WesWorld

4 December 1945

Quoted

To: Government of Balochistan
CC: Government of Great Britain
From: Government of Bharat

Sir,

Bharati military forces are now fully mobilized to support rescue, recovery, and relief efforts in the region affected by last week's earthquake and tidal waves.

While I have full confidence in the ability of Balochi and British military forces to aid those Balochis in need, the Bharati military and civilian rescue authorities are at your disposal where circumstances may require them. This includes, but is not limited to:

-Use of aerial photography and supply drop capability from the aircraft carrier Val, currently supporting Persian relief efforts east of Chabahar
-Use of port and aerodrome facilities at Karachi
-Use of Bharati military vessels, aircraft, and personnel operating out of Karachi and off the Sindh Coast.

We are open to the transfer of liaison personnel as may be required for these purposes.

Sincerely, etc

5 December 1945

To: PMO
From: CIC BNS

Sir,

Please find attached a list of vessels involved in rescue and recovery efforts in the affected areas of Gujurat and Maharashtra. Note that a number of small craft are also being utilized as required.

Note that while the destroyer tender Sen has rendered important service at Porbandar, I have now ordered her to withdraw to Mumbai for repairs.

Quoted

Persia (+ Balochistan as requested)
Note: Persian Navy supplying a number of other vessels
CV Val: Aerial recce/photography; supply drops as required
DD Dabra & Coonoor: Offshore rescue/recovery

Karachi (+ Balochistan as requested)
PP Kudligi, Patan: Offshore rescue/recovery
AM Ganges: Offshore salvage/harbour clearance
AD Iraani: Medical treatment, command and control

Sindh State
CV Talwar: Command and control; aerial recce/photography; supply drops as required
CL Kanpur, Kohima; DD Arcot, Arrah: Offshore rescue/recovery
PP Orai, Shiliguri; PC Rabkavi, Phaltan: Onshore rescue/recovery/reconstruction
ADR Chattampi Swami: Medical treatment, supply delivery
LCV-1: Equipment delivery
AM Bhramaputra: Offshore salvage, small harbour clearance

Gujurat State - North Coast/Gulf of Kutch
CA Mumbai: Command and control; aerial recce/photography
DD Balia, Malout, Dadra: Offshore rescue/recovery, supply transport
DK Magar Macchh, Kachhuaa, Bhains, Menduk: Onshore rescue/recovery/reconstruction
PP Saidpur, Siwan, PC Proddatur: Onshore rescue/recovery/reconstruction
LSI Kumar: Medical treatment, supply delivery
LCV-8: Equipment delivery
AM Kala Ovu: Offshore salvage, small harbour clearance

Gujurat State - Peninsular West Coast
CV Bagh Nakh: Command and control; aerial recce/photography; supply drops as required
CL Dombivli; DD Rawalpindi, Faisalabad, Sargodha: Offshore rescue/recovery
PP Vyara, Vapi; PC Ichalkaranji, Ratnagiri: Onshore rescue/recovery/reconstruction
ADR Abdullah Shah: Medical treatment, supply delivery at Dwarka
LSI Malhotra: Medical treatment, supply delivery at Veraval
LST L-1, L-3; LCV-2, LCV-5: Supply and equipment delivery
AS Pelikana: Harbour clearance at Porbandar
AR Luharakhana: Harbour repairs at Porbandar
AH Dayaa: Medical treatment at Porbandar
Generator Barge #1: Electrical generation at Porbandar
AM Banas, Kaladan: Offshore salvage, small harbour clearance

Gujurat/Maharashtra - Gulf of Khambhat
CA Delhi: Command and Control; aerial recce/photography
CL Kirandul, DD Gaya, Datia, Dewas: offshore rescue/recovery
PP Vasai, Virar: Onshore rescue/recovery/reconstruction
LCC Dhoni, LSI: Medical treatment, supply delivery
LCT-10, LCT-11: Equipment delivery
AM Irrawaddy, Jhekun: Offshore salvage, small harbour clearance

The British government would like to make use of port facilities at Karachi to reduce turn-around time for the sloops to pick up supplies and drop off casualties.

