Warships of the Magellanic Empire

The Terran Magellanic Empire maintains many different types of space going vessels to fulfil a diverse range of functions. Amongst these are many vessels with the primary purpose of waging war. These warships are found in either the Imperial Magellanic Navy or the Imperial Magellanic Scout Corp.

The Imperial Magellanic Navy

The Imperial decree which established the Imperial Navy in 2214T has this to say on the role of the Navy: "The Magellanic Division of the Imperial Terran Navy is charged with defending the borders and interests of The Magellanic Territories of the Terran Empire as directed by the Emperor or Empress or his or her duly appointed representative; and rendering such assistance to the civil administration of the said Territories as shall be required of it, without endangering its primary role of defence of the realm". The decree also prohibits current serving or reserve military personnel from holding the positions of either Seneschal of Defence or Deputy Seneschal of Defence for the Navy, thus establishing the principle of civilian control of the Navy.

Administratively the Navy is organised into named stations (such as the Rift Station) and the central bureaus (such as the Construction and Design Bureau). Each station is responsible for the day to day administration of the naval assets in it’s four subsectors, such as training, payroll, recruiting, maintenance of vessels, control of naval bases etc. The various central bureaus are responsible for long term planning and control.

Tactically the Navy is divided into numbered squadrons (with the exception of the named King Charles III Squadron). These squadrons are consist of a number of homogenous main force ships (ships of the line or frigates) and their supporting vessels. The King Charles III Squadron is an exception to this, consisting of a heterogenous mix of main force ships and supporting vessels. In peacetime these squadrons are allocated to a station or to the Grand Fleet, which controls their deployment. In peace each station will have one or two regular squadrons and between one to five Diadochi squadrons allocated to it. The Grand Fleet acts as a central reserve to meet emergencies; and usually consists of two regular squadrons (one of which will be the King Charles III Squadron) and three to five Diadochi squadrons.

In wartime each station produces a numbered Fleet. These fleets are not tied to the station, but can be deployed independently as required. Squadrons are attached to the fleets and the fleets then control the deployment of them. The stations continue to have a small number of squadrons attached to maintain a presence and meet crisis’s. These will generally be lower tech second line Diadochi units, as the first line units are deployed to war fronts (however there are exceptions, it would be hard to envision the Mwoah March Station without at least one first line squadron).

Squadrons

Currently the navy maintains three types of squadrons: line squadrons based around ships of the line; frigate squadrons based around frigates; and particular service squadrons which are temporary units formed for a specific mission and comprise such ships as are required to achieve that mission. Currently the Navy has eight line squadrons, three frigate squadrons, one particular service squadron, and the King Charles III Squadron (which is best regarded as a combined line and frigate squadron). The particular service squadron is the Querad Squadron, which controls the ships based in the Querad Union according to the Treaty of Hakkon. The Querad Squadron is not a permanent formation and draws it personnel from the regular squadrons on a temporary basis.

Carriers are an exception to the above rule, in that they are not organised into squadrons but task forces. Each carrier task force generally comprises one carrier (occasionally two) and a small number of escorting corvettes. The Navy currently has one carrier task force.

The Imperial Magellanic Scout Corp

The IMSC was established by Viceroy Robert III in 1331T from the remnants of the old Imperial Terran Scout Service which had remained in the Cloud after the collapse of the wormhole at Breakout. The IMSC became an organ of the Magellanic Empire from its very inception in 2127T and was indeed instrumental in shaping the circumstances which lead to its creation. The primary roles of the IMSC are to maintain communications between the worlds of the Empire and to explore new territory. To fulfil these roles the IMSC maintains a large fleet of space faring vessels ranging from 10 ton life boats to 12,000 ton ships of the line.

All the vessels of the IMSC are placed under the control of the Scout Fleet of the Operations Office. The Scout Fleet is responsible for the administration of all IMSC vessels. Scout vessels may be crewed by personnel not assigned to the Scout Fleet, but the vessels themselves still belong to the Scout Fleet even when assigned to support another branch.

