For consideration to the esteemed Lordships of Admiralty:

It behoves me to commend the clarity of purpose shown by the Lords of Admiralty regarding the matter of the current discussion, for which I am both personally and professionally grateful. The arguments made by Sir Noel Acciari on the subject matter at hand, are both studious and adroit, enlightening several points of interests regarding the effective deployment of the currently available assets of the Royal Navy, as well as expounding on the potential future operational structure of His Majesty’s Service. However, in the opinion of this humble observer, it seems the main argument of my original remonstrance has been somewhat misconstrued. Permit me then to labour the point of the inceptive article further.

The Royal Navy stands at a precipice in regards to available light combatants compared to the heavy units of the line of battle, traditionally regarded as the backbone of any truly capable interstellar fighting force. While the expansion of the battle fleet of a sovereign space nation should be paramount, as it serves as the principal deterrent to aggressive take-over on the primarily material plane, one cannot forego the importance of the “lesser combatants” of the escort cruiser and destroyer divisions. It seems more than fair to point out that these so-called support units are what indeed constitute the operational foundation of the larger battle squadrons normally considered to be the core of any respectable military in the 29th century. Regarding this, the discrepancy in constructed and commissioned tonnage has been heavily slanted in favour of the ever-expanding battle fleet for the past three naval budget allocation bills. Pre-empting any comments regarding overall size and weight differences between light and line combatants, due diligence have been carried out, comparing current construction policies with previous ones, and in this observer’s opinion, they are found lacking.

His Majesty’s Royal Navy currently enjoys a clear advantage over any other star nation in terms of naval capacity, especially in terms of total number of hulls of major ships of the line, that much is an objective fact. However, this particular advantage is only feasibly exploitable when the heavy combatants are employed in their intended role in the line of battle. Countess Ashwike has and continues to prove an inspired choice for the role as Lady Admiral of the Department of Research, and her decidedly unconventional approach to major warship design has won her well-deserved accolades both at home and abroad. The Vanguard and Inflexible classes under construction will bolster the battle fleet capabilities of the Royal Navy’s major formations by a considerable margin compared to the De Chandlier and Tiger classes they are replacing. However, this the core of my original argument: The commissioning of twenty-two new battleship and battlecruiser hulls in the next six years, to an already frankly idiosyncratic and eclectic mix of ships with frightfully diverging combat capabilities and hull life-time expectancies, is the completely wrong use of the Royal Navy’s resources. Consider that newly commissioned Vanguards will serve in squadrons alongside fifty-plus year old hulls like the Monarch and De Chandlier classes of ships, and then, if you please, imagine the disparity in nearly all facets of operation and performance. Not only does this make the jobs of the squadron and fleet commanders that much more complicated, it is also an immense strain on the Royal Fleet Auxiliary and a marked need for frequent refits and repairs to the older hulls compared to the younger ones. Commodore Judah Ormond commented in November 2859 that by 2880, unless major replacements were ordered, a full fourth of the Royal Navy’s battle fleet would at any time be in drydock for refit, or otherwise incapable of deployment (c.f Royal Journal of Naval Studies, No.6 Oct-Nov, Vol.446, 2859). At the time of writing, 25 April 2874 Standard, twenty-one out of fifty-six battlecruisers are either in mothball or undergoing sorely needed refits; among the battleships, the situation is worse, thirty out of sixty-six, over half of them elderly Monarch ships, are docked. Ormond’s pessimistic augury was actually low of the mark.

Taking this into account, the acquisition of new and better hulls is of paramount importance. But again I circle back to the original argument; the discrepancy between lighter combatants and the “heavy guns”. As is well known and thoroughly documented, the at times spirited disagreements among the varying schools of thought in the previous Admiralty administration, and the subsequent naval budget allocation bills, resulted in the construction and commissioning of a number of cruiser class vessels with widely varying operational mandates. This, unfortunately, occurred exactly at the same time as the debate regarding the feasibility of heavy and armoured cruisers as an inferior and unwanted juxtaposition with the previous generation of battlecruiser designs. The result, as evidenced by the budget bill of 2858 (HL 245.56-58/HC 370.56-58) was a massive allocation of available construction funds, to the tune of some sixty-eight billion pounds over the next ten years, away from procuring new scout and escort ships. Nearly twenty years on, the Service is feeling this operational hole in our inventory. Take for instance the policing of the trade lanes in the Draconis-Coma Berenices Sector, an area of responsibility shared by the Novoroysian Grand Ducal Navy and Task Force 18, both based out of HMSS Saintes in Novorosyia orbit. The Grand Ducal Navy, as a Royal Navy ancillary force, still use M and V class destroyers, the former being forty-five year old hulls, and the latter notorious for fusion reactor and coolant failures and subsequent costly repairs. TF 18 is barely better, with just twenty-two older destroyers and fourteen Spartan and Imphal scout cruisers, which can generously be called cruisers in name only, when compared to classes of comparable role in foreign navies and our own later designs. The single heavy ship of TF 18 is a frightfully obsolete Tiger class, the HMS Panther, and is more akin to an orbital command post than a man-of-war at this point.

