City
| |
| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Name: | City-class Guided-Missile Destroyer |
| Builders: | Wilkinson-Taggart Shipyards |
| Operators: |
 Federation Navy |
| Preceded by: |
list error: <br /> list (help) Sardonic-class destroyer Ajax-class destroyer |
| Succeeded by: | Salonika-class cruiser (ECS duties only) |
| Cost: | DDG-98: $1.92 billion (FY2018) |
| In service: | 2000-Present |
| Completed: | 25 |
| Active: | 25 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type: | Destroyer |
| Tonnage: | 9,850 Metric tons |
| Length: | 157.8 m |
| Beam: | 23 m |
| Draught: | 9.5 m |
| Propulsion: | 4 x CODOG turbines generating 27,000 shp (20,000 kW); coupled to two shafts driving five-bladed screws |
| Speed: | 30+ knots |
| Range: | 4,800 nmi at 20 kn |
| Boats & landing craft carried: | 2 x Mk. IX Rigid-hulled inflatable boat |
| Complement: | 22 officers, 300 enlisted |
| Sensors and processing systems: |
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| Electronic warfare & decoys: |
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| Armament: |
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Guns:
Torpedoes:
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| Aircraft carried: | 2 x Cassini helicopters. |
The City class (Sometimes called the Orestes-class) of guided missile destroyers (DDGs) is a Federation Navy class of destroyer built around the RHEA defense network. The class follows a naming convention for cities within the Federation, with the first ship of the line - F.N.S Orestes being the sixth ship to carry the name, most famously the heavy cruiser captained by Commodore Truculentus Silo, a commander from the Second Belfro-Mutulese War.
The class was designed to function in two parts - The first, a multi-mission vessel capable of carrying varied and easily up-gradable weapon platforms for combat in sea, undersea, land, and air attacks in equal measure. The second, to form a part of the nation's ballistic missile strategy with anti-ballistic and, eventually, anti-satellite weapons. When the F.N.S Orestes was commissioned in 2000 she operated alongside the class' two predecessors the Sardonic and Ajax class destroyers. The Sardonic was designed as an air defence destroyer and had served faithfully prior to the arrival of the City-class. The Ajax was designed as a more evenly designed multi-role destroyer, but maintenance issues arose because of design shortfalls making at-sea maintenance hard in some areas. This was highlighted in 1988 when an incident occurred leading to the scrapping of one ship and the ordering of the entire class to port.
Motions for the ship's design had begun in 1988 after, as aforementioned, one of the Ajax-class destroyers suffered a catastrophic engine failure which led to the ship being scrapped when it's starboard drive shaft came loose and tore through the hull - An event that had only been seen once before. The event put a spotlight onto the navy, which had been suffering funding shortfalls for ten years prior to 1988. The reigning Sovereign Prince Nicholaus approved drastically increased funding and between the years of 1988 to 1995 the surface force of the navy went through a rolling drydock phase for seaworthiness checks. In the aftermath of the incident the Admiralty called for a newer design, as the Sardonic had been in service since 1957 and had been upgraded four times and the Ajax, now facing imminent decommissioning had been in service since 1962.
Initial drafts for the class, known at the time as Project D-075 after it's intended initial hull number, had the ship essentially designed as a sole anti-air destroyer and was soon augmented with land and sea attack munitions with a heavier emphasis on vertical launch ordnance from a universal and easily modified platform to meet new designs and technologies easily. The hull was redesigned twice featuring radar signature-reducing measures and eventually was approved for construction in 1997. The first ship, F.N.S Orestes was formally commissioned on 23 March 2000 after extensive sea and weapon trials showed her as a highly competent combatant, suffering only one defeat in 35 simulated engagements with destroyers, submarines, and simulated air attacks from land and sea-based platforms. The exercise for her trials became streamlined and led to bi-annual task force drills in the Makrian and Thalassan.
Three years after the Orestes was commissioned the older designs were slated for removal in 2003 to ensure the Navy could maintain budget limitations. The crews of these older ships where transferred to the still to-be-built destroyers of the City-class, which often led to them being shore-bound until they had finished retraining and their ship had been finished. This is infamously known as the 'Gerry Shortfall'
The ship's design would eventually be used as a heavy basis for the larger Salonika-class cruiser. The Salonika was named after states and granted the hull classification of 'cruiser' for it's design purpose - To function as command ships for escort task groups intended to escort the fleet's carriers. The class, while having the same radar and fire control suites of the City-class, also had a high-power air search radar reportedly capable of detecting stealth fighters and incoming munitions from significantly longer ranges. The class is comprised of five vessels, although twelve were originally planned. The five ships rotate responsibilities, with three escorting the nation's three nuclear-powered aircraft carriers and the remaining two on patrol or local-area duties while standing by to, if needed, escort amphibious assault groups or replace one of the three carrier escort command ships (ECS) at a moments notice.
Operational History
The lead ship of the class, F.N.S Orestes was commissioned at Thessalona on 23 March 2000 by members of Truculentus Silo's family and had his command sword installed as a memorial piece in the officers mess. The ship was assigned to command Destroyer Squadron One and would later go on to be the Escort Command Ship (ECS) of F.N.S Leonidas until relieved by F.N.S Aekrastas, a Salonika-class cruiser designed to function in the role.
Characteristics
General Specifications
The City class destroyers are 157.80 meters in length, with a beam and draught of 23 meters and 9.5 meters respectively. The ships weigh on average 9,850 metric tons and are crewed by 300 enlisted and 22 officers. Design for the ship came with the knowledge of it's two predecessors' roles and it's need to fulfill both roles (Multi-mission destroyer and anti-air combatant), as such the ship's length and weight was increased to take on an anti-submarine helicopter, increased weapons load-out, and self-defence instruments such as the Close-In Weapon System (CIWS).
The ship has four 'plates' for the RN/SPY-4, a Active electronically scanned array (AESA) multi-function radar that is plugged into the ARES Combat System to allow for detailed tracking and target management for Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) operations, Anti-Air Warfare (AAW), Anti-Surface Warfare (ASuW), and Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW). The radar is capable of active and passive search in air/land engagements. The RN/SPY-4 is coupled with the RN/SPS-22, a short-range two-dimensional radar system for surface-search and navigation. It's two dimension (azimuth and range) pulsed radar is designed for surface operations to allow the ship to see sea traffic and obstructions (sea clutter, bouys, etc). The secondary capability of the radar i for anti-ship missile and low flying aircraft detection. The rotation of the radar is typically set at a low speed for high detail images, but can be sped up and energised further for hyper-detailed images at the expense of emitting a larger image on hostile ships passive radar. The higher rotation and emitted signal allows the operator to discern targets better or to differentiate targets should two smaller objects enter close proximity and 'merge' with eachother on standard radar mode.
Transporation to and from the ship comes in two primary forms: Two standard Rigid-Hulled Inflatable Boats (RHIBs) are stowed on the starboard side of the vessel, parallel to the stern exhaust and are deployed/retrieved using a manned crane. The RHIBs are meant for operations in VBSS duties, hostile boarding duties or for inspection/deployment of personnel to locations as necessary. The ship also has a sizeable hangar mounted on the stern, capable of holding two Peregrine helicopters. These helicopters have a wide variety of uses as transport helicopters, anti-submarine warfare (ASW) combatants or for other usages with minimal refitting time aboard ship.
Armament and Sensors
The City-class is equipped with the ARES Combat System, an advanced command and decision (C&D) and Weapon Control System (WCS) platform that utilises advanced computers and radars to track enemy targets and to guide munitions to destroy them when necessary. It combines multiple resources both aboard the ship and elsewhere in order to efficiently depict and control the battle space around it, with direct uplinks to Strategic Command's satellite network allowing for fast communications of data when allowed in order to index and recall information as necessary. The ARES is divided into several boxes; A centralised control box that contains the system's unique user interface that is accessed from the ship's Combat Information Center (CIC) and hooks directly into the ship's sensor systems. The system's Command And Decision (C&D) and Weapon Control Systems (WCS) are then immediately spread out among the applicable areas through a highly modular system that allows it to be reconfigured for munitions aboard or for platform it is utilised on.
The ARES' Command And Decision mainframe operates in five quadrants: The ship's navigation system and display charts are overlaid onto a tactical grid that the system and operators can see and modify as necessary. This plugs into the ship's search radars, the second quadrant, for real time tracking of nearby entities in the air, on land or sea, and under the water. The C&D's Proof-Of-Identify system will aid crew members in identifying and indexing ships as needed. The system's Electronic Support Measure (ESM) suite is coupled with the ship's Electronic Countermeasure Suite (ECM) on the RN/SLS-082 Electronic Warfare Device and aids in the identification and tracking of entities. The ESM suite is also able to solve radar 'echoes' - Images too faint to identify - and incoming missiles with an improved accuracy over previous platforms.
Satellite Communications and Tactical Information Link systems are operated via the C&D system and allow the ship to maintain steady communications whilst in operations. This is also a method in which the ship's RHEA Defence Network gains third-party details of incoming ordnance for area defence. The last quadrant of the C&D system is the ship's sonar system, managed on the City-class by the Tungsten SSC-12 Sonar Array and it's towed cable. The sonar system has two main objectives; To identify and track submerged contacts and to perform detailed hydrographic surveys to keep the undersea geography accurately mapped. This proved crucial in 2006 when F.N.S Pullo mapped the collapse of a three mile submerged cliff area to expose volcanic vents in the Grey Sea. The discovery proved volcanic activity in the area, the activity of which successfully brought back marine life to that particular area. A part of the C&D system that is organically attached as and when needed is the ship's carried helicopters, which interface their airborne sensors and any carried systems (Such as a dipping sonar) to it.
The Weapon Control System (WCS) of the City-class is typically divided into Anti-Air Warfare (AAW), Anti-Surface Warfare (ASuW), Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW), and Electronic Warfare (EW) categories, all of which directly interface to the Command and Decision network for pin-point accuracy. The ship's Electronic Warfare suite is the RN/SLS-082 which was mentioned previously as also housing the ship's Electronic Support measure (ESM) suite. The Electronic Countermeasure suite uses a multi-mode, multiple-engagement frequency modulator to present false images to incoming ordnance or enemy fire control systems trying to 'paint' the ship with a target beam. The emitters for the ECM are capable of a self-modulated energy pattern that constantly shifts during usage in an attempt to throw off ship's trying to counter the jamming system. The Countermeasure suite also works as a method of detection for incoming missiles and has an automated decoy deployment system that takes over from crew-members to launch RBOC (Rapid Blooming Off-board Chaff) if needed.
The ECM suite forms a part of the Weapon Control System's defensive mode, which combines it, the previously mentioned RBOC to the ship's Trixton 500 Defence Suite and Beluga Anti-Torpedo Countermeasure System. The Trixton 500 is a modular system that utilises 1.2 ton rotary launchers to deploy active countermeasures into the direction of incoming missiles. The suite is also capable of holding and firing anti-air and anti-surface missiles for short range combat against hostile aircraft and boats making an attacking run. One such missile the Trixton 500 is capable of firing is the Pilum Missile, a short-range anti-surface/ship missile with a range of eight kilometers. The suite is also capable of launching anti-torpedo countermeasures, either as a decoy submerged chaff or as a torpedo-hunting interceptor. The Trixton is aided by the RBOC and an array of active/IR decoy launchers throughout the ship. The defensive mode also directly utilises the ship's two Millenium CIWS and 25mm remote operated cannons as needed, although usage of the 25mm cannons is a toggled-on slave as opposed to naturally available.
The offensive mode of the Weapon Control System is wide ranged and offers crew members an easy-to-use interface for managing, maintaining and using the ship's weapons. The City-class possesses facilities to store up to 96 missiles within it's vertical launch system and a further eight dedicated anti-ship missiles within mid-ship mounted launchers. The ship, by default, has eight Foreganger Missiles, a supersonic anti-ship missile capable of Mach 2.3 and a range of 209 kilometers. The Foregangers are fired at a slanted curve away from the ship to it's sides and quickly expend a solid-fuel booster to achieve operational flight speeds. The Foreganger Missile Control System (FMCS) controls the usage of the Foregangers.
