RFC's take on what the Royal Torch Navy might need...

I was perusing over at thefifthemporium again, and found this little nugget: (see http://infodump.thefifthimperium.com/entry/Harrington/56/1 )

Pearls of Weber wrote:In fact, Torch is probably one of the very few star nations for whom a few smaller CLACs might actually make sense. They would be far better placed to man a Manticoran-style CLAC of small size and man a couple of squadrons of Shrikes for a system raid escorting a CA-sized transport equipped to land and support a battalion or two of commandos than to carry out a set-piece attack on a heavily defended system.

Now then, given that "HMAMC Wayfarer" had these:

Honor Among Enemies wrote: A single one of the new LACs was as heavily armed as a typical raider, and Wayfarer had been reconfigured to carry six of them in each of her modified cargo holds. Anywhere except in a grav wave, she could multiply her force level by dropping no less than twelve modern and, for their size, powerful parasite warships into the engagement.

I'm thinking that JUST MAYBE Torch might order a couple of very interesting hulls and missile loadouts from Carlucci's, more than a few dozen LACs (better even than those from HoE) from Manticore, and as much battle armor as they need to arm the Royal Torch Marines on those ships?

Your thoughts on the ship size/armament mix?

Updated with BC armour and Military wedges perhaps. The CFRG they currently use might be the ended upon solution. Carrier Frigate...

14 AMC still sit in mothballs. Add in 168 series 282 LAC or Series 282 Shrike D. Whatever that is, and Torch has all the raiders it could ever want. Fast Freighters and keyhole I with MK16 or MK36 Pods. 180 pods with 14 to 25 missiles per pod would go a long way to adding punch to the Torch Forces. What kind of missiles do their frigates use?



I suppose keeping it looking like a Freighter might be an advantage for the Torch forces too. However Torch is about to become the second sister of the New Anti Slave trade worlds, the first being Mesa and they can pretty much handle any kind of ships. Perhaps even a collection of Ex Sollie SD BC CA CL DD ...

Perhaps Torch is the Ballroom home world now?

Plus a "keep in mind"...my opinion only.

Torch isn't in the GA, and isn't at war with the SL. However, if the RTN had gadzooks of Alliance tech zipping around the galaxy, at some point Technodyne, etc. are likely to get shifty and try to seize it. So the GA isn't going to just give the RTN 1st line tech any time "soon", but they are going to assist in the planetary defense role (protecting the Torch system).

SharkHunter wrote:Plus a "keep in mind"...my opinion only.

Torch isn't in the GA, and isn't at war with the SL. However, if the RTN had gadzooks of Alliance tech zipping around the galaxy, at some point Technodyne, etc. are likely to get shifty and try to seize it. So the GA isn't going to just give the RTN 1st line tech any time "soon", but they are going to assist in the planetary defense role (protecting the Torch system).

But Torch is at war with Mesa, and is probably going to be tasked with providing the forces for the occupation of Mesa - which does not bode well for the Manpower executives still on the planet. I suspect that at this point, a lot of slavers are going to turn pirate, because their bases are going to start disappearing at a frightful rate.

I have no access to what RFC might think, but for me there has to be something that points a smoking gun at the Torch wormhole junction sooner rather than later. A Mesan defector, a computer file, analysis of Mesan freighter movements before 10th Fleet arrived, a new wormhole model. Something.

At that point depending on what the clue is I expect major upgrades to fixed defences or a fighting squadron made available. even a single Haven Pod SD would equalize the conventional odds. To be fair I expect there will also be something that can detect a spider drive coming along as well, or at least a useful minefield or two.

This is purely on my understanding of David's character that he will not allow Torch to fail.

fallsfromtrees wrote:

SharkHunter wrote:Plus a "keep in mind"...my opinion only.

Torch isn't in the GA, and isn't at war with the SL. However, if the RTN had gadzooks of Alliance tech zipping around the galaxy, at some point Technodyne, etc. are likely to get shifty and try to seize it. So the GA isn't going to just give the RTN 1st line tech any time "soon", but they are going to assist in the planetary defense role (protecting the Torch system).

But Torch is at war with Mesa, and is probably going to be tasked with providing the forces for the occupation of Mesa - which does not bode well for the Manpower executives still on the planet. I suspect that at this point, a lot of slavers are going to turn pirate, because their bases are going to start disappearing at a frightful rate.

