ENS Kyoshi

ENS Kyoshi at berth at the Grand Fleet Arsenal in Fort Kyoshi on 13 February 2021
History
Earth Kingdom
Name	Kyoshi
Builder	Royal Earth Shipbuilders
Laid down	24 January 2021
Launched	13 February 2021
Commissioned	15 February 2021
Maiden voyage	17 February 2021
Homeport	Fort Kyoshi, Earth Kingdom
Identification	CV-1
Status	In active service
General characteristics
Type	Aircraft carrier
Displacement	6,522 blocks (full load)
Length	41 blocks
Beam	21 blocks
Height	21.5 blocks
Draught	4.5 blocks
Speed	4 blocks/second
Range	Unlimited distance
Complement	Ship's company: 500 Air wing: 35
Armament	14x heavy anti-aircraft repeater cannon (576 rounds, 240 rpm) 1x torpedo fast attack craft
Armour	Stoneclad
Aircraft carried	6 F-1/NG Bosco Naval Interdictors

ENS Kyoshi (CV-1) is a stoneclad aircraft carrier in service with the Earth Navy that serves as the flagship of the Home Fleet. Commissioned in 2021, the ship is the first aircraft-carrying vessel in the world and one of two such craft in existence (with the battlecruiser ENS Freeport Bay).

Commissioned in February 2021, Kyoshi has served with the Earth Navy in every one of the nation's military operations, performing ground attack missions during the Unification of the Earth Kingdom and the Mexican War. As the only dedicated aircraft carrier in the world, Kyoshi projects the Earth Kingdom's military power beyond its borders, serves as a mobile airbase to extend the range of the Earth Navy's aviation forces, and brings long-range air-to-ship capabilities to the Earth Kingdom's naval forces.

Kyoshi carries a complement of six F-1/NG Bosco Naval Interdictor multirole combat aircraft, which possess anti-air, anti-ship and ground attack capabilities. The ship also has an array of 14 rapid-fire anti-aircraft cannons for air defence, but otherwise has no ship-to-ship weaponry such as torpedoes. Kyoshi rather relies on its carrier battle group of 1-3 Omashu-class destroyers and Viceroy-class frigates to engage in short-range combat with other surface vessels. Weighing in with a full load at 6,522 blocks, Kyoshi is the largest seagoing craft in the world.

Development

The potential for a ship capable of launching and retrieving airskiffs was realized early in the history of shipbuilding, with Vidcom suggesting the concept and working on the development of a practical design. The first steps towards the construction of an aircraft carrier were initiated by Cassland, which laid down the keel of a ship intended to carry airskiffs in December 2020 at Port Cass with technical assistance from Vidcom. While a wooden hull was completed by January 2021, the lack of practical armed airskiff designs, difficulties in developing a functional launch/retrieval mechanism, and a lack of political interest conspired to ensure that the unnamed vessel never successfully implemented aircraft-carrying capabilities. The project was ultimately cancelled and the incomplete hull of the ship was eventually sold to the Free Territory, where it was broken up for scrap.

However, the Casslandian project attracted the attention of Earth King Ainin, who announced in December 2020 that the Earth Kingdom intended to successfully develop and build an armoured aircraft-carrying warship. Work advanced quickly on an armed airskiff design, culminating in the successful January 2021 test of the XF-1 Airskiff in the mountains to the north of the Air Nation. After the development of a practical armed airskiff, Earth Kingdom engineers created a piston-driven aircraft launch mechanism that would allow airskiffs to operate from ships. Shortly after, the Earth King authorized the construction of an aircraft carrier, which was built in record time at the Grand Arsenal of the Earth Navy at Fort Kyoshi.

As a stoneclad, the ship was built with a belt of stone armour and an armoured flight deck to deflect the impact of explosive weapons. Six F-1/N Bosco Naval Interdictors were built along with the ship to serve as its air complement. Kyoshi was completed on 13 February 2021 and undertook its maiden voyage that same week, calling at ports in the AAPC, Cassland, the Free Territory and the Water Tribe.

On 3 July 2021, after performance issues in combat, the six F-1/N fighters of the Kyoshi were upgraded to the F-1/NG standard.

Operational history

In February 2021, Kyoshi undertook a solo maiden cruise of ports in the Western, Central and Southern Seas to enhance goodwill and demonstrate the nascent naval abilities of the Earth Kingdom.

On 3 July 2021, Kyoshi undertook its first operational deployment when it sailed to the Bay of Ice in the northwest of the Earth Kingdom to launch airstrikes against Acacian League positions during the Unification of the Earth Kingdom. Three F-1/N fighters from Kyoshi struck an Acacian fortification blocking the road to Omashu in support of a ground offensive by Earth Army heavy cavalry. One F-1/N fighter crashed on the deck while returning from the mission due to pilot error and poor ammunition handling practices, but was later repaired and brought back into service. The deck was modified the same month to prevent a reoccurrence of the accident.

After returning from the Bay of Ice, Kyoshi was posted off the western coast of Fryslân to maintain an Earth Kingdom military presence, protect Grand Canal shipping, and prevent a spillover of the Frisian Civil War.

Upon the outbreak of the Mexican War on 19 July 2021, the ship was recalled from its post and deployed to Freeport to respond to a possible sortie of Mexican ships through the Northern Canal. During the major coalition offensive against Mexico on 31 July 2021, aircraft from Kyoshi flew in support of Earth Kingdom and Free Territory operations. Three F-1/NGs operating from the carrier struck the Mexican fort in Freeport Bay, clearing the way for an amphibious assault to seize the island. One F-1/NG was shot down by ground anti-air defences during the raid with the crew lost.

In September 2021, Kyoshi undertook a second goodwill tour around the region, visiting the AAPC, Cassland and the Water Tribe.

In January 2022, Kyoshi was deployed to Freeport Bay for a gunnery and flight drill near the mouth of the Northern Canal.

On 28 March 2022, in response to air combat near the Earth Kingdom's southern border with Fryslân during the Frisian War, Kyoshi was deployed off the Grand Canal to provide air cover to Earth Kingdom border security forces.

Carrier battle group

Kyoshi is part of the main battle squadron of the Earth Navy's Home Fleet, which is responsible for naval operations in the Central and Southern Seas. Because Kyoshi lacks offensive weaponry for ship-to-ship combat, it is typically escorted by a carrier battle group. The size and composition of the battle group varies based on operational requirements and expected risks, but typically includes 1-3 frigates and destroyers.

Two warships are officially assigned at all times to Kyoshi in a task force codenamed Task Force Prime. In wartime, the ships of the task force are expected to assemble and serve as the core of the aircraft carrier's battle group, with additional ships added and removed as dictated by necessity. As of 10 April 2022, the ships assigned to Task Force Prime are:

• ENS Gaoling (DD-3), an Omashu-class destroyer
• ENS Viceroy (FF-1), a Viceroy-class frigate

Two naval aviation units are also assigned to Kyoshi and provide aircraft and aircrew for fighter operations. The squadrons both operate the F-1/NG Bosco Naval Interdictor, a multirole combat aircraft that is capable of delivering torpedoes, anti-aircraft charges and bombs. The two squadrons are:

• No. 1 Naval (Fighter) Air Squadron (operating 3 F-1/NGs)
• No. 2 Naval (Fighter) Air Squadron (operating 3 F-1/NGs)

See also

• Earth Navy
• ENS Freeport Bay, the flagship of the Earth Navy's Northern Fleet and the only other aircraft-carrying ship in the world