Following the Total Triumph victories on Cloneworld and New Rome the HCS Navy was considered obsolete and unneeded and was run down. Starved of funding the HCSN in the end became a mere Marine Division of the army and all major surface ships were withdrawn. However the rise of piracy on Cloneworld and Aquaworld and the difficulty in defending the northern flank on Cloneworld has forced a change of policy.
The HCS are now looking at building a new navy. Its known that all former HCSN personnel who are still in the armed forces have been contacted and former HCSN F-40N (navalised F-40As) have been sourced across the empire (though a couple on Austini 55 are obviously unavailable at the moment). Funding has also been secured for development of a F-45N.
Its thought the HCS will build their new navy one fleet at a time. The first being for Cloneworld. It has been suggested that the fleet will consist of one aircraft carrier (carrying around 40 F-45Ns and F-40Ns) plus helicopters, 4 destroyers, 4-6 frigates, 4 attack submarines, 3 fleet supply ships and 1 oiler. Minesweepers already are available. The cost of this fleet has been put at 5.6 billion zarks, with a further 3.5 billion for a new Naval Academy and 2 ports on Cloneworld.
The cost is obviously the major sticking point but the Clone economy has improved a great deal over the last couple of years and funding may be available. A second fleet would be built for Aquaworld later on with a third fleet designed for mobility. A number of heavy space transports would be outfitted with dry docks for transporting the vessels.