As part of its role in maintaining communications within the Empire, the IMSC has the responsibility for keep the spacelanes free of piracy and lawlessness. The Patrol Service of the Communications Office is the IMSC branch which fulfils this function. To achieve this mission, the Patrol Service is assigned a large number of warships. Most of these are smaller escort ships ranging from 200 ton sloops to 1,200 ton corvettes, but the service does have at its disposal a small number of larger ships up to frigate size. The Patrol Service can (and does) call upon the Navy to support its operations if required. During wartime the Patrol Service is placed under the operational control of the Navy and is generally heavily reinforced by IMSC, Imperial Navy and Diadochi ships. The Communications Office also operates the Imperial Courier Service which transports mail and Imperial goods and personnel throughout the Empire. The Imperial Courier Service also has at its disposal many ships. Generally these will be smaller 100 ton to 300 ton couriers.

The Survey Office and the Exploration Office also have at their disposal a large number of diverse ships. These range from 100 ton scouts to 12,000 ton ships of the line. In peacetime these ships will carry out their normal non-military duties of exploration and mapping, but in wartime their regular duties are scaled down and their ships made available to the Patrol Service and the Navy.

Warships

Ships of the line are large ships designed to defeat other ships in battle. They are divided into three "rates" (1st to 3rd) depending on their size and armament. First rate’s are armed with a spinal neutral particle accelerator or spinal meson accelerator; whilst the second and third rates are armed with missile bays. Smaller ships designed primarily for strike and scouting. They are built around a main armament of missile bays and are capable of limited use in the line of battle. Like Ships of the line they are divided into rates (4th and 5th) depending on size and armament. These ships are often employed as commerce raiders during wartime. Carriers are large ships (about the size of a 2nd or 3rd rate) designed to carry fighters into battle. Their primary armament are their fighters, but they also carry a large number of missile and energy weapons to provide fire support for surface forces. Their armament also usually includes a single neutral particle accelerator for use against vacuum worlds. Carriers themselves make poor combat ships due to the trade offs required to carry a useful number of fighters, but their compliment of fighters, large size and good endurance make them excellent deep penetration raiders and support ships for surface forces. Large escorts which screen the line of battle. Corvettes are classified as 6th rate ships. Corvettes are mostly armed with missiles but lack the staying power of a frigate. They are capable of limited strike and scouting roles, but can not stand in the line of battle. In battle they are employed to counter enemy small craft, cover the reserve and to finish off crippled vessels. Smaller escorts designed for patrol duties. Sloops are considered to be of the 7th rate. Their small size and limited armament make them unsuitable for employment in battle. These ships make up the backbone of the IMSC’s Patrol Service, but are rare in the Navy during peacetime.
  • Couriers and Scouts
    • These are the smallest warships (100 tons to 200 tons), but one of the most vital. Their role is to maintain communications by carrying messages and vital freight and personnel. Built around the largest jump drive available, armed strictly for self defence and usually unescorted, their usual response to enemy ships will be a hasty jump out of system. These are non-jump capable space craft designed for combat roles. Their primary roles are firstly to provide interface support for surface forces, and secondly to engage enemy small craft in space combat. Almost invariably their primary and often sole weapon is a single missile mount. These unglamorous but high value ships are designed to carry equipment and personnel between worlds. They are generally large (8,000 tons to 20,000 tons) and capable of making planet fall. Slow, poorly armed and armoured, they require escorts to stand up to enemy warships.

    Home | Prometheus Rising | Greater Magellanic Cloud | Library Data | Software | Vehicles | Weapons

    Copyright Andrew Moffatt-Vallance © 1998-2001, Last updated 16th February 2001

    Hosted by the Traveller Downport

     
    Traveller is a registered trademark of Far Future Enterprises. 
    Portions of this material are Copyright ©1977-2001 Far Future Enterprises.