Pre-modern Themiclesian navies

History

Rise of naval combat

During periods of civil war or distrubances other character, armies utilized the riverways and lakes as means of transport for vehicles and other supplies, as roads were often unreliable or laiden with ambushes. It has been estimated that progress on water was faster, safer to transport crew, and more reliable. In the 2nd century, armed forces in Themiclesia maintained ships for the transport of soldiers and goods, though they did not become an independent fighting force until the 4th Century; this transformation was occasioned by an unexpected engagement of two convoys in a lake, during which soldiers attempted to destroy the opposing convoy. Though technically such soldiers were naval infantry, ships were soon reinforced with roofs and armed with battering rams, creating dedicated warships, some time in the 300s. While ships were used to allow soldiers to attack an opposing force wading across a body of water, such ships did not receive specialized armaments prior to that time. A coastal fleet also came into existence in a similar capacity.

North Sea Fleet

At the political consolidation of Themiclesia in 315, after a lengthy period under the rule of prominent clans that possessed their own militia, the government collected all armed ships in an effort to prevent bandits or pirates from obtaining them. Trade with aboriginal societies in the Columbia surged during the ensuing peace. The profitable trade attracted pirates, when merchant fleets sailed from Themiclesia to trade with Maverican states and then west to Columbia, the typical route at the time. Since the government derived a significant part of its revenue from transit duties, piracy represented a threat to the government's fiscal stability and the price and availability of certain goods in Themiclesia. The court organized armed fleets at much larger scales in the 500s to protect merchant vessels against coastal or marine pirates, who typically attempted to board ships to deprive it of its goods. The experience in lake warfare during the previous centuries proved instrumental in ramming pirate vessels and prevent their boarding. The North Sea Fleet dates its birth to the appointment of a Admiral of the Navy (海將軍) in 552 and the creation of the permanent fleet with sailors (though not soldiers) attached. The North Sea Fleet also pioneered many inland expeditions in what is now the OS. While the roster of the North Sea Fleet is not known for most of its history, some authors consider the fleet to have more than 100 ships of various specializations.

Engagements

The North Sea Fleet regularly sailed in teams of 15 to 25 ships around the coast of the Haluan Sea. From time to time, these ships would be attacked by either land forces in ambush at dock or fleets fielded by more advanced polities in the region. For the most part, the Themiclesian fleet was able to protect Themiclesian outposts, though its naval weaponry, the naval infantry carried on board, and troops that it was responsible to ferry to said outposts to provide local security. For the most part, the navy was able to respond to threats with some speed and prevent permanent damage to larger settlements, around which the ships usually docked when not in circuit.

Nevertheless, the North Sea Fleet was almost completely destroyed at least twice in history. The first time occurred during a particularly difficult enagement with a coalition of Columbian natives close to the eastern OS coast (the precise site is now lost), where dozens of ships were chained together as a floatilla in expectation of prolonged operations there. Hostile forces proceeded to set fire to the ships, which burned uncontrollably, the wind and heat having demoisturized the ships' timber hulls. Historical records from this time provide that thousands drowned or suffocated on the ships, most remains never found or recovered. In 1962, a stash of 62 complete and partial skeletons off the OS coast close to Newfort was discovered by amateur divers; some historians consider this coast the most likely site of this engagement, occurring in 890. The second time the North Sea Fleet suffered an existential blow was in 1355, when 83 ships were encircled by a similarly-large Rajian force off the coast of Edding. A fierce battle on board transpired, and the Themiclesian compliment was almost completely destroyed; the Rajians later set fire to the ships after looting them of their provisions, according to witness accounts compiled during a subsequent inquiry.

Tactics and vessels

There was no standard dimensions to the North Sea Fleet's ships for most of its existence. Experts agree that most ships in the 1300s measured between 20 and 40 meters in length and 7 and 12 meters in width, draft not known with any certainty. Displacement ranged from 400 to 1,200 tonnes according to some authorities. Towards the end of the 17th Century, the fleet may have possessed ships with displacement as much as 5,000 tonnes but no clear armament; the seaworthiness of such giant ships was dubious: most records suggest they were towed, instead of sailing under their own power. The oldest surviving ship belonging to the North Sea Fleet dates to 1393, though it has been rebuilt several times since.

The North Sea Fleet's primary warships were armed with battering rams, along with a group of naval infantry onboard; the proper compliment of the ship was dedicated to controlling the ship itself, though they can also engage in dire situations. The battering rams were normally held almost-upright but leaning away from the ship to prevent it striking the ship on which it was mounted. The ram was guided by means of ropes onto an enemy ship, and its tip was weighted with metal tips, which both protected the ram and caused additional damage; sometimes, flammable or poisonous substances and blades could also be fitted to these tips to maximize damage. These tactics would only come into use if the enemy vessels could not be availed for any other purpose and must be destroyed. The North Sea Fleet fitted its vessels with cannons as early as the 1200s, though the practice did not become widespread until the 1400s, since enemy vessels were usually too small, and the cannons too inaccurate, to expect a reasonable effect. The operation of the cannons belonged to the ship's sailors, rather than the infantry onboard.

