Freethinker Royal Navy

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Freethinker Royal Navy
RNEnsign2copys.png
Motto Sine Pari (Without Equal)
Established 1800 (Formation of the Freethinker Dominion)
Technology Base Post Modern Tech
Standing Strength 8,200,000 (inc 3,200,000 National Service personnel), 7,089 Commissioned Warships and Auxiliaries
Headquarters Admiralty House, Navarre
Commander-in-Chief Admiral of the Line Sir Erik Svenson CMM, FRN

The Freethinker Royal Navy is the oldest and arguably the most powerful component of the Freethinker Royal Armed Forces. The service is tasked with the defence of the Freethinker Commonwealth and its territorial waters and with providing, in the modern tech era, the main force projection power of the Freethinker Government in international affairs.

The service is one of the most internationally visible components of the FRAF, and has been involved in the majority of Freethinker military actions in recent memory. The Royal Navy is considered one of the best on the planet, and though it no longer boasts the largest tonnage in maritime circles, its professionalism, advanced and unparalleled equipment, and historical support and tradition means it can count few peers on the world's oceans.

History

The Colonial Navy

Founded in 1660 with the purchase of the ex-Midlonian Navy Sloop Adventure, the force had grown to twelve ships by the time of the 'War Of The Mainland', where, under the command of Sir John Barham, it scored several victories against the numerically superior Knootian navy in the area. A total of twenty enemy ships were destroyed for the loss of just four colonial vessels, and the part the force played in the war is seen as vital to the eventual Midlonian victory. Several captured Knootian ships were also added to the ranks of the fleet, meaning a net gain in terms of tonnage because of the conflict.

In the aftermath of the war, the service was seen as vital to protecting the coastlines and trade routes of the Mainland, and thus the late sevententh to the eighteenth century saw an exponential expansion of the force. Indeed, by the time of the offical name change at the beginning of the nineteenth century, over fifty ships, including four seventy-four gun 'Ships of the Line', had been commissioned into the growing colonial service.

The naval forces officially became the Freethinker Royal Navy in the spring of 1800. The naval forces of The Freethinker Commonwealth were generally known as the Freethinker Colonial Navy before the nation itself became a autonomous dominion of the Midlonian Empire in 1799.

Service to Midlonia

From 1800 onwards until the 1880's, the Freethinker Royal Navy served as the regional squadron in support of Midlonian policy, defending cities, discouraging other country's attempts at settlement and of course mapping and scouting the huge untamed areas of the Mainland accessible by boat. The voyages of Admiral Rush and Commodore Pelios in particular are noteworthy for their epic scale, and their feats are remembered today in many place names along the central and southern coasts.

The Freethinker Royal Navy also supported the civilian domestic government's colonisation efforts both within and beyond the Mainland, including supporting the Fargon campaign, bringing the northern archipelago under the reach of the Freethinker dominion.

Independence

See Also: The First Moonstone War

The Second Moonstone War

See Also: The Second Moonstone War

The Third Battle of Navarre devastated the majority of the Freethinker surface fleet within the opening days of the war, losing a third of its tonnage and the majority of its most advanced capital ships.

Development

In the aftermath of the Second Moonstone War several structural changes were carried out to the Royal Navy.

The Royal Navy participated in the First Fargoni Insurrection from the outset, losing the frigate HMS Lion to the rebels in their initial attack on Fargon City Naval Base.

Today

The Freethinker Royal Navy has evolved into one of the most powerful maritime navies in the world today, equiped with arguably the finest and most powerful warships of their breeds ever to be laid down and crewed by well trained and highly motivated forces. The Freethinker Royal Navy has taken part in several conflicts and peacekeeping operations around the world, proving itself proud time and again with impressive discipline and a potent combat record.

A small deployment was made to Rosdivan (?) Crete in support of domestic independence moves. The deployment consisted of a small number of Freethinker Royal Marines special forces alongside the deployment of the SSGN FRNS Neptune, which was sadly lost later in the final stages of the war after sinking and heavily damaging several Easy Green escorts and troop transports. The service lost 34 crew members of the submarine.

The Royal Navy on several occasions successfully challenged the imperialist ambitions of Communist Mississippi through the display of force.

The largest deployment of Freethinker warships to a foreign warzone was the Fourth Edolian War, with the deployment of over a thousand warships and auxiliaries to the Southwestern Allanean coast in Haven in support of the Freethinker contribution to the UnAPS armed expeditionary forces, which also included around 24,000 Freethinker Royal Army paratroopers and 32,000 Freethinker Royal Marines. Though the Royal Navy suffered light losses (around two hundred dead and several escorts mdoerately damaged) and conducted several immensely destructive gunnery and missile strikes, the Royal Marines themselves suffered heavily after the fall of The Prophet. The Freethinker fleet withdrew from the coast as Allanean reinforcements arrived and placed the vulnurable troop supply and transport ships under threat.

The Royal Navy played a relatively minor role in the Outback Insurrection and the Great Southern Invasion, providing monitoring and logistical support but had very little military involvement save in a small number of cruise missile attacks and providing Men-At-Arms for the subsequent mopping up operations.

The Freethinker Royal Navy also played a vital part in the ongoing colonisation of Olympia, providing 85% of the maritime settlement fleet and were instrumental in establishing and seucirng the newly claimed territory.

Doctrine

Bases

See Main Article: Freethinker Naval Bases

The Freethinker Royal Navy owns and operates a wide variety of bases around the Commonwealth (including officially a facility in the Freethinker Martian Territories, often attached to and indeed often using the same dockside facilities as many of the large civilian ports dotted along the coasts.

Most facilities tend to be fairly limited in scope, and though capable of expansion are primarily designed to support small local coastal defence forces and visiting warships on longer ranged patrols or deployments. A large number of bases are also shared with the Freethinker Coastguard and the Freethinker Royal Marines, as well as hosting other FRAF forces and Ministry of Defence staff.

Rank Structure

Naval Systems

Warships

Capital Ships

Escorts

Littoral

Submarines

Auxiliaries

Amphibious Assault

Equipment

Gunnery

Missiles

Other Systems

Current Components, Fleets and Deployments

  • The Surface Fleet;
  • The Submarine Fleet;
  • The Royal Fleet Auxiliary;
  • The Fleet Support Group;
  • The Fourth (Special) Group;
  • The Fifth (Special) Group;

The official label of the FRN Special Intelligence Service, known in the Navy as the Fifths or 5SG, and is the primary military intelligence unit of the Royal Navy.

The Military Police, Provost and Garrison force of the FRN, notable in part for being one of the few 'combat' forces in the Commonwealth to still have a significant human presence.