11-12-2003, 06:33
OOC:Feel free to post a comment or two when your done, and be ready its a long read.
May the Lords of Kobol accept those fallen Warriors into their arms as they gave themselves mind and body so that the Colonies would remain forever protected from those evil forces who would seek to existinguish the light of civilization.
President Nicholas Adar
Leader of the Twelve Colonies of Kobol
Introduction to the Colonial Armed Forces
by Trent Westin, Vice Admiral(ret),Colonial Fleet
The Colonial Military has had a long and storied past since its inception close to four hundred years ago with the found of the Colonial Republic itself. Comprised of two elements the Fleet and Marines, which currently number 120,000 personnel in the Fleet comprised mainly on support vessels, bases and on the few Battlestars we have.The Colonial Marines number around 240,000 support and combat personnel however we should mention now, that all members of the Colonial Military are trained as ground combat personnel and therefore able to make an easy transition to ground combat units should needs dictate so.
The Colonial Military began its history after the defeat of the Scorpia alliance outside of the largest city on Scorpia, Ithica. At first it was assembled to enforce the peace and ensure rogue elements did not threaten the new Colonial Republic. However as time went on and those dangers subsided new ones began to arise. Pirates and black market arms dealers began to spring up soon afterwards, none of them were real threats and after awhile the major warships in the Colonial Navy were retired and scrapped. The Colonial Marines found their own numbers begin to dwindle as budget cuts were made into their forces. What was left in both the Navy and Marines were more than adequate to handle pirates for the next several hundred years.
It is no surprise now that looking back upon the period before Cy-01 was created on Taura how the Colonial Military was caught completely off guard. On the eve of the revolt itself, the Colonial Military numbered 45 vessels, none of them larger than 360 feet. All of them armed with weapons that were older than most people on the colonies as well. The Marine Corps had 80,000 troops divided over four planets, the other eight under jurisdiction and protection of local police forces. When the revolt began 13 of the 45 vessels were destroyed by sabotage and another 22 vessels were destroyed holding back the first ever encounter with a Cylon Basestar as it attempted to enter the system. After the first week losses in the Colonial Navy numbered a ship a week, and fortunately for the Navy, vessels which were in mothball were being put into active service.
However, the activation of mothballed warships with green recruits led to several early disasters in the Colonial Fleet. As it was apparent that the Cylons had more than just one Basestar built, the recruiting vessels were rushed into frontline service. The Battle of Virgon was a total defeat for the Colonial Navy and set back the war effort as Cylon troops landed on the world which dealt mainly with a mix of commerce, agriculture, and manufacturing. When the Cylon basestar entered the system it made a beeline run toward Virgon the outermost Colonial world. Met by a small detachment of 6 vessels, all of them part of the formerly mothballed fleet, the battle lasted for 40 minutes. Four of the six vessels were lost with the other two left crippled in space. Their only escape from that battle was the fact that the Captain of one of the mothballed vessels future Fleet Admiral Morita Nagama managed to trick the basestar into thinking both vessels had lost their life supports thus saving hundreds of Fleet personnel on both ships.
The Marines faired slightly better on the ground than those of their Navy counterparts. Holding the line on Virgon even after bombardment from the Cylon basestar they repulsed Cylon ground forces from strategic locations twice using professional soldiers, militia, and volunteers. The third and forth offensives saw Colonial Marines however retreat from the fields of Virgon into the rural and city areas. However a contingent of warships dispatched from the Scorpia Naval HQ forced the basestar to retreat and landed re-enforcements. The war continued on for six years however, no real engagements having occurred since the failed Cylon invasion of Virgon. Within that time eight of the twelve original Mark I Battlestars were completed. The Atlantia, Rycon, Pegasus,Columbia, Galactica, Argo, Poseidon and Solaria formed the contingent of eight separate fleets. Each of the fleets were anchored by the Battlestars with support vessels consisting of mothballed fleet ships.
