Areadbhar-class battlecruiser

Class overview
Name:	Areadbhar-class battlecruiser
Operators:	Royal Ossorian Navy
Preceded by:	Gáe Bulg-class
Succeeded by:	Claíomh Solais-class
In commission:	1925 - 1952
Planned:	6
Completed:	6
Lost:	1
Retired:	5
Preserved:	2
General characteristics (1939 refit)
Type:	Battlecruiser
Displacement:	29,477 t standard 35,640 t full load
Length:	242 meters
Beam:	27.5 meters
Draught:	9.2 meters
Propulsion:	8 x oil-fired boilers 4 x geared turbines 2 x screws
Speed:	32 kts
Range:	7,000 nm at 20 kts
Complement:	1,220
Armament:	8 x dual 380 mm/45 caliber guns 10 x twin 115 mm/45 caliber dual-purpose guns 10 x quad 40 mm/55 caliber anti-aircraft guns 40 x single 20 mm/70 caliber anti-aircraft guns
Armor:	Belt: 240 mm Deck: 120 mm Gun: 230 mm Barbette: 180 mm Bulkhead: 120 mm Conning tower: 200 mm

The Areadbhar-class was a class of six battlecruisers built for the Royal Ossorian Navy starting in 1923. The class comprised of the ships Areadbhar, Móralltach, Carnwennan, Fragarach, Caladbolg, and Dyrnwyn. The Areadbhar class was designed and laid down as an improved variant of the Dian Cécht-class battleships, but increasing tensions saw their construction schedule accelerated and they were instead brought into service as battlecruisers, which could be completed more quickly.

Design

General characteristics

The Areadbhar-class ships were 242 metres long overall, had a beam of 27.5 m and a draught of 9.2 m with a normal displacement of 29,477 t. The ships were powered by four screws powered by four turbines driven by steam provided by eight oil-fired boilers. The engines were rated at 112,000 shaft horsepower and delivered a top speed of 32 knots. Areadbhar and her sisters were capable of a maximum range of 7,000 nautical miles at a cruising speed of 20 knots, making them among the fastest capital ships in Tyran at the time.

Armament

The Areadbhar-class ships mounted a main battery of eight 38cm 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 secondary battery originally consisted of sixteen 140mm deck guns in twin mountings amidships. This was later upgraded during a refit to consist of twenty 115mm 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 Areadbhar-class ships had an all or nothing armor layout, with its armor belt that was 240 mm 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 230 mm on the face and front sides and 175 mm on the rear sides, where shells were less likely to hit. The barbettes in which the turrets sat were 180 mm thick above the upper deck, but thinned to 100 mm below deck. The ships' armored deck itself was 120 mm thick.

Ships

Ship	Namesake	Builder	Laid down	Launched	Commissioned	Fate
Areadbhar	The Spear of Lugh	HRM Dockyard, Gabhrán	1925	1926	1927
Móralltach	The Sword of Nuada	HRM Dockyard, Thiar	1925	1926	1927
Carnwennan	The Dagger of Triana	HRM Dockyard, Cléire	1925	1926	1927
Fragarach	The Sword of Mórrígan	HRM Dockyard, Thiar	1925	1926	1927
Caladbolg	The Sword of Andraste	HRM Dockyard, Gabhrán	1925	1926	1927
Dyrnwyn	The Sword of Arawn	HRM Dockyard, Cléire	1925	1926	1927