Royal Caledonian Navy

The Royal Caledonian Navy is the military starforce of the Principality of Caledon.

Mostly constructed at the Principality's TL–12 class A starports, the fleet is a standard-setter among TL–12 Navies - largely due to its officer corps and Warrant Officer system. These systems - confusing to outsiders - are outgrowths of centuries of Caledonian naval tradition.

Organization

The Navy is organized into...:

• Four "Stations" - each commanded by a Rear Admiral - are areas of extended naval operations.
  • The Coreward station largely patrols the areas to coreward of the Principality - the largely-desolate, resource-rich, freqently pirate-plagued worlds between the Principality and the Great Rift. This station is largely sloops supporting Royal Caledonian Expeditionary Service scouts and research ships.
  • The Rimward station primarily guards commercial traffic among the various other states in the area between the Aslan Hierate and the decaying Imperium. Missions can involve anti-piracy patrols, showing the flag in contested systems, and escorting convoys. A fleet largely comprising corvettes and sloops and a few cruisers, the Rimward Station is called upon for many different missions.
  • The Spinward Station keeps contact with Aslan forces and traders in the area between the Principality and the Aslan Hierate. A few cruisers and sloops and many scouts patrol the border. region.
  • The Driftward Station patrols the often fractious area between the Principality and the Imperium. This region has gotten much more active, and is also the focus on the Campbell/Maxwell feud. A squadron of cruisers and a large force of escort corvettes are deployed to keep order in this turbulent area.
• Home Fleet - The force of Battleships, Carriers, Destroyers, and auxiliaries from the Royal Caledonian Fleet Auxiliary, the Home Fleet deploys to trouble spots around the Principality and is the state's main offensive weapon. It's commanded by a Vice-Admiral (currently VADM Stuart Adamson)
• The Fleet Train - Auxiliaries from the Royal Caledonian Fleet Auxiliary, including Subsidized merchants brought up from the reserve, keep a steady stream of supplies going to the fleet when it's in the field. The Train is commanded by a Vice Admiral.

Ships

The Navy isn't especially large for a system with tens of billions of citizens - but it's a high-quality fleet led by excellent officers.

The Navy's primary ship classes are as follows:

• "James III" class Battleships - Battleships in the Caledonian fleet are always named posthumously after princes. The James III class, weighing in at 90,000 tons, is the latest and greatest. The older "George IX" class have largely been refitted to TL12 standards.
• "Indomitable" class Carriers - Carrying 80 80-ton heavy fighters, the "Indomitables" are heavily-armored 80,000 ton carriers.
• "Antrim" class cruisers - Named after counties on the various constituent worlds, most Caledonian cruisers displace 20,000 tons, and are designed to patrol contested territory.
• "Tribal", "Battle" and "Clan" class Destroyers - Caledonian destroyers are fast, agile escorts for large fleets, intended to strip fighters and missiles away from enemy attacks on the larger units. The three classes currently in service - displacing between 2,000 and 2,600 tons - are highly agile and well-armed against fighters, smaller ships and incoming missile fire.
• "Bird" class sloops - "Sloop" is a Caledonian term analogous to "Patrol Frigate". Sloops are patrol ships mainly deployed to areas with piracy problems. With low-performance (but reliable) jump drives, "Birds" are slightly faster than the merchant ships that make up most corsairs, but much more heavily armed. The 1,600 ton "Birds" are the latest sloops in the fleet.
• "Flower", "River" and "Castle" class corvettes - These 400-800 ton vessels are designed to escort convoys, especially in areas with low-intensity threats (like pirates or bandits); more severe threats might rate a larger convoy and a cruiser or two.
• "Mingulay" class System Monitors - Designed to provide maximum firepower for the smallest crew possible, these non-jump-capable buffered asteroid ships serve as orbital system defense batteries.

