Hanovian Star Navy: Quadrennial Strategic Review

Note: This document was recovered from a chip of unknown but clearly human manufacture recovered near an area of intense temporal disturbance. It purports to be returned to us from almost 800 years in the future. Hanover today is a small but bustling colony. What this could potentially mean for the future is staggering. - Lieutenant Commander James A. Jones, Interstellar War College, Department of History

Quadrennial Strategic Review Hanovian Navy SE 1276 (1050 AL)

1: General Strategic Overview

The Hanover System Republic is a single-system star nation located 1,000 light-years rimward and 200 light-years antispinward from Sol. Hanover exists on three major space transit lanes: The Transsolar Rim Highway, which opened in 422, is the oldest and most prestigious of the major spacelanes; Hanover is at almost the halfway point of the Highway and receives nearly 15% of its annual revenue from layover fees, system tolls and defense port contracts from the TRH. The Long Route Highway, opening in 836, is the middle of the three. It is the least used, contributing only 4% of the system’s revenue despite somewhat higher fees than the TRH. The third, the Silver Star Highway, opened in 1200 and contributes 11% to Hanover’s system economy. For the last half millennium local (750 years Earth reckoning), the Hanover System has been an important part of the economy of the Alpha Rim Sector, a position that has grown with each new highway instated. As is common naval practice, galactic standard years of 8,766 hours of 3,600 seconds starting from Reference Date January 1st, SE 0 are used to calculate all years. The local year in Hanover corresponds to 18 Earth months. The local day on Hanover is exactly 25 hours long.

1A: Astropolitical Situation

Hanover has generally good relations with its neighbors, however its relationships with the Stellar Alliance and Venetian Star Kingdom have become strained in the last half-century, see section 1D. The Hanover System Republic holds current defense agreements with the Kingdom of Neo-Janus and the Banner Republic. Despite increasing tensions with the Venetian Star Empire, Venice has not yet chosen to terminate its basing agreements with Hanover; however the Galaxy League withdrew its basing contracts from Hanover in SE 1260.

1B: Specific Challenges

The great amount of merchant traffic passing through the Hanover system creates its largest defense challenge. Because the three highways are so critical to Hanover’s economy, they require a very large system defense force to patrol and control. Hanovian cutters are perpetually overworked; despite being built to the highest shipbuilding standards in the galaxy they are built with an expectation of only a 30 year lifespan, versus nearly 100 years for cutters in other systems; because of this the Hanover system is forced to assign three times as much shipbuilding capacity to System Defense Force patrol cutters with very little combat capacity compared to other nearby systems with only one highway. Specific internal challenges are personnel and logistics. The Navy is at its greatest size in several centuries and expected to expand by at least 50% in the next twenty years; this has put great pressure on recruiters. While we do not expect the necessity of a draft, these projections assume peacetime. If a war begins, manning levels will be required to increase precipitously and a draft will be necessary.

1C: The Hanovian Navy

The Hanovian Navy is a volunteer-focused service centered around, in order, spacelane control, system defense, sector security, and power projection for the Hanover System Republic. It was founded in the year 701 Star Era, when Sandra Richardson’s starship Hanover made landfall in the previously unsettled system AH4227, as the Hanovian System Defense Force, in the aftermath of the fall of the First Galaxy League (SE 82-650). The Galaxy League’s fall led to a diaspora from the previously-settled portions of the galaxy, and Hanover was at that time as far from the settled portion of the galaxy as practical. The HSDF was reorganized into the Royal Hanover Navy in 20 AL (SE 731) when Sandra Richardson was installed as Monarch of the newly-formed Kingdom of Hanover by popular acclamation, founding the House of Richardson. Civil war after Queen Sandra’s death in 50 AL, between the Royal Navy loyal to her daughter, Queen Rhiannon I, and the Hanover People’s Navy, led by insurrectionist leader Citizen-Chairman Victor Roth, leader of the soi-disant People’s Quorum, climaxed in the Battle of Vesuvius in 56 AL when the flagship of the People’s Navy, the heavy cruiser HPS Valkyrie, made an ill-considered port turn and silhouetted herself to the guns of the battleship HMS Legend. Valkyrie was destroyed with Chairman Roth aboard. Queen Rhiannon offered amnesty to all members of the People’s Quorum who chose to swear to the Queen, which was accepted and the war subsequently ended. For the next half millennium, the Hanovian Navy and those of our neighbors, Venice and Neo-Janus, have been the primary peacekeeping forces in the South Rim Sector. Because of these foreign requirements, we have maintained over this time a substantial power projection capability in excess of many local navies, which typically rate from 0.86 to 1.2 on the Jane’s Naval Strength Scale. In 992, the planet Banner took on the additional responsibilities of sector security and by 1092 had increased their navy to a 2.2 on the scale. In 528 AL, after a terrestrial century of increasing republican agitation, King Allen V abdicated the throne; after a two-year transition interim he was elected President of the new Hanover System Republic. During the first Richardson Administration he worked to transition the system and the Navy from a Royal basis to a Republican basis, so doing he created the new traditions of the Hanovian Navy, and his daughter, Rhiannon (formerly Princess Rhiannon) personally commissioned the first new warship under the new Hanovian Navy, HSV Alexandra.

