Let's Play "Rule The Waves" w/ Steve's Custom Country "Cascadia"

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Re: Let's Play "Rule The Waves" w/ Steve's Custom Country "Cascadia"

Post by U.P. Cinnabar »

Well, I certainly hoped you'd done a better job of seeing big underwater rocks than the officers of the RL Superb did.
"Beware the Beast, Man, for he is the Devil's pawn. Alone amongst God's primates, he kills for sport, for lust, for greed. Yea, he will murder his brother to possess his brother's land. Let him not breed in great numbers, for he will make a desert of his home and yours. Shun him, drive him back into his jungle lair, for he is the harbinger of Death.."
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Re: Let's Play "Rule The Waves" w/ Steve's Custom Country "Cascadia"

Post by Steve »

July 1913

Another of the new minesweepers was finished.

The US government offered plans for extended double bottom concepts for naval ships. The offer was accepted.

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August 1913

With great fanfare, the battlecruiser Aurora was put into commission.

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Naval Ordnance teams reported progress on a new TNT warhead for torpedoes.

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With Cascadian naval armaments improving, tensions with the Japanese and German Empires worsened. Japan's diplomatic representative in Portland, Ambassador Ichigo, delivered a note from his government protesting Cascadian naval maneuvers in the Yellow Sea. The Cascadian Government responded by pledging to maintain a distance from the Korean shore in future maneuvers, but refused the Japanese request to limit naval movements to within fifty miles of the Chinese shoreline.

Increased German deployments to the Pacific worsened relations with Berlin.

Japan tension to 5. Germany to 9.

Naval Security confirmed that French agents had stolen some naval design plans through a bribed agent. Cascadia protested the French action to no avail.

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Tension with France to 6

An accident at the yards delayed completion of the Artemis.

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Another set of larger slipways at the docks was ordered.

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September 1913

The Department of the Interior reported higher rates of industrial production in several key Cascadian industries. Improvements in worker morale from social reforms and new industrial production methods were cited as contributing factors.

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The British naval attache in Portland forwarded a request from the Admiralty for Cascadian assistance with developing extended double bottom hulls for British ships. With the alliance to consider, Admiral Garrett approved the sale.

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Naval Ordnance reported success in testing the new TNT warheads for naval torpedoes. Difficulties were reported with plans for new smoke floats to be employed.

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Increased left-wing agitation led to several anti-navy protests in Vancouver, Seattle, Portland, and San Francisco. The protest in Seattle turned unexpectedly violent due to Socialist agitators who had declared their loyalty to Charleton's platform of "renewed revolutionary struggle".

Unrest at 6

Due to the costs of keeping ships on station and a desire to avoid conflict, Admiral Garrett ordered the battleships of the Navy back to their home ports. It would prove a controversial decision.

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October 1913

Another of the new minesweepers, the Reliance, was commissioned.

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Admiral Garrett and Prince Louis of Battenburg, the First Sea Lord, agreed to a new research sharing agreement between the Cascadian and British navies. Their respective governments ratified the decision in a series of votes at the end of the month.

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November 1913

The new cruisers Stockton and Bakersfield were commissioned.

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The construction of the Artemis was extended to allow for new director firing gear to be installed onto the battlecruiser.

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Cascadian ship design techniques were shared with the British Admiralty.

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Naval designers reported progress in new longitudinal framing concepts. Unexpected progress let to the implementation of new plotting tables for ship fire control.

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With the Aurora-class ships completed or nearly so, the next round of capital construction came up for consideration in the Admiralty. Admiral Garrett was supplied with two concepts.

The first was a new battlecruiser class, the Gallant. At 33,200T displacement it was the smaller of the proposed classes. Its armament would be three triple turrets armed with the new 15" naval gun, one of the best of its kind in the world. Eight double turrets with 5" guns would be the primary secondary armament, with 16 3" deck guns. 10" belt, a 2" thick armored deck, and an improved torpedo protection system provided protection for the design. The machinery plant was to be one of the largest ever attempted in order to provide the design with a design speed of 30 knots.

Image

The other concept was for the Titan: a regular line battleship of 39,500T displacement. It would be armed with 12 15" guns, divided into four triple turrets, with the same 5" secondary armament as the Gallant. The deck guns would be larger 4" weapons, eighteen in number. 12.5" belt, 3" deck armor, and the same improved TPS would provide super protection for the battleship, which would match the other battle line warships' speed kof 23 knots in design. An alternative would turn the two superfiring turrets into double turrets and reduce the tonnage to 35,000.

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Ultimately, Admiral Garrett decided that the large German battlecruiser fleet was the greater concern. The Gallant was chosen, being ordered with a sister ship named the Courageous.

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December 1913

New cruisers Salem and Walla Walla entered commission.

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Garrett House
West Portland, Oregon
25 December 1913



The Chief of Naval Operations for the Cascadian Navy did not normally host social events at his home. But this Christmas proved an exception.