Ranks

Officers

Royal Caledonian Navy Ranks
Officers
O11 » Admiral
O10 » Vice Admiral
O9 » Rear Admiral
O8 » Commodore
O7 » Captain of the Line (Command), Staff Captain (Non-command)
O6 » Frigate Captain (Ship Command), Staff Commander (Non-command)
O5 » Corvette Captain (Ship Command), Staff Lieutenant (Non-command)
O4 » First Lieutenant
O3 » Lieutenant
O2 » Sub-Lieutenant
O1 » Ensign
Warrant
WO4 » [Warrant Title - see "Warrant Officer" section]
WO3 » [Warrant Title - see "Warrant Officer" section]
WO2 » [Warrant Title - see "Warrant Officer" section]
WO1 » [Junior Warrant Officer]
Enlisted
E7 » Leading [Rating*]
E6 » [Rating*]
E5 » Junior [Rating*]
E4 » Able Crewman
E3 » Crewman
E2 » Crewman Apprentice
E1 » Recruit

Caledonian naval officers start as Midshipmen at the Royal Caledonian Naval Academy. Entry into the four-year program is highly competitive, and is open to applicants of all social classes. Being of a noble family can help in gaining admission - but is of no use whatsoever in surviving the program, which features ruthless weeding out of the 50% or so of applicants who start the program (washouts serve the remainder of their four years as enlistees)

Once the midshipmen graduate, the focus switches from weeding out to channeling; during their tour as Ensigns, they are separated by aptitude into career paths they'll follow for the rest of their naval careers; the ones judged to have great aptitude as aggressive leaders with great tactical aptitude are "Commissioned" by the crown as Sub-Lieutenants (O2); they are on the command track. Officers with other aptitudes are diverted into the Warrant Officer track (see below).

Caledonian officers are chosen for leadership skills - and are expected to exercise them constantly. They are judged by their accomplishments - and are expected to accomplish much. Aggressive leadership is called for (although not stupid or rash leadership). Officer complements on Caledonian ships are lean - a 20,000 ton cruiser will have a Captain, a First Lieutenant, 3-4 Lieutenants, 2-3 sub lieutenants, and a small number of ensigns. Unlike in imperial navy practice, commissioned officers only obliquely deal with technical or administrative matters; these are delegated to the Warrant Officers.

Officers above the rank of "First Lieutenant" (O4) are either on the command track (commanding ships), with "Ship Command" ranks, or administrators with separate non-command ranks (as noted in the table above).

Officers (along with the ship's doctor/s, the ship's warrant Pilot and any commissioned Marine officers) have access to their ships' "wardroom" (on vessels large enough to have one - and most will have some sort of "wardroom", even a token space with a table, chairs and the ship's honorifics). The "Wardroom" is a combination dining room and social area, and is administered by the vessel's First Lieutenant (executive officer in Imperial rank); the Captain is allowed into the Wardroom by invitation.

In Game Terms

Commissioned officers are expected to be battle leaders; technical skills may be of use, but are purely secondary, as the technical tasks are subordinated to the Warrant Officers, whose job is to become technical experts rather than generalists. Officer's specialty, focus, and goal is leading ships and men in combat.

Characters expecting to serve as Caledonian commissioned officers should rack up all the Ship Tactics, Fleet Tactics, Leadership and Astrogation skills possible (with Piloting and Diplomacy as secondary priorities).

Warrant Officers

Warrant Officers - named because they are given a "warrant" by the Navy, as opposed to the Crown - are officers in terms of responsibility, but will as a rule never command a vessel. They are experts in their technical fields, responsible for carrying on both the technical excellence and the traditions of the Navy. The vast majority of warrant officers serve 20-30 years and retire - but the depth of their technical skill makes them highly in demand by the fleets of the various merchant firms (as well as less-reputable employers).

There are two routes into a Warrant Officer rank; selection from among Ensign graduates of the Royal Caledonian Naval Academy, and enlisted personnel who work their way up through the enlisted ranks (providing a second set of ranks through which a talented enlisted sailor's career can progress; upon reaching the rank of "Chief Petty Officer", an enlisted sailor joins the ranks at "JWO" in the list below).

Warrant Officer Rank Titles

Ships have the following Warrant Officers serving as department heads on vessels in Caledonian naval service:

