Ships Of The IGSN-Battleships, Dreadnoughts, And Super Dreadnoughts

Used exclusively by the numbered fleets, the IGSN regards them as the “last argument” against any member of the military nobility that might think about rebellion.  In addition, the class is needed for the sheer power and ability to deal with capital ship threats. During the Horizon War, the class dealt with it’s Equestrian counterparts, revealing that they were slightly under-gunned for their size, relying more upon volume of fire versus sheer power.

A few new classes are being proposed by the IGSN Bureau of Shipbuilding, and they may soon see deployment by the IGSN.

Black Talon-class Battleship

At 60,000 tons and 320 meters long, the Black Talon is the core of many of the numbered naval squadrons, and it is the smallest ship to carry a stellar converter in IGSN service.  In addition, the class mounts six 12cm buster launchers in the bow, eight 10 cm buster launchers in four groups of two, and six of the huge Anaconda-class missile launch cells.  The class carries enough missiles to fire six salvoes of five Anaconda-class missiles, giving it a deadly long-ranged punch against anything lighter than a capital ship.  The class also carries as standard a full IGSM battalion.

The class served well through the Marathon War, and the only changes proposed in the class is mounting heavier point defense stations to deal with the heavier plasma torpedoes being built into Equestrian capital warships.

Kestrel-class Fast Battleship

Built exclusively for the numbered fleets, this 62,000 ton and 320 meter long ship is built for the role of hunting down and destroying battlecruisers.  To this end, the Kestrel-class carries a stellar converter, six 12cm buster launchers in the bow, eight 10 cm buster launchers in four groups of two, and eight extended launch cells for Sidewinder-class anti-ship missiles.  The choices of the lighter missiles versus the larger Anaconda was based around the need of the class to engage smaller ships and the ability to carry many more missiles (the Kestrel can carry ten salvoes of six missiles each) than the sheer slam power of the larger missile.  Having the same acceleration as most other navies battle-cruisers, the class is difficult to escape from and hard to defeat by anything short of another fast battleship.

During the Horizon War, Kestral-class ships operated in “hunting packs” of four ships, backed up by cruiser support, to engage the RESF Princess Luna-class fast battleships.  Serving well through the Horizon War, the class is seeing a new production run with only minor changes to the design.

Rookery-class Squadron Drone Tender

Built on the hulls of Kestral-class fast battleships, the Rookery SDT sacrifices the broadside buster launchers and missile launchers to carry twenty-four Spur­-class ACVs and twelve Valkyrie-class heavy ACVs.  In combat, the class serves as a counter for hostile ACVs, in addition to carrying out strike missions against light warships using Valkyrie-class ACVs to fire missile salvoes.  The class also carries a full IGSM battalion.

Throne-class Dreadnought

Massing at 87,000 tons and 360 meters long, the Throne-class dreadnought was the hammer of the numbered fleets, heavily armed and armored.  Besides mounting a stellar convertor, the Throne-class carries eight 14 cm buster launchers in the bow, twelve 12cm buster launchers in four groups of three, and six launch cells for Anaconda-class missiles.  Armored much more heavily than the Equestrian Princess Celestia-class and the Minotaur Taurus-class, the class lacks some of the agility of the Equestrian warships it would face off against.  However, the sheer strength of the hull was more than enough to engage most threats.  Like all other IGSN warships of its size, the Throne carries a full IGSM battalion.

The class served well through the Horizon War, but several issues with the design and it’s relatively light buster launcher array has resulted in fleet design proposals for a new dreadnought class that would mount bow-mounted 16cm buster launchers and more launch cells for missiles.

Crown-class Super Dreadnought

At 100,000 tons and 390 meters long, the Crown-class is the ship class of the IGSN, and is regarded by the numbered fleets as the core of their formations.  Mounting a stellar convertor, six 16cm buster launchers in the bow, sixteen 14cm buster launchers in four groups of four, and eight launch cells for Anaconda-class missiles, the Crown is a pure warship design.  The class incorporates heavy armor and shields, with an average amount of point defense against enemy seeking weapons.  The ship also carries full flag facilities and a full IGSM battalion.

The class only fought in one battle of the war, facing off against Equestrian Queen Majesty-class ships.  The design’s problems in extended combat once the missiles are gone were shown and a proposal for a new class of super dreadnought (the Scepter-class) would mount much heavier buster launchers and extended launch cells for the Anaconda-class missiles.

Ships Of The IGSN-Battle-cruisers

For the IGSN, the Battle-cruiser represented the hull of decision for most tasks.  The largest hull that could be built for and used by the named fleets, battle-cruisers were the “show the flag” warships of the military nobility.  Ownership of this class meant that the nobility in question was a major success and could afford these hulls.

For the numbered fleets, battle-cruisers were the fleet escorts of heavier warships such as battleships and dreadnoughts, able to quickly get into position and escape from a dangerous threat as needed.  Built and armored as a “battleship writ small”, the IGSN’s battle-cruisers were more resilient than their Equestrian counterparts, at the loss of some acceleration and agility.  In addition, the hull was ideally suited for the mission of commerce denial and protection, a role that the IGSN named fleets practiced often for any potential war with the Kingdom of Equestria and the Changeling Omnivoracy.

