- Cruisers -
Cruisers are fun!
Within the context of RC Warship Combat, cruisers
mostly fill a support type role. Commonly, the larger battleships and
battlecruisers on either fleet will attempt to engage with each other based on:
the relative weaknesses and strengths of their own ship vs the enemy ship,
trying to work with their wingmen, trying to follow fleet tactics. That is a
lot to think about and it is common for the big ships to worry primarily about
the other big ships, making a cunning cruiser captain a very effective net positive
point scorer. Since cruisers are quick, they can work on providing supporting
fire on otherwise distracted capital ships that are unlikely to disengage from
that action to swat the pesky cruiser away, and if they do give chase, the
cruiser is not likely to be caught and it is otherwise pulling capital ship
resources away from the main line of combat. Plus, if given the choice between
receiving battleship sidemount fire stern gun fire from a cruiser, most would
choose the cruiser to make a mistake in front of which can make for some easy
shots. Cruisers are quick and can avoid damage by running away rather than
trying to go toe-to-toe with an enemy ship.
In campaign, cruisers really shine. They (and all
ships class 3 and lower) are allowed to reload indefinitely which allows for 60
mins + extensions of fun. Since the cruiser is fast, deploying to various parts
of the pond at moment’s notice is much more plausible than a plodding
battleship, pre-dreadnaught, or armored cruiser. Additionally, with the common
stern firing cannons, a rather generous attack range can be achieved which
makes them ideal for hunting convoy ships.
Cruisers are relatively easy and inexpensive to build
compared to larger capital ships. They can make great first ships to learn the
hobby with before committing to a slugger. Many experienced captains will use
them when they get sick of lugging around the heavy capital ships. They can
make great back up ships to have at a battle in case something breaks down to
the point of requiring work shop rather than pond-side repair. Many of the
cruisers look cool and have interesting histories. I really like cruisers. I
will attempt to explain what to look for when considering what ship to build
and how to set it up for maximal combat effectiveness within this article.
Classification:
Cruisers are categorically divided into heavy (CA) and
light (CL). The Washington Naval Treaty of 1922 designated upper end limits of 8 inch guns and 10,000 tons to cruisers. The subsequent
London Naval Treaty of 1930 subdivided cruisers as “heavy” if the gun caliber
was 8 inch and higher. For the purposes of our rules, this is the most
important differentiation. Tonnages are generally (but not always) scaled with
the heavier equipment needed to mount 8 inch
armaments.
Speed:
By
virtue of class, cruisers are faster than capital ships. Heavy Cruisers are
allowed to be no faster than 23 seconds over 100 feet, and light cruisers are
quicker and are allowed to be no faster than 22 seconds over 100 feet. For
reference, fast battleships and battlecruisers are allowed to be 24 seconds
while “slow” battleships go 28 seconds. Destroyers 21 seconds.
Generally speaking, going faster is an advantage.
Practically however when it comes to cruisers, a slight speed boost effectively
ends up being a tradeoff with decreased turning ability and pump capacity. I
would generally recommend either a 3.0 or 2.5 unit
ship and twin 50 round cannons making speed/rudder size/pump outlet size the
primary differences.
Units:
Heavy cruisers (8 inch main armament)
below 8000 tons get 2.5 units, 8000-10,000 tons get 3.0 units, and over 12,000
tons get 3.5 units. Light cruisers below 4500 tons get 1.5 units, 4500-6499
tons get 2.0 units, 6500-8999 tons get 2.5 units, and over 9000 tons get 3.0
units.
The amount of units on a
cruiser has a bit of a break point. In terms of fire power, the 3.5 unit ships can mount 3 full 50 rounds of firepower, but
the trade off is not always worth it considering how very large these ships
actually are and how much target area they offer to the enemy. Additionally this will leave only 0.5 units for the pump.
Both 2.5 and 3 unit cruisers should carry two 50 round
cannons, the difference in unit allowance is full vs half unit pump. 1.5 and 2 unit cruisers can logistically both fire 50 rounds
and have the differentiation point be a full vs half unit pump, but 2 unit
ships have a unique flexibility to split to a half unit pump and 1.5 cannons
that currently 3.0 unit cruisers are not afforded.