The infantry component of the North Sea Fleet would give rise to the Themiclesian Marine Corps in the 1100s, after the court realized that on-deck tactics differed from Army tactics. To ensure mobility around the cramped deck-space, these infantrymen were armoured comparatively lightly but provided with more arms. Because there was often not sufficient resources or space to station a unit larger than around 100 on any single ship, these naval infantrymen were less specialized than their Army counterparts in the roles they played within their formations. Many carried more than one weapon (such as a bow for long-range, a halbard for mid-range, and a sword for close-range); there was also an emphasis on nimbleness and one-on-one engagement, given the very restrictive geography of a ship's deck. After the introduction of firearms, the naval infantry was one of the first branches to receive them, since attacking enemies in a restricted area with little cover was considered appropriate primitive firearms of the day. Arguments against included the obvious hazard of storing flammable gunpowder onboard.

South Sea Fleet

Trade in Columbia expanded steadily after regular contact was established in the 6th Century. Two general directions existed for merchant parties, bifurcating close to the modern city of Clarkestown. The "north route" was by land and went into the Columbian interior; this route particularly yielded furs and exotic comestibles. The "south route" went around the Columbian coast westwards and reached the inlet of Fairford; this route established limited contact with Casaterran traders, particularly Rajians, who sometimes crossed the Meridian Ocean to trade with native socieities as well. Notable commercial goods out of this path include Casaterran weapons, fish, and luxury goods. As early as the 600s, it was known that both routes eventually led to the Bay of Asumus, though crossing the Meridian Ocean was a hazardous feat not attempted regularly until the 8th Century. Also in the 700s, trade began with Meridian societies; this path was called the "south sea route". The government sought to protect these profitable trade routes from much of the same menace that existed on the Maverican coast by the same means. Due to the remoteness of the south route and the difficulties in supplying warships in that region domestically, it was eventually decided that ships needed to be headquartered in Columbia rather than in Themiclesia proper. By 731, a General of the Wavy Sea (淪波將軍) was appointed, and his civilian counterpart was the Placation Commissioner of the Sea (安海使); they were both headquartered in 懷安府 (ghrjwob-'an), situated in modern-day Organized States.

Recent Reforms

Themiclesia's navy underwent a profound reform starting in 1921 and ending in 1927, seeing its metamorphosis into what is recognizable the modern Navy. While such a reform had been considered as early as 1849, with reference to the new role that the moderate government wished to assign the Navy, the outbreak of the OS Civil War in 1861 prevented the Navy Ministry from implementing a number of early plans, as maintenance littoral security took precedence over reforms, and the Ministry feared that the latter would impair the former. After the turmoils in OS ended, focus was instead diverted to the Army, while the Navy Ministry continued to deliberate (from time to time publishing revisions to or new white papers) possible reforms. The government wanted the reformed Navy to protect Themiclesia's coastlines as well as be capable of rejoining to any challenge in nearby waters; with limited funding, the Navy was barely able to keep up maintenance of its aging fleet, hence the delays ensuing.

Organization

The current Themiclesian Navy has several organizational predecessors. Before the modern period, there was no unified "navy" in the current sense. The most direct antecedent of the modern organization are the two fleets as mentioned above, but the two shared some of their infrastructure

Recruitment

During the Rjang (472–542) and Meng (543–752) dynasties, before the existence of a national navy, Themiclesian laws required all merchant chartering ships to trade abroad to be armed and defend the ship should it be attacked. This practice may be older, though firm textual evidence only attest to its existence in the Rjang dynasty. There is little to explain why the merchants, rather than sailors, should be required to bear arms, but according to later literature it was thought that the merchants' goods attracts hostility, so they ought to be (at least partly) responsible for repulsing it. If this was true, then the ships' crews may have insisted that the merchants protect their ships as much. A. A. Ascott believes that this was inevitable as the merchants would still be at a total loss if their transport were destroyed by hostile groups, and they were thus interested in defending the fleet as well. Some prominent trading guilds, especially those sponsored by aristocrats, had professional soldiers with the fleet. During the Rjang dynasty, aristocratic houses retained soldiers within quotas set forth by the government, but during the Meng dynasty this was suppressed, and it thus became incumbent on merchants to be armed. At any rate, most merchants were unable to afford such services and armed themselves. When the navy was founded, the government hired and sometimes impressed sailors from merchant fleets, and the merchants in them conveniently became troops. This contrasts with the prefectural militias' (lake) navies, which generally trained recruits to be naval infantrymen as much as cavalrymen and crossbowmen.