1D: Local Threat Forces

The local threat environment is more precarious than it was four years ago. Whereas four years ago we still had some positive relations with the Star Kingdom of Venice, as of this year’s QSR we are at the highest state of tension with our largest neighbor in centuries. Ambassadors have not yet been recalled. We cannot guarantee that there will not be a war before 1280.

1D1: Venetian Star Kingdom

Deteriorating relations with the Venetian Star Kingdom have come to shots fired twice since the last QSR, though both incidents were stopped before war broke out. While the Stellamarine Militaire di Venice is slightly smaller than the Hanovian Navy (880 warships to our 925), its line of battle is 25% greater in numbers, 8% larger in average tonnage, and on average 20% newer. This however comes at the expense of their carrier and independent operations forces – their carrier fleet is nearly 10% smaller than ours, and they have 50% fewer independent cruisers and destroyers. On average, the tonnage of a Venetian cruiser is 10% lighter than its Hanovian equivalent, this is counterbalanced somewhat by unknown but significant improvements in their electronic warfare suite, especially in the new Starstreak-class heavy cruiser (which is 5% larger than the Urania class, with two more spinal lasers), with which we estimate an 80% probability of having matched with the Urania and Flight II Julius Caesar class cruisers. The smaller size of Venice’s independent cruising force is due to their requirement to use a significant portion of their forces for rear area defense. At current shipbuilding rates, we estimate Venice will match our expeditionary capability targets (40 line of battle units, 80 carriers, 90 independent operation cruisers, 125 fleet cruisers and 500 destroyers) before the end of the current QSR’s projection period.

Recommendations:

We recommend addressing Venice’s technological edge without engaging in a further naval arms race at this time. The danger to regional stability is too great if Venice sees our increase in expeditionary forces as a security risk. Particular areas of interest are Venice’s estimated 20% advantage in electronic countermeasures technology and 15% advantage in missile guidance.

2: Order of Battle

The Hanovian Navy is a well-equipped star system navy. On the Jane’s Interstellar Naval Scale, Hanover rates 2.93, the highest rating of any single-system navy, and a signal honor, as the Navy rated only 2.1 when King Allan abdicated thirty years ago. The ability to support patrols at distances of up to 93 light years is a particular feather in the Navy’s cap, as most systems within Hanover’s naval class have less than half as much supportable patrol range. Our Order of Battle is as follows:

Overview

Type 1272 Strength 1276 Strength 1280 Strength Deep Space Warships 925 1,195 Battleships (BT, BTF, BTL) 45 55 65 Carrier (CM, CMS) 69 81 Cruiser (CA, CL) 200 300 Destroyer (DD, DE) 600 888 Frigate (FF) 20 0 0 Orbital Space Warships 186 258 Orbital Assault Carrier (OM, OML) 12 18 Orbital Landing Ship (OLS) 24 36 Minesweeper (OMS) 120 144 Mine Warfare Ship (OMA) 24 48 Mobile Orbital Dock (ODS) 6 12 Support Ships 395 516 Command Ship (AC) 6 12 Dry Stores Ship (AD) 115 150 Ammunition Ship (AA) 230 300 Hospital Ship (AP) 12 36 Fleet Repair Tender (AR) 6 6 Mecha Tender (AM) 18 24 Survey Ship (LRSV) 8 12 All Starships 1,506 1,969 System Guard Ships 770 860 100-meter frigate cutter (WFL) 400 400 150-meter frigate cutter (WFF) 200 200 200-meter cutter (WMSH) 110 120 High endurance cutter (WHSC) 40 80 Buoy ship (WSBD) 20 60

