Hey...I'm from China and used to learn about navy in WW2,especially in Asia.
Maybe I could help you something.
First,'Historical Materials of the Republic of China Navy' is a great book.
...

Is there any information in that book about the ex-French vessel Inconstant? The following is all I have been able to glean from secondary sources, and I have some doubt as to whether the ship was ever actually bought by the Chinese.

Regards

David

Inconstant had been built for the French Navy in 1916 as an Ardent class anti-submarine gunboat. The French Navy may have converted her into a minesweeper post-World War One. She was deployed to the Far East in 1927,[1] and condemned by the French Navy in 1933.[2] The 1934 edition of Weyer's Taschenbuch der Kriegsflotten reported that she had been bought by the Chinese Navy in May 1933, but did not disclose her new name.[3] Wright’s book The Chinese Steam Navy 1862-1945, repeated this claim, citing Taschenbuch der Kriegsflotten, but provided no additional information.[4]


[1] Dufeil, Y & Terraillon, M, 2011, Navires de la Grande Guerre – INCONSTANT, . P Franconie, 2007, Canonnière en Chine, Éditions Karthala, Paris, p133.
[2] JL Couhat, 1974, French Warships of World War I, Ian Allen, Shepperton, pp180-184.
[3] A Bredt (ed), 1934, Weyer's Taschenbuch der Kriegsflotten, 1934, J.F. Lehmanns, Munich, pp26-27.
[4] RNJ Wright, 2000, The Chinese Steam Navy 1862-1945, Chatham Publishing, London, pp161-162.
No, this book rarely talks about ship information, most of which are navy personnel files, procurement contracts, and government documents
 
Sorry, I didn't find it. I thought it was transferred to the civil shipyard soon or dismantled immediately. After all, her tonnage is too small, it may also be used as a small transport ship or patrol boat.

I can only find a description of the visit of the French Far East fleet in 1933.

捕获.PNG
1获.PNG

Mainly about mutual respect and banquets,no mention of the transfer of ships.

cattalonX says right,there's little about parameters of various ships and no drawings...

Records of 1933 didn't mention it...It's a pity.
 
Here is one of the Harima Shipyard's offer for China for a Heavy Cruiser
dekytap-1c803d4e-83ff-48c8-900f-377cdb6b45dd.png


The design had the following characteristics:
Dimensions: 149,35 (pp) x 158,5 (wl) x 161,54 (oa) x 15,24 x 4,88 meters
Displacement: 6.000tons (standard)
Engines: 38.000shp Kampon Steam Turbines, 2 shafts
Range: 14.800km at 22km/h (8.000nm at 12knots)
Speed: 52km/h (28knots)
Armour: 25mm Deck, 51mm (25+25mm) over Machinery, 19mm over Magazines Belt
Armaments:
3x2 20cm/50 Type 3 / 3rd Year Type Guns or 20,3cm Type 90 No.2 Guns,
2x2 14cm/50 Type 3 / 3rd Year Type Guns,
4x1 76mm/40 Type 3 / 3rd Year Type DP-AA Guns,
4x1 12,7mm or 13,2mm AA Guns
2x3 533mm Torpedo Tubes
30x Depth Charges
2x Seaplanes, Aichi AB-3
 
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Here is one of the Harima Shipyard's offer for China for a Heavy Cruiser
dekytap-1c803d4e-83ff-48c8-900f-377cdb6b45dd.png


The design had the following characteristics:
Dimensions: 149,35 (pp) x 158,5 (wl) x 161,54 (oa) x 15,24 x 4,88 meters
Displacement: 6.000tons (standard)
Engines: 38.000shp Kampon Steam Turbines, 2 shafts
Range: 14.800km at 22km/h (8.000nm at 12knots)
Speed: 52km/h (28knots)
Armour: 25mm Deck, 51mm (25+25mm) over Machinery, 19mm over Magazines Belt
Armaments:
3x2 20cm/50 Type 3 / 3rd Year Type Guns or 20,3cm Type 90 No.2 Guns,
2x2 14cm/50 Type 3 / 3rd Year Type Guns,
4x1 76mm/40 Type 3 / 3rd Year Type DP-AA Guns,
4x1 12,7mm or 13,2mm AA Guns
2x3 533mm Torpedo Tubes
30x Depth Charges
2x Seaplanes, Aichi AB-3

Amazing,good sharing.
20cm ahead and 14cm behind?Oh,considering tonnage and capital,to ROCN, that's good enough.
Commanding on volleying together may be chaotic,why not replace 2x2 14cm/50 Type 3 / 3rd Year Type Guns into 1x2 20cm/50 Type 3 / 3rd Year Type Guns or 20,3cm Type 90 No.2 Guns?Maybe they(refer to 14cm guns) have other uses?
 
