Classic Traveller Alien Module 6 - Solomani said:In response to [Imperial success], the Confederation embarked on a desperate gamble, consolidating its remaining forces into a single Grand Fleet under their ablest admiral, Ivan Wolfe.
Wolf analyzed the nature of the dual lmperial advance. The Imperial 17th Fleet was advancing along the line Lagash-Nusku-Agidda, towards Terra; the 1st Fleet was striking from Vega toward Dingir and its industrial and political strength. . . . Wolfe caught the advanced guard of the 17th Fleet at Agidda and inflicted a major defeat. He then shifted his forces to Dingir, hoping that he could also defeat the 1st Fleet. The fatal miscalculation was in figuring reorganization time: the 17th Fleet was able to rally its ships in a matter of weeks and effect a pursuit of Wolf's Grand Fleet. In the Battle of Dingir (early 1002), Wolfe was caught by surprise as lmperial reinforcements turned the tide against him (11).
I have often wondered what the Battle of Dingir looked like -- what kind of forces were involved? But to answer this, we have to answer another question: in the context of the Rim War, just what were the 1st and 17th fleets?
The Imperial Navy, as is well known, maintains numbered subsector fleets. The MegaTraveller Rebellion Sourcebook's map of "Fleets of the Imperium" shows that, circa 1116, the 17th Subsector Fleet is stationed at Ikhnaton, subsector A of Ley, while the 1st, naturally enough, defends Core subsector of Core sector.
But it doesn't seem likely to me that the 1st and 17th fleets that fought at Dingir were these subsector fleets.
Although sources are inconsistent in their description of the Imperial navy -- leading to lots of heated debate among fans -- the most most recent canonical source is Mongoose Traveller: Sector Fleet, which contends that the Imperial Navy's numbered subsector fleets are different in composition and mission from the named sector fleets. The Sector Fleets "are responsible for large-scale military action, most importantly warfighting," while the Subsector Fleets "are responsible for defending their subsector and maintaining its security" (38).
So by mission, it seems unlikely that subsector fleets would be the vanguard of the Imperial invasion. And even assuming that by 1002 the Confederation navy was battered and depleted, by consolidating the assets, the Solomani Grand Fleet sounds like the equivalent of a full sector fleet (16 subsectors). Such a force seems like more than a match for two Imperial subsector fleets, even if we assume the 1st and 17th were "extra strength," relatively fresh, and at a higher TL.
But if the 1st and the 17th weren't subsector fleets, what were they?
Sector Fleet explains that "In the Imperial Navy, the term 'Fleet' has three specific but very different meanings. The term can refer to a 'Numbered Fleet', which is a grouping of several squadrons, to a 'Named Fleet', which is an assembly of two or more Numbered Fleets. It can also refer to a force created for a specific task, e.g. a Battle Fleet sent across the border to attack an enemy [emphasis added]" (38).
A little later on, Sector Fleet explains that "In the event of a major war, other Sector Fleets away from the immediate battle area will be ordered to provide a number of ships and squadrons to serve in one or more Special Fleets or to reinforce the Sector Fleets of the embattled region. Most commonly this means that up to half the sector’s heavy cruiser and capital ship strength may be drawn off to create one or more Battle Fleets to take the war to the enemy. The usual model for such a conflict is that the Sector Fleets defend their territory and resist the enemy advance, perhaps counterattacking if there is an opportunity, and then battle fleets are moved up from elsewhere to take the offensive" (41-42).
So in this context, the 1st and 17th were probably Battle Fleets especially assembled from elements of the Sector Fleets of the coreward Imperial sectors. Their specific mission was the invasion of the Solomani Rim. After the Armistice they were likely disbanded and the constituent assets returned.
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