cthia wrote:I have read several suggestions that the RMN should begin mothballing ships.
I am still confused about the process. I suppose that creating an aircraft boneyard in space may be easier than on planet where you have to have deserts whose lack of moisture help to preserve the aircraft.
But there are other considerations in space. Debris will be constantly bombarding these mothballs which don't have their particle shields up?
And where do you put them? In a parking orbit I presume. But in Manticore's case, where exactly would that parking orbit be? These mothballs would only be sitting ducks for the MA to do with them as Honor did to the SLN's. Do we really think mothballs for the RMN is recommended at this moment?
Plus, are these ships manned by a skeleton crew? I can see mothball assignment being drawn by all of the Navy's fuckups.
And, at least a single reactor has to be used to power minimal systems, especially the fusion thrusters to maintain orbit.
At any rate, a mothballed RMN Fleet is exactly the sort of prey that the Spiders will sink their fangs into and suck dry.
Well they have "mothballed" ships before - specifically High Ridge's government mothballed a bunch of the legacy wall off battle. (In WoH Houseman and Janacek discuss plans to "mothball another sixteen percent of the wall").
Certainly mothballed reserve ships would be vulnerable to any attack that could slip through the system defenses. So, sure, they'd be vulnerable should spiders manage another attack.
We obviously don't know any specifics about how it works, but my guess it that they'd be in an orbit far enough from any planet that they'd need virtually no station keeping as there wouldn't be any atmospheric drag to slow them down. I seriously doubt they'd keep onboard reactors running; nor keep permanent crew aboard. Must more likely, to my mind, is to have a small crew that slowly works their way through inspecting and maintaining the ships -- maybe visiting each one once every couple of months; or responding to any alerts/alarms. They could use shuttles or tugs to adjust orbits as needed without any need to fire up the mothballed ships' reactors or thrusters.
As for whether the RMN should create a mothball fleet at the moment; I tend to think not; or at least not yet. At the moment they have too many legacy units that need replacement by more modern units -- and those are too behind the curve to want to retain. However the needs for a peacetime navy do call for somewhat different ships than an all out war -- we've discussed before how the Rolands aren't well suited for anything but direct battle; lacking the marines and crew for many peacetime destroyer missions.
So those I could see mothballing once they get enough other modern destroyers to see all the legacy units retired and scrapped. (Even the Wolfhounds might be a bit too pared back; even if they decide that LERMs are a better DD weapons than Mk16s. So the modern destroyer would probably be at least a slightly larger derivative of those classes that retains the automation and ability to run on small crews; but has space to carry extra crew and marines when the missions call for it -- as peacetime patrol, anti-piracy work, boarding/landing operations, etc. need more trained bodies than pure combat does)
But I don't see any reason to keep any DDs older than a Roland or Wolfhound, any CL older than an Avalon, any CA older than a Sag-C, any BC older than a Agamemnon, or any non podlaying SD. Not in reserve anyway, and not once you've been able to build their more modern replacements.
And I don't think they have enough modern ships that they'd want to mothball any of them now.
