Ship Book 1 - The Havenite Sector.pdf

S h i p s i n C l a s s Condor, Falcon, Goshawk, Harrier, Hawk, Hawkwing, Kestrel, Kingfisher, Kite, Linnet, Merlin, Nighthawk, Peregrine, Shrike

E x p e c t e d S e r v i c e L i f e 1856-1916 PD

S p e c i f i c a t i o n Mass: 70,500 t ons Length: 355 m Beam: 42 m Draught: 24 m Maximum Acceleration: 523.6 G Crew: 292 (25 Officers, 223 Enlisted, 44 Marines) Power:

2 Rukes MFR-7 Fusion Reactors Electronics:

AN/SPG-24/d Gravitic Detect ion Array AN/SR-9 Phased Radar Array AN/SL-12D Lidar Array AN/CAT-8d(8) Fire Control System AN/CDT-6d(10) Defensive Fire Control System AN/ELQ-83 Electronic Coun te rmeasu re System

Armament : 8 Mod 6 Missile Launchers 4 Mk32 70cm Lasers 8Mk31 60cm Lasers 10 Mod 5a Countermissile Launchers 12 Mk16(3) Point Defense Laser Clusters

Magazines: 96 Mk34 Anti Ship Missiles 430Mk21 Countermissi les 6 Mk23 Long Range Recon Drones 4 Mk19 Electronic Warfare Drones

Small Craft: 2 Mk25 Hawk-class Pinnaces 2 C3 Dtf/cofa-class Cutters

D e s i g n a n d C o n s t r u c t i o n A produc t of t h e s a m e design s tudy tha t yielded t h e Apollo-c\ass light cruiser and Lightning-class frigate, t h e Fa/con-class des t royer is a beam-heavy platform des igned to close quickly and e n g a g e an e n e m y a t shor t range .

The first flight Falcons had t h e s a m e const ruct ion p rob lems tha t p l agued t h e Apollos. Like t h e Apollos, all bu t t w o of t h e m to be re turned to t h e builders for substantial refits after naval investigators found ev idence of subs t anda rd cons t ruc t ion practices. Unlike t h e Apollos, t h e smaller Falcons could be repaired wi thout resort ing to a c o m p l e t e rebuilding of t h e hull.

One practice t ha t was me t with approval and carried over to t h e Haup tman contrac t was t h e widespread re-use of fittings b e t w e e n t h e th ree classes of starship. Nearly 60% of t h e ha rdware and electronics are identical b e t w e e n the>4po//o, Falcon a n d Lightning classes. The savings on a per-unit basis have b e e n measurab le , t h o u g h it has resulted in an operat ional modal i ty whe re spare parts from Lightnings have been re-assigned to Apollos or Falcons in t h e yards.

While t he Fa/con-class has never b e e n as successful as t h e Apollo-class, a n u m b e r of t h e ships are still in service, desp i te compet i t ion from t h e Chanson, Havoc and Ci//ver//i-classes. Their heavy b e a m a r m a m e n t and a d e q u a t e missile a r m a m e n t makes t h e m a natural for antipiracy duties, and mos t of t h e class are s ta t ioned in Silesia. Still others find themse lves ass igned to picket duty, w h e r e their quick acceleration is in h igher d e m a n d than their a r m a m e n t .

D o c t r i n a l N o t e s Unlike t he Apollo, t h e Falcon is cons idered t o o small and fragile a platform to fight mult iple e n g a g e m e n t s with its ene rgy a rmamen t s . While boas t ing s t ronger active and passive defenses than many destroyers of its genera t ion , the re are grave concerns abou t its ability to fight and win in its preferred e n g a g e m e n t against someth ing of its own rate; on t h e flip side, if forced to e n g a g e someth ing larger than itself (where its survival is unlikely in any case), it can, in theory, do w h a t a m o u n t s to a suicide charge , doing s o m e d a m a g e to a cruiser or batt lecruiser before it ge t s gu t t ed .

In c o m b a t with their peers , the re appea r s to be no safe way to e n g a g e with a Falcon; while t h e active defenses allow it survive a missile e n g a g e m e n t to ge t close e n o u g h to use beams , t h e lack of t ubes m e a n s t ha t a canny o p p o n e n t with neutral vectors has noth ing to fear from a Falcon, and t h e Falcon c o m m a n d e r , while able to win t h e bat t le decisively in b e a m range, may not have a s t rong desire to ge t the re , with t h e a t t e n d a n t casualties such an e n g a g e m e n t will entail.

N o t a b l e U n i t s a n d B a t t l e s Many Falcons have seen c o m b a t in t h e Silesian Confederacy over t h e past decade . Most no tab le was HMS Shrike. In 1879, unde r t h e C o m m a n d of Lieutenant C o m m a n d e r Chris topher Magoun , Shrike e n g a g e d and defea ted a pair of pirate light cruisers tha t had a m b u s h e d his convoy in t h e Hillman system. The pirates had t imed their a m b u s h well, bu t suffered from poor offensive coordinat ion . Accelerating nose-on to o n e of t h e a m b u s h e r s with near suicidal abandon , Magoun's Shrike p i tched up (exposing t h e ventral w e d g e ) just prior to missile impact , t hen rolled to bring t h e b roads ide into arc at just over 100,000 kilometers, giving a t ex tbook example of a maneuver tha t is still t a u g h t at Saganami Island today. The s e c o n d light cruiser accelera ted or thogonal ly to bo th Shrike and t h e convoy, trying to remain in t h e missile enve lope wi thou t yielding a beams pass. Eventually over taken w h e n a t t e m p t i n g reach t h e hyper limit, Shrike gave it a b e a m sho t up t he kilt, caus ing a reactor failure on t h e o p p o s i n g cruiser.

S h i p s i n C l a s s Aria, Balladeer, Bard, Canticle, Chanson, Choralist, Glorioso, Madrigal, Minstrel, Nightingale, Plain Song, Rondeau, Serenades Troubadour, Vixen, Wind song

E s t i m a t e d S e r v i c e D a t e s 1867 to 1927 PD

S p e c i f i c a t i o n Mass: 78,000 t ons Length: 367 m Beam: 43 m Draught: 25 m Acceleration: 520.7 G Crew: 307 (27 Officers, 242 Enlisted, 38 Marines) Power:

2 Rukes MFR-7a Fusion Reactors Electronics:

AN/SPG-25/d Gravitic Detect ion Array AN/SR-11 Radar Array AN/SL-12C Lidar Array AN/CAT-9(10) Fire Control System AN/CDT-9(12) Defensive Coordinat ion System AN/ELQ-93 Electronic Coun te rmeasu re System

Armament : 10 Mod 6 Missile Launchers 2 Mk32 70cm Lasers 6 Mk31 60cm Lasers 12 Mod 5a Countermissi le Launchers 12 Mk14(2) Point Defense Laser Clusters

Magazines: 160 Mk34 Anti-Ship Missiles 444Mk21 Countermissi les 6 Mk19 Electronic Warfare Drones

Small Craft: 2 Mk25 Hawk-c\ass Pinnaces 2 C3 Da/cota-class Cutters

D e s i g n a n d C o n s t r u c t i o n The Chanson is t h e dest royer coun te rpa r t to t h e Star Knight a n d t h e Illustrious-classes, and represents t h e s a m e general "active defenses p a r a m o u n t " d e s i g n phi losophy. Currently, t h e mos t n u m e r o u s class of destroyer in t h e Royal Manticoran Navy, t h e Chanson a t t e m p t s

to be a multi-role vessel in its t o n n a g e range . Its mixture of b e a m s , missiles and defenses g e n e r a t e t h e s a m e critique t h e Star Knight gets; strong defenses at t h e e x p e n s e of offensive power.

The Chanson-class m o u n t s t h e older Mod 6 launcher, which has been supp lan ted by t h e faster cycling and more reliable Mod 6a. A n u m b e r of t h e third and fourth flight Chansons have t h e newer launcher installed, and several older ships have been u p g r a d e d in their last refit cycle.

