Worldbuilding > Warship Illustrations
This is part of a series of galleries with art I've made for a worldbuilding project. This gallery is dedicated to warships and watercraft.
Vaktyst -class Battlecruiser
Tiperyner Realm Armada. Six built, two lost. In service 1917-1940.
The Vaktyst-class was the Tiperyner Realm Armada’s first class of battlecruisers that entered service before Tiperyn entered the Grand Campaigns. It was essentially designed as an adjunct to Tiperyn’s substantial battleship fleet, using its speed and capable armament to screen the battle fleet, defeat the enemy’s cruiser screens, and pursue a fleeing enemy.
However, after the Grand Campaigns, Tiperyn battlecruiser doctrine evolved significantly. The Admiralty Board was also influenced by the generally positive experiences of both the Realm Armada's single Quick Division equipped with battlecruisers and aircraft carriers used in the scouting and torpedo bombing roles. There was also a strategic shift away from continental Artemia and towards the territories to force competition as far away from mainland Tiperyn as possible. The result was the Realm Action Group concept, overseas formations led by battlecruisers to capitalize on their speed and range of action, with armaments and protection comparable to contemporary battleships.
The board called for two battlecruiser lines, with one "heavy" class to lead the 5 Realm Action Groups and one "light" class. The light class was envisioned for destroying enemy cruiser screens and conducting reconnaissance in support of battleships in the North Iapetus and Balearic, as well escorting fleet carriers and harassing enemy aircraft carriers. Meanwhile, the heavy class would essentially be Tiperyn's capital ships forward deployed abroad, akin to fast battleships. The lighter Vaktyst-class led most Realm Action Groups until the Volbloed-class battlecruiser entered service in 1927. The Admiralty Board initially planned to replace the Vaktyst-class completely with 10 of the Volbloed-class. However, the shipbuilding plan was cut in 1929 to only 7 “heavy” battlecruisers in total, with three being the Vaktyst-class. So the Vaktyst persisted until 1940, when the TNV Skarbek was decommissioned.