• Pilot: The "Ship's Pilot" is a warrant officer who manages the pilots in maneuvering, jumping and navigating the ship. Most pilots start as ensigns with high mathematical, navigation and computer skills; about 10% come up from the ranks.
• Engineer: The "Ship's Engineer" is a warrant officer who manages the ship's Jump, Maneuver and Power Plant technicians; 2/3 start as Ensigns, and the remainder come up through the ranks.
• Gunner: The "Ship's Gunner" is the warrant officer in charge of making sure all the ship's guns are on-line and ready to go when needed. Virtually all (95%) Ship's Gunners come up through the ranks.
• Boatswain: The ship's "Boatstain" is responsible for handling cargo loading and stowage, maintaining boats and rescue equipment, maintaining and handling the ships docking equipment, and maintaining and managing the ship's airtight integrity. The Boatswain (or "Bosun") also helps the Shipwright with damage control. All Boatswains come up through the ranks.
• Purser: The "Ship's Purser" is in charge of managing ship's supplies, administration, and the service staff (cooks, stewards and supply staff). Most - 80% - start as ensigns.
• Surgeon's Mate - the ship's surgeon's assistant, and usually a highly-qualified medic. Over 90% come up through the ranks.
• Electrician - The "Ship's Electrician" is rarely if ever an actual electrician; the Electrician manages the maintenance of the ship's electronic equipment that isn't part of the drive or weapons systems.
• Shipwright: A vessel's "Shipwright" is a warrant officer in charge of maintaining the ship's hull and major structural elements. Shipwrights frequently alternate tours on shipboard with time working in repair yards, on repair ships, and at contractor shipyards. On shipboard, their most critical duty is damage control, and they are responsible for training the ship's crew in the art and craft of repairing damage under combat conditions.
• Deck Boss - In charge of flight deck and small craft maintenance crews on ships with large wings of shuttles or fighters. Manages the flow of light craft, and the operation of launch and recovery equipment. Almost all come from the enlisted ranks.
• Flight Boss - the warrant officer in charge of "air traffic control" on carriers and ships with large groups of small craft.

Warrant Officer Roles

Not every ship includes every kind of warrant officer; scouts may have a warrant Engineer and a warrant Pilot along with commissioned Commanders and Navigators. No department will have more than one Warrant Officer (i.e., one warrant officer of any type) although there may be more than one Junior Warrant Officer assisting the Warrant Officer. A ship without a sizable fighter or small craft wing may not have a Deck Boss or Flight Boss. But most Caledonian navy ships greater than Scout size will have a warrant Pilot, Engineer, Gunner, Boatswain, Purser and Surgeon's Mate.

When a Caledonian naval vessel goes into the reserve, the enlisted men and commissioned officers will be reassigned to other ships - but the Warrant Officers will stay with their ships, overseeing refits and repairs and storage, and making sure their departments are ready for re-activation. They only leave the ship when they are promoted to a larger ship (or retire).

The Warrant rank structure is as follows:

• WO1 (Junior Warrant Officer) - can be up to three in a given department. Junior Warrant officers frequently serve as pilots and engineers on scout ships in the Royal Caledonian Expeditionary Service.
• WO2 - Department heads in smaller ships (<1000 tons)
• WO3 - Department heads in larger ships (1000-10,000 tons)
• WO4 - Department heads in ships above 10,000 tons

Warrant Officers (and a ship's Marine NCOs) have access to the "Gun Room" - which has nothing to do with guns. It's analogous to the Wardroom - a dining and social space for Warrant Officers. Neither officers nor the Captain are allowed into the Gun Room without an invitation (barring a life-or-death emergency) outside of fleet and ship special events.

In Game Terms

Both enlisted and officer characters can become Warrant Officers.

• Enlisted Men - On reaching the rank of E6, characters assume the actual rank of WO2" (generally at age 38).

• Ensigns who drop off the command track assume the rank of WO1 (generally at age 22)

Via either track, warrant officer titles will be as follows:

• Characters with high Pilot and Astrogation skills will be Pilots.
• Characters with high Jump, Power Plant or Maneuver engineering will be Engineers.
• Characters with high JOT, Mechanic, Ship's Boat and Vacc Suit will be ships Boatswains.
• Characters with high Gunnery scores will be ship's Gunners.
• High medical skill qualifies a warrant officer to be a Surgeon's Mate.
• High Admin, Bureaucrat or Steward skills make the character a Purser
• High Electronics and/or Computer skills make the character a ship's Electrician
• High Engineering (structural/ship) and JOT skills make a Shipwright.

Each of these warrant officers serve as the senior technician on the ship in their respective skill areas for purposes of combat. It's in their and their vessels' best interest for their key skill levels to be as high as possible; Warrant Officers are specialists.

Other Ranks

Enlisted ranks have generally the same titles and progression as in the Imperium.

On reaching "Leading" (E7) rating status, the character joins the "Warrant Officer" progression as a "Junior Warrant Officer", above.

This list of sources was used by the Traveller Wiki Editorial Team and individual contributors to compose this article. Copyrighted material is used under license from Mongoose Publishing or by permission of the author. The page history lists all of the contributions.

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