Discussion Thread

The Ceutaji class battleship was designed as a replacement for the aging Dødsengel class battleship, which has served the Realm with distinction since the 1950s. Despite continuous upgrades and refits, the Dødsengel class is now completely worn out and in dire need for replacement, something which has been put off due to the High Command's belief that carriers are the new battleship. However, experiences from the Second Battle of Neu Prussia showed the High Command that the intended replacement of the battleships by heavy cruisers and aircraft carriers is unsatisfactory when the Naval Infantry and other ground troops need heavy naval gunfire support. As such, High Command have commissioned a new class of battleships, which has been named the Ceutaji class in honor of the original name for the Cottish people as it was back in the days when the first Cots first landed on the shores of modern-day Cotland.

The Ceutaji class is a very modern class of battleship, equipped with the latest in electronics, information-gathering and -sharing technology, command and control features and weaponry. In terms of the latest, the Ceutaji is every bit as powerful as the Dødsengel class battleships it will replace, being armed with nine M867A3 406 MM/50 caliber ETC rifles fitted into three triple-rifle turrets, which are able to send nine 406 MM shells against a target up to 80 kilometers away from the battleship. This allows for exceptionally long heavy naval gunfire support for ground forces in need of such support. Add to this the eight twin-barreled quick-firing 130 MM dual-purpose cannons, and you have an artillery armament that is capable of inflicting great damage to just about any target. Of course, the designers of the Ceutaji class realized that in this modern day and missile age, it is unlikely that a battleship can slug it out using big guns only, so they fitted the Ceutaji class with an impressive missile armament as well. For anti-shipping purposes, the Ceutaji is fitted with six four-cell heavy vertical launch cells capable of housing up to twenty-four heavy anti-shipping missiles such as the SBM.70 Miðgarðsorm. Additionally, there are four Mk.55 quadruple anti-shipping missile launchers for up to sixteen SBM.71B Fenris anti-shipping missiles. As for self-defense against incoming missile and aircraft threats, the Ceutaji is equipped with four sixteen-cell Mk.51 vertical launch systems, where three are typically armed with the Praetonian Sea Arrow SAM and one with quad-packed RIM-162E ESSMs. Additionally, there are four Mk.55 Imperator combined gun/missile close-in weapons systems mounted aboard the Ceutaji class, providing close-in defense along with the nine MLG-27 remote-controlled chainguns, which will also be used for close-in defense when in port or near shore to protect against small threats such as suicide boats or terrorist attacks.

All this is powered by the two CNE-560 pressurized water nuclear reactors that generate 80 MW of electrical power each and that provide the steam necessary to power the four 70 000 shaft horsepower steam turbines that power the four shafts (each fitted with a five-bladed propeller) that drive the Ceutaji class forward (or backwards) through the water. This allows the Ceutaji to move at a maximum sprint speed of 33 knots, or at a sustained cruise speed of 25 knots, something which isn't too bad for the 113 600 ton behemoth. With a complement of 1 500 personnell being the only limitation, the Ceutaji can operate continuously for ninety days before she need to replenish the provisions for her crew.


Length: 310 meters (overall); 307 meters (waterline)
Beam: 39 meters (overall)
Draught: 15 meters
Displacement: 113 600 tons (standard)
Block Co-Efficient: 0.611
Complement: 130 officers, 720 non-commissioned officers, 650 enlisted; room for up to 200 staff officers

Propulsion:
- 2x CNE-560 Pressurized Water Nuclear Reactor (80 MW ea.)
- 4x 70 000 shp steam turbines
- 4 shafts driving 5-bladed controllable-reversible pitch propellers
- 4 rudders
- 2 750 kW bow thrusters

Speed (maximum): 33 knots
Speed (cruise): 25 knots
Endurance: Limited to 90 days on supplies

Armament (Artillery):
- 9x M867A3 406 MM/50" naval rifles in three triple turrets (A, B and Y pos) with 170 shells per rifle
- 8x M836F2 twin-barreled 130 MM/70" dual purpose cannons (4 port, 4 starboard) with 800 rounds per mount
- 9x MLG-27 27x145 MM remote-controlled close-in defense guns (4 port, 4 starboard, 1 aft) with 2 000 rounds per gun

Armament (Missile):
- 4x 16-cell [4x4] Mk.51 Vertical Launch Systems (64 cells aft) (X pos) with 48x Sea Arrow SAM and 64x RIM-162E Evolved Sea Sparrow Missile (quad-packed)
- 6x 4-cell [2x2] Mk.63 Heavy Vertical Launch Systems (24 cells forcastle) with 24x SBM.70A Miðgarðsorm Heavy AShM
- 4x Mk.55 quadruple launchers (2 port, 2 starboard) with 16x SBM.71B Fenris AShM

Countermeasures:
- 4x Mk.55 Imperator CIWS (2 port, 2 starboard) with 16x BLM.34A Grumpy PDM ready to fire, 128x stowed in magazines
- 4x Countermeasure Rocket Launchers with 400 rockets


Armor:
- Deck Armor: 50 MM steel plating, 8 MM rivet support
- Belt Armor: 320 MM steel plating, 400 MM void spacing, 45 MM steel plating
- Bulkheads: 450 MM steel plating
- Conning Tower: 450 MM steel plating
- Barbettes: 350 MM steel plating

Aviation:
- 1x EH101 Merlin, 2x MQ-8C Fire Scout UAV
- 230 m² landing pad aft
- below-deck hangar

Combat Systems:
- ASHES Mk.II Sonar Suite
- CWBG Mk.V Weapons Guidance Suite
- CE/SSR.77 Surface Search Radar
- CE/ASR.78 Air Search Radar
- CE/SSR.83 Inversed Synthetic Aperture Radar
- CE/SSR.86 Active Phased Array Radar
- CE/SSV.41 Turret-Mounted Millimetric Wave Radar
- CE/SEK.46 Electronic Warfare Suite

Construction Cost: $8 768 million
Annual Upkeep Cost: $250 million
Annual Crew Pay Cost: $39.34 million
Export Cost: $9 750 million