Iron Men and Steel Ships 2: A Naval Forum Game

[Ranger900]

This is the opening post for Iron Men and Steel Ships 2: A naval forum game. More or less me trying to do my old Iron Men and Steel Ships game once again. The rules are pretty much identical to the old game. Though the ship builder is a bit more refined this time around and I know what I'm doing better. We are also not going to allow army or non-naval airforce into the game, and they will remain abstracted. Now without further ado.

Welcome to Iron Men and Steel Ships 2: A Naval Forum Game. This game has been designed with the purpose of allowing players to experience the last age before carriers took over the sea (and also the time after carriers appear) and is being GM'd by myself.

In this game players will get to play as the Chief of the Navy for their respective countries starting in the year 1895, and attempt to design the navy they want to take on the world with. On the way they will have to deal with other nations ambitions, budget cuts, and other outside meddling that will put crinks in their plans to create the strongest navy and rule the seas.

Rules and Procedures
Each turn will be anywhere from one to two weeks, taking up a year at a time. When wars break out mini updates will be used to allow multiple 'turns' each round, usually on a 3-4 day schedule between minis. Players are able to send in unlimited orders as their budget allows, and each nation will have access to its own Google Sheets Spreadsheet where it will be able to place it's designed ships and plans for the year. Each turn they will also be given a list of events with options they can select to deal with the event. These selections will potentially effect them in everything ranging from having to giving in to government demands, to getting extra funding, to ending up suddenly at war with another player. As the players are not incharge of their nations head of state, war may come at any time without their ability to stop

For designing ships, a designer has been developed and will be sent along with the previously mentioned sheet to each player individually once the game starts.

Countries
There are currently 10 countries available to play. These nations are:
The United Kingdom (Olligarchy)
Imperial Germany (Claimed by Riccardo93)
Imperial Russia (Dutchguy)
United States of America (Fingon)
Confederate States of America (Arrow)
The Kingdom of Italy (Claimed by Aedan777)
Imperial Japan (Cheef)
Austria-Hungary (Cleeque)
The Republic of France (Terra)
The Spanish Empire (Oxford)

(Tentatively if the other spots fill up)
Ottoman Empire
Qing China (Cloud Strife)
Portuguese Empire
The Netherlands (Luft)

Stats
The most important stat for any player is their Budget. This will control everything you can possibly do and keeping it balanced is extremely important to your continued career. Following this if your naval budget is too high due to lobbying the government, the nation will begin to gain dissent points. If you gain enough dissent points, then a revolution will occur which may oust the player. If this happens during a war you can expect your government to give away significantly more during a peace agreement then you might have wanted to give.

Other stats, such as those specific to ships, can be asked to me on the #wir_main IRC or by PM.

Espionage
Espionage is an important tool to the branch chiefs. Each branch chief is able to allocate some percent of their budget to espionage efforts. Either focused on specific nations or just generally across the board. Espionage has the opportunity to reveal the entire specifics of a class, budget costs, where research is going, and the potential to incite wars, dissent, or even try to cause accidents on specific ships to cause sinking.

Orders
Everyone gets 2 orders per turn. These are for Technological Development, Training and Politics (such as petitioning for more money, or doing fundraisers or the like.) You have an unlimited number of orders for moving ships around and producing new vessels (within your budget.)

To reach the IRC
Link: None
Channel: #WiR_Main
Instructions:
1) Go to www.mibbit.com
2) Open the chat client
3) Select for Connect Box 'The_Airlock'
4) In the channel box, type “/join #WiR_Main” without the quotation marks.
5) You’re in the chat! Welcome!

 

[Ranger900]

Public Ledger Link
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1wVeLT2yZ4cC2AV40DARSNJy50t4O8CrWThcmeQ1r-wg/edit?usp=sharing

Shell Damage by Type and Tech
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1xNlJVVNuUtusUedz8dKleQ9gFl1W4yUs3TTBcExVWw0/edit?usp=sharing


Current Shipbuilding Restrictions
Universal: 2 Centerline Turrets Maximum. Only 450mm Torpedoes are available.

B: , Wing Battery Single Turrets limited to F,G sections. Wing Battery Cannot have Double Turrets larger then 7", 23 Knot Max Speed

BC: Wing Battery Single Turrets limited to F,G sections. Wing Battery Cannot have Double Turrets larger then 7", 26 Knot Max Speed

CA: Guns larger then 7" are limited to Center Line positions. 6" Belt and Turret Armour Maximum, Double Turrets in Wing Positions limited to F and G positions unless smaller then 5". 26 Knot Max Speed

CL: Guns must be 6" or smaller. Double Turrets Limited to Centerline positions. 2" Belt armour maximum. 26 Knot Max Speed.

