Morser Class Battleship
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Morser Class Battleship
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| National Origin | Zokesia | ||||
| Production History | |||||
| Produced | |||||
| 2124 - 2155 | |||||
| Designer | Freetowne Shipyards | ||||
| Service History | |||||
| In Service | |||||
| 2126 - Present | |||||
| Used By | Zokesia Laveska | ||||
The Morser Class is a fleet Battleship of the Zokesian Navy. Designed in cooperation with the Orion and Phoenian Navies, the Morser Class was designed as the central element to a surface fleet strike force - with enough guns to defeat all surface threats while defending itself and friendly fleet carriers from attack with powerful anti-air armament. The namesake of the class was laid down in 2124, and production continued through the late 2130s. In total, 30 were completed before production ended in 2155.
Design
The Morser Class is outfitted with a wide array of weaponry, permitting it to tackle a variety of targets with great proficiency. The hull is characterised by a long, tapered bow and wide amidships. At over 5,000 tons and with a top speed of 80 knots, the battleship can easily keep pace with fleet carriers and make good speed in the battle line, outrunning many battleships of its comparative age. Origionally built with 20 32cm guns in six quad turrets, the Morser underwent a modification in the 2140s to eight 38cm guns, supplemented by eight 20.3cm guns. The primary armament is located on the centerline in front of and behind the amidships superstrucutres, with the secondary armement on either beam. Amidships is the primary anti-aircraft battery, twenty Mk2 "CIWS" Gatling guns for air defense and 4 lasers for missile destruction. The amidships armament was updated over the years to include two dozen 5" rapid-fire dual purpose guns which act as deterrent to smaller craft and swarms against the larger vessel. At the rear, a hangar for aircraft was eventually removed and replaced with a ramp at the fantail for helicopter compliment to support the vessel.
2145 Refit
In 2148 a major rebuild of all morsers in Zokesia was undertaken. From 2145-2152, all remaining Morser class battleships were given updated twin 38cm gun turrets, additional belt armor, and heavier antiair capacity.
Special Variants
The ZNS Baskien was heavily damaged during fighting with Grestinian terrorists off the coast of Kafrica, and was towed to Crytil for refit. She adopted a more Crytillian-Pagoda style superstrucutre and featured additional armor.
In 2155, to replace the loss of ZNS Kerffinger, the unfinished ZNS Mordekai was rebuilt with an additional 38cm turret and anti-air capability.
Service History
Nautilus War
With the breakdown of Gaxinia leaving a vacumn of power in the southern Forseti, the nation of Gallante began attempting to exert control over the Nautilus Strait, claiming birthright over the island. When the nations of Zokesia, Eloheim, Orion, and Phoenia voiced objection to Nautilus' integration, Gallante launched a naval invasion which kicked off a four year war. The nations of the Nautilus Security Coalition pushed back the Gallante landings through airstrikes and naval gunfire in 2130. By 2131, the Gallans were kicked completely out of Castana and a naval blockade was established surrounding the nation. The Zokesian Navy, allready expanding at the time of war, exploded threefold in size, and by 2133 had the largest surface fleet on Kerbin. Naval invasions in the southern provinces were initiated by Orion and Phoenia, supported by Zokesian and Eloheim aircraft which fought bloody SEAD missions to rid the mainland of its dense missile batteries. Over 100 Zokesian fighters were lost, but the move forced Gallante off the southern half of the peninsula and peace was finally struck, ending the war in favorable terms to Nautilus and the Security Coalition.
The Zokesian Civil War
Over the course of the next week one by one all 10 active StahlSieg units banded together to pledge allegiance to Reichscommander Studer, who had set up his headquarters in the Surnish province of Juno. Reichscommisariat Juno thus became the “legitimate successor state to the Grailreich” and was declared the Second Reich of Zokesia. The Zokesian Greens mobilized the armed forces but many amongst the ranks had defected along with the Stahl Sieg, and only half the remaining forces could be mustered to defend her interests and now apparent legitimacy. In Sur-Krakain and Forseti the borders, sea lanes, and air lanes were shut off to prevent any and all travel in the hopes of catching Stahl Sieg defectors, but rioting and minor coup attempts were occuring in every city in both of the principalities. Then the news that Schrschnell and the Zokesian Navy had completely defected sounded the first shots of the civil war, as the battleships Morser, Konig, and Notilian sailed past the government house in Ezekielgrad firing high explosive 16” shells onto the city. The fleet then sailed through Nautilus and out into the waters of the Southern Sea, where they were sunk by Orion forces coming to the aid of Zokeisa.
Operation Carolinas
At 00:45 the night of February 12th, 2148, the combined forces of Zokesia, Laveska, and Imperial United Front launched Operation Carloinas, a mission to strike at the island of North Point, Arcadia. The operation was launched primarily from Sur-Krakain, with support from the Combined Fleet, consisting of Belkan, Laveskan, and Phoenian naval assets.
The Morser class battleships Kerffinger and Rommel supported the landing forces on North Point, talking heavy shore fire which saw ZNS Kerffinger sunk with nearly all hands. It was the first loss of a Zokesian Battleship since the CSD blockade of 2090.
