Ship History "Zuiryu" is a customised "Takeda"-class Kusari destroyer in the possession of Clan Shimamori that serves as clan's flagship and is the only large combat vessel in clan's possession. The ship was commissioned to Kishiro as most "Takeda"-class destroyers back in 658 A.S and constructed by 660 A.S. on Yukawa shipyards. The ship was christened "Bunkyoku-maru" and deployed to Hokkaido system in order to reinforce the northern borders where the development efforts of Samura were met with constant attacks of the Blood Dragons. Numerous skirmishes culminated in 726 A.S. when the ship at that time commanded by Hitoshi Shimamori, a distant relative of the Emperor, was ambushed by the Blood Dragons and was almost destroyed in a suicide ram attack against the Dragons' gunboat. The heavily damaged ship, saved by the coming to the distress signal KNF patrol, was awarded to the commander Hitoshi Shimamori who was promoted to nobility for his actions and being a relative to the Emperor as a token of new imperial clan's loyalty. The name "Zuiryu" or "Fortunate Dragon" was coined ironically as the ship by luck survived an attack of a "dragon", but the name stuck as the official name for the ship.
During Kusari-Bretonia war for Taus, "Zuiryu" was mobilised under the command of Shinnosuke Shimamori as a part of invasion fleet. Having sustained moderate damage and in light of initial success of Kusarian offensive, "Zuiryu" was granted permission to return to Honshu for remains and deployment in the home system of Honshu as a ship "not well equipped for further invasion into Bretonian home space". Another reason for return was demise of the commander, Shinnosuke Shimamori, in a battle in Tau 31 system.
The ship met the Gallic onslaught in 817 in Honshu system and missed the decimation of Kusarian forces in the Taus at the hands of the Gallic Royal Navy. With the chaos that ensued the division of Kusarian forces and exile of the Emperor, the ship under the command of the new clan leader, Masahito Shimamori, remained in Honshu during most time of the Gallic puppet regime to preserve the civil order in the system.
The ship was briefly leased to Honshu Defence Fleet during the civil war in Kusari in 823-825 and was returned to the owner without significant damage sustained in 825.
Ship Customisation and Capabilities
Following the transition of the ship from the KNF to clan's ownership, the ship underwent multiple repairs and an overhaul to modernise the old vessel and tailor it to the new role of clan's flagship. Under the prevailing in Kusari at that time idea of transportation of VIPs in luxurious yet armed ships embodied in "Satsuma" imperial yacht, "Zuiryu" was modernised to be capable of accomodating the clan nobility while offering decent protection higher than of a regular transport or liner. Due to the lack of affluent wealth in the treasury of just established clan, "Zuiryu" was overhauled using imperial subsidies. This resulted in ship being devoid of demonstrative luxury and more humble in both the hardware and design, and nigh indistinguishable from a typical "Takeda"-class destroyed.
"Zuiryu" Overhaul Blueprint
"Zuiryu" and "Takeda" have more noticeable difference in terms of interior. The commander's chambers were expanded at the expense of officer's quarters, and the barracks for the boarding crew were replaced with multi-purpose sections to be used either for hospitality, research, or other purposes depending on the hardware placed therein. As the ship was not intended for offensive operations, the maximum number of crew members was decreased to 50, while the ship can be fully operational without any hindrance with the crew of at least 25.
In spite of being in civilian possession, the ship offers good protection with 11 automatic cannons, 3 being heavy artillery. Saving face for Kusarian nobility and Kusari system of VIPs in general as representatives of the House, is more important than additional expenditures on the maintenance of such vessels. However, "Zuiryu" took one of the biggest benefits of its "Takeda" predecessor - size. Not much larger than a gunboat, "Zuiryu" is relatively cheap in maintenance compared to "Komainu" and "Tokugawa" behemoths, and at times even cheaper than "Shukensha" liner the sheer cost of the parts of which can rival a battlecruiser.
Nowadays, "Zuiryu" hosts a small stellar observatory wherein a team of astrophysicists carries out measurements and calculations for stellar cartography in search of new systems on the borders of Kusari. Being an old, albeit customised and modernised vessel, "Zuiryu" is not best fit for the fight and in most cases the crew would probably try to disengage. However, the ship still can pose a threat to an adversary not attentive enough.
