Overview
What is the difference between a destroyer airship, and an air gunboat? What sets apart a sky cruiser from an air battleship? These are the questions the Bordanian Imperial Air Naval Academy theorist, Vice Admiral Graff Von Drakensburg-Schlee, attempts to answer in his newly published work The Theorem of Aeronautical Warship Classification Athough long winded and very boring, his theories have drawn much criticism and have been hotly debated amongst air naval warfare experts – mainly on Discord. Two schools of thought have emerged. Those who believe he is right. And those who believe he is wrong. In this short overview of his thesis, I will attempt to outline the basics of his air vessel classification theory.
The Sky Battleship
The sky battleship is the largest class of airship. Well armoured, with one or more main heavy guns along with secondary armament. Speed is not a necessity due to its large size. Sky battleships are expensive, thusly (lol) a compliment of marines or guards is often vital to safegaurd against boarding.
The Sky Cruiser
The sky cruiser is more than just an intermediate class of airship between the sky battleship and the destroyer. In theory, its main asset is its speed. Which should override armour. Speed has little actual effect in battle. But does enable small squadrons of sky cruisers to carry out fast raids against poorly defended enemy cities on the campaign map, while avoiding more powerful, and slower, enemy fleets.
Remember – a fleet will only move as fast as the slowest ship. Therefore an all cruiser squadron will always outmanoeuvre a slower more powerful fleet.
The Destroyer
The destroyer is one of the cheapest of air vessels. And generally the smallest after perhaps the light air torpedo boat. Because of its small size, speed and nimbleness become an asset. Therefore armour is secondary. Low cost is also important. As the destroyer is generally one of the first vessels built in campaign mode.
Destroyers should never carry out attacks while stationary, or its speed and nimbleness are wasted. As the campaign progresses, destroyers will inevitably get more expensive and larger. Until they become small warships within their own right.
The Bomber
]Like the air torpedo boat, the bomber class of air vessel is further divided into armoured bomber and light bomber. They can be of any size.
Armoured bombers trade a high air ceiling for good armour. And are therefore designed to take out ground targets. This enables them to sit stationary above their targets while taking multiple hits.
Light bombers are designed to target other airships. And therefore must trade in good armour for a high air ceiling. This makes it imperative they keep moving.
The Air Torpedo Boat
The air torpedo boat’s main weapon is the air torpedo (duh!). Air torpedoes are slow, therefore their ideal targets are slow, large, or static. They are no good against small, nimble, or fast sky vessels.
Originally, Von Schlee advocated a doctrine of dividing air torpedo boats into armoured air torpedo boats, and light air torpedo boats. Armoured air torpedo boats were designed to take on ground targets, while the lighter craft were built to take on air targets.
However, due to considerations of cost this was never feasible. Air torpedoes are expensive. Therefore to arm small unarmoured craft with them is a waste of money. Thusly, air torpedo craft development concentrated solely on well armoured ground attack craft.
For this role, speed and a high air ceiling is not a necessity, and both can be traded in for heavy armour which is beneficial when a vessel is carrying such powerful and expensive weaponry.
The Aerocarrier
Early on, aerocarriers (or simply carriers) were subdivided into fleet vessels and escort vessels. However, such a distinction quickly came to be seen as irrelevant. Because, if a subdivision does exist, it is simply between light aerocarriers and heavy aerocarriers. The difference solely based on size and perhaps weaponry.
Some argue that a high air ceiling is unnecessary for aerocarriers. Von Schlee disagrees. Seeing the aerocarriers role as supportive, and therefore needing the ability to stay as further away from combat as possible. Due to the need to keep weight down to accomplish this, weaponry and armour must be kept to the minimum. Because, of course, the aerocarriers main attack is its aircraft.
Because of its lack of weaponry and armour, such large and expensive craft should never venture out to battle without escort ships.
The Troop Transport Ship
For quite some time, Graf Von Schlee was against classifying a specific airship based on its ability to transport boarding troops. Arguing that large ships such as battleships and cruisers should fulfil that role simply by carrying a compliment of boarding troops. He even fought, and won, a duel on the issue!
However, over time he revised his position. And in later prints of his work, advocates that boarding vessels should indeed be a classification of warship.
Thusly, he contends that such ships be well armoured, due to the need to get close to the enemy. And be fast, with a low command countdown, to better react to enemy movement. A high air ceiling is also important, as the boarding ship must be able to reach its target. And it should be armed with at least one cannon, so that the ship is not entirely useless once it has captured an enemy vessel.
However, fulfilling this list of requirements is expensive. And very often one or more are ignored. But a well built boarding vessel can be extremely effective.
The Monitor
The original sea going monitor was a shallow water warship, eventually evolving into a small coastal or river vessel armed with a single big gun.
Therefore, the airship equivalent would be a low air ceiling vessel armed with a single large gun. Such a type of airship is useful as it is smaller and cheaper than a sky battleship, but includes a large sky battleship type gun able to punch through heavy armour. It is heavily armoured itself, but slow, and lacks secondary armament.
The Dreadnought
Once described as ”…The most deadly fighting machine ever launched in the history of mankind” (quote by Verner Von Trappensberg), the dreadnought is the centerpiece of any self respecting empire’s imperial sky fleet.
Dreadnoughts should have a reasonably high air ceiling, two or more huge guns, and the heaviest armour available. They are ‘all big gun vessels’. So secondary armament should be kept to the minimum. High speed is not necessary. But guards are a must for such costly vessels, as the humiliation of losing one to an enemy boarding party is enough to lead any truly honourable sky admiral to suicide (and who would entrust such a ship to an admiral without honour?)
In battle, the dreadnought should always be accompanied by a fleet of smaller vessels. These can be used to draw the enemy’s fire away from the dreadnought, enabling the ship to take down the largest enemy vessel. Indeed, some admirals hold their dreadnoughts in reserve, only ever employing them half way through the battle. If at all.
However, many see the dreadnough as little more than a symbol of national prestige. A wasteful vanity project. As their huge cost in time and resources often leads admirals to never risk them in battle for fear of losing them. So they never actually engage in combat.
So a word of caution: Dreadnought designers beware! It’s all very well maxing out on suspendium drives, gigantic guns, and super heavy armor, but just remember someone has to pay for it all… And then build the damn thing!
