Royal Antoran Armada

Royal Antoran Armada
Armada de Antora Réal
Founded	1 May 1710
Country	Antora
Type	Navy
Role	Maritime warfare
Size	22,890 personnel 79 ships 120 aircraft
Part of	Royal Antoran Defense Forces
Headquarters	Descarai, Antora
Motto	Nosotros Sin Miedo y Sin Teñir
Colors	Blue, Navy, and Gold
Anniversaries	1 May
Fleet	1 helicopter carrier 8 Corvettes 5 Mine Ships 15 Fast Attack Craft 29 Patrol Craft 5 Auxiliaries
Commanders
Chief Admiral of the Armada	Teodoro Maro Guadanala
Admiral of the Fleets	Asier Durán

The Royal Antoran Armada (Corric: Armada de Antora Réal, abbreviated AAR) is the maritime force of the Royal Antoran Defense Forces. The Armada was first established in 1710, as the First Constitution of the Kingdom of Corrí called for a substantial fleet of warships to defend the kingdom's merchant shipping. The Royal Corric Armada was assembled from the various personal ships of the monarchy, nobility, and trade guilds, becoming a substantial presence in eastern Novaris. The Armada performed escort duties on the historic trade routes between Corrí and Arcturia along the Concordian Ocean, and western Gondwana via the Pacific Ocean, and continues to act in this role for Antoran shipping near Novaris.

The Armada has historically derived its equipment and doctrine from the Cryrian and Morst navies, though efforts have been made to reform the Armada to Antoran "no first strike" doctrine by eliminating most large warships and offensive weapons. The mission statement of the Armada is to defend the coastal territory and oceanic economic zones of Antora from foreign threats, to protect state-sponsored shipping abroad, and to prevent waterborne crime. The Armada has two specialty divisions: Armada Maritime Safety, which performs search & rescue, salvage, and navigation safety duties, and Armada Customs & Excise, which performs harbor patrol, customs inspections, and smuggling interdiction duties. As of 2022 the Armada maintains a strength of 20,890 personnel, 79 watercraft, and seven shore installations.

History

The earliest form of organized navy in Antora was the ships of the Pinoan merchants. As the Kingdom of Pinoa expanded their trade across the North Concordian Ocean in the 8th century, the ships of various merchants would be supplied with large deck-mounted ballistae and squadrons of marines to prevent piracy. The Pinoan trade became very profitable, and the nation grew to be a contender in nautical affairs. Certain alliances and guilds would form to protect the mercantile interests. These merchant-navies operated with the blessing, and often funding and direction, of the king. Most ships belonging to the Pinoan merchant-navies were simply converted merchant vessels, but a few vessels sponsored by nobles and the crown would be purpose-built galleasses.

When Avantana began to conquer the coastal states in the 13th century, it became apparent that it needed to find a way to counter the strong naval capabilities of Pinoa. An eventual solution was reached in the form of a strong core of biremes, triremes, and galleasses which would be proceeded by a multitude of cheaply constructed fire ships. This tactic was effective against the Pinoan navies, which were slow to maneuver. The Battle of Porta Tranquíla was an Avantanan victory, where their fire ships caused chaos among the different Pinoan formations. What ships were not burned were captured and converted to the Avantanan Armada. This force remained small, and much like the Pinoan system would take a large amount of wartime power from mercantile vessels. However, all noble houses that had the means in Avantana, and later the Kingdom of Casilló, were required to maintain a fleet of warships. This allowed the crown to assemble a professional naval force in emergencies and the nobility to proactively defend their shipping and territory.

These ideals of local defense and compartmentalization were carried over to the much more organized navy of the Kingdom of Corrí, founded in 1628. While Réal never had access to the ocean, it had an abundance of resources that allowed the Crown to expand and consolidate the navy. The forests and mines of Réoran land provided matierals to construct more capable warships. The astronomers of the Réoran mountains had much better star charts than Arranzic scholars which allowed for more accurate navigation. The increased population also let the Armada recruit more, especially from Réoran populaces that were curious about the sea.

