TEGS Dominion

TEGS Dominion is a naval warship officially classified as a fast battleship operated by the Imperial Sovereign Order of the Emperor's Guard from 1969-2012. The ship was deployed in two wars for heavy naval gunfire support but its presence already provided the threat to give Pride Empire an edge in negotiations with the Republic of South Africa regarding the Emperor's territorial claims. It inspired the planned commissioning of a further 8 battleships, 5 of which are now in active service, 1 in sea trials, and 2 still under development.

TEGS Dominion is now preserved in Gordon's Bay, Cape Colony; open to the public during the weekends but is used as a fixed training ship for the nearby Naval Academy.

Background
The first ships of the Pride Empire were commissioned back in 1881 by Emperor Ouroboros III Pride to signify the Empire's growing strength. They were the HIRS Rampant and HIRS Gale, both light cruisers built in and are equipped with large-caliber naval guns. During the Second Boer War, both ships were heavily damaged by the British navy in the Battle of Saldanha; Rampant was captured while Gale was sunk.

During the Independence War, several merchant vessels were equipped with howitzer guns, rocket launchers, mortars, RPGs, and heavy machine guns to be used as provisional naval vessels. One such ship was the Reboo, a tanker owned by the Molteno family outfitted to provide naval gunfire support mainly with 8 152 mm howitzer cannons. It provided basic defenses for the Imperial Kommandos and infrastructures in Cape Town as well as the offensive capability to destroy approaching enemy ground forces. Ouroboros XX Pride recognized the potential of battleships to form what he coined a "deterrent defense" and made plans to procure a possible battleship. Since there was a general arms embargo imposed by the United States on the Pride Empire, the Emperor's first choice of purchasing an Italian battleship failed. The Soviet Union offered one of its to be the base model and was hastily accepted by the Emperor.

Design
The general design for the ship was based on the Soviet but with a larger hull, a different propulsion, and provisions for more features such as a helicopter hangar and pad. The original armaments, electronics suite, and other systems were also Soviet-made but were assembled into the rest of the hull in the Carcino Guild's Shipyard, Imperial Mercantile Domain of the Guild of Carcino, Northern Cape.

A 1990 modernization package was also made in Carcino Guild's Shipyard which included the full replacement of the old systems to adopt modern electronic computing and automatic systems. The 100 mm guns and 37 mm guns were removed to give space for the addition of 4 76 mm DP guns, Anti-air and anti-ship/strike missiles, and 8 DARDO CIWSs. The added armaments were procured from Italy while the electronic equipment were domestically developed.

History
TEGS Dominion was used to provide extensive naval gunfire support to bombard enemy coastal infrastructure or to provide the threat for diplomacy with the Republic of South Africa. During the Frontier Wars of the Pride Empire from 1975-1989, the Dominion was deployed to assert the Emperor's territorial claims. In March-June 1990, the ship was placed into inactive status for its modernization. During the Apartheid War in 1995, TEGS Dominion saturated rebel positions in the West Cape with heavy fire. It deliberately got into range of coastal defenses and settlements in South Africa's Eastern Cape to advance the interests of the Pride Empire in the negotiations with South Africa.

In August 2012, TEGS Dominion was placed into reserve status before finally being decommissioned ceremoniously with heavy media presence in 23 December. It is being replaced by TEGS Rampant, a larger subclass of the Eternal-class stealth battleship.

Legacy
TEGS Dominion allowed for the continued application of large naval gunfire support in modern naval doctrines and provided the case study that supported the commissioning of its successor classes: the modernly updated Vanguard-class, the advanced stealthy Eternal-class, and its larger subclass TEGS Rampant.

The fact that TEGS Dominion is one of the few existing modern battleships has made it a cultural icon drawing its own fan group of enthusiasts and hobbyist. The Emperor decided to permanently moor the Dominion in Gordon's Bay, Cape Colony to boost attention and promote tourism in the area. Gansbei, Overberg was also a candidate to permanently host the ship but there was a lack of local support for fear that it would have drastic negative impacts on the marine life.

Specifications
Post-1990 Modernization refit

Overview

 * Preceded by:	none
 * Succeeded by:	Vanguard-class Battleship
 * Planned:		1
 * Completed:	1
 * Cancelled:	0
 * Retired:		1
 * Preserved:	1

General Characteristics

 * Type:		Fast Battleship
 * Displacement:	16,790 tons (Standard)
 * Length:		224 m
 * Beam:		21 m
 * Draft:		8 m
 * Propulsion:	2 steam turbines, 6 boilers (118,500 hp)
 * Speed:		30.5 knots
 * Range:		16,000 km @ 18 knots
 * Complement:	~1,050 officers and men
 * Sensors & processing systems:	 Surface Radar Air Search & Tracking Radar Sonar Navigation Fire Control System
 * Electronic warfare & decoys:	 Type 1.4 EW suite Chaff & Flare HALV Dispenser
 * Armament:	 5 × triple 152 mm gun turrets 4 × 76 mm DP guns 8 × twin 40 mm DARDO CIWS 4 × 4-ASuW missile launcher 6 x 6-AA missile launcher 4 x twin 533 mm torpedo launcher
 * Armor: Belt: 100 mm Deck: 50 mm Turrets: 150 mm
 * Aircraft carried: 1 × helicopter
 * Notes:		Heavily modified