While there is little difference b e t w e e n the t w o launch systems, t h e Mod 6 has been known to deve lop a glitch in t h e gravitic drivers tha t can disperse a spread of missiles at different velocities. While this difference can be correc ted for by "feathering" t h e w e d g e of t he missiles in flight, it can cause latent ta rge t ing issues, especially during synchronization of squad ron fire.

D o c t r i n a l N o t e s With its s t rong defensive w e a p o n array and long endurance , t h e Chanson is prized as a convoy escor t w h e n available. In s q u a d r o n action, it's assigned t h e tradit ional scout ing and picket duty roles, to being a screen for a formation. Because of its long cruise endurance , it also picks u p " s h o w t h e flag"missions, visiting allied powers and t rading par tners , t ha t are more c o m m o n l y ass igned to a light or heavy cruiser. This flexibility makes it popular in RMN administrat ion, as it can be dep loyed in more sectors wi thout worrying a b o u t nodal supply lines, t h o u g h s o m e agi ta te for a more offensively geared destroyer platform.

Like many Manticoran des igns , t h e Chanson is s t ronges t in a missile duel. Its heavy defenses and superior fire control allow it to hold its own against most dest royers and even s o m e light cruisers, as long as it can stay ou t of energy range of anything heavier than itself.

While t he Chanson is a multi-role design, it lacks t h e offensive punch of its predecessor t h e Havoc-class and its successor t h e Javelin-classes. In counter-picket duty, t h e Chanson's d iminished offensive punch can be qui te costly.

N o t a b l e U n i t s a n d B a t t l e s The most no tab le unit in t h e class would be HMS Troubadour. In 1903 PD Troubadour, unde r t h e c o m m a n d of C o m m a n d e r Allistair McKeon and led by Captain Honor Harringon and HMS Fearless, defended t h e planet of Grayson agains t a 5i//fan-class bat t lecruiser in t h e service of t h e Masadan Navy.

Troubadour was lost, bu t C o m m a n d e r McKeon m a n a g e d to e s c a p e t he wreckage with a lmost a h u n d r e d of his crew. McKeon was decora ted for his act ions in t h e bat t le and Troubadour was a d d e d to t he Navy's list of honor.

S h i p s i n C l a s s Audacious, Courageous, Fearless, Intransigent, Intrepid, Resolute, Valiant


S p e c i f i c a t i o n Mass: 88,250 tons Length: 389 m Beam: 40 m Draught: 31 m Acceleration: 519.6 G Crew: 385 (20 Officers, 180 Enlisted, 185 Marines) Power:

2 Dillingham Type 4 Fusion Reactors Electronics:

AN/SPG-3a1 Gravitic Detect ion Array AN/SR-4a Phased Radar Array AN/SL-6 Lidar Array AN/CT-20 8/10) Tactical Control System AN/ELQ-23 Electronic Coun te rmeasu re System

Armament : 18 Mod 4c Missile Launchers 2 Mk22 60cm Lasers 4Mk21 32cm Lasers 4 Mk11 42cm Grasers 10 Mod 5 Countermissi le Launchers 10 Mk14(2) Point Defense Laser Clusters

Magazines: 360 Mk50 Anti-Ship Missiles 430Mk21 Countermissi les 6 Mk4 Electronic Warfare Drones

Small Craft: 2 Mk25 Hawk-class Pinnaces 2 C3 Da/cora-class Cutters

D e s i g n a n d C o n s t r u c t i o n The Courageous-class light cruiser is t h e o ldes t light cruiser des ign currently serving in t h e RMN's inventory. Originally schedu led to be decommiss ioned in 1897, t h e Navy's growing d e m a n d for light comba tan t s in Silesia coup led with a s h o r t a g e of shipyard facilities (geared towards producing larger units in response to t h e Havenite threat) have caused BuShips to keep t h e Courageous-class vessels on t h e active list at least t h r o u g h 1907 PD.

The Courageous-class is des igned for c o m m e r c e escort and anti-piracy duties, whe re it can make bes t use of its heavy offensive a rmamen t . While little larger than a m o d e m destroyer, t h e Courageous m o u n t s a b roads ide of no less t han seven launchers . It is t h e only class remaining in commiss ion tha t uses t h e Mod 4c launcher. While t h e Mod 4 is less massive on a per- launcher basis than the Mod 6 series tha t replaced it, t h e Mk50 missile it fires has been unable to keep up with advances in missile ECM and pena ids .

Even with its less massive w e a p o n s , t h e Courageous pays for its heavy a r m a m e n t . It is virtually unarmored , even by t h e s t anda rds of most light cruisers, and t h e des igners o p t e d to save even more mass by reducing crew spaces and bunke rage to levels well

below current operat ional needs . The reduct ion in cruise durat ion be tween resupply evolut ions has rendered t h e Courageous less suited to its in tended role than its w e a p o n s fit might indicate.

Despite t he age of its offensive systems, t h e Courageous-class has performed well in comba t . While its w e a p o n s are light by m o d e r n s tandards , they have been more than sufficient to s tand against mos t pirate hardware.

The Courageous is still a s t rong performer in missile combat , and if it can keep the range o p e n is a match even for mos t m o d e r n light cruisers. However, t h e combina t ion of reduced e n d u r a n c e and c ramped crew condi t ions makes it unpopu la r with crews.

A design study in 1897 was pu t t o g e t h e r to address t h e issue of refitting t he Courageous to m o u n t t h e larger Mod 6 series missile t ubes . The project was never a d o p t e d , d u e to t h e a g e of t h e platform and the difficulty in refitting t h e larger w e a p o n s into an already c ramped hull.

The surviving Courageous-class ships have had a series of major upgrades over t he years, but ha rdware constraints have seen t h e m falling further and further beh ind t h e more m o d e r n classes in service. Initially, t h e remaining units in t h e class were schedu led to be decommiss ioned in 1903. Their service life was e x t e n d e d th rough 1907 to c o m p e n s a t e for bot t lenecks in const ruct ion of t h e new \ra//anf-class, exacerba ted by minor b u d g e t a r y a r g u m e n t s .

D o c t r i n a l N o t e s The Courageous-class is a good m e d i u m - r a n g e c o m b a t a n t . Its heavy missile broads ide gives it qui te an a d v a n t a g e in a long ranged duel, and while its heavy b e a m a r m a m e n t offers a significant de te r ren t to enemies b e n t on closing, i t lacks t h e a rmor and sustainability for any kind of high intensity c o m b a t within b e a m range.

N o t a b l e U n i t s a n d B a t t l e s The mos t no tab le ship in this class is HMS Fearless. Fearless was refitted as a test platform for t h e W e a p o n s Deve lopmen t Board, replacing most of t h e b roads ide missile launchers with a grav lance and energy t o r p e d o a r m a m e n t . After a poor showing in t h e 1900 PD fleet exercises, Fearless, c o m m a n d e d by C o m m a n d e r Honor Harrington, was pos ted to Basilisk Station. Six m o n t h s later, Fearless was involved in t h e Basilisk Incident, whe re she chased down a n d des t royed the Havenite a rmed m e r c h a n t cruiser Sirius. The cruiser was severely d a m a g e d in t h e confrontat ion, bu t t h e n a m e was a d d e d to t h e list of honor, s tar t ing with t h e commiss ion ing of t h e Star Knight-class heavy cruiser bear ing her n a m e .

S h i p s i n C l a s s Adonai, Agni, Amaterasu, Anubis, Aphrodite, Apollo, Ares, Arethusa, Artemis, Athena, Chiron, Hera, Hermes, Iris, Leto, Perseus, Poseidon, Thetis, Xanthus


S p e c i f i c a t i o n Mass: 126,000 tons Length: 438m Beam: 46m Draught: 35m Maximum Acceleration: 517.8 G Crew: 493 (35 Officers, 315 Enlisted, 143 Marines) Power:

2 Rukes MFR-7 Fusion Reactors Electronics:

AN/SPG-4c Gravitic Detect ion Array AN/SR-9 Phased Radar Array AN/SL-12b Lidar Array AN/CAT-8d(18) Fire Control System AN/CDT-7(14) Defensive Coordinat ion System AN/ELQ-83 Electronic Coun te rmeasu re System

Armament : 14 Mod 6a Missile Launchers 12Mk32 70cm Lasers 2 Mk40 86cm Lasers 14 Mod 5a Countermissile Launchers 14 Mk16(3) Point Defense Laser Clusters

Magazines: 240 Mk34 Anti Ship Missiles 756Mk21 Countermissiles 8 Mk23 Long Range Recon Drones 6 Mk10 Electronic Warfare Drones

Small Craft: 1 Mk25 Hawk class Pinnace 1 Mk9/\/bafross-class Shutt le 2 C3 Da/cofa-class Cutters

D e s i g n a n d C o n s t r u c t i o n The Apollo-class, built by t h e Jordan Cartel, is a beam-cent r ic light cruiser built for c o m m e r c e protec t ion . Built as part of an 1846 PD design study, t h e focus of t h e design is speed and missile defenses . The in tended role is to close rapidly to b e a m range with a commerce raider and force a d i s e n g a g e m e n t or neutralize it. Other ship classes built as par t of this s tudy include t h e Lightning-class Frigate and t h e Fa/con-class Destroyer.