Permit me two final examples. On 16 January 2871 (relative) HMS Cockatrice and her crew experienced a critical overload of her two primary Misaki fusion bottles during a standard cruise in Lucidia. According to the report by Commander Constantine Rittmeister, this caused a further failure in the power governors, short-circuiting the fuel feed and electrical system. It was only due to the heroic effort of a Chief Petty Officer J. B. Ansangwar that the main reactors did not overload. Cockatrice is still not cleared for return to active patrol duty, undergoing shakedown cruises following a two-year refit. Lieutenant Commander Amelia E. A. de Lune, Lady Dawnshire, reported merely two months ago the complete loss of all thermals and grav-pulse sensors as the HMS Euphoria was readying to patrol the Nebuchadnezzar-Amaranth route, and the E class destroyer in question is still in dockyard on HMSS Sluys. These are solely two out of an increasing number of reports of malfunctions and shortcomings among our elderly light combatants. Just like the ships of the line they are intended to support, the light cruisers and destroyers of His Majesty’s Navy are too old, too limited by outdated designs, and too thinly spread across a vast number of areas of responsibility. Ensuring the safety of the Auroran Merchant Navy and the civilian and mercantile vessels of our allies in the Royal Union are one of the paramount duties of the Royal Navy, and one that our dedicated men and women are carrying out diligently every day. The problem is that the Service’s line of battle is composed of around one-hundred hulls, while the total number of cruisers, armoured, scout, light and heavy, total just south of two-hundred; destroyers one-twenty-eight. Apart from some newer ships, like the Shire, Daring, and Dido classes, their age is showing. The disparity among supporting ships to the line of battle is staggering, especially considering that a mere thirty-four new destroyers of the C class and fourteen light cruisers of the Emerald class are slated for construction, compared to the aforementioned twenty major ships of the line. This procurement policy is leading the Service –very quickly I might add- down a path where it is not only unable to support its battle squadrons effectively with screens and scouting groups, but will simultaneously be woefully poorly equipped to patrol our kingdom’s and the Union’s borders, and protect our citizenry in space.

Echoing the original closing statement in my article of December 2873, I urgently advise the creation of a dedicated committee with the express purpose of examining the procurement and commissioning policies of the past two decades in regards to maintaining a future battle fleet capable of carrying out all its intended missions satisfactorily, upon which I in this commentary have placed most emphasis on the average hull life expectancy and platform discrepancies. I am supremely confident that a joint committee set down by Admiralty, with their combined human resources, will ultimately produce a more eloquent and studious analysis than what I have provided.

Admiral of the Red Alastair L. A. Carlisle, Marquess of Sélincourt, CKA, DSO, UOM.

*

The arguments posited by Admiral Lord Sélincourt are as astute and succinctly made as might readily be expected by an officer of his calibre, who has to date demonstrated nothing but continual dedication and gallant ability as a King’s officer. Just like his previous article (c.f Royal United Services Institute Review, No.12 Dec, Vol.185, 2873), this commentary certainly does calls into question the problematic dissimilitude of the composition of the current battle fleet of the Royal Navy. However, despite His Lordship’s eloquence and admirable zeal in pursuit of strengthening a perceived shortcoming of the Service, there appears to be a certain number of pragmatic issues and interstellar contextual considerations to which insufficient weight has been attached.

As emphasised, the average age of platforms are reaching a point where it could be considered a problem requiring a solution for the long term, rather than refits in the short- to medium term. Yet the inescapable truth of the matter is the imbalance of shipbuilding and overall industrial capacity between the Kingdom of Aurora and the Independent Systems Alliance. For the Royal Navy to continue to enjoy “a clear advantage over any other star nation in terms of naval capacity, especially in terms of total number of hulls of major ships of the line” as His Lordship puts it, the policy of maintaining a priority of line of battle construction is the only way to ensure the aforementioned numerical advantage. It also seems to have slipped Lord Sélincourt’s mind that the newly commissioned Warrior and soon-to-be constructed Vanguard battleships are qualitatively far superior to any other space combat platform; as has been the case for every Royal Navy warship at launch for four centuries. This logic follows then that even hulls that might be construed as ageing in terms of years since commissioning, are technologically and mechanically superior to any ship of equal weight class of comparable age; even younger ones at that.

