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+------ Thread: Ship study: Red Hessians (/showthread.php?tid=209649)
Ship study: Red Hessians - Soban - 10-05-2025
Log Report 1
Mac Donagan
Position: Livadia administrator and Phoenix Fleet Engineer
Topic: Ship study: Red Hessians
I’ll begin this progress report with a brief recap of our knowledge of Rheinland vessels.
Regarding Rheinland shipbuilding, our pilots have already gotten hands-on experience with civilian Rheinland ships—various transports and the Tiger Shark, in particular. Years of operating and maintaining these hulls have given us a solid grasp of how they function and the design philosophy behind them.
Ships specifically designed by the Red Hessians are another matter. We’ve seen a few militant Zoners bring their Hel or Grendel to Livadia for repairs, but our practical knowledge of these frames is limited compared to the civilian types. Even so, it’s clear they’re shaped by the same cultural and historical concepts that inform broader Rheinland engineering. We also have combat records from joint actions with the Red Hessians against the Corsairs, which provide valuable performance data.
Under the guidance of Red Hessian shipwright Herr Müller, here are our planned research steps:
- Select and train crews to test, pilot, and employ the ships in combat drills for one month. Goal: give crews a feel for handling while engineers acquire baseline know-how for maintenance and field repairs.
- Dismantle both ships and configure Engineering to produce components specific to these designs or identify Zoner-built alternatives where feasible.
- Crucial phase: attempt full scratch-builds. Grendel first, followed by Hel.
- Conduct a one-week test period, then forward each hull to Vogtland Base for final inspection.
If we successfully complete these steps, we should be able to produce these ships to strengthen both our trade convoys and defense fleet.
Should any phase fail, Mr. Müller has provided contacts to procure second-hand hulls as a contingency.
RE: Ship study: Red Hessians - Bussie - 10-19-2025
Grendel tech report.
Greetings, Mac Donagan! Francuasa Martz online.
Me and some crew members decided to check how ship, class-Frigate "Grendel", can handle Omicrons systems environment, if it's useable for combat tasks as different role ship, if it's possible to use it in exploration missions, and, of course, how it's dealing with transporting goods.
During our multiple flights across Omicrons systems we have found next things about combat abilities of this Frigate and it's vitality:
Thesis: "Grendel" it's good example how in one ship could be combined role of transport, explorer ship and gunboat in same time. However, it's more take gunboat part, what make this Frigate more orientired in combat usage, as covering allies for example.
Explanation:
Analiz of combat and vitality aspect: This frigate have four weapon plants for standart gunboat turrets, two for gunboat heavy turrets, and one plant for forward gun, more than that, this ship also can use gunboat mines what make this ship very dangerous in battle, as almost every frigate in general. But more noticeable thing in beginning it's that frigate "Grendel" have only seven weapon plants, while other frigates like "Peregrine" have eight weapon plants. Such disadvantage can be compensated by it's maneuvrability and compact size. On this ship also can be mounted shields for gunboats, as on other frigates, but stock of it's batteries is only 585 shield batteries and if we will compare it to other frigates, we can notice that "Peregrine" and other have more capacity of shield batteries. More over than it, Powercore of "Grendel", have advantage if we will compare it with other frigates like: Hogosha Frigate "Raba", Gallic Frigate "Taureau".
But from all frigates I could admit Civilian Frigate "Peregrine" have better statistics than "Grendel" by powercore, batteries of shields (720 units), cargohold size and maneuvrability. However, "Grendel" still have good characteristics due to more adapted weapon and defensive systems with compact size and hull armor. Hull armor of "Grendel" not so hard and big as on "Taureau" but it's still better than on "Raba" and "Peregrine". According all what have said above we can agree with it and confirm that ship is good for combat aspect and cargo carry is more background aspect, what can become good additional for cover our ships and also bring more goods. This frigate can hold high radiation in such system like Omega-41 and fly through very tight spots in asteroid fields, what also can be counted as plus for fuch frigate.
Rheinland engineering school, for sure, can be admitted in high quality construction and reliability of their machines. But due to more standart and adapted decisions of their engineers for Rheinlands, we meet some difficulties in beginning to taught crew how to do maintenance of this ship, but it's not impossible, just take some more time. Construction in general simple, but as for everything new it's requires time to understand how it's work.
As for explorer purposes it's have by default "Munnin scanner aray" what looks like good decision for exploration part of this ship. This frigate can handle high radiation level, hard pressure from enemy guns and wild environment of Omicrons systems and this scanner is perfect addition for that characteristics what will allow us to explore more dangerous spots where before we didn't step. For now this scanner is doing good to searching wrecks and cargo on very far distance from ship, but it's not limit of it's possibilities and with some construction and mechanic adaptation could be used for analyze asteroid for minerals, planets and etc. In general, this scanner can be upgraded, and must be, to allow us surveying systems in general. For example we can use some components from scanners which using on ship "Corvo", to adapt this scanner aray and increase it's range and power for long range scanning tasks and more over than it.