DD: 500 Ton max size. Guns 4" or Smaller. Guns limited to Single Turrets. 29 Knot Max Speed.

MS: Smaller or equal to 2000 tons, bigger or equal to 500 tons. 5" Max Gun Size. Double Turrets limited to Centerline. 4" Max Belt Armour, 23 knot Max Speed

TB (Listed as DD): 500 Ton Max Size. Guns 2" or Smaller, 2 Gun maximum. 32 Knot top speed.

 

[aedan777]

Regia Marina​

 

[Ranger900]

Orders are due Friday, April 14th.

 

[Olligarchy]

Her Majesty's Royal Navy

​

Though both England and Scotland have maintained fleets of ships since the middle-ages, the entity now known as the Royal Navy truly came unto itself under the Tudor Monarchy, with Henry VIII expanding it and it gaining its first moments of glory under Elizabeth I. The victory over the Spanish Armada in 1588 heralded a change in English policy when it came to the navy, and what had once been a secondary thought, began to be the principal tool with which the English projected their power across the seas.

During the 17th century the Royal Navy's success and failures were equal in measure, with the navy deteriorating thanks to the various wars, civil or otherwise to such an extent that the Barbary Pirates actually had more ships in the Channel than the English and were able to raid and enslave to their hearts content, only for their foul business to be over and done with by the restoration of the monarchy under Charles II whose first act as king was the re-establish the Royal Navy as a personal possession of the monarch. Since then the Navy has transformed from a semi-amateur force to the most professional, and finest navy in the world.

Since the rise of British power and founding of the colonial Empire, the Royal Navy has seen unprecedented growth, with its finest hour coming into being during the Napoleonic Wars when it by its lonesome blockaded basically the entire continent. Since then, the successive monarchs have each expanded both its reach as well as its power. All is not well however in the island of Britain, for the recent rise of German, Italian and even Japanese naval interest are forcing the Royal Navy to undertake more and more challenges globally, and the First Naval Lord Sir Frederick William Richards, GCB is forced to undertake a through review of the Senior Service and if its reach and power are enough to secure Britain and her interests...

Notable Personnel:

Admiral of the Fleet Sir Frederick William Richards
The First Naval Lord
Born the second son of Captain Edwin Richards RN, of Solsboro, County Wexford and Mary Anne Richards , daughter of the Revd Walter Blake Kirwan, dean of Killala, Richards was educated at the Royal Naval School, New Cross and entered the Royal Navy as a naval cadet in 1848.

Since then he has seen action all around the world, and lead everything from a paddled sloop to a naval station in India, all the while playing at politics to drive forth the 'Two-Power Standard policy', with his chief rivalry being with the oft times Prime Minister William Gladstone. His alliances with the Lords Rosebery and Salisbury however have off-set this, giving him a free hand to enact his platform and revisions in making sure that Britannia rules the waves and Britons shall never be slaves.

​

Vice Admiral Lord Walter Talbot Kerr
Junior Naval Lord and expected Successor
Born the fourth son of John Kerr, 7th Marquess of Lothian and Lady Cecil Chetwynd Talbot , Kerr was educated at Radley College and joined the first-rate HMS Prince Regent as a naval cadet in 1853. He saw action during the Crimean War serving in the first-rate HMS Neptune in March 1854 and then in the third-rate HMS Cornwallis in May 1855.

Since then Lord Kerr has served in numerous operations all around the world, including the Indian Mutiny. Several years ago he was promoted to Junior Naval Lord, Vice Admiral and put in charge of the Channel Squadron with responsibility to safeguard the Home Islands from possible invasion.
​

Other notables:
Admiral of the Fleet Richard James Meade, 4th Earl of Clanwilliam
HRH Alfred, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Goth
Admiral Sir Algernon McLennan Lyons

Current Events of the Royal Navy​

Technical Specifications
Majestic class

After Action Reports

Political Briefings and Statements
Statement Concerning war between USA, CSA &Spain
Two-Power Standard

 

[AzagalTheGreat]

((Copied from Olligarchy out of the old game, credits for him for writing this back then, most information is still up to date. Will be changed when necessary.))

