Sierran Royal Navy

  

Sierran Royal Navy
Marina Real sierrana (es) Marine royale sierrain (fr) Maharlikang Hukbong-dagat ng Sierra (tn) 黃金王國皇家海軍 (zh) Hải quân hoàng của Vàng Quốc (vn) 시에라 왕립 해군 (kr) Sierrisch Königliche Marine (de) シエラ海軍 (ja)
Emblem of the Sierran Royal Navy
Founded	November 27, 1858 (1858-11-27)
Country	Kingdom of Sierra
Branch	Navy
Role	Naval warfare
Size	227,987 active duty personnel 167,819 civilian employees 196,747 reserve personnel 173 ships 1,579 aircraft
Part of	K.S. Ministry of Defense
Headquarters	Pendleton Military Center Escondido County, Laguna, K.S.
Colors	Governor blue and white
March
Engagements	See list War of Contingency Sierran Civil War Overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom Spanish–American War Tondolese–Sierran War Great War I Great War II Vietnam War Colombia War Syrian Civil War
Commanders
Commander-in-Chief	Queen Elizabeth II
Grand Admiral	Prime Minister Maggie Chan
Minister of Defense	Preston Bolivar
Secretary of the Navy	Frank Valdivia
First Sea Lord	ADM Kevin Chu
Second Sea Lord	ADM Wayne Hansen
Warrant Officer of the Navy	WON Sebastian Forbes
Insignia
Ensign
Jack
Pennant

Her Royal Majesty's Sierran Royal Navy (commonly shortened to the Sierran Royal Navy or simply the Royal Navy and also abbreviated as the SRN) is the naval warfare service branch of the Sierran Crown Armed Forces and one of the six uniformed services of the Kingdom of Sierra. It is the world's second largest navy in terms of tonnage of its active fleet and in terms of personnel. It also has the world's largest aircraft carrier fleet, with five in service. It is the third largest military branch in the Sierran military in terms of personnel after the Sierran Royal Army and the Sierran Royal Air Force.

The Royal Navy originates from the Californian Navy, which was established during the Mexican-American War. Initially composed of a fleet of no more than 10 ships, the military and technological capabilities of the navy were expanded when the Californian Navy was reorganized the Sierran Royal Navy in 1858. The Royal Navy played a minor role during the Sierran Civil War by transporting soldiers and supplies from the South to the North. It saw significant development during the Sierran Age of Imperialism. It played a central role in the overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom and subsequent annexation of Hawaii by Sierra. The Royal Navy played an instrumental role in the Sierran occupation and annexation of Tondo during the early 20th century. During Great War I, it engaged in a defensive war against Japan in the Pacific Theater, and also played a role in the home theater in North America. Throughout the conflict, the Sierran Royal Navy was unable to achieve parity with the Imperial Japanese Navy and it failed to protect Sierra's Pacific territories. Following the war, the Navy underwent significant organizational reforms and modernizations efforts afterwards to improve its capabilities. In Great War II, the Royal Navy became recognized as the world's premier navy through its major contributions towards the defeat of Japan. The contemporary history of the Royal Navy has been defined with the force maintaining a prominent international presence. It is classified as a blue-water navy.

The Royal Navy is under the direct administration of the Royal Naval Service Office (which includes the Sierran Royal Marines and Sierran Royal Coast Guard), which itself is a division of the civilian Ministry of Defense. The professional head and most senior naval officer of the navy is the First Sea Lord while the civilian head of the navy is the Secretary of Navy.

Role and mission

According to the Navy's official handbook, the Royal Maritime Charter, the purpose of the Sierran Royal Navy is to "provide ready and ample military assistance on the seas in times of peace and in times of conflict without fail". In order to accomplish this goal, the Sierran Royal Navy is responsible for the "recruitment, enlistment, training, arming, and organizing combat naval forces necessary to maintain a competent seaborne branch of the Sierran Crown Armed Forces". It is also responsible for the acquisition, maintenance, and deployment of naval vessels, seaborne aircraft, weapons, ammunition, ordinances, and other equipment. The Navy is also tasked with the development of naval technology, strategy, tactics, techniques, organizations, protocols, and methods necessary to win military conflicts and to maintain global naval supremacy.

