PMV California Iron
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 Artists depiction of the PMV California Iron at sea, 1913
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| History | |
|---|---|
 Prybourne
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| Name: | PMV California Iron |
| Owner: |
 Red Town Ship Lines |
| Port of registry: |
 St.Paul, Prybourne |
| Ordered: | 17 September 1908 |
| Builder: | Morwall Shipyard, Morwall |
| Cost: | $144.5 million |
| Yard number: | 401 |
| Laid down: | 12 July 1910 |
| Launched: | 16 August 1912 |
| Completed: | 27 December 1912 |
| Maiden voyage: | 7 March 1913 |
| Identification: | Radio call sign "CAP" |
| Fate: | Ran aground on Santa Barzal Reef and later sank on 11 August 1917. |
| Status: | Wreck |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | Statesman Class Liner |
| Tonnage: | 46,328 GRT |
| Displacement: | 76,310 tons |
| Length: | 922 ft 9 in (281.3 m) |
| Beam: | 92 ft 6 in (28.2 m) |
| Height: | 265 ft (80.8 m) (keel to top of funnels) |
| Draught: | 67 ft 7 in (20.6 m) |
| Depth: | 85 ft 6 in (26.1 m) |
| Decks: | 12 (A–L) |
| Installed power: | 24 double-ended and ten single-ended boilers feeding four Triple-expansion steam engine/reciprocating steam engines for the wing propellers, and a low-pressure turbine for the centre propeller; output: 46,000 HP |
| Propulsion: | three three-blade wing propellers and two four-blade centre propeller |
| Speed: | Cruising: 40 kn (74 km/h; 46 mph). Max: 45 kn (83 km/h; 52 mph) |
| Capacity: | Passengers: 3,435, crew: 892. Total: 4,327 |
| Notes: | Lifeboats: 20 (sufficient for 2356 people) |
PMV California Iron was a Prybourenean passenger liner that was the largest ship afloat at the time it entered service and was the first and only statesman-class ocean liners built and operated by the Red Town Ship Lines. It was built at Morwall Shipyard in Morwall. California Iron was under the command of Capt. Emmanuel de la Cavallería, who had a notable career as a naval officer within Red Town, most notable during his earlier service to the naval power of the then rebels during the Canter Uprising. The ocean liner carried some of the wealthiest people in the world, as well as providing transportation and tours throughout the Triumvirate powers and Rymoorian Islands. The first-class accommodation was designed to be the pinnacle of comfort and luxury. As a part of their "Two times the luxury, four times the speed" campaign, California Iron boasted not only size and luxury, but double the boilers of most ships at the time. It's six, massive funnels were a highlighted feature of the ship with Red Town boasting that soon it's ships could outclass any of the neighboring competitors. PMV California Iron is also known as the worst naval disaster in Prybournean history and one of the worst in Anteria history after she failed to make a planned course change, ran aground on Santa Barzal Reef and later sank due to it's damages resulting in the deaths of 2,356 of it's passengers, making it one of the deadliest commercial peacetime maritime disasters in modern history.
Background
The name California Iron was chosen as the final, winning entry to the name. For the Statesman class, Red Town intended to honor local jurisdictions in the state of Newley for their industrial contributions to the country. In addition to the California iron, honoring California County's Iron mines, the names of Detroit Steel, honoring Detroit County steel workers, and Devlion Lumber, honoring Devlion County's now defunct lumber mills, were chosen for California Iron's sister ships.
It was built at St.Paul Shipyard in Newley. California Iron was under the command of Capt. Emmanuel de la Cavallería, who had a notable career as a naval officer within Red Town, most notable during his earlier service to the naval power of the then rebels during the Canter Uprising. The ocean liner carried some of the wealthiest people in the world, as well as providing transportation and tours throughout the Triumvirate powers and Rymoorian Islands. The first-class accommodation was designed to be the pinnacle of comfort and luxury. As a part of their "Two times the luxury, four times the speed" campaign, California Iron boasted not only size and luxury, but double the boilers of most ships at the time. It's six, massive funnels were a highlighted feature of the ship with Red Town boasting that soon it's ships could outclass any of the neighboring competitors.
As one of the Fortune Five, Red Town was under pressure to show the world what it could do with its new-found power and influence as a frontrunner and representative of Prybourne. Red Town was also eager to bolster its aging fleet. Red Town maintained many of it's ships from the mid to late 1800s and many of it's of its ships had also been lost during the uprising less than 20 years earlier. With the absence of a modern fleet, Red Town's position within the National Conglomerate soon became under question.
Red Town put their leading designers to work designing the Statesman-class vessels. The design was overseen by Pascual Aguinaldo, a director of Red Town; naval architect Rodrigo Graciani, the managing director of Red Town's design department; Alfonso Andino, Graciani's deputy and responsible for calculating the ship's design, stability and trim; and Ricardo Correa, the shipyard's chief draughtsman and general manager. Correa's responsibilities included the decorations, equipment and all general arrangements, including the implementation of an efficient lifeboat davit design.
Dimensions and layout
California Iron was 922 ft 9 in (281.3 m) long with a maximum breadth of 92 feet 6 inches (28.19 m). Her total height, measured from the base of the keel to the top of the funnels, was 265 ft (80.8 m). She measured 46,328 gross registered tons and with a draught of 34 feet 7 inches (10.54 m), she displaced 76,310 tons.
California Iron had 12 decks, as typical for a Stateman-class ship. These decks included:
Boat Deck
The boat deck on which the lifeboats were housed. The bridge and wheelhouse were at the forward end, in front of the captain's and officers' quarters. The bridge stood 8 feet (2.4 m) above the deck, extending out to either side so that the ship could be controlled while docking. The wheelhouse stood directly behind and above the bridge. The entrance to the First Class Grand Staircase and gymnasium were located midships along with the raised roof of the First Class lounge, while at the rear of the deck were the roof of the First Class smoke room and the relatively modest Second Class entrance. The wood-covered deck was divided into four segregated promenades: for officers, First Class passengers, engineers, and Second Class passengers respectively. Lifeboats lined the side of the deck except in the First Class area, where there was a gap so that the view would not be spoiled.
A Deck
This is deck was reserved exclusively for First Class passengers and contained First Class cabins, the First Class lounge, smoke rooms, reading and writing rooms, as well as exclusive board rooms reserved for Conglomerate members.
B Deck
The top weight-bearing deck and the uppermost level of the hull. This deck also housed more accommodations for conglomerate members including private suite with their own private promenades. There were also two restaurants that povided luxury dining facilities to First Class passengers.