As for destroyers and submarines, there is no need to mention destroyers. The future mainly consists of air defense and anti-submarines. As for submarines, it is enough to hand over the submarines to the future Dunitz. Now there is no need to worry about the crown prince. Only cruisers need to consider things like themselves.

Because the concept of cruisers covers too wide! Taking World War I as an example, the Linxian-class light cruiser with a displacement of more than 3,000 tons can be called a cruiser. The Germans equipped with 175mm artillery can also be called a cruiser. The Mainz-class warship that dragged Thomas to death in the Norwegian naval battle can also be called a cruiser! When the Americans were building large numbers of main ships, they were actually building a cruiser equipped with 10-inch artillery... So, this matter is troublesome!

So, now the problem is that the tonnage of the cruiser has expanded from 4,000 tons to around 14,000 tons! This span is a bit large! If you think about some BT products in future history, such as the Japanese Super Arctic Cruise and the American Alaska-class super-large cruiser, the name span of this cruiser is like from Jingba to Tibetan Mastiff!

Regarding the development of cruisers, to a certain extent, it can be seen that there is more water and more water on the surface! Not to mention the armored cruisers and protective cruisers of the pre-Fearless Age, nor do you mention the so-called first-class, second-class and third-class cruisers. Take the light cruisers built after the Fearless Age for example.

The British began to build light cruisers with 6-inch guns and 2-3-inch armored belts very early. The main task of these light cruisers was to deal with destroyers and the Germans' earliest light cruisers equipped with 105mm guns. Subsequently, the German Navy quickly increased the guns of light cruisers to the 6-inch level and also enhanced the protection. Therefore, after ensuring the speed, 6-inch guns and a certain degree of armored belt, the tonnage of light cruisers generally reached around 5,000 tons!

However, in order to suppress the British light cruiser equipped with 6-inch guns, the German Navy began to build a main gun with a central axis and a light cruiser equipped with a 175mm turret cannon. Unexpectedly, the tonnage of this level of light cruiser directly approached 7,000 tons! However, the British were actually preparing to continue to expand the tonnage and military equipment of light cruisers. This was the case in both this plane and in history, but unfortunately, because the British main ships suffered too much loss, a large amount of resources and manpower were transferred to the construction of the main ships. Therefore, these light cruisers were not completed.

In history, the first cruiser equipped by the British with more than 6-inch guns was the famous Hawkins-class cruiser. This class of light cruiser started construction in 1916 and started service in 1919. The standard displacement of this class of light cruiser is as high as 9,500 tons! It is equipped with 7 7.5-inch guns. The output power is 70,000 horsepower, the maximum speed is 31 knots, and the range is 5,400 nautical miles at a speed of 14 knots.

However, in the UK, the lack of ability to equip this class of light cruisers does not mean that other countries do not have the ability! For example, the United States in this plane is already building a cruiser with more than 6-inch guns. This is the Omaha-class cruiser that is now in service! That's right, it is Omaha. This class of cruisers was originally the first American light cruiser in history. However, in this plane, it has become an existence closer to a heavy cruiser! And with the requirements for heavy armor, large range and high endurance, the tonnage of this class of warships has reached ten thousand tons!

Well, there is a German pot. The Germans created this kind of cruiser that uses 175mm cannons in order to suppress the British light cruiser. In actual combat, the performance of this kind of cruiser is indeed good. Based on the principle that the enemy has and we must have, the British are prepared to be high and lack money. The Americans are not short of money and will naturally start to do it! The first batch of 7 ships will be launched!

However, because of the different environment and positioning, the Germans can do this, but it may not be cost-effective for Americans to do this! First of all, one thing that must be understood is that the function of light cruisers is lightning strike and reconnaissance. A light cruiser with a displacement of 5,000 tons is actually very cost-effective, with average construction cost and sufficient quantity, and is enough to deal with ordinary 4-inch-level artillery of destroyers, and at the same time, the speed is also fast enough.

However, Germany has only one task for the 175mm artillery cruiser, which is to deal with the opponent's 5,000-ton light cruiser. In fact, the 175mm artillery is not easy to use against destroyers. The reason is very simple. The 175mm artillery cannot be quickly relied on manpower. Therefore, you must configure heavy and complex servo equipment, that is, to turret the cannon. All of this is considered to be a higher tonnage and cost. When dealing with destroyers, the performance of the 6-inch cannon is actually enough. Therefore, the task of this 175mm artillery light cruiser in Germany is too single.

However, the Germans still did it. The reason is very simple. Although the tonnage has increased, overall, because Germany mainly fights offshore, there is no need to consider the endurance. This saves a lot of tonnage. Moreover, because British light cruisers do not have more than 6-inch guns, and artillery shells rarely have special armor-piercing shells. Therefore, as long as the German 175mm cruiser can defend against 6-inch and a half armor-piercing shells, it is enough. Therefore, after weakening the armor and range, the Germans can take it with 7,000 tons. The increase in cost is not high.

But it is different for the British and Americans. Whether it is Britain, which has a colony all over the world, or the United States, which needs to fight in the distant Western Pacific, they all need warships to have a large range! If we consider the residence of personnel who perform missions for a long time, the tonnage of light cruisers in the UK and the United States will definitely increase!

The British Hawkins-class cruisers were to deal with the Germans' 175mm artillery light cruisers, so the defense must not be too low, which requires the need to increase armor. The Americans also need to consider dealing with Japanese light cruisers of the same level in the future, so they also need to increase armor. Under the requirements of increasing armor and range, it is normal for the so-called 7.5-inch gun cruisers of the United States and Britain to reach nearly 10,000 tons. It can be said that the behavior of the German high seas fleet has led to some degree of vicious competition!

Of course, it is foreseeable that in the future, the Germans will also be affected. The reason is very simple. After obtaining a large number of British colonies in Africa, the German navy began to enter the ocean! In the future, it also needs to face cruisers of the same level of other countries, and the armor and range must also be increased. Therefore, without exception, all performance requirements must be converted into increases in tonnage and cost... This was originally a stopgap measure, but under various vicious competitions, everyone can't stop brakeing!
Chapter completed!