​

Российский императорский флот
The Imperial Russian Navy​

History​

Under Tsar Mikhail Feodorovich, construction of the first three-masted ship actually built within Russia was completed in 1636. It was built in Balakhna by Danish shipbuilders from Holstein according to European design and was christened Frederick. During its maiden voyage on the Caspian Sea, Frederick sailed into a heavy storm and was lost at sea.
During the Russo-Swedish War, 1656-1658, Russian forces seized the Swedish fortresses of Dünaburg and Kokenhusen on the Western Dvina, the former being renamed to Borisoglebsk and the latter, Tsarevich-Dmitriyev. A boyar named Afanasy Ordin-Nashchokin founded a shipyard at Tsarevich-Dmitriev fortress and began constructing vessels to sail in the Baltic Sea. In 1661, however, Russia was once again forced to abide by the harsh terms of a treaty, this time the Peace of Cardis. Russia agreed to surrender to Sweden all captured territories, and all vessels constructed at Tsarevich-Dmitriev were ordered destroyed.
Boyar Ordin-Nashchyokin, not grieving long over defeat, turned his attention to the Volga River and Caspian Sea. With the Tsar's approval, the boyar brought Dutch shipbuilding experts to the town of Dedinovo near the confluence of the Oka and Volga Rivers. Shipbuilding commenced in the winter of 1667. Within two years, four vessels had been completed: one 22-gun galley, christened Орёл ("Oryol" = "Eagle"), and three smaller ships. The ill-fated Frederick had been a Holstein vessel; Орёл became Russia's first own three-masted, European-designed sailing ship but met with a similarly unfortunate end. The ship was captured in Astrakhan by rebellious Cossacks led by Stepan Razin. The Cossacks ransacked Орёл and abandoned it, half-submerged, in an estuary of the Volga.
During much of the 17th century, Russian merchants and Cossacks, using koch boats, sailed across the White Sea, exploring the Rivers Lena, Kolyma and Indigirka, and founding settlements in the region of the upper Amur. Unquestionably, the most celebrated Russian explorer was Semyon Dezhnev, who, in 1648, sailed the entire length of present-day Russia by way of the Arctic Ocean. Rounding the Chukotsk Peninsula, Dezhnev passed through the Bering Sea and sailed into the Pacific Ocean.

Reign of Peter the Great

Goto Predestinatsia, flagship of Azov flotilla until 1711

The creation of the regular Russian Navy took place during the reign of Peter the Great. During the Second Azov campaign of 1696 against Turkey, the Russians employed for the first time 2 warships, 4 fireships, 23 galleys and 1300 strugs, built on the Voronezh River. After the occupation of the Azov fortress, the Boyar Duma looked into Peter's report of this military campaign and passed a decree on commencing the construction of the navy on October 20, 1696. This date is considered the official birthday of the regular Russian Navy.
During the Great Northern War of 1700-1721, the Russians built the Baltic Fleet. The construction of the oared fleet (galley fleet) took place in 1702-1704 at several shipyards (estuaries of the rivers Syas, Luga and Olonka). In order to be able to defend the conquered coastline and attack enemy's maritime communications in the Baltic Sea, the Russians created a sailing fleet from the ships built in Russia and imported from abroad. From 1703-1723, the main base of the Baltic Fleet was located in Saint Petersburg and then in Kronstadt. The bases were also created in Reval (Tallinn) and in Vyborg after it was ceded from Sweden after the war of 1741-43. At first, Vladimirsky Prikaz was in charge of shipbuilding. Later on, these functions were transferred to the Admiralteyskiy Prikaz.
In 1745 the Russian Navy had 130 sailing vessels, including 36 ships of the line, 9 frigates, 3 shnyavas (шнява — a light two-mast ship used for reconnaissance and messenger services), 5 bombardier ships and 77 auxiliary vessels. The oared fleet consisted of 396 vessels, including 253 galleys and semi-galleys (called скампавеи, or scampavei; a light high-speed galley) and 143 brigantines. The ships were being constructed at 24 shipyards, including the ones in Voronezh, Kazan, Pereyaslavl, Arkhangelsk, Olonets, Petersburg and Astrakhan.
The naval officers for the fleet were supplied from among the dvoryane (noblemen) and regular sailors — from conscripts. The service in the navy was lifelong. Children of noblemen were educated for naval service at the School for Mathematical and Navigational Sciences, which had been founded in 1701 in Moscow's Sukharev Tower. Students were often sent abroad for training in foreign fleets. It was also customary to hire foreign nationals, who had significant naval experience, to serve in the Russian Navy, such as the Norwegian-Dutch Cornelius Cruys, the Greek Ivan Botsis or the Scotsman Thomas Gordon. In 1718, the Admiralty Board (Адмиралтейств-коллегия) was established as the highest naval authority in Russia.