After the defeat of the allied combined fleet, the Zokesian battleships Rommel, Kercia, and Osyrus broke off shore bombardment and steamed south to stop the Arcadian navy from preventing the landings, under the umbrella of fighters and anti-ship aircraft from ZNS Emperor Zeroth and INS Fort Grace Zokesian and UIF aircraft then proceeded to hunt and destroy the remaining Arcadian fleets south of North Point in the 2nd Naval Battle of North Point, and the battleships engaged the remaining Natalia-class battleships, sinking three at the loss of three Laveskan destroyers. In 180 air-to-ground and 140 air-to-air sorties, Zokesian and UIF fighters had accounted for four battleships, 110 torpedo boats, ten OPVs, an arkadii-soyuz carrier, and over 110 Arcadian fighters. they had suffered just 20 fighters lost in the process. North Point was securely in UIF hands once again and the pride of the Arcadian navy had been broken.
Ships In Class
Three subclasses of Morser-Class were laid down over its 30 year construction, representing upgrades, system replacements and in some cases major additions to armament or protection. Block B was the first to feature torpedo bulges and the four dual- 38cm turrets instead of 32cm quad turrets. All Morsers in Zokesia were upgraded to Block B in an upgrade package from 2132 to 2136. Block C included additional radar, fire control and torpedo launchers, as well as extensive aircraft support for fleet helicopters landing on the fantail, which was added in the mid-2150s as production ceased. Block D was a service life upgrade plan drawn up in 2182 to extend the life of remaining Morsers and included a new hybrid power plant, reworked electronics suit and anti ship missile capability, augmentation of air defenses through SEARAM and lazer CIWS, increased small arms to deter swift boat swarms, and the complete replacement of turrets A, B, C and D to x3 Triple 42cm guns. As of 2180, Fleet Plan 2210 called for the upgrade of all remaining Morsers to Block D, with 8 having received modernization by 2200. A final two Morsers sit in ordinary to be used as spare ships in the event of catastrophic damage to active battleships.
Weisswust-Class Fast Combat Support Ship
In 2162, the redundant Morsers laid up in ordinary following the Reclamation war were torn down to be rebuilt as Weisswust-Class Fast Combat Support Ships. These replenishment vessels had their belt armor and weapons stripped and replaced with replenishment cranes and hose systems to assist fast attack squadrons outside of friendly port range. These new Fast Combat Support Ships were the first of their kind in the Zokesian Royal Navy, and served in their role for nearly three decades, until the arrival of the Markus B. Kolsonaro-Class Replenishment Oilers in 2188.
| Block A (2126-2129) | Commissioned | Decomissioned | Fate |
| BB-01 Baskien | 2126 | 2165 | Sold to Belka |
| BB-02 Schrschnell | 2126 | 2165 | Sold to Belka |
| BB-03 Notilian | 2127 | 2142 | Sunk during the Stahl Sieg Defection |
| BB-04 Konig | 2127 | 2142 | Sunk during the Stahl Sieg Defection |
| BB-06 Mörser | 2128 | 2142 | Sunk during the Stahl Sieg Defection |
| BB-05 Kerffinger | 2128 | 2148 | Sunk during the Battle of North Point |
| BB-07 Rommel | 2129 | - | In active Zokesian service |
| BB-08 Kercia | 2129 | - | In active Zokesian service |
| Block B (2130-2135) | Commissioned | Decomissioned | Fate |
| BB-09 Osyrus | 2130 | 2172 | Sold to Belka |
| BB-10 Caligula | 2130 | 2172 | Sold to Belka |
| BB-11 Juno | 2131 | 2188 | Sold to Belka |
| BB-12 Zeus | 2131 | - | In active Zokesian service |
| BB-13 Mordekai | 2131 | 2188 | Sold to Belka |
| BB-14 Allondra | 2131 | 2168 | Sold to Zalkent |
| BB-15 Blythehria | 2132 | 2168 | Sold to Zalkent |
| BB-16 Obtund | 2132 | - | In active Zokesian service |
| BB-17 Drekavia | 2132 | 2195 | Sold to Arvene, seized by Ilishria 2197 |
| BB-18 Elizabeithen | 2132 | 2192 | Converted To Weisswust-Class FCSS in 2162 |
| BB-19 Zweitog | 2133 | 2188 | Converted To Weisswust-Class FCSS in 2164 |
| BB-20 Dachland | 2133 | - | In active Zokesian service |
| BB-21 Prinz Kjolsen | 2134 | 2178 | Sold to Eloheim in 2178 |
| BB-22 Cira | 2134 | 2178 | Sold to Eloheim in 2178 |
| BB-23 Zokeycirland | 2135 | 2178 | Sold to Eloheim in 2178 |
| Block C (2136-2155) | Commissioned | Decomissioned | Fate |
| BB-24 Geisßelalters | 2136 | 2193 | Converted To Weisswust-Class FCSS in 2168 |
| BB-25 Gotterdamerung | 2144 | 2198 | Converted To Weisswust-Class FCSS in 2167 |
| BB-26 Inselfrei | 2146 | 2190 | Laid up in ordinary, Schrschnell Yards |
| BB-27 Daimbrudge | 2149 | 2191 | Laid up in ordinary, Schrschnell Yards |
| BB-28 Treposia | 2150 | - | In active Zokesian service |
| BB-29 Wainright | 2150 | - | In active Zokesian service |
| BB-30 Kantenring | 2155 | - | In active Zokesian service |