2A: Building Priorities and their Context in the Transition from Kingdom to Republic

The first priority of the Hanovian Navy, in light of the increasing strategic tensions facing our system, is to improve the Line of Battle. The present Line will increase by only 10 units in the next four years (although it will increase in strength by nearly 50%, due to the replacement of obsolete Arcturus-class ships with brand-new Sovereign-class heavy battleships and Majestic-class fast battleships), versus twenty for Venice and nearly one hundred for the Stellar Alliance. The balance of strategic offensive vs. defensive power is scheduled to be reviewed during the Twenty Year Naval Review in 1280, until then the strategic white paper Building the 24th Century Navy approved by the Farrier Administration in 1260, as amended by the 1264, 68, 72 and 76 QSRs, will continue to be the primary strategic plan for the Hanovian Navy. It is the Galaxy League’s threat which most concerns us, and our force mix is tailored to countering any threat the Galaxy League might credibly throw at us short of flooding the Transsolar Rim Highway with ships.
A critical defense need over the next four years is to implement the System Guard’s Security 1300 initiative. With increasing requirements for our System Guard Cutters, we recommend an increase by at least 30% of system defense forces to maintain current service life, and immediate procurement of the 400-meter class High Endurance Cutter program.
The balance of offensive (fast) versus defensive (large) battleships has been a subject of controversy in the last six years. Unlike a monarchy, which largely depends upon the Monarch and Cabinet to set military policy, the People of a Democratic Republic, which Hanover has become less than fifty years ago after a millennium of Monarchy, expressing their will through the Assembly, have a considerable say in military policy, and are growing more adept in expressing those preferences. The specific choices to replace retiring Arcturus-class defensive battleships with Majestic-class fast battleships and to replace support cruisers of the obsolescent Logos class with fast independent cruisers of the Urania class are concerning to the public. This analyst suggests that the ongoing discussion of the offensive capabilities of the Navy in relation to the relatively decreasing fraction of the “Blue Space” and System Guard forces compared to the “Black Space” forces of the Deep Sky Fleet should be expanded to include the general public and emissaries of ally nations to address concerns related to the changing force mix of the Hanovian Navy.  

3: Deep Space Fleet Order of Battle

The Deep Sky Fleet (or “Black-Space fleet”) is what most people think of when they think of a space navy. The Deep Sky Fleet has undergone three expansion initiatives in the last century. TRACE (Tactical Response and Combat Enhancement) from 1155-90, SHIELD (Strategic High Enhanced Logistics and Deployment) from 1215-30, and the present expansion initiative, started with the 1264 Quadrennial Strategic Review and continuing at least until 1280, is CIRCLE (Command, Initiative and Reactivity in Cooperative Long-range Engagements). CIRCLE emphasizes interoperability with allied navies’ chains of command, long-range weapons (extending engagement ranges by at least 1 to 3 light-seconds) and improved FTL performance across the envelope (extending cruising ranges by at least 1-3 percent). A secondary emphasis in the CIRCLE fleet improvement is increasing the amount of flexible space carried by long-ranged warships, to permit spaces that can be converted to fuel bunkerage for long-range cruising or to ammunition magazines for home defense.

3.1: BATTLESHIPS (BT, BTF and BTL)

