a longer effective range. Sticking to a more aggressive battery layout, it was decided that the new class would possess four twin turrets in a three-one configuration that greatly differed from any of the CRN’s previous designs. This turret layout of the Amikas would go on to define several classes of battleship during the time period of the Siduri War.
It was also important for the design staff to provide a sufficient range for the new warship as there was a high possibility that they would be making long voyages from Cacertian ports with the only primary overseas naval base being located on the far western side of Tyran in the Andria Protectorate. Particular attention was given to the ship’s stability and armor; thick vertical belt armor with a heavy citadel armor plating was adopted alongside extensive splinter protection in the bow and stern. They were also designed with a strong double hull structure and a series of extensive water-tight compartments meant to ensure that both warships—if engaged far from friendly seas—had a high chance of returning to port.
The final design put the Amika Carpio-class at an overall length of 250 meters from bow to stern with a beam of 36 meters. The warship’s draft with a standard load was 8.67 meters and 10 meters with a deep load with a standard displacement of 48,000 metric tons and 54,500 metric tons when fully loaded. The double-hull of both ships, which were primarily welded, consisted of approximately 86 percent of the length of the hull with a total of twenty-six watertight compartments. As a direct result of their wide beam, both the Amika and the Azalia were extremely stable and suffered minimal pitching and rolling in heavy seas.
The advanced design characteristics of the Amikas, primarily the development of a new naval gun and the intricate construction of its double-hull, consequently made them extremely expensive and time-consuming to construct. However, in the era prior to the Siduri War, they were considered to be some of the most advanced and well-armed warships at sea.
Armament
Amika’s and Azalia’s main battery was made up of eight 405mm RN-MBII naval guns housed in four twin turrets with a three-one configuration; turrets I, II, and III were located forward of the superstructure with turret IV situated aft. The turret design allowed the guns to be elevated to 45° and gave the warships a maximum range of 38,500 meters, although the normal effective range firing a 1,200 kg AP shell was considered to be 36,000 meters. The normal load for the main battery aboard both ships was between 920—960 shells total, averaging 115—120 shells per gun. In optimal conditions, the rate of fire was one shot every 24 seconds. The guns were designed and developed by the Ordnance Bureau of the Royal Shipbuilders of Cacerta.
The Amikas’ use of twin turrets was a departure from the preceding Isa Frazione-class—which possessed quadruple turrets—as a protective measure by designer Eugenia Davion from lessons learned during the North-South Triple Continent War. Although triple turrets had been considered during the design process, Eugenia feared that a single hit would disable a larger proportion of the ship’s firepower if it had been equipped with larger turrets with more guns. Four twin turrets also allowed for a better field of fire, higher fire rate, and more effective salvo sequence.
Both ships possessed a secondary battery that consisted of sixteen 150mm RN-SBI guns mounted in eight twin turrets split between the port and starboard sides of the superstructure. The guns in each turret were capable of elevating 40° and depressing to -10° with a rate of fire of six rounds per minute. Firing a 45.3 kg shell, the secondary guns possessed a muzzle velocity of 875 m/s with a maximum range of 23,000 meters at maximum elevation. Although they were never initially designed for the anti-aircraft role, the secondary batteries were later armed with time-fuzed shells as the dominance of naval aircraft became apparent during the Siduri War.
The anti-aircraft battery consisted of sixteen 105mm RN-DPIV dual-purpose cannons in eight twin mounts, twenty 40mm RN-AAIV anti-aircraft guns in ten twin mounts, and sixteen 20mm RN-AAIII anti-aircraft guns. The 105mm guns aboard the Amikas were developed from those mounted aboard the Isa Frazione-class and were controlled by four fire-control directors, two just aft of the conning tower and the other two mounted just fore of the turret IV gun director. The ships’ 40mm and 20mm guns were twin mounted and placed in varying positions on the vessels’ superstructure. All of these mounts were hand-operated and designed to automatically stabilize for pitch and roll.
Armor
The Amika Carpio-class ships had an armored belt that ranged in thickness from 240mm to 320mm with the thickest sections protecting the the gun turret housings, ammunition magazine, and internal machinery. The upper deck was 50mm thick with an armored mid-deck ranging in thickness from 100—120mm; the armored deck tapered downward at a 30° to 60mm towards the bow and stern. The angle of the deck was theorize to deflect enemy fire and thereby assist in protecting the ship’s vital internals in the event an enemy shell managed to penetrate the armored belt. The forward conning tower had 350mm thick armored on its sides with a 200mm thick roof with the range finger possessing 200mm thick side armor and a 100mm thick roof. The main battery turrets aboard both ships were characterized for the extremely thick front-facing armor at 500mm with 260mm thick sides and a 130mm thick roof.
Propulsion
The four-shaft design of the Isa Frazione-class, characterized for its maneuverability and ability to steer using propeller revolutions, was adopted for the Amika Carpio-class. Each shaft was driven by a high-pressure geared turbine that ran at 2,825 revolutions per minute. A total of sixteen Andura ultra high-pressure superheated boilers provided power the the turbines, four boilers per turbine, and was capable of providing 151,500 shp during the Amika’s sea trials. Both ships were designed to carry 3,400 tons of fuel oil with the ability to store up to 7,800 tons with additional fuel bunkers. At a cruising speed of 19 knots, they could steam for 8,800 nautical miles before refueling. The ships’ electrical power was provided by eight 500 kW diesel generators, six 700 kW turbo-generators. The electrical power plant provided 8,120 kW at 220 volts.
Construction
Amika Carpio was laid down at Fumicino Dock 0003 at the main facility for the Royal Shipbuilders of Cacerta on 10 May 1930 with a designation of BB-AC-001. As the first ship of the class, the hull underwent an extensive review process between May and June before full construction continued. She was launched on 14 August 1932 and christened by her namesake Prime Minister Emeritus Amika Carpio. After undergoing sea trials, Amika was commissioned into the fleet on 22 October 1932 under the command of Captain, First Grade Masina Caladri.
The keel of the Azalia D’Orio was laid down in close proximity to that of her sister ship at Fumicino Dock 0006 on 20 July 1930 with designation BB-AC-002. She was named after Admiral Azalia D’Orio, the naval commander who engineered the successful landing of troops in Syara during the Divide War and was launched on 10 October 1932. Following her commission on 14 December 1932, the Azalia was adopted by Admiral Marzia Triola to serve as her flagship for the Cacertian Southern Fleet in Paviolo.
Service History
HMS Amika Carpio
HMS Azalia D’Orio
Current Status
The Amika managed to survive the war and is currently being preserved at the Fumicino Naval Warfare Museum as part of the museum’s Great War Era Exhibit. Her sister ship, the Azalia was lost during the war with her final resting place remaining unknown until 1992. A third ship of the class planned, named Anastasia Pisani, but economic restructuring led to a delay in her production. She was later cancelled as a result of the Siduri War and her keel was never laid down.
Units
| # | Designation | Name | Shipyard | Laid down | Launched | Commissioned | Status | Commanding Officer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| I | BB-AC-001 | Amika Carpio | Fumicino Dock 0003 | 10 May 1930 | 14 August 1932 | 22 October 1932 | Preserved at the Fumicino Naval Warfare Museum. | N/A |
| II | BB-AC-002 | Azalia D’Orio | Fumicino Dock 0006 | 20 July 1930 | 10 October 1932 | 14 December 1932 | Scuttled after suffering incapacitating damage during the Battle Varano. | N/A |
| III | BB-AC-003 | Anastasia Pisani | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |