Kalistan

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4th Fleet Begins Reconstruction
Last 1st Fleet replacement rolls off Lines
Port Davon, Grand Duchy of Ananto
May 17th, 5613


The Ontiveros Class Frigate in June of 5612, destined to be designated KRS-196 in 1st Fleet

The naval shipyards in Kaliburg and the shipyards at Puerto Gaduri have been working overtime to replace the ships lost during the Artanian Sea Campaign.  The first phase of refitting and reconstruction is now completed, nearly two years after the series of battles which led to the complete decimation of the Kalistani IV Fleet and the loss of components of the 1st Fleet.  The last ship, the KRS-196 was launched last week and will soon take its place among the 1st fleet in the eastern Mad Dog ocean, bringing the Fleet back to its pre-war strength.

The revitalization of the 1st Fleet completed, Naval procurement officers have now set about to rebuild the 4th Fleet.  "We will be building it from scratch, unfortunately," said procurement officer Commander Maria Buenasuerte.  "And it will take us quite some time.  The Puerto Gaduri facility and the Kaliburg National Shipyards have already begun working on the submarine components for the fleet, but it will still take a long time to put together the surface portion of the ship yard, which are also remarkably expensive."  As the submarines are completed, they will slowly make their way to the 1st Fleet, to whom they will be attached until the fleet is reorganized.  "At our current capacity, we can produce four submarines  in Kaliburg and seven submarines in Gaduridos every 14 months, which will allow us to complete the submarine component of the fleet in under 4 years.  At this point, the Gaduridos facility can switch to production of cruisers and corvettes, while Kaliburg will focus on destroyers and Cruisers.  It will take over two years to rebuild the destroyer complement and another 18-20 months to build the corvettes.  The schedule for complete recommissioning is just under nine years."

Meanwhile, Commander Buenasuerte said, crews will be trained for the ships.  "When we originally commissioned the 4th Fleet, it involved selection of veterans to command the new ships.  I believe this is what the regular navy intends to do this time around as well.  Over the last year, we have seen decent recruitment numbers as people legitimately want to take the fight back to Kundrati, but given Artanian refusal to join the battle, and Kalistan's reluctance to ever go in alone again, it is unlikely that anyone now joining the Navy will see combat anytime during the first, or second, enlistment.  Or probably third.  But the procurement still needs to go forward regardless, because Kalistan has switched back to defensive naval doctrine following its defeat in the Artanian conflict, and the 4th Fleet is key to that doctrine."

Many of the new recruits have been assigned to shadow duties in the remaining three fleets.  "I think our sailors know what is at stake here," said the Commander.  "Kalistan requires a robust and active defense, and assignment to the 4th Fleet has long been considered a veteran assignment, due to the possibility to interaction with the navies of other nations.  The individuals who are being trained now in the First, Second and Third Fleets, some of them will do one tour and then leave the Service, but overall, when the Fourth Fleet is finally ready, we will have the manpower to staff those ships, even if we cannibalize the other fleets to achieve those levels."

The cost of rebuilding the 4th Fleet alone is expected to be more than ₭100 Billion.  "This will put a dent in the national reserves, which have been running in the tens of billions of Imperials in surplus every year for decades.  But the Navy was able to acquire the funds without the Government needing to impose additional costs on the Kalistani people, and the construction is helped by the swelling of the ranks of the NSP with the so-called 'weekenders' who donate time and sweat equity in response to the Emperor's call last year.  Its remarkable that the rebuilding of the 4th Fleet has been viewed as a source of National Pride, and a symbol of Kalistani resilience.  We therefore owe it to the people who return to the NSP on the weekends to help us to get started immediately, now that the 1st fleet is completed."

As the last Ontiveros was launched in Kaliburg, hundreds of citizens who helped build the ship over time turned out to the National Shipyard to watch their ship set sail.  A huge cheer arose as the Captain of the KRS-196 and crew turned out on Deck to salute the workers of the Shipyard and the NSPers who lent a hand in the construction of the vessel.  It roared out of the Harbor and turned Northwest to take its place on the line with the remainder of the 1st Fleet.  Both His Imperial Majesty, Emperor Fredrick III Ananto, and a noticeably pregnant Empress Consort Monica Ananto-DeLaurentis, along with the Minor Princess Mary Ananto-DeLaurentis were present as well, as both The Emperor and Empress-Consort spent several weekends over the winter working on this particular ship along with other volunteers.

@TheRepublic