Titles we wish we could read

SWM wrote:

Meshakhad wrote:Here's one story I'd like to read: a depiction of capital ship combat in the pre-laser head days. What was it like when two walls of battle entered mutual energy range?

It's not clear whether there ever were any battles worth the name between full walls of battle back then. Given how few star nations have a wall of battle, there can't have been many. But you're right, it would be interesting.

It wasn't all that typical, but Fourth Yeltsin in Flag in Exile has one clash of walls of battle: a small Grayson SD force and a much larger Havenite BB force. It was by no means what the Havenite commander had in mind when he entered Yeltsin, but it was what he was faced with in the event.

It was very, very fast and violent.

Meshakhad wrote:Here's one story I'd like to read: a depiction of capital ship combat in the pre-laser head days. What was it like when two walls of battle entered mutual energy range?

SWM wrote:It's not clear whether there ever were any battles worth the name between full walls of battle back then. Given how few star nations have a wall of battle, there can't have been many. But you're right, it would be interesting.

JeffEngel wrote: It wasn't all that typical, but Fourth Yeltsin in Flag in Exile has one clash of walls of battle: a small Grayson SD force and a much larger Havenite BB force. It was by no means what the Havenite commander had in mind when he entered Yeltsin, but it was what he was faced with in the event.

It was very, very fast and violent.

It was unusual, too, since normally (according to the MWW textev, which I am too lazy to look for), if a wall of battle didn't think it could win an energy engagement or seemed to be losing, it could turn up it's wedge and try to escape. Honor during 4th Yeltsin interpenetrated the PRH formation, making it (for a few breif seconds) virtually a point-blank contest.

But yeah, in that case it was certainly fast and violent (23 PRH BB's and 2 of Honor's SD's destroyed, the 4 remaining SD's all damamged, two severely).

And the title I would most like to read (I've posted it before, but never in this thread):

The Courtship, Honeymoon, and Marriage of Iris Babcock and Horace Harkness by Anonomyous (and if they know what's good for them, they will make sure Horace and Iris never find out who the author is.... )

SWM wrote:

Meshakhad wrote:Here's one story I'd like to read: a depiction of capital ship combat in the pre-laser head days. What was it like when two walls of battle entered mutual energy range?

It's not clear whether there ever were any battles worth the name between full walls of battle back then. Given how few star nations have a wall of battle, there can't have been many. But you're right, it would be interesting.

Read up on the Battles of Fourth Yeltsin and Nightingale. These battle would probably come close or maybe the very First Battle of Manticore in Call of Duty.

saber964 wrote:

SWM wrote:It's not clear whether there ever were any battles worth the name between full walls of battle back then. Given how few star nations have a wall of battle, there can't have been many. But you're right, it would be interesting.

Read up on the Battles of Fourth Yeltsin and Nightingale. These battle would probably come close or maybe the very First Battle of Manticore in Call of Duty.

Neither Fourth Yeltsin nor Nightingale qualify as "before laserheads were invented."

The fight in Call of Duty did not involve ships of the wall. The question raised was specifically about two walls of battle fighting before laserheads were invented. As I said, there weren't very many walls of battle available in the entire galaxy to get into a battle. None of the battles cited really reflect the canonical description of two walls of battle slugging it out at graser range until one turns wedge.

There is a lot of exposition which implies that such battles have taken place, enough for doctrine to have stagnated. We know there aren't many multi-system polities, but at least two know single-system polities (Grayson and Erewhon) fielded walls of battle. I'm not asking for something on the scale of the Battle of Manticore, but two opposing squadrons would be nice. Maybe someone Haven conquered that had a single squadron of SDs?

Meshakhad wrote:There is a lot of exposition which implies that such battles have taken place, enough for doctrine to have stagnated. We know there aren't many multi-system polities, but at least two know single-system polities (Grayson and Erewhon) fielded walls of battle. I'm not asking for something on the scale of the Battle of Manticore, but two opposing squadrons would be nice. Maybe someone Haven conquered that had a single squadron of SDs?

Doctrine has stagnated essentially for centuries.

I suspect the origins of the prewar wall of battle doctrine predate the superdreadnought, and likely were tested and evolved with battleships and then early dreadnoughts. Dreadnoughts and Superdreadnoughts were essentially continuations of and extensions on the theme.

"A Return from Hell to a New Life"

by Admiral Harriet Benson-Dessouix, Grayson Space Navy

-- Stewart

"Uncle Howard -- The Life of Howard Clinkscales" by Carson Clinkscales, Adm. GSN (ret)

-- Stewart