It was intended that the LSD Colonel Asaf Kripalani would undergo a couple of years of trials and operational evaluations before Bharat moved to build any other amphibs with a large well deck. That plan didn't even last untl the Kripalani's completion in 1946.
By then, Bharat had mobilized a major portion of its navy to react to the Balochi earthquake, saving thousands of lives using everything from aircraft carriers down to landing craft. While the operation proved the utility of naval vessels, there was also the realization that the navy had been stretched fairly thin by an event on its most sparsely populated coast. Another cyclone hitting Bengal would affect millions of people; more ships would be needed.
At the same time, the two-year guarantees of confidence supplied to the Sardesei government by some parties in the House of Representatives was coming to an end, and Sardesei recognized that he'd need to throw some bones to the more militant parties, if only to scare the militantly anti-militant parties a bit and ensure that, whatever the case, Sardesei could continue to lead the government.
Through it all, the Naval Infantry Brigade had been making the case that it needed new landing ships for amphibious assaults. The converted troopships it had were two decades old, and had been at best adequate for their roles even when new to service. They wanted newer, more capable ships to permit Bharati force projection ashore. Their initial attempt to acquire such a ship had been only partially successful with the Kripalani, which was too small to land a battalion of troops.
These differing interests came together in 1946. With a 1947 lay-down planned for the lead unit of a new class, designing from scratch was impractical. Instead, some of the larger designs prepared in advance of the Kripalani decision were examined, and one was selected after a few revisions were made.
The Subedar Yugi Talsania is named for a heroic junior officer killed in the 1857 rising against Great Britain. She can embark a naval infantry battalion, plus vehicles, plus cargo, plus landing craft. Other facilities include limited workshops for vehicle and small craft repair, working facilities for the naval infantry, and a well-equipped medical facility including two operating rooms. It's expected that additional temporary medical facilities could be set up in the vehicle deck if it were empty, but studies haven't progressed very far on this so far.
The well deck is larger and more optimized than that of the Kripalani. The aft 80 metres is 22 metres wide, while the forward 40 metres is 11 metres wide. This permits two possible configurations of landing craft: Either three LCT up the middle, with five LCM on either side, or four LCM forward and four LCT in two rows aft, either case also leaving a couple of metres for bumpers and open water. Four sets of davits are available to store LCMs amidships.
A simple helicopter pad, capable of accommodating one machine, has been hastily added over the well deck, but the ship is not intended to embark or operate such machines at this time.
Two units will be built in 1947-8, with expectations of a second pair in the early fifties.
TWO NOTES ON COSTING:
-->For the purpose of assigning landing craft weight to the LSD, the cargo capacity of the landing craft has been discounted. This cargo is already accounted for elsewhere in the ship as troops, cargo, or vehicles.
-->For the purpose of assigning cost to the LSD, the cost of landing craft has been discounted; these are being built separately in the Bharati budget.
Subedar Yugi Talsania, Bharati landing ship dock, laid down 1947
Displacement:
9,528 t light; 9,878 t standard; 14,529 t normal; 18,251 t full load
Dimensions: Length overall / water x beam x draught
529.91 ft / 524.93 ft x 98.43 ft x 16.40 ft (normal load)
161.52 m / 160.00 m x 30.00 m x 5.00 m
Armament:
