Approved Tarquin Supership

[Aiken Brudenell]

Imperial Navy Ship
Tarquin Supership

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Specifications:

Type:	1st rate ship of the line / man of war
Weaponry:	100 cannon, 24 heavy ballistae
Propulsion:	Sail only
Status:	Active (1765)
Affiliation	Imperial Navy

History:

Named for the Imperium's second Emperor, Tarquin Superbus, what would eventually come to be known as the Tarquin Supership began its life in the late 1720s as a concept for a ship larger than any then in the Imperial Navy or elsewhere at the time, designed to function as a veritable fortress on the sea, capable of transporting an entire army to secure islands such as those fought over in the Valles Mensa war against Alkamar in 1728, and bristling with weaponry. In the end, though the design recieved much interest from beasts with far more wealth and influence than knowledge of sailing or shipbuilding, wiser heads and practical considerations won out, and the concept was for many years shelved away in a room of the Ministry of War headquarters where such fanciful and fantastical drawings often ended up, sandwiched between several ambitious but somewhat unrealistic designs for flying ships concocted by an admiral's 7-year old nephew.

Plans for the ship were not rediscovered until after the catastrophic Winter War of 1733-1734, by which time many of the more experienced or competent officers on the Navy's ship construction board had been retired to the ocean depths alongside their commands. This had the dual effect of increasing the demand for new vessels to rebuild the Navy's strength, and also reducing the potency of opposition to the Tarquin Supership's construction (though the captivating designs for flying ships authored by the young but forward-thinking Renne Rudesmell (age 12) were rejected after concerns about the feasibility of collecting enough feathers to furnish their massive bird-like wings.)

Though opposed by then-Minister of War Nadia Darkon, the ship passed through the budgeting committing not long after her retirement, with funds allocated for construction to begin in Maquistry Cape at the tail end of 1735. Her keel was laid down on Notempre the 4th of that year, with construction initially proceeding rapidly. Problems soon arose, however, with numerous redesigns and modifications taking place as the ship began to form up in reality rather than on dusty schematics.

By the time of Willard Brudenell's ascension to the position of Minister of War (in part after much criticism over the state of Imperial shipbuilding) and especially after the Ministry of War all but siezed power in Soggus 1737, the Tarquin Supership was too far along and enjoyed far too much support to be cancelled or scrapped, being completed early in Humidor of that year. Launched with much fanfair, the vessel sailed for Bouillabaisse as part of a naval tour and inspection, only to catch fire and run aground near Length while attempting to demonstrate new technologies developed there for the vessel by the Imperial University. Saved at great cost by the quick thinking and incredible bravery of her massive crew, the Supership spent another few months under repair in Maquistry Cape before sailing out for Bully Harbor again.

Her early voyages exposed numerous failings and flaws in the vessel's design. Massive and overdraught, the ship was slow and difficult to maneuever even in good conditions, requiring signifigant portions of the ship's ballistae armament and fortifications be removed to save weight. Nevertheless, she enjoyed a certain popularity with the public and would slowly develop support within the ranks as officers rotated in and out of her massive complement over the years. By the troubles of the late 1740s, Tarquin Supership had more than secured its place in the fleet, staying in the active force even as other large, popular vessels such as the Blackship were relegated to the floating reserve, mothballed, or scrapped entirely.

When the civil war began in 1748 she was again sailed to Maquistry Cape, where her massive bulk and ballistae armament saw her used as a sort of floating fortress, guarding the port against invaders from the sea and housing or transporting troops for its defense against rebels on land. She was employed in this capacity for some time, before eventually being tasked with patrolling the important trade route between the Cape and East Tookemberry Key.

Now, years after the Imperium's last major conflict, the Tarquin Supership has seen several waves of refits, switching out much of her old ballistae armament for an ever-increasing arsenal of newly developed cannon. Concerns about the ship's weight and handling prevent her massive space from being filled with guns, but she nevertheless sports one of the most powerful broadsides in the fleet, and still ranks as the largest of all ships currently active in the Imperial Navy.

Crew:

Captain:	-
First Mate:	-
Bosun:	-
Other:	-
Total:	968 beasts

Characters:

Name:	Positions Held:	Start Date:	End Date:
Nycaria Blayre Lafrey	Seabeast, Quartermaster	1747	1758

 

[Duke Talinn Ryalor]

Approved!