Georgia Burgess was a lovely young woman of twenty years of age, a thin young lady with curled blond hair like gold, and she looked splendid upon the arm of Rafael Garrett. The eldest of the Admiral's children had surprised even his father when he announced, earlier in the month, that he and the daughter of the nation's Secretary of State had become engaged, and the capital's socialites were racing to catch up with the news.

The family gathering - with the Secretary of State and several other Cabinet members and leading legislators - left the Garrett home packed this Christmas. The Admiral found it a burden to deal with this intrusion of the capital's high society into his quiet home, which was his usual escape from the politics of the national city. But it was for his son's happiness and thus a burden to be endured.

Thomas was with his older brother, Anne-Marie on his arm, meeting his future sister-in-law for the first time. "I'm surprised with you, Raffie," he said. A smile crossed the younger man's face. "I would have thought it impossible for a navy man like you to get involved so quickly. Pa was well into his career when he met Ma."
"I'm luckier than Dad, I suppose," Rafael answered. He didn't notice his father approaching until the statement was made.

Before he could amend it, the Admiral chuckled heartily and clapped his son on the shoulder. "Quite possibly, Rafael. Quite possibly." He looked to young Georgia, or "Georgie" as she liked to be called. "I trust you know what you're getting into, young lady?"

"Whatever it is, it will be worth it," she insisted. Showing that it was entirely likely that no, she did not know what she was in for.

"I'm certain Rachel will happily assist you in whatever capacity you may need," the Admiral assured his future daughter-in-law.

He noticed his sons look a little uncomfortable at that. "How is Ma?", Thomas asked carefully. "She seems unwell."

"The doctors believe it is just a spot of bronchitis and the poor winter weather," the Admiral replied. "I have considered taking a holiday after the New Year. A visit to Los Angeles and the better climate should be sufficient to restore her."

"You'll visit, of course?", Thomas asked.

"Of course," Admiral Garrett pledged. "I don't see my grandson often enough."

"I would have thought Gabbie had given you enough of children," Rafael joked. "She is quite the hellion."

That drew a laugh. "Yes. She has spirit indeed. And she's soon to turn ten, so I can't imagine it will get better."

"And soon it'll just be you, her, and mother, right?", Thomas asked. "Sophie is applying to Berkeley right?"

"And any other university willing to take a young lady for higher education," the Admiral noted. "I have exchanged some letters with various university officials surprised in her endeavors. That I support her seems to be a shock." He smirked. "Apparently some still believe we military officers are a hidebound and conservative lot."

"If she ends up at Berkeley, I'd love to have Sophie stay with us," Thomas said.

"Yes," Anne-Marie added. "I enjoy her company. And John adores his aunt so."

"I'm sure she'll appreciate the chance," the Admiral remarked. "Now, Thomas, about your recent course work…"




Toward the end of the evening, with the socialites starting to depart and the Christmas festivities wound down, the Admiral sat quietly on his porch with the other future father-in-law. Secretary of State Keith Burgess was a stocky man, with sandy hair graying at his temples and piercing blue eyes. He'd made his fortune as a young man in the nickel mines of Klamath, working as a mining engineer and getting into politics once he had sold away his direct business interests. A Liberal moderate who did not adhere to either the hawk or dove factions of that Party, Mister Burgess had won the legislative Senatorial seat from Klamath and proved a workable candidate to become head of the Cabinet as Secretary of State.

"The President was invited, was he not?"

"Despite our past? Yes." Admiral Garrett nodded. "It would be remiss of me to snub him. But he declined. He has decided to spend his Christmas with family in Klamath City."

"Ah. Well, it does him good to get out of the capitol now and again." Burgess took a drag on his Cuban-made cigar. It was a filthy habit, or so the Admiral felt, but he had long ago accepted that tobacco smoking was just one of those things you couldn't stop.

"The alliance with Britain has proven popular in many circles," Burgess remarked. "And our research agreements are helping to cement that bond. But tell me, Admiral… do you believe it will prevent war?"

Admiral Garrett sighed. And he shrugged. "After two conflicts with Germany in this century, I can't be certain of anything. We have stung the pride of Germany, particularly in this last war. And with Sumatra in German hands, our lines of communication with the heart of the British Empire are threatened. The Germans may decide this positioning gives them an advantage they might press."

"But there is no place where their armies can be brought to bear. Not unless their Navy defeats the Royal Navy first. That sounds unlikely."

"Perhaps. But war is uncertainty, Mister Secretary. You never know what might happen." The Admiral looked toward the house. "And my family has already known the price of war."

"Yes." Burgess nodded. "I've seen that. And it is my prayer that price will not be required of us. We can maintain a strong, reasonable policy without becoming warmongers."

"All men strive for such, Mister Secretary." Admiral Garrett looked over to where the wet weather was again drizzling in the darkness of his backyard. "Unfortunately, chance will have its due yet. And we must always be vigilant for the whims of chance in our affairs, and the terrible choices they might impose upon us."

"Amen to that, sir. Amen."