As the war stretched into the 8th year and the Cylons having had made only periodic raids into Colonial space, people began somewhat lax with security in the Colonies. Many in the Admiralty wondered exactly if the Cylons had all but lost up their basestars early on in the war. This was far from the truth, while the Colonials built up, the Cylons did as well. Their original creator Dr Lazaus had never predicted that the Cylon artifical intelligence could learn as well as it did. Building up silently the offical count to this day said the Cylons had managed to build 14 Basestars, survivors of the Battle of Caprica said it had to have 20 or so. As the war turned into its tenth year the fleet the Cylons had built up began to proceed into the Cyrannus system. Ignoring the other worlds the Cylons had made a run for the seat of the Republic's power on Caprica. This did however cost the Cylons dearly. They were constantly harassed from Colonial Viper pilots based on worlds the basestars passed to get to Capirca. The assembled fleet of Battlestars waited, led by Admiral Marshal Higa, the Atlantia under his command at the time. Fleet assets from the mothballed fleet had been deployed ahead of the Basestars and had barely caused a dent, the last of the mothball fleet ships retreating from the line at Gemon past Caprica and toward the assembly point at Aries.
By the 10th year the last of the four original Battlestars were completed. The twelve battlestars met up with the fourteen basestars and conducted in a series of running battles. Footage taken from Caprica city at night showed that explosions in space were violent enough to be visible as flashes on the surface. Admiral Higa was killed in mid-battle as the Atlantia took successive hits, which would have destroyed one of the mothballed warships. His executive office Commodore Nagama took command of the fleet and managed to finally turn the tide from its stalemate to being infavor of the Colonial Fleet.
What caused the tide to swing toward the Colonial Navy? Well several factors, 1)The Cylons reached to far in system with no support vessels(a mistake we expect them never to make a again). 2)The destruction of mostly all of the Cylon interceptors, their fighters gone they could no longer harass the battlestars therefore drawing the attention of the guns onto the basestars themselves. The kill ratio for human pilot to Cylon was on average 4 to 1, and while not the best, we had the advantage of being home. Vipers based on Caprica were held in reserve by Admiral Higa, Commodore Nagama wasnt as conservative, after taking command, the units on Caprica joined the fleet in their assaults on the basestar. The tide swung against the Cylons and they began to lose basestar after basestar, however this did not deter them and force them into retreat, they fought until the last. And only when the last basestar was destroyed did the Colonial government receive word from the Cylons who asked for a truce. The war ended and fighting stopped six days later. The lessons learned from the Cylon revolt will always remain with the Colonial Navy as a well-prepared force is a force capable of repulsing an invasion.
The depletion of the population to such a low level left the navy and marine corps with difficult choices and a downsizing program was initiated, thousands of Colonial Military personnel were released back to civilian life and all but three of the Battlestars were put into early retirement. However the other 9 Battlestars continue to remain parked at Naval Fleet Command at the fortress military/industrial world of Scorpia.
Military Listing:
1 Colonial Squadron-20 fighters(current version is the Viper Mark II)
The 3 Battlestars(Atlantica,Galactica, and Pegasus have no permenant base except the Naval Fleet HQ at Scorpia. However they do not remain at this base instead they are on constant patrol of the system protecting against piracy and recusing vessels in distress.
Colonial Marine Divisions consist of 2,500 Marines. Each world has at least 2 CMDs with a reserve division consisting of locals from each world available in disaster and war situations.
The large shipyards at Gemon are the same ones which produced the Battlestar class and have gone from active to reserve once more as BS production has halted. The smaller shipyards at Leonis are used to maintain the current three Battlestars as well as provide for the civilian populace as commerce returns to normal throughout the system and spaceships are needed once more.
Aries
5,000 Colonial Marines
Aquarius
1 Viper Base-(1 Colonial Squadron of Vipers, 2 Raptor class Electronic Warfare Vessels)
5,000 Colonial Marines
Cancer
1 Viper Base-(1 Colonial Squadron of Vipers, 1 Raptor class Electronic Warfare Vessels)
5,000 Colonial Marines
Caprica
3 Viper Base-(5 Colonial Squadrons of Vipers, 3 Raptor class Electronic Warfare Vessels)
10,000 Colonial Marines
Gemon
2 Orbital Shipyards(Large)
5,000 Colonial Marines
Leonis
2 Orbital Shipyards(Small)
5,000 Colonial Marines
Libra
5,000 Colonial Marines
Pisces
5,000 Colonial Marines
Sagitara
5,000 Colonial Marines
Scorpia
Military Naval Headquaters-9 Battlestar class warships(mothballed)
5 Viper Base-(10 Colonial Squadrons of Vipers, 6 Raptor class Electronic Warfare Vessels)
20,000 Colonial Marines
Taura
5,000 Colonial Marines
Virgon
2 Viper Bases:(4 Colonial Squadrons of Vipers, 2 Raptor class Electronic Warfare Vessels)
5,000 Colonial Marines
May the Lords of Kobol accept those fallen Warriors into their arms as they gave themselves mind and body so that the Colonies would remain forever protected from those evil forces who would seek to existinguish the light of civilization.
