The Questarian Royal Navy

The Royal Navy Ensign is well known around the Commonwealth

The Questarian Royal Navy is the largest branch of the Questarian Armed Forces, and also the best funded. The QRN performs many tasks throughout the Commonwealth, and is essential in public morale and securing the assets and futures of the United Kingdom. The QRN is widely recognised as one of the most powerful navies in the world, and although it has recently suffered a defeat at Gibraltar against MassPwnage and Banduria, public support for the Royal Navy, and military funding in general, has never been higher. The QRN hails as one of the most feared and potent navies worldwide. It also claims the largest, with 15,192 oceangoing vessels currently commissioned. The Navy is assigned with the following duties:

• Protection of the political and military interests of the United Kingdom, Her Empire, and Her Commonwealth abroad
• Protection of the economic interests of the United Kingdom, Her Empire, and Her Commonwealth (Oil + Fishery + Trade)
• Protection of the internal security interests of the United Kingdom, Her Empire, and Her Commonwealth (Drugs and Arms Trade)
• Transportation of the Royal Family (The current Royal Yacht is HMS Nelson)

Notes: the QRN is in possession of 342 battlecruisers and battleships ranging from 260 metres to 1,800 metres, and 108 aircraft carriers and battlecarriers all larger than USS Nimitz.

History

Senior Service

The Questarian Royal Navy (QRN) is the Senior Service of Her Majesty's Armed Forces. Upon joining, members must accept a Queens (or Kings) shilling. This is the formal and legal recognition that they are members of the Royal Navy. Training can last anywhere from two months to four years. The Royal Navy (first established King's Royal Flotilla) was established in 1662 to form 'Utmost defence for the Crown of Questers from the French threat.' Indeed, in 1662, Questers was at war with the French over a land dispute. The Royal Flotilla was quickly formed and sent into its first battle with the ships of the line Ark Royale, Dauntless, and Victory. These ships won their first battle against the larger French force, routing the French flotilla under Admiral D'Elle and made the Royal Flotilla, later renamed to the Royal Navy in 1801, a force to stay. In its history, the Royal Navy has fought many battles in the age of sail, steam, and battleship.

After 1662 , and the defeat of Admiral D'Elle, naval expansion was quick, with the ships of the line King Henry, Queen Anne, Royal Oak, Gallant, and Halberdier. More frigates and sloops were laid down in various shipyards and by 1680 the Royal Flotilla consisted of 10 battleships:

• -The flagship Ark Royal
• -Dauntless
• -Victory
• -King Henry
• -Queen Anne
• -Royal Oak
• -Gallant
• -Halberdier
• -Fearless

and Conquerer. Smaller boats were 30 cutters, 21 sloops and 18 frigates. Although the Questarian Empire was only fledgling, large naval presences warned the French not to come anywhere near the Questarians. However, major fleet action occured in 1737 when the French fleet under Admiral Avenueve attacked the friendly nation of Gibraltar. The Mediteranean fleet quickly sailed to response, and arrived as French troops were sacking Gibraltar. The French ships, whos sailors had left their ships to rape and pillage Gibraltar, were vastly undermanned, and the Questarians swiftly captured 8 sloops, 13 frigates, and 4 battleships. Turning the guns on the port, the trapped French were annihalated or surrendered. Several weeks later, Gibraltar became a protectorate, and then, a crown colony. Further fleet action against the French followed in 1799 when the French King was overthrown and Questarian gunboats evacuated Questarian citizens and the French monarchy. The sloop HMS Electra was attacked by a pair of rebel frigates, and at the speed of 18 knots, outran them both and made it back safe to Portsmouth. The French fleet was crushed in the atlantic as it attempted to mount an invasion of Questers. The 1800s brought peace between Questers and France, and many small nations were absorbed into Questers growing Empire. The advent of steam ships and torpedoes, and eventually the all-centreline gun design of 1881, HMS Revenge. Many more dreadnoughts followed, and the first major war came in 1941.

The first Kaigun War was the first real modern war that the Royal Navy faced. It was a major use of aircraft carriers, submarines, and battleships. It was based in the Questarian Pacific - several thousand miles east of Singapore. The growing Kaigun Confederacy, consisting of Yamato Islands, Shinano Islands, Musashi Islands, and the Nagato Islands watched with greedy eyes as Questarian colonists left their mark on what was supposed to be Kaigun territory. To the west of the Nagato Islands, the tiny Taiho Dependency was a Questarian ally, and had been a staunch enemy of the far larger Kaigun Confederacy for many years. To be continued.

Designations and Doctrine

Questers does not adhere to the NATO/US designation codes that most navies in NS do. It uses its own, based upon pennants (although, QAE Marine sells in NATO US designations for international recognition purpose - Royal Navy ships are not classified by this, though) Each ship has a pennant and a number - say, the Flagship HMS Hood is formally classified as F 001 - the F being the Flagship pennant and 001 recognising it has the pennant number of 001.

Before the commission of the HMS Hood, F was the pennant for Frigate - it has recently been changed to Flagship, and D (which used to be destroyer) has been changed too. Frigates, Destroyers, Sloops and Corvettes are all classified under E, for Escort. D now stands for Dreadnought, a ship of 1 million tons plus.

The Flagship designation is never specified by a ship class' size or gun mounts or any other system. It is classified by prestige and its importance in the Navy.

• A - Auxiliary (includes depot ships, boom defence vessels etc)
• B - Battleship
• BR - Battlecarrier
• C - Cruiser
• D - Dreadnought
• E - Frigate or Destroyer (includes sloops and corvettes)
• F - Flagship
• M - Minesweeper
• N - Minelayer
• R - Aircraft carrier
• S - Submarine
• H - Hydrographic vessel
• L - Amphibious warfare ship
• P - Fast patrol boat

• The Royal Navy is unique in that it only uses one dual character designation: BR, for battlecarrier.
• Although the Royal Navy fields plenty of battlecruisers, their formal pennants all fall under battleship because of the strategic role they play in the fleet. Furthermore, with the introduction of advanced shipbuilding techniques and faster engines, anything about the speed of 40 knots is classified as 'FAST' and has 'F' added before its pennant. This caused confusion for a term (FM? Flagship Minelayer?) but it is now recognised quite easily. For example, the battlecruiser HMS Battleaxe is classified as FB 44 since its maximum speed is in excess of 40 knots.

Order of Battle

Supercapital ORBAT

Superheavy ORBAT

Battleship ORBAT