The naval cathedral in Kronstadt was one of several cathedrals of the Imperial Russian Navy.

The organizational principles of the Russian Navy, educational and training methods for preparing future staff, and methods for conducting military action were all summarized in the Naval Charter (1720) penned by Peter I himself.[1] Peter the Great, Feodor Apraksin, Alexey Senyavin, Naum Senyavin, Mikhail Golitsyn and others are generally credited for the development of the Russian art of naval warfare. The main principles of naval warfare were further developed by Grigory Spiridov, Feodor Ushakov, and Dmitry Senyavin.

18th century

In the second half of the 18th century, the Russian Navy grew stronger due to activization of Russia's foreign policy and Russo-Turkish wars for supremacy in the Black Sea. For the first time, Russia sent its squadrons from the Baltic Sea to distant theaters of operations (see Archipelago expeditions of the Russian Navy). Admiral Spiridov's squadron gained supremacy in the Aegean Sea by destroying the Turkish fleet in the Battle of Chesma in 1770. In 1771, the Russian army conquered the coasts of the Kerch Strait and fortresses of Kerch and Yenikale.
After having advanced to the Danube, the Russians formed the Danube Military Flotilla for the purpose of guarding the Danube estuary and they came in 1771 as guests to the Republic of Ragusa.[2] The Beluga caviar from the Danube was famous and the merchants from the Republic of Ragusa dominated the import-export business in Serbia with the Habsburg Monarchy.[3] In 1773 the vessels of the Azov Flotilla (created anew in 1771) sailed out into the Black Sea. The Russo-Turkish War of 1768-1774 ended victoriously for Russia, which gained the coasts of the Sea of Azov and a part of the Black Sea coastline between the rivers Bug and Dniester. The Crimea was pronounced independent under Russia's protectorate and would become a part of Russia in 1783. In 1778, the Russians founded the port of Kherson. It is in this city that the first battleship of the Black Sea Fleet was commissioned in 1783. A year later, it was already a squadron.

19th century

Headquarters of the Admiralty Board, 1810s.

In the second half of the 18th century and early 19th century, the Russian Navy had the third largest fleet in the world after Great Britain and France. The Black Sea Fleet possessed five line-of-battle ships and 19 frigates (1787), the Baltic Fleet had 23 ships of the line and 130 frigates (1788). In the early 19th century, the Russian Navy consisted of the Baltic and Black Sea Fleets, Caspian Flotilla, White Sea Flotilla and Okhotsk Flotilla. In 1802, the Ministry of Naval Military Forces was established (renamed to Naval Ministry in 1815).
In 1826 the Russians built their first armed steamboat Izhora (73.6 kW (98.7 hp)), equipped with eight cannons. In 1836, they constructed the first paddle steam frigate of the Russian Navy called Bogatyr (displacement — 1,340 t (1,320 long tons), power — 177 kW (237 hp), armament — 28 cannons). Between 1803 and 1855, Russian sailors undertook over 40 circumnavigations and long-distant voyages, most of which were in support of their Pacific colonies in Alaska, California, and the ports on the eastern seaboard of Siberia. These voyages played an important role in the exploration of the Far East, different oceans and contributed important scientific research materials and discoveries in Pacific, Antarctic and Arctic theatres of operations.

Battle of Navarino, by Ivan Aivazovsky, showing the Russian squadron, in line ahead (left-centre, white flags with blue transversal crosses) bombarding the Ottoman fleet (right, with red flags)

In 1863, during the American Civil War, the Russian Navy's Atlantic and Pacific Fleets wintered in the American ports of New York and San Francisco respectively. Some historians credit this visit as a major factor in deterring France and England from entering the war on the Confederate side.[4] Delahaye states that besides supporting the Union, Russia was also preparing for a war with France and England should they intervene in the Polish insurrection of 1863. The Russian Navy was weak and could easily be blockaded in its home ports, but if it was in the US when the war started it could more easily attack British and French commerce.[5][6]
The Imperial Russian Navy continued to expand in the later part of the century becoming the third largest fleet in the world after Britain and France. The expansion accelerated under Tsar Nicholas II who had been influenced by the American naval theoretician Alfred Thayer Mahan. Russian industry, although growing in capacity, was not able to meet the demands and some ships were ordered from Britain, France, Germany, USA, and Denmark. French naval architects in particular had a considerable influence on Russian designs.