4 - 4.92" / 125 mm guns (2x2 guns), 59.59lbs / 27.03kg shells, 1947 Model
Dual purpose guns in deck mounts with hoists
on centreline, all forward, 1 raised mount - superfiring
12 - 2.24" / 57.0 mm guns (6x2 guns), 5.65lbs / 2.56kg shells, 1947 Model
Anti-aircraft guns in deck mounts
on side, all amidships, all raised mounts - superfiring
16 - 0.98" / 25.0 mm guns (8x2 guns), 0.48lbs / 0.22kg shells, 1947 Model
Machine guns in deck mounts
on side, evenly spread
8 - 0.59" / 15.0 mm guns in single mounts, 0.10lbs / 0.05kg shells, 1947 Model
Machine guns in deck mounts
on side, evenly spread
Weight of broadside 315 lbs / 143 kg
Shells per gun, main battery: 300
Armour:
- Gun armour: Face (max) Other gunhouse (avg) Barbette/hoist (max)
Main: 1.97" / 50 mm 0.79" / 20 mm 1.97" / 50 mm
2nd: 0.79" / 20 mm 0.39" / 10 mm -
3rd: 0.39" / 10 mm - -
4th: 0.39" / 10 mm - -
Machinery:
Diesel Internal combustion motors,
Geared drive, 2 shafts, 13,405 shp / 10,000 Kw = 18.36 kts
Range 9,200nm at 15,00 kts
Bunker at max displacement = 2,203 tons
(Simmed as Range 35,000nm at 15.00 kts
Bunker at max displacement = 8,373 tons)
Complement:
661 - 860
Cost:
£3.003 million / $12.011 million
Distribution of weights at normal displacement:
Armament: 39 tons, 0.3 %
Armour: 27 tons, 0.2 %
- Belts: 0 tons, 0.0 %
- Torpedo bulkhead: 0 tons, 0.0 %
- Armament: 27 tons, 0.2 %
- Armour Deck: 0 tons, 0.0 %
- Conning Tower: 0 tons, 0.0 %
Machinery: 331 tons, 2.3 %
Hull, fittings & equipment: 4,740 tons, 32.6 %
Fuel, ammunition & stores: 5,001 tons, 34.4 %
Miscellaneous weights: 4,391 tons, 30.2 %
-5,280 t: 80x22x2.4m and 40x11x 2.4 m well deck (simmed as bunkerage)
-1,800 t: Accommodation for 900 naval infantry, vehicle crews, and passengers
-890 t: Low-slung cargo/fuel/supplies (simmed as bunkerage)
-870 t: Vehicle deck
-700 t: 3 LCT and 12 LCM (cargo capacity of these craft is discounted per costing notes)
-200 t: Working space for naval infantry
-200 t: Additional cranes
-100 t: Landing craft repair
-160 t: Davits for four LCM
-100 t: Medical facilities
-100 t: Vehicle repair facilities
-50 t: Helicopter pad (no embarkation facilities)
-91 t: Weight reserve
Overall survivability and seakeeping ability:
Survivability (Non-critical penetrating hits needed to sink ship):
51,193 lbs / 23,221 Kg = 859.0 x 4.9 " / 125 mm shells or 6.6 torpedoes
Stability (Unstable if below 1.00): 1.48
Metacentric height 9.6 ft / 2.9 m
Roll period: 13.4 seconds
Steadiness - As gun platform (Average = 50 %): 70 %
- Recoil effect (Restricted arc if above 1.00): 0.01
Seaboat quality (Average = 1.00): 1.71
Hull form characteristics:
Hull has rise forward of midbreak
and transom stern
Block coefficient: 0.600
Length to Beam Ratio: 5.33 : 1
'Natural speed' for length: 27.30 kts
Power going to wave formation at top speed: 38 %
Trim (Max stability = 0, Max steadiness = 100): 41
Bow angle (Positive = bow angles forward): 10.00 degrees
Stern overhang: 0.00 ft / 0.00 m
Freeboard (% = measuring location as a percentage of overall length):
- Stem: 28.22 ft / 8.60 m
- Forecastle (20 %): 24.28 ft / 7.40 m
- Mid (50 %): 24.28 ft / 7.40 m (16.40 ft / 5.00 m aft of break)
- Quarterdeck (15 %): 16.40 ft / 5.00 m
- Stern: 16.40 ft / 5.00 m
- Average freeboard: 20.66 ft / 6.30 m
Ship space, strength and comments:
Space - Hull below water (magazines/engines, low = better): 43.8 %
- Above water (accommodation/working, high = better): 227.4 %
Waterplane Area: 39,384 Square feet or 3,659 Square metres
Displacement factor (Displacement / loading): 269 %
Structure weight / hull surface area: 100 lbs/sq ft or 486 Kg/sq metre
Hull strength (Relative):
- Cross-sectional: 0.96
- Longitudinal: 1.38
- Overall: 1.00
Hull space for machinery, storage, compartmentation is excellent
Room for accommodation and workspaces is excellent
Ship has slow, easy roll, a good, steady gun platform
Excellent seaboat, comfortable, can fire her guns in the heaviest weather