It would be good if the LCV-1 and AM Bhramaputra could be sent, even if for a couple of days only, to assist resupply and clearance of the harbour at Gwadar.

The British government also requests further supplies of food and medicines. What was on hand in Arabia is now running low and stocks flown in from Egypt and Iraq take time to arrive. Quicklime is also needed. In return, we can supply diesel oil to run shore generators and Muscat in Oman is open for all nations for staging flights.
The Iraqi government is supplying aid as an independent provider and is co-ordinating Red Crescent activities this side of the Gulf.

To: Government of Britain, Government of Balochistan
From: Government of Bharat

Per your request, BNS vessels Brahmaputra and LCV-1 have been detached to assist efforts at Gwadar and will report to local authorities.

A group of Eastern Maritime District auxiliaries, forward deployed to Mumbai, will sortie tomorrow to join relief efforts in Balochistan as required:

-Salvage ship Jalakaga
-Repair ship Sahara
-Minesweepers Pali and Penner
-Landing craft LCV-4

Their arrival can be expected two days hence, following which Bhramaputra and LCV-1 may be recalled.

A fast transport with two small landing craft has been recalled from the Lakshadweep islands and should arrive a few hours afterward.


OOC: Redundant specialized auxiliaries FTW.

6 March 1946

Responding to a query from the Elephant Party's defence critic, the Minister for Defence tabled a brief breakdown of projected capital spending by the Bharatiya Nau Sena from 1/1946 to 12/1950.

Quoted

Annual Budget: 44,000,000 Rupees [OOC: = 11 Factories]

Construction: 66.3%
--CV1945 Squadron: 25.0%
--CV1949 Squadron: 17.9%
--Minor Combatants: 0.9%
--Submarine Force: 7.7%
--Patrol Forces: 5.0%
--Fleet Train: 6.9%
--Amphibious Force: 2.9%
Refits: 12.6%
Infrastructure: 16.2%
Unallocated: 4.8%

The Minister noted that this did not include initial spending on ships laid down before 1946, nor on completion of ships from 1951 onward.

The Minister noted that revenues received from scrapping and sales had not been included in BNS core budgeting, though currently projected revenues were "quite modest".

When queried on the cost of the aircraft carriers, the Minister noted that approximately 20% of all BNS funding would be dedicated to completion of CV1945 and commencement of CV1949.

The Defence Critic for the Elephant Party put forward a motion requiring the government to increase BNS core funding by 25%. The motion was defeated.

The "War Elephant Party"? :D

They find the imagery of a big critter stomping around to be quite appealing.

April 3, 1946

In Hyderabad, pundits are nodding sagely at news of some formal mergers amongst the House of Representatives' seemingly myriad political parties.

Least surprising is the formal coalescence of the Bengali Farmer's Party, Labour Party, and United Factory Workers - the so-called "Labor Bloc" into the Labor Party (72 seats), headed by Prime Minister Sardesei. The party remains the major component of Sardesei's coalition, which has survived the past several months despite the end of formal supply agreements negotiated with several other parties after the 1943 election.

More surprising, yet less effective, is word of consolidation within the so-called Technocratic Bloc, likely in response to the formation of the Labour Party. The Confederation, Foremost Bihar, Republican, and Technocratic parties have merged into the Technocratic Confederation Party, but their bloc allies, the Andhra Pradesh and Odisha parties have formed a separate States First Party, citing some policy differences. Both parties reiterated their support for and inclusion within the Sardesei government.

Outsider speculation that the Marxist and Socialist parties would merge has been met with astonishment and horror by representatives of those two parties. "The Socialists have fundamentally misunderstood the teachings of Marx and are ultimately unwitting lapdogs of the Bourgeoisie," noted a spokesman for the Marxist Party.

"The Marxist Party has nothing in common with Marx except the name, a grave crime and fallacy that no true revolutionary can forgive," a spokesman for the Socialist Party observed.

22 April 1946

A government delegation is in Stockholm to discuss matters of trade and technology with Nordmark. A spokesman for the government said, "There have been some long-term yet distant relations with Nordmark through our mutual friendship with South Africa. In an era of large economic blocs and growing international trade, there is some logic in exploring one's options."

