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| − | "Even if the odds aren't in their favor, the Nelsons will always come out on top. The question is in how many pieces."
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| − | Famed in song and story, the Nelson Fleet Revision was enacted in [[A.Y.]] 6865, the first major fleet revision since the end of the [[Kamian Succession Wars]]. The Revision produced a series of six ships; and, like many revisions, was not intended as a complete fleet overhaul, rather an augment.
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| − | Nelson, in particular, was concerned with meeting the demand for smaller, cheaper ships that included the various innovations from the war. Of particular concern were dreadnuaghts; the [[Crimson Blade]] no longer needed super-heavy and ultra-heavy dreadnaughts to oppose Kamian capital ships, but these were all that had been constructed for some time. By that same measure, the battleship role had become heavily blurred.
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| − | Fleet specifications from Higher called for smaller, lighter ships, armed with modern weapons, and intended for a long service-life. The Nelson Revision began with over 200 designs, this eventually lead to thirty prototypes, and six production-model ships. One production-model was quickly retired, leaving five highly successful vessels. The goal had been to produce an entire battle group, Nelson's talents lay most heavily in the gunship roles. As such, his carrier designs never even reached virtual prototyping. The final tally of the Nelson Revision:
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| − | *N-801 - Dreadnaught
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| − | *N-802 - Battlecruiser
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| − | *N-804-C Heavy Cruiser
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| − | *N-805 - Cruiser
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| − | *N-808-B Light Destroyer
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| − | *N-809 - Heavy Destroyer
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| − | The Nelson Revision was particularly notable for it's awkward use of 'light' and 'heavy'. Only the N-808-B was specifically classified as Light, but the Glorious Authenticity-class Dreadnaught was so small by ship design standard that it was frequently called a "light" dreadnaught. "Pocket battleship" and "bathtub toy" were also frequent demeanors, but in truth every ship from the Nelson Eighty revision was so fine that they became the most highly sought-after in the fleet.
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| − | Nelson, perhaps predicting his own success, gave each prototype ship a name that began with "Glorious", such as the [[Glorious Heritage]].
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| − | ==Basic Design Elements==
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| − | Every ship in the revision was designed around the [[Dynamic Response]] model, which stressed inter-linked, independent systems that could help each other cope with various problems(for example, each power sub-system was linked, allowing one system to power another dynamically).
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| − | Each vessel also used [[Ion-vacuum drive]] engines. Late in the war, these had fallen out of favor on larger ships, which typically employed [[Gravitational Mass Displacement Drive|Gravitational Mass Displacement]] for sub-light propulsion. Large, military-grade Ion-vacuum engines were expensive to build practically for the ultra-heavy ships near the end of the war.
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| − | Each vessel also utilized the then-revolutionary "cyclone" compression chamber, as well as employing a high-powered turbofan pre-compressor for maximum performance. Pound for pound, no normal-space drive in the fleet could produce as much thrust.
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| − | But, as Nelson reasoned, his ships were much smaller, and the orders did call for extended service-life. While initially more expensive, Ion-vacuum engines had an effectively unlimited operational lifespan, while gravity drives grew more costly to maintain as service-years increased. Only warships built in the last twenty years or so of the Succession Wars were worth maintaining in the [[Ghost Fleet]], countless very expensive dreadnaughts were slated for scrapping.
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| − | ==Revision Ships==
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| − | Of the six production-model vessels, five of them saw great success and were built by the thousands.
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| − | ===N-801 "Pocket" Dreadnaught===
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| − | N-801 Glorious Authenticity-class Dreadnaught. Often mistaken for a heavy battlecruiser, the Glorious Authenticity is small, even by pre-war standards. It is also the first production-model, 70PSL+ dreadnaught.
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| − | ====Armaments====
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| − | *12 Hybrid Cannons on 3 quad-turrets, 2 forward, 1 aft
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| − | *8 Gallet Guns on 6 turrets, 1 dual-turret for and aft, and 4 singe turrets mounted amidships on either side of the castle.