Consolidation

In 1588, the Royal Arranzic Armada, the various fleets of the nobility, and the warships of shipping guilds were all brought together in the Great Fleet Project. This initiative was the combined brainchild of King Felipé III and his wife, Queen Alicia la Joven, former princess of Réal. The Queens newfound love of the ocean, and the desire for the King to have a national project to unify the Réoran and Arranzic peoples, made this the first large-scale Crown-sponsored project of the new kingdom. Older ship designs were scrapped or sold, new ones built or bought, crews were trained and standards set. The Armada was officially headquartered at Porto Armada on the southern coast. After nearly four years of preparation, the Royal Corric Armada was fully formed. The new navy was tasked with much of the same duties as had previously fell to its predecessors. The new command structure enabled it to be vastly more effective than the earlier organizations had been, and a Royal Admiral position was created within the crown's government.

Heavy fighting against coastal and deep-water shipping pirates in the 17th century left the Armada battle-hardened but diminished. By the late 1600s, the ships of the fleet were mostly relegated to coastal defense duties, which left most long-distance shipping vulnerable to attacks. The losses of merchant ships, combined with the general flow of wealth to the nobility and already-wealthy commoners, was one of the greatest contributors to the Ambrezar Revolution of 1659. The revolution, headed by Armada captain Marco Juan Ambrezar, was a general movement of the people of Casilló y Réal to reform the standards by which they were governed. Large portions of the Corric economy were paralyzed, and significant numbers of military personnel joined the revolutionaries. The nobility and royal family were threatened with death and exile unless they complied with the populaces' demands. King Juan Teo was forced to sign the First Constitution of the Kingdom of Corrí, which established the constitutional monarchy the nation exists as today.

Constitutionality

Part of the Constitution enshrined in law the governments responsibility to protect trade. Section 10 of the document makes it illegal for the Crown to maintain less than a certain number of professional military forces, stipulating the following:

"...And as 1.) the defense of all maritime territory, 2.) the defense of all native goods being traded, 3.) the defense of all peoples of the state that use the water as a means of livelihood, 4.) the defense of the coasts and their inhabitants, is important to the people of this state, 5.) the government of the people, specifically the Minister of Armed Services established in this document, Section 10.A.6, and the organ of the state that is the Royal Family and King or Queen, will be hereafter required to pay, equip, maintain, train, task, and employ such an establishment as a professional and modern navy, 6.) an Armada of no less than thirty vessels of good disposition and heavy gun, 7.) that may be enlisted for the defense of all articles of this Section 10.C.1 through 4, and to the best and honest and honorable extent of its commanders and sailors accomplish these charged tasks, 8.) and if necessary the organs of the state mentioned previous in this Section 10.C.5 may expand the ships available for it to carry out these tasks, 9.) through the reallocation of funds, increase of specific taxes, tariffs, or duties, or the seizure of assets held within the financial systems of this state, 10.) so long as these funding methods be examined and approved by the legislature government Ministry of Popular Assembly, established within this document Section 2.A.2, 11.) and that the organs of state mentioned in Section 10.C.5 be also required to pay, equip, maintain, train, task, and employ such an establishment as a professional and modern force of marine infantry, 12.) that will assist the Armada with its duties of defense, 12.) that will garrison the lands and shores of all major oceans, lakes, waterways, and ports of the state when established as necessary in times of armed conflict, 13.) that will act as a deterrent for criminality and intrusion upon the facilities used by the Armada, 14.) and to bring the force of arms of the people of this state to enemies abroad such that require an armed presence conveyed to their lands via water..."

The Constitution, while moving the headquarters of all military branches of the city of Descarai, Porto Armada remained the most important naval installation. The establishment of the Arsenale allowed the city to build and maintain many new ships. Large portions of wealth from private coffers was sized by the newly-created parliamentary Ministry of Armed Services to build out its portfolio, including the Armada. By 1688, the Armada is recorded as having 45 ships of respectable tonnage and guns and over 200,000 sailors and marines. The Royal Corric Defense Forces successfully defended territory and economic interests several times in this period, securing the eastern Novaris coast for shipping and commerce.