Crimean War and aftermath

Action between Russian steam frigate 'Vladimir (ship, 1848) (ru) and Turkish steam frigate Pervaz-ı Bahrî on 5 November 1853 — first action between steam ships in history.

Russia's slow technical and economic development in the first half of the 19th century caused her to fall behind other European countries in the field of steamboat construction. By the outbreak of the Crimean War in 1853, Russia had the Baltic and Black Sea Fleets, Arkhangelsk Flotilla, Caspian Flotilla and Okhotsk Flotilla (altogether, 40 battleships, 15 frigates, 24 corvettes and brigs, 16 steam frigates etc.).
The combined number of staff of all the fleets equaled 91,000 people. Despite all this, the reactionary serfdom system had an adverse effect on the development of the Russian Navy. It was especially typical of the Baltic Fleet, which was known for its harsh military drill.
Thanks to admirals Mikhail Lazarev, Pavel Nakhimov, Vladimir Kornilov, and Vladimir Istomin, the sailors of the Black Sea Fleet were taught the art of warfare and upholding of military traditions of the Russian Navy, formed in the times of Admiral Ushakov.
The Battle of Sinop in 1853 the Black Sea Fleet under Nakhimov made a number of tactical innovations. During the Siege of Sevastopol in 1854-1855, the Russian sailors used all means possible to defend their base from land and sea. In accordance with the Treaty of Paris, Russia lost the right to have a military fleet in the Black Sea. In the 1860s, the Russian fleet which had relied upon sails lost its significance and was gradually replaced by steam.
After the Crimean War, Russia commenced construction of steam-powered ironclads, monitors, and floating batteries. These vessels had strong artillery and thick armor, but lacked seaworthiness, speed and long-distance abilities. In 1861, they built the first steel-armored gunship Opyt (Опыт). In 1869, the Russians began the construction of one of the first seafaring ironclads, Petr Veliky (Пётр Великий).

​

Ranks
Beginning in the second half of the 19th century, ranks of the IRN were divided according to speciality and branch.

Deck ranks and rates

Seamen and NCO's

• Seaman
• First Seaman
• Quartermaster Seaman
• Petty Officer 3rd Class (Boatswain's mate, Third mate, Skipper's mate, Stuurman's mate)
• Petty Officer 2nd Class (Boatswain, Second mate, Schooner skipper)
• Petty Officer 1st Class (Unteroffizier) (Constable)
• Chief Petty Officer (Skipper)
• Senior Chief Petty Officer (Senior Unteroffizier) (Chief mate, Conductor)
• Fleet Chief Petty Officer (Senior Boatswain)

Officers

• Brevet Midshipman/Garde-Marine (1827-1884)
• Midshipman
• Ship Secretary (until 1834), Sub-lieutenant (1834–84)
• Lieutenant (formerly Second Lieutenant 1724-1884)
• First Lieutenant (from 1907 onward)
• Captain Lieutenant (formerly Captain 3rd Rank until 1730, abolished 1909)
• Captain 2nd Rank
• Captain 1st Rank
• Captain-Commodore (until 1764 and 1798-1826, from 1764-98 Captain-Brigadier)
• Counter Admiral, Rear Admiral
• Vice Admiral
• Admiral
• General Admiral

Naval Infantry and ground service troops ranks
Ranks of these troops mirrored those of the Imperial Russian Army from Private to General, and were distinguished from those in the army.

Marine enlisted and NCOs

• Marine Private, Marine
• Marine Gefreiter
• Marine Junior Unteroffizier (Formerly Marine Corporal)
• Marine Senior Unteroffizier
• Marine Feldwebel (Formerly Marine Sergeant)
• Marine Junior Ensign
• Marine Acting Ensign (from 1884 onward)

Marine officers

• Admiralty Ensign
• Admiralty Sub-lieutenant
• Admiralty Lieutenant
• Admiralty Captain Lieutenant (1907–13)
• Admiralty Staff Captain
• Admiralty Captain
• Admiralty Second Major (1780-1829)
• Admiralty First Major (1780-1829)
• Admiralty Major (1830-1884)
• Admiralty Lieutenant Colonel
• Admiralty Colonel
• Admiralty Brigadier (until 1798)
• Fleet Major General
• Fleet Lieutenant General
• Fleet General

​

Leadership

The Minister of Navy is currently Nikolay Chikhachyov, a highly intellectual and energetic man. He is also famed as being an avid reader and patron to Dmitri Mendeleev. Due to the favour shown to him by Czar Alexander he has become the driving force behind the modernizing face of the Imperial Navy, and is taking unilateral actions to secure the Empire's maritime interests. Simplifying the archaic and feudal ranking system, he adopted a more streamlined and merit driven one which took cues from the United Kingdom.