The conversation, drawn as it was, changed to more pleasing topics. By the time it was over, the festivities of the evening were over
”A Radical is a man with both feet planted firmly in the air.” – Franklin Delano Roosevelt

"No folly is more costly than the folly of intolerant idealism." - Sir Winston L. S. Churchill, Princips Britannia

American Conservatism is about the exercise of personal responsibility without state interference in the lives of the citizenry..... unless, of course, it involves using the bludgeon of state power to suppress things Conservatives do not like.

DONALD J. TRUMP IS A SEDITIOUS TRAITOR AND MUST BE IMPEACHED
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Re: Let's Play "Rule The Waves" w/ Steve's Custom Country "Cascadia"

Post by Raesene »

You're back - I thought you abandond the game.

Nice designs, I'd have built one of each.

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Re: Let's Play "Rule The Waves" w/ Steve's Custom Country "Cascadia"

Post by Eternal_Freedom »

Indeed, the Titan class looks like an absolute monster - 50% more firepower than the RN Queen Elizabeths and only a knot slower? Damn!

Also, Gallant sounds a bit weak for a battlecruiser class, especially after Warrior, Reprisal and Aurora.
Baltar: "I don't want to miss a moment of the last Battlestar's destruction!"
Centurion: "Sir, I really think you should look at the other Battlestar."
Baltar: "What are you babbling about other...it's impossible!"
Centurion: "No. It is a Battlestar."

Corrax Entry 7:17: So you walk eternally through the shadow realms, standing against evil where all others falter. May your thirst for retribution never quench, may the blood on your sword never dry, and may we never need you again.
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Re: Let's Play "Rule The Waves" w/ Steve's Custom Country "Cascadia"

Post by Steve »

Eh, it's basically the Aurora but with better guns, so I'm not sure how you can say it's "weak". 9 15" guns isn't anything to sneeze at in the mid-10s.

And I lost the screenshot of the re-designed Titan, which cut off tonnage and reduced the guns to 10 (two doubles and two triples).

In other news... the RNG for the battles has decided it hates me. :evil:
”A Radical is a man with both feet planted firmly in the air.” – Franklin Delano Roosevelt

"No folly is more costly than the folly of intolerant idealism." - Sir Winston L. S. Churchill, Princips Britannia

American Conservatism is about the exercise of personal responsibility without state interference in the lives of the citizenry..... unless, of course, it involves using the bludgeon of state power to suppress things Conservatives do not like.

DONALD J. TRUMP IS A SEDITIOUS TRAITOR AND MUST BE IMPEACHED
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Re: Let's Play "Rule The Waves" w/ Steve's Custom Country "Cascadia"

Post by Eternal_Freedom »

I actually meant the name, not the ship. Courageous is good, Gallant doesn't sound quite as, well, awesome as your previous classes. Hell, since you had Aurora, why not go with Constellation or something else that is mythology based, like Zeus or Jupiter?

Or (just teasing here) Orion? :D
Baltar: "I don't want to miss a moment of the last Battlestar's destruction!"
Centurion: "Sir, I really think you should look at the other Battlestar."
Baltar: "What are you babbling about other...it's impossible!"
Centurion: "No. It is a Battlestar."

Corrax Entry 7:17: So you walk eternally through the shadow realms, standing against evil where all others falter. May your thirst for retribution never quench, may the blood on your sword never dry, and may we never need you again.
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Re: Let's Play "Rule The Waves" w/ Steve's Custom Country "Cascadia"

Post by Steve »

Eternal_Freedom wrote:I actually meant the name, not the ship. Courageous is good, Gallant doesn't sound quite as, well, awesome as your previous classes. Hell, since you had Aurora, why not go with Constellation or something else that is mythology based, like Zeus or Jupiter?

Or (just teasing here) Orion? :D
Oh. Yeah, I suppose Courageous might sound better. I'm not sure why I put "Gallant" in the last at that point...

Orion is indeed a possibility for the next class, going by the list I drew up months ago for the game files (every country in the game, customs included, have to include ship list names). So are the names Majestic, [/i]Illustrious[/i], Invincible, Interceptor, Pegasus, Apollo, and Hermes.

Also, once I scrap the old CAs, I will most certainly be laying a badass Battlecruiser/Fast BB named the Defiant. :)

And just to show you ahead of time: this is what I'm laying once the two Gallant-class BCs are done.

Image
”A Radical is a man with both feet planted firmly in the air.” – Franklin Delano Roosevelt

"No folly is more costly than the folly of intolerant idealism." - Sir Winston L. S. Churchill, Princips Britannia

American Conservatism is about the exercise of personal responsibility without state interference in the lives of the citizenry..... unless, of course, it involves using the bludgeon of state power to suppress things Conservatives do not like.

DONALD J. TRUMP IS A SEDITIOUS TRAITOR AND MUST BE IMPEACHED
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Re: Let's Play "Rule The Waves" w/ Steve's Custom Country "Cascadia"

Post by Eternal_Freedom »

Majestic, Illustrious, Pegasus, Apollo, and Hermes are all excellent names, though I would recommend Pegasus, Apollo, and Hermes for battlecruisers since those are "speedier" deities. Interceptor strikes me a name better used for destroyers or cruisers, though it doesn't fit your established naming patterns.

