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-"Actually the fastest real life battleship was the Iowa class and the Iowa's maximum speed
only went 32.5 knots, which was only 0.2 knots slower than the maximum of the Essex class
carrier"-
Actually:
The USS New Jersey was clocked doing 35 knots in machinery drills prior to departing for
Vietnam with her shafts turning 207RPM. Most likely
with a light displacement with minimal crew, supplies and ammunition for sea trials however.
The USS Iowa was logged doing 33knts in her Korean tour of duty.
The USS Iowa was again clocked doing 33knts in 1985 per the engineers log with shafts
turning @ 205RPM.
But you also have to consider the 32.5knt speed rating was statistical for their WW2
configurations in which they were considerably heavier at that time with the full array of
anti-aircraft battery and shielding, a few hundred more crew and additional ammo storage
for the AA battery. Also it was possible for the Iowa's to hit 35knts in limited bursts
when the designed engine overload of 20% (meaning they could safely generate 20% more
power without damaging the engines) was achieved, thus kicking the SHP up from 212KSHP to
254KSHP and the shafts turning at their max rate of 210 revolutions per minute. Given the
boiler designs and the fact that it was incredibly difficult for the boilers to produce
enough steam for the engines to hit the 20% overload, you just didnt see them going over
32knts but a handful of times in their active service lives.
Also unless they were in a combat situation or emergency scenario, typically the US 3rd
fleet task forces (consisting of fast battleships and carriers) cruised at an average
speed of 25knts while the US 7th fleet ships (older battleships and escort/light "jeep"
carriers) cruised at an average speed of 18knts.
But back to the point, real life has little bearing to what occurs in this game. If this
game was realistic as possible then IJN and USN would have the hardest hitting and longest
ranged ships with Iowa and Yammy, 70% of the KM tree wouldnt exist, half of the RN would
be chasing a single battleship across the map, the USN would have the superior fighter
pilots, the French Navy would be interned by either the RN or the KM in which all their
ships would be scuttled or permanently docked and half of the Russian Navy ships would all
sink themselves in the rough and turbulent Baltic sea and most of all, the entire map
would be filled with fighters nearly 100% of the time.
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