President Nicholas Adar
Leader of the Twelve Colonies of Kobol
Introduction to the Colonial Armed Forces
by Trent Westin, Vice Admiral(ret),Colonial Fleet
The Colonial Military has had a long and storied past since its inception close to four hundred years ago with the found of the Colonial Republic itself. Comprised of two elements the Fleet and Marines, which currently number 120,000 personnel in the Fleet comprised mainly on support vessels, bases and on the few Battlestars we have.The Colonial Marines number around 240,000 support and combat personnel however we should mention now, that all members of the Colonial Military are trained as ground combat personnel and therefore able to make an easy transition to ground combat units should needs dictate so.
The Colonial Military began its history after the defeat of the Scorpia alliance outside of the largest city on Scorpia, Ithica. At first it was assembled to enforce the peace and ensure rogue elements did not threaten the new Colonial Republic. However as time went on and those dangers subsided new ones began to arise. Pirates and black market arms dealers began to spring up soon afterwards, none of them were real threats and after awhile the major warships in the Colonial Navy were retired and scrapped. The Colonial Marines found their own numbers begin to dwindle as budget cuts were made into their forces. What was left in both the Navy and Marines were more than adequate to handle pirates for the next several hundred years.
It is no surprise now that looking back upon the period before Cy-01 was created on Taura how the Colonial Military was caught completely off guard. On the eve of the revolt itself, the Colonial Military numbered 45 vessels, none of them larger than 360 feet. All of them armed with weapons that were older than most people on the colonies as well. The Marine Corps had 80,000 troops divided over four planets, the other eight under jurisdiction and protection of local police forces. When the revolt began 13 of the 45 vessels were destroyed by sabotage and another 22 vessels were destroyed holding back the first ever encounter with a Cylon Basestar as it attempted to enter the system. After the first week losses in the Colonial Navy numbered a ship a week, and fortunately for the Navy, vessels which were in mothball were being put into active service.
However, the activation of mothballed warships with green recruits led to several early disasters in the Colonial Fleet. As it was apparent that the Cylons had more than just one Basestar built, the recruiting vessels were rushed into frontline service. The Battle of Virgon was a total defeat for the Colonial Navy and set back the war effort as Cylon troops landed on the world which dealt mainly with a mix of commerce, agriculture, and manufacturing. When the Cylon basestar entered the system it made a beeline run toward Virgon the outermost Colonial world. Met by a small detachment of 6 vessels, all of them part of the formerly mothballed fleet, the battle lasted for 40 minutes. Four of the six vessels were lost with the other two left crippled in space. Their only escape from that battle was the fact that the Captain of one of the mothballed vessels future Fleet Admiral Morita Nagama managed to trick the basestar into thinking both vessels had lost their life supports thus saving hundreds of Fleet personnel on both ships.
The Marines faired slightly better on the ground than those of their Navy counterparts. Holding the line on Virgon even after bombardment from the Cylon basestar they repulsed Cylon ground forces from strategic locations twice using professional soldiers, militia, and volunteers. The third and forth offensives saw Colonial Marines however retreat from the fields of Virgon into the rural and city areas. However a contingent of warships dispatched from the Scorpia Naval HQ forced the basestar to retreat and landed re-enforcements. The war continued on for six years however, no real engagements having occurred since the failed Cylon invasion of Virgon. Within that time eight of the twelve original Mark I Battlestars were completed. The Atlantia, Rycon, Pegasus,Columbia, Galactica, Argo, Poseidon and Solaria formed the contingent of eight separate fleets. Each of the fleets were anchored by the Battlestars with support vessels consisting of mothballed fleet ships.