Class Pendant 1276 numbers 1280 numbers Arcturus BT-44 19 0 Ardentane BTF-75 10 10 Destiny BT-76 11 11 Sovereign BTL-91 10 22 Majestic BTF-101 5 22 Total 55 65 Notes The Ardentane-class fast battleships and Destiny-class battleships were ordered under the TRACE Fleet Expansion Program of 1155-90. Like the other TRACE ships they emphasize sensor capability and firepower over hull armor; the Ardentane could be considered a battlecruiser because of its overall light hull armor and shields. The Sovereign-class large battleships were the first new battleships after a fifty-year building holiday for the type. While large, powerful and flexible, they are the first large battleships of the Navy in over a century and we have some concerns about their ability to fight large battleships of a first-class power. Some adjustments are being made in the Sovereign-B class ships to account for operational lessons learned since HSV Sovereign was commissioned (as HMS Sovereign) in 1244. Pressing need for heavy battleships led the Grand Assembly to redesignate hulls 106 through 110 as Sovereign-class battleships. The Majestic-class fast battleships are the current feather in the Navy’s cap. They are fast, flexible and powerful, a fully galactic-class capital ship, with very long range missiles and guns. However, a dangerous note is that the fifteen new battleships built in 1270-5 are being supplemented by only thirty more ships between 1276 and 1280, and the Ardentane-class fast battleships are rapidly slipping into obsolescence, we estimate that the Ardentane will drop below a 1:1 anticipated exchange rate by 1282 at the latest. Recommendations: It is recommended that acquisition of Majestic-class ships be expedited above the rate of replacement for retiring Arcturus-class ships to offset the anticipated obsolecense of the Ardentanes. We recommend immediate prioritization of a new battleship class which synthesizes “lessons-learned” from the Sovereign and Majestic classes, and deploying these ships in number with a first-unit in-service date no later than 1281. Retirements The Arcturus class entered service from 1050-80 and the thirty ships of the class have given good service over the last two centuries, but they are now decisively outdated and current estimates give them a less than 10% chance of victory against modern battleships. The next quadrennium will see the final sunset of these vessels as new Sovereign and Majestic class ships come online to replace them. In December 1275, HSV Rigel Kentaurus was retired to reserve, and the Navy expended three early ships of the class in Fleet Problem 1275-3. HMS Arcturus opened as a museum at Khonsu in November.

3.2: CARRIERS (CM, CMS)

Class Pendant 1276 numbers 1280 numbers Lysander CM-131 22 10 Alexander CM-166 12 12 Iason CM-177 10 10 Hornet CMS-187 5 5 Ranger CM-192 20 44 Total 69 81 Notes The Lysander class carriers have given a long and honorable service to the Hanovian Navy in both its modern incarnations. They were commissioned a century ago1to replace the worn-out Minneapolis class, and have given stellar service through their lifespans. When HSV Lysander retired in 1270, the whole system was sad to see her go. The Alexander class was a brilliant but flawed experiment in multiple-deck carriers. Its projected production run of 22 ships was cut by 10 vessels; the remaining ten were reordered as their more conventional twin-deck Iason-class half-sisters. During their 1246-50 refit cycle, the 12 Alexander class ships had their launch decks reconfigured into a twin-deck design and have spent the rest of their service lives nearly indistinguishable from the Iason class. The Hornet class was a brilliant experiment that was sadly cut short due to treaty obligations following the incident at Spinward 4 in 1261. We recommend acquiring new ships of a similar but updated design. Due to their combination of heavy firepower and a full mecha capacity, Hornet can fill in for a heavy cruiser in the order of battle in a pinch. The Ranger class is a compromise unit which follows Spinward Treaty obligations. While twenty ships of the class are expected to enter service over the next four years, the ships entering service are not entirely satisfactory and with the Venetian withdrawal and subsequent nullification of the treaty, we recommend an updated design (see Fleet Memorandum 7502-04: Ranger class deficiencies and remedies) to replace the Ranger class from 1277 on. Current projections assume that Fleet Memorandum 7502-04 is not adopted as policy. If it is, the Ranger class will end at an additional 18 units and a new class will replace it in production from CM-229 on. Notable retirements, 1276-80 Over half of the remaining Lysander class will be decommissioning in the next four years. The Lysanders have put in a hard century and are worn out; we expect the class to sail into the sunset by 1285.

3.3: CRUISERS (CL, CA)