History

As the Californian Navy

Prior to the establishment of the Kingdom of Sierra, the California Republic existed as a sovereign nation for nearly a decade following the Mexican-American War. During the war, Californian rebels lacked any seafaring projection and relied on the United States Navy's Pacific Squadron to blockade Mexican ports and capture key points along the Baja California peninsula and Alta California. The Channel Islands had a rich history of shipbuilding but its citizens were reluctant to join the mainlander Californian rebels until the war came to its end. There was also significant civilian maritime activity consisting mainly of fishing boats, whaling ships, and other trade vessels.

Following independence, California created the Californian Navy, which commissioned 10 ships for use in defensive purposes. The United States also leased four of ships for use by the Californian government through a provision made under the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. American naval officers were also hired to train and teach California's own burgeoning officers. The first ship brought into service was the CRS Republic, a frigate whose homeport was in San Francisco City. Throughout the Californian Navy's brief 10-year service, its ships saw relatively little activity and primarily functioned as a symbol of California's independence. However, the fear of an American-led naval invasion predominated Californian lawmakers' fears that the nation's protectorate status would be threatened by its much more powerful ally.

19th century

HRMS Camanche docked at MINSY in 1866

When the California Constitutional Convention of 1847 convened, Californian lawmakers recognized the need for a new constitution and government to address the nation's major issues: government instability, economic insolvency, military weakness, and defensive vulnerability. California's lackluster naval power was one of the deficiencies noted by the convention delegates and the desire for a stronger navy was raised early on during the Convention. The convention president, Smith Charles Miller (future King Charles I), was the heir to his father's company, Miller & Stuart Company, an Anglo-American shipbuilding company which had built ships for the United States Navy. His familiarity with shipbuilding pushed the topic of a national navy at the forefront of discussion. The majority of the convention delegates supported raising a national navy in order to protect the country's coastlines and to improve the country's international trade, especially trade with East Asia. Financial concerns regarding the funds necessary to support a navy were raised throughout the convention.

The importance of the navy was later enshrined in the Constitution of Sierra. It permitted Parliament the ability to create and regulate a naval force, and it declared the powers of a commander-in-chief were a royal prerogative of the Monarch, to be exercised by the Prime Minister. The CRS Republic was rechristened as the HRMS California and the Miller & Stuart Company became the primary shipbuilding contractor for the Royal Navy. The Sierran Royal Naval Academy commenced construction in 1862 and the first class graduated in 1864. A disproportionate amount of enlisted sailors were foreign-born immigrants who were promised citizenship if they served at least two years of service in one of Sierra's armed force branches.

The Mare Island Naval Shipyard (MINSY), based in Vallejo, Tahoe, became the Sierran Royal Navy's first major shipyard in 1855. It quickly became the North American West Coast's premier naval repair station and played an early important role in dispatching warships further north into Plumas and Shasta during conflicts with local Amerindian tribes.

Sierran Civil War

During the Sierran Civil War, the Sierran Royal Navy played a limited but important role in the conflict. The navy gave the Monarchist forces a clear naval advantage although most naval facilities were captured and occupied by the Republican forces during the first two years of the war. The Royal Navy helped liberate San Francisco when it helped bring members of the Army and the Marines to the peninsula. It also helped resupply the Monarchist lines as Sierran government forces pushed further into the Styxie during the final stages of the war. The war was also the first time in Sierra naval history where the newly developed ironclad warship was used, although Sierra's two ironclads never formally engaged in any battles.

Age of Imperialism

HRMS Oakland and her crew played a critical role in Hawaii's annexation

Sierra's increased presence across the Pacific–Asia region and its colonial endeavors resulted in the Sierran Royal Navy's rising prominence and importance. It underwent a drastic modernization process as its fleet was replaced and enlarged with new, advanced steel-hull warships. The Royal Navy's further refinement to its shipbuilding designs and major advances in military technology received the respect and recognition internationally. Pre-dreadnought battleships started being commissioned into the navy's arsenal in the mid-1880s as Sierra expanded its empire to include Hawaii, Rapa Nui, and the Gilbert and Ellice Islands.

