Quote Originally Posted by Toolmaker51 View Post
75 something guys. How many hours or shifts? At least half need wheelbarrows, and probably more shovels. One loading ramp in view, might have 2 coal hatches, Who knows how many cubic yards consumed in transit - did all ports have collieries? They'd still need water too, but evaporative desalinization had been ship sized awhile. Lube oils, coal scoops, foodstuffs, chandlery...HMS Charybdis appears to have masts as well, add a sail locker.
I wonder at how deeply expenses were itemized, pure overhead, operating costs of a naval cruiser [or later sold for cargo use] to satisfy Admiralty or freighters so quotes could be made? All those are after she's been laid down; what about design phase justifying purchase?

I'm thinking, do Naval Architects and those specifying vessels have same distaste for bean counters we mechanics do?
Shorter answer might be who doesn't.
Whelp, if they did they could use an eight car motorcade to move 250 feet and not tell the tax payers how much they spent doing that. Seems to never change even back in 1901...people power is always available and cheap, right.