Seamont-class maritime battleship

The Seamont-class maritime battleships (: BBM) was a powerful line of surface combatants deployed by the UNSC Maritime Commission during the . Displacing more than 350,000 metric tons at full load, and armed with a large assortment of missiles and naval coilguns, they were one of the largest and most expensive seaborne vessels ever procured by the UNSC.
A massive step-up in power from the patrol ships and light ocean-going destroyers traditionally used by Maritime Commission, the Seamont-class battleship was intended to be an almost-insurmountable obstacle during planetary invasions. Its heavy battle armour rendered it invulnerable to almost any weapon system that are available to ground forces, while a robust suite of anti-flooding and active-defence systems further supplemented this. Its armaments were similarly heavy, with a main battery and expansive missile payload that had the power and range to counter starships operating in suborbital positions. Its primary weakness was its speed, as even with state-of-the-art maritime propulsion, the Seamont-class was sluggish when turning and could only reach a speed of around 35 knots on a calm ocean. Although built with a comprehensive command suite, these warships only served as flagships for small squadrons, with most admirals commanding from a carrier or land-based installations.
The Seamont-class, like the , was almost cancelled by the , who believed that the budget allocated to these vessels was better spent on more conventional items. It was only in that an initial block of three ships were ordered, and their success at countering light raiding ships justified continued production. They were extremely rare sights, and outside of Earth, , and Circumstance, no more than two battleships were deployed on a single world. Only six of these ships survived the Human-Covenant War, and following a brief tour as training ships, they were all scrapped or scuttled by .
==Role and usage==
Although much larger and far more expensive when compared to other ground and maritime units the UNSC had at its disposal, the Seamont-class battleship was nevertheless considered a second-line, fallback option during any planning for planetary defence. Their purpose was to act as force-multipliers for the land, air, and space arms of the UNSC, where they would support existing attacks through direct intervention such as surface bombardment and deter attacks on areas considered of importance. It was also hoped that these vessels could stand in for the more valuable and expensive spacefaring warships operated by the UNSC Navy, allowing those vessels and crews to be redeployed on other missions that needed their firepower and capabilities. However, this could only occur so long as the orbital fleet remained intact, and the destruction of this swiftly led to the sinking of the Seamont-class and all other UNSC forces on the planet.
As designed, the Seamont-class battleship was primarily designed to address three niche roles required by the UNSC: mobile surface-to-low orbit defence, force deterrence, and target lure. The former was needed because only a small number of large, stationary emplacements were capable of harming even the smallest Covenant starships, with massed air strikes often being repulsed due to their air defence cannons and their own fighter support. A Seamont-class was easily capable of defeating any model of Covenant corvette, even the , and was on more-or-less equal terms with a lighter frigate. For the latter goal, it was hoped that the overwhelming attack power would dissuade Covenant field commanders from committing attacks on areas within range of their weapons. This would shift combat arenas away from the heavily-populated coastal regions, and when operating with a carrier and a handful of smaller patrol craft, allow embattled UNSC troops to be reinforced from the sea. In addition, if the Covenant wanted to keep it away from their lines, they would need to establish large, powerful fortifications to do so, giving time for allied land forces to do the same. The last grim role was to act as a lure for overwhelming Covenant strikes, as any time wasted in destroying these immense vessels would either temporarily draw off enough enemy forces away from active warzones. Unlike all other maritime ships, no consideration was given for combat against other ocean-going craft.
In its secondary roles, they were intended to lend their weapons in support of land operations, where they would actively bombard Covenant positions from afar or destroy infrastructure that may give them some sort of advantage. In addition, although they were not designed for the task, some of these battleships were modified with large flag decks and battlenet nodes to command local forces, staffed by officers from any branch with regional commitments. However, this often makes UNSC officers unwilling to bring such ships into combat, as their destruction would also lead to a temporary loss of cohesion among nearby UNSC forces.
==Development==
==Specifications==
===Armament===
The main battery of a Seamont-class was made up of nine Mark 46 Denisen 889mm/28 calibre naval coilguns, divided into three triple-turrets, two forward and one aft. These were originally developed as anti-starship weapons for stationary facilities, and were named after a particularly successful last stand at Station Denisen in 2534. They measured 44 metres in length, with a barrel length of 25 metres. A full salvo from all nine guns was able to beat the shields of any Covenant vessel smaller than one million metric tons in mass, with repeated strikes being required for larger ones.
Category:Aquatic Naval Vessels