Maria-Melanie-class Yacht

The **Kaiserin und Königin Maria Melanie class Yacht**, often shortened to **Maria-Melanie-class Yacht**, is a custom-built yacht, ordered by the Imperial and Royal Ministry of Defense. She is modular in the sense that she is planned to be equipped with a number of defensive systems, but does not have them yet, and in the sense, that multiple interior designs are available, one of which is the neoclassical design (our design firm is currently working on more designs).

She is also built to have a minimal acoustic signature and environmental impact. In case of need, the Maria-Melanie-class Yacht can be repurposed as a hospital vessel.

Design and construction were done by the SDY-Subsidiary Bád Industries of Cuan.

## Design

The Marie-Melanie-class Yacht is a 5,500 tons heavy monhull vessel with a length of 129.5 metres, a beam of 19.3 metres and a draught of 4.9 metres. The main mast's top is 44 metres above the surface, serving as a radio mast and radar station for the two Nuacht N-13 Mark III Air/Surface Search Multifunction Radars, which can also be used as navigation radars, if need should arise. The N-13 is a capable and proven radar system used on a multitude of SDY's vessels, most of which are military vessels, but also on civilian vessels like the Corrán-class Offshore Patrol Vessels. The other mast is 40 metres tall.

Power aboard is generated by three Diesel Generators, which produce a total of 12,000 kW. These generators rest on shock absorbers similar to the ones found on submarines and with a similar effect: Reducing vibrations of the generators and thus noise, reducing not only the acoustic signature but also increasing comfort of the people aboard due to them simply not hearing or feeling the vibrations of the generators.

The power generated by these three generators is used to power the two azimuth thruster pods below the stern, which allow for safe and easy cruising, as well as easy and especially cheap maintenance as the pods are fitted with electric engines, which do not require large, heavy and complicated gearboxes to have the power transferred from the generators to the engines. A bow thruster allows for easy docking and navigation.

This allows the Maria-Melanie-class Yacht to attain a maximum speed of 22 knots or 40.7 kilometres per hour at a range of 6,500 nautical miles or 12,038 kilometres at a cruising speed of 18 knots or 33.3 kilometres per hour.

At the stern, the Maria-Melanie-class Yacht has a helicopter landing pad, but carries no further aircraft handling facilities. Four dinghies, one of them being a Majestic-class Boat, are included into the delivery. If needed, the Maria-Melanie-class Yacht can be replenished at sea, both vertically and horizontally, the maintenance of this skill by the crew being required.

The vessel is crewed by a ship's crew of 35 officers and men, with berthing facilities for an additional 200 stewards and a guards platoon of 50 officers and men, who can store their weaponry in three armouries. While the first plans called for capsule berthing, the final decision went to standard berthing in sleeping halls. In lieu with the secondary function as a hospital vessel, the Maria-Melanie-class Yacht can of course also be crewed by a hospital staff. For this very same purpose, and for the medical care of guests aboard, the Maria-Melanie-class Yacht is equipped with an onboard hospital with an Operating Theatre and a dentist's office.

The Maria-Melanie-class Yacht has a capacity to host 250 guests for the evening, but can also have up to 30 guest stay overnight in staterooms.

Fittings for four torpedo decoy launchers can be found between the Promenade Deck and Deck 4, while the four fittings for the countermeasure launchers are placed in practical locations all over the vessel. Fittings for a CIWS- or RAM-Mount are found on the Sun Deck, above the bridge. SDY can install the respective systems from our own stocks and manufacturers for an additional price, but own systems can be installed as well.

For entertainment purposes, the Marie-Melanie-class Yacht is equipped with an Onboard Entertainment Network, a local LAN with sockets and WLAN-stations all over the vessel, which can be used for entertainment purposes from playing multiplayer video games to, in combination with the two Satellite Uplinks in the masts, watching television and listening to the radio or accessing the Internet. The OEN is physically isolated from the Ship's Network.

### Deck Plan

The Marie-Melanie-class Yacht has a total of eight decks.

Decks and 1 and 2, beneath the waterline, hold technical facilities, the generator rooms and other technical spaces and storages, although the two large cargo holds on Deck 2 extend to Deck 3, which is equipped with large doors, one on either side of the vessel, which allow for easier loading and unloading of the vessel. The hold doors are installed into the sides of the hull and opened, as well as lowered, by hydraulics and can be used to carry cargo as well. We tested the system with the three tons heavy Walaea Motorworks W-115 Armoured Limousine and it worked perfectly without undue stress to the doors.

Then comes the waterline.

Deck 3 houses the crew quarters and facilities, including a mess hall and a sports room.

Deck 4 is the place of the onboard facilities, for example the doctor's office and the kitchens, which include two large walk-in freezers, the washing salon, lifts to the upper decks and conference rooms. An onboard library, a sauna and a massage salon are included as well.

The Promenade Deck is Deck 5, featuring a roofed walkway extending from the bow to the stern for promenading on both sides of the vessel. Aside from that, this deck features a variety of rooms, including the staterooms for the guests staying overnight, and an indoors swimming pool of twenty metres, which is for recreation and sports. The Promenade Deck also has a ladder leading down to the water at the stern, which can be folded up. Its primary purpose is to allow the passengers easy access to swimming in the ocean as well as to allow the crew to take aboard passengers from dinghies.

The Main Deck, Deck 6, is the uppermost continuous deck of the Maria-Melanie-class Yacht, and the main area to be for guests and passengers. One of the most important features of the Main Deck is the large dining room, which can hold up to 250 guests for dinner, can be used as a cinema, ball room and theatre as well (in plans for repurposing this vessel as a hospital ship, this would be the main hospital). Other then that, the Main Deck also features the helicopter landing pad astern and a weather deck at the bow, which can be used for assemblies as well. A larger library, a salon and a reception room by the landing pad complete the Main Deck.

Above Deck 6 is Deck 7, known as the Living Deck, mainly due to its function: The apartment of the owner and his family is located there. Astern, towards the helicopter landing pad, the Maria-Melanie-class Yacht has a balcony for the apartment. Other then that, the segmentation of the apartment is completely up to the orderer and what he feels most comfortable in. The Apartment is accessible either by a staircase leading up from the Promenade Deck and connecting the promenade and the Main Deck, or by one of the two lifts, which are actually supposed to connect the kitchens and the large dining room. The forward ten metres of the Living Deck are occupied by the bridge.

Above the Living Deck, the Sun Deck can be found, the open topmost deck of the vessel, which is planked in wood and can be used as a party area. For that purpose, it can be roofed with cloth as well. A small stage astern allows for performers to play their pieces, while provisions to hold tables and chairs even while underway are made. A bar can be added as well.

## History

The Maria-Melanie-class Yacht is the last one in a line of yachts, which began with the Cineál-class Yacht and has found its current high point in the Maria-Melanie-class Yacht and its name ship, *Ihrer Majestät Schiff Kaiserin und Königin Maria Melanie*.

However, she actually began her life long before the order for such a vessel by the Imperial and Royal Ministry for Defence: One of the first drafts for the Aurelia-class Sailing Yacht bears striking resemblance to the Maria-Melanie-class Yacht. However, Bád Industries decided to explore a different design avenue, one of a completely sail-propelled vessel, and this first draft vanished in the archives...

...only to be pulled out again two years later.

Building and construction went off without hitches and in June 2019, *Ihrer Majestät Schiff Kaiserin und Königin Maria Melanie* was launched, making a few test cruises before being handed over to the new owners in September of 2019.