OPTEVFOR JDF-1 [Modern Day][Naval][Ship-Based]

[Queen Raidne]

OPTEVFOR Joint Divisional Fleet 1

THE OOC IS UP!


(Operational Test and Evaluation Force)

In the interest of joint divisional cooperation within OPTEVFOR, JDF-1 was recently formed to be a total-fleet testbed for ship designs, fleet composition, and tactics for the United States Navy. New ideas, eccentric captains, odd ship designs, and unusual missions are par for the course. So are equipment failures, poor interpersonal and intership discipline, crew nobody else wants, really bad plans, and utterly banal missions. Everything from untested submarines to not-quite-crazy-enough to discharge captains to combat airship test platforms are now quietly shoved into this fleet and left to hang themselves.

---

This is a ship-based fleet RP. You will roleplay an entire ship in conjunction with the other players (and their ships) to acheive the mission objectives given to you by COMOPTEVFOR. There's a twist, though - your ships are experimental. They should (mostly) be based on real-life or concept ships, as that makes it much easier to fill out the dimensions, speed, and other fields on the ship sheet. Additionally, the RP is set in the modern day, real-life Earth, so no hyperlaser mecha ships that transform into crabs and can walk on land. Acceptable breaks from reality might include an anti-missile laser ship, though, as the military (as far as I know) is at least testing that technology. As a general rule, if a modern military is testing, using, or used the technology, then it's probably okay. If you'd like to make an airship, that's fine, too - but I'll only allow one airship in the RP (first come first serve).

Combat:
What do you guys think? Numbers, RP, or combination? I could go in any direction here.

Some ideas that I had

(Feel free to steal these)
Perfectly normal ship; crazy captain
Drone warfare carrier airship
Electronic warfare command and control airship
Slightly faster and more maneuverable, but significantly less well-armored cruiser
Stealth ships
Anti-missile sea-based laser system
Perfectly normal actual US Navy ship, no frills

Ship Sheet

|Ship Name:
|Ship Class:
|Ship Hull Classification Symbol: (See Here, or Here for airships. Make one up if you can't find it.)
|Ship Role:
|Armament:
|Dimensions: (Length x Beam x Height; Draft)
|Speed:
|Crew:
|Motto:
|Other:

|Captain's Name:
+Appearance:
+Personality:
+Bio:

|Name:
+Rank:
+Role:
+Appearance:
+Personality:
+Bio:

Example

(okay, I skimped out on the crew part)

|Ship Name: USS John F. Kennedy
|Ship Class: John F. Kennedy
|Ship Hull Classification Symbol: CV-67
|Ship Type: Aircraft Carrier
|Armament: 2 × GMLS Mk 29 launchers for Sea Sparrow missiles; 2 × Phalanx CIWS; 2 × RAM launchers; 80 x aircraft
|Dimensions: 1052ft (length) x 252 ft (beam) x 192 ft (height); 32 ft draft
|Speed: 34 knots (63 km/h)
|Crew: 3,297
|Motto: Date Nolite Rogare (Latin for "Give, be unwilling to ask")
|Other: Modified for strictly drone warfare; no manned aircraft

|Captain's Name: John Phillips
+Appearance:

Picture

+Personality: Entirely too friendly
+Bio: A former tugboat captain, Captain Philips was promoted via clerical error. It was a happy accident, however, as he's done such a remarkable job that the Navy kept him as captain (although they also quietly reassigned him to Upsilon task force and demoted the clerk that made the error).

|Name: Ron Swanson
+Rank: Commander
+Role: XO
+Appearance: Brown hair, chiseled face, mustache, thick body (from muscle, not fat), though not very sculpted
+Personality: He's a manly man, and won't hesitate to be direct and to the point
+Bio: At some point he realized that he didn't feel like enough of a man, so he joined the Navy.

Anybody interested? I'm also open to constructive criticism and questions.

[Wernher]

Making a sub

|Ship Name:
|Ship Class:
|Ship Hull Classification Symbol: (See Here, or Here for airships. Make one up if you can't find it.)
|Ship Role:
|Armament:
|Dimensions: (Length x Beam x Height; Draft)
|Speed:
|Crew:
|Motto:
|Other:

|Captain's Name:
+Appearance:
+Personality:
+Bio:

|Name:
+Rank:
+Role:
+Appearance:
+Personality:
+Bio:

[GreenGoat]

Well, this is interesting. I'm all for this one

[TheEvanCat]

As long as I can get up to clean at four in the morning (realism!) then it lucks good.

