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HMS Fearless (CL-56)

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For the Star Knight-class heavy cruiser, see HMS Fearless (CA-286).
HMS Fearless (CL-56)

HMS Fearless (CL-56) was a Courageous-class light cruiser in the service of the Royal Manticoran Navy.

Contents

[edit] History

Fearless was originally commissioned in 1820 PD. In 1898 PD, Lieutenant Commander Alistair McKeon was assigned to the ship as Tactical Officer. In 1899 PD, McKeon was promoted to Executive Officer. Fearless checked into HMSS Hephaestus for a refit which McKeon oversaw. (HH1)

[edit] 1900 PD Refit

In 1900 PD, Fearless was refitted as part of a top-secret experimental project by installing a grav lance at the behest of Admiral Sonja Hemphill and the Weapons Development Board. The grav lance's control systems were tied directly into the ship's main tactical system. It was, relatively, huge for a ship the size of a light cruiser. So much so that much of its conventional broadside armament was removed.[1] To partially compensate, 14 smaller energy torpedo launchers were added. The chase armaments remained unchanged.

Commander Honor Harrington took command of the refitted Fearless immediately after graduating from the Advanced Tactical Course. She was to get the ship ready for the war games which were imminent. Admiral Raoul Courvosier broke the urgent, and somewhat surprising, news to Commander Harrington, but in a conspicuously odd way.

Fearless was assigned to Admiral of the Red Hemphill's "defender"' fleet during the exercises. By advocating unusually deceptive tactics, with the assistance of the Flag Captain, Harrington was able to use Fearless to "destroy" the aggressor flagship -- HMS King Roger. But in subsequent "battles", Fearless was destroyed every time as the aggressor ships directed special attention to her. Even so, Harrington and the highly modified Fearless were able to "destroy" two other ships. (HH1)

[edit] On Basilisk Station

After completion of the exercises, Fearless was re-supplied and assigned (in essence, exiled) to the picket station in the Basilisk System, where it rendezvoused with HMS Warlock, commanded by Captain Pavel Young. Warlock, claiming need for a refit, promptly departed for Manticoran shipyards, leaving Harrignton as the senior officer on station. Fearless later deployed a customs inspection team at Basilisk Traffic Control, and deployed recon drones throughout the system. The ship went into Medusan orbit as the main base of operations for the RMN in the system. Around that time, a Royal Courier bearing Klaus Hauptmann who had urgent need of discussions with Commander Harrington as the customs patrol was finding a consderable amount of contraband, some of being carried on Hauptman's ships.

Fearless' crew investigated PMSS Sirius, and discovered that the vessel's crew had lied about its flight status. Commander Harrington stopped a Havenite courier boat from leaving the system by damaging its beta nodes with Fearless impeller wedge. When Sirius left orbit, Harrington sent a LME-970, Case: Zulu, through the junction to the Admiralty. The meaning fo this very rarely sent warning, was "Invasion Imminent". Fearless followed Sirius and demanded she stop and return to Medusa orbit. Sirius refused and eventually began firing missiles. After a protracted exchange during the chase, Fearless having been reduced to a wreck, an opportunity arose to use the grav lance and fire energy torpedoes, and Sirius was completely destroyed. Fearless took extensive casualties. The engagement became known as the First Battle of Basilisk.

Having lost all communications, Fearless had to "limp" back to Medusa orbit to inform the Resident Commissioner (and so the Admiralty and Manticore as well) of the battle. The ship was patched together in the Basilisk System, by Fleet Maintenance Vessels, well enough to return to Manticore through the Junction for evaluation by BuShips at HMSS Hephaestus. On transit through the Junction Fearless was greeted by HMS King Roger and the Home Fleet, who honored her by flashing running lights and playing the Manticore Anthem in the formation of honor only rarely used for any other than the Monarch; in those cases, it was done for vessels which had earned extraordinary recognition for high performance.

However, the ship was judged too old and too badly damaged to justify repari, and so Fearless was towed to an Orbital Recovery Station to be scrapped. (HH1)

[edit] List of Honor

Following the action at Basilisk, the name Fearless was placed on the List of Honor. Harrington was assigned to the newly constructed Star Knight-class heavy cruiser HMS Fearless (CA-286). (HH1, HH2)

[edit] Known Crewmembers

Port view of HMS Fearless

[edit] Naval Officers

Commanding Officers

  • Captain[2] Rath – Commanding Officer - until 1900 PD
  • Commander Honor Harrington – Commanding Officer 1900 - 1901 PD, senior officer for Basilisk Station

Senior Officers

Junior Officers

  • Lieutenant (JG) Rafael Cardones – Assistant Tactical Officer, acting Tactical Officer
  • Lieutenant (JG) Panowski † – Assistant Astrogation Officer, acting Astrogation Officer
  • Lieutenant Allen Manning † – Assistant Engineer, in charge with Fusion Plant 1
  • Lieutenant Illona Rierson – Assistant Engineer, in charge with Fusion Plant 2
  • Lieutenant Stevens † – Assistant Engineer[4]
  • Ensign Prescott Tremaine – Boat Bay Officer, assigned as customs officer for Medusa
  • Ensign Wolversham - assigned as assistant customs and security officer to Basilisk Traffic Control
  • Surgeon Lieutenant Fritz Montoya – Assistant Medical Officer, assigned as customs officer for Medusa, acting Chief Medical Officer

[edit] Naval Enlisted

[edit] Marine Officers

[edit] Marine Enlisted

[edit] Losses in battle against PNS Sirus

[edit] Armament (post-refit)

Deviations from standard Courageous-class armament marked in bold.

[edit] References

  1. ↑ All four graser mounts, as well as all but two of the broadside missile tubes had to go.
  2. ↑ Captain (JG) very likely
  3. ↑ supposition, in charge with department, next known promotion to Lieutenant Commander
  4. ↑ supposition
  5. ↑ refered later as Gunner's Mate (HH8)


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