Houdini Blues
Issue 1, March 2001
Welcome to this, the premier issue of Houdini Blues, a subzine of TAP edited by Michael Lowrey, 6903 Kentucky Derby Drive, Charlotte, NC 28215. My email address is [email protected] or call me nights at (704) 569-4269. Bonus points if you catch the music reference in the subzine name. As in my former zine, I'll try to write a short article on naval history, a book review or on a public policy issue. So without further ado, it's on to a description of
these sleek all-steam cruisers could easily outrun and outgun their masted contemporaries. To make matters worse, they also had nearly twice the range and carried protective armor and torpedo tubes, which the masted cruisers were not fitted with. Even in the area of operating costs, the Cadmus class was no bargain; their crew of 150 was half that of a light c ruiser! Given a choice, a Gem or similar light cruiser was much more useful than two or even three masted cruisers.
In service, the Sheermess Naval Yard built Cadmus class sloops served on ovresea stations. Cadmus served in Chinese waters until sold in 1921. Fantome and Merlin were both converted to survey ships and served until the early 1920s in this rule before being sold for scrap. Clio, Espiegle, and Odin served on foreign stations and as drill ships b efore World War I. During the war, all three were assigned to the Persian Gulf and participated in the Mesopotanian Campaign. They were sold between 1920 and 1923.
Deadline for all games is March 27.
Cadmus Class Masted Cruisers
More often than not, from history we recall famous firsts. In naval history, both HMS Warrior, the first iron armored, sea going warship, and HMS Dreadnought, the first all-big gun battleship, are famous. More obscure, however, are the last ships of a type. For the Royal Navy, its last masted (sail-fitted) warships, the Cadmus class, entered service less than a century ago and only two years before HMS Dreadnought was launched.
As the preeminent colonial power in the 19th century, Great Britain faced unique challenges. The Royal Navy was responsible for patrolling vast areas of the ocean while having to intervene at short notice in any number of local conflicts. This called for vessels with long range. The new steam technology, however, was at first neither efficient nor reliable. Obtaining coal in the more remote regions was also a challenge. The result was a retention of sails on cruising ships for many years; the Royal Navy built such masted cruisers long after every other powers had abandoned the concept. Indeed, production continued for a decade after pure-steam powered cruisers became common place.
In its final form, the Cadmus class steel-hulled screw sloops of the turn of the 20th century, t he masted cruiser was a 1,070 ton ship of 185 feet in length. Beam was 33 feet while mean draught was 11 feet, 3 inches. Two shaft machinery of 1,400 imperial horsepower was fitted, which gave the sloops atop speed of about 13 1/2 knots. In addition, the Cadmus class was schooner-rigged, with square sails on the foremast. Armament was six four-inch guns, mounted three on a side.
When Cadmus and Clio completed in 1904 (Espiegle, Fantome, Merlin, and Odin completed two years earlier), however, the reality was rather stark: mast cruisers were simply useless for purposes of war. Indeed, when the new First Sea Lord, Admiral Fisher, referred to ship too weak to fight and too slow to run, he very much had the Cadmus class and earlier generations of masted cruisers in mind.
The comparisons with contemporary light cruisers show just how great the gap was. The Gem class of 1904 and 1905, for example, were 3,000 ton ships mounting 12 four-inch guns (seven on the broadside). With a top speed of some 22 knots,
Vaclav Havel (98Mrb32)
Gunboat, Fall 1911 & End
Austria (8)
bud
, gre, nap, rom, ser, tri, tun, ven,
vie France (18) bel, ber, bre,
bud, den, edi, hol, lon, kie, lpl, mar, mun, nwy, par, por, spa,
stp
, swe, war Wins!
Russia (2) mos, stp,
war
Turkey (6) ank, bul, con, rum, sev, smy
The French retreat Gal to Bud gives him 18 centers and the win.
Congradulations are in order for Frank Easton! Other surviving players were Daniel Gorham (Standby Austria), Brendan Whyte (Russia), and Harry Andurschak (Turkey). I'll run the supply center history and endgame statements next issue.
Austria NMR! A Vie, A Boh (d, ann), A Tyl, A Pie, A Tus, A Gre, A Ser, F Naf, F Tyn (d, nap, rom, otb) all U (H)
France A StP r Fin. A Spa-NAf, F Mid C A Spa-NAf, A Mar-Pie, A Bur-Mun, A Mun-Boh, A Sil S A Mun-Boh, A Gal-Vie (d, bud, otb), F Wes-Tyn, F Lyo S F Wes-Tyn, A Pru-War, A Lvn-StP, A Fin S A Lvn-StP, F Nwg-Bar, F Nth-Nwy, F Eng- Nth, F Bal-Bot
Russia F StP (sc) H, A Mos S F StP (sc)
Turkey F Ion-Tyn, F Aeg-Ion, A Sev S Russian A Mos, A Rum-Gal, A Ukr S A Rum-Gal, A Bul-Rum