Essay:Clan Naval Forces

With few exceptions, the Clans view WarShips as a point of pride and yet also derision. While almost unimaginable raw military might can be concentrated at a single point, the vessels also require coordination, collaboration, and communal work. This aspect makes the idea of the great warrior-knight difficult to achieve among the subcaste, [1], and such responsibility was quickly seen as disgraceful.[2] A select corp is called to such machines, and most are members of the Aerospace phenotype; only the Snow Ravens maintain Naval Commander Bloodnames,[3] though the Star Adders, Nova Cats, and Sea Foxes were well regarded in select times.

The Exodus Fleet

The entire Exodus Fleet that Aleksandr Kerensky led into exile and which would evolve into the Clans had reportedly amassed in the New Samarkand system by 12 October 2784, and embarked on their journey from there on 5 November[4] (after the last DropShip had docked to its JumpShip[5]) by jumping out in groups over the course of a full day.[5]

The number given for the fleet is frequently cited as 402 WarShips[5] (or "over 400 WarShips"[4]) escorting 1,349 JumpShips[4] (or "transports"[5]), with over 5,000 DropShips[4] carried between them. At the time, Raymond Sainze counted "nearly two thousand JumpShips and WarShips" clogging the New Samarkand system.[6] It should be noted that these numbers may be inaccurate.

The first problem is that the distinction between WarShips, JumpShips, and DropShips is not as clear-cut as it seems. While BattleTech construction rules are clear about it, in-universe perception may differ. There are several ship classes that feature a compact Kearny-Fuchida drive, requiring them to be built as "WarShips" under the construction rules, while they may not be considered WarShips in-universe. Examples include Yardships and various classes of military transports such as the Sylvester and Potemkin; the Bug-Eye class surveillance ship is even built to resemble a DropShip.[7] Conversely, so-called Jolly Roger JumpShips are outfitted for combat roles and could conceivably be called WarShips although they are JumpShips under the construction rules. Further, even out of universe, the line between "WarShip" and other vessels is clouded by changing definitions. The Carrack and its Carrack-Merchant derivative have been moved and labeled in either category depending on the era and rulings.[8]

This uncertainty about nomenclature is exacerbated by the fact that the stated numbers seem to stem from the local authorities' count from when the fleet assembled in the New Samarkand system, adding another layer of possible error as ships may have been misidentified or overlooked; the aforementioned Bug-Eye class, in particular, was built to have a low profile and may have eluded sensors altogether.

The second problem is that some parts of the Exodus Fleet might not actually have moved through New Samarkand by 5 November or at all, but joined the fleet later, and thus would not have been included in the count made at New Samarkand. It is positively known that the fleet detached WarShips and scout JumpShips as vanguard and rearguard forces and along the flanks, and had pickets hunting for worlds from which the fleet could resupply.[4] While the evidence is not conclusive, it is possible that these detached vessels moved through New Samarkand before the count was made, later, or not at all. Canonical examples include the rearguard mission of the SLS Manassas and the location of its rendezvous point at Schwartz which is a significant detour from the Exodus Road; the fact that the DropShip carrying the protagonist from When the Bears Left lifts off from Axton on 26 October 2784 and is unlikely to have traveled the roughly 450 light-years to New Samarkand by 5 November already; and the timeline of the Exodus Fleet's visit to Gutara V[9].

Of the (reportedly) 402 WarShips that left the Inner Sphere with General Kerensky, some were lost over the course of the Exodus. Of those remaining, most were mothballed in various Boneyards or Naval Caches, while many were destroyed in the Pentagon Civil War. When Nicholas Kerensky returned with his Clans, only a reported 260 remained. All Clans seem to use mostly updated pre-Exodus vessels (almost all renamed), while a few were able to design and construct new series of vessels. Estimates vary on how many WarShips can be found throughout the touman and reserves of the Clans.[10] Due to the horrors of the conflicts throughout Clan space following the Exodus Civil War, including but not limited to the Wars of Reaving, a final tally may be impossible.