After the annexation of Hawaii in 1893, Sierra established its first naval installment that was not located in the Sierran mainland in Pearl Harbor. The creation of the naval station in Hawaii germinated Sierra's subsequent line of bases across its recent Pacific acquisitions. Pearl Harbor played a central role in shifting Sierra's navy into a transoceanic fleet as it helped Sierra project naval power against its next major colony, Tondo in 1898. During the Spanish–American War the Sierran Royal Navy was part of the Combined American Fleet and participated in the Pacific Theater where it successfully defeated the Spanish Navy and helped secure Tondo and other Spanish colonies in the Pacific further expanding Sierra's growing colonial empire.

20th century

At the turn of the 20th century, the Sierran Royal Navy underwent rapid modernization efforts as its role in Sierra's expansionist ambitions grew. Military research and development into more advanced ships and higher-grade weapons was the goal of Prime Minister Joseph Starling, 2nd Viscountess of Brianwood. The viscountess' successor, Prime Minister Robert Landon, continued much of the same policies with the naval forces. Landon believed Sierra's foray into international politics and imperialism demanded a strong navy where the nation's reach across the Pacific would become unchallenged.

In 1920, the Sierran Royal Navy secured a transfer of ownership over 970 acres of land from the Pacific Marine Corporation in San Diego. Parliament approved over $1 million earmarked for the creation of a new naval base and repair station. The addition of Naval Base San Diego in conjunction with Naval Base St. Pierre-Chah enhanced the naval defenses of the Southwest Corridor. The base became the premier location for ship repair and decommissioning, although it expanded its operations to include training in various disciplines including torpedoing, radio communications, and amphibious warfare.

The prospect of an international Sierran navy capable of projecting power beyond the Pacific and into the Atlantic and Indian Oceans were of utmost interest for the senior leadership of the Sierran Royal Navy and supporters of the emerging Preparedness movement. Although the country maintained a semi-isolationist foreign policy, there was a substantial amount of support towards increasing the military strength and capabilities of Sierra's defense forces, especially its navy, which was regarded as the strongest guarantor to Sierra's security, trade, and economic prosperity.

By Great War II, Sierra's navy became the world's second largest, behind only the British Royal Navy. Sierran foreign policy had also changed substantially as the nation took a more assertive stance towards its Latin American neighbors in the Western Hemisphere. Sierran businesses and fruit producers were being established in Central American countries such as Nicaragua and the development of the Continental–Northeasterner Panama Canal stoked nationalist fervor in Sierra. The construction of a canal in Nicaragua had long been considered and favored within Sierra. In 1912, Sierra invaded and occupied Nicaragua due to the popularly elected government there acting against the interests of Sierra. The Sierran Royal Navy and the Royal Surveyors Corps began work in 1915 to build the Nicaragua Canal to compete with the Panama Canal and to secure Sierran access to the Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea without relying on the Northeast Union or United Commonwealth.

Command, control, and organization

The Sierran Royal Navy is one of the six armed force branches of the Sierran Crown Armed Forces. It is under the civilian authority of the Royal Naval Service Office which is headed by the Secretary of the Navy. The most senior naval officer, the First Sea Lord, reports directly to the Secretary of the Navy and is also a member of the Joint Chiefs of the Defense Staff, which is the second-highest deliberative body of the Sierran Crown Armed Forces, after the National Security Council. Operational chain of command bypasses the Secretary of the Navy and the First Sea Lord as the Minister of Defense directs military commands to the unified combat command commanders.