The first seven ships built to t h e des ign study's specifications were delivered be tween 1851 and 1856 PD, a m o n g t h e m t w o Apollo-class light cruisers, HMS Apollo and HMS Athena. Both ships were assigned to escort du ty in t h e Silesian Confederacy shortly after their trials. Less than six m o n t h s after dep loymen t , HMS Athena was a m b u s h e d by a trio of pirates just as her convoy was coming out of hyper. Athena m a n a g e d to cripple bo th destroyers and severely d a m a g e t h e remaining light cruiser in exchange for heavy d a m a g e , a l though t h e retributive missile strike d a m a g e d s o m e of her charges .

The RMN awarded t h e Jordan Cartel with a product ion contract lasting th rough t h e 1860s. Three of t h e first twelve ships delivered failed their full power trials d u e to structural flaws. The s u b s e q u e n t investigation forced t h e suspension of all naval contracts with t h e Jordan Cartel while charges of fraud and subs tandard building practices were investigated.

While t h e investigation cont inued, t h e Navy tu rned const ruct ion over to t he Haup tman Cartel, including possession of t h e remaining hulls for salvage of parts and systems. Aside from Apollo and Athena, all of t he remaining hulls have been built by t h e Haup tman Cartel, which got contrac t renewals in t he mid 1860s and early 1870s.

D o c t r i n a l N o t e s Apollos are des igned to fight a closing bat t le while maneuver ing into b e a m range, and have electronic coun te rmeasu re s and sidewalls as s t rong as con t empora ry heavy cruisers. It also boas ts heavier a rmor than most ships of its rate. At close quar ters , n imble maneuver ing and a heavy ene rgy broads ide should m a k e it more than a match for any ship in its class. Her broads ide salvo of six 70cm lasers can reduce smaller ships to scrap in a mat te r of seconds .

The Apollo's b e a m a r m a m e n t has c o m e at t h e expense of her missile broadside, leaving only five t u b e s in each broads ide . Magazine levels are also greatly reduced - Apollo has shor ter magaz ines than most destroyers, t h o u g h her countermissi le supplies conform to s tandard Manticoran doctr ine .

The Apollos have u n d e r g o n e th ree major refit cycles to u p d a t e their electronics and fire control systems. The remaining units in t he class are expec ted to retire s o m e t i m e in t h e 1920s.

N o t a b l e U n i t s a n d B a t t l e s The Apollo-class as a whole has pe r fo rmed well over t h e years, t h o u g h advances in missile defenses and chang ing doc t r ine have rendered such beam-heavy des igns ques t ionab le . The Weapons Deve lopmen t Board, unde r Admiral Hemphill, has taken s o m e interest in refitting the/ \po/ /o-class as a fast strike screening e lement , t h o u g h this project has b e e n tab led with t h e less-than-glowing operat ional review of HMS Fearless' act ion dur ing t h e Basilisk Incident.

S h i p s i n C l a s s Alexius, Crusader, Eleanor, Frederick, Iberiana, LaFroye, Philip, Richard, Tancred

E x p e c t e d S e r v i c e L i f e 1851 to 1908 PD


2 Isler/Buckley GM-series Fusion Reactors Electronics:

AN/SPG-23 Gravitic Detect ion Array AN/SR-9 Phased Radar Array AN/SL-12D Lidar Array AN/CT-6(20/16) Integrated Fire Control System AN/ELQ-84 Electronic Coun te rmeasu re System

Armament : 16 Mod 7 Missile Launchers 2 Mk14 140cm Grasers 6 M k 1 8 96cm Lasers 2 Mk23 120cm Grasers 16 Mod 5a Countermissile Launchers 12 Mk16(5) Point Defense Laser Clusters

Magazines: 320 Mk13 Anti-Ship Missiles 976Mk21 Countermissiles 12 Mk16(5) Point Defense Laser Clusters

Small Craft: 3 Mk25 Hawk-c\ass Pinnaces 1 Mk9M>afross-class Shutt le 4 C3 Da/cota-class Cutters

D e s i g n a n d C o n s t r u c t i o n The Crusader-class heavy cruiser was des igned as a s u p p l e m e n t to t h e Prince Consort building program. As t h e Prince Consorts did not have flag facilities, BuShips projected a p rogram which would have built t he Prince Consorts in g roups of seven and paired each g r o u p with a Crusader-class ship providing flag services to make a full eight-ship squadron .

In addit ion to a flag bridge, t he Crusrjc/er-class m o u n t s a full auxiliary c o m m a n d deck. Most con t empora ry cruisers use a smaller auxiliary fire control, since more recent design theory regarded t h e provision of such a facility in so small a unit as a misuse of mass which could otherwise have been assigned to w e a p o n s or defensive systems.

The original Crusader building program had failed to allow for t h e unavoidable cycle of overhauls any warship required, with t h e result being tha t at least twenty-five percent too few flagships had been allowed from the beginning, and t h e Admirality's decision to cut funding for t he Crusaders in t h e intervening years has only m a d e t h e problem worse.

Prior to 1899, over half of the RMN's heavy cruisers had been tasked with solo opera t ions — chasing pirates on distant stat ions, ou t in Silesia, or ou t past the Basilisk system. Most of t h e remainder had been concent ra ted in one spot and a t t ached to Home Fleet, w h e r e only a limited n u m b e r of flagships were n e e d e d . As a result, t h e implications of t h e shor t age of Crusaders had g o n e largely unobse rved at t h e t ime. As t h e signs of war b e t w e e n Manticore and Haven grow, t h e redep loyments of cruisers and batt lecruisers as forward deployed raiders have highl ighted t h e shor t ages of Crusaders.

D o c t r i n a l N o t e s As squadron flagships, t he Crusaders have performed admirably over t h e years. Their w e a p o n s fit is weaker than tha t of t he Prince Consorts, but even by today's s t andards they have excellent c o m m a n d and control facilities, which rival t h o s e of m o d e r n battlecruisers.

Their per formance in solo opera t ions is far weaker, t h o u g h n o n e of t h e m were ever in tended to ope r a t e ou ts ide a squadron . Aside from e n h a n c e m e n t s in target ing and penaids , their offensive power is comparab le to tha t of t he Warrior-class heavy cruiser, desp i te a grea ter than ten percent increase in t o n n a g e over t h e older class.

N o t a b l e U n i t s a n d B a t t l e s As squadron flagships in a t ime of relative peace , few Crusaders have seen any significant action. The majority have been ass igned to Home Fleet during the buildup, and few have been tasked for i n d e p e n d e n t opera t ions . With t h e newer Star-Knights en ter ing service, t h e few remaining Crusaders are even more unlikely to be seen in batt le .