I'm thinking along similar lines, that the Jessyk Combine and a lot of corrupt and interconnected transtellars just lost their home base, and all of them are fair game for the RTN. In a way that's what makes this endgame so interesting, just about everyone is between two pincers; it becomes an information race from here on out.

As much as I am hesitant to suggest it but here the Skimper might have a point --

From his post


14 AMC still sit in mothballs. Add in 168 series 282 LAC or Series 282 Shrike D. Whatever that is, and Torch has all the raiders it could ever want. Fast Freighters and keyhole I with MK16 or MK36 Pods. 180 pods with 14 to 25 missiles per pod would go a long way to adding punch to the Torch Forces. What kind of missiles do their frigates use?


The AMC's like Wayfarer fit a similar mission to Ganny El's tramp freighter, but on steroids for weapons.
Only real question is are the LAC Bay hatches large enough for an export version Shrike (they were fitted for the un-named Type 282 trialed in HAE)

As a carrier for Shrikes or frigates they could fit Torch's current military strike mission while Carluchi of Erehwon builds new purpose built.

Could they be surplussed ? if unmodified from the approx. 1905-1910 usage, they might even be at "export technology" levels as they are in mothballs...

-- Stewart

fallsfromtrees wrote:

SharkHunter wrote:Plus a "keep in mind"...my opinion only.

Torch isn't in the GA, and isn't at war with the SL. However, if the RTN had gadzooks of Alliance tech zipping around the galaxy, at some point Technodyne, etc. are likely to get shifty and try to seize it. So the GA isn't going to just give the RTN 1st line tech any time "soon", but they are going to assist in the planetary defense role (protecting the Torch system).

But Torch is at war with Mesa, and is probably going to be tasked with providing the forces for the occupation of Mesa - which does not bode well for the Manpower executives still on the planet. I suspect that at this point, a lot of slavers are going to turn pirate, because their bases are going to start disappearing at a frightful rate.

--------------

This "MIGHT" be a place there x-SLN SD's could be a stand-in for Terminus forts until those forts (and their energy batteries can be built.)
The would not have to be very mobile, but would need the energy / GRASER batteries trained on the wormhole terminus with operators on a rotating alert / duty status.

-- Stewart

--snipping--

stewart wrote:

fallsfromtrees wrote:But Torch is at war with Mesa, and is probably going to be tasked with providing the forces for the occupation of Mesa - which does not bode well for the Manpower executives still on the planet. I suspect that at this point, a lot of slavers are going to turn pirate, because their bases are going to start disappearing at a frightful rate.

--------------
This "MIGHT" be a place there x-SLN SD's could be a stand-in for Terminus forts until those forts (and their energy batteries can be built.) The would not have to be very mobile, but would need the energy / GRASER batteries trained on the wormhole terminus with operators on a rotating alert / duty status.

-- Stewart

I sorta thought the same thing but y'all pointed out that it wouldn't take much more than LACs plus existing frigates and the captured PNE ships managing shoals of Erewhonese pods to match the SD's defensive and offensive capabilities at much greater than graser range and with more modest crewing requirements.

Meanwhile...somehow I don't think Torch is going to be at war with the Secce's on Mesa, nor are the remaining Mesan authorities still on planet going to get off scott free. With 10th fleet we assume (or the IAN) in charge, that part of the war is over because Torch isn't going to go after a planetary reverse genocide.

Freeing the rest of any new trained spacers to train up and take the war to the Mesan alignment and any other Mesan interests using better multi-purpose offensive ships.

stewart wrote: This "MIGHT" be a place there x-SLN SD's could be a stand-in for Terminus forts until those forts (and their energy batteries can be built.)
The would not have to be very mobile, but would need the energy / GRASER batteries trained on the wormhole terminus with operators on a rotating alert / duty status.

-- Stewart

But defending a wormhole from within energy range gives up your defensive advantages. When ships transit the wormhole they're stuck in a grav "lane" for a minute or more. Because you're in effectively an n-space grav wave and stuck under sails, you can't raise a wedge or sidewall, can't launch missiles or CMs, but your missiles and PDLCs still work. But the sucky thing for them us that the grav "lane" isn't as wide as the warhead standoff range if a laserheads. So if you defend the wormhole with forts or pods carrying laserheads then it's shooting fish in a barrel - their PDLCs failing to stop your missile from smashing them.

But defend it from within energy range and you give them an unnecessary chance to return fire - so you take losses you don't need to. Now the real trick for defending wormholes is protecting them from attacks coming through hyper. Those require real forts, or at least much more numerous and dispersed pods.