3 May 1946

The Bharati and Persian governments have announced the sale of four Bharati dakuuii to Persia. The Satyaki class ships will be transferred to the Imperial Persian Navy in 1947.

A navy spokesman said, "After careful consideration, the Bharatiya Nau Sena has determined that the Satyaki class is surplus to our requirements. These fast, short-ranged combatants do, however, fill a niche for the Persian Navy in the enclosed waters of the Persian Gulf."

Terms of the sale were not immediately disclosed, but a source indicated that the ships were sold for less than half of their original price.

2 June 1946

After weeks of speculation and rumors, official confirmation from the Himalayas: Sagarmatha has been successfully scaled.

An official dispatch from the Bharati/British base camp, signed by the expedition co-leaders, said, "Successful summit on 24 May by Alfred Gregory and Lalit Reddy. No evidence of 1924 expeditions observed. Both men now recovering at Camp Two. Summit attempt on 26 May not successful. Evans and Mishra recovering at Camp Two. Weather deteriorating, no further attempts planned."

Inquires to the Bharati Adventurer's Guild, the Royal Geographic Society and the Alpine Club did not clarify which climber reached the summit first, but Prime Minister Sardesei called the feat, "A defining moment for humanity and a tremendous demonstration of individual willpower."

Quoted from "The Rock Doctor"

Outsider speculation that the Marxist and Socialist parties would merge has been met with astonishment and horror by representatives of those two parties. "The Socialists have fundamentally misunderstood the teachings of Marx and are ultimately unwitting lapdogs of the Bourgeoisie," noted a spokesman for the Marxist Party.

"The Marxist Party has nothing in common with Marx except the name, a grave crime and fallacy that no true revolutionary can forgive," a spokesman for the Socialist Party observed.

*Amused snort*

Quoted from "The Rock Doctor"

The Bharati and Persian governments have announced the sale of four Bharati dakuuii to Persia. The Satyaki class ships will be transferred to the Imperial Persian Navy in 1947.

A navy spokesman said, "After careful consideration, the Bharatiya Nau Sena has determined that the Satyaki class is surplus to our requirements. These fast, short-ranged combatants do, however, fill a niche for the Persian Navy in the enclosed waters of the Persian Gulf."

Logical move.

Quoted from "The Rock Doctor"

After weeks of speculation and rumors, official confirmation from the Himalayas: Sagarmatha has been successfully scaled.

French president Clemenc... *checks date* French president Theisman and Russian president Fyodorov both send their congratulations to the members of the expeditionary team.

Congrats received and appreciated.

On the Satyakis - yeah, I didn't think they fit with Bharat. Not as I'm dealing with it, anyway; shame how much Perdy-era tonnage I feel obliged to discard.

Anyway, now I have 4,800 t of unexpected spending to figure out.

The German press (retrospectively) lauds the achievement of the Bharati and British mountaineers. :thumbsup:

The German foreign office does its best to following the changing complexities of the Bharati political scene, but makes favorable noises about Bharatis march towards parliamentary democracy. ?(

The Reichsverband Deutschen Industrie pushes for expanded trade with the Bharat market. :love:

I am happy to see you back. :D

July 18, 1946

The Bharati delegation to Nordmark has returned with several proposed agreements between the two states or corporations thereof. These include:

-Proposed contracts, totalling about 15.8 million rupees, to Nordmarchian shipbuilders for construction of minesweepers, hospital ships and other as-yet unspecified vessels.
-A proposed contract to Eriksbergs Mekaniska Verkstads AB to upgrade and/or construct slipways and drydocks in Bharati shipyards.
-A proposal by automaker Saab to construct a factory in Bharat, likely in Mumbai, for construction of commuter vehicles.
-A proposed agreement for the two governments to collaborate on research projects including mineral exploration, energy, and rocketry.
-A framework agreement for a future trade treaty to be negotiated between the two governments.

The proposals have proven unpopular in different segments of Bharat, with some criticism even within the current government coalition about shipbuilding and shipyard contracts. "We have the facilities and the manpower; why not keep the work here?" one union official was overheard during the press conference.

