Majestic class battleship
 GVNS Majestic, 1957
| |
| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Majestic class |
| Builders: | Fortuna Ironworks |
| Operators: |
 Grand Navy of Velikoslavia |
| Preceded by: | Tsar class |
| Succeeded by: | Skald class |
| Built: | 1944-1954 |
| In service: | 1947 to present |
| In commission: | 1947 to present |
| Planned: |
3 |
| Completed: |
3 |
| Active: |
1 |
| Laid up: |
2 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type: | Battleship |
| Displacement: | 70,298 tons |
| Length: | 342 metres |
| Beam: | 45.6 metres |
| Draft: | 12.5m |
| Installed power: | 205,000 shp |
| Propulsion: |
|
| Speed: | 27 knots |
| Range: | 10,600 nmi at 16 knots (30 km/h; 18 mph) |
| Complement: | 3,250 |
| Sensors and processing systems: |
|
| Armament: | |
| Armor: |
|
| Aircraft carried: | 1x helicopter |
The Majestic class battleships were a class of battleships designed and built in Velikoslavia in the 1940s and 1950s. They were designed in response to the X battleships being built by X. Discussions on the number of vessels to build was a hot topic in several procurement sessions and it was eventually decided that three vessels, the Majestic, the Glory, and the Splendor would be constructed.
These ships were capable of rivaling any other battleship built in terms of firepower and armor with six 470-millimeter guns and six 406-millimeter guns, which are the largest guns to be mounted to a warship in the world. In terms of armor, the vessels were designed to be able to absorb hits from significant sized weapons in order to counteract Ludvosiyan battleships and shore guns in the confined areas that the ships potentially would be required to operate in.
All three ships were construced at the Fortuna Ironworks shipyards in Ustengrav under strict secrecy. The first, the Majestic, was unveiled in 1948 and deployed immediately into the Nordic Fleet where it was appointed as the flagship by Danil V. The vessels underwent several upgrades over their lifetime, including multiple sensor refits. Today, the Majestic and the Glory are laid up and the Splendor remains in active service as the flagship of the Grand Velikoslavian Navy after an extentive four year rebuild.
History
Development and construction
Antebellum period
Second Partisans' War
Belisarian Cold War
Deactivation
Refit of the Splendor
Fahrani Civil War
Design and development
General characteristics
Machinery
Armament
Fire control
Protection
Service
Second Partisans' War
2020 refit
 GVNS Splendor, 2020
| |
| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Majestic class |
| Builders: | Fortuna Ironworks |
| Operators: |
Grand Navy of Velikoslavia |
| Preceded by: | Tsar class |
| Succeeded by: | Skald class |
| Built: | 2016-2020 (rebuild) |
| In service: | 1948 to present |
| In commission: | 1949 to present |
| Planned: |
1 |
| Completed: |
1 |
| Active: |
1 |
| Laid up: |
1 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type: | Battleship |
| Displacement: | 60,298 tons |
| Length: | 342 metres |
| Beam: | 45.6 metres |
| Draft: | 12.5m |
| Installed power: | 310,000 shp |
| Propulsion: |
|
| Speed: | 31 knots |
| Endurance: | 90-120 days |
| Complement: | 1,342 |
| Sensors and processing systems: |
|
| Armament: |
|
| Armor: |
|
| Aircraft carried: | 1x helicopter |
The 2020 refit of the Splendor was a service life extension program on one of the Majestic class to modernize and update it to work as a guided missile battleship under the Wide Scale Denial Doctrine of 2016, which determined that missile technology would soon be capable enough to eventually supersede the dominance of Aircraft carriers, and that all surface vessels will soon be at risk from emerging technology such as hypersonic missiles. It was therefore determined that the best way to proceed would be to cease all development and pursuit of Aircraft carriers and develop ships such as submarines that are less vulnerable, and to upgrade the existing hulls of surface vessels via rebuilds and refits, allowing them to access new technology to defend against 21st century threats and extend their service lives significantly rather than spend billions developing all new surface ships. The Splendor was to be the first vessel upgraded under the 21st Century Surface Ship Directive, which was issued by the Tsar in 2015 at the advice of Naval High Command. The Splendor was subsequently refitted into a guided missile battleship and made the flagship of the 21st Century Fleet.