20th and 21st centuries

In the early 20th century, the Armada lagged substantially behind the world in terms of modernizing their ships. During the Great War, Antora was still operating ironclad warships, with many being retrofitted from commercial steamers or full sail ships. This was the end result of several decades of budgetary cuts and apathy from reigning king Montero Julio, who was devoted to economic development at the general expense of what he saw as extraneous governmental organs. The Armada was stripped to its minimum legal size, and many Assembly Ministers had doubts it could defend the nation if it got pulled into the war. The hostilities between various world powers did have an unexpected advantage. Corric naval engineers were able to study the construction of various modern warships that were salvaged and repaired following battles in the North Concordian Ocean. Likewise, naval scholars had more material to debate and doctrines to test than any point in the preceding fifty years.

Montero Julio's death in 1912 allowed his son King Sebastián I to work towards bringing the Armada and other military branches to some semblance of parity with international standards. The Corric treasury was heavily subsidized in this period by the loans it negotiated during the war starting to be paid back. Motivated by his service in the Armada during his early adulthood, Sebastián I gave it the lion's share of funding. Between 1913 and 1920, more than forty ships were laid down, and twenty more purchased from Aivintis. While the eventual progress of technology led most of these to be scrapped by the 40s, the size and capabilities of the Armada would steadily increase under Sebastián I and his son, King Benito Ares. Notably, several accidents and breakdowns plagued attempts at the Armada to put submarines into service, and so such vessels were excised from naval doctrine.

Benito Ares sponsored a number of ships during the 1950s and 60s, as it was his earnest desire that the Corric naval power be a match for any other regional force. This period saw the first Corric forays into advanced radar, guided missiles, and computerized fire control. The technology was not developed in Casilló y Réal at this point, necessitating expensive study programs and import deals that severely limited the number of ships capable of using such components. The Armada shrunk from 60 major surface combatants in 1950 to 25 in 1960. Attempts to make up for the losses were made with the Rége Felipé class frigates, Princesa Mariangel class corvettes, and the Gracia class helicopter cruisers. Various issues made the smaller ships obsolete within two years of commissioning them, while their designs meant they could not be overhauled accordingly without serious budget debt. This stalled further Armada expansion, and by 1975 the fleet consisted of around 30 major surface combatants, 35 patrol ships, and around a dozen auxiliaries of various types.

The 1985 Corric Succession crisis saw the 5th Squadron of the First Attack Fleet as well as the Fifth and Sixth Squadrons of the Second Deterrent Fleet back the former Crown Prince Astolfo, who had been dismissed from his position as heir-apparent to Benito Ares for an extramarital affair as well as the abuse of his household staff. The prince, vocal that the legal line of succession must be upheld (despite the reigning monarch having prerogative over who in the family inherits,) managed to convince the commanding officers and captains of the defecting squadrons of his legitimacy. This incident quickly spiraled from a political scandal to armed insurrection. The prince, displaying what was diagnosed after the fact as delusional narcissism, expressed publicly via radio that he intended to use the backing of the naval squadrons to fight for and win back his inheritance.

Benito Ares, expressing to his Royal Cabinet his reluctance to have his son harmed, attempted to negotiate with Prince Astolfo in person at Armada Porto Francisco. The prince saw the King's arrival in the ARC Gracia de Régne as a threat, and so boarded the Rége Felipé class Hernando de Numia in order to respond from a similar position of force. Reports of the negotiations via radio vary on some details, but most agree that the Prince, becoming increasingly desperate and unhinged, threatened a missile strike from the frigate on the civilian portion of the port. This ultimately led to the infamous "Battle of Porto Francisco" in which the Hernando de Numia was destroyed by the larger cruiser, gaining the Gracia the nickname 'The Bloody Lady.' After the prince's supporters were dealt with, all naval squadrons that had supported him had their ships stripped from the Roll of Ships and interred in drydock. The crew's broken oaths of service had, in the view of the General Staff, stained these vessels irrevocably, and they would not be allowed back into service unless a situation would arrive where their honor could be restored.