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| − | *1 Fusion Rifle on a single turret mounted atop the castle
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| − | Optionally, any of the four single-turret Gallet Guns could be replaced by Fusion Rifles. The Glorious Authenticity actually carries two special "dual/single" turrets on the forward-midships which have both a fusion rifle and a gallet gun. These must be significantly internally re-configured between "modes" and were not incorporated into the production design.
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| − | *200 guided missile tubes
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| − | *1,000 dumb-fire tubes
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| − | *6 Bedlam systems
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| − | *36 forward torpedo tubes
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| − | *16 aft tubes
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| − | The ship is primarily armed with Skipper Missiles.
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| − | *11 20-inch Railguns
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| − | **Each Single Turret and both gallet turrets are equipped with hi-impact rail guns but carry very little ammunition within the turret.
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| − | **Additionally, two forward-facing rails capable of very high-speed launch are fitted.
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| − | Railguns on a ship of this size are considered "last ditch" weapons and not given much value. They are favored for their high degree of reliability and low power consumption, but are not very effective. Rail slugs way approximately four tons.
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| − | The Glorious Authenticity is also fitted with numerous point-defense and close-in armaments designed to deal with threats that get past the main weapons. Once unique attribute was a series of moveable armor plates that could be moved around over the "battle belt" - allowing the ship to provide protection to the close-in systems. Similar systems were employed on most Nelson ships, notably to provide protection to the normally exposed hangar decks.
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| − | The Glorious Authenticity had nick-named "Glorious Obscenity" for how obscenely over-powered the ship was compared to her size.
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| − | ===N-802 Battlecruiser===
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| − | The N-802 Glorious Aggressor-class Battlecruiser. Large for a cruiser, the Glorious Aggressor distinguished itself by being very maneuverable for it's size. Capitol ships generally aren't, and while cruisers tend to be lighter and faster on the straight-away, they typically pay for it in both armor and turning radius.
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| − | The Glorious Aggressor had neither of these problems, but did lack direct firepower. This deficiency was made up with what the design team branded as "indirect firepower" - a term which came to see heavy use in following revisions. The basic concept meant that a lack of heavy beam cannons could be made up for with lighter, but more potent weapons, in this case fusion cannons and gallet guns.
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| − | Aggressor also sported a total of four distinct ion-vacuum engines, any one of which was capable of easily moving the ship to 40PSL. All four gave it an easy 70PSL+ rating. While not in nacels, the engines were located in wide hull sections away from the main armaments, which made them easier to service while also offering a thicker layer of armor.
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| | ====Armaments==== | | ====Armaments==== |
| | *6 hybrid cannons in two triple turrets, forward-mounted | | *6 hybrid cannons in two triple turrets, forward-mounted |
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| | *12 forward torpedo tubes | | *12 forward torpedo tubes |
| | *8 aft torpedo tubes | | *8 aft torpedo tubes |
| − | *4 "torpedo turrets" or turret-mounted double-tubes | + | *4 "torpedo turrets" or turret-mounted tubes. Each turret has 2 tubes. Mounted amidships. |
| | + | *20 8-inch railguns mounted forward-facing. |
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| | + | The railguns on the Aggressor were used in place of a bedlam system, which the ship lacked due to missile capacity, and were used to great effect. While not considered a "primary" weapon, they were not relegated to a last resort, and many captains made very good use of the weapon's ability to occasionally saw an enemy ship in half. |
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| | + | ====Flight Deck==== |
| | + | The Aggressor was equipped with a single "in and out" flight deck which could be protected behind heavy, retractable armor plates. The bay could field 32 harpies, |
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| | *N-804-C Heavy Cruiser | | *N-804-C Heavy Cruiser |
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| | *N-808-B Light Destroyer | | *N-808-B Light Destroyer |
| | *N-809 - Heavy Destroyer | | *N-809 - Heavy Destroyer |
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| − | ==Notes==
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| − | A N-816-G "Super Heavy Cruiser" appears in one story, probably Retropsectus.
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| − | N-806 High Speed Cutter? Probably also Retrospectus.
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