As the war stretched into the 8th year and the Cylons having had made only periodic raids into Colonial space, people began somewhat lax with security in the Colonies. Many in the Admiralty wondered exactly if the Cylons had all but lost up their basestars early on in the war. This was far from the truth, while the Colonials built up, the Cylons did as well. Their original creator Dr Lazaus had never predicted that the Cylon artifical intelligence could learn as well as it did. Building up silently the offical count to this day said the Cylons had managed to build 14 Basestars, survivors of the Battle of Caprica said it had to have 20 or so. As the war turned into its tenth year the fleet the Cylons had built up began to proceed into the Cyrannus system. Ignoring the other worlds the Cylons had made a run for the seat of the Republic's power on Caprica. This did however cost the Cylons dearly. They were constantly harassed from Colonial Viper pilots based on worlds the basestars passed to get to Capirca. The assembled fleet of Battlestars waited, led by Admiral Marshal Higa, the Atlantia under his command at the time. Fleet assets from the mothballed fleet had been deployed ahead of the Basestars and had barely caused a dent, the last of the mothball fleet ships retreating from the line at Gemon past Caprica and toward the assembly point at Aries.
By the 10th year the last of the four original Battlestars were completed. The twelve battlestars met up with the fourteen basestars and conducted in a series of running battles. Footage taken from Caprica city at night showed that explosions in space were violent enough to be visible as flashes on the surface. Admiral Higa was killed in mid-battle as the Atlantia took successive hits, which would have destroyed one of the mothballed warships. His executive office Commodore Nagama took command of the fleet and managed to finally turn the tide from its stalemate to being infavor of the Colonial Fleet.
What caused the tide to swing toward the Colonial Navy? Well several factors, 1)The Cylons reached to far in system with no support vessels(a mistake we expect them never to make a again). 2)The destruction of mostly all of the Cylon interceptors, their fighters gone they could no longer harass the battlestars therefore drawing the attention of the guns onto the basestars themselves. The kill ratio for human pilot to Cylon was on average 4 to 1, and while not the best, we had the advantage of being home. Vipers based on Caprica were held in reserve by Admiral Higa, Commodore Nagama wasnt as conservative, after taking command, the units on Caprica joined the fleet in their assaults on the basestar. The tide swung against the Cylons and they began to lose basestar after basestar, however this did not deter them and force them into retreat, they fought until the last. And only when the last basestar was destroyed did the Colonial government receive word from the Cylons who asked for a truce. The war ended and fighting stopped six days later. The lessons learned from the Cylon revolt will always remain with the Colonial Navy as a well-prepared force is a force capable of repulsing an invasion.
The depletion of the population to such a low level left the navy and marine corps with difficult choices and a downsizing program was initiated, thousands of Colonial Military personnel were released back to civilian life and all but three of the Battlestars were put into early retirement. However the other 9 Battlestars continue to remain parked at Naval Fleet Command at the fortress military/industrial world of Scorpia.
Military Listing:
1 Colonial Squadron-20 fighters(current version is the Viper Mark II)
The 3 Battlestars(Atlantica,Galactica, and Pegasus have no permenant base except the Naval Fleet HQ at Scorpia. However they do not remain at this base instead they are on constant patrol of the system protecting against piracy and recusing vessels in distress.
Colonial Marine Divisions consist of 2,500 Marines. Each world has at least 2 CMDs with a reserve division consisting of locals from each world available in disaster and war situations.
The large shipyards at Gemon are the same ones which produced the Battlestar class and have gone from active to reserve once more as BS production has halted. The smaller shipyards at Leonis are used to maintain the current three Battlestars as well as provide for the civilian populace as commerce returns to normal throughout the system and spaceships are needed once more.
Aries
5,000 Colonial Marines
Aquarius
1 Viper Base-(1 Colonial Squadron of Vipers, 2 Raptor class Electronic Warfare Vessels)
5,000 Colonial Marines
Cancer
1 Viper Base-(1 Colonial Squadron of Vipers, 1 Raptor class Electronic Warfare Vessels)
5,000 Colonial Marines
Caprica
3 Viper Base-(5 Colonial Squadrons of Vipers, 3 Raptor class Electronic Warfare Vessels)
10,000 Colonial Marines
Gemon
2 Orbital Shipyards(Large)
5,000 Colonial Marines
Leonis
2 Orbital Shipyards(Small)
5,000 Colonial Marines
Libra
5,000 Colonial Marines
Pisces
5,000 Colonial Marines
Sagitara
5,000 Colonial Marines
Scorpia
Military Naval Headquaters-9 Battlestar class warships(mothballed)
5 Viper Base-(10 Colonial Squadrons of Vipers, 6 Raptor class Electronic Warfare Vessels)
20,000 Colonial Marines
Taura
5,000 Colonial Marines
Virgon
2 Viper Bases:(4 Colonial Squadrons of Vipers, 2 Raptor class Electronic Warfare Vessels)
5,000 Colonial Marines