The refit process was expensive and time consuming but according to the Naval Aviation Study conducted in 2014, it was determined that the operational life of the Splendor, post refit, would still be significantly cheaper than designing, building, fitting out, and commissioning a carrier of similar size. In June of 2016, the Splendor was removed from the mothball docks at Rorlund Sound and transported to Levograv where part of the the superstructure, deck armor, and propulsion armor were all cut away, which took four months, and nuclear propulsion was fitted. The new radar mast for modern sensors was built above the reactor, with new armor installed to safeguard the reactor. Many of the previous electronic systems were removed and new systems fitted to update the technology, though many of the original systems were reused where possible. The rear 406mm guns were removed and replaced with VLS packs. The turrets for the main 470mm guns were redesigned and new shell handling systems were put into place.
Sensor Upgrades
The Splendor received a significant 21st century sensor package, including integration with the Ravelin Fleet Defense System.
Weapon Upgrades
Main Guns
Retaining the forward main guns on the ship would allow hypervelocity rounds to be utilized, which are projected to be a major offensive component of large caliber guns in the future. In 2017, the Type 47 470mm gun was upgraded to the Type 48 470mm gun, which featured three newly developed rounds. The first one, known as Long Range Strike Projectiles, utilizes rocket technology, laser guidance, and GPS guidance to achieve a recorded effective strike range of 120 miles, with a maximum range of 150 miles. Though effective and deadly, these rounds are expensive and as a result, they are used only when necessary. The second round is known as the Precision Strike Projectile, which utilizes GPS guidance and rocket propulsion to behave as a ship gun launched guided missile. It can accurately hit targets within 60 miles and is capable of hitting moving targets. The final new round is the the HIAP, or the High-Impact Armor Piercing round. This is effectively a APFSDS round at sea and has a much shorter effective range of 30-40 miles but can penetrate up to 30 inches of steel. Due to the limited utility of these rounds, not many of them were produced nor are carried.
The turrets themselves were also upgraded, with electro-hydraulic rotation mechanisms, which allow the turrets to rotate far faster than the previous iteration of the vessel. Precision aiming motors also allow for minute adjustments to the weapon's position. The addition of modern fire control computing has allowed the weapons to become deadly accurate within their operational range, as the ship can automatically input data from various sensors, allowing precise targeting over great distances. In order to increase the rate of fire, an autoloading system was added to each turret, which increases the rate of fire from 1.5 shots per minute to 4 shots per minute and drastically reduces crew requirement. A carousel system under the deck quickly feeds shells into a loading mechanism, which can quickly reload the main weapons. The shell handling systems were also automated, which relegates turret crew to aiming and firing the main weapons and monitoring the systems. This greatly reduces the number of crew in the guns. Improved ventilation and creature comforts like air conditioning systems also improve quality of life for crewmen spending long hours in the turrets during fighting.
Vertical launch system
The rear turrets of the Splendor were removed entirely and replaced with 128 VLS cells that are configurable for multiple different ammunition loads. Average loadouts generally consist of surface to air missiles and Anti-ship missiles but can be configured for mission roles.
Propulsion upgrades
Superstructure upgrades
The Splendor's bridge was significantly upgraded with all modern command and control systems installed and the outdated systems removed. The bridge was enlarged by removing the chart room and the navigator's cabin and a dedicated navigator's station was added instead with modern systems. Crew stations were rearranged in the new open concept bridge with dedicted stations for each crewman. Windows and ceilings were better insulated to improve comfort and the old steam radiator heating was replaced with electric heating and cooling, which extend ship wide.