Illustrious and Majestic would make excellent battleship names.

As for Invincible, don't use that for battlecruisers, it doesn't end well. And Orion? Heh. Can I please have her as my flagship once I make Rear-Admiral? It would be oddly fitting :D

As for the Titan class, still pretty epic even if slightly less awesome main battery. If you kept both the reduced main battery and the original tonnage, how fast could you have made her?

Also, I'm really abusing the italics tags in thsi post :D
Baltar: "I don't want to miss a moment of the last Battlestar's destruction!"
Centurion: "Sir, I really think you should look at the other Battlestar."
Baltar: "What are you babbling about other...it's impossible!"
Centurion: "No. It is a Battlestar."

Corrax Entry 7:17: So you walk eternally through the shadow realms, standing against evil where all others falter. May your thirst for retribution never quench, may the blood on your sword never dry, and may we never need you again.
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Re: Let's Play "Rule The Waves" w/ Steve's Custom Country "Cascadia"

Post by U.P. Cinnabar »

Eternal_Freedom wrote:Majestic, Illustrious, Pegasus, Apollo, and Hermes are all excellent names, though I would recommend Pegasus, Apollo, and Hermes for battlecruisers since those are "speedier" deities. Interceptor strikes me a name better used for destroyers or cruisers, though it doesn't fit your established naming patterns.

Illustrious and Majestic would make excellent battleship names.

As for Invincible, don't use that for battlecruisers, it doesn't end well. And Orion? Heh. Can I please have her as my flagship once I make Rear-Admiral? It would be oddly fitting :D

As for the Titan class, still pretty epic even if slightly less awesome main battery. If you kept both the reduced main battery and the original tonnage, how fast could you have made her?

Also, I'm really abusing the italics tags in thsi post :D
Agammenon, Victory, Excalibur, and White Star equally good names as well.
"Beware the Beast, Man, for he is the Devil's pawn. Alone amongst God's primates, he kills for sport, for lust, for greed. Yea, he will murder his brother to possess his brother's land. Let him not breed in great numbers, for he will make a desert of his home and yours. Shun him, drive him back into his jungle lair, for he is the harbinger of Death.."
—29th Scroll, 6th Verse of Ape Law
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Re: Let's Play "Rule The Waves" w/ Steve's Custom Country "Cascadia"

Post by Eternal_Freedom »

My housemate also suggested Valiant and Warspite.
Baltar: "I don't want to miss a moment of the last Battlestar's destruction!"
Centurion: "Sir, I really think you should look at the other Battlestar."
Baltar: "What are you babbling about other...it's impossible!"
Centurion: "No. It is a Battlestar."

Corrax Entry 7:17: So you walk eternally through the shadow realms, standing against evil where all others falter. May your thirst for retribution never quench, may the blood on your sword never dry, and may we never need you again.
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Re: Let's Play "Rule The Waves" w/ Steve's Custom Country "Cascadia"

Post by U.P. Cinnabar »

Eternal_Freedom wrote:My housemate also suggested Valiant and Warspite.
Except I think HMS Warspite has either entered service, or is building around this time. Thought I hear Hydra is still available. It would makea great match with Orion.
"Beware the Beast, Man, for he is the Devil's pawn. Alone amongst God's primates, he kills for sport, for lust, for greed. Yea, he will murder his brother to possess his brother's land. Let him not breed in great numbers, for he will make a desert of his home and yours. Shun him, drive him back into his jungle lair, for he is the harbinger of Death.."
—29th Scroll, 6th Verse of Ape Law
"Indelible in the hippocampus is the laughter. The uproarious laughter between the two, and their having fun at my expense.”
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Re: Let's Play "Rule The Waves" w/ Steve's Custom Country "Cascadia"

Post by Borgholio »

Lots of good names out there. Challenger, Champion, Defender, Guardian, Avenger, Defiant / Defiance, Ironsides, Monitor...
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Re: Let's Play "Rule The Waves" w/ Steve's Custom Country "Cascadia"

Post by Steve »

Well, to make up for spending most of the month playing SWTOR, I abstained from TOR today... and spent six hours fighting the longest naval war in the game so far. The game's mechanics still befuddle me sometimes and the RNG hates me (plus some of the coastal raid bombardment targets are unfairly placed to be nearly impossible to hit... especially when the game decides that your coastal raid on Guam will be performed by two freaking minesweepers)... but I got the war done.

And now I gotta go to bed.

I'll try to write more updates when I can, but I'm going to focus on finishing the game.

