OBT Forum

Rethinking the Black Fleet

In 2974, the leaders of Clan Goliath Scorpion were debating over the possible acquisition of a newly constructed Nightlord-class Battleship.  The addition of this powerful and modern WarShip would give the Scorpions a Fleet of no less than seventeen vessels; a Fleet skewed towards the heavier end of the spectrum.

While many within the Clan's leadership had expressed a desire to obtain this latest Snow Raven innovation in naval warfare, there was significant resistance within the rank-and-file of the Scorpion Bloodname Houses.  Many were concerned that their Clan, already facing a shortage of resources and funding for their Touman, would find itself sorely taxed in an effort to acheive a sense of superiority over the other Clans in naval strength.

These Bloodnamed argued that the Scorpions needed to reduce the size and strength of their Fleet, shifting some of the savings into improving their ground-based (and Aerospace Fighter elements) portion of the Touman.  One argument advanced was that despite the wealth of knowledge that the Scorpions possessed, they were on the verge of falling into the age-old trap of trusting in quantity rather than quality.  (At least in the naval sphere; the ground-based Touman of the time possessed neither quanity nor quality, at least in equipment!)

Taken aback by the passion displayed by lower-ranking and field-grade officers, the Khans agreed to delay the bidding for the latest Nightlord while the debate over the matter was conducted on Roche.

One of the key arguments made by what the Scorpion leadership christened as the jeune ecole (in a reference to historical 19th century French discussions on strategic naval doctrine and organization) was that the Scorpions, like the other Clans, had all but ignored the possibilities inherent in rebuilding existing vessels into far more effective combat units.

By mothballing (or even selling off to other Clans) several existing ships, the jeune ecole said, the Scorpions could raise enough funds and resources to thoroughly modernize the remaining vessels, reinvest in their industrial infrastructure, and modernize their ground Touman.  Without placing crippling financial burdens (or a shortage of promised services) on the civilan castes.

Detractors of the idea argued that the Clans had already upgraded their Warships; but that idea was debunked when the younger (and hungier) Bloodnamed showed that existing WarShips had no great advantage over their SLDF counterparts.  The mass savings obtained by more efficient Clan armoring techniques had not been used to increase the armor protection, nor the firepower, but instead to increase cargo capacity . . . which on many designs had already reached 20% (or more!) of the total ship's mass!

When the Khans pondered this, the jeune ecole pressed forward.  The Clans, they claimed, possessed the technology and means to improve existing designs in ways that Kerensky and DeChavilier had never before imagined possible.

That claim was enough for the Khan to stop the debate and ask the junior Bloodnamed exactly what they proposed.

But the younger officers were ready for this question and they presented the Khan and his leadership with schematics and simulations that called for a 37.5% reduction in the Scorpion Fleet . . . and an intensive period of rebuilding, rearming, and restructuring the remaining vessels.

Overall, the plan presented the Scorpion leadership with almost a 20% savings in the naval budget . . . not including the influx of revenue and resources that would come from the disposal of all four of the Clan's Potemkin-class Troop Cruisers, both Aegis-class Heavy Cruisers, the Cameron-class Battlecruiser, the Volga-class Transport, and the Carrack-class Transport. 

Removing these nine ships would allow the Scorpions to rebuild the remaining eight . . . and to reactivate the two Sovetskii Soyuz and single Essex class ships remaining in the Dagda Naval Cache.

The ten ships that would remain in the Scorpion Touman would be more powerful (on a ton-for-ton basis) than any other currently active Clan ship . . . these ten able to fight and win against other Clans even if the enemy ship outmassed or outnumbered them.

The Bloodnamed were rather split on the concept, and so the Khan called for a vote.  Many had been impressed by the ideas and passion of the jeune ecole, but others believed that mothballing or selling off existing ships of the Fleet would make the Scorpions appear weak.

To which Star Captain Marcus Solheim, a ristar of the jeune ecole and one of the youngest Bloodnamed present, replied:  "Is it not better to appear weak and be strong, than to appear strong and be weak?"

By a mere seventeen votes, the Bloodnamed voted in favor of the jeune ecole's plans.

The naval vessels excess to requirements were sold off to Clan Blood Spirit (one Aegis), Clan Diamond Shark (one Potemkin), Clan Ghost Bear (one Potemkin, one Aegis), Clan Hell's Horses (one Volga), Clan Jade Falcon (one Potemkin, Clan Snow Raven (one Potemkin), Clan Steel Viper (one Cameron), and Clan Wolf (one Carrack).  Slowly, over the course of the next four decades, the remaining Scorpion vessels were put into the drydocks at Raven yards and rebuilt/overhauled to the new specifications established by the jeune ecole.

When all of the restorations and rebuilding were completed in 3014 (under the watchful eye of Khan Marcus Solheim), the Scorpion Fleet was far smaller, but had a hidden punch all out of proportion to their size.

The three Sovetskii Soyuz-class Heavy Cruisers were assigned to the Khans of the Clan (and the Loremaster) as their personal transports (for both themselves and their Keshiks) and Clan Command vessels.

The remaining seven ships were concentrated into a single Naval Star (the Scorpion Naval Star, or the Scorpion Battlegroup as some Naval officers of the Clan termed it):  the McKenna-class Lei Kung served as the Star Admiral's flagship, supported by two Congress-class Frigates and escorted by four Destroyers, two Lola IIIs and two Essexs.