Second Battle of Hancock

The Second Battle of Hancock was an armed engagement between the Royal Manticoran Navy and the People's Navy, which attacked the Hancock System as part of Operation Icarus.
== Prelude ==
Admiral Kellet's Task Force 12.3 set course for the Hancock System with the order to destroy the local RMN picket and the system's orbital facilities. However, unknown to Havenite intelligence, the experimental Manticoran LAC carrier HMS Minotaur under the command of Captain (SG) Alice Truman was in the area, conducting training exercises. ()
== Order of battle ==
=== RMN ===
Hancock System Defence, Commanding Officer Rear Admiral Truitt:
* a battle squadron
* a battlecruiser element
* a light cruiser element
* a destroyer element
* HMS Minotaur (CLAC) with 96 LACs - experimantal warship during exercises, not a permanent part of the Rear Admiral Truitt's command
=== PN ===
Task Force 12.3, command team: People's Commissioner Ludmilla Penevski and Rear Admiral Jane Kellet, Commanding Officer:
* wall of battle (BB)Equivalent of four squadrons, including: PNS Admiral Quinterra (†) - Rear Admiral Ron Porter's flagship, PNS Citizen Admiral Tascosa, PNS Mohawk, PNS Schaumberg (†) - task force flagship.
* a heavy cruiser elementincluding PNS Poignard
* a destroyer elementincluding PNS Alcazar
== Course of battle ==
The Havenite task force made translation just above the ecliptic and just outside the hyper limit, heading in at 11,201 kps and setting course for the orbital RMN base. Admiral Truitt turned his picket forces around to intercept the enemy.
Due to her state-of-the-art EW, HMS Minotaur remained undetected, preparing its LACs for launch and setting course to intercept the Havenites as well.
Eventually, Minotaur and her launched LACs intercepted the enemy. Captain Hall and Commander Diamato of PNS Schaumberg detected them seconds before and brought up electronic countermeasures. The Manticoran LACs opened fire with their grasers, destroying most of the enemy's missile pods. Moments later, both Minotaur and the LACs launched several salvos of Ghost Rider missiles, causing the Havenite to launch countermeasures. PNS Alcazar was destroyed by friendly fire from PNS Citizen Admiral Tascosa.
Admiral Kellet died when Schaumberg's flag bridge was destroyed by X-ray laser fire. HMLAC Harpy was destroyed by graser fire from Schaumberg in turn.
After the death of Admiral Kellet, Rear Admiral Ron Porter panicked, ordering his forces to scatter. This allowed Minotaur's LAC to pick off the enemy ships one by one. The battle resulted in the almost total destruction of Task Force 12.3. ()
== Aftermath ==
Minotaur and her LAC wing proved the new LAC and LAC carrier concepts brilliantly at Hancock, and ONI's best estimate was that Haven would take some time to figure out exactly what had hit them, though they obviously had suspicions. In the meantime, the new RMN construction programs were fully activated: within a few months, the first of an entire wave of LAC carriers would be joining the fleet. ()
However, over half the RMN LAC force died in the battle, and lessons learned from it caused a redesign of the Shrike-class to include rear-facing anti-missile defenses and the Ferret-class to have deeper missile and countermissile magazines. As Ghost Rider LAC missiles included EW decoys, having a 1/4 to 1/3 mix of Ferrets added to a LAC force greatly increased the decoys deployable while charging to graser range, and the extra shipkillers would sweep away the smaller ships, allowing the Shrikes to focus on capital ships. The next generation of LAC carriers was also redesigned to include more lacs and less chase armament. The changes to LAC doctrine as a result of this battle were at least as important as the changes in LAC and CLAC design.
All original commanding officers of the Havenite wall of battle were killed and the senior survived battleships' officers were in the rank of Lieutenant Commanders. The Board of Inquiry of the People's Navy did not find late Rear Admiral Porter responsible for the heavy losses suffered. ()
== References ==
Hancock, Second Battle of
Hancock, Second Battle of