Peregrine-class Battle-cruiser

Built as a “battleship writ small”, the Peregrine-class Battle-cruiser masses at 48,000 tons and 300 meters long, and is built for the commerce protection and denial role that the IGSN considers the battle-cruiser to be essential for.  Armed with four 10cm buster launchers in the bow, six 8 cm buster launchers in the broadsides (in two sets of three), and six Sidewinder­-class anti-ship missile launch cells with sufficient storage to fire eight salvoes of six missiles each, the Peregrine is armed to fight against lighter warships and defeat them easily, while able to run away from heavier opponents. Point defense, armor, and shields are at the standard for battlecruiser-class hulls, with slightly heavier armor than the average.

Like all IGSN warships, the Peregrine-class carries a “short” IGSM battalion, and is the largest ship that can be purchased by the military nobility for the named fleets.

Falcon-class Battle-cruiser

A class built just after the Horizon War, the Falcon­-class incorporates many of the lessons learned in the war. Massing at 51,000 tons and 310 meters long, the class mounts six 10cm buster launcher in the bow, eight 8 cm buster launchers in four groups of two, and six Sidewinder­­-class anti-ship missile launch cells with sufficient storage to fire eight salvoes of six missiles each.  The largest changes in the class have been heavier shields, armor, and better acceleration, giving the class the ability to at least match the acceleration of the RESF Princess Luna-class fast battleship.

The Falcon-class Battle-cruiser is being purchased mostly by the numbered fleets, and it carries a “short” IGSM battalion for ground combat operations.

Eyre-class Squadron Drone Tender

At 49,000 tons and 300 meters long, the Eyre-class SDT is built to carry twenty-four Pinion-class ACVs and rapidly rearm and repair the ACVs in combat.  Armed with four 10cm buster launchers in the bow, the Eyre also carries a dreadnought-class point defense array and a “short” IGSM battalion.  The Eyre-class SDT is deployed with fleets, to provide ACV support when needed.  Almost entirely deployed by the numbered fleets, the Eyre-class served well during the Horizon War.

Vector-class Marine Support Ship

Like the Eyre-class SDT, the Vector-class MSS is armed with only with a bow array of four 10cm buster launchers and heavy point defense.  However, the ship is built and designed to carry a full IGSM battalion, including armor and support systems.  The ship carries a thirty day combat supply for the ground troops, and a full array of kinetic energy weapons, ranging from anti-infantry to saturation strike weapons.

Vector-class ships are almost never seen on their own, and usually are a part of a numbered fleet’s support train.

Ships Of The IGSF-Cruisers

Like the RESF, the Imperial Griffin Space Navy regards the cruiser as the minimum sized hull for independent missions. Unlike the Royal Equestrian Space Forces, the IGSN doesn’t have a dedicated cruiser-sized marine transport hull, relying upon the carried numbers of IGSM troops aboard every Navy warship for ground operations and support of ground objectives.  Ironically, a number of these ships have shown up in pirate hands, especially the lighter Gyrfalcon-class, with a black market for either the anti-ship missiles or replacing the missile launchers with Equestrian-style plasma torpedoes.

Also, like the RESF, the IGSN encountered “teething troubles” during the Horizon War and newer hulls are being built to fill the issues that were encountered.  Older hulls are slowly being cycled out of the numbered fleets into the named fleets, and a few are showing up into “independent” service.

Gyrfalcon-class Light Cruiser

Massing 20,000 tons and 210 meters in length, the Gyrfalcon-class light cruiser is designed and built around filling most of the missions that light cruisers perform. Armed with two 8cm buster launchers in the bow, two 6cm buster launchers in the broadsides, and four launch cells for Viper-class anti-ship missiles, the Gyrfalcon is heavily armed for its weight. The major difficulties of the class is that when the Viper anti-ship missiles run out, the ship loses most of its long range punch against opponents. Armor and defense systems are of standard for the class of ship, as well as secondary systems for combat operations.  The ship also carries a single company of Imperial Griffin Space Marines for ground operations.

The class saw service throughout the Horizon War, and many of the class’s flaws were brought to light during the war. A heavier light cruiser class, the Raven-class, began to be produced after the Horizon War, which addressed these concerns.

Raven-class Light Cruiser

Built after the end of the Horizon War, the Raven-class light cruiser masses at 23,000 tons and 210 meters in length. Armed more heavily than the Gyrfalcon­-class, the ship carries two bow 8cm buster launchers, four 6cm buster launchers in the broadsides, and four launch cells for Viper-class anti-ship missiles. The major improvements of this class were the additional broadside buster launchers and slightly larger launcher capacity (four salvoes of six over three salvoes of six) for the Viper anti-ship missiles. While the class still has the issue of being less effective in combat once the missile cells are empty, the Raven is still a formidable foe in knife-fighting range with its buster launchers. Like the Gyrfalcon-class , the armor and defense systems are standard for the class. The ship carries a single company of Imperial Griffin Space Marines for ground operations and boarding missions.

