Commonwealth of Reikland Navy
The Commonwealth Federal Navy is the naval service branch of the Commonwealth of Reikland Armed Forces and one of the uniformed services of Reikland. It is the largest and most powerful blue-water navy in the world, with a battle fleet tonnage greater than most other navies combined. It has the highest combined battlefleet tonnage, the largest carrier fleet with 13 fleet aircraft carriers and another thirteen helicopter carriers. With more than 980,000 active and reserve personnel, the CFN is the third largest branch in terms of personnel.
Mission
The Commonwealth Navy is the seaborne branch of the Commonwealth Armed Forces. The three primary areas of responsibility for the Navy are:
- The preparation of Naval Forces necessary for the successful prosecution of War;
- The maintenance of Naval Aviation, including land-based air assets, air transport essential for naval operations, and all air weapons and air techniques involved in the operation and activities of the Navy.
- The development of weapons, aircraft, techniques, tactics, organization, and equipment for naval combat and service elements.
History
Organization
Operating Forces
Shore Establishments
Relationships with other Services
Personnel
Commissioned Officers
Warrant Officers
Noncommissioned Officers and Enlisted Men
Badges and Ratings
Bases
Equipment
As of 1420, the CRN operates 439 deployable vessels and another 287 support ships. Additionally, the Navy maintains 5,520+ aircraft, some 75,640 vehicles, and more than 113,460 buildings on almost 5 million acres of land.
Ships
The names of ships of the Commonwealth Navy are prefixed with the letters "CNS", meaning "Commonwealth Navy Ship". Non-commissioned, civilian manned vessels are prefixed with the letters "CS", meaning "Commonwealth Ship". Ship names are selected by the Secretary of the Navy in accordance with established precedent or to honor important places or people. Additionally, each ship recieves an alpha-numeric hull designation, with the letters indicating ship type (I.E. CVN for nuclear carriers) and the numbers representing the numbers of vessels built for that particular type (DDGN-68 indicating the 68th nuclear powered guided missile destroyer). All ships are placed on the Naval Vessels Register after the ship is ordered and tracks the current status of the ship, its date of commissioning, and its date of decommissioning. Vessels removed from the registry prior to disposal (by scrapping or scuttling) are said to be stricken. The Navy also maintains a reserve fleet of older vessels maintained for reactivation if necessary.
The Commonwealth Navy was one of the first to install nuclear reactors aboard ships and currently operates the largest fleet of nuclear powered vessels in the world, with 119 surface vessels and 106 submarines are powered using nuclear reactors and form the core of the "Battle Fleet". Aircraft carriers are powered by two reactors while nuclear cruisers, destroyers, and submarines are powered by a single reactor.
Aircraft Carriers
The Commonwealth Navy maintains a force of 13 fleet aircraft carriers, with three deployed at all times. Three are also currently undergoing mid-life refuel and refit operations. Carriers deploy as part of a Carrier Battle Group, which includes one to three nuclear powered guided missile cruiser, four to six nuclear powered guided missile destroyers, two nuclear powered fast attack submarines, and one supply ship. Modern carriers are named for admirals and politicians.
Amphibious Warfare Vessels
Amphibious Warfare Ships are a central part of the Commonwealth Navy, relied upon to deploy CRMC units to combat zones. There are three distinct types of Amphibious Warfare Ships in CRN service: the Amphibious Assault Ship, Dock Landing Ship, and Amphibious Transport Dock.
The Amphibious Assault Ship is a small aircraft carrier that also serves as a transport for Marines and landing craft. The CRN maintains a fleet of 14 Amphibious Assault Ships, each capable of deploying around 1,700 Marines to hostile shores and supporting them with aircraft.
The Dock Landing Ship is a type of ship primarily designed to carry landing craft. The size of the well deck that allows for the launch, retrieval, and storage of large landing craft means they rarely carry more than about 500 Marines. The CRN has 18 Dock Landing Ships.
Finally, the Amphibious Transport Dock are outwardly similar to Dock Landing Ships with the primary difference currently being the type of landing craft carried. Where a Dock Landing Ship largely carries 3 or 4 LCACs, an Amphibious Transport Dock carries smaller amphibious personnel carriers and, as a consequence, generally has a larger complement of Marines. The CRN intends to replace all 18 Dock Landing Ships with Amphibious Transport Docks, which necessitated designing the ATDs to be able to carry LCACs. 17 Amphibious Transport Docks are in CRN service.
Cruisers
Cruisers are large surface combatants that conduct air defense, anti-submarine warfare, surface warfare, and shore bombardment missions either independently or as part of a squadron or task force. The CRN maintains two classes of cruisers, one nuclear powered design that primarily serves as a carrier escort and a conventional design that serves more traditional cruiser missions. 33 cruisers are in service. Two new classes are currently on order, a conventional class to deliver 18 ships and a nuclear class to deliver 29 ships.
Destroyers
Destroyers are multi-mission medium surface combatants that perform anti-air, anti-submarine, anti-ship, and other missions.