WesWorld

While waiting for the latest out of Nordmark, I realized I had some stuff from Q2 I needed to get out to the world...


AWNR India: 23 June 1921

1. Royal Yacht to Return to Service
2. Rana Wins Big in Coldmere
3. Navy Confirms Participation in Air Show
4. First Cyclone of the Season

1. Royal Yacht to Return to Service

The royal yacht Hindustaan will return to service in 1922, a spokesman for the Raj announced early this week. The ship’s re-activation was apparently prompted by the Raj’s recent trip to South Africa, during which he travelled on a chartered passenger liner.

“Although the Raj did very much enjoy his time aboard the Gujurat , he believes that having the yacht available for future voyages would be for the best. It simplifies the security issues, and means we can sail on short notice without having to worry about obtaining a charter.”

The Hindustaan was completed in 1914 and has a standard displacement of 4,929 tons. The ship was fitted to act as an armed auxiliary during the Andaman War, and saw action once, when it rammed and sunk the Dutch submarine K-1 . Damage sustained in the incident caused the yacht to be laid up until resources were available to repair her in 1919. Since then, the yacht has languished at the dockyard in Madras; despite being seven years old, the royal family has never actually stepped foot on her.

Former crew who have served on the yacht have described it as an astonishing display of grandeur, featuring teak panelling and furniture, gold fittings, and a large stone fireplace with its own stockpile of wood.

2. Rana Wins Big in Coldmere

The surprise landing of Oonishi Manzo on the KS Lord Helmbart has won the Rana an estimated 950,000 rupees. The Rana bet 50,000 rupees, at nineteen to one odds, that the infamous Japanese pilot would alight on the Coldmere vessel when he eventually reached Coldmere.

“I can honestly say I did not expect to see that money again”, the Rana remarked.

When asked how she would spend her winnings, the Rana commented, “The winnings stem from a feat of aviation, so I am contemplating using some of it as a prize for an aviation-related contest. Otherwise, the rest will collect interest until I find a purpose for it.”

3. Navy Confirms Participation in Air Show

The Navy has confirmed that it will send a contingent of naval aviators to the Madrid International Air Show in September. Two Baagh fighter planes and two Dhairya scout-bombers will be partly dismantled and crated for transport aboard the destroyer G-117 , which will have its torpedo tubes landed for this purpose. The six pilots and approximately thirty ground crew will also sail on the destroyer.

“Upon arriving at Cadiz, the aircraft will be offloaded and taken by lorry to the nearest aerodrome for re-assembly. From there they will fly to Madrid. G-117 , meanwhile, will remain at Cadiz, participating in any events that may take place in that time”, said Admiral Sanjay Das.

When asked what the Navy sought to gain from such an event, Admiral Das replied, “It is an opportunity to see and be seen; aviation, and particularly naval aviation, is in its infancy. We would certainly like to see how our designs compare with others. Perhaps we will even find an interested buyer.”

4. First Cyclone of the Season

The first serious storm of 1921 has dissipated after making landfall east of Sikkwe. The storm appeared to be losing strength even before it reach the mainland, so flooding and damage were relatively light. Local authorities have not commented on casualty figures, but did confirm that several small ships are now listed as missing.

This is the Voice of India...

Here's the data for the royal yacht, with some additional detail added in. Note that the torpedo tubes - installed at the instance of the Rana - have not been publically reported, and are known to just a handful of people outside the ship's crew.


Hindustaan, laid down 1912

Length, 402 ft x Beam, 53.0 ft x Depth, 16.0 ft
5357 tons normal displacement (4551 tons standard)

Main battery: 2 x 4.1-inch
Secondary battery: 4 x 1.4-inch
QF battery: 8 x 0.6-inch (guns usually kept belowdecks)

Weight of broadside: 75 lbs

4 TT, 17.7" (submerged) - bow, stern, port, and starboard

Main belt, 2.0 inches; full length
Upper belt, 2.0 inches
Armor deck, average 1.0 inches
C.T., 8.0 inches

Battery armor:
Main, 2.0" shields / secondary, 1.0" shields
QF, 1.0" shields

Maximum speed for 14988 shp = 21.69 knots
Approximate cruising radius, 10000 nm / 12 kts

Typical complement: 313-407


Estimated cost, $988,000 (£247,000)

Remarks:

Oil firing.

Ship has slow, easy roll; a good, steady gun platform.

Excellent seaboat; comfortable and able to fight her guns
in the heaviest weather.

Magazines and engineering spaces are roomy, with superior
watertight subdivision.

Ship is roomy, with superior accommodation and working space.