[Wernher]

Ok, so I went to work and 8h later I am back with a good thought about this.

First, seeing how we would be all allies I think we can go with RP and forget about the number and a 'System' in general.

Second, I have reserves about this in the fact that: Who would we fight? Or what, seeing as how the US is, lets say it honestly, is next to invincible. The Russian navy is horribly outdated while the Chinese is simply too small to compete. I'm not even American but I can only say that the US navy alone could easily face all others together since in this age of nuclear warfare, it is the only country that bothers with ships for power projection, even mighty britain forgot about the fleets because one could be anihilated with a single nuke during the cold war.

We can bend reality, add aliens, I just want to see your answer to this problem. CS is: In progress.

[GreenGoat]

Monsters. I vote for monster enemies. And godzilla. Or the fleet passed the Bermuda triangle and we end up somewhere in some alien place.

[Wernher]

|Ship Name: USS Leviathan
|Ship Class: Leviathan Class Ballistic Submarine
|Ship Hull Classification Symbol: SSBN-X
|Ship Role: Nuclear Ballistic Strategic Submarine Reconverted in Attack Submarine
|Armament:
-30 Cruise Missile Tube
-10 Torpedo Tubes (8 front, 2 back)
-2 SAM

|Dimensions:
-Length: 774 ft
-Beam: 155 ft
-Draught: 82 ft

|Speed:
-Surface: 48 km/h
-Submerged: 57 km/h

|Crew:
-324

|Motto:
-Secundo concludit ad omnia finem. (A second end to all things.)

|Other:
It was designed as to compete with the Soviet Typhoon's title of biggest monster under the sea, obviously the USA needed a bigger, badder, and more destructive monster with 30 MIRV ballistic missile that could destroy all the major cities in China and the USSR all by itself. Even after the end of the cold war it was built and has since then been pointed at as 'The navy trying to have the biggest dick again.' by other branches of the army. It can remain submerged indefinitely and the admirals have used it to submerge the career of those it didn't like but couldn't just throw out of the navy, so you get a crew made of either hyper competent officers that were too ambitious for their own good or crew members that were good at their job, but had personality quirks that simply pissed of their commanding officers. It is notable that this ship was made to survive without contact from the outside world after what would have been the end of the world for years at the time so its facilities are extremely well supplied with amenities other ships wouldn't have as to starve off boredom and madness, so life in this submarine is akin to one in a small village more than it is in the army.

Fun fact: The crew spent the last 2 years away from civilization and since the captain himself isn't too keen on the military decorum, this ship is considered a mad house by outside seamen because there is a tendency to see things like the Captain on the bridge wearing nothing but a shirt and underwear while drinking homemade booze in a coffee cup with "#1 World Destroyer" on it. Everyone calls each other by first names and rank is basically only something people pull out when they're tired of pranks or some bullshit or another.

|Captain's Name: Francis "Whatever" MacGregor

+Personality: Kind of a loner that minds his own business, the fact that he was in command made him a captain what really doesn't care about what his crew does as long as it more or less is able to perform its duty. It is also used to only have the order 'Go there and patrol for 9 months' and then never hear from admiralty again, meaning he doesn't work well with others, it's even worst when said 'others' actually order him around.
+Bio: Submariner for life, he was competent enough and gained rank with time because in an era where nothing ever happens to a SSBN, he was simply 'Slightly better' than the other choice. His career kind of went downhill when he gained head of his own submarine and his habit of minding his own business which always made him appreciated, transformed his sub in a circus with absolutely no trace of discipline. They couldn't fire him since his crew actually always went through the evaluations, although always barely, but his existence was still shaming the navy. It was one Admiral that had the brilliant idea to promote him as Captain of the Leviathan. It was an early promotion he probably didn't deserve yet and it was a prestigious one, both factor made it so it would take a very long time, if he ever actually could, get promoted again. Plus, the submarine had such ridiculous operation time they would never see him or the other jackasses he would command, before 2 years and then 2 years again and so forth.