Current Status
At the moment the ship is often commanded by koshaku Shimamori himself and offers additional protection to travellers through Kusari while the major bulk of the KNF is away at the front. In the meantime, the crew assists the team of researchers with their mapping projects. "Zuiryu" occasionally ventures deeper into Sigmas, Taus, and Omicrons for diplomatic purposes and additional angles for stellar observation, unavailable from within the space of Kusari. The ship can host smaller conferences and serve as a meeting point for parties to carry out business or diplomatic talks, although not on the level of a luxurious and spacious liner or a dedicated conference hall.
The ship can be frequently seen within the borders of Kusari, most often in the home to Shimamori Clan Honshu system. The maintenance is carried out on Yukawa shipyards where the ship was originally constructed by Kishiro, and is financially supported by the banking and real-estate operations of the Clan on planet Honshu.
Reasoning Behind the New Primary Weaponry
The onset of the war against Gallia drew most of the Naval Forces capital vessels away from the home systems, leaving the remaining forces prone to engagement from hostile capital ships. Not having allied vessels to rely on consistently, "Zuiryu" has to rely on hit-and-run tactics to remain efficient while ensuring safe combat protocols for protection of the VIPs on board. Modelling possible encounter outcomes, the military advisors to Shimamori clan came to the conclusion that a powerful cannons are to be used even at the expense of higher energy consumption. Such primary weaponry would enable "Zuiryu" to come closer to the target from a safe angle and making a few impactful shots before returning to safe distance. While rendering the ship more prone to interceptors, the analysts believed that the other turrets would be enough to fend off smaller vessels and the primary purpose of the new guns is to provide a safer engagement protocol for large adversary vessels.
Weapon Development
"Naginata" heavy turret schematics
The development and production of the cannons were commissioned to Minamimito Research Institute for Energy Utilisation (南水戸エネルギー利用研究所) and Kyotaihou Engineering Group (大大鳳工務店グループ). Researchers from Minamimito Energy Utilisation Research Institute carried out the theoretical calculations and modelling in conjunction with theoretical physicist from Tenmei University. The grant provided to the researchers for the theoretical calculations of the weapons also covered theoretical research in the field of plasma acceleration for fusion reactors. The private company Kyotaihou Engineering was entrusted to carry out the assembly of the prototype, and its further calibration in cooperation with the researchers. Following two weeks of calibrations, optimisation, and field testing both on the ground and in the orbit of Honshu, the weapon system was submitted to the commissioner as complete. The blueprints of the weapon was shared with the local department of the Ministry of Defence of the Reformed Empire of Kusari.
"Naginata" Charateristics
The weapon was named "Naginata" for an old Kusarian traditional polearm weapon that while landing hard hits allows the wielder to keep safe distance from the opponent, and overall to regulate the distance to the adversary effectively. While "Naginata" heavy turret is not designed to keep long distance from the adversary as one might presume from the name, it allows to land a few hard hits before retreating to safe distance. Unlike other weapons of the similar group, these few hits if landed would be enough to discourage the opponent from continuing the fight and be comparable to continuous barrage of weaker weapon systems with longer range in damage.
The weapon is on par with many similar close range weapons used by the KNF for military purposes and thus renders "Zuiryu" capable of withstanding military-grade threats, while keeping ship's flexibility, which was the original goal of this weapon modification.
Log, Chief Engineer Nomura. The disassembling of the "Hitachi" is complete. Approximately 62% of the hull materials were retrieved intact and are being re-smelted into the appropriate forms for the use in the hull of the "Zuiryu". This is more than enough to cover the relatively small modifications of already not large "Takeda"-class "Zuiryu". We have reserved dock 4 of Yukawa for construction purposes which is also shielded by positron shield modules from all kinds of debris and possible attacks. Kishiro is most helpful in assisting the construction and hosting the personnel. While Samura is mostly busy right now at Yokohama dealing with "Zuikaku", we still have their representatives offering expertise in certain "Takeda" modules for which Samura was responsible during the initial design.
There is certainly much for me to learn when it comes to ship construction. After all, my engineering experience comes mostly from civilian installations and vessels and I have not been a part of the Clan long enough to get much experience working with "Takeda". In this situation, the imperial engineers from Kure eclipse us all. Their stewardship is indispensable for this project and I am certain that we will avoid quite a lot of issues by having them with us.
As of now, the main task is to produce the new parts and install them on "Zuiryu". So far we are working with reinforcing the hull and mounting the "horns" that will serve as the cover for the new communication array and detection modules during the further stages of the modification. The "horns" resemble the ones found on "Tokugawa"-class battleships and in principle should allow "Mizu" to mount better scanners and support long-range communication easier. The work is going normally and we expect the structural works to end within a week given that "Zuiryu" is already a completed functional ship. After that, the team will commence the interior fitting of the new parts and their connection to the main systems of "Zuiryu".