Weight:
Historically within our hobby, due to technology
limitations it was difficult to build the smaller/lighter ships and power them
effectively. Because of this, class 2 and lower was allowed an additional 25%
to the maximum model weight. For a large part of the hobby’s existence, this
effectively allowed for the larger 2.5 unit cruisers
to be built similarly competitively as the 3.0 unit cruisers. It was otherwise
uncommon for captains to bother with the lighter ships. Over time however,
technological advances as made it easier to build lightly. For what it’s worth,
the rules were modified starting in the year 2024 to allow all ships an
additional 25%. Considering cruisers, this should allow the lighter 3.0 unit ships to be built more competitively and may lead
to additional ship diversity.
In my opinion, it is relatively easy to build a
cruiser with equipment for 2 cannons in the 11-12 pound
range. Care needs to be taken if aiming for 9-10 pounds but is workable with
compromises and experience. The size and shape of the hull will also factor in
to what ends up being a reasonable battle weight, some class 2.5 light cruisers
will not perform well over 9 pounds due to limited hull volume. Likewise some 3.0 heavy cruisers will not battle well even
at maximum weight due to too much hull volume.
Step Deck:
Many of the actual historical cruisers were built with
a step deck, rather than flush deck. The advantages to a step deck model are
multiple. Desired flat/parallel to the water gun angles are more achievable.
The target area in the stern of the ship is larger in the bow but minimized
towards the stern which can while allowing for improved defense against stern
guns. Though lower to the water stern decks means the deck seal is important as
to not run the ship under but the reserve buoyancy in the bow and ability to
cut the water when driving forward however remains intact due to the elevated
bow of the ship. When possible, I recommend step deck cruisers.
-HMS Figi has a step deck allowing for low to the
water firing angles
-USS Nashville (Brooklyn Class) has a flush deck
making it difficult to get the firing angle low to the water
Props:
Many cruisers have 2 functional drive props. Some have
one. Two props will accelerate better and hold a straight line better. Single
prop ships will turn better but torque roll on acceleration. The drift in
forward drive that comes with holding a straight line at max speed is accounted
for by trimming the rudder, but the side to side drift
while driving backwards is a common problem for single prop ships.
Most cruisers in the 9-13 pound
range will most likely be optimally balanced in terms of speed, turning, and
acceleration with 1.25 inch dual props. Single propeller class 2 and 3 cruisers
should use 1.25 or 1.5 inch props depending on the
size of the ship.
Rudder(s):
More rudders will make ships turn better, a few
cruisers are allowed twin rudders and this is advantageous as compared to the
single rudder most cruisers are allowed.
Additionally, a seemingly subtle difference in rudder
size can have massive impacts on performance. Because reasonable prop size,
weight, ship size in terms of beam and length and draught for many of the more
competitive 2.5 unit and 3.0 unit cruisers is so
similar, the ability to turn well can be extremely dependent on the rudder
surface area, and thus 3.0 square inches is just better than 2.5 inches.
Length and beam:
Wider beam cruisers will be better for side to side stability and fitting equipment physically
within the hull. Anything 4.5-5.5 inches wide will be roughly equivalent and
“good enough.” Most cruisers are relatively long compared to their beams, there
are some theoretical turning advantages with shorter ships that don’t always
bear out with cruisers since the length to beam ratio is still quite
disadvantageous.
Turret location:
The best place for a stern gun is the stern most
turret on the lower part of the step deck further toward the stern end of the
ship. The stern displacement of the guns can allow for advantages in firing
elevation/depression angles and you don’t have to worry about bbs skipping off of the deck. A high off the water stern
turret like the Lutzow has makes it difficult to have a larger effective firing
range because of the gun depression that is required.
-Lutzow/Deuchland/Graf Spee has an
elevated stern turret
Stern guns:
I would universally advise twin stern guns. A few
cruisers don’t have stern turret locations (Oyodo, Tone),
don’t build those ships.
Nation:
Some people like to build all of their ships from a
single nation. Historically in our hobby, when we have battled Axis vs Allies,
it was common to have a secondary ship on the same team as your primary ship.
Though there were never really true rules limiting this (just convention), it
was common for the French and Italian ships to be playable as either Axis or
Allied.