In 2013, the Armada initiated a contract with Arsenale Corric to build six new Amity class offshore patrol vessels to replace ageing ships. The Amity class were the result of a joint project by the Conference for Amity and Cooperation. The Armada received the first ship, the ARC Amity, in 2015 after minor redesigns. The ARC Affinity was commissioned in 2021, coinciding with the decommissioning process for the Garra class patrol ships.

In late 2021, the Armada sold off its landing craft to Älemsi Negdel and several private buyers. This coincided with the closure of the Office of Amphibious Operations due to studies finding its budget to be the most wasteful of all Defense Force departments. Notably the OAO, while functional and full-staffed, had no strategic place in Corric naval doctrine due to its small size, few blue-water vessels, and the Corric focus on defense rather than global operational reach. The funds gained from the sale of the ships were put towards modernizing several existing vessels as well as purchasing new fighter jets for the Royal Corric Air Cavalry. The personnel formerly part of the OAO were assigned to marine detachments, shore patrol, and strategic think tanks to use their expertise in amphibious operations to devise tactics against them.

In 2022, the Armada was renamed along with other government entities to reflect the nation assuming the name of Antora. As part of the shift in defense policies after the Astolfo Papers were released, the Antoran military entered into cooperation with other CAC nations to produce a more modern and compact defense force. The Varentine League assisted with designing and building new ships for the Armada in record time, with many entering service mid-April of 2022 in what has been termed "The Great Commissioning." Older ships have been put into reserve to be sold or scrapped. Notably, the Gracia de Regne was retired after 50 years in service, being replaced as flagship by the ARC Antora.

The Armada opted to retain its two destroyers and helicopter carrier as part of the defensive structure of INTRA. Alliance doctrine holds that Antora is the right flank of any naval action, acting as a buffer between the greater Concordian Ocean and the coastlines of Mirhaime and Sarvimaa. Armada ships are permitted to dock at and utilize military facilities of the other alliance members.

Organization

The Royal Antoran Armada is headed by the Chief Admiral of the Armada, an appointed position on the General Staff. The current C.A.A. is Teodoro Maro Guadanala, who held the rank of Vice Admiral before his appointment. Directly under the C.A.A. is the Board of Admirals, a seven-person panel. The Admiral of the Fleets and head of the Board is currently Asier Durán. The Board manages the divisions of the Armada, including Deployment Fleets, Logistics, Administration, and Legal.

Royal Antoran Fleets

The Armada is separated into four fleets, each with a specialization and headed by a Vice Admiral.

• First Attack Fleet - Charged with the defense of the nation's trade fleet in international waters, and the main defense against sea-borne invasion.
  • 1 Squadron: 4 ships: Stationed at Porta Armada.
  • 2 Squadron: 3 ships: Stationed at Giroruña.
  • 3 Squadron: 4 ships. Stationed at Porta Tranquíla.
  • 4 Squadron: 3 ships. Stationed at Porto Frederico.

• Second Deterrent Fleet - Charged with maintaining the security of Antoran waters against significant threats and economic zone enforcement in Antoran oceanic waters.
  • 1 Squadron: Stationed at Covielés.
  • 2 Squadron: Stationed at Porta Armada.
  • 3 Squadron: Stationed at Porta Tranquila.
  • 4 Squadron: Stationed at Giroruña.

• Third Patrol Fleet - Charged with security and economic zone enforcement in Antoran coastal waters and rivers.
  • 1 Squadron: Stationed at Covielés.
  • 2 Squadron: Stationed at Porta Tranquila.
  • 3 Squadron: Stationed at Eleçeron.
  • 4 Squadron: Stationed at Tonderouca.