Class Pendant 1276 numbers 2280 numbers Logos CL-400 62 40 Sophia CA-482 18 0 Agamemmnon CL-501 57 57 Alexandra CA-558 42 42 Julius Caesar CL-600 20 68 Urania CA-620 1 49 Total 199 256
Notes: After the 1270 fleet realignment, designation of cruisers by armament type was discontinued and all cruisers are designated by mission – independent cruising ships are designated CA, while fleet support units are designated CL. While CA-type independent cruisers are indeed generally larger than CL-type support cruisers and generally carry heavier weapons, this is not always true on either count. This report will continue to term independent cruisers as “heavy cruisers” and support cruisers as “light cruisers,” in keeping with galactic standard references. The CL-400 Logos class light and CA-482 Sophia class heavy cruisers were found to be entirely obsolescent in the 1272 review. The Logos have been retiring at an accelerated rate while the last 18 Sophias were kept in service pending the design of a new heavy cruiser to replace both. The Sophia class will be fully retired by 1280. The CL-501 Agamemmnon class are in some ways an updated Logos class, with the additional improvements from the SHIELD fleet improvement initiative. Their heavy armament and good defenses have protected them from the scrapper’s torch; these vessels are expected to soldier on into the 24th Century. Flexible, fast and powerful, HSV Alexandra (CA-558) (laid down as HMS Queen Alexandra), the first vessel of her class, entered service on 5 June 2248, with Queen Alexandra’s great-grandson, President Allen Richardson (formerly King Allen V) watching from the gallery. She was the first class leader of a new Hanovian warship class to be commissioned in the republican era. The class acquitted itself well during the Spinward 4 crisis, and despite post-Spinward budget cuts, the Assembly bought forty-two of these ships. They will form the backbone of the cruiser force (along with their Urania-class descendents) for at least a century to come. The Julius Caesar class light cruisers began entering service under the CIRCLE fleet improvement initiative in 2272 after the need for a new light cruiser was identified in the 2268 review. The unexpected accelerated obsolescence of the Logos class resulted in ordering a second flight of Caesars – before it had been expected that the Logos would soldier on into the nineties. The Caesars are heavier than the Sophia class, reflecting the additional mission load expected of new light cruisers. HSV Urania (CA-620), the first of the eponymous class of multirole heavy cruisers and the first of the second wave of CIRCLE ships, entered service in November 2275, directly replacing CA-484, the Sophia-class ship of the same name. Most Urania-class ships will adopt the names of their Logos and Sophia class counterparts as they retire and the Uranias are commissioned. The Urania class will be interproduced with the Julius Caesar class light cruisers (see above). Both classes are being produced at a rate of 12 units per year each at the Vesuvius, Raven and Talon yards. Retirements, 1276-80 The Sophia class heavy cruisers are obsolescent and urgently worn out, all ships of the class are expected to be retired in the next four years. First retired is HSV Urania, replaced by a new heavy cruiser of the same name. Twenty of the current 62 Logos class ships, ordered under the same TRACE fleet initiative, will be retired at the same time.  
3.4: DESTROYER (DD, DA, DE) Class Pendant 1276 numbers 1280 numbers Floral DD-1020 80 0 Tribal DD-1410 150 150 Daring DA-1560 116 116 Jewel DD-1676 180 360 Packet DE-1876 384 576 Total 910 1202
Notes Destroyers do not receive names from their builders. They are accepted into service under their hull numbers, and subsequently officially named when they are distinguished in some way in service. This has led to some memorable starship names including HMS Fast Fox, HMS Thunder Slab and HSV Star Dancer. The most recent class of aegis destroyers, the Daring class, is one of the galaxy’s premier area defense ships. The newest ships in the class, however, are beginning to age and we recommend the commencement of construction of a new series of aegis destroyers no later than 1280. The brand-new Jewel class destroyer is a fast, hard-hitting vessel that has been coming off the ways at a furious rate. The threat of war with Venice has been driving the replacement of many classes of ships with which the Venetians are familiar, but especially in the destroyer force because Venice’s navy, like our own, concentrates primarily on patrol assets and until 1265 often patrolled in combined formations with the Hanovian Navy. The pressure, therefore, is on to produce new ships that Venice is not familiar with. The Packet-class escort destroyers are replacing the frigates in the fleet. Unlike the frigate force, escort destroyers are larger, better armored and more capable, able to accept turreted weapons rather than keeping the traditional fixed-forward-only main armament of a frigate. When the last ship is accepted into service in 1280, the Packet class escort destroyer will represent just under half of the destroyer force. DE-1882 was the first Packet-class ship blooded in combat with pirates on 10 November 1269 protecting the mailship FV Fitzgerald and earned the name HSV Gales of November. Retirements, 2276-80 Particularly notable in the current age of small-group actions is the retirement of the Floral-class destroyers. They are too small and fragile for independent action. Like the Logos light cruisers, the Floral class destroyers were ordered as part of the TRACE fleet initiative.