Regarding the matter of mercantile protection, it is potentially reproachful of me to merely suggest that His Lordship is perhaps conflating this current day and age with his youth serving with Her Grace the Duchess of Grey Hill on the Spindle and Three Sisters campaigns. While Lord Sélincourt’s exploits as part of the pirate-hunting armada of 2814-2821 are beyond admirable, it is falls to me to point out that the frontiers of our kingdom and our allies have not seen concerted buccaneering activity in multiple decades. These seem to be relegated to the edges of populated space, such as the Pegasii and Pannonia regions, in addition to less well-structured polities, like the Hydra Co-Prosperity League and the Jericho Confederacy. As such, the mercantile escort duties of our lighter combatants are indeed more show of force and “flying the flag” than anything else. Therefore, the principal role of our escort class ships are to support the battle squadrons, which are currently in the process of modernisation through the “BCF 100+80” Programme, and will by 2885 have increased the projected combat capabilities and operational longevity of current platforms by…

“Fucking ‘Nodding’ Noel and his merry band of idiots over at Department of Ships, they surely cannot believe the crap they manage to eke out, but on the off chance they really do, I have a bridge I’d like to sell them.”

Alastair Lawrence Aurélien Carlisle, the Marquess of Sélincourt, sipped tea with a disgusted scowl on his face. He put down the cup on the saucer hard, making the porcelain sing, but his guest seemingly paid no mind. For a salon in one of the most expensive Cordelia mansions (confusingly called “apartments” by the well-off who owned them), the room where the two was enjoying afternoon tea was surprisingly modest in its furnishings. Like the cultural mores of Auroran society, the architecture and interior design of the upper classes imitated 18th century Great Britain and France, though with a few modern twists that were inescapable given the millennium that had passed since then. Some examples of this revived fashion were quite garish, but as a rule it was largely less ostentatious than the source of the imitation. The pale cedar floor featured a number of tasteful neü-Persian carpets in red and black, while the rest of the room was largely cream and alabaster with a smattering of gold details; the furniture largely made of blood-oak or Amaranthine mahogany. The pair was seated in deep upholstered chairs in front of a large second floor window, the low table between them hosting several silver trays with a myriad of pots and bowls, everything shining brilliantly as the low sun outside reflected off the meticulously polished metal.

Alastair put up a hand to shield his eyes against the glare as he crossed his legs to resume his relaxed posture from before his brief outburst. He was almost two metres tall, quite slim but still gave off an aura of athleticism and fitness. His face was slightly triangular, with a marked jawline, a close beard and slicked back wavy hair. At one point in time both his beard and hair had been uniformly black, but after passing seventy, white strands had started to appear, and by now at one-hundred and five, black had turned into salt-and-pepper. But his ice blue eyes had lost none of the passion and fervour, and they were burning a white-hot fire of fury right now. Like his home, the clothes he wore were modest; a charcoal suit suited for the informal salon/lounge and a black necktie.

His guest, on the other hand, wore the black and gold dress uniform of the Royal Auroran Navy. It was composed of a double-breasted tunic with golden buttons, lining and embroidery, a gold-and-black belt over a pair of black trousers and an ankle-length set of skirts split at the centre and back that rode over the legs of the trousers. The uniform was completed by long white gaiters over polished black boots. Officers’ uniforms in the Royal Navy were tailored fit to the wearer, and the uniform hugged the shape of the slight woman wearing it perfectly without being suffocating. Alastair knew this well, he had about twenty variations of the same overall uniform in his wardrobe. The white-black peaked cap with gold embroidery of a senior officer hung from the arched back of the chair the woman was sitting in. She was clearly of Old Earth East Asian origins, with almond shaped eyes, long straight black hair tied in a regulation bun, and sharp but attractive facial features. Not nearly as tall as Alastair, she exuded the same physical energy despite having a seemingly frailer body. She delicately put the paper article she had been reading aloud from down on the table, and took a sip of her tea.

“I find it almost humorous that you expected something approaching a sensible answer from Koyanagi’s cronies; this reads just like out of Sir Noel’s pre-Admiralty think-tank summary articles. You have to be aware of the prestige for Koyanagi’s school of thought and his ilk that they actually got parliamentary approval for their last ridiculous Naval Bill, just as it was confirmed they were leaving Admiralty House. As an aside, I must commend your taste in tea; this Nilgiri is exquisite.”

Lord Sélincourt snorted, half humorously, half in derision. He refilled his own cup with tea, adding a small drop of cream into it.

“Please, Lady Suncrest, don’t remind me. I know all too well how the politics of the upper echelons of the Service works. I must express my apologies again for not leaving the seat warm for you, but I was only commander of Home Fleet for about fifteen minutes before Koyanagi found some bullshit reason to beach me.”

