HMS Fearless (CL-56)

HMS Fearless (CL-56) was a Courageous-class light cruiser of the Royal Manticoran Navy.
==Service Record==
Fearless was originally commissioned in 1820 PD. In 1898 PD, Lieutenant Commander Alistair McKeon was assigned to the ship as the tactical officer. In 1899 PD, McKeon was promoted to executive officer under Captain Rath. Fearless checked into HMSS Hephaestus for a refit which McKeon oversaw. ()
===1900 PD Refit===
In 1900 PD, Fearless was refitted as part of a top-secret experimental project by installing a grav lance at the behest of Admiral Sonja Hemphill and the Weapons Development Board. The grav lance's control systems were tied directly into the ship's main tactical system. Much of the ship's conventional broadside armament was removed. All four graser mounts, as well as all but two of the broadside missile tubes had to go. To partially compensate, fourteen smaller energy torpedo launchers were added. The chase armaments remained unchanged.
Commander Honor Harrington took command of the refitted Fearless immediately after graduating from the Advanced Tactical Course. She was to get the ship ready for the imminent war games.
Fearless was assigned to Admiral Hemphill's "defender"' fleet during the exercises. By advocating unusually deceptive tactics, with the assistance of the flag captain, Harrington was able to "destroy" the aggressor flagship, HMS King Roger. But in subsequent "battles", Fearless was destroyed every time as the aggressor ships directed special attention to her. Even so, Fearless was able to "destroy" two more ships. ()
=== On Basilisk Station ===
After completion of the exercises, Fearless was re-supplied and assigned to the picket station in the Basilisk System, where it rendezvoused with HMS Warlock, commanded by Captain Lord Pavel Young. Young, claiming need for a refit, promptly departed for Manticore's shipyards, leaving Harrington as the senior officer on Basilisk Station. Fearless later deployed a customs inspection team to Basilisk Traffic Control, and a net of recon drones throughout the system. The ship went into Medusan orbit as the main base of operations for the RMN in the system. Fearless crew then began rigorously enforcing customs regulations to the point that they seized over 1.5 billion Manticoran dollars worth of contraband.The crew received .5 percent of the value of the seized items as prize money. Estemated value of M$ 42 million.
Fearlesss crew investigated the Havenite freighter PMSS Sirius, and discovered that the vessel's crew had lied about its flight status. When Sirius left orbit, Harrington sent a LME-970, Case: Zulu, through the junction to the Admiralty. Commander Harrington then stopped a Havenite courier boat from leaving the system by damaging its beta nodes with Fearless impeller wedge. Fearless followed Sirius and demanded she stop and return to Medusa orbit. The Havenite ship refused and eventually began firing missiles. After a protracted exchange during the chase, Fearless having been reduced to a wreck, an opportunity arose to use the grav lance and fire energy torpedoes, and Sirius was destroyed with all hands. Casualties aboard Fearless were 107 killed and 58 wounded. The engagement became known as the First Battle of Basilisk.
Having lost all communications, Fearless had to "limp" back to Medusa orbit to inform the Resident Commissioner of the battle. The ship was patched together well enough to return to Manticore for evaluation by BuShips. In transit to the Junction, Fearless was escorted by HMS King Roger and Home Fleet, who honored her by flashing running lights and playing the Manticoran anthem in the formation of honor only rarely used for any other than the Monarch; in those cases, it was done for vessels which had earned extraordinary recognition for high performance.