City-class destroyers can hold a wide array of missiles within it's 96-cell vertical launch system. Initially the class exclusively utilised the system for Anti-Air Missiles, however as missiles such as the Lance Missile came into service, the options have increased dramatically. The Lance Missile, operated by the Lance Control System (LCS) has a wide variety of variants that allow it to strike targets on land or at sea with conventional high explosives or thermobaric warheads. A cluster munition deploying missile, the Lance SD-5, also see's naval usage for actions against small craft or for scattered bombardments of larger enemy combatants. The traditional anti-ship missile of the Lance family, the AS-3, is being phased out of service in favour of the supersonic Trebuchet Missile, a ram-jet weapon capable of delivering up to 300 kg of explosives coupled with it's own kinetic energy to an hostile target. Whilst the Trebuchet is marked for usage against seaborne targets, it has proven equally effective in engaging targets on land. The class' capabilities within the Anti-Air Warfare (AAW) arena includes the Arthuristan-designed AD-12 Area Defence Missile, which is domestically manufactured in the Federation and titled the 'Archer Missile'. The AD-16 Adder, called 'Crossbow' in Federation use, is a shorter ranged missile capable of being quad-packed into a single launch cell. A press release in 2019 revealed that at least eight AD-16's are utilised aboard each of the city-class destroyers to supplement it's 'final-tier' defence perimeter, although the number is likely to be higher.
The 127mm light-weight deck gun on the front of the ship is a dual purpose weapon with automatic loading and remote operation from the ship's CIC. By default the weapon holds 66 rounds of varrious nature within automated loader drums. The weapon, which is cooled by water jets, is capable of conducting a sustained barrage of 40 rounds per minute with certain types of ammunition fired reaching ranges of 100 km. The ship is also equipped with two 25mm remote operated bushmaster guns, capable of firing over 200 rounds per minute to ranges of 3000 meters.
Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) aboard the vessel is accomplished three fold; The ship possesses two tri-barrel torpedo launchers above the hangar which fire the Type 14A Helix Lightweight Torpedo, which is capable of independently tracking and eliminating hostile submarines at a speed of 40+ knots (46 mph+). The torpedo is also stored in the Peltast Missile, which is fired from the vertical launch system and is capable of placing the torpedo into the water at danger-close ranges to reduce the ability of the submarine to counter it in time.
Ships in class
| Name | Number | Comissioned | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| F.N.S Orestes | DDG-75 | 23 March 2000 | Active |
| F.N.S Odresta | DDG-76 | Active | |
| F.N.S Mondria | DDG-77 | Active | |
| F.N.S Polemystras | DDG-78 | Active | |
| F.N.S Batikonon | DDG-79 | Active | |
| F.N.S Delphinos | DDG-80 | Active | |
| F.N.S Koronia | DDG-81 | Active | |
| F.N.S Nea Gatolia | DDG-82 | Active | |
| F.N.S Kordube | DDG-83 | Active | |
| F.N.S Amira | DDG-84 | Active | |
| F.N.S Patmos | DDG-85 | Active | |
| F.N.S Abdera | DDG-86 | Active | |
| F.N.S Trecona | DDG-87 | Active | |
| F.N.S Akesinis | DDG-88 | Active | |
| F.N.S Kratas | DDG-89 | Active | |
| F.N.S Limnos | DDG-90 | Active | |
| F.N.S Akanos | DDG-91 | Active | |
| F.N.S Kalamos | DDG-92 | Active | |
| F.N.S Delphoria | DDG-93 | Active | |
| F.N.S Syrta | DDG-94 | Active | |
| F.N.S Thessalona | DDG-95 | Active | |
| F.N.S Kalochiri | DDG-96 | Active | |
| F.N.S Kavanos | DDG-97 | Active | |
| F.N.S Audrikinni | DDG-98 | Active | |
| F.N.S Palymos | DDG-99 | Active |