an imperial fleet

[flykiller]

Fleet Administrative Order and Tactical Order



Task Force

A Task Force is any assemblage of ships assigned a specific task as a group for any length of time in any location, though typically the mission will be for at least several weeks and remote from the main body from which the task force is drawn.



Recon Group Division

cct

A Recon Group Division consists of two Cherrys to recon or to engage opponents, and a Tikkit to provide the combatants with Jump 4 strategic movement, though the Tikkit seldom accompanies the Cherrys directy but rather remains with any other available fleet elements for mutual protection. A pair of Cherrys sent to recon an in-system element or detection is common.



Battle Group Division

AKT

A Battle Group Division consists of an Allosaurus and a Kurashk to engage opponents, and a Tok to provide the combatants with Jump 4 stratetic movement. The Division is commanded by a Commodore mounted on either the Tok or the Kurashk as he sees fit - usually the Kurashk, as the Allosaurus and Kurashk close to engage while the Tok remains with any other available fleet elements for mutual protection. A pair of Cherrys and their associated Tikkit may be part of this Division - usually such a grouping would exist because the Battle Group Division has been designated a Task Force. A Battle Group Division operating alone as a Task Force, with or without Cherrys, is not uncommon but not typical.



Battle Group

AKT AKT AKT AKT
cct cct cct cct
a(c)a(m)a(s)a(h)
C

A Battle Group consists of four Battle Group Divisions, four Recon Group Divisions, four Alice Transports with modules for cargo, a battalion of Fleet Marines, a mobile shipyard, and a fleet hospital, and a Command Ship mounting a Rear Admiral in overall command of the Battle Group. This is the basic administrative, strategic, and tactical unit of the Imperial Navy.



Line Fleet

BG BG BG BG
ssssss
C

A Line Fleet consists of four Battle Groups, a Scout Division of six Condors, and a Command Ship mounting a Vice Admiral in overall command of the Line Fleet. This is the basic fleet element of the Imperial Navy. For offensive operations or other Task Force assignments it may have more Alice Transports or other units attached.



Sector Fleet

LF LF LF LF
C

A Sector Fleet consists of four Line Fleets and a Command Ship mounting an Admiral in overall command of the Sector Fleet. For offensive operations or other assignments it may have other units attached. This is the basic strategic fleet element of the Imperial Navy. The Admiral answers directly to the Sector Duke. A Domain Fleet is identical in composition but is commanded by a Grand High Admiral who answers directly to the Arch Duke.



Battle Group Tactical Deployment

         c     c 

c     A     A     A     c

      K     K     K


            A
            K
           c c

c           C           c
       T a a a a T
       T t t t t T

This is the classic 3-up 1-back, modified by tactical situation, gravity wells, and other considerations. Here the Allosauri move in close while the Kurashk provide long-range support. Other lines will of course suggest themselves.

 

[flykiller]

Ship Construction, Fleet Deployment, Fleet Maintenance

While Traveller ship construction rules, and thus Fleet sizes, vary greatly, ships must be maintained, and in general Traveller rules require a ship spend two weeks each year in a class A shipyard to maintain proper functionality. Taking into account Trillion Credit Squadron rules for shipyard capacities, the populations of worlds possessing appropriate class A yards, the presence of Imperial Navy bases, and typical industry and industrial personnel inefficiencies, one roughly concludes that the Spinward Marches may support up to 320 Battle Groups or 20 Sector Fleets. YJMV. In terms of maintenance capacity distribution of fleet homeports break down as follows:

Junidy/Junidy:        4 BG (Line Fleet)
Efate/Regina:        20 BG (Sector Fleet, Line Fleet)
Jewell/Jewell:       20 BG (Sector Fleet, Line Fleet)
Regina/Regina:        2 BG
Extolay/Regina:       2 BG
Villis/Villis:       20 BG (Sector Fleet, Line Fleet)
Mirriam/FiveSisters:  2 BG
Lunion/Lunion:       20 BG (Sector Fleet, Line Fleet)
Strouden/Lunion:     20 BG (Sector Fleet, Line Fleet)
New Rome/Glisten:     2 BG
Palique/Mora:        16 BG (Sector Fleet)
Rhylanor/Rhylanor:   16 BG (Sector Fleet)
Porozlo/Rhylanor:     4 BG (Line Fleet)
total               148 BG

