Ironclad Destroyer

*Not to be confused with the Allied Assault Destroyer.*

 **Key Features** | »155mm naval gun»Depth charge launchers (x2)»37mm anti-air guns (frozen)»Jury-rigged steam engine»Submarine detection system (glass bottom)

*"MY BRIDGE IS ON FIRE!"*

- Destroyer captain in a perilous situation
## Tactical Analysis

* **Core of the fleet:** The Destroyer is the Continentals main ship of the line. It is reasonably tough and not terribly slow, and it has a large gun mounted in a turret to deal with any naval threats. However, it is not the most accurate of guns, and quick moving foes can overcome the Destroyer's defenses fairly easily.

* **Subs begone:** The Destroyer's original intent, however, was as a submarine hunter, and it still serves the capacity in full. Whenever enemy submarines are around, the Destroyer will automatically drop depth charges, damaging the hapless submarine. The Continentals have also armed the main gun with special shells that create waterspouts which swamp and pull ships into them, disabling said ships completely.

* **Could do better:** The Destroyer is not without its weaknesses though. Stronger capital ships usually make short work of the Destroyer, while fast, light ships can also run circles around the Destroyer while pounding it with weak but sustained fire.

* **Get down here:** Experienced crews are able to acquire enough palettes of WD-40 to finally unfreeze the AA guns on the upper decks, allowing the Destroyer to supplement any escorting Frigates in warding off any intruders from the air. Though not the most damaging weapon on the sea, it's better than nothing.

## Operational History

Thought it was not the first war to have submarine warfare, World War II brought it to a strategic level. Suddenly shortages of goods were endemic throughout besieged Europe, despite the outpouring of resources from Canada, and later the United States. British citizens used to tea and crumpets had to make do with water and hardtack in some places.

This was a highly abhorrent situation, so the Allied Nations went to the United States, which wasn't in the war yet but sympathised with the Allies. They commissioned and bought on credit an entire fleet of ships meant specifically to escort cargo ships, crewed by Allied sailors. Given their previous experience with submarine warfare, the German government in exile was given the task of coming up with a design for a new **Destroyer**, which was dubbed the *Ironclad* class.

These ships, along with the new "Convoy" theory, reduced sinking to a fraction, and even destroyed a few wolf packs. Though there was still an effect on resources and the shipping industry, the Allies had gained significant breathing room in their fight against Communism. It's been theorized by (European) historians that this is why the Allies eventually won, not the intervention of the United States (though American historians are quick to point out that Destroyer production increased exponentially when the United States entered the war.)

Production of these ships was so heavy that when the war ended, scrapping all these ships would have required more smelters than the world had at the time. Some continued on in service, still serving in reserve fleets to this day, while others were sunk to make artificial reefs for Allied dolphin pods. Most, however were mothballed in the port of Corpus Christi, considered one of the safest harbours for the Allies due to being pincered by two Allied nations. For years they rusted away, their engines removed and used elsewhere. Local residents claimed you could walk across the harbour on the destroyers floating in it. The new Assault Destroyer ensured that they would never need to be used.

It was in the mothball fleet that the Continentals found all the destroyers they'd ever need. For their revolution to truly survive, they needed a fleet beyond the few specialized ships they already had. In a daring raid, they attacked the mothball fleet from both land and sea, overwhelming the guards and using tugs to push the ships to friendly ports, leaving nothing behind but empty moorings and anti-Allied graffiti. However, with much of the machinery removed, the destroyers were not battle ready.

Most obvious was the engine and propulsion system. Instead of using valuable parts to make a diesel engine and propeller system, the Continental mechanics instead replaced the whole system with a paddle-wheel arrangement inspired by their cultural past. Almost any fuel can be used, usually coal, wood or kerosene; most notoriously, the USS Ass Kicker (formerly the ANV Excalibur) one fought a battle running on burning truck tyres. As an extra touch, the Continental used their mastery of spiral technology to equip each destroyer with a shell or two that is capable of creating a waterspout that can swamp enemy ships, though destroyer captains have an unhealthy tendency to be floundered by the same attack.