Japanese "Never-Were" designs
AIRCRAFT CARRIERS
The battlecruisers Akagi and Atago were both converted into aircraft carriers.
TheKii class Battleships Suruga and Omi were converted early in thebuilding process to carriers and later rebuilt to include an island andupright stack. They only had a single hanger, but it was of a far moreefficient and spacious design than the Akagi's.
Onepossible change in my AH is a prolonged Pacific war, possibly caused byan American loss at Midway or other circumstances. Kaga may have beenbadly damaged but survived the battle and was rebuilt with an islandbased on the Taiho. Its also quite possible that she would never havebeen converted from a battleship in my AH.
Thefourth Yamato Class Battleship was converted into a carrier along withthe Shinano, being modified with deck-edge elevators and an enclosedbow.
The massive Kiryu, a carrier conversion of the second Muteki Nippon hull. She could carry modified Betty bombers. Silly but fun.
Kiryu and Shinano.
BATTLESHIPS & BATTLECRUISERS
Intended to provide fire support for amphibious landings, the old Settsu was rebuilt with updaded machinery and fire control.
Amagiwas launched just prior to the Great Earthquake of 1923, a fortunateevent since her building way was destroyed in the quake. She and Takaowere completed as Battlecruisers and modified into fast Battleships inthe late 1930's. They almost always served as escorts for their twohalf-sisters, the Akagi and Atago.
Without any Washington Treaty to force their cancellation, the Tosa and Kaga would probably have been finished as Battleships.
Slightlyupdated Amagis. Kii and Owari were finished as fast Battleships. Twomore (Suruga and Omi) were finished as carriers, similar to the Akagi.The Kii and Owari also served as carrier escorts, like theirnear-sisters Amagi and Takao.
Japan's first 18" armed Battleships.
Thefifth Yamato, modified into a semi-carrier design while underconstruction. The huge flight deck aft is as big as some of the smallerJapaense carriers and is angled to allow landings without the risk ofhitting the superstructure. Fixed catapults are mounted on the forwardflight deck, angled slightly to the sides to clear the superstructureas well. She carried 6x18" instead of 6x20" due to the lack of the rearturret.
IDO NOT expect this design to appear in my AH. She's based on the latestversion of "Space Battleship Yamato" which has the new ship with moreturrets and much larger. If she were real she would have 15x18" guns,and numerous AA guns.
Muteki Nippon and Yamato.
A planned "Super Yamato" design with 8 20" guns and 12 8" secondaries.
A hypothetical fast Yamato, capable of 32 knots.
The Type 65 Battlecruiser armed with 12 8" guns.
HypotheticalKongo replacements. The first uses 16" guns in new "Yamato" styleturrets, the other uses turrets recycled from the older Battleships.
