Confection Class
 TS Chartreuse Jelly (far right, very distant)
| |
| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Builders: | West Woods Shipyard (西章, ser-tjang) |
| Operators: |
 Themiclesia |
| Preceded by: | Tuver |
| Succeeded by: | Sabot |
| Built: | 1947–1948 |
| In commission: | 1950– |
| Planned: | 5 |
| Completed: | 5 |
| Active: | 1 |
| Scrapped: | 3 |
| Preserved: | 1 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type: | Frigate |
| Displacement: | 3,525 t |
| Length: | 87 m |
| Draught: | 8 m |
| Propulsion: | fossil fuel |
| Speed: | 24 knots |
| Range: | not measured |
The Confection Class (干艇, kem-hling’) is a class of frigates of the Themiclesian Navy. Ships in class were named for the favourite creations of the Secretary of Confections that sacrificed his life to protect the Themiclesian Emperor Shljaps-tsung from assassination.
Namesake and controversy
The Themiclesian Navy preserves its ship-naming scheme from its founding over 12 centuries ago, with all ships named after celestial bodies. The early navy was known for its superstition and wished to associate its vessels with stars, which do not "sink" and appear to be permanent. Even after the introduction of Casaterran concepts in the 16th century and forward, ships were still named this way. During the Pan-Septentrion War, the Empire of Dayashina infiltrated the Themiclesian Marine Corps and made several attempts on Emperor Shljaps-tsung's life; in one particularly close occasion, the Secretary of Confections grabbed, with his bare hands, hot coals from a mobile stove and therewith incapacitated the assassins. He died of severe burns and blood loss several days afterwards. In 1946, the Navy Secretary ordered an investigation into the infiltration, which was hushed during the war; the investigators found that the infiltration was far more extensive than previously thought and recommended the Navy to dedicate a memorial to the Secretary of Confections, who had "perished due to the negligence of ministers". The Navy Secretary chose to name the new class of frigates after the desserts for which the victim was renowned at court.
When the order to name the new frigates was announced, there was some degree of dissent in the Navy. Conservative officers believed that the Navy should not flirt with fate by naming its ships after things "which melt or sink in water", while others thought that the Navy's naming scheme should be preserved. In 1947, Vice Admiral Rik told his subordinates that, "even in the interest of the esteemed Secretary of Confections, it is not appropriate to name ships after his desserts, because if the ship were to have an accident, it would amount to a curse on his spirit and insult to his dignity." Another officer, Admiral Trjang, opined that if new ships were to be named this way, "we shall have to avoid these desserts throughout the Navy, lest we cast a hex onto their hulls". Nevertheless, the Navy Secretary pressed on with this policy, and the ships were commissioned with these names in 1950 and 1951.
Ships in class
| Name | Hull no. | Builder | Laid down | Launched | Commissioned | Decommissioned | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chartreuse Jelly | 9 | West Woods Shipyard | 10 January 1947 | 23 December 1947 | 1 January 1950 | Refit | |
| Cotton Candy | 10 | West Woods Shipyard | 15 October 1947 | 13 January 1949 | 1 January 1950 | 10 March 1971 | Scrapped |
| Marshmallow | 11 | West Woods Shipyard | 18 October 1947 | 15 January 1949 | 4 May 1951 | 29 May 1975 | Scrapped |
| Pudding | 12 | West Woods Shipyard | 22 Nov 1947 | 23 January 1949 | 3 January 1952 | 2 November 1975 | Preserved in the West Woods Museum |
| Sorbet | 13 | West Woods Shipyard | 3 August 1948 | 14 December 1949 | 1 August 1952 | 16 February 1977 | Scrapped |
| Name | Hull no. | Builder | Laid down | Launched | Commissioned | Decommissioned | Status |