In his continuing task of maintaining and expanding the Navy he was helped by:

Grand Duke Alexei Alexandrovich
The second son of Alexander II, Alexei was always destined for a naval career and after a brief goodwill tour around the world, he was assigned into the fleet. In 1883 he was appointed general-admiral. He had a significant contribution in the equipment of the Russian navy with new ships and in modernizing the naval ports
​

Zinovy Rozhestvensky
A Captain-Commodore and Naval Attache to London, Zinovy has been tasked with studying both British naval theory and shipbuilding to improve their Russian counter-parts. Before this assignment he has shown promise during his service aboard several ships and commands.

Stepan Makarov
A highly accomplished and decorated commander of the Imperial Russian Navy, an oceanographer, awarded by the Russian Academy of Sciences, and author of several books. Makarov also designed a small number of ships.​

The Navy maintains relatively few dedicated bases, with the most notable commands being the Baltic Fleet, Black Sea Fleet and the Pacific Fleet. Other lesser commands include the Northern Fleet and the Caspian Flotilla.

 

[Olligarchy]

The Curious case of the Magic Stick
The Majestic class

The Majestic class battleships were a series of nine Battleships designed under the auspices of the Spencer Program, named after First Lord of the Admirality John Spencer. Though the design was complete by 1894, some unforeseen changes in her Majesty's navy's command structure meant the first ones would not be laid down until 1895.

The ships themselves were the first in their weight-class to include improvements such as gun shields for the barbette-mounted main guns, Harvey Armour and the usage of smokeless propellant. All of its improvements came at something of a cost however, and whilst the ships could reach a respectable speed of 16 knots, their range was limited and as such they were principally designed for service in the North and Mediterranean seas.

Spoiler: The Design

​

​

 

[Cleeque]

Die Kaiserliche und Konigliche Kriegsmarine
The Kaiserly and Kingly War-Navy

​

Created 1797 by the will of Napoleon and the ships of the Venetians, the Austrian sea force is still one of less notable navies in Europe, and it's not hard to see why. The K. u. K. Kriegsmarine has important ports only along the Adriatic Sea that it shares with Italy, and has a relatively small naval budget of some 54,000,000 crowns. And, unlike in other great powers, the popular enthusiasm for marine endeavors remains low due to the lack of any notable naval engagements in the past - however, as the new century is about ot dawn over the world, the Dual Monarchy and it's navy is sure to see a turbulent and exciting time.

======================================================================================================================================

Carl Weibrecht and Julius Payer raise the
Habsburg flag over Franz-Joseph Land
​

July 16th, 1872 - 24 men set sail from the Tromso port in Lappland on the schooner 'Tegethoff', coursed for North by Northeast. The Empire designated 150,000 Florins for this expedition, and the Captain Karl Weibricht and the Scientist Julius von Payer would not dissapoint their fatherland - they would explore the Arctic, find the North-East passage, and claim it for the Kaiser. Determinedly they broke through the ice, broke through the cold, steadfast in their bravery, they let God guide them where He would. As more and more snow piled around the ship, it was getting slower and slower, until it stopped in it's tracks, and the two dozen Germans, Slavs, Italians were on their own in the midst of cold itself. And yet, they did not give up - they climbed off their boat and went wherever their feet would guide them, and, by the will of god, they found land. They found Franz-Joseph land - an archipelago consisting of 191 islands and 6,000 square miles, all legally belonging to the Austro-Hungarian empire by right of finding and exploration. Determinedly, they hoisted their banner on the frozen land and, without the ship they came marched upon the ice until they reached a Russian fisherboat, who took them back to Christian land and soonafter they returned home to Vienna, met by crowds of peasants and the congratulations of the nobility. For the first time since the fall of the Spanish Habsburgs and the dismantling of the pacific colonies, an Austrian ruled over a land outside of Europe.

