(Spoilers - sorta) Predictions for Arc 2

I just realized. Hektor will be captain of HMAS Princess of Corisande in the next arc. Wouldn't be surprised if his children weren't midshipman and midship woman on naval airships either. Perhaps the name of his airship will be different, but he and his eldest children will serve on airships. I suspect his younger children will be academics or politicians, but the eldest pair will be naval officers roaming the skies.

They will be flying to establish the airship fleet as a priority rather than simply too risky for nobility. That and to establish female officers in the ICN. Having female officers in the risky flying bomb service might well establish their bonafides to the rest of the navy. Besides female officers will be lighter and smaller. Attributes that might come in handy in flight. Shorter, compact officers might be de riguer for airships. Ladies do need to apply.

PeterZ wrote:I just realized. Hektor will be captain of HMAS Princess of Corisande in the next arc. Wouldn't be surprised if his children weren't midshipman and midship woman on naval airships either. Perhaps the name of his airship will be different, but he and his eldest children will serve on airships. I suspect his younger children will be academics or politicians, but the eldest pair will be naval officers roaming the skies.

They will be flying to establish the airship fleet as a priority rather than simply too risky for nobility. That and to establish female officers in the ICN. Having female officers in the risky flying bomb service might well establish their bonafides to the rest of the navy. Besides female officers will be lighter and smaller. Attributes that might come in handy in flight. Shorter, compact officers might be de riguer for airships. Ladies do need to apply.

Maybe the WINDS

Woman's
Imperial
Naval
Dirigible
Service

DrakBibliophile wrote:I sort of agree about Dohlar competing with the Charisian Navy.

But I'm guessing that it will be a more-or-less friendly competition in that they want to be seen as a Peer but not as a foe.

It would be fun if the Dohlarian Navy could come up with ideas that would make the Charisians go "why didn't we think of that".

They already have, with the "Screw-galleys"

True.

Which is why I think it'd be fun for it to happen again.

chrisd wrote:

DrakBibliophile wrote:I sort of agree about Dohlar competing with the Charisian Navy.

But I'm guessing that it will be a more-or-less friendly competition in that they want to be seen as a Peer but not as a foe.

It would be fun if the Dohlarian Navy could come up with ideas that would make the Charisians go "why didn't we think of that".

They already have, with the "Screw-galleys"

Let me put on my "Doubter's" hat and throw out some quick thoughts on what I've read here.
1. There's a lot of talk about "flying". The Proscription about flying seemed pretty straight forward. Once you cut the tether you're in blatant violation.

2. Electricity. Instrumentation and controls are going to be limited to hydraulics and pneumatics.
All these big guns and battlewagons are going to need longer range and more precise fire control systems. Balloons help with the range but I believe there was a pretty good discussion about the difficulty of developing fire control systems without electricity and my recollection is that it's well-nigh impossible.

Turrets to protect our big new guns can be operated with hydraulics or pneumatics but you have to connect them to our new fire control system and that's gonna be tough without electricity

Steam powered tanks seem to be a given. Steam powered submarines, IMHO, will be the next naval game-changer except for the problem of operating submerged with a steam engine. I believe diesel engines are possible but you're still going to need some sort of snorkel systems, and they ain't exactly stealthy.

Long range communication systems require electricity which won't be available until after the OBS and the Proscription are eliminated. There's also the small problem of getting the knowledge out of OWL and into Safeholdian hands to develop these electricity technologies.

Military developments are going to be restricted by the absence of a fast, long range communication systems. Machine guns and tanks are a given but communications is going to be a big mobility limiter for both land and naval forces.

I don't recall a Proscription against flying.

PeterZ wrote:I don't recall a Proscription against flying.

There probably isn't one, but that might not keep some Safeholders from believing there is as a part of a reaction against innovation which is going to crop up now that the war is over. I would expect the COGA to experience a strengthened form of fundamentalism as one consequence of the war.

Buckle up folks. The ride gets bumpy from here.

Don

-

Neither do I.

I also checked the scenes where the Balloons were mentioned to see if the Church had problems with untethered Balloons.

There was no mention of Writ restrictions on Balloons (or Inquisition restrictions).

It looks like our concerns (mentioned several times over the years) about Proscriptions against human flight were wrong.

PeterZ wrote:I don't recall a Proscription against flying.

Steam tanks are astonishingly dangerous, given what a direct hit creating a leak venting high pressure steam will do to the crew. To me they sound as impractical as steam aircraft and, yes, I am aware that the first airplane to develop net (substantial) positive lift and get off the ground until it reached the limit of its tethers was steam powered. Diesel with compressed air start sounds more practical, and requires no electricity.

EdThomas wrote:Let me put on my "Doubter's" hat and throw out some quick thoughts on what I've read here.
1. There's a lot of talk about "flying". The Proscription about flying seemed pretty straight forward. Once you cut the tether you're in blatant violation.

2. Electricity. Instrumentation and controls are going to be limited to hydraulics and pneumatics.
All these big guns and battlewagons are going to need longer range and more precise fire control systems. Balloons help with the range but I believe there was a pretty good discussion about the difficulty of developing fire control systems without electricity and my recollection is that it's well-nigh impossible.

Turrets to protect our big new guns can be operated with hydraulics or pneumatics but you have to connect them to our new fire control system and that's gonna be tough without electricity

Steam powered tanks seem to be a given. Steam powered submarines, IMHO, will be the next naval game-changer except for the problem of operating submerged with a steam engine. I believe diesel engines are possible but you're still going to need some sort of snorkel systems, and they ain't exactly stealthy.

Long range communication systems require electricity which won't be available until after the OBS and the Proscription are eliminated. There's also the small problem of getting the knowledge out of OWL and into Safeholdian hands to develop these electricity technologies.

Military developments are going to be restricted by the absence of a fast, long range communication systems. Machine guns and tanks are a given but communications is going to be a big mobility limiter for both land and naval forces.

Leaving aside the flying probibition bit, this second point seems to me to be very important.

In particular how far ahead can Charis keep if they can't use electricity?

I have the feeling that the possible massive advancements possible without electricity are pretty much used up, so maybe the other states [except North Harchong & Desnair - as currently instituted] could get within a much closer tech level in that time.

Too, Charis fighting doctrines must be fairly close to optimum now, so that cannot improve much either. Whereas, clearly the others can copy what they have experienced all too painfully.

Obviously Charis high level command & control and their intelligence will remain miles ahead, but in other things we might see much more of a level playing field.

I concur with Drak on Dohlar though - I tend to see Dohlar & Charis becoming much closer.