Mora/Mora:           80 BG (5 Sector Fleets)
Trin/Trin:           80 BG (5 Sector Fleets)
Fornice/Mora:        11 BG (2 LIne Fleets, 3 Battle Groups)
Pax Rulin/Trojan Reaches
                      1 BG

This scheme attempts a forward distribution of Imperial Fleet resources towards the major perceived opponent, the Zhodani Consulate. Secondary effort is directed towards the Vargr Extends with the Line Fleet at Junidy/Junidy and towards the Senlis Foederate with the Battle Group at Pax Rulin / Trojan Reaches. As a result of this orientation all bases and yards are at maximum maintenance capacity with regard to stationed fleet elements except at Mora and Trin where significant excess maintenance capacity exists.

In general fleets are manned by the populations of their maintenance worlds, but the Imperial Navy maintains a policy of rotating Battle Groups and Line Fleets between the Mora/Trin Maintenance District and the Outlying Districts (everyone else) from time to time. If he prefers an imperial sailor will spend the majority of his time in his home district but he also will spend at least some time in another portion of the Spinward Marches. Those sailors who wish to roam, however, can easily wind up seeing most of the Marches. Also promotions go most heavily to those sailors who have served in several districts. This policy has the overall effect of fleets being heavily crewed with enlisted locals but commanded by career professional officers and chiefs.

It should be noted that this distribution and basing scheme does not take into account planetary navies, which can be quite significant. And while they are part of the official Imperial Navy and share its logistics and maintenance facilities the Bishop and Irkhuar Task Forces operate on their own schedules and mission parameters which change frequently.

 

[kliner]

Spherical Battle Riders

In high guard the spherical ships are among the easiest to dismantle with a spinal mounted meson gun. It is not the recommended configuration. Also spheres are considered partially streamlined, not fully streamlined and don't land on planets with atmospheres as a result. Your rule set and universe may vary.

 

[kliner]

BG versus squadrons

I have been doing imperial fleets for the traveller wiki to amuse myself. I usually put one squadron per naval base in a subsector, and the number of naval bases dictates the number of BatRons, CruRons, TankRons and AssaultRons a subsector fleet has. The number of scout bases is equal to the number of ScoutRons. The number of class A starports and the number of tech F planets dictate the relative number of ships that can be manufactured and procured by the imperial navy to serve in those squadrons. Other opinions welcome.

 

[warwizard]

The spherical gives minimum volume used for armor, = less mass and more agility for the same power. This is a trade off between armor and configuration. The best configuration vs. meson guns, cannot be armored at all. So one needs to find a compromise between configuration, armor and agility. A needle configuration is better against a meson gun but may need 50% more material for the same armor, this results in a much larger and more expensive craft for the same performance levels. Thus designer's choice here was to accept more meson gun hits on the configuration check, while providing some 20% to 50% more hulls for the same cost.

 

[Condottiere]

It's hard to target a sphere if it ping pongs all over the place.

 

[aramis]

If the distance is <0.5 LS, and the ship's smallest dimension is >(5m x G's), and the pointing accuracy is at least 3" of arc (we can do that now; it's done daily at 1.5LS), a miss is due to not aiming, not tracking, or equipment failure

0°0'1" arc accuracy is ±1.4m/LS

1G at 1 second travel time (Target signal bounce to ship, ship laser back to target) WHich means it can be 0.5*G*10*(((2*0.5)+0.1)^2)= 5.5*G in meters distance. Adding them, at 1 LS, assuming proper leading and 0.1 s time to adjust aim...
so actually, (5.5*G) +0.7 m smallest dimension. That's how far off a laser can physically be if you aim center of mass at where imaged at 0.5 LS range.
So a 6G ship can be up to 33.7 m off from aimed with a 1 second of arc laser. (Which we can do - CWIS is <3 SOA {0°0M3.22" aiming is ±2.5cm at 1 km, and that's the PUBLISHED accuracy upper threshold. It's actually under half that.)

 

[warwizard]

To sum up the implications of what Aramis is saying, lightspeed weapons have a distance modifier based on the target size and agility.

