HMS Amika Carpio (BB-AC-001)

HMS Amika Carpio as painted at the start of the Siduri War in 1934
History
Cacerta
Name:	HMS Amika Carpio
Namesake:	Prime Minister Amika Carpio
Ordered:	15 January 1930
Builder:	Royal Shipbuilders of Cacerta
Laid down:	10 May 1930
Launched:	14 August 1932
Commissioned:	22 October 1932
Decommissioned:	15 March 1948
Struck:	9 September 1951
Motto:	“First in Harm’s Way”
Nickname(s):	Mighty Mika
Honors and awards:	Siduri War: 12
Fate:	Preserved; Museum Ship
Status:	On display at the Fumicino Naval Warfare Museum in Fumicino, Lombardo.
Notes:	Lead ship of her class
General characteristics
Class and type:	Amika Carpio-Class Battleship
Displacement:	40,062 tons standard 54,528 tons fully loaded
Length:	257 meters
Beam:	36 meters
Draft:	10.4 meters
Propulsion:	2 × CNRC geared turbines 16 × Andura superheated boilers 4 × shafts each driving five-bladed propellers 113,020 kW (151,500 shp)
Speed:	34 knots (63 km/h) on light load
Range:	8,800 nautical miles at 19 knots
Complement:	1,818 officers and crew
Armament:	Guns: 8 × 405mm RN-MBII naval guns 16 × 150mm RN-SBI guns Dual Purpose: 16 × 105mm RN-DPVI dual-purpose guns Anti-Aircraft: 20 × 40mm RN-AAIV anti-aircraft guns 16 × 20mm RN-AAIII anti-aircraft guns
Armor:	Belt: 280 – 320 mm Deck: 115 – 120 mm Barbettes: 335 – 340 mm Turrets: 490 – 500 mm Conning tower: 292 mm Bulkheads: 223 mm

HMS Amika Carpio (BB-AC-001) is the lead ship of her class of battleship built for the Cacertian Royal Navy in the early 1930s. One of only two ships of the class completed, the Amika was the heaviest warship in Tyran when she was put to sea in 1932 and possessed the distinction of being the first Cacertian warship with guns exceeding 400mm in caliber.

She saw extensive action as the flagship of Grand Admiral Andrea Doria’s Center Fleet during the Siduri War, earning her the most battle honors ever awarded to an individual ship in the CRN. After a long history of combat operations and an infamous reputation for surviving severe battle damage, the Amika was affectionately nicknamed “Mighty Mika”.

Surviving the Siduri War, Amika served as the CRN’s flagship and the flagship of the Grand Admiral until she was decommissioned in 1948 and later struck in 1951. She was preserved as a museum ship as a result of her famous reputation and currently resides in the Fumicino Naval Warfare Museum.

Design

The Amika Carpio-class battleships were solely created and designed by House Davion warship designer Eugenia Davion following the success of the earlier Isa Frazione-class battleships, although they were specifically meant to depart from the all-forward configuration of its predecessors. Despite the fact that the Eloisa Moretti-class battleships had already been selected by the Admiralty as the next class of Cacertian warship, funds were granted to Eugenia to pursue the design of the Amika Carpio-class—known as Project 2-4 at the time—in order to pursue alternative options.

Amika was significantly larger than her predecessors of the Isa Frazione-class when completed and even exceeded the weight of the successor Eloisa Moretti-class by nearly 14,000 tons at a full load. As completed, she had an overall length of 250 meters, a maximum beam of 36 meters, and a draft of 10 meters in a deep load. She was also characterized for her heavily armored double hull design.

The ship had a larger crew than originally designed at 200 officers and 1,600 enlisted. However, this meant that at a full crew the Amika operated at optimal efficiency and performance.

The ship’s propulsion system consisted of sixteen Andura superheated boilers that were connected to four CNRC geared steam turbines that drove four propeller shafts. During sea trials, the Amika’s turbines managed to provide 151,500 shp (113,020 kW) which yielded a maximum speed 34 knots during speed trials. She was capable of carrying 5,000 tons of fuel oil which gave her an estimated range of 8,800 nautical miles at a cruising speed of 19 knots.

Armament

Amika’s main armament consisted of eight 405mm RN-MBII naval guns housed in four hydraulically powered twin gun turrets, three of which were located fore of the superstructure and one aft. These turrets were designated using the Roman numerals “I”, “II”, “III”, and “IV”. The ship’s guns were capable of depressing -5° and elevate to +45°. At an elevation of 45° degrees, the guns on the Amika could fire a 800 kg shell to a maximum range of 38.5 km. When fully loaded, the Amika carried 280 shells for each turret; a total of 1,120 shells for the ship’s main battery.

