H-44

[Haratio Fales]

WOW some nice illustrations, but what I found on the Fuhrer suggested 1300 MM main guns. see Alternate History forum. It also discuses Frederick Der Große ( Frederick The Great ) that was suppose to have Gustav guns, or slightly larger. They also talk about the Supper Yamato battleships and give them names, but again these are loosely based on any real history and filled in with conjecture.

[LWD]

... The Japanese were intending on mounting 6-20 inch guns on the next Yamato class until it got turned into an aircraft carrier. ...

Someting seems a bit confused here. The Yamato class battleship that was turned into a carrier was the Shiano and it was planned to have 9 18" guns like the others of that class. There were som proposals however for follow on classes mounting 6 20" guns.

... Is that the 700,000-ton KM Fuhrer ?

My understanding is that the Germans didn't name thier vessels until they were well under construction. Nothing I've read indicates that any of the H class vessels had names even the ones who had their keels laided. Thus you need to be suspious of any named "H class" vessel

[NagaSadow]

Yes, there never was a "KM Führer" or any plans for 700,00-ton ships. The only names known to have been under consideration for the H-Klasse (H-39 that is...) were "Götz von Berlichingen" and "Ulrich von Hutten" (both were Imperial Knights).

[Haratio Fales]

Again, I apologize for any confusion that I have added to the subject. The only information I could find about Fredrich the Great, and or KMS Fuhrer was on an alternate history site and was in story form, and the same about the Modified Yamato's. That was the point I was trying to make is that there is a lot of info based on fantasy, and or some ones idea of what they think should, or could have happened. on the Kriegsmarine history sites and Wiki's it is mentioned that Germany did a design study for a battle ship with 20 inch guns, and to be in the 140,000 ton range. It state explicitly though that this was a design study and that it was never intended to be built. I don't know if this ship had any name, Designation letter or anything more about it. The Photo shopped black and White pic of the Tirpitz by what is called H-40, or H-44 depending on where its viewed at is a damn good fabricated picture. It has been around for at least a few years now and is good for theoretical discusions and fooling the weak minded as Obi Wan would say. I personally have a lot of the plans, or what exists of them for the Plan Z ships and have been doing research on them for about 15 years. I don't claim to be the leading authority about them, but I'm smarter than the average Bear. I will admit that I am wrong if I can find out that I am, or some one shows me that I am. I Always hope that some one has information, and or accidently finds a set of line drawings, and or blue prints to any of these ships in their grandfathers foot locker in the attic. There is a lot of phony or made up stuff though, and I have seen most of it. I even have most of it on my files for study, or just a good laugh now and then. Some of this stuff didn't happen maliciously, it was proposed and of Modeled as good intended (what if stuff ). Its just usually some one else that see's it and takes it as Gospel, and then posts it somewhere as truth, and it does confuse everyone. Anyway I need to breathe after that paragraph, and I will only say that if You want to check out those ship stories, Google Alternate History Forum, and they are all on there. Smooth Sailing. Haratio.

BB Satssumfushi from alternate history story, with 6-20 inch guns

BB Yokozuki from alternate history story, with 12-18.1 inch guns

[LWD]

There's a good chance I've already read them. I do enjoy alternate history stories and there are a couple of series that are very well written. When we are talking history though I try to make it explicit what is historical and what are expansions. As you note some will take a such things as:
http://www.combinedfleet.com/furashita/furamain.htm
and proclaim them fact. I have found that one of the keys for spotting such things when the German Z plan ships are discussed is seeing the vessels named. Unfortunately there is no similar que for other nations that I've found.

[Haratio Fales]

bingo, that's the link for the Japanese alts. I couldn't find it again, not that I was looking real hard but yes its entertaining but annoying when portrayed as real history. I played a game called Navy Field and the game its self isn't that interesting It did have a good little graphic section where You equip your ship and it had all of the Z plan designs to look at and the Japanese alts. The U.S. Montana class and so on. It could be silly though as you could over equip certain items though like 8 torpedo launchers and a whole deck of the short range rocket launchers. I think there are other ship games that are a bit more fun, like Battle stations Midway, and Pacific. I played Great Naval Battles on windows 95 almost 20 years ago but I liked those games even though they were mostly map based. Any way this post is about the H-44 design. If she could have been built as the last H-39 series maybe. As a 122 or 140 thousand ton ship Highly unlikely. As a 700,000 ton ship As Theadora says on OZ the great and powerfull,(NEVER).

[ijnfleetadmiral]

...Frederick Der Große ( Frederick The Great ) that was suppose to have Gustav guns, or slightly larger.

That was the uber-ginormous H-45 design, which would've mounted eight Gustav guns and been so large and had such a massive draught that no German harbor could've held her. (Of course, this bulk would've probably made her Adolf's favorite ship; as wide as she would've been, his seasickness would've probably been rendered null and void. ) Bismarck would've looked like a minesweeper next to her, and even a modern-day Nimitz-class CVN would've been a small CVE next to her massive size. As drool-inducing as this monster would be to us battlewagon aficionados, mounting such gargantuan guns on a warship was totally unfeasible; each gun would've taken five minutes to reload before being ready to fire again, not exactly useful in a fight like Denmark Strait or North Cape.

Then again, if you're the ship this monster is shooting at, a Gustav gun can open fire waaayyy before you can get into firing range yourself, and if a direct hit is scored...well, I don't think you'd have to worry too much about returning fire.