What to build next? From 1912 the Royal Navy built and had designs for many different type of battleships and battlecruisers in the works. For a ship to be completed, by Lemuria, during time of war, meant the ship would need to be laid down during 1915. The completion of the two Zanahary class battleships freed up the two major building docks for new ships. The Lemurian Admiralty chose a design that would follow on with the fast battleship line.
Not blowing my own trumpet too much, but the above side view and overheads are some of the best work I have ever done. I have altered the bow to conform with the Zanahary class and that is all I have changed. The original design is that of the Repulse 1916. I virtually rebuilt everything to add a fourth 15" twin aft. Lowered the speed expectation from 30 odd knots to 27-28 knots which made a great saving in machinery weight which I then turned around and expended as armour. The armour scheme copied the Zanahary class and the ship conformed to battleship standards. The rebuild improved the same areas as the Zanahary, but while the machinery power increased the extra deck armour and other weight additions and drag, like the bulges, kept the speed at a constant level.
The Lemurian designers had their first experience with the superb 15" Mk.1, twin turret, weapon system on the King Ralambo and found it so good that when the next generation of battleships were designed ten years later they also utilised the 15" Mk.1 gun but in a new triple turret. The secondary armament of 5.5" single guns was the only time this very good and handy weapon was used in the Lemurian Armoury. It conformed with the use made by the Royal Navy in their Barfleur and Majestic Class battleships which were contemporaries of the King Ralambo.
The King Ralambo was Fleet Flagship from 1920 through to it being taken in hand for its rebuild in 1938. The two new generation battleships replaced it in the pecking order when it returned to the Fleet in late 1940. Once its work up was completed the King Ralambo was sent to the Mediterranean to join the other Lemurian Fleet units with Admiral Cunningham. Admiral Kanaka (of the sinking the Tirpitz fame) had his Flag aboard the King Ralambo and was second in command of the Fleet. Another honour for him. The King Ralambo saw all of the actions with the Mediterannean Fleet, Taranto, Matapan, the various convoys to Malta, the taking of Sicily, and eventually the Anzio and Salerno Landings on Italy. That was where the King Ralambo's service came to an end. Another victim of the Fritz-X guided bomb system. Once the countermeasures were found the Fritz-X, while still lethal when it hit, hit less often.
The King Ralambo was laid down in 1915 with completion in 1920. The Queen Rafohy was laid down in 1916, suspended in 1918, and repurposed as an aircraft carrier, being completed in late 1924 and received for service in early 1926.
