TMF: 8 NPV:
42Full Thrust
This is an unofficial list of SSD for all of the New NAC ships that were released by GZG in 2005. I have provided notes and backgrounds on the classes and have tried to stay true to the NAC style of ship design. For any comments/feedback please feel free to contact me at stub@iinet.net.au. Please note that these designs try to follow a specific set f design principles as set out in the text that accompanies them. They are not supposed to be super ships or completely without flaw which is why you will see no Grasers or Missiles, they follow a Beam-Torpedo doctrine purely for the sake of flavour.
The New Ships of the New Anglican Confederation Royal Navy 1
Basic design philosophy:
Following the losses incurred in the never ending series of Interstellar Wars and the onslaught of the Kra'Vak, The NAC Parliament began the process of a Royal Commission into the appalling rate of losses of shipping and the seeming ineffectiveness of the current generation of RN vessels. After five years of claim and counter claim between Parliament and the Supreme Command RN little had been achieved; and that would probably have continued to be the case had not His Majesty chosen to become personally involved. The six months following the intervention of the Monarch saw the replacement of seven of the ten top Admirals in the RN and a complete change in the office of the Royal Commission. The new Commissioner, Sir. Jensen Huntington KC, KAC, DSC was an ex Navy man himself. A man of great diplomatic skill he was able to smooth the waters between the Commission and the RN. At the same time the clearance of "Old School" flag officers from the RN allowed for the advancement of persons who were more open to the concept that RN fleet tactics may have been at fault. From this point progress on the Royal Commission went forwards in leaps and bounds. Two key reports were made, firstly the "Connor" report on the deficiencies in NAC ship design and secondly the "Kodogo" report into the inadequacies in fleet tactics. One of the offshoots of these two reports was the generation of an open tendering process, whereby private business was encouraged to put forwards new ship designs to compete with those of the RNAC Shipwrights in the hope of improving designs by allowing more open competition. Although in the end most of the successful designs were from the RNAC Shipwrights, the pressure exerted by this open competition caused them to substantially "lift the bar" with the quality of their designs. The design parameters set out as a result of the "Connor" and "Kodogo" reports called for ships with a greater ability to deal with fighter and missile attacks, whilst at the same time be able to cope with the possibility of a renewed Kra'Vak offensive. How these design attempted to deal with these problems is listed individually with each design. With the release of these new designs NAC fleets began to take on a greater confidence, especially after the successful engagement and destruction of a major pirate cartel in the "Lawrence Cluster". It seemed that the RN finally had the tools for the job at hand.
The Designs:
Arrow Class Scout:
An immediate problem identified with the "Connor" report was the inadequacy of the old Harrison class Scout ship. Being slower than most other fleets light ships it was easily destroyed by the fast Kra'Vak ships it was sent to locate. This coupled with a lack of modern sensors made the task of its crews largely suicidal. In designing the new Arrow class these deficiencies have been addressed. A thrust rating of "6" and the inclusion of Enhanced Sensors whilst maintaining the same level of hull integrity have made this one of the better Scouts available. The down side of course is the almost doubling of cost from the old Harrison design.
TMF: 8 NPV:
42
Attack Class Lancer-Corvette:
One of the stranger designs of the RN, seemingly more at home in a Pirate fleet than a first rate fleet. The Mark I model of this Class exemplifies the results of what occurs when a design specification calls for the ability to complete multi roles yet the hull the ship is too small for the task. Design specs had called for a minor vessel that was capable of fast strike on double shielded opponents and also capable of dispatching enemy missile armed minor vessels. This is a tall order for a Frigate, let alone a Corvette sized craft. Nonetheless the Attack Class is the result, the "6" rating thrust, weak hull and class 1 beam are all standard fare for Corvettes; but it is the Needle Beam that has been shoehorned in that gives the Attack class an oddity. To answer the problem of securing hits on double shielded enemies the designers went for a weapon that bypasses shielding with every hit, with the same amount of damage delivered as a normal beam verses double shielding. Additionally with the advent of the Grazer, the Needle beam was seen as a possible way of picking off Grazers from enemy ships which were too large to hope to destroy. Of course where you would get a crew who were willing to face such a task was never thought all the way through by the Admiralty. Regardless the Attack Class appears to be set to stay due to its low cost, at 41 NPV it is cheaper than the Arrow Class Scout, and used in Squadrons of six it can cause some consternation in enemy fleets.