=======================================================================================================================================

K. U. K. Kriegsmarine
​

Consisting of 2 Zrynyi Class Battleships of 10,000 tons, 5 Heavy Cruisers of 6 and a half thousand tons, 5 Lighter Cruisers of about 3,000 tons, and about a dozen 500 ton destroyer ships, the Habsburg domain could nonetheless call itself a naval power - after all, it did have two battleships, which is more then the haughty Dutch could brag with. Most of them were built relatively recently ; in the 17th century, when England and Spain already had great armadas, the Archduchy merely had a couple of river boats. After the 7 Years War, a few frigates were built to protect the Kaiser's Netherlands from privateers, but the first real navy this great land power got a navy was the splitting up of Venice with the victorious Napoleon, after which Corfu, Crete, the Mediterannean Islands and other seaborne territories the Merchant Republic reigned over, while the city itself and the somewhat outdated navy was given to the Austrian Empire. By 1802, the Navy was centralized and a flag was developed - academies were established, formal headquarters were built in Friula, in Trieste, and in Vienna.

========================================================================================================================

​

The Battle of Lissa was the first major and significant naval engagement of Austrian ships against a foreign power - at the end of the day when the fallen ships hit the sea floor, three new major powers would rise - the German Empire, the Kingdom of Italy, and the Dual Monarchy of Austria and Hungary. It's the 20th day of the month of Julius - the Saxons are advancing from the North, hoping to unify all Germany behind the Hohenzollerns. In an effort to create a unitary German state lead by the Hohenzollerns, and knock out any Habsburg rival, Bismark's men rapidly march towards Vienna, and, their allies, also hoping to create a unitary state albeit an Italian one, send Garibaldi to take Venezia from the Habsburg crown and bring it into their newly-formed empire. Things are looking grim for the Habsburg Crown - enemies are advancing from all fronts, every hour they get closer and closer to the Emperor. However, on this day the Austrian navy will save the last shred of Honour and strength the Kaiser has; against all hopes and odds, the fleet under the glorious Konteradmiral Wilhelm von Teggerthoff would smash the famous Italian navy twice it's size and thrice it's weight, it would stop the Italian advance, and secure Trieste and Dalmatia for the Habsburgs once and for all and ever - only because the Austrian navy was, like the Austrian empire, united in diversity. Croats, Czechs, Jugoslavs, Hungarians, Germans - they would all fight united against the common enemy of the Habsburg throne, while the Italians across the pond couldnt even unite their own people, of same blood and language.

(More to follow)

 

[Arrowfiend]

Confederate States Navy

--------------
Important Persons​

Hilary Abner Herbert
Secretary of the Navy

George Washington Custis Lee
President of the CSA and Commander and Chief of the Confederate States Armed Forces

William Harwar Parker
Admiral, Confederate States Navy

Clifton Rodes Breckinridge
Vice Admiral, Confderate States Navy

 

[Terraferma]

( Reserved for the French)

 

[Cloud Strife]

[Reserved for the Beiyang Fleet of the Great Qing Empire]

 

[Cleeque]

The Franz Ferdinand Initiative

Archduke Franz Ferdinand, fervent supporter of the Kriegsmarine
​

Franz Ferdinand Karl Ludwig Josef Maria von Habsburg, Royal Prince of Hungary and Bohemia, Archduke of Austria Este, Heir Presumptive of the Dual Monarchy and all Habsburg titles is currently one of the most powerful men in Austria Hungary - the emperor was getting old and his promising, reformist, yet acutely patriotic niece was slowly taking on his duties and his reputation. Only around 35 years old, Franz Ferdinand has delved deep into all aspects of his future empire - including the Navy.

The K. u. K. Marine has always been further to the back of Austria's mind - Austria was an empire deep enshrined into monarchism, imperialism, and pompous parades and shows. To be fair, a great cavalry march, however weak a horseman charge may be against a low-caliber Maxim, looks a lot more colourful then a big gray pot floating in the salty sea, but in the modern age, the Navy is getting ever more crucial for a natioin to remain a great power on the world stage. However, public intrest and monetary support has always spiked when some prominent member of the court took an intrest in navigation and nauticism - from the Count of Karnitz-Rienburg and Emperor Joseph II, to the moderniser Archduke Charles and his grandson Archduke Friedrich, the curiosity of a Habsburg did more for the KuKKm than the labour of a hundred seashaven Admirals.

Recently, the Archduke Friedrich has taken a naval rank and command of a ship, he surveyed it and talked to the officers and seamen - he watched through the lense of a Kaiser and figured out the strengths and weaknesses of his future seaborne subjects and devised plans to improve and revitalize it - the first of which was the so called Franz Ferdinand Initiative.

