Commonwealth Navy (Arthurista)

Commonwealth Navy
Ensign
Active	1824-present
Country	Arthurista
Allegiance	Commonwealth Defence Forces
Branch	Navy
Size	80,000 active
Nickname(s)	The Senior Service
Motto(s)	Ex undis surgit victoria (From the waves rises victory)
March	Rule, Arthurista!

The Commonwealth Navy is the maritime arm of the Commonwealth Defence Forces, also its most important one from a geopolitical standpoint. It has two primary missions: to prevent the island nation from being invaded or starved into submission. All other considerations, from littoral warfare, amphibious expeditions, power projection to even nuclear deterrence are strictly secondary priorities.

Given its mission, the CN operates in all parts of the world in order to secure the Sea Lanes of Communication ("SLOC") which keeps Arthurista fed and supplied. It is a leading practitioner of anti-submarine warfare, while also possessing considerable capabilities in combined naval-air operations in the open ocean.

As the island's first line of defence, the naval service (including the Commonwealth Marines) has always been regarded as the senior, most prestigious arm of the CDF. Arthurista has always been a major maritime power. As an island, it is only secure to the extent that its shores are safe from invaders and its sea lanes clear for commerce. As of the early 2010s, the CN receives the lion's share of Arthurista's defence budget.

History

The ancestor of the Commonwealth Navy could be found in the Protectorate-era. In the Middle Ages, during times of crisis, the Lord Protector would levy ships from coastal communities to serve as vessels of war in lieu of knight- or militia-service, trading vessels which in any case were heavily armed against piracy. By the 1500s, however, the need to safeguard Arthuristan booming maritime trade and to contest naval supremacy against rivals led to the establishment of a permanent Protectorate War Fleet by the Lady Protector Elbereth I. As the 19th century rolled on, the navy kept apace with modern technology, introducing in rapid succession steam engines, ironclads, gun turrets, steel hulls and wireless radios, culminating in the service's first dreadnoughts and submarines in the early 20th century.

In the 1920s century economic malaise, capital ships numbers dwindled rapidly until only the Elbareth-class and Admiral-class battlecruiser remained in service. The moratarium on battleship construction, however, spurred on a number of important advancements. Cruisers and submarines became far more powerful and took on increasingly important roles in the navy's order of battle. Carriers, initially converted from ocean liners and battlecruisers before dedicated designs became available, became the navy's primary offensive weapon. Its position of naval dominance over that of the Arthuristan National State was maintained throughout The Great Fascist War, and was instrumental in isolating the Fascists from outside support and clinching victory for the Commonwealth. The fleet emerged into the post-war era as a powerful and flexible instrument of Arthuristan military power, the island's first line of defence.

Orders of Battle

Main Article: Commonwealth Navy operational organisation and doctrine

Commonwealth Marines

The Commonwealth Marines are administered by the Commonwealth Navy, although operationally subordinated to higher level army HQs when deployed with army troops. Active units are always manned at 100% strength by volunteer professionals, while territorial reserve formations are composed of ex-active duty marines.

They are organised as elite light infantry, primarily trained in helibourne air assault. However, each brigade has an organic armoured transporter company equipped with 16 articulated bandtracks which enable them to fight as light mechanised infantry. If heavier direct fire support is deemed necessary, armoured units from the Commonwealth Army can be attached where necessary.

Main Article: Commonwealth Marines

Ship classes in service

Boldfaced items are currently active or can be reactivated at short notice.

Carriers and amphibious assault ships

Class	Type	Displacement	Note
Vengeance Class	Fleet Carrier (CVA)	70,000-82,000 tonnes	1 active, 1 under construction
Icarus Class	Fleet Carrier (CVA)	54,500-65,300 tonnes	1 active, 1 retired
Helios Class	Light Carrier (CVS)	25,000 tonnes	2 active
Menelaus Class	Landing Platform Dock (LPD)	25,500 tonnes (full load)	2 active
Round Table-class landing ship logistics	Landing Ship Logistics	6,700 tonnes	7 active
Spearhead-class joint high speed vessel	High speed landing ship	1,515 tonnes

Capital Ships

Class	Type	Displacement	Note
Lion Class	Guided missile battleship (BBG)/Aviation battleship (BBGV)	75,000 tonnes	0 active, 2x museum ships
Repulse Class	Guided missile battleship (BBG)	45,000-52,000 tonnes	0 active, 2x museum ships
APNS Nike	Ironclad ship of the line	9,284 tonnes	Museum ship, official flagship of the Commonwealth Navy

First-Rate Escorts

Class	Type	Displacement	Note
Type-44 "Prometheus" Class	Destroyer (DDG)	9,800 tonnes	8 active
Pallas-class destroyer	Strike Destroyer (DDS)	8,800 tonnes	5 active
Agni-class frigate	Frigate (FFG)	6,000 tonnes	5 active
Phobos-class destroyer	Destroyer (DDG)	9,800 tonnes	5 mothballed

