I'm sorry that this has languished. I've been moving house which has absorbed vast amounts of time and the energy.
Stage One of the decision-making process will begin here by selecting the SLDF's choice for Category A: Battleship for use as command vessels in fire support and line squadrons
The requirements set out were: 3/5 thrust, onboard HPG and quarters for command personnel, LFB not required
The designs submitted were:
Royal Sovereign,
Phoenix,
Warspite,
McKenna II,
Texas II,
Dreadnought II,
Majestic. With seven designs meeting the minimum requirements, this was the most contested category.
Individual reviewRoyal Sovereign was determined to be expensive due to the Lithium-Fusion Battery (the exact cost figures were unintentionally obfuscatory to the committee due to mis-understandings between Krester and Blue Nose' accountants). It was unclear from the submission what command quarters were to be available and the low available cargo space and leeway for future expansion did not count in its favour.
Almost 40% larger than the Royal Sovereign, the Phoenix was a monolith of armour and naval PPC batteries. The large on-board fighter force and the command quarters won points, as did the anti-missile systems but there was concern that the ship would be too large for the SLDF's existing yardships and seemed to have very little internal storage for cargo - something that was later clarified by engineers.
The Warspite emerged as a strong contender, being a manageable size with substantial protection, a diverse weapon suite and well-defined crew quarters - all for little more than half the cost of the Phoenix
The McKenna II looked extremely impressive with the addition of the LFB inflating the cost and several Admirals unconvinced that it has sufficient firepower for the role. Nonetheless, it was well-armoured and well supplied.
The committee found the Texas II to be in the same vein as the McKenna II but more affordable which quieted some concerns that it really had no more firepower than the larger submission and 75% the protection.
Despite matching the size of the Phoenix, the Dreadnought II was considerably cheaper and sported a more balanced armament. Command quarters and protection were admirable but the logistical problems of such a large vessel were a sticking point.
The Majestic came in to an already jaded committee who saw something smaller than the Phoenix or Dreadnought II but still too large for existing facilities, while somehow being more expensive that either. Contenders pointed to excellent secondary weapons, command quarters and cargo space however.
Final decisionAdmiral Grec returned a new requirement to the committee after their initial reviews: the selected battleship must be feasible for current shipyards. Prestige vessels of unprecedented size would have to wait for a better time. This sealed the fate of the Phoenix, Dreadnought II and Majestic.
In light of the financial cost of building large numbers of warships, the SLN committee also felt that the cost of LFB on battleships (as opposed to the separate battlecruiser category) was not justified. They therefore rejected the Royal Sovereign and McKenna II.
This brought the final decision down to the Warspite and the Texas II. The Warspite was clearly the better protected and armed, but 50% more costly than the Texas II. The ultimate decision made was to accept the
Warspite as the winner of the contract, although the option of limited Texas II production was retained as a hedge against any delays in Warspite production.