As the older Gyrfalcon-class ships are bought by the military nobility and older hulls are retired, the Raven-class is replacing them in greater numbers. The Horizon War showed that there were never enough cruisers for the missions that were required, and the Griffin Moot is planning to be ready when they need these hulls.

Eagle-class Heavy Cruiser

At 26,000 tons and 220 meters long, the Eagle-class of heavy cruiser represents the platonic ideal of cruisers in the IGSN thoughts prior to the Horizon War. Armed with two bow 10cm buster launchers, six 6cm buster launchers in the broadsides, and four launch cells for Viper-class anti-ship missiles, the class is designed to win a cruiser duel by superior bow-to-bow firepower and longer engagement ranges for the 10cm buster launchers. The primary issue with this class of ship is that while it carries a fairly large number of missiles (the launch cells are built to handle six salvoes of six missiles each), once the missiles are gone the ship lacks a maneuver denial weapon against hostile ships. In addition, while the simple “slam” power of the 10cm buster launchers is significant, the advantages of two larger weapons over an array of smaller buster launchers wasn’t worth the mass and design penalties. The class mounts armor and defenses in proportion to the ship’s mass, and carries a reinforced company of Imperial Griffin Space Marines for ground operations.

The Eagle-class would begin to be phased out, to be replaced by the Talon-class heavy cruiser after the end of the Horizon War. The class is oddly popular with the military nobility, which likes the class for its heavy weapons fit.

Talon-class Heavy Cruiser

At 38,000 tons and 240 meters long, the Talon-class is the IGSN’s version of the RESF Big Macintosh class, and it fills the same mission role. Armed with four 8cm buster launchers in the bow, six 6 cm buster launchers in the broadsides, and six Viper-class anti-ship missile launch cells, the class is more balanced in terms of weapons than the older Eagle-class. Like the Eagle-class, the ship has difficulties when it runs out of missiles, but the larger number of launchers gives the ship more endurance. The class also mounts heavier point defense stations than other cruisers, which allows for engagement of seeking weapons at longer distances. Like the Eagle-class, the ship carries a reinforced IGSM company for ground operations.

The Talon-class is replacing the Eagle-class, and while the ship is popular within the IGSN, the military nobility has a dislike for the class due to its mimicry of the RESF and their doctrines.

Ships Of The IGSN-Frigates and Destroyers

The Imperial Griffin Space Navy consider frigates and destroyers to be “cruiser escorts”, usually with two ships to a single larger cruiser or battle cruiser.  Like all IGSN ships, frigates and destroyers rely upon missiles for long-range combat, unlike larger RESF ships that carry plasma torpedoes.  With military organization of the Griffin Moot built around the named (i.e. the fleets of the nobility) and the numbered (i.e. the Space Navy proper), there are a lot of frigates and destroyers out there, and quite a few of them find their way into pirate hands.

After the end of the Horizon War, the IGSN has been looking into improved versions of the various classes of frigates and destroyers, with only a new destroyer class coming up on the horizon. However, the frigate may start to be seen only in second line service, and for courier duties for larger fleets.

Shadow-class Frigate

The smallest single FTL warship in the IGSN, the Shadow-class frigate is 160 meters long and masses 9,700 tons, and the ship is built around a weapons fit of a 6cm buster launcher and two 3cm buster launchers on the broadsides. In addition, the ship carries two missile launch cells for twenty-four Asp anti-ship missiles (giving it the ability to launch four salvoes of six missiles each from the launchers).

The Shadow-class Frigate has the same issue as most other frigates in service-too small for most missions, too fragile to lie in the wall of battle in fleets, and it’s mission being taken over by increasingly better drones. What this ship mostly does in the IGSN is serve as a messenger ship for fleets, a light escort for convoys, and an escort for Peregrine-class exploration ships.

Marathon-class Destroyer

At 195 meters and 12,000 tons, the Marathon-class destroyer is built to serve as a heavy escort and counter-destroyer for fleet operations. Armed with two 6cm buster launchers in the bow and two 3cm broadside buster launchers, the ship also carries two missile launch cells for thirty Asp-class anti-ship missiles. This gives the class the ability to launch five salvoes of six missiles each. The class also mounts a slightly heavier point defense fit than standard, mostly in the form of more powerful point defense systems over number of installations.

The Marathon-class would see service in the Horizon War, mostly serving as an escort for fleets and similar operations. The class would see further construction after the Horizon War, with slight improvements added to various hulls in service.

Thermopile-class Destroyer

At 195 meters and 15,000 tons, the Thermopile-class destroyer is built to replace the Marathon-class destroyer after the Horizon War.  Incorporating the lessons learned in the war, the ship is armed with two 6cm buster launchers in the bow and two 4cm broadside buster launchers. The ship also carries two missile launch cells for thirty Asp-class anti-ship missiles. This gives the class the ability to launch five salvoes of six missiles each, similar to the lighter Marathon-class. The class also mounts a slightly heavier point defense fit than standard, mostly in the form of more powerful point defense systems over number of installations. The armor is also slightly heavier, especially in the bow.

The Thermopile-class destroyer is only starting to come out of the shipyards of the Griffin Moot, and most of these ships are coming into service with the numbered fleets.