Second-Rate Escorts

Class	Type	Displacement	Note
Type-24 "Ajax" Class	Frigate (FF)	3,200 tonnes	12 active, 12 mothballed
Type-25 "Ahriman" Class	Frigate (FFG)	3,600 tonnes	13 active, 2 under construction, 1 planned

Small craft

Class	Type	Displacement	Note
Flower-class sloop	Offshore patrol vessel	2,420 tonnes	12 in service.
Castle-class patrol vessel	Offshore patrol vessel	1,427 tonnes	Gradually mothballed
Archer-class patrol vessel	Inshore patrol vessel	54 tonnes
Peacock-class corvette	Patrol corvette	712 tonnes	Mothballed
Hunt-class mine countermeasures vessel	Minehunter	750 tonnes	12

Submarines

Class	Type	Displacement	Note
Triton Class	Attack submarine (SSN)	7,000 tonnes	7 active
Triumphant Class	Attack submarine (SSN)	5,300 tonnes	7 active
Styx Class	Ballistic missile submarine (SSBN)	15,950 tonnes	4 active
Observer-class submarine	Attack submarine (SSK)	2,900 tonnes	4 active
Upholder-class submarine	Attack submarine (SSK)	2,455 tonnes	4 active

Auxiliary ships

• Wave-class tanker
• Tide-class tanker
• Leaf-class tanker
• Fort-class replenishment oiler
• Diligence Class repair ship
• Point-class sealift ship
• Kingston Class sealift ship
• Beholder Class ELINT and SIGINT ship
• Protector USV

Fleet Air Arm

File:APAF roundel.png

Fleet Air Arm Roundel

Name	Type	Numbers
Arthuristan Dynamics Cyclone	Heavy tactical fighter	No longer in active service. 40 in reserve
Arthuristan Dynamics Whirlwind	Supersonic STOVL fighter	Part of the Joint STOVL Strike Wing
UFC Tempest	Multirole fighter
Arthuristan Dynamics Mercury	long range carrier strike bomber/interdictor	36x ECR aircraft remain in service
UFC F-29 Hurricane	5th-generation multirole fighter	One squadron of F-29C (12 total) operational as of 2015, two squadrons undergoing testing.
Aigios Seiren	AWAC
AW101 Merlin	Multi-role helicopter (medium)
Sea King	Multi-role helicopter (medium)	to be replaced by Merlin
Lynx	Multi-role helicopter (light)	Both original and Wildcat variants in service
Chinook	Heavy lift helicopter	Operating in support of the Commonwealth Marines
Arthuristan Dynamics NOVA	UCAV and Recce drone	2x in experimental deployment
Beechcraft Super King Air	light utility aircraft
Arthuristan Dynamics Horus	AEW Drone	12x in service out of 24 ordered

Historical aircrafts (post-1945)

• Greenwich Vampire
• Greenwich Gryphon
• Greenwich Tigress and Super Tigress
• Continental Reaper
• Fairey Gannet ASW/AEW
• Westland Wessex
• Westland Wasp
• Arthuristan Dynamics Kestrel
• Aigios Ifrit

Arthuristan munitions

Land/surface strike:

• ACM-1 Cerberus long range cruise missile
• ACM-2 Renove anti-ship missile
• ACM-3 Super Skybolt air-launched ballistic missile
• ACM-5 Hydra heavy anti-ship missile
• ACM-7 Astaroth hypersonic semi-ballistic missile
• ACM-8 Malphas Supersonic cruise missile
• ACM-9 Asmoday supersonic mid-range cruise missile
• ACM-13 Lilith subsonic cruise missile
• ACM-15 Mephisto supersonic cruise missile
• ACM-17 Choronzon supersonic attack missile
• Scorpion missile
• Delilah (missile)
• ASROC
• Ikara (phasing out)
• AGM-88 HARM anti-radiation weapon
• Matra Durandal anti-runway weapon
• Sea Skua lightweight anti-ship missile
• HS-91 Estrella
• Foreganger Missile

Gravity bombs

• JDAM
• Paveway series
• Mark 80 series
• AGM-154 Joint Standoff Weapon
• BL755 Cluster bomb (phasing out)
• JP233 anti-runway weapon

Surface-to-air

• AD-12 Fleet Defence Missile
• AD-16 Sea Adder (replacing ESSM)
• SeaRAM
• Sea Wolf (missile) (phasing out)
• Sea Dart (missile) (phasing out)

Air-to-air

• ACCM Taipan
• AIM-120 (phasing out)
• ABVRM Comet
• ASM-135 ASAT
• ASM-140 XASM

Torpedoes

• Spearfish torpedo heavy torpedo
• MU90 Impact lighweight torpedo / torpedo interceptor