Royal Caledonian Navy
The Royal Caledonian Navy is the military starforce of the Principality of Caledon, and the largest component service of the Military of the Principality of Caledon.
The Caledonian Navy is small compared to mega-fleets like the Imperial Navy - but is relatively powerful for a fleet from a non-aligned power. The fleet has several missions:
- Trade Protection - guarding the principality's lucrative trade routes against the piracy, privateering and other forms of banditry
- Deterrence - prevention attacks from other smaller powers
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 several "Stations" - fixed groups of forces that carry out extended missions - as well as a Fleet Train and an Intervention Force carrying Army or Marine units to intervene on the ground:
- Four "Stations" - each commanded by an Admiral - are areas of extended naval operations. In wartime, "Station" becomes "Fleet", and absorbs (on an ad hoc basis) task forces from systems in their area of operations.
Stations
The following "Stations" - each commanded by an Admiral - have different missions, some of which have been ongoing for centuries:
Spinward Station
Based at Caithness, the Spinward Station has been for hundreds of years heavily engaged against Reavers, especially those from the Khan World League, with whom combat is sporadic but fierce. This station also maintains contact with and observes the various Aslan systems to spinward.
Driftward Station
Headquartered at the Royal Dockyard (starbase) on Victory, this station maintains contact with and surveillance of Imperial forces on the Imperium's rapidly-fraying border to driftward. As Imperial control gets more frazzled, piracy and other forms of brigandry have become more common.
Coreward Station
Based at the dockyard on Claverse, this station largely patrols the desolate but mineral-rich systems to coreward. Pirates and other brigands are a constant, but low-key, threat in this area of operations.
Rimward Station
Based on Macbeth, this station maintains contact with the friendly states of Douglass (a Caledonian protectorate at whose starport the station maintains a forward operating base) and the Confederacy of Duncinae. The Rimward Station also guards the rich trade routes stretching out to the various states between Aslan and Imperial territory. .
Fleet Train
Based at Dumbarton, the Fleet Train is the large force of tankers, supply ships, repair ships and other support and logistics vessels from the Royal Caledonian Fleet Auxiliary that support the fleet. In wartime, the Train also incorporates the Principality's fleet of subsidized merchants, whose load-hauling capabilities greatly augment the fleet's own capabilities in emergencies and at war.
Intervention Force
Comprising mostly transports and escorts, the Intervention Force brings Marines to trouble spots where rapid ground or orbital intervention is needed.
Ships
The Royal Caledonian Navy is the largest military force between the Imperium and the Aslan Hierate. It is called upon to carry out a wide range of missions - and has a wide range of ships to do the job with.
See Ship Classes of the Royal Caledonian Navy for details.
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 - keen intelligence in the accomplishment of missions is the goal). 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 "WO4" 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 (Grade WO2-WO4) although on ships larger than 10,000 tons there may be more than one Junior Warrant Officer (WO1) 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". "Gun Room" is a traditional name, and has nothing to do with guns. Rather, 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 E7, characters have the option to 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.
How "Ratings" Work
Petty Officers ranks - E5 through E7 - are a combination of the rank and the "Rating", or key skill.
For example, an E6 whose primary skill was "Gunnery" would be a "Gunner's Mate"; an E7 whose main skill is "Steward" would be a "Leading Steward", and so on.
Affiliated Services
The following services are either affiliated with or controlled by the Navy:
- The Royal Caledonian Marines are a component service
- The Royal Caledonian Expeditionary Service is closely affilated with the Navy; Navy personnel are "seconded" to the RCES to serve as ship crews.
- The Royal Caledonian Naval Academy is the officer-training school.
- The Royal Caledonian Fleet Auxiliary is a fleet of support ships with naval officers and (mostly) civilian crews, including the Principality's subsidized merchant fleet, dedicated to providing logistic support to the Navy.