3.5: FRIGATES (FF, FG) In the 2268 Quadrennial Strategic Review, the vulnerabilities and limitations of frigates were extensively discussed (see that document). Frigate grade warships were downgraded in designation from Starship to Spaceship in the 1270 realignment; at that time the fleet drawdown of Frigates had already begun in earnest and by the 1272 QSR there were only 20 frigates left in the fleet. All frigate-grade warships in present fleet service are in the System Guard as 150 and 100 meter class cutters. There are no current plans to acquire Starship-designated frigates because of their extreme fragility to both spaceship weapons and Mektons. An interstellar escort frigate in the 200,000 ton range is currently being considered for acquisition in the 1284-88 timeframe (the 350k ton Packet class escort destroyers are colloquially referred to as “frigates” by service members)   5: ORBITAL ASSAULT FORCES ORDER OF BATTLE   Appendix: Ship Classifications and Definitions COMBAT SHIPS Important note: Although tonnage ranges are given for all categories of starships in this Appendix, these should not be taken as either diagnostic or exhaustive. Starships are defined by function, not tonnage, and exceptional vessels in all categories can be found with masses both above and below the conventionally defined range. General Configuration: Although national variations and aesthetics are as wide as the number of systems in known space, a general configuration for warships was settled on through centuries of trial and error, and has been more or less consistent since the mid-1400s Star Era. A typical combat ship has a smooth, tapering cylindrical aft end (consisting of all propulsion coils and the main impeller). Projections of the aft hull tend to be as minimized as possible, and minimal point defense is needed in the aft quarter because the warp fields toward that end of the ship tend to take care of any but the most powerful beams, and virtually any missile. At roughly one third of the ship’s length from the aft end, the hull flares abruptly to its maximum diameter. For a non-carrier, boat bays and mecha bays are mounted in the aft flare. The trade-off for this arrangement is that ships must generally be non-accelerating when launching or recovering parasite craft. Forward of the flare, extending along the central third of the ship’s length, are the broadside armament and vertical missile launchers. Broadside weapons are mounted in turrets on the port and starboard beam of the ship, superfiring so all turrets can fire either to the sides or forward. At roughly 5% of the bow, the forward glacis begins. The glacis is a heavy unitary plate, composing the heaviest armor on the ship. There are one to eight ports in the glacis, for firing the ship’s primary weapon system. The bow comes together in a chisel point calculated to deflect firepower with the maximum efficiency, but it is acknowledged that very few enemies will be so kind and obliging as to fire directly at the glacis.
Passive and Active Defenses: The first line of a ship’s defenses are its warp fields. Most ships, if given the opportunity to retreat from a fight, will do so at an oblique angle – the heavy warp fields of a starship’s propulsion system will smear and destroy even the strongest missile if the field overloads the missile’s penetration aids. Conversely, however, a beam fired too near the aft quarter can be warped into the ship by the cycling effect of the fields in that region, so care is mandated. Generally oblique approaches and withdrawals are preferred over direct. Deflector screens are the next line after warp fields.
“Tin Cans”
Corvette: Corvettes are the only ships in the modern classification system defined by tonnage rather than role. Corvettes are frigate-type spaceships of under 20,000 tons. Corvettes do not have the bunkerage for interstellar travel outside of the hyperspace highway system, but they are capable of travel on the system, and most systems do use corvettes for basic highway traffic control. While they are inadequate in times of war, they are highly useful at other times. Sub-Classifications and Foreign Classifications: Missile Corvette, Fast Attack Craft, Light Gunboat, Pocket Frigate. Obsolete and Retrospective Classifications: None.
Frigate: Frigates, typically 10,000 to 70,000 tons, are defined as ships large enough to mount one to two artillery-grade mass drivers in spinal configuration. Frigates are typically transatmospheric capable. Frigates are designed for space control and convoy escort roles with a secondary role of planetary bombardment. A traditional frigate has its bridge at the extreme forward end of the hull and uses physical viewports; some frigates bury their bridges at the center of their hull but given the general fragility of the type this contributes relatively little to crew survivability. Most frigates are designed to resemble very large delta-winged airplanes. Most nations agree on the designation of Frigate. Frigates below 20,000 tons are normally not interstellar capable outside of the highway system and thus are classified as spaceships rather than starships even if they possess a hyperdrive. Sub-Classifications: Hunter-Killer Frigate, Bombardment Frigate. Obsolete and Retrospective Classifications: None.