If the admirals didn't want to see him then fine, he didn't want to see them either. He always used the vagueness of the order 'Patrol the Pacific' to his advantage since no one ever bothered or cared to send something more detailed. Shore leave on a deserted island, hockey game on the ice of the arctic, 'Infiltration training' by going gambling for a night in Thailand or fishing for days on end while the crew worked on their tan. He dreamed of becoming a marine biologist when he was young but joined the navy as an alternative when he found the hard truth that he had no money to study.

|Name: Sarah 'Team Mom' Mullins
+Rank: Commander
+Role: XO

+Personality: 'Team Mom' would be like it, she makes up what Francis lacks in people skill and makes sure everyone follows the orders he mutters barely audibly between 2 sips of coffee. Shares a cabin with Francis and is known to also share his bed. Welcoming, positive, always sees the best in people and encourage them to do their best as well.
+Bio: How someone like her, actually mentally balanced, without an ego the size of a mountain or an obvious character flaw would have ended on this submarine is anyone's guess, but the truth is when Francis got his promotion he didn't know at first that he would head a circus freak show and thus selected someone that looked competant among the list of proposed seconds. Even today Francis keeps apologizing to her about how he, without knowing it, torpedoed her career by selecting her to join him in his crew of dead end failures. Still, she takes it rather well, 'The navy was getting boring anyways' she says.

|Name: Joshua "The Man" Chrysler
+Rank: Lieutenant
+Role: Main Pilot

+Personality: He's the definition of sleazy and in general is simply only looking for entertainment and to make money, still, he's very friendly and kind of a people's person.
+Bio: The guy on the ship that always had a good ounce of pot to sell to the crew but that could never be caught even if every one knew it was him, his record being too damn good to fire him for whatever other reason. He was thus transferred on the Leviathan where Francis found that Josh was really good for disarming fights and creating a nice environment for people to be in while still keeping control of the hundreds of crewmen. He has a nice little 'Magical Garden' in about 4 shoe boxes to supply himself and others with 'The good Stuff', Francis turns a blind eye on this and calls it a 'Necessary Evil' to keep the crew calm and help them relax.

|Name: Erika 'System Admin' Sutherland
+Rank: Lieutenant
+Role: Navy intelligence analyst.

+Personality: Ridiculously self confident and with an ego the submarine in all its size can barely contain, she is a nerd to the core and speeds all days in her cabin geeking on video games since the time she actually had anything to do relating to her work other than to send a schedule to Francis about when it's ok to surface the ship without being observed by satellites must total to less than 6 hours.
+Bio: A brilliant analyst that could break any code, she was a miracle by herself and rose rank through Navy intelligence at ridiculous speed, what caused her downfall was the fact that she never stopped bragging about her own greatness and about how it was only a matter of time until she became head of Intelligence. The current Head of intelligence didn't like that and thus declared that Erika needed some 'Field Experience'. While Erika found this annoying she didn't think much of it at first, until she arrived on the submarine and Francis told her bluntly the truth: The Leviathan is a dead end, your career stops the moment you enter it because nothing ever happens and you are there for a very, very long time. Enjoy spending 2 years without seeing the sunlight. This had the effect of a cold shower and anger slowly made place to resignation, her perfect manners, schedule, dressing and her idea of always looking for a challenge slowly eroding. There was no challenge to be had and whatever effort she putted on being above the slobs on this ship served no purpose, she had fucked up.

[Wernher]

GreenGoat said
Monsters. I vote for monster enemies. And godzilla. Or the fleet passed the Bermuda triangle and we end up somewhere in some alien place.

I'm not sure about the first, very Pacific Rim like. I'd like to see more options. The second could be fun, but the thing is we have the munition problem. You have 30 cruise missiles? Seems like a lot, but if you can't replace them it may not amount to much, so how do we deal with the whole logistics thing? Although THAT could be fun in itself, go to somewhere unknown, at first destroy everything, then oh shit, ammunitions, when oh shit, food and fuel (Nuclear submarine guys laugh at everyone else since they can survive for 2 years quite comfortably)

[GreenGoat]

Well, we can have alien fleets, Atlantean resurfaced fleet of pew pewiness, super secret organisation which suddenly fielded its extreme navel might, to being betrayed and shot at because of some fault or other.

[Queen Raidne]

There's a WWIII option involving China and, I don't know, some other countries (that obviously needs more research on my part, but you get the idea).
There's a rogue elements of the US Navy/attempted coup option.
If you really want to Godzilla-abominations are possible, but I think human (or at least intelligent) opponents in naval vessels of their own would be much more fun.
I also prefer to keep this on Earth, rather than use teleportation-Bermuda Triangle shenanigans, but again, if you really want to, we can do that.

