Gorn Royal Fleet

The Gorn Royal Fleet is the pride of the Gorn Hegemony, its means of protecting its core worlds and a symbol of Gornish might and productivity. Even as elements of their society crumble and their economy remains in gridlock, the Royal Fleet still turns out impressive vessels, and keeps to par technologically with the younger members of the galaxy. It is also one of the few places of upward mobility, aside from the army. To become captain of a larger vessel is to earn nobility in perpetuity; to commit dashing acts on the frontier is to earn favor with the King and all attendant rewards. And doing some side jobs, scrupulous or otherwise, can make someone a rich man indeed.

Active Ship Classes
The Gorn have a multitude of ship 'classes', each shipyard in the Empire building a separate class to a certain standard. The Gorn thus do not have classes in the traditional sense, but rates of different configurations with identical capabilities. There are 'rated' classes, which are ranked primarily by combat capacity. Then there are Frigates, which are seen as more general and exploratory vessels. Then finally there are the small vessels, which are either too small to be given a rating, or perform other roles such as scouting or surveying.

Known Rates

 * Flagship First Rate
 * First Rate
 * Second Rate
 * Third Rate
 * Fourth Rate

Known Frigates

 * Excellent Frigate
 * Great Frigate
 * Frigate

Known Small Vessels

 * Gorn Corvette
 * Gorn Sloop
 * Gorn Scout Sloop

Future Ship Classes

 * The Gorn are currently in planning for a future, 2330-era fleet. This may include designs for a proposed four-megaton 'Dreadnought,' but such plans are only conjecture at this time.
 * Refit Third Rate possible project?

Current Installations
Admiralty Shipyard - GHIDAR
 * 2x4000kt
 * 2x2000kt

Gornar Graving Docks - GORNAR
 * 1x4000kt
 * 2x2500kt

Rarssan & S'serro Metalworks [AUX] - GORNAR
 * 1x2000kt
 * 1x1000kt
 * 2x500kt

Bygoth Arsenal - BYGOTH
 * 1x2500kt
 * 2x2000kt
 * 1x1500kt

Tzoryp Island Yards - SEUDATH
 * 2x2500kt

Estimated Fleet Strength

 * 1 Flagship
 * 1 Refit First Rate
 * 1 First Rate
 * 1 Second Rate
 * 2 Second Rate Refit
 * 10 Third Rate
 * 5 Fourth Rate
 * 2 Fifth Rate
 * 1 Science Frigate
 * 3 Great Frigate
 * 3 Excellent Frigate
 * 2 Frigate
 * 6 Brig
 * 2 Sloop

Estimated Civilian Fleet Strength

 * 35-40 Civilian Ship
 * 35-40 Cargo Ship
 * 20 Freighters
 * 4 Passenger
 * 5 Engineering
 * 4 Prospector
 * 1 Colony Ship
 * 1 Hospital Ship
 * 2 Research Cruiser
 * 2 Super-Freighter

Personnel
The personnel of the Gorn Royal Fleet are an elite group, and even the commoners who join it, no matter how low their origins, are treated with respect. This is reflected in how the Gorn requested the universal translator output the lowest rank of Gorn personnel -- they are not sailors, crewmen, or spacers: they are astronauts, a word steeped in an elite tradition. To join the Royal Fleet almost certainly gaurantees upward mobility -- if you survive.

That being said, the Gorn lack a traditional structure of recruitment. Starfleet Academy fields applications across the Federation from eager young minds, all conditioned in top-notch school systems designed to ensure equality of opportunity. The Gorn, on the other hand, are forced to use the blunt tool of impressment, vacuuming up commoners and determining which ones are most suitable the space service. To be inducted into the Royal Fleet is a blessing and a curse. Those who survive will assuredly end up in a better position than when they started. Some may even become officers, and earn their nobility. But the seventy-five years of mandatory service are long ones, and the Gorn have little regard for workplace safety, to say nothing of dying in combat.

Like Gorn society, the ship is segregated and strictly divided between the officers, and the enlisted or conscripted personnel who operate the ship's systems. The on-ship hierarchy is complicated by the presence of technical personnel, often nobles of some rank, who have trained at the top scientific academies in Gornish space. They may outrank some of the officers socially, but are nevertheless subordinate. This can be exacerbated by technical personnel being ordered around by commoner-officers who have earned their commission. After several fights broke out over who exactly was entitled to dine in the officer's mess, noble technical personnel insulted to having to 'slum' with regular crew, the Gorn Admiralty eventually gave noble technical personnel officer commissions, similar in some ways to Starfleet. Unlike Starfleet, these highly trained personnel are rarely given leadership duties, overtaxing the already-busy officers on-board. Friction may also occur in the opposite direction, where the expertise of highly-trained commoners is dismissed in favor of the opinion of a noble who largely paid his way through a degree; or a noble who considers himself an expert in all fields who assuredly isn't one. This may seem ridiculous to outsiders, but it is worth keeping in mind that the Gorn are in a rigid social structure, where proximity to the King, or the King's favored, confers benefits. To be knocked down that ladder, even temporarily, by a deliberate snub is a grave insult.

Whatever these conflicts, discipline is ultimately maintained by submission to the Captain and his XO, in a microcosm of Gorn society's relation to the King. In combat Gorn crews are quick and efficient, and save the petty social games for when they are bored. It is up to the XO to ensure that these games do no ultimately affect ship readiness and duties, in which he plays a direct role. It is also the XO's job to make sure the below-decks, commoner personnel don't drink themselves into a coma every night to escape the misery of their existence. For this he relies on a strong working rapport with senior enlisted astronauts.

Officers
The Gorn are experiencing a severe constriction in the number of available officers, due to a variety of factors. The ability for richer families to buy their way out of service, choosing to bypass it for a life of leisure or academic pursuits. Not allowing women to serve alongside men. The sheer inefficiency of the Gorn social system, which leaves many of its brightest minds to wither and die in dark slums. Then there is the overwork of Gorn officers, their vessels designed to minimize their precious numbers and their lack of rapport with the crew making relations frosty except with the few agreeable senior astronauts. They are further burdened by the petty games of politics they must play in order to advance. The handing out of nobility is an important factor, and a commoner who wishes to reach the highest levels must prove himself unimpeachable, and have powerful friends.

Senior Enlisted
These men perform a valuable duty, serving as a conduit between the vast pool of the ship's personnel and the select officer class. On a Gorn ship, where the lower-rated astronauts live a cramped life of misery, this role is even more important than it is in other space forces. Senior Enlisted are never those who have entered the Fleet with nobility -- though some may have earned it. In general they are commoners who have given up on advancing into the officer ranks, or find there is more power in their current position. They are experienced, long-serving astronauts, and any Captain who earns their favor will have a smooth mission.