Solomani Confederation (Military)

[Condottiere]

Confederation Navy: Evolution of Line of Battle Ships

G. If the Victory class are dreadnought armoured cruisers, and the Prometheus class the equivalent to Queen Elizabeths, than their armaments would be twelve and fifteen incher equivalents, respectively.

H. In theory, the Zeus class would be Splendid Cats, with thirteen and a half incher equivalents, in the form of factor/four meson guns.

I. That would make factor/two meson guns ten and a half inchers, or the armament of a light predreadnought battleship, or, post Treaty pocket or light battleship.

J. Which leaves the factor/one meson gun the equivalent of a nine incher, arming a first class armoured cruiser.

K. Thusly, I have factor/one particle accelerator as a seven and a half, or eight incher, for post Treaty heavy(ish) cruisers.

 

[Condottiere]

Confederation Navy: Evolution of Line of Battle Ships

L. Logical progression, someone somewhere else, once pointed out, would have been, for the Royal Navy, sixteen and a half inches.

M. That would be factor/six meson gun.

N. Armament for the successor to the Prometheus class, I had technological level fifteen factor/seven meson gun.

O. That would be a calibre of eighteen inches, which they had a go at installing on His Majesty's Ships Furious, Wolfe and Clive.

P. And, of course, the Yamato class.

 

[Condottiere]

Confederation Navy: Evolution of Line of Battle Ships

Q. Now, I can't really answer if it's worthwhile building really large spinal mounts for use in space combat.

R. There's a reason, or a bunch, really, why there was never a great push to increase the calibre beyond sixteen inches.

S. Besides the invention of aircraft.

T. In fact, the fifteen incher was good enough.

U. And, current rules make anything larger than a quarter megatonnes hard to manoeuvre.

 

[Condottiere]

Confederation Navy: Evolution of Line of Battle Ships

V. Since the Imperium Navy likely stripped the Sphere of anything that wasn't nailed down, there wouldn't be any legacy capital starwarships left behind.

W. It's possible that some member world navies did have a technological level eleven predreadnought, possibly a semi dreadnought.

X. Considering the internecine nature of their relationships with their neighbours, unlikely to be donated to the nascent Confederation Navy.

Y. The semi dreadnought would likely have a particle accelerator spinal mount.

Z. The predreadnought, a railgun.

 

[Condottiere]

Confederation Navy: Evolution of Line of Battle Ships

1. It's quite possible, that predreadnoughts might have particle accelerator spinal mounts.

2. The difference between pre and semi dreadnoughts, would be composition of secondary armament.

3. There would a significantly larger proportion of large bays for semi dreadnoughts.

4. Or, the installation of small bayed particle accelerators, and meson guns.

5. Predreadnoughts would have a significant number of small and medium bays.

6. They would be more doctrinally inclined to engage at medium range, ironically utilizing their secondary missile armaments at longer stand off, for the initial salvoes.

7. The large bays were added to increase the line of battle ships effectiveness against their opposite numbers, and first class armoured cruisers.

8. Small and medium bays were meant to counter minor combatants, as well as shoot up less protected sections of line of battle ships.

9. The tertiary turrets were normally used as missile point defence and anti smallcraft.

 

[Condottiere]

Confederation Navy: Evolution of Line of Battle Ships

A. There are no examples of spinal mounts below technological level ten.

B. You only have missiles, torpedoes, and mass driver bays.

C. Presumably, five hundred tonne bays take the place of spinal mounts.

D. Mass drivers can't hit a moving target.

E. Which leaves missiles and torpedoes, who do have the virtue of having range.

F. And likely installed in broadside.

 

[Condottiere]

Confederation Navy: Evolution of Line of Battle Ships

G. For their line of battle ships, it seems that the Confederation Navy uses Greek mythological deities to distinguish the classes.

H. Prometheus class fast dreadnoughts, and Zeus class battlecruisers.

I. That why I thought that while the initial Victory class battlecruiser would be named on political and propaganda grounds, the first ship would actually be the Nike.

J. While it would be rather appropriate to name the technological level fifteen successor to the Prometheus, the Mercury class, that's Roman.

K. Possibly, Galatea, which seems close enough.

 

[Condottiere]

Confederation Navy: Evolution of Line of Battle Ships

L. Pizza slice Empire aesthetic seems to predominate as the preferred hull configuration.

M. Why, I have no idea; sometimes that might require inquiries of the artist, writer, and editor.

N. Once I decided that the designs needed some refinement with the updated rules, plus some inspiration from the Royal Navy, that, actually, did some spacedockblocking.

O. Pizza slice configuration does allow atmospheric reentry.

P. But chops down on possibilities of optimizing spacecraft component placement.

 

[Condottiere]

Confederation Navy: Evolution of Line of Battle Ships

Q. While hulls tends to be designed around the selected armament and engineering.

R. The volume of the primary hull is actually rather relevant.

S. As that provides both structural integrity for hull points, and the platform for the number of hardpoints.

T. Being that a spinal mount can't exceed fifty percent of the tonnage of it's installed platform.

U. And you have to add in secondaries, and tertiaries.

 

[Condottiere]

Confederation Navy: Evolution of Line of Battle Ships

V. Thus, if you use a rating system, the ubiquitous two hundred kilotonne starwarships would be Third Raters.

W. Anything from twenty five to ninety five kilotonnes would be Fifth Raters.

X. Fourth Raters would be hundred kilotonnes plus, but short of two hundred kilotonnes.

Y. Second Raters would be somewhere between a quarter megatonnes, and probably two fifths megatonnes.

Z. First Raters around a semimegatonne.

 

