Giramonda
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| La Giramonda | |
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| La Giramonda docked in the port of Mineria. | |
| History | |
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| Name | La Giramonda |
| Owner | State-owned |
| Home Port | Mineria, La Rossa |
| Builder | Minestrici Shipyards |
| Ordered | 20-8 44 PC |
| Laid down | 13-5 48 PC |
| Launched | 4-8 48 PC |
| Maiden Voyage | Mineria-Hatun (Kalam) |
| Current Route | Mineria-Urkaes (Nucht, Deysachin) |
| Characteristics | |
| Class | Lavanda |
| Cargo Capacity | 54,700 bells |
| Length | 68.43 men |
| Maximum Speed | 16 knots |
| Crew | 27 |
La Giramonda is a Rossan cargo ship constructed and set to sail in 48 PC, created as the flagship of the government's efforts to subsidize exports to the Attu Archipelago in the years following the Rossan Opening. The ship, which remains government-owned, has been used to support domestic industries by carrying their goods at cost to foreign nations, to ensure quick growth in the first years following La Rossa's opening to free trade after a lifetime of autarky. The ship measures 68 men in length, and has a carrying capacity of over 54 bells.
Built by Minestrici Shipyards (a firm that Dux Leo Minestrici was the director of, though he resigned prior to taking office), the ship became the largest ship ever constructed on the island, though it was later superseded by other ships in the Lavanda class that it pioneered. In addition to its functional use, in its early years the ship was also largely used as a tool of domestic propaganda, as a measure of success for the newly expanding industries reaching into new markets, as most transportation was in fact performed by smaller ships. As a result, in its early years it regularly moved between destinations, before later stabilizing to a single route. It was briefly used to transport soldiers from Hapšâw during Vincenzo Barozzo's short-lived regime. La Giramonda remains in use as a cargo vessel, primarily used to transport goods between the industrial cities of Mineria, La Rossa and Nucht, Deysachin.
History
Following the Rossan Opening in 41 PC, the government of Dux Leo Minestrici would expend great monetary resources in efforts to subsidize exports out of the country and build up domestic industries before they could be outcompeted by foreign goods. La Giramonda would be the functional prototype of a new class of cargo ship meant to service foreign trade, with a focus on storage capacity. It would be named the Lavanda class, named so after the Minestrici Family's symbol. On 20-8 44 PC, Minestrici Shipyards secured a government contract for its construction. The Dux, having resigned from his past position on the board several years ago, claimed no conflict of interest, stating that the public bid was won fairly.
Strikes by members of the Dockworkers' Union in Mineria slowed construction considerably, as blockades and clashes with the police led to dozens of arrests. In order to end the strike, Dux Minestrici went into negotiations that led the government to submit to the striking workers' terms for wage increases. On 4-8 48 PC, La Giramonda set sail from the Minerian port from the first time to an onlooking crowd, including Leo Minestrici, in one of his final public appearances as Dux, his own popularity brought down by discontent from workers and unions.
In 49 PC, La Giramonda made a minor detour from Akaria to Hapšâw to deliver rifle-making machinery, standardized nuts and bolts, and a handful of scales for measurement, as Tokšahalna moved ahead in a modernization program. The Rossan government under Vincenzo Barozzo would become involved in efforts to construct a power plant to power the region, forging ties that were nonetheless complicated by various delays due to the Luminary War and La Rossa's domestic turmoil. In 55 PC, on its way back after shipping a round of supplies for the power plant in Tokšahalna, the Giramonda hosted 800 troops headed to La Rossa, lent by King Ĥakaranêy to Barozzo. Upon entry into the country, the troops were outfitted with the surplus standard equipment of the Rossan Armed Forces, including a uniform, a rifle and a sable. The troops would be used in attempts to suppress riots and dissent after Vincenzo Barozzo held onto the Duxal throne following the death of his opponent, Antonio Morobaldi.
In 58 PC, La Giramonda was fully transferred to the La Rossa-Deysachin route, during the country's reconstructionary period.