'Satyaratha-class battlecruiser

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Satyaratha-class.jpg
Artist depiction of Satyaratha-class
Class overview
Builders:
Operators: Royal Tennaiite Navy
Preceded by: Kamadyu-class
Built: 1920–1922
Planned: 4
Completed: 4
General characteristics
Type: Battlecruiser
Displacement:
  • 41,217 t (40,566 long tons) (normal)
  • 47,000 t (46,260 long tons) (full load)
Length: 251.8 m (826 ft)
Beam: 30.8 m (101 ft)
Draft: 9.5 m (31 ft)
Installed power:
Propulsion: 4 shafts; 4 steam turbines
Speed: 30 knots (56 km/h; 35 mph)
Range: 8,000 nmi (15,000 km; 9,200 mi) at 14 knots (26 km/h; 16 mph)
Complement: 1,600
Armament:
Armor:
  • Belt: 250 mm (9.8 in)
  • Deck: 95 mm (3.7 in)
  • Conning Tower: 75–360 mm (3.0–14.2 in)
  • Torpedo bulkheads: 73 mm (2.9 in)
  • Barbettes: 230–280 mm (9.1–11.0 in)

The Satyaratha-class was a series of four battlecruisers built for the Royal Tennaiite Navy (RTN) as part of the Eight-eight fleet in the early 1920s in response to the Syaran naval expansion of the same period. The Satyaratha design was essentially a lengthened version of the Perumal-class battleship, but with a thinner armored belt and deck, a more powerful propulsion system, and a modified secondary armament arrangement. They carried the same main battery of ten 41 cm (16.1 in) guns and were capable of a top speed of 30 knots (56 km/h; 35 mph).

Design

Dimensions and machinery

The ships had a displacement of 41,217 tonnes (40,566 long tons) and 47,000 t (46,000 long tons) at full load. The class design was 250 m (820 ft) long at the waterline, and 251.8 m (826 ft) overall. The ships had a beam of 30.8 m (101 ft) and a draft of 9.5 m (31 ft)[1] and used four propeller shafts, powered by steam turbines. The design staff used turbines, which were powered by 19 oil-fired Kampon water-tube boilers. This system was designed to provide 131,200 shaft horsepower (97,800 kW) for a top speed of 30 knots (56 km/h; 35 mph). The ships had a cruising speed of 14 knots (26 km/h; 16 mph), and with full fuel stores, the ships would have had a maximum range of 8,000 nautical miles (15,000 km; 9,200 mi).[1]

Armament

The ships were equipped with a main battery of ten 41 cm (16.1 in) guns in five twin-gun turrets. The guns fired 1,000 kg (2,200 lb) armor-piercing projectiles with a 224 kg (494 lb) propellant charge at 790 m/s (2,600 ft/s), at a rate of fire between 1.5 and 2.5 rounds per minute. Each gun had 90 rounds and an approximate barrel life of 250–300 shots. The turrets were arranged along the centerline: two superfiring turrets fore, and three in line aft of the superstructure. The gun turrets weighed 1,004 tons (1,020 mt), and allowed for depression of −5 degrees and elevation of 30 degrees.

The secondary battery consisted of sixteen 14 cm (5.5 in) L/50 guns mounted in casemates along the center of the ship. These guns fired 38 kg (84 lb) projectiles and used 10.33–10.97 kg (22.8–24.2 lb) of propellant at a muzzle velocity of 850–855 m/s (2,790–2,810 ft/s). The guns had a maximum elevation of 25 degrees, which enabled a maximum range of 17.5 km (10.9 mi). Six 12 cm (4.7 in) anti-aircraft guns were mounted amidships, along with eight 61 cm (24 in) above-water torpedo tubes.

Armor