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The Torpedo itself was an Austrian invention, and, really, it was clearly made for Austria. The hundreds upon thousands of islands of Dalmatia, the narrow turns and rocks that a battleship could never pass, but through which a torpedo could go between perfectly. Only in Austria, could a tube be developed that by itself could sink a steelen mountain of 15 thousand tons, and only in Austria could the finest minds of the greatest and largest nation in Europe, of all religions, skin-tints, and nationalities come together and with the help of their king develop a device that fundamentally revolutionized naval warfare, and finally ended the long and tiresome age of sail.

The Archduke of Este, he would use it and finally give the device the attention it deserves from the land that created it. He, after much discussion with the Admirality and his close friends and relatives, he came up with a design that was sure to make a cheap iron rocketship armed with this Habsburgian technological innovation - a brand new hull, a new blueprint, a new design to enhance speed to the maximum - able to reach more then thirty-two sea knots, while keeping a weight of barely 200 tons! This was all, of course, empty claims - the design was yet to be fully designed, and it may not even function properly.

But nonetheless, many noted Franz-Ferdinand's acute naval mind and even reviewed his design, which he called The Hussar Class Rocket-boat Mark 1895, named in honour of the infamous Austrian cavalry force that dominated Europe for so many centuries. The respect and interest of the crown prince can be very beneficial for a naval force - an admiral Kaiser will be sure to respect the customs and increase the funding drastically, while also improving the combat capabilities of the Kriegsmarine.

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[Ranger900]

Treaty of Havana​

1. Upon signing, the Confederate States of America and the Empire of Spain will agree to come to the other's aid in the event of another nation declaring war on either signatory.
2. The Empire of Spain will allow the Confederate States of America to station ships and soldiers upon the Island of Cuba.
3. The Empire of Spain will lease the harbor and naval facilities at Guantanamo Bay to the Confederate States of America for the sum of $2,000,000 per year. This payment will remain constant as long as the CSA maintains payments.
4. The CSA agrees to assist in the development, maintenance and crewing of 4 8" coastal gun batteries overlooking important harbors in Cuba.

[X] The Spanish Empire
[X] The Confederate States of America

 

[oxfordroyale]

((Reserved for the Spanish Navy))

 

[Revan529]

[Reserved for the Kaiserliche Marine]

 

[Ranger900]

As of December 6th, 1896 the United States is in a State of War with the Empire of Spain and the Confederate States of America.​

 

[Fingon888]

​

President Benjamin Harrison has declared that the United States of America is prepared to use arms in order to defend the sacred principles of the Monroe Doctrine, enshrined in US policy since 1823. He declared in a speech to Congress asking to authorize war with the Confederate States of America and the Kingdom of Spain that the Spanish alliance with the CSA goes against the principles laid out in the Monroe Doctrine, agreed upon since 1823. The President also denounced the oppressive rule of the Spanish authorities in Cuba as the native people are forced into near servitude on many sugar plantations. Furthermore, the expansion of the CSA's naval ambitions deeper into the Mediterranean represents an existential threat to the United States and to free people across the world. President Harrison has called upon the American people to fully prosecute this most just war so as to secure the American continent for freedom and liberty.

 

[Fingon888]

United States Navy

Important Persons:

Benjamin F. Tracy
Secretary of the Navy

Theodore Roosevelt Jr.
Assistant Secretary of the Navy
​

 

[Olligarchy]

​

Under the auspices of the Parliament, the United Kingdom and as such Her Majesty's Royal Navy agree to maintain a benevolent Neutrality to all combatants of the war fought by United States upon the Confederate States of America and its Spanish allies. Given Her Majesty's neutrality upon the matter, the Royal Navy shall act only to secure the United Kingdom's interests.

As such, the readiness of the Mediterranean fleet under Admiral Sir Michael Culme-Seymour, 3rd Baronet is to be raised to secure Gibraltar. This is only a security measure, and not a hostile move against Spain which is urged to regard it as a domestic matter for the United Kingdom. The readiness of defences in Her Majesty's Dominions near to the conflict zones are also to be raised.

Admiral of the Fleet Sir Frederick William Richards
First Naval Lord​

 

[Ranger900]

Reminder to all. Orders are due Tommorow. All states get an infinite amount of movement and ship building orders (though please include a list of the ships you want to build in your orders) and Two Orders for tech, politics and other things.