OOC: Thanks Brock for SIM
The Bharati Ocean Steamship Company started construction of two new liners in late 1939 to increase the comfort and luxury of their passengers traveling to Africa for business and pleasure.
The ships were constructed with safety and comfort in the mind of the designers. As such fire proof materials were utilized as much as possible and the high ceiling on the berths inmediate under the main deck allowed for space and luxury in those cabins.
The ships utilized copies of the Hyderabad cruiser engines and shafts paid in full by the Bharati Ocean Steamship Company with the idea of achieving fast speeds in their intended Mumbai-Cape Town route. Plans for a Mumbai-Montevideo route were also in the mind of the Company, specially with the allure South America have in the mind of the Bharati readers thanks to stories about the South American War being published on a regular basis in local pulp fiction magazines.
Ramayana laid down 1939
Mahabharata, laid down 1939
Displacement:
21,348 t light; 21,867 t standard; 25,966 t normal; 29,246 t full load
Dimensions: Length overall / water x beam x draught
738.06 ft / 720.00 ft x 85.00 ft x 27.00 ft (normal load)
224.96 m / 219.46 m x 25.91 m x 8.23 m
Armour:
- Belts: Width (max) Length (avg) Height (avg)
Ends: Unarmoured
- Torpedo Bulkhead:
5.00" / 127 mm 600.60 ft / 183.06 m 27.00 ft / 8.23 m
Machinery:
Oil fired boilers, steam turbines,
Geared drive, 2 shafts, 56,426 shp / 42,094 Kw = 25.00 kts
Range 8,000nm at 22.00 kts
Bunker at max displacement = 7,379 tons
Complement:
1,022 - 1,329
Cost:
£5.750 million / $23.001 million
Distribution of weights at normal displacement:
Armament: 0 tons, 0.0 %
Armour: 3,000 tons, 11.6 %
- Belts: 0 tons, 0.0 %
- Torpedo bulkhead: 3,000 tons, 11.6 %
- Armament: 0 tons, 0.0 %
- Armour Deck: 0 tons, 0.0 %
- Conning Tower: 0 tons, 0.0 %
Machinery: 1,509 tons, 5.8 %
Hull, fittings & equipment: 12,639 tons, 48.7 %
Fuel, ammunition & stores: 4,619 tons, 17.8 %
Miscellaneous weights: 4,200 tons, 16.2 %
Overall survivability and seakeeping ability:
Survivability (Non-critical penetrating hits needed to sink ship):
102,811 lbs / 46,634 Kg = 952.0 x 6 " / 152 mm shells or 25.6 torpedoes
Stability (Unstable if below 1.00): 1.10
Metacentric height 4.7 ft / 1.4 m
Roll period: 16.5 seconds
Steadiness - As gun platform (Average = 50 %): 70 %
- Recoil effect (Restricted arc if above 1.00): 0.00
Seaboat quality (Average = 1.00): 2.00
Hull form characteristics:
Hull has a flush deck
Block coefficient: 0.550
Length to Beam Ratio: 8.47 : 1
'Natural speed' for length: 26.83 kts
Power going to wave formation at top speed: 42 %
Trim (Max stability = 0, Max steadiness = 100): 35
Bow angle (Positive = bow angles forward): 15.00 degrees
Stern overhang: 6.00 ft / 1.83 m
Freeboard (% = measuring location as a percentage of overall length):
- Stem: 45.00 ft / 13.72 m
- Forecastle (20 %): 43.00 ft / 13.11 m
- Mid (50 %): 38.00 ft / 11.58 m
- Quarterdeck (15 %): 40.00 ft / 12.19 m
- Stern: 42.00 ft / 12.80 m
- Average freeboard: 40.71 ft / 12.41 m
Ship space, strength and comments:
Space - Hull below water (magazines/engines, low = better): 49.5 %
- Above water (accommodation/working, high = better): 316.0 %
Waterplane Area: 42,711 Square feet or 3,968 Square metres
Displacement factor (Displacement / loading): 254 %
Structure weight / hull surface area: 146 lbs/sq ft or 714 Kg/sq metre
Hull strength (Relative):
- Cross-sectional: 1.14
- Longitudinal: 5.83
- Overall: 1.34
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, rides out heavy weather easily
- 3000 tons of below-deck cargo simmed as TDS