When Admiral Kodogo learnt of this design he is said to have let out a continuous stream of expletives that would make the most hardened Marine blush. He was absolutely outraged that a design had been allowed that required such a lightly built ship to close to close range before it could fire off any of its large array of weapons; "had he not stated that new designs were to help tackle the problem of light enemy shipping by engaging them outside their own range?". He saw to it that a second model was built which could engage the enemy at double the range of the Mark I, this model the Mark II proved much more popular, though both designs were continued to be built. The Mark II exchanges the large Needle Beam for a more standard Class "2" Beam, and the scatter pack for some hull armor, the Class "1" defensive beam is kept. Overall this mark is much better suited to the sort of tactics the RN has begun to adopt.
Mark
I
Mark II (Design added 5Feb2006)
TMF: 11 NPV:
41 
TMF: 11
NPV: 40
Comanche Class Corvette:
The Arapaho class Corvette was considered by many to be a good design, however its lack of range was considered to put it at a disadvantage when facing Kra'Vak raiders who could attack it at practically triple its own range. An examination of the NSL Stroschen Class saw they had had more luck in tackling small Kra'Vak ships. Therefore the Comanche addresses the problem with the inclusion of a class "2" beam. Whilst this is nothing to write home about, the increase in hull integrity also helps to improve the confidence that crew have in this class. Despite a cost rise of 20% over the old Arapaho this class was received favorably by Parliament.
TMF: 14 NPV: 51
Troutbridge Class Frigate:
The Troutbridge is really a minor extension of the Minerva-Miyazaki class of Frigates. Whilst two mass units heavier and of different external appearance the only noticeable difference is the extension of the arcs of its class "2" beam to allow engagement of targets to its aft. This class gives testament to the longevity of the original designs and seems to be popular with Frigate crews.
TMF: 20 NPV: 68
Cambridge Class Torpedo Frigate:
The need to have some long range capability against the Kra'Vak has seen the increased use of Pulse Torpedoes across the whole range of NAC ships. Whilst this concept was considered unfeasible by some it didn't stop The HMS Cambridge2 being launched. She is an example of the smallest Class of torpedo armed Frigates to enter full scale production. Yet another extension of the old Minerva-Miyazaki class, this class is slightly larger than its sister ships the Troutbridge. Instead of a class "3" beam suggested by some the Cambridge relies on a Pulse Torpedo launcher. Used in isolation there would seem to be little call for this ship. However as pointed out by the "Kodogo" report, "...it is through the large scale use of Pulse Torpedoes and large Beam weapons against small strikeships at long range that the key to defeating the menace of strikeships..." Viewed in this light the Cambridge makes a little more sense, but only a little; when used alongside larger ships its single torpedo increases the chance of lucky hit at long range only marginally. Regardless the Class represents a type of ship the RN has in its fleets, and whether the tactics it was designed for will turn out to be a valid remains to be seen.
TMF: 24 NPV: 83
HMS Cambridge and HMS Oxford lead HMS Achilles and HMS Ajax in a box formation.
They wear the King's Silver Jubilee livery as adopted
for the celebrations.
Tacoma Class Heavy Frigate:
The Tacoma is one of the last designs to be approved prior to the Royal Commission and still serves on happily as one of the most popular designs to ever be launched by the RNAC Shipwrights. As some of the Tacoma Class have come up for refit, proponents of the Kodogo Doctrine have commented on the lack of overlapping arcs on the design. As a result several have been modified into a different roles as Strike Frigates. However as only less than a half dozen have had the conversion they are very rare and still undergoing appraisal.
Tacoma
FFH Tacoma
FFS (Design added 13May2006)
TMF: 24 NPV:81
TMF: 24
NPV: 82
Achilles Class Area Defense Frigate:
Rather than modify the popular Tacoma class for escort duties it was decided that a purpose built Escort Frigate for mercantile defence be created. The Achilles performs this job as well as can be expected from a ship of such small mass. Its modest area defence capability make it suited to this role. Though some strategists argue against the need for such a class, the merchant marine has welcomed any assistance they can get in fighting the growing levels of missiles and fighters used by pirates.
