SNCV Abraham

The SNCV Abraham was an Afterlifian-Built *Blackhill-Class* Battlecruiser, named in honor of the Sunnese annexation of Oilton. The name "Abraham" derives from the Abrahamic gods, which are worshipped in open rebellion against Gregoros. The ship was laid down in the long year of 13 A.O.G at the Southport shipyard, and was completed later in the universal cycle. Its construction ignited an arms race between the Sun Nation, and Thane's Isle.

In magazines and Sunnese newspapers, the Abraham and its sisters ships *"God's Fist"* and *"Moses Split the Water"* were considered scientific marvels of the age. It was toured up and down the coast of the Sun Nation, and quickly became the pride of the Sun Nation fleet.

In 14 A.O.G., a mutiny occurred on board the Abraham, due to physical abuse by the current sitting captain, the elder Joao Jaco. Reports exploded from the Abraham that the captain was putting the ship (which hadn't yet seen combat) into dangerous situations, resulting in at least two collisions with civilian vessels. These incidents were blamed on the crew, and lower members of the crew were lashed with belts and whips. The mutiny resulted in Joao Jaco being hung by his neck from the mast, and the rebellion soon spread to other ships, resulting in a navy-wide policy shift regarding captain authority.

The Abraham fought in multiple theatres of the Moon Sea War, including the Battle of the Northern Isles, the Battle of the Great Bridge, and part of the Battle of Oilton. It would have been in the defense against Thane's Isle, in their planned invasion, but the war ended before this could occur.

The Abraham was destroyed during the Battle of Fort Lightchild.

## Background:

In the years 6-10 A.O.G., The War of Seven-Eight ravaged the Sun Nation, and if not for the intervention of Denise Darcy and her massive apocolite karass, the war would have been lost. Soldiers from both Universe Seven and Eight took castles, cities, navy yards, military bases, cannonades, and civilian sectors nearly without resistance due to the Sun Nation's lack of modern technology in comparison to the Gregaronians. The sea was dominated by Thane's Isle, the land by Universe Seven and Thane Talel of the Greenguard's soldiers. When the war was won (almost solely by the interloping apocolites), the government was reorganized into a democracy, at Darcy's order. The modernization of the Sun Nation began nearly at the next rise of dawn, and plans for building a fleet that could go toe-to-toe with Thane's Isle were set in stone. The former Sun Nation prefix for ships; "SNN" for 'Sun National Navy', was replaced during this time by "SNCV", for "Sun Nation Capital Vessel."

As money funneled in from less-than-reputable sources, the Sun Nation thrived, and the military sector thrived more. Muskets and cannons were quickly replaced by rifles and artillery of many ages advanced, and the old wooden brigs, sloops, and galleys of the past were swapped quickly with ships with steel hulls, skipping over the development of iron hulls entirely. Children of Iron from Denise Darcy's Karass assisted in the construction of the first warship, the *King's Bane,"* which set sail in October of 12 A.O.G. It's size was lackluster, and then-new President Caroline Ford ordered from her benefactors three battlecruisers, and two battleships that could protect Sunnese soil from the pestering Thane's Islers. The plans for the Abraham were the first drawn, and the keel was laid on July 182.5, 13 A.O.G.

Even though the greater cost of these ships meant that only two ships could begin immediately, plans went ahead. *SNCV God's Fist* followed thirteen days later at Southport. The news shocked Thane's Isle, neighbors, whose Minister of Foreign Affairs remarked that either the *Abraham* or *God's Fist* could destroy the entire Thane's Isle fleet. To counter this, Thane Wynton Kellogg extended a laurel to Caroline Ford, and all but apologized for his role in the War of Seven-Eight. He explicitly requested that the Sun Nation and Thane's Isle remain "independent allies," meanwhile preparing his karass of apocolites for a large-scale Universe-wide conflict. Newspapers and journals around Universe Eight, particularly in the Northern Isles and the Black Hills, speculated that the Sun Nation was acting as a proxy for a Gregaronian power which would take possession of the two dreadnoughts soon after completion, as they did not believe that a previously insignificant geopolitical power would contract for such powerful armament.

The battlecruiser was armed with a main battery of twelve 12-inch (305 mm) guns, mounted in six twin turrets. These guns provided significant firepower and could engage both surface targets and shore installations. The secondary armament consisted of twenty-two 4.7-inch (120 mm) guns and an array of smaller guns for anti-aircraft and close-range defense.

The Abraham had a displacement of approximately 19,200 tons and measured about 542 feet (165 meters) in length. It had a beam of 83 feet (25 meters) and a draft of 29 feet (8.8 meters). The ship was powered by steam turbines, enabling it to reach a top speed of around 21 knots (39 kilometers per hour).

The Abraham had a formidable armor protection scheme. It featured belt armor that ranged from 9 inches (229 mm) to 12 inches (305 mm) in thickness, protecting the ship's vital areas. The main turrets had 12-inch (305 mm) thick faces, and the deck armor varied between 1.5 inches (38 mm) and 2 inches (51 mm) in thickness.

## Early Career:

The Abraham was christened by Child of Iron Seline Maldovo, who with her apocolite powers assisted in the placement of the Abraham's massive 12-inch gun turrets. The launch ceremony was said to have been viewed by thousands. It's tour lasted for half a year, one of its stops being Flowergrove Island, a place it would later visit in more troubled times. It's first assigned captain was the cruel Joao Jaco, who had been known to be shrewd on the sailing vessels, and had not retired, despite the admiralty demanding he do so. His treatment of his sailors eventually resulted in a mutiny, which rippled through the Sun Nation navy. It was around this time that Peter Reynolds, Naia Lore, and Armando Latorre entered the officer academy, but the officers and sailors in training were not informed of this mutiny. His son, Manuel Jaco, who was also in the officers academy at the time, was silent on the matter.

