[Convoy]

[Rubber_Duck]

Synopsis

The Bretonian Armed Forces are the sole military force of the House of Bretonia, combining both space fleets and ground forces under a unified command. The BAF is commanded by the 12 man Admiralty Board, with a Fleet Admiral as its professional head and representative of the Monarch, who remains nominally the supreme head of the Armed Forces. The BAF is divided into 11 Fleets, with the planetary fleets having numerous armies attached planetside. The BAF is an extremely professional force, dedicated to the defence of Bretonia from external threats and all officers are sworn to remain loyal to the Bretonian Crown.

The Convoy is a special sub-division of the BAF, like the Merchant Navy of old. The company is fully committed in the war against Kusari and is the primary supplier for the war effort.

History

The ancient beginnings

The Merchant Navy has been in existence for a significant period in Bretonian history, owing much of its growth to Bretonian imperial expansion. As an entity in itself it can be dated back to the 17th century of ancient Sol history, where an attempt was made to register all seamen as a source of manpower for the so called Royal Navy during times of conflict. However that registration of merchant seamen failed, and it was not successfully implemented until 1835.

During the First and Second World Wars, the Merchant Service suffered heavy losses from German U-boat attacks (Craft operating below the surface of oceans). A policy of unrestricted warfare meant that merchant seamen were also at risk of attack from enemy ships. The tonnage lost to U-boats during the First World War was around 7,759,090 tons, and around 14,661 merchant seamen lost their lives. In honour of the sacrifice made by merchant seamen during the First World War, King George V granted the title "Merchant Navy" to the service. The Prince of Wales was made the Master of the Merchant Navy.

In the Second World War, German U-boats sank nearly 14.7 million tons of allied shipping, which amounts to 2,828 ships (around two thirds of the total allied tonnage lost). The United Kingdom alone suffered the loss of 11.7 million tons, which is 54% of the total Merchant Navy fleet at the outbreak of the Second World War. 30,000 merchant seamen were killed aboard convoy vessels during the war, but along with the Royal Navy, the convoys successfully imported enough supplies to allow an Allied victory. Merchant mariners are held in high esteem as a result of their extraordinary losses in times of war. The ships were often "sitting ducks" lined up in the sights of enemy combatants.


The late 20th and 21st Century

After the second World War was over, and the so called Cold War begun, the Merchant Navy calmed down, and so to say lost of its importance, as the peace seemed to be fragile, but secured at first. Because there was no open conflict, the forming of large Convoys to supply her majesties country was not necessary at all, so that the number of ships being used as a Merchant Navy was significantly reduced.

With the beginning of exploring the whole Sol system, and new technolgies, like planetary repulsor lifts and anti gravitation engines, and the start of colonisation of Sol system, the role of the Merchant Navy grew again, as the Kingdom of Great Britain, Bretonia today, was a part of the western Alliance, the Alliance against the Communist threat that resulted of the Cold War in the late 20th century. As a part of Alliance space exploration, the Merchant Navy of Great Britain fully took part in every sort of logistical action that has been done in the days of exploration of the Sol system.

The Alliance-Coalition War

Since the frictions between the Western Alliance of Europe and Americas and Eastern Coalition created from Tigris Confederation, Eastern Republic, East Asian Federation, and Russia started, the militarisation of both sides logically involved Merchant Navy of Great Britain and later Alliance Merchant Navy into the incoming conflict. Since year 2028 when Merchant Navy fleet, at that moment the greatest transport fleet ever, containing over 10'000 ships operating under the Alliance flag, took part in evacuation of the largest Earth megalopolises before the nuclear apocalypses began.

All over the time of the war, thousands of volunteers that joined the ranks of Merchant Navy sacrificed their lives in countless battles all over the Sol system. During the universal conscription and mobilisation of all transport ships for military necessity, united Alliance Merchant Navy under the control of Fleet, not politicians, continued to do its work even when the difficulties between the nations-members of the Alliance itself led to the dramatic consequences after year 2170.

The most dramatic episode in the history of Alliance Merchant Navy, that in fact put the end to it, took place between years 2199 and 2200 when, after the remains of Alliance fleet were destroyed in the Battle of Triton, more then 1'000 of the remaining Merchant Navy captains made up a giant shield, using their ships and their guns to protect the Sleeper Ships launching from the Pluto surface in the last hope to reach a distant space with the colonists on board. That day the history of Alliance Merchant Navy ended.


The Civil War (317-319 A.S.)

*to be edited*

The Time of the Buccaneers (Late 5th/early 6th century A.S.)

*to be edited*

The Tau War (814 A.S. - present day)

Beginning with the Bretonian Expansion into the Tau Regions in 809 A.S., the Merchant Navy again became an important role, by supplying the Armed Forces being up in that region with all supplies they needed, and by bringing all necessary goods to the gate construction sites in the Tau regions.