TMF:
24 NPV: 84
Drake Class EW Destroyer:
A real success story for the opening up of the design market. General Microcircuits Pty Ltd put forth a tender to refit all of the decommissioned Ticonderoga Class out as Electronic Warfare Ships. The experiences of the 1st Xeno War had taught that a better long range detection ship was required, but no shipbuilder seemed interested in designing one when there were bigger profits to be made in securing warship tenders. The GM offer was very appealing to the hierarchy at the RN, it would effectively allow them to create a whole new subclass of ships which they didn't have to build. Unfortunately the cost of the complex electronics and communications systems made them as expensive to refit as it was to build a completely new Frigate. Regardless, in its first test the Drake class performed admirably. A single Drake tracked a large Pirate Fleet back to their base without its presence becoming known. It then successfully called in and coordinated a strike from HMS Coral Sea that caught the Pirates napping. The refit includes applying armor to the aging structure of the Ticonderoga's and the removal of its heavy weaponry. The exhausted drive systems are removed and replaced with a smaller model. Then the advanced electronics of a Superior Scanner and an Area ECM device are fitted. To augment the electronics a central analysis area has been created where six EW specialists monitor incoming signals. To assist in the longevity of the ship should it be discovered three point defence systems are present, which are augmented by an area defence fire control, giving the ship a secondary ability to act as an adhoc escort Destroyer. The complete refit on the old hulls should allow these ship to soldier on in their new incarnation for at least another twenty years.
TMF: 30 NPV: 149
Recently the admiralty has been toying with the configuration of some of the old Ticonderoga's that were not converted to Drakes. This involves the replacement of many systems with a shield generator and a refit of the old engines to bring them up to current fleet Destroyer specs. These ship, known as "Drake - Battle Variants" have yet to achieve much success, and are used mostly to give convoys near pirate infested areas additional anti-fighter support.
Drake - Battle Variant (Variant added 22Apr2006)
TMF: 30
NPV: 104
Tallahacie Class Destroyer:
The Tallahacie is the last designs to be approved prior to the Royal Commission, replacing the aging Ticonderoga Class. Operationally it is almost identical to the Ticonderoga, the main difference being the inclusion of a forward facing class "2" battery. Modestly larger and more expensive than the Ticonderoga, overall the class fit in well with the new tactical doctrine of the RN; however its lack of Pulse Torpedo means that it cannot contribute to the long range sniping that its cousins can.
TMF: 34 NPV:
114
Tulsa Class Heavy Destroyer:
The Tulsa represents a new class of ship, jammed between DD and CL it is not a true DDH but rather a DDAA. During the preceding decade a marked increase in the number of missile and fighter armed craft occurred, this left larger ships somewhat vulnerable to the massed use of these offensive systems. Also the number of Pirate attacks has raised dramatically, leading to increased pressure from the large Merchant Shipping Companies for protection. The answer was seen to be the creation of light Escorts. The Achilles Class went part way to fixing this problem, but it was considered that a larger more capable ship, that was still smaller than a Cruiser was required. The answer was the Tulsa Class, with a fair area defence for Escort duties and medium all around battery capabilities for offense, it avoids LRS doctrinal requirements due to its Escort role. Even without heavy weaponry the Tulsa is a useful multi role Destroyer capable of the same speeds as normal Destroyers. An earlier version of the ship that could only reach level "4" acceleration was scrapped when it was pointed out that it could not protect the fast Cruiser Strike groups that were to be formed..
TMF: 44 NPV: 150
Playtest AAR (New 5 Mar 06)
1. Please note I am aware of the difference between Anglican and Anglian, the error is quite deliberate and due to the fact that the I once heard a Navy Chaplain refer to the RAN (Royal Australian Navy and by extension the Royal Navy) as "God's Navy". Therefore it stands to reason that if there can be an Islamic Federation in FT, there is room for a New Anglican Confederation.
2. Given the importance of the Monarchy in the NAC and also the fact that any force referred to as "Royal" has a Monarch as its head the prefix HMS has been used for all named ships. In real practice the 'Royal' tends to go from the Navy's title before the 'HMS' goes from the ships, for example in Australia there has been an increase in the tendency to leave off the "Royal" from Australian Navy over the last eight years, yet all of her ships are still firmly prefixed HMAS.