The work is very promising, I am getting a premium for working away from home, and this whole thing can elevate me within the clan. Let us hope everything is going to end well.
Assembly Line of Yukawa working on the parts production
Log, Chief Engineer Nomura. The modification is going faster than expected thanks to the advanced Kishiro assembly line. While the main hull is being finalised and the solar panels are being prepared to be adjusted by the main engine and connected to the energy grid the "horns" have already been completed and it is hightime we fitted them with the necessary equipment. The team of our engineers together with the scholars from Tenmei Daigaku put together the recent developments in quantum communication. I cannot say it is some breakthrough technology but what we managed to achieve in cooperation with the engineers of Kure and Kishiro is miniaturisation of the large array antennae commonly found on larger ship class to be fitted on "Mizu". Because of the availability of the "horns" compared to "Takeda", "Mizu" should have enough space to attack the antennae and the respective receiver. Additional pressure on the energy grid should be compensated by extra energy generation by the previously mentioned solar panels as well as optimisation of the energy core system. I suppose the communication array will be finished in a day or two after we install it and run all the necessary tests. Then we can proceed to mounting the solar panels and finalising the modification progress. This work is quite exciting, perhaps I will oversee a construction of a vessel from 0 to 100% in the future with the obtained knowledge!
Log, Chief Engineer Nomura. The upgrade of the antennae is complete. Preliminary tests of establishing and maintaining quantum pairing for communication purposes were successful and "Mizu" was able to communicate with Honshu from Yukawa without any issues. The detection module is also operational, its functions nominal. The detection range was extended compared to the current Jintsuruki scanner with accurate positioning detection at 18 clicks. The "horns" offer protection for the electronics both from structural damage and space radiation at an optimal level. This marks the end of work on the communication system upgrade.
Today we commenced the installation of the solar panels and upgrade of the energy grid for the integration of the former. The solar panels will be installed concentrically in the form of "fins" on the hull around the main plasma core. The proximity to the core allows for easier integration of the panels into the energy grid as well as adds additional protection from projectiles should the energy core be targeted. Similarly to "Takeda" a gap is left between the bridge and the energy core to prevent the fatalities in case of the core malfunction or destruction as a result of an attack.
The solar panels were manufactured by Kishiro and represent their standard design used in most Kusari ships and stations. Takeda is the only capital vessel of Kusari devoid of solar panels for the sake of size and manoeuvrability. The addition of the panels is not revolutionary and puts "Mizu" on par with the other ships in terms of external energy generation. However, the additional mass caused by the solar panels and communication antennae will reduce the speed of turn, which, however, will be offset by greater structural durability and energy output. Engineering-wise, there is no challenge to installing the solar panels yet I bet there are still a few tricks to learn from the Kishiro and Kure engineers. The works are expected to be completed in a few days. After that, the ship will go through the tests and get ready to be crewed for field testing with the aid of the KNF. I am looking forward to what the result of our work will be.
Log, Chief Administrator Tokunaga. According to Nomura-san, the engineering works have been successfully completed and tested. The KNF representative was satisfied with the demonstrative flight but said that further field testing with the KNF will be carried out once the ship is fully completed, including the interior and the appointment of the crew. The duty with the latter two updates befalls me as a chief administrator.
Since the failure with the "Hitachi" we still have a lot of interior design solutions left to be implemented. The challenge lies in adapting the design of the "Hitachi" to "Zuiryu". Modification of "Takeda" into "Mizu" does not provide the increase of space of the interior. Thus, there is not much to be done with it given that Lord Shimamori is content with the current design. Nevertheless, the recent elevation of Lord Shimamori to the position of the Lord Speaker of the Diet calls for a revision of the current frugal interior design inherited with the military ship that the "Zuiryu" is to a more diplomatic and representative grandeur that the "Hitachi" originally presumed. At the same time, the interior design intended for the "Hitachi" cannot be adopted because of the sheer size difference between the two vessels.