Into the second half of the Dziai dynasty (762–1080), the increased frequency of conflicts with Hallian raiders along the Columbian coast began to disrupt the commercial activities of merchants. While merchants served in the navy, they were allowed to retain some goods to sell abroad. In an emergency, the admirals could confiscate these goods for military use, with or without compensation. Yet as naval voyages lengthened in duration and (in the 1000s) extended to Meridia, merchants became distraught at the thought of impressment, which would impair their ability to trade freely. To combat evasion of naval service, the court in 1004 made it illegal to trade aborad without a license. The navy was further allowed to confiscate unlicensed merchants' property. To acquire the license, an aspirant merchant had to complete a certain number of years in the naval service. This system proved popular with existing merchants, as it restricted the entry of new competitors and made impressment less likely for them. In 1004, the term of service was four years; then in 1020, adjusted to six years. This provided the government with a stable source of soldiers in the navy, as there was always a demand for new trading licenses; additionally, it also made collection of taxes more efficient. It also meant the government could pay marines a very low salary, since their primary reward was the trading license. As the coastline of Meridia was explored, naval service provided an opportunity for non-merchants to explore abroad for new commercial opportunities. While actual successes must have been few, the lure of riches from trading abroad induced a sufficient number to enter naval service that it was not reformed after the Dziai ended.

Melée era

From the inception of naval infantry combat in Themiclesia, weapons and armour were modified to suit the highly restrictive geography of ships and the requirements of formations that moved upon them. While very large ships (up to 5,000 tons in displacement by most estimates) existed in the era of sail, such ships were uncommon and rarer still as warships. Armour designs therefore gave priority to mobility and survivability in water, while weapons were designed so that a soldier had sufficient variety on hand to deal with enemies at a distance and up close. The entire kit assumed minimal reliance on his line-mates, since large formations with multiple specialized components were not practical on a soldier's own ship, and even less so if boarding an enemy ship via nets or planks.

The basic weapon for ranged combat was the recurve bow before the gunpowder era; however, towards the end of the 14th century bows became rare. It appears the use of catapults have discouraged ships to stay in arrow range. In its place archaeologists have recovered slingshots and javalins. For person-to-person fighting, most Marines held either a pike or halbred; the halbred had two sides, one being the blade of an axe, and the other a blunt, hammer-like weapon that could be used to push enemy combatants off the edge of ships and planks, and the pike was longer than the halbred but had a smaller, elongated blade. Both had barbs that could be used as a reaching device if overborad. These two weapons were designed to be used jointly, and most were trained to use whichever was more convenient. Short-range combat was fulfilled with a sabre. This is the same sabre as cavalrymen used with a slightly longer grip for two-handed use, permitted swinging and slicing cuts; the blade was overall straight but had a slight inward curve for better "bite". Infantry, on the other hand, usually used swords, which were slightly longer and had two sharpened edges.

Armour heavily used leather, layered cloth, and bamboo. Cloth waxed to a canvas-like consistence reduced water absorbsion, which, with dozens of layers, weighed the wearer down. The last had resilient fibres that resisted traverse cuts well; the weakness of bamboo to cuts parallel to its grain was mitigated by weaving bamboo fibres and then treating it with lime, which made the fabric more pliable but retained its resistance to traverse cuts. Metal armour was present in the form of a mixture between scale and plate, but it was worn far more off ships than on them, since metal armour reduced agility. It seems the choice of armour depended on the weapons the enemy was expected to field. Metal helmets were, however, common; under the helmet was a cap made from leather and spacers, designed to make spread pressure across the head more evenly in the event of a head-on impact. In the 10th century, another helmet design from the Army's charioteers were co-opted; these had longer rims that reached the collars of neck armour, allowing impact to spread there and also protecting the neck area from both trauma and leision more effectively. These were the "Raccoon Helmets" that was themed after a raccoon's protruding facial features, with ears, eyes, and nose encouraging blows to glance off.

There is disagreement over what they wore under their armour. Recent art and film tend to depict them wearing form-fitting crimson tunics and cream pants, which is implausible because crimson was a privileged colour, not permitted on individuals without rank. Form-fitting clothing were also exceptionally rare in Themiclesia before the modern era. It is most likely that the Marines did not have a uniform colour, or even uniform garments, since armour adequately identified affiliation. Nevertheless, the suspension belt worn under the armour (it ran diagonally across both shoulders and attached to a waist belt, which held onto greaves) suggests that something similar to ordinary Themiclesian clothing could have been worn to avoid abrasion, with long, wide sleeves and loose, billowy pants. Sleeves would have been drawn back or folded under gauntlets, and pants tied at the knee, if it was more convenient; written evidence shows that billowy pants were not only common on soldiers but all walks of life. Pieces of string were prepared in pockets and used to tie pants up, making tripping less frequent, when required. All evidence points towards sailors being barefoot onboard; the same is assumed for the Marines while onboard, since clogs slipped easily on the polished-wood decks of the day.