Operating forces

The Sierran Royal Navy is divided into six primary components: the Fleet Forces Command, the Asia–Pacific Command, the Atlantic–Indian Fleet, the Naval Intelligence and Logistical Support Command, and the Special Warfare Command. The Navy Reserve is an additional component of the Royal Navy. There are currently four active fleets: the 1st Fleet, the 2nd Fleet, the 3rd Fleet, and the 4th Fleet. The former three are led by a three-star vice admiral while the 4th is led by a rear admiral. Aside from these seven components, the Sierran Royal Navy is also supported by several shore establishments including the Naval Recruitment and Training Command, the Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command, the Naval Technology and Communications Command, the Naval Medicine Command, the Naval Air Command, the Bureau of Naval Operations, and the Naval Supplies and Equipment Command. The Naval Sealift Command and the Deployable Operations Command are under the administration of the Fleet Forces Command.

Each command does not conduct military operations independently. Instead, each command is responsible for recruiting, training, and organizing naval units who are prepared to receive orders and direction under their assigned unified combatant command. Under a unified combatant command, the naval command works together with units from the other armed force branches.

Bases

Aerial view of Port San Diego

The majority of the Sierran Royal Navy's bases and ports are based in Sierra. It maintains 17 facilities overseas in K.S.-controlled territories or in foreign countries through bilateral defense agreements. The administrative headquarters of the Royal Navy is the Pendleton Military Center in Escondido County, Laguna while its primary homeport is in Port San Diego in San Diego, Laguna. The largest military complex operated by the Sierran Royal Navy is the Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake, an insular installation that spans across the Western Mojave Desert in Kings and the Inland Empire. Other significant naval bases include: Port Pearl Harbor in Oahu, Hawaii; Port Monterey in Monterey, Central Valley; Port Drake in San Rafael, San Francisco; Port La Paz in La Paz; Pacífico Sur; and Port Tulum in Cancún. Smaller naval bases and facilities are generally clustered around the aforementioned port installations.

The largest overseas base is Royal Naval Base Puerto Princesa located in Palawan and Cuyo, Tondo, which serves as the premier base of operations for the Asia–Pacific Command. Other naval facilities in the Asia–Pacific region are based in Japan, Korea, Ryukyu, and South Vietnam. There are also naval airfields and auxiliary support facilities operating in New South Wales, Victoria, and New Zealand.

In Europe, Sierra's naval facilities are mostly concentrated in Italy with installations on Sardinia, Sicily, and Western Italy. The homeport for the Royal Sierran Navy Atlantic–Indian Fleet is Naval Support Base Pompei which is based in Pompei, Italy. Other naval facilities in Europe are based in Greece, Ireland, and the United Kingdom.

In the Middle East and East Africa, Sierra operates naval facilities in the Arab states of the Persian Gulf, as well as a base in Djibouti (Naval Support Base Djibouti) and Somaliland (Naval Support Horn of Africa). Naval Support Base Dubai serves as the headquarters for the Sierran Royal Navy Fourth Fleet.

Equipment

As of 2019, the Sierran Royal Navy operates the world's largest navy in terms of tonnage with its 173 ships and an additional 85 civilian-owned chartered merchant vessels. It also operates 36 submarines, 1,579 aircraft, 32,000 non-combat vehicles, and owns 43,000 buildings on 1.1 million acres (4,451 km²).

Ships

HRMS Franklin Tan, a Grands Ballons-class cruiser in Pearl Harbor

All ships commissioned by the Sierran Royal Navy are prefixed with the letters "HRMS", standing for "Her/His Royal Majesty's Ship" while non-commissioned ships are prefixed with "KSNS" (Kingdom of Sierra Navy Ship). Names for ships are decided by the Office of the Secretary of Navy, which is often chosen to honor individuals, places, or concepts.

Of the 173 active commissioned ships in the Sierran Royal Navy, sixty-three are major surface combatants (six aircraft carriers, twenty guided missile destroyers, thirty-two frigates, and five amphibious transport docks). It also includes sixteen patrol ships and twelve mine countermeasure vessels. In addition to active commissioned ships, the Sierran Royal Navy retains a fleet of reserved ships that may be reactivated when deemed necessary. The Sierran Royal Navy's 250-plus auxiliary ships such as replenishment oilers, repairing ships, tuggers, barges, radar ships, tracking ships, research ships, and other non-combatant ships are not counted towards the Sierran Royal Navy's total ship count but nonetheless provide significant support to the Navy.

