RS Serenity in Salvation
 Serenity in Salvation in 1916
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| History | |
|---|---|
| Republic of Syara | |
| Name: | Serenity in Salvation |
| Builder: | Breeze Builders |
| Launched: | 1915 |
| Status: | Sunk 15 September, 1917 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type: | Battleship |
| Displacement: |
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| Length: | 166 m (544 ft 7 in) |
| Beam: | 26.9 m (88 ft 3 in) |
| Draft: | 9.8 m (32 ft 2 in) |
| Propulsion: | 4 shafts; steam turbine sets |
| Speed: | 20 knots |
| Range: | 8,500 km |
| Complement: | 1,193 |
| Armament: |
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The RS Serenity in Salvation was a Basileus-class battleship fielded by the Navy of the Syaran Republic. Launched in 1915, she was the fourth of her class of "heavy dreadnoughts" which had been intended to respond to the Dana Baldini-Class Battleships fielded by the Cacertian Royal Navy. She was sunk on 15 September 1917 after ramming the HMS Laura Valier.
Following the outbreak of the Divide War, the Serenity in Salvation was quickly recalled to northern Syara to prevent the Cacertian Empire from threatening the Symmerian coast. The Serenity in Salvation saw action in the Battle of the Veylo Channel, the Battle of Ruchalas Bay, and the Battle of the Sanguine Sea, during which she received minor damage, necessitating repairs at Vechad.
Following the beginning of the Desopya Campaign the Syaran fleet was assigned to harass the interdict Cacertian efforts to resupply their forces in Symmeria. Between April and August 1917 she took part in eight skirmishes with the Cacertians, sinking two destroyers and one cruiser. On the evening of 15 September, the Serenity in Salvation engaged a Cacertian flotilla led by the Dana Baldini-Class HMS Laura Valier. After scoring two initial hits on the super-dreadnought, things turned south for the Syarans as the Serenity in Salvation was hit seven times by the Laura Valier. By 19:45 the Syaran battleship was listing slightly to port and two of her primary batteries had been destroyed. Captain Dusan Vasilevski, commanding the Serenity in Salvation, attempted to withdraw but merciless shellfire from the Cacertians crippled the already damaged Syaran battleship.
By 20:00 the none of the 340mm guns of the Serenity in Salvation were operational. Badly damaged, on fire, and listing, Captain Vasilevski ordered a turn 30 degrees to port towards the direction of the Cacertian battleline. The act exposed the Serenity in Salvation to further shelling from the Cacertians, but she continued to sail towards the Cacertians. Aboard the HMS Laura Valier the Cacertians were unable to make sense of the Syaran maneuver until the ship was less than a kilometer away, sailing straight for the Cacertian dreadnought. Unable to maneuver quickly herself due to damage to her engines the Laura Valier tried to vain to avoid the impending collision, but was too late.
At approximately 20:15 the 25,000 ton Serenity in Salvation rammed the 34,000 ton Laura Valier; the bow of the Syaran battleship puncturing the Cacertian hull at a roughly 40 degree angle between the two forward turrets. The action punched a hole through the Cacertian armor above the waterline, while bending inward the hull plates below. The Laura Valier rapidly began to take on water, and only emergency actions by her damage control teams stopped her from sinking. The bow of the Serenity in Salvation crumpled upon impact, and the ship quickly began to sink, foundering after less than ten minutes. Just 23 of the crew survived, including future Fleet Admiral Hristijan Rajcevski who was serving as a gunnery officer aboard the battleship.
The Serenity in Salvations' attack on the Laura Valier is the only instance of a battleship ramming another battleship in the history of Tyran. Debate over whether or not the ramming was intentional or accidental continues to this day; none of the bridge nor engine crews survived the sinking. The wreckage of the Serenity in Salvation lies approximately 50 meters below the surface of the Veylo Channel, 25 kilometers off the southern coast of Chryse.