[Condottiere]

Confederation Navy: Evolution of Line of Battle Ships

1. I don't see any other navy besides the Imperium's, bothering with a rating system.

2. Though, they could transpose it on others.

3. First Rates would be flagships for important fleets, and likely over three and a half hundred kilotonnes.

4. Range would be three or four parsecs, and acceleration, at the current time, at least factor/five.

5. Armour would be, but not necessarily, the maximum allowed at the technological level of construction.

6. Second Rates would be fleet flagships, as well as for task forces.

7. Performancewise, about the same as First Rates, except a small spinal mount.

8. About a quarter of a megatonne, to two fifths megatonnes.

9. Both would have large sensor and communications suites.

 

[Condottiere]

Confederation Navy: Evolution of Line of Battle Ships

A. Like Seventy Fours, Third Rates were a balance of performance and cost.

B. At this point in time, that's been established at two hundred kilotonnes, with what seems a factor four or five meson spinal mount.

C. Range would be three or four parsecs, acceleration factor five or six, and armour tends to be minimum technological level of construction.

D. Minimum tonnage of the primary hull would need be a hundred kilotonnes, though very few designers would consider that adequate for the desired balance.

E. Since it would be the principal unit of engagement in the line of battle, exceeding a quarter megatonne would be rather pointless.

F. Could be utilized as a task group flagship.

 

[Condottiere]

Confederation Navy: Evolution of Line of Battle Ships

G. Fourth Rates are comparatively rarer, at this point in time.

H. Weighing in between fifty to one hundred fifty kilotonnes, they tend to fall into two general categories, below and above a hundred kilotonnes.

I. They have a lighter armament than Third Rates, though not necessarily lower armour factor.

J. They can be deployed as squadron flagships in remoter areas, where their lower costs and crew requirements cuts overhead, while still being the most powerful naval unit in their area of operations.

K. Modern equivalent would be light battleships, and first class armoured cruisers.

 

[Condottiere]

Confederation Navy: Evolution of Line of Battle Ships

L. Fifth Rates are large frigates, or, in our case, cruisers.

M. Sufficiently armoured to protect somewhat against cruiser armament, and have a cruiser calibre spinal mount installed.

N. Structural integrity means volume of the primary hull will be between twenty five and a hundred kilotonnes.

O. There's an overlap for first class armoured cruisers, but tend to confine itself to strike, heavy, light, first and second class protected and armoured cruisers.

P. Reconnaissance, scouting, communications, raiding, presence, and patrolling, and never seriously considered for the line of battle, as say, a first class armoured cruiser that was designed for such.

 

[Condottiere]

Confederation Navy: Evolution of Line of Battle Ships

Q. Sixth Rates would appear to weigh in between five and twenty kilotonnes.

R. Basically, a capital starwarship equipped with bay weapon systems, though protection and performance varies, depending on a more specialized role.

S. Sort of designed to fill in the gaps in the order of battle, that Fifth Rates would be overqualified for.

T. In theory, these would be the most likely vessels encountered doing patrol sweeps.

U. Sort of general purpose frigates.

 

[Condottiere]

Confederation Navy: Evolution of Line of Battle Ships

V. Seventh Rates I made up.

W. This would be precapitalistic starwarships, between one and five kilotonnes.

X. Essentially, escorts and patrol vessels, of varying performance, protection, and armament.

Y. Considering Traveller assumptions, more than able to deal with pirates, and give a commerce raider a run for it's money.

Z. They may or may not be built to military standards, and may or may not, have a bay weapon system.

 

[Condottiere]

Confederation Navy: Evolution of Line of Battle Ships

1. Finally, we get to the Unrated stuff.

2. That would be starwarships of less than one kilotonne.

3. Performance varies, but they're armed, and presumed dangerous.

4. Patrol torpedo boats tended to have crews between twelve to seventeen.

5. An Imperium Navy kilotonne escort destroyer would need, fully crewed, thirty to forty.

6. So there is a lot of leeway, if you minimize crewing.

7. Anything cheap, somewhat cheerful, easily constructible, and cannon (af)fodderable.

8. Possibly, an ensign to lieutenant command.

9. The mosquito fleet, or, for the vast majority of Vargr shipping, the fleat.

 

[Condottiere]

Confederation Navy: Evolution of Line of Battle Ships

A. Which leaves us with a general category of military spacecraft without organic jump drives.

B. You could rate them, but ironically, with a star, to indicate their capabilities as warships.

C. Without an onboard jump drive, and requisite fuel tanks, which could take up half the volume, one might be tempted to double tonnage to get a a suitable rating for them.

D. However, at the larger end, extra volume can give additional structural integrity.

E. And, more hardpoints, to attach additional weapon systems.

F. As well, as the assumption that a larger crew requires a commander of higher rank.

 

[Condottiere]

Confederation Navy: Evolution of Line of Battle Ships

G. In theory, the Victory class dreadnought armoured cruiser, retroactively recategorized as a battlecruiser, would be a Fourth Rate.

H. It's primary hull would be above a hundred kilotonnes, and armament would be a factor/three meson spinal mount.

I. Performance would be acceleration factor/five, and range three parsecs.

J. The Confederation would not be expecting a major conflict, until they start designing actual line of battle starwarships.

K. The primary tasks of the Victory would be to deter their neighbours from a quick snatch and grab, as well as separatism.