As there was no real conflict foreseeable at this time, those Convoys approaching in the Tau's were still owned by the main company responsible for this topic, by BowEx (Borderworld Exports), which had been the primary supplier for the Bretonian Armed Forces over all the times since Bretonia existed.

When the war against Kusari begun in 814 A.S., things became a lot more critical for Bretonia, as the house is now facing the biggest threat in its 800 years of history. The Merchant Navy still supplied Bretonia and the outer Regions of the Tau's with all supplies needed, but in cause of raids by the Kusari Naval Forces, more and more transports got lost.

In the year 817 A.S., a single independent BowEx worker, named Jack Schwarz, the son of Rheinlandish immigrants to Bretonia, but a natural born Bretonian himself, started another phase of history of the Merchant Navy. By having been an officer in the logistics department for several years, and having help by his own brother, they decided to provide more safety to the Convoys going in and out of Bretonia, and began to stick together, forming up Convoys again.

While the war was continuing, and the assaults on the Convoys, by sides of pirates and the Kusaris, became more intensive, the Merchant Navy was lucky by gaining more members, and growing up to an institution being able to afford own escort ships to secure the Convoys passages, and the worthy supplies for her majesty, Carina 1st. As it could be seen, that this procedure went truly well, and many more supplies reached Bretonia without any incident, same as the refugees of Planet Leeds, which was under continuing bombardment by the Kusari Naval Forces, could provided a much safer journey out of Bretonia, the Armaments and Licensing office of Bretonia granted the usage of 2 Bretonian Gunboats for the Merchant Navy in early 818 A.S. This was the first step to another militarisation of the Merchant Navy, as it has been in all major conflicts in history.

By having agreements to all the other houses Bretonia is not at war with, regarding entrance permissions for Gunboat escorts into foreign house space, the Merchant Navy was granted a whole Armed Forces escort wing half a year later, as the Convoys had grown enormously, and higher amounts of supplies were needed in Bretonia, as the war was still going on.

In February of 819 A.S., the Merchant Navy once again was set under full command of the Bretonian Armed Forces, to be one of the instruments for making sure the war results in a victory for Bretonia.


Activities and Zone of Operations

All Pilots/Vessels are part of the BAF, and therefore use BAF ID and IFF.

Since the [Convoy] provides supplies for the Armed Forces, it needs to leave Bretonia. Actual partners for supplying the military are Liberty, which as Bretonia's ally is at the first position, and Rheinland, which can be entered, too.

For both houses, there are actual valid contracts, regarding the permission of foreign military warhips operating as escorts in their space.


Rheinland permits the passage of Convoy's with 1 (One) Gunboat escort and 3 (three) Snubcrafts, valid for:

- Oder Shipyard/The Ring, New Berlin

- Planet Nuremberg, Munich

- Sigma 13 Gate, Frankfurt

- Bautzen Station, Dresden

- The space between, all signed by entering via Omega 3/ Omega 7


Liberty permits the passage of Convoy's with 2 (two) Gunboat escorts and 6 (six) Snubcrafts, valid for:

- Planet Pittsburgh, New York

- Planet Denver, Colorado

- Detroit Munitions

- Philadelphia Station, Pennsyslvania

- Fort Severn, Ontario

- The space between, all signed by entering via Magellan / Cortez.


Gas Miners Guild permits passage of Sigma 13 for Convoys with 1 (one) Gunboat escort and 3 (three) Snubcraft, valid for:

- Gas Miner Naha, Sigma 13

- the space between, all signed by entering via Frankfurt.


Ship Lines and Equipment:

Headquarter Vessels:

- Royal Liner
- Shire container transport

Trade Vessels:

- Shire container transport
- Percheron Bretonian transport

Escort Vessels:

- Hussar Bretonia light fighter
- Paladin Bretonia heavy fighter
- Templar Bretonia very heavy fighter
- Challenger Bretonia bomber
- Bretonia Gunboat

Weapons:

- Bretonian weapons
- Civilian weapons


Diplomacy:


Allied:

- Bretonia Armed Forces

Friendly:

- Bretonia Corporations
- Liberty Navy
- Liberty Corporations
- Rheinland Military
- Rheinland Corporations

Neutral:

- foreign criminals
- Everyone not listed

Unfriendly:

- Bretonian Criminals

Hostile:

- Kusari Naval Forces
- Kusari Corporations
- Corsairs
- Nomads
- The Wild

Recruitment:

The Merchant Navy recruitment is only done via private communications, either via this frequency, or by using the S.K.Y.P.3. communication protocol.

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