"Bear Class" Russian Torpedo Ship 1892 in 1/72

[ITERUM]

Hello Friends,

starting the hobby after years of neglect I do Deal with the French "Young School" of attacking expensive battleships by sending hordes of cheap torpedo boats to sink them and the Russian lessions learned in the Crimean War in particular for the defense in the Baltic Sea as IT was needed in 1854/55.
I do start in here by a small first scratch project that was ignited by the French build FORELL class for the Czarist's navy; and by the avoiding of the destroyer for an enlarged torpedo bearer of the fleet being able to Attack and sink a contemporarical Ship of the Line in it's own.
All the real existing FORELL class torpedo boats were of an enclosed swimming hull with a grating deck above (like on a Renaissance gallee) so sea water left the gun deck as fast as possible. The Russian boats are distinguable throughout their two pairs of funnels seperated from each other by a T(orpedo)T(ube) - the original French boats of Arcebousire Class are of only two single funnels Standing apart from each other.
So what are the changes to the "Torpedo-ship" of the What If "Bear Class"? The purpose is to attack hostile battleship's row with a huge amount of torpedos. Approaching in early day light very fast from the east, fireing a volley, and leaving at top speed back into the rising sun towards St.Petersberg. Every torpedo ship is ordered to attack a specific foe and to sink it - so half a dozend ships will be attacked by nine (6+3) torpedo ships. At first any "bear" goes for matching it's enemy and three ships to mob up the unwillig to sink rest in a second fast attempt.

So now I do start to list my ideas by looking at the plans and thinking about adding/cladding copies together to a bigger solution for the changed task.


a) HULL
aa) prolonging the hull to nearly 70m (staying around one yard in 1/72) avoiding under water ship by WL-model 
ab) widening the hulls breadth is a difficult manner to create space for the boilers and engines without losing the fine lines of a torpedoboat
ac) adding a further deck so the boat becomes a ship by this "Cassematt Deck" - how to avoid a wet deck?
ad) solution for ladders/stairs/handels on hull side are much needed
ae) full whale/turtle deck under grating gun deck on stanchions and barbettes
af) proper figurehead at stem and double headed imperial eagle astern above the bent nameplate

b) Deck
ba) storing of TTs in this additive cassematte-deck - enclosing them to protecks from sea water aside AND from above
bb) fitting six torpedo lancette pairs onto the grating deck between CTs, masts, funnels, and hatches:
Bow Conning tower/Mast1/TT-I/Hatch/TT-II/3Funnels/TT-III/Hatch/TT-IV/Mast2/3Funnels/3Funnels/Mast3/TT-V/Hatch/TT-VI/Mast4/3Funnels/AftConningTower
bc) setting tracks on the grit deck to fasten the reloading by running the torpedos on bogies
bd) adding handling gear at the four masts for torpedos, coal, launches and boats
be) reasonable placed and formed torpedo hatches/ramps up to the rails
bf) four big anchors at stem
2stbsd.(Ingelfieldt on ramp)
1admid (mushroom)
1prtsd. (Ingelfieldt o.r.)
a pair of mushroom anchors Astern so the ship can await the sunset moored
bg) placing of steam launches and boats (Long davids?)
bh) storing hatches, sun canvas, ammo boxes/lifts, staircases, masts' rigg bases through the gratings deck onto the hull
bi) avoiding the funnels and masts Rigg to interfear with pivoting TT, cranes, davits, and the torpedos being transported on bogies in the rails

BiggerEngines
ca) construction of two rows of funnel triplets (RN's Admiral class?) to add "more boiler capacity"
cb) giving the aft deck tree rows of skylights so a tripplet screw ship is "obvious" two side-by-side and the admidst ship's one more aft
cc) remembering coal hatches bunkers are  placed as "coal armour" - special coal excuvaters (Rigging!) at cranes?
cd) mushroom/funnel&grit air intaktes?

d) Weaponary
da) the new Russian 720mm x 14000mm long range fish torpedo in twin barrels pivoting on a platform
db) between the TTpairs is a rangefinder ontop a small two man "conning tower" - optics midst of TT
dc) only artillery are 72mm seven barreled revolver canons type "Blokhin III" in cassematte deck and in sponsons (after shields?) above.
dd) placing of weapons en Echelon?

e Colours
Baltic coloursheme
Underwater: Tamiya hull red thin white ribbon
hull: midnight black with post-red lining atop
whale deck/hatches: white (appearing grey die to grating's shadow)
grating deck: teak brown
Super structure:
metal painted: chamouse
wooden structures: teak
funnels: egg yellow & slim black top
pipes red or yellow brass
anchors&chains: white/boyes: red&white
masts/cranes: chamouse (to hight of funnels)/sooth black/light blueish grey and white Tip (50/50)
launches and boats outside white red sheer and teak inside
canvas: light blueish grey
Blokhin III: Brass, shiny black, grey atop gravity ammo rack

By this the ship should disappear in the mist and align to the horizont - being moored by mushroom anchors the ship is "camouflaged" to the sea and sky as the hull gets lighter and brighter towards the top disappearing to the background.

Thats all folks - now I will try to add pictures 

best wishes from Berlin, Christian

[Old Wombat]

Welcome aboard the Bedlamite Boat!

Will be waiting to see what this looks like in 3D.

[zenrat]

Welcome.

I am looking forward to seeing some pictures.

[NARSES2]

Welcome aboard Christian.

It's an interesting and fascinating period of history you are looking at 

[kerick]

A modern version is what the Ukrainians are trying to do to Russian ship with drone boats. History repeats itself!