The Sierran Royal Navy was one of the world's first navies to equip their vessels with nuclear reactors, which is now the primary source of energy for Sierra's aircraft carriers and submarines.

Aircraft carriers

HRMS Kirk L. Siskind in the Straits of Magellan in 2004

The Sierran Royal Navy currently maintains and operates six active aircraft carriers. In October 2019, it was announced that two more aircraft carriers have been ordered and are currently underway in development. Each aircraft carrier is generally accompanied by a fleet of vessels known as a carrier strike group. The names of aircraft carriers have generally been reserved for Sierran royals, admirals, and politicians. Under current K.S. military law, the Sierran Royal Navy is required to maintain a statutory minimum of five aircraft carriers. As of December 2019, the Sierran Royal Navy has retired and decommissioned a total of 17 aircraft carriers, 5 of which were scrapped and 4 which were sunk during military action.

The first aircraft carrier commissioned by the Sierran Royal Navy was the HRMS Frederick A. Bachelor (CV-1) on March 1, 1919. It was the first of the Bachelor-class ships, which was soon followed by the HRMS Prince of Mojave (CV-2) and the HRMS Ulysses Perry (CV-3). During the 1920s, two new classes, the Tahoe-class and the Tibbets-class were commissioned and these ships formed the bulwark of the navy's fleet prior to Great War I.

Following Great War II, the Sierran Royal Navy commissioned the Liberty-class ships, which are classified as light aircraft carriers. Beginning in the 1960s and 1970s, the navy unveiled the Albany-class and Lansing-class aircraft carriers, which defined the early Cold War-era fleet. Towards the end of the 20th century, supercarriers began emerging as the Mulholland-class and Eastvale-class ships were commissioned. The first of the Stuart-class ships, the latest and current class of ships, was commissioned in 2002 as the HRMS Kirk L. Siskind.

Amphibious assault vessels

Amphibious assault ships resemble small aircraft carriers and are integral to the Sierran Royal Navy's amphibious warfare capabilities. They perform a variety of functions including amphibious assault operations, advance force and special purpose operations, marines expeditionary force operations, and noncombatant evacuations, supplying operations, and humanitarian operations. The Sierran Royal Navy currently maintains five amphibious transport docks, four general purpose amphibious assault ships, six multi-purpose amphibious assault ships, and thirty other amphibious transport, cargo, or command ships.

Cruisers

HRMS Lake Mathews

Cruisers are large warships armed with equipped missiles. The Sierran Royal Navy is one of the world's only navies that currently operates cruisers. They are the largest surface combatant vessels after aircraft carriers and amphibious assault ships. The Priffin-class cruisers are the only cruisers currently in use and armed with the Spooky missile that possess long-range land and sea strike capabilities. The integrated naval weapons system used by the Sierran Royal Navy is Poly Radar System, which is an advanced technology system responsible for tracking and guiding missiles to attack or destroy enemy targets.

A replacement cruiser program is currently undergoing research and development by the Sierran Royal Navy since 2018 to create the next generation of cruiser ships after the Priffin-class cruisers. It is forecast to be complete by 2030 and estimated to cost over $5 billion.

Destroyers

Historically, destroyers played an important role in the offensive and defensive capabilities of the Sierran Royal Navy. Modern destroyers have fulfilled similar roles to cruisers as they are equipped with Spooky missiles which are aided by the Poly Radar System. They have additional specialties in anti-submarine and anti-air operations, including the UDR (Underwater Defense Rocket) missile and LUMA Rs III Water Eagle helicopters to defend against underwater threats. The Sierran Royal Navy currently operates twenty commissioned destroyers, all of which were armed with guided missiles.

Patrol boats

The Sierran Royal Navy employs less than an eighth of Sierra's total patrol boats, as the majority of them are operated by the Sierran Royal Coast Guard. Most of the Navy's patrol boats are located along the Persian Gulf to provide littoral and coastal defense near military bases. Half are suited for blue water environments such as the open seas while the other is suited for brown water environments such as rivers and estuaries. The current active patrol ships in the Sierran Royal Navy are all Hurricane-class ships.