However, the ship was judged too old and too badly damaged to justify repair. Fearless was decommissioned in late 1901 PD, and was towed to an orbital recovery station to be scrapped. (, , )
===List of Honor===
Following the action at Basilisk, the name Fearless was placed on the List of Honor. Harrington was assigned to the newly constructed Star Knight-class heavy cruiser HMS Fearless (CA-286). (, )
==Known Personnel ==
=== Commissioned Officers===
Commanding Officers
* CaptainCaptain (JG) possibly, all commanding officers are refered to as Captain regardless of actual rank held however. Rath – Commanding Officer - until 1900 PD
* Lieutenant Commander Alistair McKeon – acting Commanding Officer - 1900 PD
* Commander Honor Harrington – Commanding Officer 1900 - 1901 PD, senior officer for Basilisk Station
Senior Officers
* Lieutenant Commander Alistair McKeon – Executive Officer, former Tactical Officer
* Lieutenant Commander Dominica Santos † – Chief Engineer
* Lieutenant (SG) Andreas Venizelos – Tactical Officer, assigned as customs and security officer to Basilisk Traffic Control
* Lieutenant (SG) Maxwell Stromboli – Astrogation Officer, assigned as Commanding Officer, Medusa Control
* Lieutenant (SG) Mercedes Brigham – Sailing Master
* Lieutenant Samuel Webster – Communications Officer
* Lieutenant Ariella Blanding – Supply Officer
* Surgeon Commander Lois Suchon – Chief Medical Officer, assigned to ground forces during uprising
Junior Officers
* Lieutenant (JG) Rafael Cardones – Assistant Tactical Officer, acting Tactical Officer
* Lieutenant (JG) Panowski † – Assistant Astrogation Officer, acting Astrogation Officer
* Lieutenant Allen Manning † – Assistant Engineer, in charge with Fusion Plant 1
* Lieutenant Illona Rierson – Assistant Engineer, in charge with Fusion Plant 2
* Lieutenant Stevens † – Assistant Engineersupposition
* Ensign Prescott Tremaine – Boat Bay Officer, assigned as commanding officer of a customs detail for Medusa
* Ensign Wolversham - assigned as assistant customs and security officer to Basilisk Traffic Control
* Surgeon Lieutenant Fritz Montoya – Assistant Medical Officer, assigned as customs officer for Medusa, acting Chief Medical Officer
=== Naval Enlisted ===
* Senior Chief Boatswain's Mate Sally MacBride – Bosun
* Chief Petty Officer Killian – Helmsman
* Chief Petty Officer Braun † – Quartermaster
* Petty Officer/Gunner's Mate Horace Harkness – missile technician, assigned as customs officer for Medusa
* Steward First Class James MacGuiness – steward to Commander Harrington
* Technician First Class Hiro Yammata - assigned to customs service on Medusa
* Coxswain Third Class Ruth Kleinmuller – pinnace pilot, assigned to customs service on Medusa
* Engineering Specialist Angela Earnhardt †
* Specialist Jeffries
* Specialist Lowell
* Specialist Mathison
* Specialist Yountz
* Porter, Electronic Technician
===Marine Officers===
* Captain (RMMC) Nikos Papadapolous – Marine detachment commander
* Lieutenant Liam Kilgore – Commanding Officer, 3rd Platoon
===Marine Enlisted ===
* Sergeant Major Jenkins – Company Sergeant
* Sergeant Regiano – Platoon Sergeant, 4th Platoon
* Sergeant Tadeuz O'Brian – Squad Leader, 1st Squad, 3rd Platoon
* Sergeant Howell – Heavy Weapons Section Leader
* Corporal Sharon Hillyard – 1st Section Leader, 1st Squad, 3rd Platoon
* Corporal William Levine – 2nd Section Leader, 1st Squad, 3rd Platoon
* Ellen – 1st Section, 1st Squad, 3rd Platoon
* Frankowski – 2nd Section, 1st Squad, 3rd Platoon
* Hadley – Plasma Gunner, 1st Section, 1st Squad, 1st Platoon
* Sharon Koenig
* Lovejoy – 2nd Section, 1st Squad, 3rd Platoon
* Parker – 2nd Section, 1st Squad, 3rd Platoon
* Stimson – Plasma Gunner, 1st Section, 1st Squad, 1st Platoon
* Henrietta Turner – 2nd Section, 1st Squad, 3rd Platoon
* Kohl
== Armament (post-refit) ==
Deviations from standard Courageous-class armament marked in bold.
* Broadside:
** 1 x grav lance
** 2 x missile tubes - Mark 50 missile
** 2 x 30cm laser mounts
** 14 x energy torpedoes
* Chase:
** 2 x missile tubes
** 1 x 60cm spinal laser mount
== References ==
Fearless (CL-56), HMS
Fearless (CL-56), HMS
Fearless (CL-56), HMS
Fearless (CL-56), HMS
Fearless (CL-56), HMS