Also, thanks to a lovely subscription from the Cascadian population... I was able to actually afford four Titan-class battleships. :) They are named Titan, Goliath, Colossus, and Champion.
”A Radical is a man with both feet planted firmly in the air.” – Franklin Delano Roosevelt

"No folly is more costly than the folly of intolerant idealism." - Sir Winston L. S. Churchill, Princips Britannia

American Conservatism is about the exercise of personal responsibility without state interference in the lives of the citizenry..... unless, of course, it involves using the bludgeon of state power to suppress things Conservatives do not like.

DONALD J. TRUMP IS A SEDITIOUS TRAITOR AND MUST BE IMPEACHED
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Re: Let's Play "Rule The Waves" w/ Steve's Custom Country "Cascadia"

Post by Eternal_Freedom »

Awesome :D I hope I survive!
Baltar: "I don't want to miss a moment of the last Battlestar's destruction!"
Centurion: "Sir, I really think you should look at the other Battlestar."
Baltar: "What are you babbling about other...it's impossible!"
Centurion: "No. It is a Battlestar."

Corrax Entry 7:17: So you walk eternally through the shadow realms, standing against evil where all others falter. May your thirst for retribution never quench, may the blood on your sword never dry, and may we never need you again.
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Re: Let's Play "Rule The Waves" w/ Steve's Custom Country "Cascadia"

Post by U.P. Cinnabar »

Eternal_Freedom wrote:Awesome :D I hope I survive!
You cut yourself shaving in your underway cabin, and you bled to death before medical help could arrive. :twisted:
"Beware the Beast, Man, for he is the Devil's pawn. Alone amongst God's primates, he kills for sport, for lust, for greed. Yea, he will murder his brother to possess his brother's land. Let him not breed in great numbers, for he will make a desert of his home and yours. Shun him, drive him back into his jungle lair, for he is the harbinger of Death.."
—29th Scroll, 6th Verse of Ape Law
"Indelible in the hippocampus is the laughter. The uproarious laughter between the two, and their having fun at my expense.”
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Re: Let's Play "Rule The Waves" w/ Steve's Custom Country "Cascadia"

Post by Eternal_Freedom »

Quiet you :D
Baltar: "I don't want to miss a moment of the last Battlestar's destruction!"
Centurion: "Sir, I really think you should look at the other Battlestar."
Baltar: "What are you babbling about other...it's impossible!"
Centurion: "No. It is a Battlestar."

Corrax Entry 7:17: So you walk eternally through the shadow realms, standing against evil where all others falter. May your thirst for retribution never quench, may the blood on your sword never dry, and may we never need you again.
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Re: Let's Play "Rule The Waves" w/ Steve's Custom Country "Cascadia"

Post by U.P. Cinnabar »

Don't blame me. Blame the Arduin critical hit tables. :P
"Beware the Beast, Man, for he is the Devil's pawn. Alone amongst God's primates, he kills for sport, for lust, for greed. Yea, he will murder his brother to possess his brother's land. Let him not breed in great numbers, for he will make a desert of his home and yours. Shun him, drive him back into his jungle lair, for he is the harbinger of Death.."
—29th Scroll, 6th Verse of Ape Law
"Indelible in the hippocampus is the laughter. The uproarious laughter between the two, and their having fun at my expense.”
---Doctor Christine Blasey-Ford
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Re: Let's Play "Rule The Waves" w/ Steve's Custom Country "Cascadia"

Post by Steve »

I'm up to 1922 now. For fun, I'll show you the next two generations of Cascadian capital ships.

Starting in November 1919, the Intrepid-class battlecruisers:

Image

Intrepid, Interceptor, Illustrious, Indefatigable

And then, once they started coming off the slips, in March of 1922 Cascadia designed the Excalibur-class battleship:

Image

Planned - at least 2, up to 4 units. Ship names: Excalibur Arondight Curtana Galatine

(I might hold off until I can get TPS level III or IV)
”A Radical is a man with both feet planted firmly in the air.” – Franklin Delano Roosevelt

"No folly is more costly than the folly of intolerant idealism." - Sir Winston L. S. Churchill, Princips Britannia

American Conservatism is about the exercise of personal responsibility without state interference in the lives of the citizenry..... unless, of course, it involves using the bludgeon of state power to suppress things Conservatives do not like.

DONALD J. TRUMP IS A SEDITIOUS TRAITOR AND MUST BE IMPEACHED
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Re: Let's Play "Rule The Waves" w/ Steve's Custom Country "Cascadia"

Post by Steve »

January 1914

After the New Year, Kaiser Wilhelm made a state visit to London as part of an effort to reduce the growing tensions between the German Empire and the United Kingdom. He was on best behavior for the visit, clearly restrained from the sort of proclamations and boasts that rattled so many nations.

During the visit, he met with Ambassador Armstrong and discussed the implementation of the Geneva Accords as they stood. For all that Cascadia had protested the German seizure of Sumatra, there had been no point of direct conflict between the nations as of yet. Armstrong agreed with a number of proposals to reduce the tensions between the two states.