As summary all of that we can came up to next results:
"Grendel" is compact ship which is fast enough to escape from enemy, can be used for surveying systems, and can be used for combat assistance. Not so big cargo hold and missing one weapon plant was compensated by scanner aray, which possibilities can play in our work good role. This frigate will become good additional for our fleet, and on my opinion we need to buy more of them.
Also important to mention about our talk with one Zoner captain who shared his knowledges about piloting and commanding "Grendel" frigate. In general he admitting positive sides of this ship, like good powercore, maneuvrability and etc. But in same time he said that more prefer to use "Peregrine" for transporting good and other purposes due to more advanced Canarians ship decisions. However, in result we came up to opinion that "Grendel" is good frigate by large number of plusses of this ship. I will attach logs from blackbox and some photos that I have made during our little research.
With best regards,
![[+]](/forums/images/collapse_collapsed.png "[+]")
PhotosFrancuasa Martz.
RE: Ship study: Red Hessians - Comfort.Zone - 11-15-2025
To: Daniel Mac Donagan - Livadia administrator and Phoenix Fleet Engineer
Date: 15th November 835 A.S.
Subject: Test report of the Hel Cruiser provided by the Red Hessians
Hello Mac Donagan,
I hope you and the always charming Karen are doing well and you are enjoying lovely time together on Athens.
The crew of the anti-snub prototype cruiser ZCV-Bululu at Corfu Base also signed up for the experimental flights with the Hessian cruiser you sent to the station.
You will find their report here.
Weaponry
Heavy turrets and defense turrets
While the Fearless is designed for defensive tactics and is equipped with two rear defense turrets, the Hel is clearly a cruiser designed for frontal attacks, with two heavy front turrets and one rear defense turret.
The Hel's weakness at this point is definitely the angle of the heavy turrets. They are mounted on the upper side of the ship's deck, which means they cannot fire at targets below the cruiser. This means the crew must turn the vessel before it can hit targets below with the heavy turrets. This is not an ideal solution as it causes valuable time to be lost in a tight combat situation.
The rear defense turret is positioned at the bottom of the ship and enables the targeting of enemy vessels behind and beneath the ship. However, there is only a small angle at which it can attack enemy targets behind and above the ship.
This means that there is basically a blind spot behind and above the ship which is not covered by either heavy or defense turrets.
By way of comparison, the Fearless has its blind spot below the vessel.
Basic turrets
The variety of mountable weapons on the basic turret platform of the Hel is the same as on the Fearless.
However, the mounting points are placed differently.
The Hel has three basic turrets on top and three on the bottom of the ship.
The Fearless has two basic turrets on top and four on the bottom.
Tests showed that placing a cruiser flak turret on each of the middle top and bottom platforms makes the Hel able to defend itself against torpedo and missile attacks from all directions. This gives the Hel a huge defense capability.
The testing crew were also surprised by the cruiser's auto pulse cannons, which could fire upwards from mounting points on the bottom of the ship to the left and right. During the combat simulation, it was able to disable the shields of the capital ships of the simulated enemy in all situations.
Shields
Both the Hel and the Fearless can mount the same variety of cruiser shields.
Power core
In terms of power cores, the Hel has a significant advantage over the Fearless.
Its power core is around 25% stronger, allowing the Hel to provide more firepower and faster regeneration of power supplies and shields.
This also optimizes the combination of weapons and shields, enabling the Hel to turn attack situations to its advantage, whereas the Fearless is intended for defense purposes only.
Hull and size
The Hel has almost the same armory as the Fearless.
The front of the Hel is slightly narrower, so it is a little longer than the Fearless.
Overall, the Hel appears to be a longer and bigger target than the Fearless.
Docking space and maintenance
This Hel is too long and does not fit in our dry docks at Livadia.
This makes external maintenance and repairs quite uncomfortable, as the ship needs to be moved forward and backward in the dock.
We need to extend the length of the dry dock as soon as possible.
On the other hand, all the maintenance shafts for the weapons, the onboard computer and the internal life support systems are inside the ship and are designed for people with a broad build.
The engines and thrusters are easily accessible and can be replaced quickly. It is therefore recommended to keep a full set of spare engines and thrusters in stock. It's easier to make a quick exchange than to do the necessary repairs and modifications in a warm repair hall rather than in the open space of the dry dock.
The same applies to the gun turrets. The engineers at the Wolfsburg Shipyard have developed a quick solution called KLICKFix. This can be used on a mooring fixture with the support of a mobile crane. All turrets can basically be clicked in and out of their platforms. This means that the ship's weaponry can be changed within minutes, which is an incredible advantage in rapidly changing battle situations.