Passenger Accommodation Notes:

The Raj's Suite: 90 tons; 337.5 GRT; 33,750 cubic feet

6 Royal StateroomS: each 30 tons; 112.5 GRT; 11,250 cubic feet

45 Cabins: each 6 tons; 22.5 GRT; 2,250 cubic feet

250 Steerage Berths: each 2.25 tons; 7.5 GRT; 750 cubic feet

Other facilities:

A 35x10x7 swimming pool, adding about 70 tons

One catapult and one floatplane (added 1919)



Distribution of weights:
Percent
normal
displacement:

Armament ......................... 9 tons = 0 pct
Armor, total ..................... 786 tons = 15 pct

Belt 461 tons = 9 pct
Deck 264 tons = 5 pct
C.T. 53 tons = 1 pct
Armament 9 tons = 0 pct

Machinery ........................ 598 tons = 11 pct
Hull and fittings; equipment ..... 1844 tons = 34 pct
Fuel, ammunition, stores ......... 920 tons = 17 pct
Miscellaneous weights ............ 1200 tons = 22 pct
-----
5357 tons = 100 pct

Estimated metacentric height, 2.1 ft

Displacement summary:

Light ship: 4437 tons
Standard displacement: 4551 tons
Normal service: 5357 tons
Full load: 5980 tons

Loading submergence 408 tons/foot

+++++++++++++++++++++++++


Estimated overall survivability and seakeeping ability:

Relative margin of stability: 1.05

Shellfire needed to sink: 10269 lbs = 298.0 x 4.1-inch shells
(Approximates weight of penetrating
shell hits needed to sink ship,
not counting critical hits)

Torpedoes needed to sink: 1.8
(Approximates number of 'typical'
torpedo hits needed to sink ship)

Relative steadiness as gun platform, 96 percent
(50 percent is 'average')

Relative rocking effect from firing to beam, 0.03

Relative quality as a seaboat: 2.00

+++++++++++++++++++++++++


Hull form characteristics:

Block coefficient: 0.55
Sharpness coefficient: 0.38
Hull speed coefficient 'M' = 7.02
'Natural speed' for length = 20.0 knots
Power going to wave formation
at top speed: 50 percent


Estimated hull characteristics and strength:

Relative underwater volume absorbed by
magazines and engineering spaces: 67 percent

Relative accommodation and working space: 174 percent


Displacement factor: 165 percent
(Displacement relative to loading factors)


Relative cross-sectional hull strength: 1.02
(Structure weight per square
foot of hull surface: 78 lbs)

Relative longitudinal hull strength: 2.23
(for 20.0 ft average freeboard;
freeboard adjustment +6.6 ft)

Relative composite hull strength: 1.10

+++++++++++++++++++++++++


[Machine-readable parameters: Spring Style v. 1.2.1]

402.00 x 53.00 x 16.00; 20.00 -- Dimensions
0.55 -- Block coefficient
1912 -- Year laid down
21.69 / 10000 / 12.00; Oil-fired turbine or equivalent -- Speed / radius / cruise
1200 tons -- Miscellaneous weights
++++++++++
2 x 4.10; 0 -- Main battery; turrets
Central positioning of guns
Gun-shields
:
4 x 1.40; 0 -- Secondary battery; turrets
Gun-shields
:
8 x 0.60 -- Tertiary (QF/AA) battery
Gun-shields
:
0 -- No fourth (light) battery
4 / 4 / 17.70 -- TT / submerged / size
++++++++++
2.00 / 2.00 / 2.00 / 0.00; 100 -- Belt armor; relative extent
1.00 / 8.00 -- Deck / CT
2.00 / 1.00 / 1.00 / 0.00 -- Battery armor


+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

(Edits: Dropped from two floatplanes to one - not enough deck space - and raised freeboard 4 feet.)

Nice.
You didn't plan to have the belt protect the swimming pool like I did with the Kameko-chan? Any special color?

Walter

The armor scheme stems from the Rana's sense of professional paranoia - part of her official duties is to ensure the safety of the royal family at all times.

In theory, the continual armor belt ensures that, no matter where inside the ship the Raj is, no man-portable weapon can get him.

Anything big enough to get through the belt would be vehicle-mounted; these weapons would be more obvious to look-outs and have a slower rate of fire. Theoretically, the VIPs can get to that heavily armored control tower before the yacht takes too many telling hits. Then they just have to hope the yacht or its escorts can deal with the troublemaker...

I imagine the yacht to be white, with orange and black trim where appropriate. Perhaps I need to put a sketch together...

Folks,

we need to do a homepage on Royal Yachts or something :-)

Bernhard

Thanks to Hooman for the technical support...

I still think my Royal Yacht is prettier:

I won't hold that against you.

The artist that painted that picture did a very nice job with a stylish ship. Do you have a line drawing of her?

Not offhand, but she is the Inman Line liner City of New York, sistership of City of Paris, both liners being Blue Riband holders, IIRC. They were later renamed New York and Paris - New York was the ship pulled loose from her moorings in southampton by the suction created by RMS Titanic when that ship sailed past - they almost collided. In WesWorld the image represents the Royal Yacht Desidéria, which replaced the Corona Borealis as Royal Yacht (the latter vessel being now used as Admiralty Yacht). That ship's looks is represented by the White Star liner Germanic (the images on the page linked are better than the one below; the uppermost profile shot is the one I have in mind):


http://home.tiscali.be/johnny.bonte18/afbeeldingen/passagiersschepen/germanic1.jpg

Edited to add:


http://www.titanic-whitestarships.com/Germanic.jpg