Blossom Class

## Description

The Blossom Class are a class of four ships developed for the Tokkidan Navy
They are considered to be Heavy Frigates by the TKN and to be Torpedo Boat Destroyers or Avisos by most other world powers.

## Development

The Blossom Class were designed by the Tokkaidan Admiralty Design Board under the massive Project 2 New Century program.
They were designed to fit in small slipways and drydrocks owing to the consideration that Tokkaido at the time had little ability to produce large ships.

The Guardian Affair, the driving force behind Project 2 and it's result the Blossom and Cat class Frigates. taught the Tokkidan Navy that they need ships. And they need ships capable of at least stalling new ships, and fighting older ones. The end result are ships that most consider to be grossly over gunned for their size, but which must be admitted by even some of the loudest critics of the design. Are very well thought out for their task, very strongly built, and with a hull shape that makes them resilient to thin pack ice and all that for a speed of 18 knots means that while they are slower than true cruisers or torpedo boats, the can easily overhaul most merchant ships and with 2,500nm of range they can stay out at sea for weeks with the proper food stores.

## Specifications

Blossom Class, Tokkaidan Heavy Frigate laid down 1904

Displacement:
 729 t light; 756 t standard; 855 t normal; 934 t full load

Dimensions: Length (overall / waterline) x beam x draught (normal/deep)
 (190.96 ft / 180.45 ft) x 22.97 ft x (13.12 / 14.08 ft)
 (58.21 m / 55.00 m) x 7.00 m x (4.00 / 4.29 m)

Armament:

3 - 4.02" / 102 mm 45.0 cal guns - 32.66lbs / 14.81kg shells, 150 per gun

Quick firing guns in deck mounts, 1900 Model
1 x Single mount on centreline, forward deck forward
2 x Single mounts on centreline, aft evenly spread

4 - 1.97" / 50.0 mm 30.0 cal guns - 3.52lbs / 1.59kg shells, 150 per gun

 Quick firing guns in deck mounts, 1900 Model
 2 x 2-gun mounts on sides, aft deck forward

4 - 0.26" / 6.5 mm 45.0 cal guns - 0.01lbs / 0.00kg shells, 10,000 per gun

 Breech loading guns in deck mounts, 1900 Model
 2 x Single mounts on sides, forward deck aft

Weight of broadside 112 lbs / 51 kg

Armour:

Gun armour: Face (max) Other gunhouse (avg) Barbette/hoist (max)

 Main: 1.57" / 40 mm 1.18" / 30 mm -
 2nd: 1.57" / 40 mm 1.18" / 30 mm -

Protected deck - single deck:

 For and Aft decks: 1.65" / 42 mm
 Forecastle: 0.98" / 25 mm Quarter deck: 0.98" / 25 mm

Machinery:
 Coal fired boilers, steam turbines,
 Direct drive, 2 shafts, 3,147 shp / 2,348 Kw = 18.00 kts
 Range 2,500nm at 10.00 kts
 Bunker at max displacement = 178 tons (100% coal)

Complement:
 78 - 102

Cost:
 £0.075 million / $0.300 million

Distribution of weights at normal displacement:
 Armament: 20 tons, 2.3 %
 - Guns: 20 tons, 2.3 %
 Armour: 120 tons, 14.0 %
 - Armament: 37 tons, 4.4 %
 - Armour Deck: 82 tons, 9.7 %
 Machinery: 315 tons, 36.8 %
 Hull, fittings & equipment: 261 tons, 30.5 %
 Fuel, ammunition & stores: 125 tons, 14.7 %
 Miscellaneous weights: 14 tons, 1.6 %
 - Hull below water: 5 tons
 - Hull above water: 5 tons
 - On freeboard deck: 2 tons
 - Above deck: 2 tons

Overall survivability and seakeeping ability:
 Survivability (Non-critical penetrating hits needed to sink ship):
 614 lbs / 278 Kg = 19.0 x 4.0 " / 102 mm shells or 0.3 torpedoes
 Stability (Unstable if below 1.00): 1.26
 Metacentric height 0.8 ft / 0.3 m
 Roll period: 10.5 seconds
 Steadiness - As gun platform (Average = 50 %): 94 %
 - Recoil effect (Restricted arc if above 1.00): 0.38
 Seaboat quality (Average = 1.00): 1.88

Hull form characteristics:
 Hull has a flush deck,
 a normal bow and a cruiser stern
 Block coefficient (normal/deep): 0.550 / 0.560
 Length to Beam Ratio: 7.86 : 1
 'Natural speed' for length: 13.43 kts

 Power going to wave formation at top speed: 61 %

 Trim (Max stability = 0, Max steadiness = 100): 50
 Bow angle (Positive = bow angles forward): 15.00 degrees
 Stern overhang: 6.56 ft / 2.00 m

 Freeboard (% = length of deck as a percentage of waterline length):
 Fore end, Aft end
 - Forecastle: 20.00 %, 14.76 ft / 4.50 m, 12.80 ft / 3.90 m
 - Forward deck: 30.00 %, 12.80 ft / 3.90 m, 10.83 ft / 3.30 m
 - Aft deck: 35.00 %, 10.83 ft / 3.30 m, 9.84 ft / 3.00 m
 - Quarter deck: 15.00 %, 9.84 ft / 3.00 m, 9.84 ft / 3.00 m
 - Average freeboard: 11.35 ft / 3.46 m
 Ship tends to be wet forward

Ship space, strength and comments:
 Space - Hull below water (magazines/engines, low = better): 127.1 %
 - Above water (accommodation/working, high = better): 77.8 %
 Waterplane Area: 2,892 Square feet or 269 Square metres
 Displacement factor (Displacement / loading): 105 %
 Structure weight / hull surface area: 40 lbs/sq ft or 196 Kg/sq metre
 Hull strength (Relative):
 - Cross-sectional: 0.92
 - Longitudinal: 7.15
 - Overall: 1.13
 Cramped machinery, storage, compartmentation space
 Cramped accommodation and workspace room
 Ship has slow, easy roll, a good, steady gun platform
 Excellent seaboat, comfortable, can fire her guns in the heaviest weather

* Hull is strengthened for Sea Ice navigation up to 15cm
* Ship contains extra weight for Wireless equipment
* Some hull weight dedicated to extra provisions and berthing for extra staff and Headquaters.
* Extra rescue equipment on board.