Having consulted with Shimamori-dono, the decision was made to reorganise two halls and one communication chamber into one large hall for receiving guests and recreation. The centre of the new hall will be decorated with a stone garden along which negotiations can be held in conditions of aesthetical beauty. In the centre of the stone garden will be a holo-panel that will allow us to combine the use of space for aesthetics with the utility. The tapestry and torii will be moved to adjust to the new floor layout but otherwise will remain the same as currently on "Zuiryu". The arboretum part of the "Hitachi" had to be excluded from the current design, only a few trees and ikebana were left in the corner near the torii. The personal chambers of the Marquess as well as the chambers for staying guests are already equipped properly for a visit of high-ranking guests and thus shall remain untouched.
The re-arrangement of the interior will take a few days. After that, we are finally ready to appoint the new crew. Most of the personnel, most likely, will consist of those who have been previously appointed to serve aboard the "Hitachi". Given the smaller size of "Zuiryu", some personnel with the exception of bucho will be re-assigned either to "Zuikaku" or to other clan vessels/facilities.
It is an honour working on the project and as a chief administrator, I pledge my skills and reputation to carry out my duties in preparing the vessel to be presented to Lord Shimamori in the best condition possible.
Interior of the left part of the main hall
Stone Garden in the right part of the main hall
[indent]Log, Shimamori Masahito, captain of "Zuiryu". The modification of the vessel to "Mizu" class is effectively completed. Having consulted with the Chief Administrator Tokunaga, the crew originally hired for "Hitachi" will be appointed to "Zuiryu". All chief positions were preserved, and the number of the service staff was reduced due to the size of the vessel to 44 people. Herein are attached the dossiers of the Chief personnel for the security division as well as for myself. Until the field tests with the KNF are completed, the crew is not expected to change. Further adjustments are possible depending on the performance of the staff.
Crew Security Division:
Matsumoto Takahashi - Chief of Security
Age: 42
Sex: Male
Origin: Minamimito, Planet Honshu
Rank: Captain (KNF)
Background: KNF Marine Corps
Experience: Kusari-Bretonia War (813-818), First Kusari-Gallia War (818)
Clan Rank: Kashira
Family: Wife, two children
Profile: Captain Matsumoto Takahashi is the current Chief Security Officer of "Zuiryu". He was trained as a marine with specialisation in close-quarter skirmishes and melee. Matsumoto participated in the war against Bretonia and Gallia as a part of a boarding team and rose to the rank of captain. Following the collapse of the imperial government and the onslaught of the civil war, Matsumoto retired due to his unwillingness to take sides in the civil war. His warfare experience and expertise in melee made him a desirable employee in the civilian security market. After three years of work for Kishiro on Honshu, Matsumoto received an offer to join Shimamori clan as a security officer. Familiarity with the clan from his native island of Haneda led Matsumoto to swear an oath to the clan and be hired for life as a samurai. By 827 Matsumoto reached the rank of kashira (samurai-captain) and was put in charge of the security of "Zuiryu".
Personal Notes: diligent, loyal, serious, laconical, collects plush toys for his younger child.
Profile: Imagawa Mana is the personal secretary of marquess Shimamori and is responsible for the correspondence of any level of importance. In view of this, she is also responsible for the image of the clan in communication with both domestic and foreign entities and thus is entrusted with P.R. responsibilities beyond the general scope of the P.R. department. Trained in international communication, Imagawa speaks fluently Libertonian & Bretonian, Rheinlandian, and Cretan. Recently, she is acquiring the skill of the Gallic language despite the fallout of relations with Gallia. Due to her outstanding performance, she was appointed the personal secretary of the marquess despite her relatively young age.
Personal Notes: professional, conversable, polite, likes to gossip on non-job related topics, avid Kusari-pop fan
Background: New Tokyo University, Ph.D. in Astrophysics
Experience: Astronomer on Heisenberg Station (805-809), Astronomer of Morita Memorial Observatory, New Tokyo (809-815), Senior Astronomer at Tenmei University Observatory, lecturer (815-821), Head of Astronomy Department at Tenmei University, Honshu (821-827), Head of Stellar Observation Division, Tenmei University (827-present)
Clan Position:Chief Science Officer
Family: wife, three children
Profile: Professor Hoff Hiroshi was born to a Rheinland father and Kusari mother on the planet of Hamburg. Fluently speaking both languages, Hoff got his B.S. in astrophysics in Freie Universität Ballindamm on Hamburg and continued on with his M.S. and Ph.D. at the University of New Tokyo. After the doctorate, Professor Hoff returned to Rheinland to partake in stellar movement research aboard Heisenberg Research Station as a part of Kusari research team. His contribution to the research efforts and facilitation of cross-cultural cooperation earned him a place at the prestigious Morita Memorial Observatory, one of the oldest in Kusari. Thereafter, Hoff was invited in the capacity of a senior astronomer to Tenmei University on Honshu to observe the Sigma cluster which was seen much better from the system as compared to New Tokyo. There, he rose to the position of the Head of Astronomy Department but decided to focus on stellar observation and not on teaching and administrative duties. At Tenmei University Professor Hoff got acquainted with marquess Shimamori and was invited to chair a mapping expedition into the Sigmas aboard "Zuiryu". His team was in charge of discovering and mapping Chubu system.