Anti Destroyer and anti chaser guns I presume. The 20cm ones had great firing arcs though. And this is an official Harima proposal.
A 4th 20cm twin turret would had been too costly bot monetary, and displacement wise and might had been not kindly looked at by the IJN providing such powerful ship to a likely enemy.
 
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And now the Modified Design offered by Harima with 12cm aft guns and minor superstructure alterations:
del1afu-9dad80c9-46e0-4ba8-9fc1-c78120d5346f.png


The design had the following characteristics:
Dimensions: 149,35 (pp) x 158,5 (wl) x 161,54 (oa) x 15,24 x 4,88 meters
Displacement: 6.000tons (standard)
Engines: 38.000shp Kampon Steam Turbines, 2 shafts
Range: 14.800km at 22km/h (8.000nm at 12knots)
Speed: 52km/h (28knots)
Armour: 25mm Deck, 51mm (25+25mm) over Machinery, 19mm over Magazines Belt
Armaments:
3x2 20cm/50 Type 3 / 3rd Year Type Guns
2x2 12cm/45 Type 3 / 3rd Year Type Guns,
4x1 76mm/40 Type 3 / 3rd Year Type DP-AA Guns,
4x1 12,7mm or 13,2mm AA Guns
2x3 533mm Torpedo Tubes
30x Depth Charges
2x Seaplanes, Aichi AB-3
 
The German design battleship I posted before
v2-c58253fc3d8c0863e61a27e5fb1f0888_r.jpg

The ship was designed after the first Sino-Japanese War, when the fleet was destroyed by the Japanese
The Empire wants to rebuild the fleet,The Germans gave three designs at the end of 1895。
first is a Protected cruiser, the Hai Yung Class。
second,a 11,000-ton battleship with a speed of 18.5 knots and an armor belt of 10 inches,no more information(£620,000 is too expensive for the Chinese)
The third is this picture A 7,600-ton battleship(The original design was an armored cruiser with a 7050-ton, 240-mm main gun。but Chinese request to strengthen firepower and protection and lower the speed,Finally got a ship Install two single 280mm guns)
But this ship was not built, the Chinese chose the British-built Protected cruiser
IMG_20210607_211921.jpg
 
Ohh! Interesting!
Do you know which German Shipyard offered them?
 
Yes, two Vickers submarine offers, Thornycroft offered a Seaplane Tender as well
 

The Taiwanese archive·····

 
Hmm but these two Vickers designs seems to eluded my eyes, I did find the IvS design for a minelayer when I went through the documents...
 
Looks like 1880's 1890's era French offer to China?
Armoured cruisers?
 
Is there any technical data on that French design? Two single 12-inch guns but what is the Secondary Battery?
 
Looks like 1880's 1890's era French offer to China?
Armoured cruisers?
Coastal defense ships posted before
I just found better pictures
The author has equipped different pictures at different places······
 
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Is there any technical data on that French design? Two single 12-inch guns but what is the Secondary Battery?
First one,5600 tons 88 meters long, 18 meters wide, and 6.1 meters deep.
8200HP,16knots
armament,two 300mm and six 140mm,eight 3-pounder
belt, 210~105mm
the second,2900 tons 70 meters long, 14.1 meters wide and 5 meters deep
4200HP,16knots
armament, two 200mm guns and four 150mm
belt,220~120mm
 
Is there any technical data on that French design? Two single 12-inch guns but what is the Secondary Battery?
First one,5600 tons 88 meters long, 18 meters wide, and 6.1 meters deep.
8200HP,16knots
armament,two 300mm and six 140mm,eight 3-pounder
belt, 210~105mm
the second,2900 tons 70 meters long, 14.1 meters wide and 5 meters deep
4200HP,16knots
armament, two 200mm guns and four 150mm
belt,220~120mm
Thanks!
 