Submarines

HRMS Salsipuedes docking at the Half-Moon Naval Shipyard in Shasta

All of the Sierran Royal Navy's currently operating submarines are nuclear-powered and come in one of three classes: ballistic missile submarines, guided missile submarines, and attack submarines. The Sierran Royal Navy's ballistic missile submarines all carry and are capable of launching Spooky nuclear missiles. Attack submarines carry out broader responsibilities including peacetime engagement, surveillance and intelligence, special operations, precision strikes, and sea protection.

The largest, active class of submarines are the Plumas-class submarines, of which 12 are Spooky II SSBNs (Ship, Submersible, Ballistic, Nuclear) and are capable of carrying an entire battle group's equivalent of cruise missiles (up to 154 missiles) or 24 submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs) with nuclear warheads. The other classes of submarines are the Porciúncula-class and Clark-class, each consisting of the Sierran Royal Navy's attack and fast attack submarines.

Personnel

In 2019, the Sierran Royal Navy officially published that there were 424,734 personnel of which nearly one-half were on the ready reserve. Of those on active duty, approximately 75 percent of them were enlisted sailors, around 20 percent were commissioned officers, and the remaining roughly 5 percent were midshipmen of either the Sierran Royal Naval Academy (based in Monterey, Central Valley) or the Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps based in over 50 universities across the country.

Women have officially been permitted to enter the Navy for both enlisted and officer roles since 1948 following an inter-branch abolition of a gender-based prohibition against women in the military.

Personnel are further divided into several branches. The majority of enlisted and officers are part of the generalized, non-specialist branch. Specialized branches include the Royal Naval Engineer Corps, the Royal Logistics and Supply Corps, the Royal Naval Medical Corps, and the Royal Naval Expeditionary Forces Corps.

Uniforms

Rear Admiral Edward Chuang in dress uniform

The Sierran Royal Navy uses a variety of uniforms which are differentiated among officers and enlisted. There are four types of uniforms: daily service uniforms, working uniforms, dress uniforms, and special occasion uniforms. The predominant colors used in Sierran Royal Navy uniforms are black, blue, and white which are based on Anglo-American designs of the 20th century.

Daily service uniforms are generally worn when one is conducting their daily activities in office environments, public spaces, and patrol situations. Working uniforms are worn in situations where dirt, grime, or other soiling agents may be expected. This generally includes situations in industrial environments, at sea or other watery bodies, or in a natural area such as a grassland or marsh. Dress uniforms come into three categories: service, full, and dinner dress. Among the enlisted, dress uniforms are usually worn only during formal events such as ceremonies or dinners wear black ties or dresses may usually be expected. For officers, the service dress uniform is worn when traveling in an official capacity or reporting to a command. Full dress is reserved for formal events including change of command, commissions, weddings, and funerals.

Uniform design, uniform specifications, and dress code are set forth by guidelines established by the Office of the Secretary of the Navy.

Ranks and insignia

Commissioned officers

Pay grade	Student Officer	O-1	O-2	O-3	O-4	O-5	O-6	O-7	O-8	O-9	O-10	Special grade
KS Navy (Edit)
	Midshipman - Officer Candidate	Ensign	Sub-Lieutenant	Lieutenant	Lieutenant Commander	Commander	Captain	Rear admiral	Vice admiral	Admiral	Fleet admiral	Grand Admiral
Abbrv.	MIDN / OC	ENS	SLT	LT	LCDR	CDR	CAPT	RADM	VADM	ADM	FADM	GADM

Enlisted

Pay grade	E-1	E-2	E-3	E-4	E-5	E-6	E-7	E-8	E-9
K.S. Navy (Edit)
	Seaman recruit	Seaman apprentice	Able seaman	Leading seaman	Master seaman	Petty officer second class	Petty officer first class	Chief petty officer second class	Chief petty officer first class	Warrant Officer of the Navy

See also

• Sierran Crown Armed Forces