A 12 G agility missile with a .1m smallest dimension can dodge a lot better than a 4 Agility battleship with a 200m smallest dimension, his math gives a way to quantify it. Use the math to see if the 12 agility missile above can get to within 10,000 m without getting shot by a point defense laser.

1/15 of a second at 12 g's, says the missile can dodge 4 meters in that time, so my guess will be that this engagement to be of low probability of a hit.

To amplify that a bit, a tracking weapon in space needs 4 agility to overcome each agility point of the target, so an anti missile-missile needs 48 agility to generate an intercept on a 12 agility bogey. Blast fragmentation warheads make up for the time delay of maneuver, so you do not have to score a direct impact hit.

My sons designed laser systems for their ships that were 3600 shots per second with a DV of 1 and a range of 1 (30,000 km or .1 LS) as their anti missile point defenses, I had countered with a laser drone that fired at a range of 3. My drone failed due to the lack of detail of the combat system , the enemy was able to vector towards the drones to bring them within the envelope of the point defense laser systems, without me being able to counter that vector with maneuvers of my own. Some redesign of the combat system for a more robust ploy and counter ploy tactical system for ship to ship combat may be needed.

 

[kilemall]

I strongly disagree WarWizard as the base course of the missile is known, having to head towards the target ship even if it is a standoff detlaser/casaba howitzer/shotgun debris type weapon, and also far less power is required to destroy it, allowing for a greater amount of multishots to fill up the spherical volume of potential maneuver.

 

[Magnus von Thornwood]

Holy cows!

Okay, this is cool, but Dangnabbit, I'm not anywhere cool or grognard to get a lot of the stat blocks, never did HG except for CharGen.

Also, I use an ATU, so my navies are gonna be different.


Still, it is my kinda thread, so I shall at least see if there are things I can mine or even contribute. I mean I did start Travelling with CT.

 

[warwizard]

I strongly disagree WarWizard as the base course of the missile is known, having to head towards the target ship even if it is a standoff detlaser/casaba howitzer/shotgun debris type weapon, and also far less power is required to destroy it, allowing for a greater amount of multishots to fill up the spherical volume of potential maneuver.

yes, but it really does take thousands of shots to cover it with fire, the traditional 150 MW input one shot every 3 minutes laser turret is not going to provide that, even if you increase it's rate of fire as allowed in the FF&S rule sets. You need a dedicated system that is indeed only minimally powered, perhaps 1.707 M/W per emitter, but 50 to 100 laser emitters in a 1 ton turret, all grav focused with an effective range of only 30,000 km. For longer range you have to mount fewer emitters due to limitations on surface area. I'm assuming the tac officer can reroute power to the lasers for final protective fire.

100 lasers firing 1000 shots per 30 min, = 100,000/1800 to give 55.55 shots per second
1.707 MW times 100 emitters per turret...170.7 MW. that's about 1/3 the power needed for a triple beam laser installation. for the high guard folks, that's 1 EP for three such turrets.

Now a clever officer might take a full power anti ship laser and detune the focusing so the penetration energy is derated to only 1 DV, but the spot size becomes perhaps a meter or so in diameter, giving perhaps a 20% chance to hit per shot, just a thought.

Now the original posting was for flykiller to include dedicated communications elements in his fleet structure so that scout's could report enemy contacts into an information network, removing the need for the scout ships to know where the fleet will be. As the scout ships are most easily captured by military forces, or suborned by sophont intelligence services, this is a perhaps telling strategic capability.

 

[kilemall]

For my take on HG WarWiz I'm assuming base flexibility with most of the energy weapons, so they fire like in Striker for ortillery support, able to concentrate on maximum armor burnthrough OR spread fire for maximum to-hit, OR point defense on turrets as needed.

The defocus bit though, that's clever. Could work with fusion guns too, firing off a cloud instead of a stream.

 

[kilemall]

Rather than worrying about IR detection, the game is to embrace it. Piracy is possible because the cloud is NOT sparsely populated, but, rather, literally dotted with small outposts everywhere. The problem isn't detecting the pirate base, the problem is that it looks like every other legit outpost and simply blends in with the noise.

I think I missed this first pass. NICE.