Imperial Riyatic Navy

The Imperial Navy is the naval warfare force of the Imperial Armed Forces of the Commonwealth of Riyude. It is one of the most capable navies in the world and has served Riyude for almost 200 years. It is a formidable blue-water force with operational capability all across the world, though it is primarily concerned with the Tupic Sea and !Atlantic.

The Imperial Navy traces its history to the Unification of Riyude. In the first months of the Riyudic Empire, the nation had no unified naval warfare force; instead, there existed several separate navies operated by individual states as opposed to the imperial government. The Imperial Navy was formally established through an Act of the Imperial Diet, which authorized the establishment of a national army and navy. It also codified naming conventions for warships. Due to its unique historical ties to the monarchy of Riyude, the Imperial Navy is sometimes referred to as the Right Hand of the Empress.

First Interwar
For more than a decade after the conclusion of the First World War, Riyude was strained financially and was forced to scrap or sell all capital ships with a gun caliber below 14 inches. The Imperial Navy was forced to cancel many plans for new construction, including a planned line of several 16-inch battleships. However, due to the Riyudic government’s wishes to possess at least two aircraft carriers by 1925, two cruiser hulls were converted to aircraft carriers in 1921 and 1924. They would be the only large Riyudic ships built during 1917-1932, and experience gained from operating these two vessels would prove vital for the development of later Riyudic carrier doctrine.

In 1932, the Imperial Diet approved a large allocation of funds towards the naval budget. Although the Imperial Navy until then had been a battleship-only force, internal pressure for new capital ships combined with a severely limited budget forced it to compromise and begin construction on four battlecruisers, which possessed a standard 15-inch main armament but an abnormally low armor thickness. These were completed between 1934-1937 and would prove to be the most modern and powerful ships in the Imperial Navy for a time.

"Project C"
Project C was the name given to the planned rearming and expansion of the Imperial Navy that was partially completed from 1936-1940.

Included in Project C were 2 modern TBD-class fleet carriers and 6 Taxata-class battleships. The Taxata-class would each mount a broadside of eight 18-inch guns, spread across 2 triple-gun turrets and 1 twin-gun turret. These turret designs had been developed and planned for a line of 2 battleships during the early 1920s; however, they had been canceled due to budget cuts. The Taxata-class's 18-inch gun caliber was extraordinarily high compared to its contemporaries, as 14-inch to 16-inch naval guns were the standards for battleships at the time.

Ta’aroha's navy had not been as crippled as Riyude's had been in the 20s and early 30s; in 1936, Ta’aroha's battleships fleet overpowered Riyude's in both quantity and quality. With the exception of the TBD-class battlecruisers and its aircraft carriers, all of Riyude's capital ships were built in the World War I era, whereas their Ta’arohan equivalents were much more modern and powerful. Therefore, the six Taxata-class battleships were intended to replace several of Riyude's older battleships, including TBD and TBD, in order to equalize the situation in the Tupic Sea and eventually tip the balance of power back in Riyude's favor.

The Imperial Navy estimated that Project C would be complete by 1945; 1944 if all constructions went according to plan. With the rest of the world committed to peacetime disarmament and firmly against another naval arms race, Riyudic officials declared that "within the next decade, Riyude may very well see her Navy become the foremost in all the world." However, this would not come to pass, as the Summer War and the Fall of Riyude in early 1941 would see much of Project C unrealized, including a majority of the Taxata-class battleships.

Summer War and World War II
Although the Summer War began in 1940, the Imperial Navy was hesitant to make the initial move, as it was situated in an overwhelmingly advantageous position compared to its Ta’arohan counterpart; any major offensive action could potentially lose the Imperial Navy its defensive position at the !Channel. It was decided that any offensive measure would have to wait until the second Taxata-class battleship, TBD, finished its construction and sea trials.

However, the invasion and subsequent fall of Riyude in early 1941 placed the state of the entire Imperial Navy in jeopardy. The hasty and chaotic evacuation of Riyude saw Imperial Naval vessels transport large amounts of military equipment and personnel to neighboring Coranelle. The Imperial Family and remnants of the government of Riyude managed to evacuate aboard the heavy cruiser Brasa, which was rather outdated and slow; however, it nevertheless managed to dock in Coranelle without suffering any damage. This group would later form the core of Riyude's government-in-exile.

When the dust had settled, the Imperial Navy discovered that its operational capability was not completely crippled; a majority of its vessels had not been boarded and captured by Ta’aroha as some had predicted. While it lost 4 out of 17 of its capital ships, the remaining 13 capital ships (including 4 aircraft carriers) still represented one of the most powerful military forces in the world, and their survival would play a large role in the government-in-exile's decision to continue the war from Coranelle for as long as possible.

Throughout the rest of the Summer War, the Imperial Navy distinguished itself in military combat against its Ta’arohan counterpart. While relatively outdated and unable to acquire new vessels until the Liberation of Riyude, it was able to fight on equal terms with the numerically superior Ta’arohan navy.

Second Interwar
Similar to the first interwar period, Riyude was strained financially after the conclusion of World War II, and the Imperial Navy was forced to mothball, scrap, or sell many of its ships.

World War Three
Riyude played a periphery role during World War III. While its people were unwilling to throw themselves into another major war, the government maintained that it could not retain its status as a great power without participating in an international war as major as World War II. The Imperial Navy was the most active branch of the Imperial Armed Forces during World War III, and participated in battles all across the world. Several notable Riyudic ships fought in World War III, including the Riyude, a Riyude-class aircraft carrier that fought in the !Theater and participated in !Battle, !Battle, and !Battle. The TBD was a legendary TBD-class battleship that boasted an immense broadside of twelve 20-inch guns, which participated in several of the last battleship duels in !Battle and !Battle.

End of the battleship era
By the end of the Third World War, it had become clear that battleships were no longer the kings of the seas like they had once been. The rise of the aircraft carrier in the mid-20th century saw the creation of a new capital ship to rival the battleship, but the true nail in the coffin was developments in missile technology during World War III that ensured even a destroyer could execute a battleship from outside the range of its artillery. While the two TBD-class battleships were kept commissioned for their sheer firepower, Riyude's other battleships met a variety of ends over the 1960s and 1970s. Eventually, even the 20-inch main armament of the TBD-class became obsolete, and the TBD was sold for scrap in 1989. Its sister ship, the TBD, would meet a gentler fate, preserved as a museum ship in Grana.