A spokesman for the Yoga Party, meanwhile, questioned proposed collaboration with Nordmark's energy research, noting that it includes atomic energy research. "One would hope that our government is not secretly attempting to develop new weapons of high explosive yield."

Prime Minister Sardesei refuted this notion, noting, "Bharat is a populous and industrializing nation in need of additional electricity generation. It is only logical to pursue further research with friendly powers in areas of interest - whether mostly theoretical atomic energy that might eventually make use of our thorium resources, or advances in hydroelectric generation techniques, or improvements in coal-burning."

August 5, 1946

The cruiser Bangalore has completed construction, and trials will now commence off the west coast. Her sister Karachi will be launched at the end of September.

While the class mounts an advanced rapid-fire fifteen centimetre gun as its main battery, some critics have suggested that the type is unnecessary as aircraft carriers and submarines become the dominant offensive arms of the BNS. "These guns will never be fired in anger," predicted naval historian Dr. Rajesh Subban. "The proper move on the navy's part would be to shift its cruiser construction towards the smaller yet equally effective - for its real primary task - anti-aircraft cruiser.

August 22, 1946

After several days of heated debate ,the House of Representatives has ratified the omnibus "Nordmark Proposal" put forward by Prime Minister Sardesei.

The Prime Minister had resisted calls to break the proposal into separate items for voting, noting that, "This is a comprehensive package of proposals that will benefit all of Bharat; I see no purpose in nit-picking every detail ad nauseum."

Although the proposal received strong support from the Elephant coalition, several members of the Prime Minister's own Labour Party voted against their leader, leading to speculation that the recently-consolidated party may be poised to experience its first internal power struggle.

September 30, 1946

The aircraft carrier Trishula was launched today, almost two year into a four year construction program. A sister or half-sister is scheduled to be laid down in early 1949 as the Bharati Nau Sena attempts to regularize its capital ship construction.

"When we finish a carrier, we'll start the next one," noted a spokesman. "This will ensure that shipbuilding expertise is not lost due to gaps in orders, but the construction time is such that lessons learned from a ship on trials can be incorporated into the next vessel before it is launched."

Oddly interesting that the Nordish would publicize - albeit indirectly via India - the fact that they're conducting atomic energy research, which has up to this point been top secret... ?(

Hadn't thought of it that way. I was thinking more that the major powers probably have their own programs and an inkling of what the Nords are up to - so a blase but explicit mention of Bharati commitment would be less likely to generate alarm than the Abwehr (or whoever) noting a bunch of Bharati physicists chilling in Stockholm..

Quoted from "The Rock Doctor"

Hadn't thought of it that way. I was thinking more that the major powers probably have their own programs and an inkling of what the Nords are up to - so a blase but explicit mention of Bharati commitment would be less likely to generate alarm than the Abwehr (or whoever) noting a bunch of Bharati physicists chilling in Stockholm..

Our man in Stockholm is no Schellenburg, but even he would take note of such a gathering. What we are more concerned about would be a bunch of Bharati physicists chilling out in Gottingen, where they could learn something... :P

Details, shmetails...

Quoted from "The Rock Doctor"

Details, shmetails...

The devil is in the details...

:D

October 3, 1946

The government has tabled its estimates for naval construction in 1947. Experts noted a few items of interest:

-Six new destroyers, mild improvements to the preceding Rawalpindi class, to be built per the Comprehensive Minor Combatant Program.

-The bulk order from Nordmark shipyards could ultimately consist of two hospital ships, eight ocean-going minesweepers, and ten coastal sloops. Precise lay-down dates have yet to be confirmed.

-A new amphibious transport is to be laid down for the Naval Infantry Brigade. Unnamed sources within the government report that a very compelling case was made by the Bharatiya Nau Sena, including testimonials from use of the well deck-equipped disaster relief ships after the Balochistan Earthquake, a tour of the twenty year-old landing ship Bindra, and another of the newly trialling Colonel Asaf Kripalani.

Rumors elsewhere in the House of Representatives have it that a class of transports was dangled to some of the more militant parties as enticement to support estimates which are otherwise apparently lacking new major warships.