Destroyer: Destroyers, typically 60,000 to 500,000 tons, are defined as ships large enough to mount Frigate guns in turrets rather than spinally (or multiple Frigate guns in a radial spinal mount, as turrets have been out of naval fashion for several centuries). A destroyer is a very fast light combatant with limited independent capability. Destroyers have reactors near the surface of the ship to be ejectable, but otherwise are typically similar to standard starship construction. The bridge is buried near the center of the ship. Destroyers are the most common anti-piracy vessels in most navies, and typically operate in wolf packs to magnify their effectiveness. Sub-Classifications: Aegis (area defense) Destroyer, Destroyer Leader, Escort Destroyer. Foreign Classifications: Light Gunship, Heavy Frigate, Pirate Hunter. Obsolete and Retrospective Classifications: Hunter-Killer.
Cruiser: Cruisers are large, 800,000 to 3 million ton ships designed for fully-independent operation. They are large, fast and powerful, built to fly independent of the fleet train for periods of up to a year. A cruiser will meet every 90 days with a supply tender to take on mail and replacement missiles, other than that she is on her own. Cruisers are built for combat and raiding; a well-balanced cruiser can outrun whatever it can’t outgun and outgun whatever it can’t outrun. Ton for ton, cruisers are the most powerful vessels in space. In the opinions of many naval planners of many nations, a captain’s skills and abilities are not tested until he or she has commanded a cruiser. Currently Naval opinions are mixed as to whether a cruiser’s primary battery should be a ring of mid-calibre guns or one to two capital-calibre guns. Sub-Classifications: Heavy (or Independent) Cruiser, Light (or Fleet Support) Cruiser. Foreign Classifications: Guided Missile Cruiser, Large Frigate, Fast Flagship, Support Gunship. Obsolete and Retrospective Classifications: Armoured Cruiser, Battlecruiser, Protected Ship.
CAPITAL SHIPS
Battleship: A battleship is the largest of the four main space combatant classifications and the only classification known as a ship of the line. The only other capital ships in existence are carriers, which are capital ships by virtue of carrying mecha with sufficient firepower and flexibility to deliver battleship-equivalent effects to pinpoint targets. Battleships are typically of five to nine million tons’ mass; the largest battleships mass in excess of ten megatons. Battleships continue the upward trend in independence, firepower, flexibility and mobility visible in cruisers, with the addition of greatly enhanced survivability due to heavier construction. Although battleships are somewhat less powerful on a per-ton basis than cruisers, their mass averages five to ten times heavier than cruisers. Sub-Classifications: Fast Battleship, Large Battleship. Foreign Classifications: Mobile Space Fortress, System Control Ship, Battlefortress, Dreadnought. Obsolete and Retrospective Classifications: Light Battleship, Second-Class Battleship.
Carrier: The carrier is the other major capital ship. Carriers are not classified as ships of the line – their capital weaponry are mecha. 
Saxony system Particulars: Star: AH4227 (local name Saxony), a class G0 star 1,000 light-years rimward and 200 light-years antispinward of Sol. 12 planets, Hanover is Saxony D and has one major, one semimajor and three minor moons. The major moons are Selene and Khonsu, the minors are the Tears of Selene, so named because they orbit Selene; an early Hanovian poet compared the minor moons to tears and the name stuck. Hanover year length: 525 local days, divided into 16 months of 32 days plus three extracalendric holidays. The planet Vesuvius is the seventh planet in the system and the largest gas giant.
Fleet Improvement Initiatives: Before 980, fleet improvement initiatives were designated Royal Fleet Initative with a beginning year number. RFI 900 – 900-920, focused on carriers and escorts RFI 950 – 950-80, focused on the line of battle FLEET 1000 – 1003-35, focused on improved ship to ship weapons FLEET 1040 – 1040-90, focused on defenses After 1100, the fleet began to designate its improvement initiatives with an acronym describing the improvements intended to be worked on during that initiative. There have been four fleet improvement initiatives since 1100. NXTAA: New Expansion, Tactics and Atmospheric Attack: Offensive fleet initiative. Improvements in tactical computers and the “blue space” fleet. 1100-30 TRACE: Tactical Response and Combat Enhancement. Improving passive defenses, mektons, maneuverability and weapons. 1155-90 SHIELD: Strategic High Enhanced Logistics and Deployment. Improvements to hyperspace transit efficiencies, defense systems, and logistics train. The final fleet improvement initiative undertaken as the Royal Navy. 1215-30 CIRCLE: Command, Initiative and Reactivity in Cooperative Long-range Engagements. CIRCLE ships focus on improved computers, data links, and long-range weaponry. 1260 to present.

This was an early design document that led to the development of the Veryverse as it now exists. While not considered canon to the Veryverse, it represents a road not taken and worldbuilding that affects the Veryverse proper as it now exists.

Type

Manual, Military