De Ruyter-class Battlecruiser
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| De Ruyter-class Battlecruiser (click to enlarge). |
The de Ruyter class Battlecruiser is an example of one of the older pre-Ondeugd class ships that still makes up the mainstay of the heavy firepower of the Marine of the Knootian Defence Forcea. With a displacements of 45 thousand tons and a length of 230 metres the ship is 32 metres wide and has a draft of about 11 metres. After decades of service, the de Ruyters are slowly being reassigned to secondary roles as G/P Escort and Patrol/Station boat assigned to Knootian Colombia, Ale-Yarok and (during Operation Tempo Doeloe) Tanah Burung where they serve in larger battlegroups. Additionally, they may be deployed in Land Attack roles.
The de Ruyter was designed shortly before the first Vogels administration, and it served as Knootoss' 'poor mans battleship' in that era. With budget cuts mounting, they were nearly mothballed to be taken out of service in favour of real battleships such as the KDF Sirithil nos Feanör – but they were saved this fateo when defence spending increased from the second van der Laan administration on, and since then they have recieved many refits to make them suitable for the modern era: VLS was upgraded from tactical to strike distance, the gunnery recieved upgraded housing, a new radar system was backfitted and the armor on the majority of ships was refitted with reactive armour panels
Its European build with two citadels, two masts, and a lower-than-average profile give the ship its distinctive appearance. While the class may lack in fancy weaponry, it is still able to perform decently for her assigned roles and the ships can accompany the Knootian Defence Force in expeditionary missions if supported by auxiliaries. While they generally have a few rusty spots here and there, they are still capable of taking on modern fleets when functioning inside a modern Knootian battlegroup.
Armament
- Main guns
- Three triple 405mm Main Guns
- VLS
- originally tactical upgraded to strike length for ASMs and CM
“a few” quad launchers for SSMs
- Gunnery
- 8 x Super Rapids with upgraded housing
- Air Defence
- Eight goalkeeper CIWs (Mk.41s)
- Radar systems
- backfitted SPS-49(V)6 2-D air search, SMART-3D air/surface search . FCS; 2 Mk. 99 SAM control, Thales M43 FCS radar control.
- Engines
- Combined Gas turbine And Gas turbine, 4 Gas turbines, about 120k SHP, 28-30 kts with a cruise speed of about 15 kts and a range of 8000 miles.
- Armour
- 8-10 inch belt, high end steel, possible refit of reactive armour panels. Internal kevlar shrapnel sheets
- Misc.
- Command and Control is also to be enhanced by a follow-up to the old CAESAR system developed by Caesar SuperComputer Inc The software for the CAESAR 2.0 computer system is to feature revolutionary new capabilities.
Naming practices
‘Ondeugd’ class ships are named after human vices. As a marine spokesman put it: “Vices are simply the errors which a man makes in his search after his own happiness. Vices are usually pleasurable. Unlike crimes, they imply no malice toward others, and no interference with their persons. It is difficult to say of any actions that are called vices, that they really would have been vices, if they had stopped short of a certain point.”
The first line of ships will be named after the main biblical sins: KDF Hoogmoed (pride), KDF Hebzucht (avarice), KDF Jaloezie (envy), KDF Woede (anger), KDF Onkuisheid (lust), KDF Gulzigheid (gluttony) and KDF Traagheid (sloth). The new flagship of the fleet will be the KDF Thana. According to Buddha’s diagnosis the human condition is normally accompanied by suffering (dukkha) caused by delusion (moha) ignorance (avijja), greed (lobha) and hatred (dosa). Together these three constitute craving (thana) which sums up the cause of suffering. The new flagship will replace the KDF Zhakarov and the KDF Sirithil nos Feanör which both have taken turns at the flagship role in the past decades.
