National Army Naval Forces (Faneria)

The National Army Naval Bureau, colloquially the National Army Naval Forces (NFBM or NBM), is the seaborne component of the National Army of the Republic of the Fhainn, managing a fleet of nearly two hundred major surface craft and submarines. It is the predominant naval power in the Vandarch Sea and the primary means by which Faneria projects hard power globally.

Revolutionary Peoples' Army Naval Service
The NBM began its service as the RPANS, or Revolutionary Peoples' Army Naval Service, from those parts of the Royal Navy which defected to Republican rebels, and were formed into coastal patrol units to protect RPA land forces. Much of the Royal Navy initially sided with the Royalists, as the fleet was a point of pride for the Throne and sailors were generally well-treated and loyal to their captains, most of whom were themselves minor nobility.

A number of fleet elements were scuttled or defected to foreign nations as a result of the war, namely to Hendalarsk and Eldmora-Regulus. This left the Navy in a dilapidated state postwar in stark contrast to its previous glory, requiring a flurry of shipbuilding and reonstruction of talent and officer pools. These rapid reforms would lead to a number of innovative thinkers being invited into the planning for the new Republican navy, as well as a number of failed ship designs in the 1910s..

The RPANS was reformed into the NBM in the 1910s, and initially focused on building up a core of cruisers and destroyers. Initial development followed legacy planning such as the 2:1 Plan, which focused on dominance in the Vandarch, but later began branching out with greater emphasis on the Kilikas and Nordskan Seas. It was one of the first forces to adopt a preference for task-force squadrons over battleship lines due to its lack of heavy surface elements, with a large number of training drills being conducted to test ship designs and train crews feverishly. The navy continued to rebuild its strength, replacing its few battleships with more modern vessels, favoring the concept of the 'fast battleship' promulgated by Burgundine doctrine. This would later expand to conversions and testing of support carriers and the phasing in of seaplane catapults on many larger vessels.

Modern Era
The Naval Forces expanded considerably after the 1980s, rebuilding a small core of cruisers and constructing the carrier _____ in the 1990s. Since then, fleet composition has leaned heavily towards expanding the destroyer and frigate wings of the navy, creating a blue-water capacity with marine landing assets, and the development of a native Vertical Launch System introduced in the 2000s. The major impetus of modernization has been the formation of task squadrons for international deployments centered around carrier assets - a concept first tested during the Peninsular War. This includes the phasing out of late-20th century ship classes and the development of ships based on a 'combat triangle' of ASW/mine warfare (managed by frigates), surface/air attack (managed by destroyers), and fires support (air or artillery, managed by cruisers and landing support ships).

Doctrine
In Fhainnin designations, ships under 3000 tons displacement full load are classed as corvettes or frigates, while ships 3000-9500 tons are classed as destroyers. Cruisers are rated at 9500-18,000 tons. Larger ships are designated more informally on the basis of role. Typically, a task force of Fhainnin ships will be a select core of capital vessels or a single capital ship, which will be attended by a mixed compliment of destroyer craft. In the mid-20th century, destroyers were split into fleet defense, anti-submarine, and anti-ship roles; after the 1978 Reforms, destroyers were split into 'light' and 'heavy' variants, with light destroyers being tasked primarily with ASW and mine duties with a missile compliment slanted heavily towards surface-to-air combat, while heavy destroyers feature a much larger compliment of missiles for both surface-to-air an surface-to-surface attack. While both types are capable of any general destroyer task, divided duties are considered a way of improving individual ship performance.

Procurement
Future plans for the Navy involve the reduction of the light surface fleet through natural ageing, while growing the helicopter carrier wing. In the late 20th Century, the navy began a program of large battlecruisers for propaganda purposes, which has since been reduced to a single hull to act as a flagship of the Navy. VLS systems will entirely replace angled cell launchers near to the mid-century mark, while a greater emphasis on information suites, RADAR systems, and anti-air/counterfire missiles is being pushed for on almost all levels of the civilian administration and by a significant officers' lobby.

Fleets
The Navy maintains four Fleets (Cabhlacann) which act as theater commands: Vandarch (Déithaigh), Kilikas, Nordska, and Travellers. These fleets are broken up into Squadrons (Scuadrúnann) that operate as pre-readied task forces, although changes in Squadron structure are commonplace and done as required by the geopolitical situation.

List of Active Navy Vessels
The Fhainnin navy currently operates 178 warships, of which 133 are capable of extended blue-water operation. It additionally operates 50 large noncombat support craft and a fleet of roughly 230 patrol boats, landing craft, recovery submarines, and other vessels.


 * 3 Carriers (Nuclear)
 * 4 Helicopter/Landing Support Carriers
 * 1 Heavy Cruiser/Battlecruiser (Nuclear)
 * 7 Cruisers
 * 38 Destroyers
 * 51 Frigates
 * 42 Corvettes/Mine Countermeasures Vessels
 * 3 Ballistic Missile Submarines (Nuclear)
 * 29 Attack Submarines
 * 8 Auxiliary Submarines
 * 2 Submarine Tenders
 * 11 Replenishment Vessels
 * 1 Mobile Drydock Vessel
 * 19 Icebreaker Ships
 * 4 Hydro/Oceanography Vessels
 * 9 Intelligence Vessels
 * 1 Research Vessel
 * 2 Cable-Laying Ships
 * 1 Hospital Ship
 * ~180 Patrol Boats
 * ~ 40 Heavy Landing Craft