List of Clan Naval Forces


List of Clan WarShip Classes

WarShips are updated Star League Era WarShips unless noted. Refit classes were introduced at the beginning of the Golden Century. At the same time, some were found at the time of the Clans' updated tactics and the introduction of other great leaps forward, such as the OmniMech, were being developed. Clan refits usually consisted of updating the armor with the latest improvements in armor: Lamellor Ferro-Carbide, fitting them with the valuable Lithium-Fusion Battery, and/or changing the number of OmniFighter bays to fit Clan tactical doctrine.

Mothballed, Destroyed, or Abandoned

The following vessels were destroyed during the Pentagon Civil War. They evidently joined the Exodus as single vessels sui generis as they were ancient and outmoded at the end of the Star League and either destroyed or placed into mothballs to be recovered at the time of the Wars of Reaving. By the time of Operation KLONDIKE, less than a third of the mothballed ships remained untouched.[11]

Unnamed Quixote - escaped Circe[12] and eventually destroyed at EC821-387D[13]

Upgrades

The following classes are listed with their time of a Clan refit debut. After are the numbers of hulls to be expected in the Clan Homeworlds and notable inclusions or exclusions.

Seven vessels are noted to have survived to join Exodus.[14] The vessels SLS Prinz Eugen, SLS Mountbatten, and SLS Bismark were noted by their Star League names or predate the introduction of Clan WarShip refit Texas. The CCS Ancestral Home, CJF Falcon's Nest, CSJ Veiled Huntress, and CWS Nicholas Kerensky are assigned to various Clans, likely with new designations. An eighth, the SLS Perth, is noted to be barely functional and orbiting Arcadia during Operation KLONDIKE. If the note of only 7 surviving vessels is correct, the Perth must have been repaired and renamed.
"about two dozen" survived.[15][16] Thirteen are found on Clan toumans, including an unnamed Clan Jade Wolf vessel subsequently named as the CWS Provider (as the Wolves only maintained a single Volga). The other (presumed) 10 to 12 are unknown.
"large number survived" and "second largest class in the Exodus fleet".[17] Forty are named on various Clan toumans, with the uncounted SLS Muraca a potential refit vessel.
A (mothballed) SLS General Stuart, the (misjumped) SLS Manassas, the (destroyed) SLS Titanium Wind, and the (not found in REVIVAL-era roster) CHH Minotaur are included in the largely Clan Nova Cat (9), Jade Falcon (9), and Snow Raven (7) Clan fleet of 44 Aegis Cruisers, though the SLS Knight and CGB Apparition are not.
with "less than a dozen"[18] Black Lion Exodus vessels, hulls are manageable, though more than a dozen are named throughout Clan history. SLS Huisman is only known before EXODUS, and the SLS Michael Norman was reported destroyed in the Pentagon Civil War to a degree that makes restoration unlikely. CSA Admiral William S. Preston, CGB Bear's Den, CJF Blue Aerie, CJF Jade Aerie, CJF White Aerie, CBS Rocinante, CNC Thunderbolt, and CSJ Streaking Mist are REVIVAL-era touman listings. The issue of Clan Wolf's vessels is problematic, though. The Arctic Wolf is only noted in the 3052 unified Wolf touman. The Dark Wolf is only named in the short-lived Clan Jade Wolf touman. The Implacable joined Clan-Wolf-in-Exile, while the Blood Drinker and Stealthy Kill are named as Crusader Wolf vessels. Even assuming the pre-Absorbtion Wolf vessels were renamed for unknown reasons and the Huisman rechristened as one of the subsequently Clan-named vessels, an even dozen are so named. To reconcile this, either the Norman was repaired or the count of vessels is mistaken. The rumored origins of the Tripitz cloud the number further, though if the clandestine actions of the ship are to be believed, obfuscating those that survived Operation LIBERATION may be intentional.
Known formerly as the Jasmine Liao, the Quicksilver Mongoose was refit as the flagship for Clan Mongoose, to be left in mothballs by the victorious Clan Smoke Jaguar above Strana Mechty.[19]
The SLS/CSR Avalanche (named as such prior to Clan refit), the SLS Kharkov-relabelled-CWS Dire Wolf, the renamed CDS Nagasawa-to-CSF Talismantia and the (former Widowmaker, then Dragoon) WDWS Athena are listed among a total of 16 Clan Soyuz cruisers. The SLS Raulfestone is not and potentially renamed.
Fifteen vessels are named in Exodus history. The SLS Franklin and SLS Reinhard are only noted as joining the first (and not noted as surviving the Second) Exodus, and so an official count must end at 13.
Eighteen McKenna survived to leave on the Exodus.[20] Ten are known: the SLS (Clan Wolverine) Zughoffer Weir, SLS McKenna's Pride, and SLS James McKenna are noted to predate Clan refits, and so are presumed to continue their Star League monikers. The SLS Spicer is observed in joining EXODUS, but not found later in Clan history. The CCC Second Coming, first noted at KLONDIKE, is unclear. The CSJ Obsidian, CSA Sovereign Right, CIH Cage's Pride, CGS Lei Kung, and CWS Werewolf are noted in their respective Clan toumans first in the 31st Century, and likely Clan rechristenings.
"less than thirty" reported.[21] Sixteen are named, including a restored-from-mothball CDS/CSR Architeuthis/Mulhacén, but not including the SLS Rondeau or the (apocryphal) CGB Ditka.
"roughly 30"[22] survived, though thirty-three are listed in Clan rolls contemporaneously. This includes the SLS Hermes-turned-CSR Treachery, two CDS Titanics, the destroyed (and pre-dating Clan refit) CWM Egg Sac, and the lost during EXODUS SLS Ulithi, but not the SLS Riga or SLS Netanyahu as they may have been renamed. Nor does this number include the SLS Valley Forge that is unclear to have existed. This may be "roughly" correct, the number cited is incorrect, or the Clans maintain the ability to construct a limited number of new Potemkin troop cruisers.
Nineteen Davion-class are known to have left on EXODUS.[23] Seven are noted in REVIVAL-era toumans as Whirlwind Clan refits. One, the SLS Weasel, was a Clan Wolverine vessel and battled their former brethren during their Annihilation prior to the introduction of the Whirlwind. The other 11 have unknown dispositions.
Nineteen are counted as EXODUS vessels, including the WDWS (former Wolf and possibly Widowmaker) Beowulf, and the (likely) renamed CWS Howler/Rogue. The SLS Linsenmayer and SLS Walker are also included, though the possibility that they are renamed and refitted on a Clan touman requires the count to stay at 17 "officially confirmed."