S h i p s i n C l a s s Prince Adrian, Prince Justin, Prince Michael, Prince Roger, Prince Stephen, Prince Harold, Princess Adrienne, Princess Angelique, Princess Aoriana, Princess Caitrin, Princess Joanna, Princess Michelle, Princess Samantha, Princess Solange



2 Isler/Buckley GM-series Fusion Reactors Electronics:

AN/SPG-23 Gravitic Detection Array AN/SR-9 Phased Radar Array AN/SL-12D Lidar Array AN/CT-6(20/16) Integrated Fire Control System AN/ELQ-84 Electronic Coun te rmeasure System

Armament : 20 Mod 7 Missile Launchers 2 Mk14 140cm Grasers 4 M k 2 3 120cm Grasers 6 Mk18 96cm Lasers 16 Mod 5a Countermissile Launchers 12 Mk16(5) Point Defense Laser Clusters

Magazines: 300 Mk13 Anti-Ship Missiles 976Mk21 Countermissiles 12 Mk15 Electronic Warfare Drones

Small Craft: 2 Mk25 Hawk-class Pinnaces 1 Mk9/\/6afross-class Shutt le 4 C3 Da/cofa-class Cutters

D e s i g n a n d C o n s t r u c t i o n The Prince Consort is t he largest single class of heavy cruisers in t h e Royal Manticoran Navy. While t h e des ign does have its flaws, it is still regarded as an effective ship overall.

To ge t as much firepower into space as quickly, and for as low a cost as possible, BuShips' architects omi t t ed a proper flag deck and its s u p p o r t systems. The extra mass freed was devo ted to an extra graser and pair of missile launchers to each broads ide .

BuShips projected a program which would dep loy seven Prince Consorts in a squadron with a Crusader-class ship providing squadron level flagship suppor t t h o u g h a s h o r t a g e of Crusaders has forced t h e RMN to subs t i tu te newer Star Knight-class units as squadron flagships.

Due to t h e shor tage in flagships of any kind, many Prince Consorts have been assigned to task force and fleet formations, w h e r e o the r

ships in t h e squadron could provide t h e space for a c o m m o d o r e or admiral and her staff.

The c o m m a n d deck of t he Prince Consorts was built to unusually aus te re s tandards to c o m p e n s a t e for t h e increased a r m a m e n t and magaz ine space. Instead of t he extra, unused br idge vo lume BuShips normally allocates to new des igns to provide room for t h e proliferation of control systems which has always occurred, t h e Prince Consorts have been given just e n o u g h room for their original requi rements , which has caused qui te a bit of c ramping as new displays and controls are a d d e d with each successive refit p rogram.

D o c t r i n a l N o t e s While t h e lack of flag facilities limits their utility in squadron based dep loymen t s , individually t he Prince Consorts are powerful and effective units. A recent program has been sugges t ed by BuPlan to allow t h e Prince Consorts to ope ra t e in mixed raiding squadrons with Redoubtable or Homer-class batt lecruisers serving as flagships. While no t suited for raiding first tier systems, t hey would be m o r e than sufficient for d e e p infrastructure raids agains t Havenite sys tems far from t h e front.

They are o n e of t h e last major ship classes built before BuShips b e g a n the Increased Survivability Program tha t resulted in the Star Knight, Chanson and Illustrious-classes. O p p o n e n t s of t h e program are quick to point ou t that , offensively, t he re is little difference b e t w e e n t h e Prince Consorts and Star Knights, desp i t e t h e newer c lass ' twenty percent increase in t o n n a g e .

Like mos t Manticoran designs, t h e Prince Consort enjoys a healthy a d v a n t a g e in m e d i u m to long range missile duels agains t foreign o p p o n e n t s , w h e r e i t can make t h e mos t ou t of its superior seeking sys tems and electronic coun te rmeasures . At closer ranges, w h e r e t h e disparity in missile qualities evens out , much of tha t a d v a n t a g e dissipates. Its graser a r m a m e n t makes it a a d e q u a t e c o m b a t a n t in b e a m range.

N o t a b l e U n i t s a n d B a t t l e s Prince Adrian, t h e lead ship in t h e class, is p e r h a p s t h e best known, especially in t h e Silesian Confederacy. Under t h e c o m m a n d of s o m e of t he Navy's finest captains, Prince Adrian has no less t h a n th i r teen confirmed pirate kills to her credit. In 1872 she was crippled in a violent confrontation with t w o pirate heavy cruisers. Only de t e rmined campaigning and a peti t ion by several senior m e m b e r s of t h e Admirality kept her from t h e breakers . Virtually rebuilt from t h e keel out, Prince Adrian is still in service today.

S h i p s i n C l a s s Alchemist, Cantrip, Circe, Conjurer, Druidess, Enchanter, Fearless, Magician, Magus, Merlin, Necromancer, Oracle, Runebearer, Santander, Seeress, Shaman, Sorceror, Star Knight, Star Ranger, Thaumaturge, Warlock

E x p e c t e d S e r v i c e L i f e 1893 to 1926PD

S p e c i f i c a t i o n Mass: 305,250 tons Length: 523 m Beam: 63 m Draught: 53 m Acceleration: 509.3 G Crew: 925

(47 Officers, 424 Enlisted, 454 Marines) Power:

3 Isler Corporation GM-4R Fusion Reactors Electronics

AN/SPG-29/a Gravitic Detection Array AN/SR-12 Phased Radar Array AN/SL-13LidarArray AN/CAT-15(34) Fire Control System AN/CDT-16(26) Point Defense Fire Control System AN/ELQ-135 Electronic Coun te rmeasure System

Armament : 20 Mod 7b Missile Launchers 2 Mk49 127cm Lasers 6 M k 7 3 105cm Lasers 4 Mk15 140cm Grasers 26 Mod 5b Countermissile Launchers 26 Mk16(5) Point Defense Laser Clusters

Magazines 400 Mk13 Anti-Ship Missiles 1534Mk21 Countermissiles 8 Mk23 Long Range Recon Drones 6 Mk15 Electronic Warfare Drones

Small Craft: 3 Mk28 Condor-class Pinnaces 1 Mk9>4/6c?fross-class Shutt le 4 C3 Da/cota-class Cutters

O e s i g n a n d C o n s t r u c t i o n The ships of t he Star Knight-c\ass are t he RMN's latest heavy cruisers. Designed to replace both t h e Prince Consort and Crusader-classes, t h e Star Knight combines t h e offensive power of a Prince Consort with t he flag facilities of a Crusader.

The Star Knights more powerful sidewall genera tors , heavier armor, be t te r electronic warfare capabilities, and m o r e n u m e r o u s point defense systems make t h e m at least thirty percen t t o u g h e r t han t h e older Prince Consorts. However, c o m b a t exper ience has shown tha t t oo little of their vo lume was allocated to offensive sys tems and t o o much was used on defense.

One of t h e most controversial design choices is t he installation of a third reactor as o p p o s e d to t h e normal t w o found on mos t ships

of this size. While the re are benefits in redundancy, only a single reactor is required to power t he ship and t h e addit ional vo lume could have been used to moun t a heavier broads ide .

As a flagship, t h e Star Knight has sufficient boa t bay space for t h r ee addit ional p innaces , as well as t he additional a c c o m m o d a t i o n s for a flag officer, staff and visitors. Its flag a c c o m m o d a t i o n s are qu i te spacious for a mere cruiser, t h o u g h s o m e w h a t less luxurious t han t h o s e found on a Crusader.

With shor t ages in Crusaders s tart ing to appea r all a long t h e front, shipyards at Hephaestus and Vulcan are producing Star Knights as quickly as possible - given t h e limited a m o u n t s of yard capacity t ha t can be diverted from capital ship construct ion.

The Star Knight is d u e to be replaced in 1908 by t h e Edward Saganami-class.The Saganamidesign, still in t h e p lanning s t age bu t expec ted to be at least ten percent larger, should resolve any deficiencies in t h e Star Knight's offensive power.

D o c t r i n a l N o t e s With t h e critical sho r t age of Crusaders, The Star Knights' flag a c c o m m o d a t i o n s forced the Admiralty to use t h e m for t h e d e t a c h e d c o m m a n d roles the Prince Consorts couldn ' t fulfill properly.

Star Knights are frequently assigned to frontier and convoy d e p l o y m e n t s wi thou t capital ship suppor t , and find themse lves e n g a g e d with fast battlecruiser/cruiser-level raiding forces, with cor respondingly heavy losses.

N o t a b l e U n i t s a n d B a t t l e s The m o s t no tab le ship in this class is HMS Fearless, which was involved in t h e defense of Yeltsin's Star in 1903 PD While many details of t h e bat t le are still classified, wha t is known is tha t u n d e r t h e c o m m a n d of Captain Honor Harrington, HMS Fearless and t h e Chanson-class dest royer HMS Troubadour defea ted a Sultan-class batt lecruiser in t h e service of t h e Masadan Navy.