I
Can you please post in the original resolution or link to it?
I have the original construction drawing, not this coloured one and that is 15x times larger then this!
10409 x 7817 pixels!
I get this thing from here,sorry,no original
At the bottom of the page it tells:
来源:aa.archives.gov.tw

I've only found two directories there when I've posted this thread:

As I'm no chinese I cannot read the texts nor search for other archives.
Maybe you can search for other other then these two?
 
I
Can you please post in the original resolution or link to it?
I have the original construction drawing, not this coloured one and that is 15x times larger then this!
10409 x 7817 pixels!
I get this thing from here,sorry,no original
At the bottom of the page it tells:
来源:aa.archives.gov.tw

I've only found two directories there when I've posted this thread:

As I'm no chinese I cannot read the texts nor search for other archives.
Maybe you can search for other other then these two?
I will try,but you konw. even to Chinese.
I
Can you please post in the original resolution or link to it?
I have the original construction drawing, not this coloured one and that is 15x times larger then this!
10409 x 7817 pixels!
I get this thing from here,sorry,no original
At the bottom of the page it tells:
来源:aa.archives.gov.tw

I've only found two directories there when I've posted this thread:

As I'm no chinese I cannot read the texts nor search for other archives.
Maybe you can search for other other then these two?
I will try, but even for Chinese , searching on this website is very difficult
 
So how would a Chinese version of a Kirov-class battlecruiser look like, i assume the waopons onboard would be the Chinese counterpart of the Soviet/Russian designs.
 
So how would a Chinese version of a Kirov-class battlecruiser look like, i assume the waopons onboard would be the Chinese counterpart of the Soviet/Russian designs.
Erm... What???
 
So how would a Chinese version of a Kirov-class battlecruiser look like, i assume the waopons onboard would be the Chinese counterpart of the Soviet/Russian designs.
You do know this topic discuss about pre-PLAN projects, right? even if China buy a Kirov, they would only re-arm her (what would they want her to be, a pure anti-surface ship or retain old ASW role?), overhaul engine (conventional very likely rather than nuclear).
 
So how would a Chinese version of a Kirov-class battlecruiser look like, i assume the waopons onboard would be the Chinese counterpart of the Soviet/Russian designs.
You do know this topic discuss about pre-PLAN projects, right? even if China buy a Kirov, they would only re-arm her (what would they want her to be, a pure anti-surface ship or retain old ASW role?), overhaul engine (conventional very likely rather than nuclear).
A my bad, it before the PRC took over.
 
Kirov-class battlecruiser or Kirov-class cruiser??
I’ve never heard of the battlecruiser for China··········
 
I
Can you please post in the original resolution or link to it?
I have the original construction drawing, not this coloured one and that is 15x times larger then this!
10409 x 7817 pixels!
I get this thing from here,sorry,no original
At the bottom of the page it tells:
来源:aa.archives.gov.tw

I've only found two directories there when I've posted this thread:

As I'm no chinese I cannot read the texts nor search for other archives.
Maybe you can search for other other then these two?

page7
LoadImagesForELK.jpg LoadImagesForELK(1).jpg LoadImagesForELK(2).jpg
 
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Thanks! I will download that document set soon. If you find anything other feel free to post the links so we can check and download
 
Kirov-class battlecruiser or Kirov-class cruiser??
I’ve never heard of the battlecruiser for China··········
There were plans to sell/give a Pr. 26bis (Molotov) class cruiser to the PLAN pre Sino-Soviet split, but that's outside the bounds of this thread.
I
Can you please post in the original resolution or link to it?
I have the original construction drawing, not this coloured one and that is 15x times larger then this!
10409 x 7817 pixels!
I get this thing from here,sorry,no original
At the bottom of the page it tells:
来源:aa.archives.gov.tw

I've only found two directories there when I've posted this thread:

As I'm no chinese I cannot read the texts nor search for other archives.
Maybe you can search for other other then these two?

page7
View attachment 662312View attachment 662313View attachment 662314

EXCELLENT FIND!! great work :)
 

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