The Best Cruisers:
The factors mentioned and experiences over the years
has led me to settle on some favorite cruisers. It should again be noted that I
am heavily favoring/recommending class 3.0 and 2.5 cruisers.
American step deck heavy cruisers - Pensacola class, Northampton class,
Portland Class, New Orleans class. These ships are all subtle variations on
each other with very similar length, beam, turret placement, weight, props,
rudders, etc. There are some differences in the freeboard in terms of the
distance from the bow to the step, less is probably better. All of these ships
are very balanced in that they are big enough to be forgiving but small enough
to have all of the other desired characteristics. A relative downfall is that
these ships can be borderline large, meaning more target area you have to
protect.
British step deck heavy cruisers - Exeter, York. These are similar to the American
step deck heavies but all are a little lighter in max weight allowed, which can
make it more difficult to build and weigh down enough within the water to get
them to float at a good water line.
French heavy cruisers. Similar to the Americans, the French heavies with
step decks are well balanced and relatively good sized, making them forgiving
for beginning battlers but also competitive for advanced battlers. I’d avoid
Algerie due to flush deck design, the Duquesne/Tourville is very good, the
Foch/Suffern has 3 shafts and 2 rudders.
-FN Tourville has a step deck and forgiving hull
volume
Italian Heavy cruisers - Bolzano, Trento, Zara are all very similar to each
other and very similar to the American heavy cruisers, but get cooler paint
jobs and remind you of going to an old time barber. I
have a love affair with my Italian cruisers.
Japanese heavy cruisers. The Japanese heavy cruisers have swoop stern deck
rather than a step deck. This is both good and bad. They have to be run with
good deck seals so they don’t swamp themselves as they will run fairly low in
the water, but this is somewhat favorable in terms of target area minimization.
Several of them are actually fairly small and light making them more advanced
builds. Several of them have a lot of superstructure
that can lead to stabilization issues. I’d point beginners to Nachi/Mogami and
advanced builders to Furutaka/Aoba.
German Heavy cruisers. The Prinz Eugen is extremely large and can’t readily
effectively use triples. The “Pocket Battleships” Deuchland/Lutzow
are historically important/interesting but have a very odd step location with
the turret on the upper position and extremely narrow sterns which limit
turning. I consider this a more advanced ship and have only seen one or two
that are even remotely competitive.
The French lights. Gloire/Galissonniere/Montcalm is one of the
most competitive 2.5 unit ships.
-FN Gloire
The German light cruisers are really small and have narrow beams making them
difficult builds. The Konigsberg has 2 drive props and a funny offset turret,
it is really neat but small. Leipzig and Nurnberg have 3 shafts but are all
otherwise similar.
The bigger Italian
light cruisers Emanuel Filiberto Duca d’Aosta, Montecuccoli,
Garibaldi are all very good. These have been rare to see on the water mostly
due to lack of available fiberglass hulls.
-Emanual Filiberto Duca d’Aosta
The Japanese light cruisers other than Agano are
difficult to talk yourself into. Agano is a swoop
deck very light ship, I would consider this an advanced build.
British light cruiser Fiji as among the more competitive 2.5
unit ships.
-HMS Figi is a very competitive ship
The American light cruisers are all flush deck and not that competitive.
The Huge Ships.
Overall, I would not advise most battlers to attempt the American 3.5 unit
enormous, high off the water Baltimore or Des Moines. The Takao and Prinz Eugen
are very large and without true triples. The Lutzow as I had mentioned is a
tricky build.
-USS Baltimore is very big
Odd balls:
I’ve admittedly never seen any of these but can imagine some of them could be
good. The Spanish heavy cruiser Canarias is based on the British County class
cruisers, unfortunately it has a flush deck. The Russian Heavy Kirov is
basically a modified Italian Montecuccoli and would
be reasonably good. I’ve always wanted to build the Swedish Tre Kronor and
think it would be good but it does have a lot of superstructure
and might be a bit top heavy. The Argentine La
Argentina and Dutch De Ruyter have a very far to the stern step. The Spanish
Alfonso was similar to some of the British light cruisers.
TLDR
Get yourself a Gloire, Filiberto, Fiji if you want CL;
American, Italian, or French step deck if you want CA.
Tyler Helland 6/30/2024
Back to Battle Reports & Building
Articles