S h i p s i n C l a s s Alcibiades, Amphitrite, Achilles, Dauntless, Halsey, Indomitable, Ishtar, Lysander, Nike, Nelson, Reliant, Retaliation, Royalist, Truculent, Venom, Victory, Viper, Warspite, Xerxes

E s t i m a t e d S e r v i c e D a t e s 1896 to 1946

S p e c i f i c a t i o n C F I i g h t I ) Mass: 881,250 tons Length: 713 m Beam: 91 m Draught : 81 m Acceleration: 488.6 G Crew: 2105 (151 Officers, 1362 Enlisted, 592 Marines) Power: 3 Isler Corporat ion GM-4R Fusion Reactors Electronics

AN/SPG-29/b Gravitic Detection Array AN/SR-14a Phased Radar Array AN/SL-14a Lidar Array AN/CAT-23b(64) Fire Control System AN/CDT-19(40) Defensive Fire Control System AN/ELQ-146 Electronic Counte rmeasure System

Armamen t : 52 Mod 7b Missile Launchers 1 6 M k 7 3 105cm Lasers 2 Mk49 127cm Lasers 16 Mk15 140cm Grasers 32 Mod 5b Countermissile Launchers 32 Mk16(6) Point Defense Laser Clusters

Magazines 1352 Mk13 Anti-Ship Missiles 9632 Mk21 Countermissiles 10 Mk34 Electronic Warfare Drones

Small Craft: 4 Mk28 Conc/or-class Pinnaces 2 Mk9/\//jc7fross-class Shuttles 4 C3 Da/cota-class Cutters

D e s i g n a n d C o n s t r u c t i o n The Reliant is t h e newes t battlecruiser class in t h e Manticoran Navy. Five pe rcen t larger than a Homer, t he Reliant is a powerful ship, ideally sui ted to t h e fast, slashing tactics t h e Royal Manticoran Navy has e m b r a c e d for over four T-centuries.

Like its con temporary , t he Star Knight, t he Reliant-class m o u n t s t h e Isler Corporat ion GM-4R series fusion reactor. The Isler Corporat ion was founded by a small consort ium of researchers w h o split off from t h e Dillingham Cartel in 1878 over differences in research

priorities and intellectual proper ty issues. Using a new t echno logy for t h e gravitic con t a inmen t bottle, their first p roduc t was smaller, more s table and less costly than t h e compe t ing p roduc t still sold by t h e Cartel. The Isler Corporation won their first cont rac t with t h e Crusader/Prince Consort p rogram and have b e c o m e the RMN's primary supplier of cruiser and batt lecruiser reactors in t h e intervening years.

Designed from t h e keel ou t as a squadron flagship, t h e Reliant-class has a t h r ee boa t bays with reserved space for up to 4 addit ional p innaces to a c c o m m o d a t e visitors. Even wi thout t h e addit ional space, it has e n o u g h small craft capacity to drop its ent ire c o m p l e m e n t of Marines in a single drop.

In an intentional deviation from the Navy's normal policy, t h e Reliant has o n e of t h e shor tes t magazines for a ship of its rate. The RMN believed tha t any BC's life expectancy against ships of t h e wall would be brief, and tha t batt lecruiser-versus-battlecruiser act ions would be shor t and sharp. As a result, BuShips believed it was be t te r to be able to th row more missiles - especially be t te r missiles - faster and incorporate an energy a r m a m e n t heavy e n o u g h to make close r ange action decisive, rather than to try to out last an o p p o n e n t . I t remains to be seen how this deviation from normal shipbui lding practice will fare in batt le.

D o c t r i n a l N o t e s The newes t of t h e Navy's battlecruisers, Reliants are often found as squadron flagships. The units of this class have been spread thinly a m o n g existing squadrons of Homers and Redoubtables, rarely appea r ing in anything more than divisional s t rength .

The Reliant's combina t ion of acceleration and firepower make it a flexible, multi-role platform. The in tended offensive mission was to use Reliants for high speed raids on the orbital industrial and supply n o d e s - while they canno t s tand up to a ship of t h e wall, if they can ge t at its fleet train or supply nodes , they can greatly slow t h e rate of advance , allowing Manticore's smaller n u m b e r of t rue capital ships t h e luxury of mee t ing e n g a g e m e n t s in space, rather than pi tched defensive batt les against twice their number . The p resence of Reliants, particularly as t h e class build schedu le m e e t s in t ended d e p l o y m e n t levels, will force significant asset shifting to cover supply n o d e s on t h e par t of an invading force.

N o t a b l e U n i t s a n d B a t t l e s Perhaps t h e mos t no tab le m e m b e r of t h e Reliant-class is t h e newly commiss ioned HMS Nike. A rep lacement for t h e previous Nike, a Redoubtable-class ship d u e for decommiss ioning, Nike is t h e first of t h e Flight II Reliants.Jhe Flight II series is an incremental u p g r a d e to t h e class, incorporat ing new inertial compensa to r s , h igher densi ty a rmor and an incremental improvemen t in electronics. It is also o n e of t h e first ships to receive t he first gene ra t ion FTL communica t ion pulse generator , allowing it to send as well as receive FTL c o m m signals. A follow-on run of at least twelve more units is p l anned after Nike, t h e first to begin accep t ance trials in a mat te r of m o n t h s .

HMS Nike is currently ass igned to Hancock Station as t h e flagship of Rear Admiral Mark Sarnow, c o m m a n d i n g officer of Battlecruiser Squadron Five.

S h i p s i n C l a s s Arlon, Bastogne, Breslau, Bruges, Busko, Charleroi, Gorzow, Jaroslaw, Kessler, Krakow, Leuven, Liege, Lubin, Malbork, Poznan, Suwalki, Torun, Toulon, Toumai

S e r v i c e L i f e 1883 to 1946PD

S p e c i f i c a t i o n Mass: 88,500 tons Length: 383 m Beam: 45 m Draught: 26 m Acceleration: 519.6 G Crew: 417 (63 Officers, 354 Enlisted) Power:

2 RF/6 Dampierre 4 Fusion Reactors Electronics

AG-25 Gravitic Detection Array AR-26 Phased Radar Array AL-26(a) Lidar Array SLCF-19 18x8-channel Distributed Control System ARBB-22 Electronic Coun te rmeasures

Armament : 18 LME-3(c) Missile Tubes 4 L/75 Anti-Ship Lasers 4 L/66 Anti-Ship Lasers 8 LMC-8(g) Counter Missile Tubes 8 P/16x3 Laser Clusters

Magazines 162 E14 Impeller Drive Missiles 216 C2 Counter Missiles 4 LAD-24 Tethered ECM Decoys

Small Craft: 1 D.450 Ouragan-c\ass Pinnace 4 DB.100 Mercure-dass Cutters

D e s i g n a n d C o n s t r u c t i o n The Bastogne-dass destroyer is t h e p roduc t of a design phi losophy prevalent in t h e pre-war People's Navy. Faced with a large n u m b e r of sys tems to be garr isoned, t h e Office of Planning n e e d e d copious n u m b e r s of light c o m b a t a n t s for pe r imete r security forces. The Bastogne is o n e of t hose designs .

The Bastogne class has been der ided by s o m e within t h e People's Navy as a "LAC with a gland condit ion and hyper capability". It has nei ther t h e magaz ine space nor t h e defenses to survive sustained c o m b a t opera t ions , bu t is in tended to pack in t h e max imum possible b roads ide capability at t he e x p e n s e of a credible energy w e a p o n de ter rence , magaz ine space a n d defenses . I t m o u n t s t he quick-firing bu t unreliable LME-3(c) launchers .

The Bastogne's defenses are sub-par across t h e spec t rum. The magaz ine s t o w a g e propor t ions of counter-missi les to ship-killers is very low, especially in light of t he ship's extremely light energy a r m a m e n t , with a cor responding reduct ion in point defense efficiency. These shor tcomings have b e e n exacerba ted by t h e g a p b e t w e e n Manticoran and Havenite electronics since t h e start of t he war.

