Bucks-class Fast Battleship

### Armament

4x3 Modell 18 Fd. 19.5 Guns (35.5 cm guns), 10x1 Modell 15 Fd. 11 Guns (15 cm guns), 14x1 Modell 18 Fd. 5.5 Guns (10 cm guns), 8x2 Modell 20 Fd. 1.4 Guns (2.55 cm AA-guns), 2x4 Fd. 33.5 Torpedoes

## Notes

### Notes

Condition 1930

The **Bucks-class Fast Battleship** is a class of fast battleships built for the Imperial Navy between 1919 and 1924, with the last unit being commissioned in 1925. They are expected to be in service until at least 1950 (including at least one planned refit in 1934).

They are the last battleships or battlecruisers of the Imperial Navy with secondary artillery in casemates.

## Design

### Armament

4x3 Modell 18 Fd. 19.5 Guns (35.5 cm guns, two fore, two aft), 10x1 Modell 15 Fd. 11 Guns (15 cm guns, casemates), 14x1 Modell 18 Fd. 5.5 Guns (10 cm guns, deck), 8x2 Modell 20 Fd. 1.4 Guns (2.55 cm AA-guns), 2x4 Fd. 33.5 Torpedoes

### Armor

The belt armor of the Bucks-class Fast Battleship is, at the belt, 300 mm thick, protecting 150 meters from around eight meters before the Alia-turret (the foremost turret) to around fifteen meters aft of the Dorit-turret (the aftmost turret). Towards either end of the ship, the belt armor gets thinner and thinner until it is around 100 mm in thickness when it meets the forward and aft main bulkheads. Furthermore, the armor gets thinner the further one goes below the waterline, in its thickest parts, the armor is on 150 mm thick at the lowermost part.

Horizontally, the Bucks-class Fast Battleship is protected by a 30 mm weather deck, a 70 mm thick between deck and the Main Deck Armor, 110 mm thick. The ammunition bunkers and powder rooms are armored by an additional armor 120 mm on top of the Main Deck Armor.

A torpedo bulkhead, sloping inwards around five meters away from the outer hull, the space inbetween filled with the primary fuel tanks - primary in the sense that these were the first fuel tanks to be emptied.

The Bucks-class Fast Battleship has a double bottom, with the lower bottom being armoured by 15mm thick steel plates, while the upper bottom is normal steel plating. The space inbetween is used as fuel and water bunkers.

The turrets are armored with a face armor of 300 mm, 200 mm on the sides and 130 mm on the roof, which has a gable running along the center, with a ten degree incline to both sides. Said gable is rested on a 50 mm thick armor plate, which bisects the turret to prevent internal explosions from ruining the entire turret. Their barbettes are 300 mm thick.

The casemate armour of the ten Modell 15 Fd. 11 Guns (15 cm guns) are 30 mm thick, while the fourteen deck-mounted Modell 18 Fd. 5.5 Guns (10 cm guns) are protected by their own half-shields (a gun house without a rear plate) with a thickness of 10 mm.

The conning tower is armored with 340 mm thick side armor, while the top is armored with 20 mm steel plates. The remainder of the superstructure is armored with 25 mm thick steel plates to the side and top.

## Service History

### 1934 Refit

The refit is planned to last between two to three years per vessel, which will go into the refit one squadron after the other. Planned is, among other things, rearming the vessels with newer Modell 28 Fd. 19.5 Guns (4x3, 35.5 cm guns), replacing the casemate and deck guns, more anti-air weapons, and replacing them with Modell 31 Fd. 2 Guns, and additional torpedo bulges. A removal of the torpedo tubes in favour of more anti-air weapons is discussed.

It is expected, that the Bucks-class Fast Battleships are back in fleet service by 1940.

### Ships in class

**Ships**

Battleships: Kayfer-class Fast Battleship, Eyckenbaum-class Battleship, Imperatrix Gundel class Battleship, **Bucks-class Fast Battleship**
Battlecruisers/"The heavy cavalry of the Fleet": Feuerreiter-class Battlecruiser, Tauläufer-class Battlecruiser, Furtenland-class Battlecruiser (decommissioned)
Aircraft Carriers: Feuerbergadler-class Aircraft Carrier (to be commissioned 1941-1944), Tiefbucht-class Light Aircraft Carrier (to be commissioned 1942-1945), Waldschatten-class Aircraft Carrier, Early Aircraft Carriers of the Imperial Navy

**Boats**

Cruisers/"The light cavalry of the Fleet": Prinz-class Cruiser, Prinzessin-class Cruiser, Stadt-class Scout Cruiser
Destroyers: Zerstörer 1935 (Z-211 to Z-240, 30 units), Zerstörer 1925 (Z-151 to Z-210, 60 units), Einheitszerstörer a.k.a. Zerstörer 1918 (Z-121 to Z-150, 30 units) and Zerstörer 1915 (Z-113 to Z-130, 18 units), Zerstörer 1910 (42 units, decommissioned, awaiting scrapping)
Frigates/Flottenbegleiter: Flottenbegleiter 1928
Torpedo Boats: Torpedoboot 1922
**Supply and Support Vessels**

Other: SIM Kloster Garremach (training ship), Unterstützungsboot 1917 (support boat)

**Other Equipment**

**Battleship Artillery:** Modell 24 Fd. 25 Gun (45.5 cm gun), Modell 22 Fd. 22 Gun (40 cm gun)
Fd. 19.5 Guns (35.5 cm guns): Modell 18 Fd. 19.5 Gun, Modell 28 Fd. 19.5 Gun
**Cruiser Artillery:** Modell 25 Fd. 8.25 Gun (15 cm gun)
Fd. 11 Guns (20 cm guns): Modell 10 Fd. 11 Gun, Modell 15 Fd. 11 Gun, Modell 21 Fd. 11 Gun, Modell 28 Fd. 11 Gun
**Destroyer Artillery:**
Fd. 5.5 Guns (10 cm guns): Modell 11 Fd. 5.5 Gun, Modell 18 Fd. 5.5 Gun, Modell 26 Fd. 5.5 Gun (dual purpose mount)
For destroyers with delusions of grandeur: Modell 25 Fd. 8.25 Gun
Anti-Aircraft Artillery: Modell 31 Fd. 2 Gun (36 mm AA-gun), Modell 20 Fd. 1.4 Gun (2.55 cm AA-gun), Modell 26 Fd. 5.5 Gun (10 cm gun, dual purpose mount)
Torpedoes: Fd. 24.7 Aerial Torpedo (450 mm torpedo), Fd. 33.5 Torpedo (610 mm torpedo)
Rockets: Rockets of the Imperial Navy
Mines: Naval mines of the Imperial Navy
Aircraft: List of Aircraft in service with the Imperial Armed Forces
Radar: *Present and accounted for*
Sonar: *Present and accounted for*

Also see: Women in the Imperial Armed Forces, Doctrine of the Imperial Navy, Structure of the Imperial Navy in 1930, Structure of the Imperial Navy in 1940, Marine-Schützen-Korps, Imperatorwerften Wahlerhaven.
Competitors: Shipclasses and equipment of the Sultan's Navy, Structure of the SDF-Navy in 1942, Structure of the Lutetiian Navy in 1942
Project 1940: Structure of the SDF-Navy in 1942, Structure of the Sultan's Navy in 1940, Structure of the Armed Forces of the Principality in 1940, Structure of the Lutetiian Navy in 1942, Structure of the Armed Forces of the Empire of Kupandukira in 1940