Super-Dreadnoughts

Super-Dreadnoughts are huge maritime surface warships, usually serving as fleet flagships or major surface combatants for Modern/Post Modern Tech navies. They should not be confused with RL Super Dreadnoughts, which is the name given to advanced Battleships of the Dreadnought mold.

Design

The basic design of most super-dreadnoughts is that of an enlarged battleship or battlecarrier, with a high number of large mono-calibre main guns, heavy armour, powerful self-defence systems and (usually) a substantial aircraft compliment. They have a large range in size from an upgraded Yamatto-sized battleship up to a 2 kilometre long floating fortress and can displace anything from a hundred thousand to several million tons or more.

Construction

To actually go out and construct a super dreadnought, even for a large four billion+ plus nation, is a daunting undertaking. Many nations simply percieve it as building a sufficiently sized drydock, though in actuality this is simply one small part of a massive industrial undertaking.

Habouring and Maintenance

Habouring and maintenance are another large, cash-intensive area

Real Life Comparison

There is no real RL parallel to these vessels, as they require large amounts of manpower and monetary investment to build and operate, often beyond the capabilities of any RL Nation. In turn, many of the factors which dictated Battleship combat in Real Life has a reduced or negated effect in NS, with such considerations as the Golden Fish syndrome playing much less of a role in NationStates naval combat. This changing of emphasis has a number of causes, including new technologies that redress the balance of offensive and defensive capabilities against enemy combatants, the significant increase in the numbers and capability of escorts and the decisive requirement in NS for powerful surface combatants capable of carrying the war to a farflung opponent.

Because of the lack of real-life examples, this has created a backlash against Super Dreadnoughts from some members of the RPing community who do not recognise them as part of their own view of what MT/PMT nations are capable of building.

Interestingly enough, these vessels have created a surprisingly clear example of the

Critiques

Size and Construction Issues

There is a significant and well-established opposition to many Super Dreadnought designs based around

Mismanaged Capabilities

Defense

Defending against Super-Dreadnoughts is a surprisingly controversial topic, made even more difficult by the frequently exaggerated claims on both sides as to the potency of their offensive and defensive capabilities.