Surprisingly, Lakeland accepted the news from Armstrong. While he was still committed to Cascadian power in the Pacific, Lakeland nevertheless knew that the nation needed time for passions to cool. His experience in the prior war had taught him that conflict required solid footing at home, and he needed time to deal with lingering Socialist animosity toward their electoral defeats. Economic prosperity needed to be encouraged to reduce the Socialists and give the Cascadian government more freedom of maneuver.

This was particularly reinforced by a series of strikes in Vancouver. Charleton had instigated the Vancouver-based trade unions and unions to demand a large new wage increase, and then encouraged the strikes that followed the refusals. When the Socialist Party censured him for the act, he responded by breaking from the Socialists and declared he would form a new party dedicated to the "removal of the capitalist economic system". Other discontented Socialists flocked to his banner, promising a new conference and party would be formed at a Congress to be held in Boise in April.

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German Tension to 7

The Admiralty was shown new standards of longitudinal framing for future ships that improved design efficiency. Designers also indicated they were ready to install superimposed aft mounts on the new scout cruisers.
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Unrest to 5

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February 1914

The Artemis was commissioned.

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Status of the Fleet:
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US contractors offered to license new bursting charges to the Naval Ordnance Office. Admiral Garrett okayed the purchase.

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Bremerton Naval Yard
Bremerton, Olympia
17 February 1914



Captain Reginald Etps, commander of the CRS Sovereign, stood in the drizzle coming down on his ship's deck and looked with melancholy at the sight in the Yard.

A line of protected cruisers were being worked over. They were ships he had known for almost two decades. Particularly the hull nearest him.

The Anchorage had been his first command. It had been his lifeline, his salvation from disgrace and ruin, and he fondly remembered the raiding protected cruiser even after he was given newer and better commands. He remembered that stormy day at the end of July, 1903, when the Anchorage had spent ten hours in a gunnery duel with the German cruiser Hela. He remembered Commander Parker and his lost arm. Chief Drummond, found after the battle still clinging to the bulkhead that the rushing sea had smashed him into before it drowned him. All of those dead, and his wounded ship, yet triumphant.

Just like that day, Anchorage now stood incomplete. This time, it wasn't from German shells.

The workers were busy stripping useful equipment and electronics from the Anchorage and her sisters. Once they were done, a last load of coal would be brought aboard so that she could be steamed north to the city she was named for. The people of Anchorage, through their House representative, had agreed to present funding to turn her into a museum in the city harbor. Her career in two wars had justified her status as a hero ship, and the city wanted to celebrate the vessel that had honored them so.

Depending on what was happening, Etps even had an invitation to attend the transfer ceremony, when the Navy would formally hand the ship over to the city's custody.

It was, at least, a better fate than theothers were getting. None had spoken for them. The Fairbanks, San Jose, and Denver were being towed to scrappers next. They would be dismantled and dismembered and their steel sold off to other suppliers. Such a fate was also to befall the Seattle and Esquimalt.

"Admiral on deck!", a bosun cried.

Etps turned and saluted his new superior officer, the commander of the 1st Battle Squadron. Rear Admiral Peter Wallace, formerly commander of the Superb, returned the salute. His Scots accent was only partly faded in his speech now. "At ease," he insisted. "Captain."

"Admiral. Congratulations."

Wallace nodded. "I'm still not sure why I beat you to an admiral's star, Captain."

"Ambition comes differently to us all," Etps observed. "You deserve this, sir. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise."

"Thank you, Captain." Wallace looked about and then to the ships at the yard. "A shame. It always feels wrong to see good ships cut up like that."

"As opposed to being cut up by enemy shells?", Etps pointed out.

Wallace chuckled at that. "I suppose not." The newly-minted Admiral glanced around the Yard. "Well, Etps, hopefully the Admiralty will get their heads out of their arses and give you the star too."

"We shall see," replied Etps, knowing already that it would never happen. However much Admiral Garrett still saw him as an old comrade, even he could not sway the Navy to permitting an admitted homosexual to wear an Admiral's star. It would be too scandalous. Perhaps it is time I retire, he pondered, watching Wallace walk across the deck of the Sovereign toward her forward guns. Melvin has decent pay. I would have my pension. We could live happily.

He had those thoughts often. More often than usual. He always pushed them away for the same reason: he felt an obligation to his nation. A few more years, certainly. Then maybe it will be time to move on.




In the Admiralty, another shakeup took place. Vice Admiral Chester D. George became the new Chief of Naval Design and Procurement. Admiral George immediately supported the ordering of a new destroyer class to reflect the aging fleet of Blakes and Shermans.

The Pratchett-class destroyer had been slightly modified from its original proposal, adding new double torped mounts instead of singles and two additional 3" deck guns due to weight savings from improved construction capability in the nation's yards.

Six were ordered from Burleigh & Armstrong and Parker & Sons. The Pratchett, La Forge, Rankin, Drumknott, Spangler, and Samuel S. Vimes.

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As further cost-saving measures, the pre-sovereign battleships and the armored cruisers were put into mothball status.

The cruiser Bakersfield was rotated to service with Samoa Squadron.



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March 1914

Naval Ordnance announced the perfection of new high explosive filler for HE shells.