The secondary armament aboard the Amika consisted of sixteen 150mm RN-SBI guns housed in dual wing-mounted gun turrets, four turrets on each side of the ship’s superstructure. The RN-SBI guns had a maximum firing range of 23 kilometers at an elevation of 40°, making them formidable defensive weapons in engaging enemy warships.

The 150mm guns were further supplemented by sixteen additional 105mm RN-DPVI dual-purpose cannons that were mounted in housings that allowed them to elevate between -10° and +80°. These dual-purpose guns were capable of firing up to eighteen high explosive shells per minute with a muzzle velocity of 880 m/s. These guns had an effective firing range of 17.5 kilometers when used against surface targets and possessed an effective service ceiling of 9,500 meters when used in their anti-aircraft role.

Amika’s primary anti-air suite consisted of twenty 40mm RN-AAIV anti-aircraft guns and sixteen 20mm RN-AAIII anti-aircraft guns. Their firepower was supplement with the sixteen 105mm dual-purpose cannons when firing in their anti-air role.

Fire Control

Amika was equipped with two fire-control directors, one mounted above the bridge and the other mounted on the superstructure’s stern. Both were fitted with 5-meter range-finders to supplement the 10-meter range-finders equipped in each turret.

The ship’s secondary armament was controlled by three directors, one each mounted on the port and starboard atop the bridge and the third mounted behind the main battery director on the stern. In 1939, the Amika was outfitted with an advanced RN-RSIV gunnery radar to improve target acquisition and main battery accuracy.

Construction

Construction of Amika began at the CNRC shipyards in Fumicino, Lombardo on 10 May 1930. Its construction was taken at a slow-pace by direct request of the ship’s designer, Eugenia Davion, with the intention of analyzing the vessel’s armor and hull integrity as it was being constructed. A number of integrity tests were conducted by Eugenia prior to the continuation of the ship’s construction; the deck was completed in late 1930 with the superstructure erected during early 1931.

Her completion was again delayed following testing for her intended 405mm guns which were found too strong for their housings when cracks were found in the turret armor plating due to stress. This resulted in her completion date being pushed back another year. After resolving these issues, the Amika was on track to put to sea in mid-1932.

She was launched on 14 August 1932, following her delayed schedule, by her namesake—aged former Unitary Prime Minister Amika Carpio. Amika sailed from Fumicino to Paviolo to complete her fitting-out on 18 August 1932 and began her sea trials on 15 September 1932. She was officially commissioned on 22 October 1932 under Captain First Grade Artemisia Roselli and had the distinction of being the heaviest warship put to sea at the time of her commissioning.

Service History

Bara and Sundering Seas Campaign (1934-1936)

Divide Dash

Main article: Operation Winter Phantasm

Sabri Sea Campaign (1936-1938)

Battle of the Sabri Sea

Main article: Battle of the Sabri Sea

Decommissioning

The resulting construction of more modern warships as part of Grand Admiral Andrea’s Nuclear Fleet Initiative, a period of reformation and re-budgeting forced the CRN to reanalyze the importance of pre-1940s warships. The Amika was the last of the pre-Siduri War battleships to be decommissioned on 15 March 1948 and remained a part of the Cacertian Home Defense Reserve for the next three years in a state of military readiness.

Preservation

On 9 September 1951, the Amika was struck from the Royal Navy’s roster after nearly 18 years of service. The decision to remove her primarily revolved around her age and the now continually growing number of Andrea Doria-class battleships that were entering service. Following the announcement that she would be retired, a public initiative was started to appeal to Parliament to preserve the ship as an icon of Cacertian history and defiance.

In January 1952, the House Davion Naval Preservation Society took up the mantle of turning the Amika into a museum ship. She was taken from the Fumicino Naval Base to the CNRC Shipyards where she had been constructed and underwent the process of rehabilitation. After a few years of restoration, Amika was sailed to the Fumicino Naval Warfare Museum and in 1955. A new housing was constructed for her and she became the primary attraction of the Museum’s Siduri War exhibit which opened to the public on 12 March 1956.

Battle Honors and Awards

Amika earned a total of twelve battle crosses for her service during the Siduri War alongside several additional awards.

Siduri War Service Crosses