WesWorld

The usual overload of trivia, naval stuff, hints and red herrings...

6 July

In a speech today at Agra, the Raj announced plans for sweeping reforms to the nation’s civil service.

“Following discussions with the Concerned Citizens’ Coalition, I have become convinced that change is required. There are too many people making decisions in my name that do not reflect my values and objectives. Some of these individuals lack the necessary education and experience to be making these decisions or effectively carrying out their instructions.

“Therefore I am creating a new Ministry of Government Operations, which will be tasked with reviewing and revising job descriptions for the entire government, hiring employees, and overseeing payroll operations in other ministries. This ministry will also contain the Review Division, which will audit select ministries to determine if the hiring and payroll decisions made there are consistent with overall government policy.

“I am also tasking the Ministry of Justice with investigating the Disaster Relief Agency’s conduct over the past three years, during which we have had numerous complaints about fraud, nepotism, and other crimes. These led to the Chittagong uprising by the CCC and the use of force against my military. As such, I have advised the Ministry of Justice that charges of treason may be filed against wrongdoers if there is evidence of deliberate and prolonged criminal behaviour.

“Finally, I have agreed to implement a limited degree of democracy at the municipal level. Starting in 1927, municipal leadership positions, such as mayors, reeves, and councilmen, will be elected by popular vote. I will retain the power to veto elections I consider unacceptable, but doubt it will be commonly used if the people choose responsibly.”

Observers noted that the Raj appeared to still be weak as a result of his latest relapse of malaria. The emperor is thought to have been infected with the disease during a safari near Sittwe in 1921, and has suffered several relapses of varying severity since.

8 July

The spokesman for the Concerned Citizen’s Coalition says that the insurrection is over.

“The majority of our concerns have been addressed”, said “K” over the telephone. “The reforms announced by the Raj will have significant impacts upon local government and be of tremendous benefit to the citizens of India.

“Henceforth, I say to all of our members: lay down your weapons. Our armed struggle is over.”

Authorities in Chittagong say they will not prosecute any CCC members who turn in their weapons to the Constabulary before 23 July. As for those CCC members arrested already, judges presiding over their cases have been instructed to consider the government problems that inspired the uprising in the first place when determining guilt and sentencing.

1 August

The Indian Navy has laid down its first purpose-built aviation ship in Madras.

“The Urumi is designed with fleet scouting and air defence missions in mind”, commented Admiral Sanjay Das after the lay-down ceremony. “As such she is armed and armored against light surface combatants, including the installation of six fifteen centimetre guns aft. Her airgroup will initially consist of thirty-two aircraft, a mix of fighters and scout-bombers. There is capacity to carry more aircraft, however, so there may be up to forty aircraft embarked once the ship is in service.

The carrier is expected to be completed in mid-1927, at which time the converted aircraft carrier Otta will be taken out of service. “We haven’t decided yet what will happen with Otta”, Admiral Das remarked.

As for additional carriers, Admiral Das said, “I expect we’ll spend a year or two learning from Urumi before moving on to another unit.”

20 August

In Sittwe, the navy’s first ocean-going submarine has been launched. The I-6 is the first of three planned units in its class, with I-7 recently laid down and the I-8 projected for 1926.

“The I-6 class gives the navy a sea denial capability it has so far been lacking. This gives us an ability to neutralize enemy vessels at great distances, and would be essential in preventing enemy vessels from entering the Indian and Pacific oceans through the few choke points available”, Admiral Das noted.

The submarines are equipped with eight fifty centimetre torpedo tubes, though the navy has not said how many torpedoes are carried.

“Overall we’re anticipating eight such submarines”, Admiral Das said. “As for the remaining two hulls we’re entitled to, we’re investigating other ways of utilizing them.”

26 August

An investigation by the Ministry of Justice and the Navy has revealed that the fifty centimetre torpedos manufactured by TorpedoWorks Alleppey are badly flawed, and more significantly, that the crown corporation was aware of the flaws.

The investigation began after reports from last year’s Andaman conflict indicated that a high proportion of the weapons used at the Battle of Ko Racha Yai were duds. Test-fires later in the year revealed that almost a third of the weapons were inaccurate, and of those that did travel on course, nearly half were duds.

Documents seized from TWA show that upper management was aware of problems with the design’s fins and detonators, but chose not to make changes to the torpedoes or notify the Navy of the problems. In fact, employees who recommended such actions were threatened with disciplinary action.

A spokesman for the Ministry of Justice said, “This was a deliberate conspiracy on the part of TWA’s management, and it cost the lives of numerous Indian sailors last year. We have charged eight TWA officials with a variety of charges, including fraud and treason

2 September

The Meteorological Service of India says it isn’t concerned by the cessation of wireless traffic from the Sharmilla expedition in Antarctica.

Kamal Pashira, Director of Field Operations, told AWNR, “It’s not unexpected to have communications issues. A wireless is a complicated machine, and prone to failures. There was limited provision on the Sharmilla for spare parts, so it’s quite likely that they’ve run through their stock of a key part.”

Pashira says that the last message indicated all was well. “Our most recent transmission was from the fifth of last month. The message said that the winter-over was going well, that the crew and staff were in good spirits and health, and that their supply of food, water, and coal is fine.”

The yacht is expected to depart Antarctica in December with the seasonal break-up, and return to South Africa in mid to late January.

7 September

As expected, His Royal Highness Able Seaman Shrinivas Canangasundrum has been accepted into the navy’s Officer Training Program. He reported to the Nautical College in Columbo last week.

Commander Javed Ratnayake, the crown prince’s commanding officer on the light cruiser Chennai, said that the prince’s royal status had nothing to do his acceptance into the OTP. “Able Seaman Canangasundrum had demonstrated courage and coolness under fire, and impressed his superiors with his work ethic and intelligence. I was more than happy to recommend him for the OTP, and would have been astonished if he had been rejected.”

The crown prince will undergo a gruelling ten month course, at which time he will either pass and be promoted to lieutenant, or fail and be returned to service as an able seaman.

18 September

The worst of this year’s cyclones has struck near the Mouths of the Ganges. The storm came ashore near the town of Barguna, where casualties are reported to be in the hundreds. Flooding from rain and storm surges are reported as widely as Mungla and Patuakhali, and as far north as Bagherhat.

A number of fishing vessels and other small craft have been reported missing, but no large vessels have been lost. Naval and Coastal Security Force ships are now searching the Bay of Bengal for disabled vessels and lifeboats, with the assistance of several aircraft operating from Kolkata.

29 September

The Ministry of Justice says that seven of eight officials charged in the TorpedoWorks Alleppey scandal have been arrested so far.

“We’ve detained the corporation’s president, three vice-presidents, two directors, and two managers. One individual - Daya Chopras, who was in charge of the corporation’s detonator development section - appears to have fled the country. We’re following his trail but haven’t yet determined where he ran to.”

Interestingly, Chopras’ brother, Saif, is one of the other men arrested in the case. He was TWA’s Vice-President of Government Liaison, and has been charged with fraud, uttering threats, and treason. The seven will be tried in one trial, beginning in November.