The poor quality of its defenses and short e n d u r a n c e force t h e Bastogne ou t of t w o of t h e mos t c o m m o n roles for a destroyer. With an e n d u r a n c e far shor ter t han mos t of its con tempora r i e s and an unba lanced w e a p o n s fit heavy on offensive power, it is poorly suited for escort dut ies and t h e lack of marines make it unsui ted to anti-piracy opera t ions . Most Bastognes are found as advanced screens for t h e wall of batt le, w h e r e its role is to g e t its missiles off quickly before it is des t royed, a fact tha t does not e n d e a r it to its crews.

As a small concession to its reduced energy a r m a m e n t , t h e Bastogne m o u n t s heavier b e a m w e a p o n s than are normally seen on a ship of its size. The difference is minimal, given t h e single laser in each broads ide .

D o c t r i n a l N o t e s With a w e a p o n fit overba lanced towards offense, and an a lmost suicidal sho r t age of defenses, t h e Bastogne-dass is used for high speed drive-by passes, salvoing missiles and running as quickly as possible. A secondary use of t h e Bastognes is as a lure on a raiding mission, their task to pull e n e m y units into dispersed hun te r / seeker pat terns to make t h e m vulnerable to defeat in detail .

Its best tactic in c o m b a t is to close quickly to opt imal missile range, ge t t ing t h e max imum use out of its heavy broadside , t h e n retreat and h o p e t h e enemy ' s bat t le d a m a g e has rendered i t unab le or unwilling to pursue . Its missile-heavy design can also be a liability a t close ranges , whe re shor ter tracking t ime and r e sponse loops favor ships t ha t are fast on t h e helm with heavy b e a m a r m a m e n t s .

One recent (and unor thodox) variant on s tandard doc t r ine involves opera t ing Bastognes and Conquerors in divisional s t rength , s ta t ioned right on t h e hyper limit on a least-t ime course a long t h e axis of threat . If t h e t iming is right, t h e missile-heavy ships are well posi t ioned to intercept and severely d a m a g e t h e enemy 's lead units as t hey c o m e out of hyper. It is a cold, calculated move , balancing t h e p robab le loss of t h e entire division agains t t he d a m a g e they can inflict on t h e oppos ing force's screen before they are dest royed.

N o t a b l e U n i t s a n d B a t t l e s Some proposals have b e e n put forth to modern ize t h e remainder of t he Bastognes still in service. PNS Bruges was chosen as a tes t platform, replacing th ree missile t u b e s in each b roads ide with lasers and spread ing t h e existing magaz ines a m o n g t h e remaining launchers. While a much more survivable design, bo th in t e rms of its susta ined rate of fire and antimissile defenses, t h e cost was t o o high to warrant a comple t e refit for t h e remaining units.

S h i p s i n C l a s s Brilliance, Glimmer, Radiance, Solar Flare, Sunspot

E s t i m a t e d S e r v i c e D a t e s 1832-1901 P.D.


2 RF/6 Dampierre 1 Fusion Reactors Electronics

AG-21 (b) Gravitic Detect ion Array AR-22 Phased Radar Array AL-20(d) Lidar Arrayy SLCF-15 12-channel Fire Control System SDCC-15 12-channel Defensive Coordinat ion and Control System ARBB-13 Electronic Coun te rmeasu res

Armament : 12LME-2Missi leTubes 4 L/72 Anti-Ship Lasers 20 L/63 Anti-Ship Lasers 12 LMC-8(b) Counter Missile Tubes 8P/16x2(a) Laser Clusters

Magazines 156 E9 Impeller Drive Missiles 408 C2 Counter Missiles 8 LAD-24Tethered ECM Decoys

Small Craft: 3 D.435 Ouragan-class Pinnaces 2 DB.100 Mercure-class Cutters

O e s i g n a n d C o n s t r u c t i o n The Brilliance-class light cruiser is o n e of t h e oldest cruiser designs still in service. Most c o m m o n l y seen in t h e employ of various second rate navies, a few of t he se units remain in t h e service of the People's Republic.

When it was originally p roduced , t h e Brilliance was an effective platform. Before t h e introduct ion of laser head missiles with long standoff ranges, its heavy energy a r m a m e n t and a d e q u a t e (for t h e period) anti-missile defenses let i t close t h e range quickly and bat ter an o p p o n e n t into submission.

While t he class has been extensively refitted over t h e years, it has gradually fallen behind t h e tech curve, unab le to c o m p e t e with t he realities of mode rn missile comba t .

A more serious prob lem with t h e Brilliance class was their initial use of t h e L/72 Laser moun t s . The L/72 was eventually replaced by t h e L/75 series (still in use today on many smaller ships) and mos t of t h e remaining L/72 stock was used in t h e first and second flight Brilliances. A serious glitch in t h e L/72's flux control software could cause t h e emit ter assembly to fuse. Bad e n o u g h when this h a p p e n e d during rout ine test ing, w h e n t h e flaw occurred in

combat , i t resulted in casualties a m o n g the o n - m o u n t crews w h e n the w e a p o n was fired and des t royed itself.

C o m p o u n d i n g t h e problem was t h e a lmost total lack of spares for t he L/72 series emit ters . After a n u m b e r of accidents , t h e Bureau of Construct ion called in t h e remaining units, which u n d e r w e n t a rotat ing refit p rogram, replacing t h e m with t h e more reliable L/75 series, t h o u g h s o m e of t he L/72 e q u i p p e d ships have been sold to a n u m b e r of Havenite "allies".

As many as t w o dozen Brilliance-class cruisers have b e e n sold to t h e navies of smaller powers over t h e years, and at least a handful more have t u r n e d up in t h e hands of Silesian pirates. The People's Navy has had a longs tand ing tradition of selling off obso le te warships to help fund newer designs . With t h e start of t h e Manticoran Havenite war, this practice has s lowed considerably, as even obso le te units are n e e d e d for picket duty on t h e frontiers.

D o c t r i n a l I M o t e s As an obso le t e close c o m b a t unit in a navy tha t is itself outclassed in electronics and penaids , t h e few remaining units of t h e Brilliance-class have been tucked away well behind t h e front, engag ing in local system defense and pacification missions.

If o n e were to find itself in c o m b a t with anything larger than a destroyer, t h e captain's best h o p e would be to hold t h e w e d g e to t h e e n e m y and close to energy range as quickly as possible, in h o p e s of killing t h e o p p o n e n t before be ing ove rwhe lmed by incoming missiles.

N o t a b l e U n i t s a n d B a t t l e s While t h e People's Republic has usually been rather careful in choos ing which "allied nat ions" it will sell hardware , it was not unheard of to find castoff Havenite units in t h e system defense forces of Haven's early conques t s . It is rare, however , to find units of t h e exact s a m e class on oppos i t e sides of a bat t le . In 1886, t h e Maastricht system, which had already received several obso le te units, including th ree Brilliance-class light cruisers and t w o Durandal-class destroyers , was d u e to receive an addit ional transfer of t w o Brilliance's in addi t ion to e n o u g h spares and ammuni t ion to supply their system defense force for t h e foreseeable future. The second s h i p m e n t was a trap, t h e t w o Brilliance's were accompan ied by t w o Trumbah'-class Q-ships.

Unknown to t he at tackers, t h e Maastricht navy had been running a tracking exercise on their ships for training pu rposes . What should have b e e n a one-s ided surprise tu rned a round w h e n t h e tracking ships saw t h e Trumballs blow their panels , and t h e resulting e n g a g e m e n t was devas ta t ing for bo th sides. The Maastricht navy was comple te ly des t royed in t h e brief, savage e x c h a n g e of fire, bu t o n e of t h e Trumballs and bo th Brilliances were severely d a m a g e d as well.