First New Vessels

The Clans of the Political Century, as they settled into Warden and Crusader camps, began to explore their surrounding systems and start to look back at the Inner Sphere. This timeframe introduced the first of the Clans' new designs. The Snow Ravens, Wolves, and Jade Falcons each produced small exploration corvettes that the refit Star League frigates and battleships were ill-suited for. They were neither successful nor long-lasting, as the Clans had lost the inter-discipline focus of the SLDF and largely misused the new WarShips, misjudging the costs involved in fielding untested classes of resource-intensive weapons.

Six vessels
  • 2932 - Nightlord - new class by the Snow Raven Clan
Nine constructed/named

Golden Century ends, Political Century considered begun

Twenty-two vessels joined the Exodus, though only six Riga II were known to have survived with the Clans, with one destroyed during the Battle of the Pentagon Run.[13] As the known number of York hulls is at least 16, the six remaining and the Snow Raven manufactured new dozen (plus one Coyote-ordered new construction CCS Broken Sea[24]) leaves three unnamed (possibly lost or mothballed) hulls.
Four constructions

Return to the Inner Sphere

The Great Debate and the preparation for return to the Inner Sphere sparked the Snow Ravens to design several new WarShips in concert with the Ghost Bears. With the confirmation of the absence of WarShips in the Inner Sphere and the end of large-scale cooperation, new production was limited, and construction was largely halted by the time of the Great Refusal. The post-REVIVAL era was a time of limited collaboration and the first losses of WarShips in internecine Clan fighting in almost a century.

Six EXODUS vessels, of which five were SLDF vessels and one captured Rim Worlds ship.[25] The SLS Constantineau is an SLDF-named ship, continued in service with Clan Burrock/Star Adder. The SLS Morello is anachronistic, possibly a misprint or unrelated Star League prototype or heretofore unknown class. The other seven named vessels point heavily to the CJWS Blood Fang and CJWS Fuego Lobo being renamed CWS Victoria Ward and CWS Jerome Winson in the post-Refusal War birth of the Crusader Wolves.
Only five Kimagure survived to the Exodus.[26] Two have been seen as Snow Raven Conquerer refits, and one Burrock/Society CBS Admiral Russell Nga restored from cache, leaving two unaccounted-for hulls.