Usability
The Hel can be operated by a crew of three: a pilot, a board engineer and a weapons operator.
The advanced, second-level, AI-supported AR turret view, based on integrated camera drones, provides the whole crew with a constant, all-round overview of the ship.
Comfort and crew quarters
The Hel's crew quarters are designed for a crew of four people working in three shifts. Each of the four crew members has their own comfortable cabin with a private bathroom and amenities.
All cabins are equipped with an entertainment, gaming and environmental simulation system for relaxation.
There is also a fitness area for body conditioning and yoga.
A shared dining room and cafeteria is intended to encourage social bonding and interaction within the crew.
Other equipment
The Hel has a docking module slot for supporting snub units. This is a huge advantage over the Fearless, which has no docking bay slots.
Summary
The Hel is comparable to the Fearless in terms of armor, but it has a stronger power core and a greater focus on heavy turrets than defense turrets, making it an excellent attack cruiser.
The balanced mounting points of the basic turrets on the top and bottom sides of the ship give the Hel excellent defense capabilities against missile and torpedo attacks. They also allow pulse cannons to be mounted for deshielding purposes at a reasonable firing angle.
With its docking module, the Hel can support snub operations to increase the operational radius, survivability, and rearming of fighters, bombers, and small mining freighters on combat and exploration missions.
I hope Karen and you did enjoy the report for a quick cool down!
Best regards
Bululuman
Attached Document
RE: Ship study: Red Hessians - Soban - 04-13-2026
Log Report 2
Mac Donagan
Position: Livadia Administrator and Phoenix Fleet Engineer
Topic: Study of Red Hessian ship designs
After a few months of work, we have made solid progress and completed roughly half of the initial objectives. Thanks to Captains Bululuman and Martz, we have gained valuable insight into the handling, combat use, maintenance requirements, and internal design of both vessels.
I will give the Rheinlanders this much: they knew what they were doing. With the materials and industrial means available to them, they still turned out remarkably capable ships. Neither hull is flawless, but both show the sort of practical thinking and battlefield sense that deserves a bit of respect.
- ☑ Select and train crews to test, pilot, and employ the ships in combat drills for one month. Goal: give crews practical familiarity with handling while allowing engineers to acquire baseline knowledge for maintenance and field repairs.
- ☑ Dismantle both ships and configure Engineering to produce components specific to these designs, or identify Zoner-built alternatives where feasible.
- ☒ Crucial phase: attempt full scratch-builds. Grendel first, followed by Hel.
- ☐ Conduct a one-week final validation period, then forward each hull to Vogtland Base for final inspection.
Final assessment
Both vessels are worth keeping in service and studying further.
1. Grendel-class frigate
The Grendel is a compact and reliable frigate, well suited for escort work, hazardous trading, and limited exploration duties. Its cargo capacity and missing weapon mount are noticeable weaknesses, but these are offset by good maneuverability, a solid power core, respectable armor, and a promising scanner array. It is not the best in every category, but it is balanced, resilient, and more useful than its modest frame first suggests.
In plain terms, it is the sort of ship that earns its keep. It handles rough environments well, takes punishment better than one might expect, and offers enough flexibility to justify further acquisitions if hulls can be found.
2. Hel-class cruiser
The Hel fills a more specialized but highly valuable role as an attack cruiser. It offers strong offensive potential, good anti-missile coverage, and notable flexibility thanks to its docking module and rapid turret-swapping system. Its blind spots and awkward fit in our current drydocks are real drawbacks, but they do not outweigh its combat value. Where many of our own designs remain defensive by doctrine, the Hel demonstrates the value of a ship built to seize initiative rather than merely endure.
That, I think, is the more important lesson here. We know how to build ships that hold the line. The Hel reminds us that sometimes it is better to break the enemy’s rhythm first and leave them no room to dictate the pace.
For now, our position is clear. We can repair and reproduce specific components for both classes reliably as well as adapting some systems for local support
But we cannot construct full hulls from scratch.
At present, we remain unable to construct either vessel from scratch. As a result, we will have to rely on intermediaries if we wish to acquire additional hulls. That said, we are fully capable of repairing and refitting both classes, provided the superstructure remains largely intact.
In the end, I consider the ability to build them ourselves unnecessary. Livadia’s workload is already stretched to full capacity, and the addition of new production modules solely for these ships seems both unjustified and expensive. We have enough on our plate without reshaping half the yard for a pair of foreign hulls.
I will contact the Red Hessians to secure additional hulls, whether directly from them or through a third party. That seems the more sensible path.
Still, even with that limitation, these two ships have already taught us a fair bit. And for ships we did not design, from people we do not always agree with, that is worth more than I first expected.