• 4th Support Fleet - Charged with search and rescue, oceanographic survey and maintanence, dock-and-harbor navigation, and special security within Antoran waters.
  • 1 Replenishment Squadron: Stationed at Iravala.
  • 2 Rescue Squadron: Stationed at Covielés.
  • 3 Survey Squadron: Stationed at Porta Tranquíla.
  • 4 Dock Squadron: Stationed at Porta Tranquíla.
  • 5 Dock Squadron: Stationed at Iravala.
  • 6 Dock Squadron: Stationed at Porta Armada.
  • 7 Dock Squadron: Stationed at Giroruña.

Shore Group

The Armada maintains a force of 38,000 personnel in the 5th Shore Group, which encompasses all aspects of naval operations outside of serving on ships. This includes logistics, ship construction, repair, and outfitting, weather forecasting, research and development, communications, shoreside hospital, scrap and mothballing, and security of shoreside installations. The 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Naval Infantry Battalions, which serve as the Armada's marines, are attached to the 5th Shore Group.

• 1st Shore Garrison Regiment, Porta Armada Naval Base.

• 2nd Shore Garrison Regiment, Porta Tranquíla Naval Base.

• 3rd Shore Garrison Regiment, Iravala Naval Base.

• 4th Shore Garrison Regiment, Giroruña Naval Base.

• 5th Naval Engineer Regiment, Covielés Shipyards.

• 6th Naval Engineer Regiment, Porto Francisco Shipyards.

• 7th Naval Preservation Regiment, Porto Mañuel Shipyards.

• 8th Riverine Garrison Battalion, Tonderouca Dockyards.

• 9th Riverine Garrison Battalion, Eleçeron Dockyards.

• 10th Armada Development Corps, Descarai Proving Grounds.
• 1st Naval Infantry Battalion, Porta Armada Naval Base.
• 2nd Naval Infantry Battalion, Iravala Naval Base.
• 3rd Naval Infantry Battalion, Descarai Defense Command.

Equipment

Major surface combatants

Class	Picture	Type	Ships	Displacement	Note
Antora class		Amphibious transport dock	ARC Antora	8,700 tonnes	Flagship
Catrás class		Guided-missile corvette	ARC Catrás ARC Avantana ARC Vizedora ARC Iravala	2,300 tonnes
Sierra class		Anti-submarine corvette	ARC Sierra ARC Nevadres ARC Juliocerez ARC Rezores	1,344 tonnes
Concordia class		Fast attack craft	ARC Concordia ARC Atlantia ARC Ictasa ARC Kegian ARC Nosalis	445 tonnes
Princesa Alandra class		Fast attack craft	ARC Princesa Alandra ARC Princesa Ona Racio ARC Princesa Clara Luna ARC Princípe Tomas ARC Princípe Ivan ARC Princípe Sebastián ARC Princípe Diego Iñigo ARC Princípe Christian España ARC Princesa Lara Navarra ARC Princípe Jose Maria	234 tonnes

Patrol Vessels

Class	Picture	Type	Ships	Displacement	Note
Amity class		Offshore patrol vessel	ARC Amity ARC Jubilee ARC Revelry ARC Harmony ARC Solidarity ARC Affinity	2,256 tonnes	Icebreaker-capable patrol vessels product of joint CAC project
Aleta class		Offshore patrol vessel	ARC Aleta ARC Escala ARC Branquias	1,625 tonnes	Refit and redesigned corvettes
Ortiga class		Patrol boat	ARC Ortiga ARC Rosa ARC Buganvilla ARC Agarita ARC Acebo ARC Agracejo ARC Cerval	96 tonnes
Espina class		Patrol boat	ARC Espina ARC Puercospín ARC Erizo ARC Equidna ARC Pastinaca ARC Maza ARC Lucero ARC Hacha	25 tonnes