Personal Notes: verbose, pedantic, not good at communication skills, speaks Rheinlandic fluently and has a sympathy for Rheinland (married to a citizen of Rheinland).
Background: International University of Nakano, Honshu, M.B.A. in Business Administration
Experience: Manager at Morinaga Electronics Ltd. (807 - 813), Department Head at Morinaga Electronics Ltd. (813 - 818), Shimamori Restaurant Chain
Administrator (818 - 824), Shimamori Castle Administrator (824 - 829)
Clan Position: Bugyo (administrator)
Family: Divorced, one child
Profile: Tokunaga Teruo is a reliable administrator of the Shimamori. He gained his experience by managing an electronics company for a while and not saving the company but also successfully cutting a piece of the electronics pie in the domestic to Kishiro world of Honshu. The company's success eventually was its demise when its owner eventually decided to sell the enterprise to Kishiro. Clan Shimamori at that time had already taken note of a talented administrator and offered him a lucrative position at the clan's sushi restaurants in Minamimito. Diligent service and increased efficiency of the said restaurants eventually convinced the clan leadership to employ Tokunaga as the administrator of Shimamori Castle, de facto making him the second administrator after the administrator of the clan affairs. Tokunaga pledged an oath to the Shimamori clan in 824 after assuming the duty of the clan, preferring the stability of the life-long hire, and was awarded the corresponding bugyo title. Following the failure with "Hitachi", Tokunaga was appointed the Chief Administrator of the modified "Zuiryu".
Personal notes: traditionalist, religious (shinto), loner, grumpy.
Background: Kishiro Vocational School for Advanced Engineering, Honshu
Experience: junior engineer at Kishiro Agricultural Robotics Department (807 - 812), senior engineer at Kishiro Agricultural Robotics Department (812 - 819), Senior Engineer at Ohmori Spaceport (819 - 823), Chief Engineer at Minamimito Sangyo Spaceport (823 - 826), Chief Engineer "Zuiryu" (826 - present)
Clan Position:"Zuiryu" Chief Engineer
Family: husband, two children
Profile: Chief Engineer Nomura Masami is an excellent example of a specialist whose experience outweighs formal education. Her skills obtained at vocational
school were honed throughout her rich experience of working for Kishiro and at both major spaceport and regional spaceports. . Her skills at overseeing both automatised drone surveying missions and maintenance of the ship made her a good candidate for the position of Chief Engineer at "Zuiryu" in 823. Nomura specialises in robotics and is indispensable for the current exploratory missions of "Zuiryu".
Personal notes: slightly absent-minded outside of duties, an admirer of modern Kusari literature, married to a KNF officer.
Background: Hiroshima Imperial University of Medicine, Kyushu, M.D.
Experience: Physician at Okuma Public Hospital (816 - 820), Hideoka Physician at Memorial Hospital of Minamimito (820 - 826), Physician for Shimamori Clan
(826 - present)
Clan Position: Han-i (clan doctor), Chief Medical Officer on "Zuiryu"
Family: Husband, one child
Profile: Doctor Sekiguchi Kou is a relatively new doctor of the Clan. She applied for permanent employment at the Clan in 826 and passed all the necessary tests.
Her credentials indicated she served diligently and impartially to both sides in Kusari Civil War focusing on healing rather than the war itself. Her experience of working under duress and with soldiers made her a good candidate for rendering medical services to the retainers of the Clan. Her senior position aboard "Hitachi" was her first major promotion. However, the "Hitachi" project failed and thus she was offered to lead the medical team aboard the modified "Zuiryu". Doctor Sekiguchi will be in charge of a rather small team of medical doctors to observe the security protocol when dealing with samples and to provide medical assistance to the crew. Unlike some other more experienced medical crew, Dr. Sekiguchi swore fealty to the Clan and is under permanent employ.
Personal Notes: suffers from insomnia for a few days after a jumgate / jumphole, very attached to her only child, energetic and enthusiastic, good organiser.
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