Joao Jaco's mistreatment of the sailors culminated in the captain's hanging, which promted the Sunnese Navy to quickly revise their rules on captain authority. Whips and lashes were banned from Sunnese warships henceforth, and the pay for all sailors and enlistedmen was increased due to this revolt. The Abraham was put in drydock for a refit (as a hand grenade had gone off in her engine room, damaging the machinery). It was then that Captain Peter Reynolds was put in charge of the Abraham, as well as Armando Latorre as a first mate. The crew immediately took a liking their new officers.

## The Moon Sea War:

Eventually, Thane Wynton's words to Caroline Ford collapsed. King Gregoros demanded the Sun Nation bow to him as their God-King, or face annihilation. The Sunnese refused, and after the War of Seven-Eight's decisive defeat for the Gregoronians, Universe Seven would not be coming to help, as the portals between the Universes were closed. When war was declared, SNCV Abraham and her sisters were called to action.

The Abraham participated first in the Battle of the Great Bridge, which consisted of soldiers of both sides fighting on the massive structure spanning the seas. The battle lasted for months, and was eventually ended when the Thane's Isle apocolites arrived. Child of Gravity Renata Silva destroyed most of the Sunnese side of the Bridge past Oilton, killing thousands of soldiers (and dozens of Sunnese apocolites). Siera Marsilis, a Child of Storm, drove the Sunnese ships away with her powers, or sank them. The Abraham managed to fire off a shot that struck the KN Bercilak in the superstructure, which injured Marsilis and allowed the Sunnese fleet to safely retreat.

The Abraham was docked on Oilton when the Second Battle of Oilton began. The ship, from its moorings, fought against aircraft, and two Thane's Isle battleships determined to sink it and the ships moored at the piers. Both of the Abraham's sister ships were destroyed during this battle, but the Abraham and two destroyers (The *George Thiel* and the *Sundance*) managed to free themselves and run the gauntlet, rendezvousing with the battleship *Century*, which alone could hold off both Thane's Isle dreadnaughts. When the *Century* emerged on the horizon, the dreadnaughts fled for weaker prey.

After a period of repair and overhaul, the Abraham was sent in a battle group to assist the Sunnese fleet at the Northern Isles. They lost contact with the fleet as they were halfway across the Moon Sea. When they reached the Northern Isles, they found them completely destroyed, melted and volcanic. The official story was that a volcano erupted on the Flowergrove, but that didn't explain the destruction on Honeybee, or the Thin Isle. Captain Peter Reynolds questioned it in a report, but the report was censored and never read by his peers.

The Moon Sea War eventually ended in a stalemate, due to the machinations of Denise Darcy. The Abraham spent time in mothball after the war, along with hundreds of other ships.

## The Battle of Fort Lightchild:

The Abraham was selected as the flagship for the invasion of the High Isle, which would launch both a direct invasion of the Thane's Isle southern region, and serve the dual purpose of retrieving Chosen Apocolite Ben Reynolds from the clutches of the monarchy. Caroline Ford approved this second half of the plan, as the Sun Nation was already allied with the Second Afterlifian People's Republik. Peter Reynolds, and two of his trusted and capable officers (Naia Lore, and Armando Latorre), would leave the Abraham under control of the Chief Engineer, and locate Ben based on the star pattern. Considering the star was already in the southern region, it would not be too much effort to find him, so the plan was written. The Abraham set sail on July 29, 27 A.O.G., accompanied by the destroyers *SNCV Ugetsu*, *SNCV George Thiel*, a fleet oiler, three "Class K" transport ships, as well as the refitted Earthen ocean liner *Morro Castle*. The battleships *Century* and *Mother of the Seas* were either indisposed, or sunk, so the escort would be light.

Two days into the voyage, Peter Reynolds noted the clear miscommunication problems with other captains of the ships, including with the son of the infamous Joao Jaco; Manuel Jaco. Though, Peter thought nothing of the relationship at the time. As the ships approached the High Isle, a seaplane was spotted approaching the fleet, not from the mainland, but from the High Isle itself. Captain Reynolds ordered it shot down when it began to perform aggressive manuevers, but not once did the plane fire on them. Many assumed it was a scout plane, but it was also noted that the plane was made of bluesteel, unfitting for a plane of that nature. The plane eventually took a direct hit from one of the Abraham's twelve-inch turrets, and fell into the water, where it sank. The pilot did not emerge. The Abraham was then almost immediately struck with a torpedo, fired by a submarine to their port side. The transport K-26 was also hit, and in the confusion, Captain Reynolds noticed both ships were listing badly to port. The Abraham's port side turbine failed, and the ship began to sink.

With quick wit and good maneuvering by helmsman Donald Watts, the Abraham was guided into the shallows of the Strait of Africa. It was struck once more with a torpedo, which may have caused a fire near the magazine. The ship settled into the mud of the shallows, slightly correcting its list. It briefly did battle with soldiers on the shoreline, but the list made firing on the shore difficult, and only one hit on the enemy out of a dozen was confirmed. Due to the extensive damage, and after a dismal report by the engineering department, Peter Reynolds ordered the crew to abandon ship, and make for the High Isle.

A short time after the crew made it to the Isle, the fire reached the power magazine in the forward turrets. The SNCV Abraham exploded in a ball of light, launching at least one of its 12-inch turrets high into the air. This explosion destroyed the Abraham, and the ship would never sail again.

## Fate:

After a nearly two-decade long career on the seas, the Abraham met its end. The extensive damage, coupled with the ship's position in Thane's Isle waters, most likely will result in the ship being either scrapped in situ, or left to rust in place.

## Notes:

1. Much of the Abraham's styling, aesthetic, and history is inspired by the Brazilian battleship Minas Gerais.