Savoie

Warning Devil's Due Spoilers. Savoie - is a Bretagne-class battleship of the League of Tripoli navy.

Origin
The "Savoie" was a part of the French Marine Nationale in the League's Origin World. It's supposed that she was initially laid up as "Vasilefs Konstantinos" - the export "Bretagne"-class battleship, ordered in 1914 by the Royal Hellenic Navy - and was completed and commissioned for the French Navy during World War I.

Somewhere in 1920-1930s she was given a refit, that included removal of her middle turret and installation of hangar and catapults for seaplanes on her place.

When the France formed Confédération États Souverains (the loose alliance of fascist european nations) and declared war against the British Empire, the Russian Empire and the United States, the "Savoie" was part of the CES invasion fleet, send to attack Egypt in 1939. The fleet (or at least significant part of it) was transferred by the Squall in Destroyermen's world, and formed the political entity, known as League of Tripoli.

Design
The "Savoie" is supposed to be (initially) the typical "Bretagne"-class super-dreadnought: slow (no more than 20 knots at best), relatively compact but powerfully armed and well protected. The "Bretagne" design was constrained by the limited size of available drydocks, so the speed, range and seakeeping ability were sacrificed in favor of firepower and protection. Due to the fact that french naval engineers of 1910s underestimated the distances of naval warfare, the "Bretagne"-class have extensive, but not very thick vertical armor protection and insufficient horizontal armor protection. Her main armament is composed of eight (initially ten) 34-cm (13,4") model 1912 guns, capable of firing 1268-lbs shells on the distance of 30000 yards (26700 meters). Her secondary armament is composed of a large number of 138-mm (5,46") quick-firing guns with a range of 16500 yards (15100 meters).

During the 1920-1930s, the "Savoie" seems to be refitted around the lines of our world "Lorraine": her central turret was removed, and seaplane hangar and catapults were fitted instead. Her anti-aircraft armament were probably increased, too: it the League's world designers worked near the lines of our world, then by 1939 the "Savoie" could have as much as four dual 100-mm (4-inch) AA guns (alternatively - eight 75-mm (3-inch) AA guns), four 37-mm AA guns, and up to four quadruple heavy machine guns.

It's supposed that the engine arrangement and thus speed of "Savoie" weren't significantly altered (except of conversion to oil), because such extensive refit would be meaningless without the alteration of hull lines - and "Savoie" was described as the same length (about 550 feet long) as typical "Bretagne".

League's service
In Straits of Hell Savoie were used by the League to intimidate the Alex-aandra, by semi-official threat of bombardment. The goal of this action was to delay the Republic entry in the war against Grik Empire, and thus prevent the rapid Grik defeat. Later, she holds Donaghey under her guns in Alex-aandra, preventing her expedition to Atlantic.

Eventually, the Republic decided that they waited too long and Cea-saar Nig-Tak send the ultimatum to the Contre-Admiral Laborde : to leave Alex-aandra or be attacked. While the Republic have actually nothing that could significantly damage the great super dreadnought, in fact Laborde have been ordered by the League government NOT to initiate military actions and merely intimidate the Republic without provoking the actual conflict. The next day "Savoie" left, her destination unknown.

In Blood in the Water Captain Dupont of Savoie talks Contre-Admiral Laborde into stopping SMS Amerika to capture high value prisoners known to the League via radio intercepts. Initially supposed to be bloodless operation lead to a tragedy when Kapatain Adler Von Melhausen  (being in desperate state of mind) attacked Savoie that then sinks SMS Amerika. Becker Lange, Adar, Sandra Tucker Reddy, Arnold Horn, and two sailors are taken prisoner. Later on Zanzibar Capitine de Fregate Victor Gravois leader of the League Zanzibar representatives gives the prisoners and Savoie to the Japanese/Grik under Hisashi Kurokawa.

Kurokawa's service
The "loaning" of "Savoie" to Kurokawa was, actually, "trojan horse"-type operation of League. The battleship represented threat large enough, so the Alliance (as League hoped) would be forced to act hastily to neutralize such powerful opponents. On the other hands, the "Savoie" was, actually, almost incapable of combat; the small number of remaining League personnel simply could not teach Kurokawa's Grik & Japanese crews to operate complicated machinery of "Savoie" fast enough, to make her combat-ready in time. Moreover, before leaving the battleship, the League personnel dismantled the crucial parts of fire control system, thus drastically reducing the battleship combat value.

