Lodamun

[imperialpearl]

In a major step forward for the Lodamese defence shipbuilding industry, Cowgill-Masterson Maritime Engineering (CMME) has officially launched the LCS-Kensington, Lodamun’s first supercarrier. The occasion, which had been marked by the attendance of President William Stedman, Secretary of Defence Michael Benson and Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Allan Freeman, represents the first time the nation had built such a ship and represents the culmination of decades if not centuries of effort and investment towards building the Lodamese shipbuilding industry’s capacity to construct such a vessel. During its construction, the vessel was shrouded in both controversy and mystery as initially, there were plans for it to be constructed in Kalistan; however, amidst Lodamun’s split from the Anantonese Empire, shipbuilding contracts between the two nations were cancelled. Thus, the Defence Procurement Administration instructed that CMME, the principal contractor, clear one of its domestic shipyards for the vessel’s construction. According to the DPA, the decision to build the vessel within Lodamun should not result in cost overruns nor should it result in delays. CMME, in adhering to the DPA’s directives, reportedly halted all work related to a crude oil tanker in its shipyard in Portswood to ‘make room’ for the Kensington’s hull, which was being towed from Kalistan to Lodamun. Owing to the ship's importance, the Portswood shipyard had been virtually encased in a security bubble by the Departments of Defence and Domestic Security as it was believed that civilian interest in the project would have garnered ‘unwanted’ eyes on much of the vessel’s construction. From maritime patrols and persistent sweeps to the rumoured positioning of anti-drone defence systems, the Department of Defence noted that the vessel’s importance necessitated its otherwise extensive security measures. Nonetheless, the vessel’s progress had been monitored via private satellite images throughout the years, which shows the completion of the vessel’s hull, the insertion of its nuclear-powered engine and the installation of its physical subsystems.

The vessel had been initially constructed with the intent of enhancing the Lodamese Navy’s expeditionary operations as much of its activities in the field had been primarily done by its horse-work St. Christopher-class amphibious assault ships. Expeditionary Action Groups, primarily led by the AAS, formed the backbone of Lodamun’s response to international situations well beyond its borders. The decision to construct Kensington and its two successors came amidst broader concerns related to the endurance of the amphibious assault ships, as it was noted that the vessels’ range is ultimately limited by refuelling requirements for their twin gas turbine engines. The need for a nuclear-powered vessel for power projection thus came into the crosshairs of the Lodamese Navy and the DoD at a defence review at the time. In envisioning the carrier’s deployment within the Lodamese Navy, the DoD noted then that their construction would likely coincide with the establishment of the nation’s first ‘fleet’. Admiral Freeman explained that the Lodamese Navy had been observing the structure of various ‘battlegroups’ and ‘fleets’ throughout the world, including Luthori, Hutori, Lourenne, Dorvik and Kalistan, in order to determine the best ‘make-up’ for Lodamun’s first fleet, which is to be led by the LCS-Kensington. He noted that noted that the Lodamese Navy’s fleet systems would operate on the same principle as the Lodamese Armed Forces’ theatre commands. Future fleets will be specifically assigned to geographic areas/theatres throughout Terra and specifically developed to operate within said theatres, albeit each being led (it is anticipated) by a carrier or two. “What we are envisioning for the Kensington is for it to operate in Seleya and (in the interim) respond to situations elsewhere. It is obvious that as more carriers are launched and their fleets are established, the carrier will likely be locked to its specific threatre. But there is certainly room for discussion on rotating fleets such that they potentially become familiar with operating in different environments,” Admiral Freeman explained.

Although the Kensington has been launched, it does not, however, mean that the vessel is ready to be integrated into the Lodamese Navy. CMME has noted that the vessel still has to undergo extensive sea trials wherein much of the vessel’s hardware and software would be tested for their reliability. The vessel’s CATOBAR (catapult-assisted take-off but arrested recovery) system has to undergo extensive training to eliminate the chance of error when in full operations. Secretary of the Navy Walter Moody stated that the CATOBAR system had been quite difficult to develop based on schematics from other countries, noting that CMME had been largely unfamiliar with the system. He noted that technical assistance from Hutori had been rendered to ensure that the system was indeed functional and up to standard. The vessel is expected to have a carrying capacity of around 70+ combat aircraft inclusive of the LF-35C and the LF-18. Secretary Moody confirmed that Lodamese Navy pilots had been flown to Hutori and Dorvik to become familiar with landing on carriers and using the CATOBAR system. “Once our pilots have perfected the art of landing and taking off, we can begin building an acumen within the Lodamese Navy and potentially expand it to begin training Kalistani pilots to land on our carriers,” Secretary Moody explained. President Stedman stated that it was important that Kalistani pilots, in the future, become acquainted with operating on Lodamese carriers as he stated that the Kensington itself would likely be involved in patrols in the Anantonese Ocean and it may be useful for Kalistani pilots to land on the carrier (with tail hook attachments) and extend the range of their combat air patrols. The Kensington is likely to conduct its sea trials in the Mad Dog Ocean, the Karzon Strait and parts of the Anantonese Ocean in the coming months.