S h i p s i n C l a s s Alexander, Alvarado, Babar, Caesar, Cortes, Diaz, Khan, Hannibal, Hideyoshi, Huangdi, Montezuma, Napoleon, Barneses, Valdivia, Vaubon, Wari, William

S e r v i c e L i f e 1895 to 1967 PD

S p e c i f i c a t i o n Mass: 145,000 tons Length: 459 m Beam: 48 m Draught: 37 m Acceleration: 516.9 G Crew: 476 (48 Officers, 428 Enlisted) Power:

2 RF/6 Phenix 1 Fusion Reactors Electronics:

AG-26 Gravitic Detection Array AR-26(b) Phased Radar Array AL-27 Lidar Array SLCF-19(b) 22x12-channel Distributed Control System ARBB-23 Electronic Counte rmeasures

Armament : 22 LME-3(d) Missile Tubes 2 L/75 Anti-Ship Lasers 12 L/62 Anti-Ship Lasers 12 LMC-8(g) Counter Missile Tubes 10P /16x3 Laser Clusters

Magazines: 352 E14 Impeller Drive Missiles 372 C2 Counter Missiles 8 LAD-24 Tethered ECM Decoys

Small Craft: 2 D.450 Ouragan-class Pinnaces 3 DB.100 Mera/re-class Cutters

D e s i g n a n d C o n s t r u c t i o n The Conqueror-class light cruiser is t h e p roduc t of ref inements to t h e s a m e design program as t he Bastogne-dass destroyer. Taking lessons learned from t h e Bastogne, t he office of shipbuilding reques ted proposals for a long-range c o m b a t a n t with s t ronger defensive and close range firepower.

While significantly larger as t he Bastogne, t h e Conqueror m o u n t s only o n e more missile t u b e per broads ide t han t h e smaller ship,

t h e rest of t h e mass is used for a respectable broads ide energy suite and chase a rmamen t s , a d e q u a t e defenses and a significant increase in magaz ine space. Overall, t he Conqueror is a solid design suited for a variety of missions.

D o c t r i n a l N o t e s The Conqueror-class represents t he current doct r ine of t h e People s Navy. Known to s o m e as "The Battle for t h e First Salvo," t h e fundamenta l tactic is to overwhelm the o p p o n e n t with a heavy initial series of salvos fired with t he min imum cycle t ime. It is a crude, b ru te force solution to t he technical a d v a n t a g e s of Manticoran hardware , bu t remains fundamental ly sound , provided sufficient we igh t of fire can be massed against t h e enemy. The drawbacks of this s t rategy are tha t a Conqueror-class ship can find itself shor t on magaz ine capacity, particularly on a d e e p strike mission whe re it mus t e n g a g e multiple targets before linking up with ammuni t i on hauler. The Conqueror's extensive close-in a r m a m e n t of 6 broads ide lasers is mean t to work as a de ter rent , t h o u g h given t h e light construct ion of t he ship, it's unlikely t ha t t h e Conqueror would survive a beams range e n g a g e m e n t agains t anyth ing of its own rate.

Current doc t r ine is to e n g a g e t h e enemy at t h r ee - to -one or be t t e r o d d s w h e n e v e r possible, given the individual capabilities of t h e t w o navies. For this reason, Conquerors rarely ope r a t e in less than divisional s t rength , and are more often dep loyed as "short" s q u a d r o n s of 6-8 units. Accompanied by Bastognes and Swords, t h e Conqueror makes up t h e core of the People's Navy's light units used in t h e current confrontat ions with Manticore.

N o t a b l e U n i t s a n d B a t t l e s The m o s t well-known Conqueror-class unit in t h e People's Navy would have to be PNS Hideyoshi. Under the c o m m a n d of Captain Paul Burke, Hideyoshi was deployed in t he Verde sector in 1886 P.D. on rout ine antipiracy patrols. During the next e ight T-months, Captain Burke displayed uncanny luck in his ability to identify slavers. Hideyoshi cap tured no less than three Mesa-run slave ships dur ing tha t t ime period, two of which were carrying full loads of h u m a n ' c a r g o ' t o be delivered. The final ship was c a u g h t just after delivery, allowing Burke to identify and bring into cus tody t h e local system governor responsible for t he t rade .

Hideyoshi was last seen in Alto Verde in 1887, as she d e p a r t e d on t h e back s w e e p of her patrol pat tern. She never reached her des t inat ion, and is listed as lost to causes unknown .

S h i p s i n C l a s s Claymore, Cutlass, Dirk, Drusus, Durandal, Epee, Estoc, Excalibur, Falchion, Flamberge, Foil, Gladius, Jian, Katana, Khopesh, Poignard, Raiden, Rapier, Sabre, Scimitar, Shamshir, Sword, Wakasashi


S p e c i f i c a t i o n Mass: 286,250 tons Length: 512 m Beam: 62 m Draught: 52 m Acceleration: 510.2 G Total Crew: 960 (77 Officers, 693 Enlisted, 190 Marines) Power:

2 RF/7 Chinon 3 Fusion Reactors Electronics

AG-12 Gravitic Detection Array AR-15 Phased Radar Array AL-16(c) Lidar Array SLCF-18 24x18-channel Distributed Control System ARBB-19(a) Electronic Counte rmeasures

Armament : 18 LMF-5(c) High-Speed Missile Tubes 2L/130 Capital Ship Lasers 10L/118 Anti-Ship Lasers 18 LMC-8(f) Counter Missile Tubes 22 P/16x5 Laser Clusters

Magazines: 324 F17 Impeller Drive Missile 360 C2 Counter Missiles 8 LAD-17 Tethered ECM Decoys

Small Craft: 2 D.435 Ouragan class Pinnaces 3 DB.100 Mercure class Cutters

D e s i g n a n d C o n s t r u c t i o n The Sword-class heavy cruiser is an older design, first p roposed in 1864 as a rep lacement for t h e Champion-class, t h e last unit of which was decommiss ioned in 1871.

The design of t h e Sword is an even m o r e ex t r eme case of t h e heavy missile-design philosophy used in t h e Bastogne-class destroyer.

The Sword-class does correct s o m e of t h e shor tcomings of t h e Bastogne by accept ing a lighter b roads ide th row weight in favor of larger magazines . However, its countermissi le magaz ines hold less than a third of t he ammuni t ion they n e e d to last t h r o u g h a typical e n g a g e m e n t .

The Sword-class is t h e only ship in t h e People's Navy to m o u n t t h e LMF-5(c) missile tube . The LMF-5(c) has a faster cycle t ime t han most launchers, at a cost in reliability a n d service life.The problem lies in t h e high-speed loading mechan ism, which has a t e n d e n c y to freeze unexpectedly when shuffling a full magaz ine q u e u e . Many captains have learned to fill their magaz ines o n e to th ree rounds short of t h e nominal rated load to help mit igate this p rob lem.

There have been several modifications and refits to t h e class, all of which a t t e m p t e d to address t he countermissi le sho r t comings by providing additional magazine space, usually at t h e expense of removing energy weapons or reducing offensive missile tubes . None of t h e m has been satisfactory. The People's Navy has, in light of war t ime experience, concluded tha t i n d e p e n d e n t cruisers of less t han 300,000 tons are simply not viable in t h e current c o m b a t env i ronmen t with t h e constraints of Havenite hardware .

D o c t r i n a l N o t e s While t h e Sword-class has the magazine space for several minutes of sus ta ined fire, its critical shor tage of countermissi les force it to seek a decisive a d v a n t a g e early in t h e battle. It is not des igned as a close comba tan t , but most captains will try to close t h e range quickly to give t hen t h e best target ing solution to c o m p e n s a t e for t h e older fire control systems.

By t h e t ime t h e range has closed, t he Sword mus t rely on t h e quick cycle t ime of its launchers to overwhelm t h e t a rge t with rapid con t inuous fire. Given tha t the Sword will most likely have dep l e t ed its countermissi le magazines by that t ime, its only h o p e is to des t roy t h e o p p o n e n t before it is des t royed itself.

N o t a b l e U n i t s a n d B a t t l e s The mos t successful of t h e refit proposal was t h e o n e tha t used PNS Flamberge as a test bed. Rather than reduce t h e energy a r m a m e n t , with t h e associated decrease in defensive effectiveness, t h e eng inee r s s e g m e n t e d off por t ions of t h e offensive magaz ines and used t h e space for additional countermissi le magazines . While it gave Flamberge a lmost twice t h e e n d u r a n c e on its countermissi le launchers , rout ing t h e countermissile ammuni t ion t h r o u g h t h e already unreliable ship-killer magazine systems resulted in f requent jams, t ha t could disable both launcher types fed by t h e s a m e missile handl ing q u e u e .

