Entertainment
 

HMS Fearless (CL-56)

From Honorverse

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.

[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. (HH1)

Commander Honor Harrington was assigned to command the refitted Fearless within moments after graduating from the Advanced Tactical Course to get the ship ready for imminent war games. 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 assisstance 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 concentrated on her. Nonetheless, Harrington and Fearless was able to "destroy" two other ships.

[edit] On Basilisk Station

After the completion of the exercises, Fearless was re-supplied and assigned (in essence, exiled) to the picket station int the Basilisk System, where it rendezvoused with HMS Warlock, commanded by Captain Pavel Young. Fearless later deployed an customs inspection team at Basilisk Traffic Control, and deployed recon drones as a sensor network. The ship went into orbit of Medusa as the main base of operations for the RMN in the system. Around that time, it also met with a Royal Courier carrying Klaus Hauptmann.

Fearless' crew investigated the passing 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 some of its beta nodes with Fearless forward impeller wedge. When Sirius left orbit, Harrington sent a LME-970, Case: Zulu, through the junction to the Admiralty. The meaning, only rarely sent, was "Invasion Imminent". Fearless followed Sirius and attempted to stop her. Sirius refused and eventually began firing missiles. After a protracted exchange, during which Fearless was reduced nearly to a wreck, an opportunity arose to use the grav lance and energy torpedoes, and Sirius was completely destroyed. Fearless was very heavily damaged and took extensive casualties. The engagement became known as the First Battle of Basilisk.

Having lost all communications ability, 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 well enough in the Basilisk System by Fleet Maintenance Vessels to return to Manticore through the Junction for evaluation BuShips at HMSS Hephaestus. On transit through the Junction Fearless was greeted by HMS King Roger and Home Fleet, who honored her by flashing running lights and playing the Manticore Anthem in a formation used only for the Monarch, and for units which had earned extraordinary recognition.

However, the ship was adjudged too old and too badly damaged to justify return to duty. 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

[edit] Naval Enlisted

[edit] Marine Officers

[edit] Marine Enlisted

[edit] Technical Specs (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


— Featured Article —
This article has been voted among the best that the Honorverse Wiki has to offer. Go to the Nominations or Featured Articles page to discuss any other pages you feel deserve recognition.
Retrieved from "http://honorverse.wikia.com/wiki/HMS_Fearless_(CL-56)"