New Leviathans

Three vessels

Losses and Refocused Importance

The relocation of many Clans to the Inner Sphere began with the Ghost Bears and Nova Cats but eventually encompassed all Invader Clans. Whether a symptom or cause, the Wars of Reaving unleashed untold amounts of devastation and left the Homeworlds in ruin, destroyed many WarShips throughout, ruined or lost a large number of formerly inactive vessels, and eventually cost the survivors the ability to produce large amounts of new equipment. The end of contact with the Clan worlds after 3090 leaves a void in the goings on in the birthplace of the Clans and their greatest weapons.

Post-Jihad, the Clans that founded the Council of Six were mostly unable to maintain almost any weapon, let alone the largest resource sinks, their WarShips.

Entering the Republic era, the weakest of the technically-former Clans, the Wolves-in-Exile and Nova Cats, had no yards and limited access to Snow Raven or Clan Diamond Shark / Sea Fox drydocks. The Hell's Horses kept few manufacturing centers open to them, due to their location on the edge of the Periphery. The losses suffered by the Crusader Wolves and the Jade Falcons in the post-Great Refusal time saw them refocus on survival before their WarShips. The new holdings gained after the invocation of Fortress Republic gained worlds, but no new orbital yards. The Ghost Bears and Snow Ravens are seemingly best positioned, but non-military uses were the priority, and no new construction was undertaken. The Sea Foxes and their colossal ArcShips contain mobile yards, but are seemingly uninterested in the use of massive weapons of war, preferring to turn them into centers of commerce.

Falcons and the Mongol


ilClan


References

  1. ↑ Field Manual: Crusader Clans, p. 8
  2. ↑ Historical: Operation Klondike, p. 32, "Unblooded and Unknown"
  3. ↑ Field Manual: Warden Clans, p. 119
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 The Clans: Warriors of Kerensky, p. 7
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 The Star League, p. 97
  6. ↑ Fall from Glory, prologue
  7. ↑ Technical Readout: 2750, p. 124
  8. ↑ "It is not a WarShip per se, so it is not included in the rolls of offensive weapons. Same with the Clan Merchant Carracks, they were removed because they should never had been included in the first place. But Clan Nova Cat does have some merchant Carracks left, even if they have no proper WarShips. With regards, Øystein"|Øystein Tvedten, BattleTech Line Developer, 13 Jan 2012
  9. ↑ Timeline as detailed in the short story Last Stop and the diaries from Handbook: Major Periphery States, pp. 38-40, establish that the first elements of the Exodus Fleet arrived planetside on Gutara V by 2 January 2785 and the last DropShips left the planet on 17 or 18 January, more than two weeks later; combined with the transit time to the jump point this seems entirely too long for a single fleet moving through.
  10. ↑ Technical Readout: 3057 Revised, p. 128, "Clan/Star League WarShips"
  11. ↑ Historical: Operation Klondike, p. 44
  12. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named OKp44
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 Historical: Operation Klondike, p. 47, "Pentagon Run"
  14. ↑ 1st Somerset Strikers (sourcebook), p. 91
  15. ↑ Technical Readout: 3057, pp. 146-147, "Ship Profile"
  16. ↑ Technical Readout: 3057 Revised, pp. 144-145, "Volga Ship Profile"
  17. ↑ Technical Readout: 3057 (revised), p. 140-141
  18. ↑ Technical Readout: 3057 (revised), p. 148-149
  19. ↑ Technical Readout: 3075, p. 252: "Du Shi Wang"
  20. ↑ Technical Readout: 3057 (revised), p. 162-163
  21. ↑ Technical Readout: 3057 (revised), p. 138-139
  22. ↑ Technical Readout: 3057 (revised), p. 158-159
  23. ↑ Technical Readout: 3057 (revised), p. 134-135
  24. ↑ Field Manual: Warden Clans, p. 46, "Naval Assets"
  25. ↑ Technical Readout: 3057 (revised), p. 152-153
  26. ↑ Technical Readout: 3057 (revised), p. 218-219

Bibliography

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