S h i p s i n C l a s s Anhur, Ares, De Conde, Hachiman, Huan-Ti, Ishtar, Rienzi, Tonit

E s t i m a t e d S e r v i c e D a t e s 1905 to 1957PD

S p e c i f i c a t i o n Mass: 477,250 tons Length: 607 m Beam: 73 m Draught: 61 m Acceleration: 501.1 G Crew: 1193 (100 Officers, 897 Enlisted, 196 Marines,) Power:

2 Goshawk-3 Fusion Reactors Electronics:

AG-16(a) Gravitic Detection Array AR-19 Phased Radar Array AL-14 Lidar Array SLCF-20 70x40-channel Distributed Control System ARBB-25 Electronic Coun te rmeasu res

Armament : 28 LMF-5(d) Missile Tubes 6 G/l 25 Grasers 24 L/101 Anti-Ship Lasers 32 LMC-8(g) Counter Missile Tubes 32 P/16x5 Laser Clusters

Magazines: 336 F17 Impeller Drive Missile 1568 C2 Counter Missiles 12 LAD-17(a) Tethered ECM Decoys

Small Craft: 3 D.435 Ouragan-class Pinnaces 5 DB.100 Mera/re-class Cutters

D e s i g n a n d C o n s t r u c t i o n The Mars-B design quickly superseded t h e original /Wars-class heavy cruiser (later referred to as t he Mars->4-class) which was deve loped as a replacement for t he d isappoin t ing Sword-class. The Mars-B p rogram reduced the internal magaz ines from twen ty - two rounds per launcher to only twelve. While this limits t h e e n d u r a n c e in a sus ta ined e n g a g e m e n t , t h e mass saved allowed t h e Mars-B to literally d o u b l e t h e energy broads ide from t h e original design and significantly upg rade its defenses.

Unlike t he Mars-A, t h e Mars-B class m o u n t s t h e n e w Goshawk-three fusion reactors. The Goshawk-three is substantially more efficient t han its predecessors , producing almost twice t h e o u t p u t for a bare t en percent increase in size. This increased o u t p u t allows t h e Mars-B to o p e r a t e on a single reactor in an emergency . The mass saved by el iminating t h e third reactor was used to m o u n t an even heavier a r m a m e n t .

The mos t significant upg rade on the Mars-B is t h e ability to control t o w e d missile pods . The ability to fire a massive open ing salvo is t h e logical extension of the Republic's "massive first strike" doctr ine, s h o w n by the Conquerer-class.

Unlike its predecessor , t he Mars-B is o n e of t he first classes to incorpora te upda t ed electronic systems courtesy of t h e first t echno logy transfers from the Solarian League. Overall, t h e Mars-B class clearly indicates t he People's Navy's desire to des ign increased survivability into their heavy cruisers.

D o c t r i n a l N o t e s The des igners felt t h e reduction in magaz ine space over t h e original design was justified, as t he Mars-B is t h e first class with sufficient fire control to fire their newly deve loped missile pods . C o m m a n d e r s w h o have to husband their shots , or find themse lves madly charging th rough a missile b roads ide with e m p t y magaz ines disagree, bu t do so quietly, lest they seem disloyal.

The Office of Planning anticipates using pods and first-strike tact ics to break up Manticoran squadron and task force anti-missile defensive organization. With t he massive strikes they intend to fire from towed pods, they feel tha t t hey can sacrifice more of t h e new class's internal missile power in favor of t h e combina t ion of improved defenses and a more powerful energy a r m a m e n t .

Product ion delays in t he missile pods have slowed their release into widespread use, and as of this writing, nei ther t h e class itself, nor t h e newly deve loped doctr ine has been tes ted in bat t le .

N o t a b l e U n i t s a n d B a t t l e s None of t h e first flight Mars-B units have seen c o m b a t as of this writing, d u e to t h e tragic loss of PNS Tanit while in parking orbit a round Enki. From all accounts , Tanit was u n d e r s t andby power levels w h e n she had a glitch in t h e c o n t a i n m e n t bot t le of her n u m b e r t w o reactor. Tanit herself was comple te ly des t royed. The remaining units built at t h e s ame yard been pulled from active service while t h e incident is being invest igated. They are expec ted to return to du ty in 1906 to 1907.

S h i p s i n C l a s s Astra, Cygni, Sirius, Procyon


S p e c i f i c a t i o n Mass: 7,579,500 tons Length: 1,213 m Beam: 200 m Draught: 194 m Accelerati on: 412.3 G Crew: 1498 (150 Officers, 1348 Enlisted) Power:

2 RF/5 Marrone 2 Fusion Reactors Electronics

AG-15 Gravitic Detection Array AR-92 "Starfinder" Navigation Radar AR-18(a) Phased Radar Array AL-13 Lidar Array SLCF-19(a) 68x42channel Distributed Control System ARBB-23 Electronic Coun te rmeasu res

Armament : 52 LMF-5(d) Missile Tubes 24 G/140 Grasers 36 LMC-8(g) Counter Missile Tubes 28 P/18x6 Anti-Missile Lasers

Magazines 6240 F17 Impeller Drive Missiles 12960 C2 Counter Missiles 12 LAD-5(c) Tethered ECM Decoys

Small Craft: 6 DB.100 Mera/re-class Cutters 2 D.435 Ouragan-class Pinnaces 2 C.160 Transall-class Cargo Shutt les

Cargo: 4,896,500 tons

D e s i g n a n d C o n s t r u c t i o n The/Isfra-class a rmed merchan t raider is a new design based on lessons learned from t h e older Trumball-class. Units of this class were built in the Lovat yards, which have exper ience building a rmed auxiliary units .The People's Republic kept reasonable operat ional security on their construct ion by building t h e m in mixed series with convent ional freighters.

The Astra-class was never especially numerous , t h o u g h exact quant i t ies are unknown, and the People's Republic of Haven has at various t imes given directly contradic tory answers a b o u t t h e existance of t he class, n u m b e r in service, w h e t h e r any more are being built, or even stating the entire class is a fabrication of a smear campaign . The external a p p e a r a n c e is identical to tha t of t h e Astra-class bulk freighter, a successful des ign found t h r o u g h o u t t h e People's Merchant Service. Internally, however, t h e Astra is built more like a warship than a merchant .

A second reactor is buried d e e p in t h e core, t h o u g h t h e ship runs on its single merchant g rade reactor dur ing rout ine opera t ions to mimic t h e emissions s ignature of its u n a r m e d cousin.

D o c t r i n a l N o t e s Unlike t h e Trumbull-class, which was used primarily as a first strike unit and in commerce raiding, t h e Astra-class is i n t ended to stay on station acting out its role as just a n o t h e r merchan t for longer per iods. While many of its ha tches are merely to disguise its t rue origin, it does retain significant cargo capacity, including two cargo shut t les .

The concea lmen t opt ions on the Astra class are numerous , including drive nodes on a powered "ram", and blow-away panels over t h e military-grade gravitic and speed-of-l ight sensors . Spare w e a p o n and sensor-concealment panels are carried aboard t h o u g h m o u n t i n g t h e m is a t ime and labor intensive process.

In comba t , t he Astra has sluggish handl ing, d u e to t h e compromises in t he design m a d e for concea lment . Her acceleration is quite impressive for an a rmed merchan t vessel, at 400+ Gs. With a throw weight comparab l e to a battlecruiser, her magaz ine levels rival t hose of a s u p e r d r e a d n o u g h t .

N o t a b l e U n i t s a n d B a t t l e s The only/\sfra-class to see c o m b a t was PNS Sirius. In 1900 P.D. Sirius was chased down and des t royed by t h e Manticoran light cruiser HMS Fearless. The Royal Manticoran Navy has refused to release any details of t h e battle, but (assuming t h e claims of an Astra being destroyed are accurate), t h e comple t e des t ruct ion of a seven and a half eight million ton Q-ship at t h e h a n d s of an eighty-eight t h o u s a n d ton light cruiser is t h e subject of considerable w a r d r o o m deba t e .

Ship Book 1 - The Havenite Sector.pdf

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