Still, the "Savoie" represented the most powerful naval asset of Kurokawa's navy, and great efforts were directed toward her preparation for battle. The fire control was partially restored, and her crew trained constantly. She participated in defense of Zanzibar against nighttime Alliance air raids, downing several bombers by her anti-aircraft gun. During the attacks, the battleship was hit several times, without any significant damage.

During Operation Outhouse Rat, battleship attempted to sortie from attacked harbor, but was infiltrated by Alliance strike team, who took control over battleship bow turret and used her main guns to destroy escorting Grik ships. Due to confusion, "Savoie" was damaged by Alliance torpedoes (albeit without serious consequences) and eventually grounded, and was abandoned by Grik/Japanese crew. Later, Alliance forces took possession over the battleship.

Alliance's service
Currently being towed by "Salissa" for repairs.

Trivia
Warning: spoilers through Straits of Hell. In the Epilogue of Deadly Shores USS Donaghey encounters a hostile battleship in Alexaandraa described as "A massive gray form, about 550 feet long ... Two funnels stood a good distance apart - and four massive turrets housing two huge guns apiece." The flag is described as a red octagon with a blue cross-like emblem in its center on a white field, the emblem of the Parti Populaire Français. For information on Parti Populaire Français, Campeti and Bradfords's French Nazis. and look at the emblem see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_Popular_Party.

The only French battleship matching this description is the Lorraine who lost her central turret between her two funnels in 1935, and an aircraft catapult along with a hangar for three aircraft were installed. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_battleship_Lorraine for more information on the real ship.

Note: Taylor Anderson expressed the following on his blog http://www.taylorandersonauthor.com/blog/discussions/ :

On June 03, 2014 Taylor says:

Ha! I actually have thought a little about it, Doug, but you don’t REALLY want me to blow, do you? Hmm. French Dreadnaught, 4 twin turrets. . . what more do you need? End quote.

During our speculation on his blog. She will probably be given another name and history in Straits of Hell as author Taylor Anderson gives his reason for made up ships thus on his Discussion Blog http://www.taylorandersonauthor.com/blog/discussions/ On January 06, 2015 he wrote :

"... I would personally prefer to “add” a destroyer to the list of those involved for the same reason that I have always used ships with no wartime record: Any ship actually there would have had an actual CREW of real people, and I would–personally–feel uncomfortable with shanghaiing their lives, so to speak. I’ve come close a time or two, in a manner of speaking, with Santa Catalina (Blackhawk) and Amerika, both of which DID have “post divergence” records, but the way I used them, they are NOT the same ship. I may even IMPLY that some . . . mysterious ship could be a well-known one, leaving it to the imagination of the reader to decide, but that’s as far as I’ll go. Even Surcouf is an analog. They CALL it Surcouf, because that’s what she looked like, but . . . wherever she came from, either that was not her name, or she was one of the other planned vessels of the same design. This is a rule I’ve always tried to keep, and I mean to continue doing so in this series. Maybe it’s because I grew up with so many veterans of WW2 and the inter-war years. I have known too many of them to change their service records."

I asked Taylor for the name the ship would have in Straits of Hell, here is the first spoiler from Straits of Hell:

"On January 09, 2015 Taylor says:

Ook–as the Mice would say. I guess, since you have made such a compelling case for the class as to leave no real doubt in anybody’s mind (you’re too good at this) I suppose there’s really no harm in tossing out the name bone, at this point. Not really a spoiler anyway.

Savoie.

Happy now? Ha!"

Bolding mine.

Possible real-world analogue
The "Provence"-class of french super dreadnoughts actually consisted of four ships; the fourth was "Basilevs Constantions", ordered by the Hellenic Navy in 1914. When the Great War started, work on the ship were stopped, but a lot of materials were already ordered and produced, so the French Navy briefly considered the possibility of completing the ship for themselves. The proposed name for the ship was, indeed, "Savoie". Eventually, works never had been resumed, and the incomplete hull of "Basilevs Constantions" was scrapped.

It seems that in the world where Destroyermen's "Savoie" came from, the french navy in Great War have the more urgent need for the battleships - possibly with the Italy actually supporting the Triple Alliance? - and completed her as planned. She seems to be modernized in nid-1930th, by the lines of "Lorrain".