WesWorld

The Indian Navy's first foray into self-designed cruisers culminated with the laying down of the Columbo -class light cruisers in 1917. As part of the so-called "Cruiser Navy" doctrine, the Columbo type would form the basis of three large cruiser squadrons tasked with defending separate parts of Indian waters. Each squadron was to consist of four light cruisers, two fast armored cruisers (or "heavy cruisers", as they came to be termed) and a single light battlecruiser, with a screen of destroyers laden with torpedoes.

The next piece in the puzzle, the heavy cruisers, began to be laid down in 1918. The Hyderabad was similar in many respects to the British Hawkins class, leading to speculation that the Indians had somehow acquired copies of the design.

Even as Hyderabad took shape on a slipway in Mumbai, the Naval Design Board began work on the light battlecruisers that were to lead the Cruiser Navy. Initially, the type shared similarities with the Courageous class, but India's experience putting light cruisers up against Dutch coastal defence battleships was incorporated into the process.

Consequently, the design evolved into a fast unit with battlecruiser-scale armor and a number of intermediate-caliber guns. Although the original battery was planned to be 3x2 11", the Indians' largest artillery piece at the time was a 9.8" weapon fielded by the Army. Consequently, the battery was fixed at 3x3 9.8", with turret Bruno superfiring.

The design characteristics for the type - which came to be known as Shivaji (named for a historical warlord of renown) - were fixed in early 1920. Indeed, a new monitor was designed (and eventually completed) with triple 9.8" and 5.9" turrets to test these weapons before Shivaji 's projected 1923 lay-down date.

However, within a few months, political events - a new Defence Minister and an alliance with South Africa - sent the Navy moving away from the "Cruiser Navy" concept. In late 1920, with the Cleito Treaty about to be implemented, the Indian Navy quietly took steps to quash the Cruiser Navy program. The Columbo and Hyderabad classes were truncated to five and three ships respectively. Several senior officers managed to delay the outright cancellation of the Shivaji , arguing that it was a logical progression to building larger battleships and would give India the most powerful cruiser in the world.

In August 1921, these arguments were finally rejected by the Minister of Defence. The Minister cancelled the Shivaji project on 24 August 1921, instead directing the Naval Design Board to develop a trio of modern battleships for laying-down in 1924.

Line drawing of the last version of the Shivaji design:



Specifications for the last version of the Shivaji design:

SR Shivaji , laid down 1923

Length, 710 ft x Beam, 71.0 ft x Depth, 26.0 ft
19473 tons normal displacement (18169 tons standard)

Main battery: 9 x 9.8-inch (3 x 3; 1 superfiring)
Secondary battery: 9 x 5.9-inch (3 x 3)
AA battery: 8 x 4.1-inch
Light battery: 8 x 1.4-inch

Weight of broadside: 5446 lbs

Main belt, 8.0 inches; ends unarmored
Armor deck, average 3.0 inches
C.T., 8.0 inches

Battery armor:
Main, 8.0" / secondary, 3.0"
AA, 1.0" shields / light guns, 1.0" shields

Maximum speed for 120068 shp = 32.03 knots
Approximate cruising radius, 10000 nm / 12 kts

Typical complement: 824-1071


Estimated cost, $20.248 million (£5.062 million)

Remarks:

Relative extent of belt armor, 96 percent of 'typical' coverage.

Ship is roomy, with superior accommodation and working space.


Distribution of weights:
Percent
normal
displacement:

Armament ......................... 681 tons = 3 pct
Armor, total ..................... 4795 tons = 25 pct

Belt 1469 tons = 8 pct
Deck 1805 tons = 9 pct
C.T. 125 tons = 1 pct
Armament 1396 tons = 7 pct

Machinery ........................ 4013 tons = 21 pct
Hull and fittings; equipment ..... 7736 tons = 40 pct
Fuel, ammunition, stores ......... 2147 tons = 11 pct
Miscellaneous weights ............ 100 tons = 1 pct
-----
19473 tons = 100 pct

Estimated metacentric height, 3.3 ft

Displacement summary:

Light ship: 17325 tons
Standard displacement: 18169 tons
Normal service: 19473 tons
Full load: 20438 tons

Loading submergence 929 tons/foot

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Estimated overall survivability and seakeeping ability:

Relative margin of stability: 1.05

Shellfire needed to sink: 20865 lbs = 44.3 x 9.8-inch shells
(Approximates weight of penetrating
shell hits needed to sink ship,
not counting critical hits)

Torpedoes needed to sink: 2.1
(Approximates number of 'typical'
torpedo hits needed to sink ship)

Relative steadiness as gun platform, 56 percent
(50 percent is 'average')

Relative rocking effect from firing to beam, 0.72

Relative quality as a seaboat: 1.05

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Hull form characteristics:

Block coefficient: 0.52
Sharpness coefficient: 0.34
Hull speed coefficient 'M' = 8.07
'Natural speed' for length = 26.6 knots
Power going to wave formation
at top speed: 53 percent


Estimated hull characteristics and strength:

Relative underwater volume absorbed by
magazines and engineering spaces: 95 percent

Relative accommodation and working space: 154 percent


Displacement factor: 107 percent
(Displacement relative to loading factors)


Relative cross-sectional hull strength: 1.00
(Structure weight per square
foot of hull surface: 145 lbs)

Relative longitudinal hull strength: 1.17
(for 20.5 ft average freeboard;
freeboard adjustment +3.2 ft)

Relative composite hull strength: 1.02

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

710.00 x 71.00 x 26.00; 20.50 -- Dimensions
0.52 -- Block coefficient
1923 -- Year laid down
32.03 / 10000 / 12.00; Oil-fired turbine or equivalent -- Speed / radius / cruise
100 tons -- Miscellaneous weights
++++++++++
9 x 9.80; 3; 1 -- Main battery; turrets; superfiring
:
9 x 5.90; 3 -- Secondary battery; turrets
:
8 x 4.10 -- Tertiary (QF/AA) battery
Gun-shields
:
8 x 1.40 -- Fourth (light) battery
0 -- No torpedo armament
++++++++++
8.00 / 0.00 / 0.00 / 0.00; 96 -- Belt armor; relative extent
3.00 / 8.00 -- Deck / CT
8.00 / 3.00 / 1.00 / 1.00 -- Battery armor


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