“That was the dictionary definition of a public relations move on Sir Damien’s part. He spruced himself up delightfully for the photo shoots, and I think he actually managed to force a smile as he handed you the baton during the ceremony. The fact that he had to look up to salute you was hilarious though.”

Countess Emily Chiang of Suncrest and Rubyvale chuckled and refilled her own teacup.

“Judging you to be unfit for command of Home Fleet because your wife was, and still is for that matter, fighting the good fight in the Lords to divert naval funding is borderline insanity though, and you know perfectly well the majority of senior officers are in agreement of this. It was, as you say, a bullshit reason, but only because Koyanagi couldn’t stand having the most important station posting in the entire Service occupied by an outspoken critic. I’m just glad we’re literally counting the days until we can finally put a bow on Sir Damien ‘Dawdling’ Koyanagi’s Admiralty administration. Sir Hugh is going to be a thoroughly enjoyable breeze of fresh air through Admiralty House.”

Alastair ran a finger down the handle of his teacup, and made a sort of grunting noise. One of Chiang’s eyebrows hiked up in puzzlement and she looked at him inquisitively.

“Surely you cannot be against Sir Hugh Donegal taking over for Koyanagi? I know he isn’t exactly your biggest supporter, but at least he isn’t actively trying to torpedo your career because of some perceived slight or sense of being outshone.”

The tall nobleman shrugged in response.

“Of course I approve of Donegal taking charge of Admiralty, a literal wet napkin is better than Koyanagi, but he’s a bit too much of a ‘people person’ for my taste. He has never had a ship command, and while I acknowledge his strengths at management and interpersonal relations, I still feel he is the wrong choice given the interstellar circumstances.”

He sipped some tea, giving himself a bit of a break to mull over what to say next. Chiang simply looked at him expectantly.

“You didn’t hear this from me, but the Elysians are ready to lay down their new Warlord class battleships. By the estimates our NavInt is able to unearth, they’re on-par with our own Aurora class in tonnage and has a larger broadside, which means that Sir Noel Acciari’s so-called qualitative superiority is holding on by the most strenuous of hairs. Thank God we have Lady Ashwike’s supersized railcannons to give our battle fleet a distinct firepower advantage, because the Elysians are outpacing our own ships of the line when it comes to broadside gunnery, not to mention sheer numbers.”

Now it was Chiang’s turn to snort.

“While that is certainly news to me, and by the by, give my regards to Adrienne next time you see her and tell her she’s slotted for Lady Admiral of Department of Intelligence when Donegal assumes office, but you’re awfully wedded to the old adage of broadside weaponry. I know that you completed your education at King William’s before the turn of the century…”

She smirked and gave Alastair the tiniest of playful winks.

“But naval technology has actually improved quite a bit since you were a snotty ‘left-enant’ you know.”

She waved a hand in a disarming gesture.

“I don’t mean this in an insulting way or anything, but the past generation of warship design has really created a paradigm shift, one of them as you say the railcannons of Ashwike’s design. In addition there’s the improved electric shielding of major combatants. Previously electric shielding really only fooled DAI torpedoes and just-barely computerized railgun rounds, but the new shielding is able to completely fool dense torpedo screens and even large numbers of SAI fire-controlled railgun broadsides. That’s not to say it’s a panacea to avoid getting hit during gunnery duels, but the latest tech updates from TorArm and Dynaco promise a marked increase in electronic defensive measures. That comes in addition to Lady Ashwike’s honeycomb-cum-absorbent armour layering that is becoming the norm among Royal Navy ships. Honeycombed bulkheads aren’t exactly revolutionary, they’ve been around since mankind started to mess around with large all-metal warships in the 20th century, but combined with an insular layer of barely-above freezing aerogel promises to be something that could genuinely save a lot of lives. Especially since shrapnel is the number one source of casualties in battles. You only have to take a single look at Lady New Acre for a reminder of that.”

Alastair suppressed a shudder. Admiral of the Black Adeline Le Fey, Countess of New Acre, was widely held as the most capable fleet commander in the Royal Navy. Indeed, Alastair had favoured her as the new First Lady Admiral of the Admiralty, but more politically-minded voices had prevailed and Sir Hugh Donegal had been chosen. She was capable, aggressive almost to a fault, the hero of the Solus War, having quelled a system with only a heavy cruiser squadron. But she had paid the price for that; her right arm under the elbow was a black-silver titanium prosthetic, the price of charging into combat without properly securing your flag bridge. The same prosthetic was engraved with the names of the seven officers who died as the flag bridge glass was broken by enemy fire.