Minehunters

Class	Picture	Type	Ships	Displacement	Note
Santo Lúo class		Minehunter/Minelayer	ARC Santo Lúo ARC Santo Gurció ARC Santa Delía ARC Santo Sivestáre ARC Santa Aria	332 tonnes

Logistics Vessels

Class	Picture	Type	Ships	Displacement	Note
Santa Rivera class		Replenishment tanker	ARC Santa Rivera	17,045 tonnes	Operates with 3 onboard H-20 Marsopa helicopters
Santa Emmanuela class		Combat supply ship	ARC Santa Emmanuela ARC Santo Pablo	3,984 tonnes
Santa Alíz class		Logistics support ship	ARC Santa Alíz ARC Santa Barbara	3,365 tonnes	Can be modified to serve as an oiler, ammunition ship, helicopter tender, seaplane tender, or amphibious transport ship
Santa Maria class		Fleet tugboat	ARC Santa Maria ARC Santa Puebla ARC Santa Gloria	1,887 tonnes
Santa Graña class		Fleet tugboat	ARC Santa Julieta ARC Santa Frída ARC Santa Margo ARC Santa Evangelíne ARC Santa Felípa ARC Santa Juanita	664 tonnes

Training Vessels

Class	Picture	Type	Ships	Displacement	Note
Princesa Gloria class		Offshore patrol vessel	ARC-T Princesa Desiree	1,126 tonnes	Base of Aleta class
Goleta class		Schooner	ARC-T Felípé II	1,200 tonnes	Former Royal yacht

Maritime Safety Vessels

Class	Picture	Type	Ships	Displacement	Note
Río Amarillo class		Search and rescue cruiser	ARC-MS Río Amarillo	1,700 tonnes
Río Azuré class		Salvage, search, and rescue ship	ARC-MS Río Azuré	1,652 tonnes
Río Rójo class		Buoy tender	ARC-MS Río Rójo ARC-MS Río Carmesí ARC-MS Ría Escarleta	1,266 tonnes
Río Blanco class		Patrol cutter	ARC-MS Río Blanco ARC-MS Río Négro	640 tonnes
Ría Naranza class		Patrol boat	ARC-MS Ría Naranza ARC-MS Río Bronce ARC-MS Río Cariño	120 tonnes

Survey Vessels

Class	Picture	Type	Ship	Displacement	Note
Santo Marco class		Oceanographic survey	ARC-S Santo Marco	1,312 tonnes

Reserve Fleet

Class	Picture	Type	Ships	Displacement	Note
Gracia class		Helicopter Cruiser	ARC Gracia de Régne	10,575 tonnes
Rége Julían class		Guided-missile Frigate	ARC Rége Julían ARC Rége Juan Teo ARC Rége Diego Erik	3,250 tonnes
Rége Felípé class		Guided-missile Frigate	ARC Rége Felípé ARC Rége Marius Sancho	2,640 tonnes
Régeñe Natalia Romero class		Anti-submarine Frigate	ARC Régeñe Natalia Romero ARC Régeñe Alenjandra ARC Régeñe Maria Platia ARC Régeñe Alícia la Joven	2,100 tonnes
Princesa Mariangel class		Air-defense Corvette	ARC Princesa Mariangel ARC Princesa Julieta ARC Princesa Estefania Lia ARC Princesa Vanesa	1,409 tonnes
Princípe Jerónimo class		Light Corvette	ARC Princípe Jerónimo ARC Princípe Victor ARC Princípe Hector ARC Princípe Albert Ramón	1,076 tonnes
Cuerno class		Offshore Patrol Vessel	ARC Cuerno ARC Jabalí ARC Elefante ARC Facóquero	712 tonnes	Converted corvettes
Ortiga class		Patrol Boat	ARC Mora ARC Grosella ARC Cacto ARC Guja ARC Puñal	96 tonnes
Pinza class		Patrol Boat	ARC Pinza ARC Cangrejo ARC Langosta ARC Escorpión ARC Jaiba	82 tonnes
Pico class		Patrol Boat	ARC Pico ARC Halcón	174 tonnes