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The Vancouver was scrapped.

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The Garrett House
West Portland, Oregon
17 March 1914


Admiral Garrett couldn't hide his worry.

Rachel was in the bed. A cough came every few minutes, sometimes minor, sometimes violent. Her skin was moist and clammy. She looked miserable. And tired.

He wished he could say he was better. He was sitting upright at least, clasping her hand in his, ignoring the wrinkles starting to cover both. But his own lungs burned with pain. Every breath was more labored than it should have been. And his joints were starting to ache every time he walked.

"I'm here, dear," he said to her, his voice low.

"I know," she rasped. Another small cough. "Sophie?"

"Visiting the National University Womens' College."

A weak smile came to Rachel's face. "Good," she said. "My girl has a future with that."

"Yes indeed."

"And Gabby?"

"With friends. The daughter of Senator Talaverda."

"Good for her."

"You'll be better soon," the Admiral insisted. "I took a few days too. And then you'll be up and…"

Rachel looked at him sadly. "Yes. But we both know I am weakening."

"It is simple age."

"No. Not just age. My body is not as robust as it once was." Rachel took his hand into hers and squeezed gently.

He shook his head. "No. You will live longer than I, my dear."

"I do not wish it." Rachel closed her eyes and took a ragged breath. "I miss Mama and Papa. And I live in such fear for Raffie. It has made me tired."

"I understand."

"And you… the stress of the work has worn on you, love." She reached up and touched his cheek. "The lines of your eyes. The loss of your smile. The pain I see in you whenever you leave for the Admiralty. I worry so much for you."

There was no argument there. He could feel it every morning. The pain in his limbs, the stiffness, and the stress of dealing with legislators and the Cabinet and that damned obstinate Lakeland as President, the state affairs and banquets he was dragged to whenever a state visit came - Wilson was due to visit in two months, the first American President to come to Cascadia since Garfield visited during the North American War - and the Navy League dinners and speeches…

I have been doing this job for eight years. I've been in the Admiralty for fourteen. Perhaps… perhaps it is time…

"Everything will be fine," he insisted to Rachel. "I promise you."

She nodded. And she was too weak to say more.



April 1914

The new medium-range submersible Adder was commissioned.

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Naval Engineering reported to Admiral George's office that circulation augmentors were now available for warship machinery.

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The Admiralty ordered three more new medium range submersibles from various builders in the country. Mako, Hammerhead, and Barracuda were the names assigned.

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May 1914

The enhanced training regiment ordered the previous year had clearly succeeded in raising the effectiveness level of the fleet.

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The submersibles Nautilus and Narwhal were commissioned.

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US contractors offered licensing on new face hardening techniques for naval armor. The Admiralty approved the purchase.

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Cascadian gun manufacturers reported successes with gun models with the aid of British designers.

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The protected cruisers Olympia and Richland were scrapped.

The Blake-class destroyers are brought in for complex refits to be made into coastal patrol and ASW ships. The ships' machinery is completely replaced, with new engines for 32 knot design speed and oil-fired boilers.

The Blake, Pepys, Rodriguez, and Bainbridge are the first called into the yards for refit.

The alliance with Great Britain had resulted, among other things, in increased trade with the South Pacific dominions. The burgeoning populations of Australia and New Zealand provide a ready market for Cascadian goods, helping to spur the economy and to provide more jobs.

The mood in the country from the increased economic prosperity and the maintenance of the Democrat social reforms help settle the nation's civil discourse, reducing national unrest.

Unrest down to 4

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June 1914

The British Government offered to sell plans for gyro stabilizers for use in fire control systems. The Admiralty approved the purchase.

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Meanwhile research into improved fire control systems gained an unexpected boon.

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With relations with Germany relaxed, Admiral Garrett orders an end to the enhanced training regimen, saving funds for building new cruisers.

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The remaining Blake-class destroyers enter the yards for the complete engine refits.

All Blake-class DDs being rebuilt


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”A Radical is a man with both feet planted firmly in the air.” – Franklin Delano Roosevelt

"No folly is more costly than the folly of intolerant idealism." - Sir Winston L. S. Churchill, Princips Britannia

American Conservatism is about the exercise of personal responsibility without state interference in the lives of the citizenry..... unless, of course, it involves using the bludgeon of state power to suppress things Conservatives do not like.

DONALD J. TRUMP IS A SEDITIOUS TRAITOR AND MUST BE IMPEACHED
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Eternal_Freedom
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Re: Let's Play "Rule The Waves" w/ Steve's Custom Country "Cascadia"

Post by Eternal_Freedom »

Woo! I made Admiral. Minor nitpick though; It's Philip, not Peter (though my mother does sometimes call me Peter when she's confused).
Baltar: "I don't want to miss a moment of the last Battlestar's destruction!"
Centurion: "Sir, I really think you should look at the other Battlestar."
Baltar: "What are you babbling about other...it's impossible!"
Centurion: "No. It is a Battlestar."

