WesWorld

It's a busy month in India...

AWNR India: 11 May 1921

1. Indian Ocean Naval Symposium Begins
2. State Visit to South Africa Continues
3. Columbo Rejoins Fleet
4. Raveena Pillai’s Public Appearance

1. Indian Ocean Naval Symposium Begins

The inaugural Indian Ocean Naval Symposium began in Durban on the ninth. That night, the Raj delivered a keynote address that spoke to India’s rising naval strength:

“The Indian Navy has experienced a meteoric rise in strength and power over the past decade as we take our proper place on the world stage. I expect this growth to continue through to the end of this decade with the introduction of locally built capital ships and perhaps, if they are warranted, aviation ships. By the time negotiations begin on the next Cleito Treaty in the mid-thirties, we will have sufficient operational experience to formulate a proper position on tonnage allocations.

“That operational experience is being greatly enhanced through our alliance with South Africa. South Africa has a great deal to teach India about blue water operations, and I would like to think that we have a bit to teach South Africa about coastal operations. South Africa has been helping us make tremendous strides in our battleship and submarine programs, while India may be able to assist in the development of South African Type A cruisers, based on our own experiences with the Hyderabads . SAINT is an alliance that benefits both parties, and makes the Indian Ocean a safer place.”

Over a hundred Indian officials and officers have arrived in South Africa for the event, which will include five full days of presentations, each with its own theme. Yesterday’s opening session addressed warship design in the post-Cleito Treaty world. Dhiren Naidu, head of India’s Naval Design Bureau, had this to say:

“There’s a problem that worries me, and that’s the assumption many of my colleagues have - that any new battleships have to be 40,000 tons just because that’s as big as they can be. So the ship gets the machinery and armament it needs, and then it gets far more armor than it needs. If armor schemes get ahead of what 15" ordnance can accomplish, we’ll see one of two things happen. Either battleship duels become close-range brawls, probably with massive losses to both sides, or other, unrestricted technologies - submarines and aerial bombers come to mind - will have to be developed to counter these heavily protected capital ships.”

Today’s session will focus on naval operations in the post-treaty world, followed by discussions of Great War operations in the region, the Al-Salif affair, and naval aviation.

2. State Visit to South Africa Continues

The Raj has had a busy itinerary thus far. After meeting the King of South Africa two days ago, the two leaders visited several warships, including the South Africa, Hertog Alexander, Santa Fe, Port Blair , and India’s new battleship Dara Shikoh . As mentioned earlier, the two men then spoke at the opening ceremony for the Indian Ocean Naval Symposium.

Yesterday began with breakfast aboard a South African training ship, where the Raj and the King ate with a class of naval cadets. Cadet Piet Vandevliert had this to say about the meal:

“I don’t know how the food was. I was too nervous to remember how it tasted.”

The leaders later toured Durban with civic officials and met with representatives of several trading houses based in the Durban area.

This evening the two leaders and their entourages will board a train for Pretoria. During the course of the trip, they will be briefed by the executive directors of SPEARFISH and enjoy the beautiful South African countryside.

3. Columbo Rejoins the Fleet

The light cruiser Columbo has returned to sea for a shakedown cruise after months of repairs. The cruiser took several hits from Yemeni artillery during the assault on Al Salif, and lost over a dozen of her crew. The ship will return to the Western Maritime District to resume her duties in the summer.

4. Raveena Pillai's Public Appearance

Popular musician Raveena Pillai, whose abduction sparked the attack on Al Salif, made an unexpected performance in Allepey last week. She performed a set of five songs, accompanied only by a pianist, in a local jazz club. Onlookers said that Ms. Pillai seemed a bit tentative, and did not interact with the audience during the set apart from smiling at the end. Ms. Pillai departed the club immediately after the performance for locations unknown.