Republican monitor

Warning Spoilers Iron Gray Sea on. The Republican Monitor (Princeps Class) is the coastal-defense warship of Republic of Real People navy. They served as the mobile defenses of Republic's harbors and ports. Sturdy and powerful, this low-freeboard warships lacks sea-keeping ability and generally considered as unable to operate in heavy seas.

Characteristics
The Republican monitors are low-freeboard, twin-turreted ironclad warships. Designed to serve as coastal defense and harbor protection units, they are good, very stable artillery platforms, but their low freeboard make them unable to operate their artillery in even moderately heavy seas. They have two rotating armored turrets - with two guns in each - and some superstructure between them.

Each monitor is armed with four 8-inch (around 210 mm ) breech-loading, rifled cannons, mounted in two rotating turrets. Those cannons are described as capable of firing 150-lb (about 65-70 kg) shells; they are used bag powder charges. By the 1944, the republican military considered this artillery as sufficient, but outdated in comparison with their modern industrial capabilities. What little we know of them is as follows Deadly Shores page 427 in the Hardback has the following, "Greg noticed there were two columns of smoke above the twin turreted "Monitors" he had been told to expect, and the squat, ugly ships were steaming toward him." Straits of Hell Page 122 of the hardback notes Greg speaking with the Monitor's captain on the "flying bridge."

The monitors are well-protected, and their low freeboard made them challenging targets for horizontal fire. Their above water sides are completely armored, as well as their decks and turrets. It's unclear, what exactly is the material and thickness of monitors armor; assuming that the secondaries of Savoie was considered as capable of damaging them, their armor are probably wrought iron, steel-iron compound or non-hardened steel.

The monitors are powered by double-expansion steam engines. It's unclear, how many shafts and screws monitors have. Considering the late-XIX technological level of their designing, they probably are twin-screwed, for the additional maneuvering capabilities.

Service
At least a dozen warships of this class was commissioned into the Republican Navy sometimes prior to 1940s. Being primarily the land-based power, the Republic didn't pay much attention to naval matters, considering that the main goal of their naval forces is to provide mobile defenses for harbors and protect coastal shipping. As a result, the Republican Navy lacked ocean-capable forces.

In 1944, three monitors shadowed the League's battleship Savoie in the Alex-aandra harbor, but weren't considered as much threat to the powerfull superdreadnought. It was assumed, that even "Savoie" 138-mm secondaries may be able to disable them.

Specifications of the Princeps Class Monitors:
Here are the specs, based on general appearance of Amphitrite Class Monitor: Displacement 2,150 Tons, Dimensions, 235 feet long, 50 feet beam, 8 feet draft, 4 feet freeboard, and crew of 110.

Armament as described four 8-inch (around 210 mm ) breech-loading, rifled cannons, mounted in two rotating turrets, with four Maxims.

Armor, 6 inches sides, extending 4 feet below waterline, 2 inches on deck, 6 inches protecting turret sides. Deemed sufficient at the time of construction to defeat 24pdr smoothbores--the largest guns the Doms were known to have at sea. Yes, they had observed them. [stuff on Republic & Dom contact I'm not allowed to share] Deckhouse is not armored.

Two boilers, two tall, thin stacks on centerline, single shaft, @1,000 hp. Speed, 8 Knots.

No fighting top, but mast is in about the same place as Amphitrite, with a higher crow's nest. Also, two (bare) yards for auxiliary sails and forestays for a jib. No aft sail capacity, obviously. Extensive flying bridge, with small protected pilothouse. Raised chain hawse. Screw is 2 bladed, and enclosed--NOT exposed shaft and rudder arrangement per USS Monitor. Note above from E-Mail from Taylor Anderson used with permission. MAY BE SUBJECT TO CHANGE!

For a good a drawing of the Amphitrite Class Monitors mentioned above see:

http://navsource.org/archives/01/monitors/amphitrite202.jpg

Speculations
It's hard to establish the accurate characteristics of Republican monitor-type ships, due to the lack of available data about their size, speed or armor protection. The only monitor-class warship, that ever served in German Navy was the SMS "Arminius", british-build monitor, ordered by Imperial Prussian (later German) navy in 1863 and comissioned in 1865. This ship was twin-turreted monitor, about 1800 tons of displacement and armed with a four of 21 cm muzzle-loading rifled guns.