Corrax Entry 7:17: So you walk eternally through the shadow realms, standing against evil where all others falter. May your thirst for retribution never quench, may the blood on your sword never dry, and may we never need you again.
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Re: Let's Play "Rule The Waves" w/ Steve's Custom Country "Cascadia"

Post by Steve »

Eternal_Freedom wrote:Woo! I made Admiral. Minor nitpick though; It's Philip, not Peter (though my mother does sometimes call me Peter when she's confused).
Shit. I remembered the "P" name and was just confident enough to not look it up.
”A Radical is a man with both feet planted firmly in the air.” – Franklin Delano Roosevelt

"No folly is more costly than the folly of intolerant idealism." - Sir Winston L. S. Churchill, Princips Britannia

American Conservatism is about the exercise of personal responsibility without state interference in the lives of the citizenry..... unless, of course, it involves using the bludgeon of state power to suppress things Conservatives do not like.

DONALD J. TRUMP IS A SEDITIOUS TRAITOR AND MUST BE IMPEACHED
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Re: Let's Play "Rule The Waves" w/ Steve's Custom Country "Cascadia"

Post by Eternal_Freedom »

Meh, I wouldn't worry about it...just don't do it again (insert evil laugh here...)
Baltar: "I don't want to miss a moment of the last Battlestar's destruction!"
Centurion: "Sir, I really think you should look at the other Battlestar."
Baltar: "What are you babbling about other...it's impossible!"
Centurion: "No. It is a Battlestar."

Corrax Entry 7:17: So you walk eternally through the shadow realms, standing against evil where all others falter. May your thirst for retribution never quench, may the blood on your sword never dry, and may we never need you again.
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Re: Let's Play "Rule The Waves" w/ Steve's Custom Country "Cascadia"

Post by Steve »

Alas, poor Warrior, first of her kind. She died heroically, buying time to save a convoy against a newer and more powerful enemy battlecruiser

Fortunately, she stayed afloat and fought long and hard enough that not only did she take out one of her enemy's turrets with her upgraded 12"ers and lure the enemy battlecruiser away from the helpless convoy she was protecting, but said enemy battlecruiser immediately found herself in range of the reinforcements. The Intrepid and Interceptor, two of the newest and most advanced Cascadian battlecruisers, avenged their slain predecessor swiftly and mercilessly, and soon afterward the entire enemy force was on the bottom of the Pacific.

Sleep well, noble Warrior.


CRS Warrior
5/8/05-6/11/24
”A Radical is a man with both feet planted firmly in the air.” – Franklin Delano Roosevelt

"No folly is more costly than the folly of intolerant idealism." - Sir Winston L. S. Churchill, Princips Britannia

American Conservatism is about the exercise of personal responsibility without state interference in the lives of the citizenry..... unless, of course, it involves using the bludgeon of state power to suppress things Conservatives do not like.

DONALD J. TRUMP IS A SEDITIOUS TRAITOR AND MUST BE IMPEACHED
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Re: Let's Play "Rule The Waves" w/ Steve's Custom Country "Cascadia"

Post by U.P. Cinnabar »

Steve wrote:Alas, poor Warrior, first of her kind. She died heroically, buying time to save a convoy against a newer and more powerful enemy battlecruiser

Fortunately, she stayed afloat and fought long and hard enough that not only did she take out one of her enemy's turrets with her upgraded 12"ers and lure the enemy battlecruiser away from the helpless convoy she was protecting, but said enemy battlecruiser immediately found herself in range of the reinforcements. The Intrepid and Interceptor, two of the newest and most advanced Cascadian battlecruisers, avenged their slain predecessor swiftly and mercilessly, and soon afterward the entire enemy force was on the bottom of the Pacific.

Sleep well, noble Warrior.


CRS Warrior
5/8/05-6/11/24
Shouldn't it be this, instead:

"Beware the Beast, Man, for he is the Devil's pawn. Alone amongst God's primates, he kills for sport, for lust, for greed. Yea, he will murder his brother to possess his brother's land. Let him not breed in great numbers, for he will make a desert of his home and yours. Shun him, drive him back into his jungle lair, for he is the harbinger of Death.."
—29th Scroll, 6th Verse of Ape Law
"Indelible in the hippocampus is the laughter. The uproarious laughter between the two, and their having fun at my expense.”
---Doctor Christine Blasey-Ford
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Re: Let's Play "Rule The Waves" w/ Steve's Custom Country "Cascadia"

Post by Steve »

Taps is the usual military funeral music.
”A Radical is a man with both feet planted firmly in the air.” – Franklin Delano Roosevelt

"No folly is more costly than the folly of intolerant idealism." - Sir Winston L. S. Churchill, Princips Britannia

American Conservatism is about the exercise of personal responsibility without state interference in the lives of the citizenry..... unless, of course, it involves using the bludgeon of state power to suppress things Conservatives do not like.

DONALD J. TRUMP IS A SEDITIOUS TRAITOR AND MUST BE IMPEACHED
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