Ka'o-class heavy cruiser

The Ka'o-class Heavy Cruiser / Missile Cruiser / Command Ship (HC/HCM/CC) is a class of Stenzan cruisers. It is the third and last class of cruiser sized warships built for the Stenzan Navy. The Ka'o class has actively served the Stenzan navy since 1943, first as heavy cruisers and then as both missile cruisers and command ships.

Design and early history


The Ka'o class was ordered in 1937 to guard Stenza from the dangers of the Second Great War. The Stenzan navy of the time was equipped with a mix of somewhat modern and outdated destroyers, three light cruisers and two heavy cruisers. Six moden heavy cruisers were envisioned to lead an enlarged Stenzan Navy in fending off foreign threats, giving the island nation what it needed to defend itself.

The Design of the Ka'o class is, like its predecessors, heavily based on foreign ships of the time. The ship was built using foreign technology, acquired via espionage, and reflected Stenza's first truly modern naval design that could be considered up to part with contemporary foreign vessels. Six of these ships were built, with the first one being completed in 1943, just in time to see the ending of the Second Great War.

The Ka'o class cruisers were used to patrol Stenzan waters, project Stenzan naval power and act as flagships of Stenzan naval formations for the years after their commissioning. The ships served 22 years as gun cruisers, eventually being recalled to Stenzan navy yards as part of a mid 1960s program to redesign the Stenzan Navy.



Missile cruiser
By mid 1965 the six gun cruisers were outdated and ready to be retired. Plans had been made for a renewed Stenzan navy led by aircraft carriers and guided missile cruisers, with plans for these new ships on the table. The Stenzan economy proved too weak to realize these plans in earnest however, with money being taken away from the cruiser projects to construct the carriers. This led to the decision to put two of the Ka'o cruisers in reserve while the other four would be rebuilt at guided missile cruisers at a cheaper cost than building new cruisers.

The cruisers (Ka'o, In'aeui, Pipi Fasi and Maugamu) were upgraded over a period 18 months each, with the interiors of the ships being fully revamped to more efficiently use available space while worn out machinery was replaced as well. A new flag bridge and command and control center were built on top of the existing command bridge, offering space to an admiral with their staff while also centralizing the flow of information. The ships retained their fore 8 inch gun turrets and five of their 5 inch gun turrets, although most secondary armament was replaced with more effective radar guided guns.

The main striking power of these cruisers came from the installation of two separate missile launchers and their ammunition magazines on the rear side of these ships. Lowest and furthest back was a twin-rail launcher for the radar-guided SUBASM (SUBsonic Anti Ship Missile), Stenza's first weapon of its kind. Whil behind it was a twin-rail launcher for anti air missiles. Both launchers were upgraded over the years to field newer models of their respective missiles.

Additional firepower on these cruisers came from the installation of passive sonar and anti-submarine torpedo tubes, allowing these cruisers to fend off underwater threats to a certain degree.

In their new role as guides missile cruisers these cruisers continued to roam the seas around Stenza and beyond as instruments of Stenza's naval force, frequently leading their own task forces and showing up in areas where Stenzan naval power was required. The ships, which were a mix of antique design and relatively modern technology, became a hallmark of Stenzan technological ideology.

The missile cruisers were once again redesigned in 1997, when it was decided that a modernization program was required to keep these ships in play. Internal machinery was once again replaced, and the steam boilers were replaced by more modern turbine engines. A complete revamp of the superstructure was accomplished at this stage as well, replacing the funnels with a platform for 4 SUPASM (SUPersonic Anti Ship Missile) launchers and more. Modern electronics were mounted to give the ship a high degree of technological capability.

On the offensive side of things the late 1990s rebuilt meant a further reduction in 5 inch guns to make space for more important technology, although the 8 inch batteries were retained with state of the art fire control systems. 25mm close in weapon systems augmented by twin-tube very short range SAM systems were to provide a new close range anti air umbrella, with chaff launchers being installed to further discourage enemy missiles. The missile launchers on the back of the ship were removed, to be replaced by a 60 cell Vertical Launch System that can be filled as desired with anti ship, air and submarine missiles.

One of the ships in the class, Pipi Fasi, was lost with nearly all hands when it suffered a catastrophic ammunition explosion in 2004. The investigation into the mishap led to design changes in relation to how 8 inch ammunition is stored and handled on the ships.

These ships remain in service to the present day, being well maintained to remain operationally capable as the guardians of Stenzan carrier fleets. Plans to replace these ships with new designs have been announces, although it is unclear when these may be built.



Command ship
Tarako and Tui spent seven years in reserve when they were brought back in 1972 to be converted into command ships. The hulls, which were available at the time, were deemed perfect for a program to create two new ships capable of providing both naval forces and amphibious assaults with powerful command and control integration, allowing a single vessel to act as a headquarters for a whole theatre of war. For this purpose, the ships were stripped of all their armament and built back with only light anti-air weaponry, most of their space being taken up by the technology required to operate the powerful radars and communications equipment these ships carry. The ships are fully equipped to act as the floating headquarters to two separate flag officers at the same time. The idea being that a naval commander and an army commander can operate from the same ship together.

These ships remain in Stenza's naval inventory, still serving their purpose. They have been upgraded over the years.