My favorite, though, is a business-as-usual scenario, with anti-piracy missions, maybe an encounter with some rogue Chinese forces (or something), military exercises against more conventional fleets to prove the worth of the program (and therefore your jobs), disaster relief first response, being deployed to assist an actual "professional" carrier battle group, "cooperation" with USSOCOM's mysterious orders (and being turned into glorified transport ships for said special forces, under strict orders not to interfere as things seem to go increasingly wrong with their mission [as best you can tell what their mission actually is]), and blatant communication snafu's. I think a fun angle would be the contrast between JDF-1 and the conventional Navy and armed forces, with hilarity ensueing.

Though if you want to do crazy alien monster shenanigans, we can. It would likely mean more opportunites to fire your weapons. At least, more opportunites to fire them without getting in trouble.

---

On another note, I like your sub, Wernher. The crew especially fills my heart with warmth and fuzziness.

[TheEvanCat]

Antipiracy is fun since you get to capture them, clothe them, feed them, find no evidence of piracy (since they dump weapons overboard to destroy evidence for persecution ), and let them off with a warning. And then you use your VBSS team to give toothpaste to dhow captains.

[Gunther]

|Ship Name: USS America
|Ship Class: America Class
|Ship Hull Classification Symbol: LHA-6
|Ship Role: Amphibious Assault Ship
|Armament: 2x Rolling Airframe Missile Launchers IR Homing SAM v. small aircraft and missiles
2x Evolved Sea Sparrow Missile Launchers SAM v. small aircraft and missiles
2x Phalanx Close In Weapon Systems (CIWS) 20mm Gatling Gun v. Anti-Ship Missiles
7x dual .50 caliber Machine guns

|Aircraft:
6x F-35B Lightning II
12x MV-22B Osprey
4x CH-53K Super Stallion Helicopters
6x AH-1Z Viper
2x MH-60S Knighthawk

|Well Deck:
15x Expeditionary Assault Vehicle
4x M1A2SEP Main BattleTanks
6x M777 155mm Howitzers
8x M252 81mm Mortar
8x BGM-71 TOW launcher
8x FGM-148 Javelin AT Missile
4x Tractor, Rubber Tire, Articlated Steering
2x TX51-19M Rough Terrain Forklift
3x D7 Bulldozers
31x Medium Tactical Vehicle Replacement truck MTVR 7 Ton truck
4x Mk48 Logistics Vehicle System (LVS)
63x HMMWVs
4x Landing Craft Air Cushion (LCAC)

|Dimensions: Length: 844 feet (257.3 meters)
Beam: 106 feet (32.3 meters)
Draft: 26 feet (7.9 meters)
Displacement: 44,971 long tons (45,693 t) full load
|Speed: 20+ knots (37+ km/h)
|Crew: 65 officers, 994 enlisted
1,687 Marines (25th Marine Expeditionary Unit)
|Motto: "Bello Vel Pace Paratus"
("Ready for War or Peace")
|Other: The F35s are configured as Unmanned Combat Air Vehicles (UCAV). The remainder of the VTOL and rotary wing aircraft are man operated.

|Captain's Name: Captain Brian Krol
+Appearance: Captain Krol is 5' 11" tall and weighs 190 Lbs. He is 46 years of age, caucasian, blue eyes and brown hair. Captain Krol is in decent physical condition
+Personality: Captain Krol is a type A personality, always on the edge of his seat, very active and into everything. He does not sit still for very long and gets about 4 - 6 hours of sleep a night.
+Bio: Captain Krol graduated from the US Naval Academy at Annapolis ranked 25 out of a class of a class of 1,023. Brian Krol held the title of Captain of Midshipmen during his senior year at Annapolis.

Captain Krol was trained in flying the UH-1N Iroquois helicopter and served aboard the USS Iwo Jima (LPH-2) as a pilot. Following his initial tour of duty aboard the Iwo Jima, Brian Krol was promoted to Lieutenant (Junior Grade) and attended surface warfare school. He was qualified in both surface and air operations. He was also qualified in the CH-46 Sea Knight. As a LtJG, he served as a pilot aboard the USS Wasp. He remained with this ship until promotion to (Full) Lieutenant. His next tour of duty was with the helicopter flight training school at Pensacola, FL as an instructor. He remained their long enough to be promoted to Lieutenant Commander. His next tour of duty was as Weapons systems officer aboard the USS John Paul Jones (DDG-53), the USS Bonhomme Richard, and USS Boxer. After nine years as a Lieutenant Commander, Brian Krol was promoted to Commander and given command of USS McCampbell (DDG-85). He then moved on to take the XO position aboard the USS Wasp and was finally given command of the USS America with the coming of his most recent promotion to Captain.

Captain Brian Krol was born in Springfield, Massachusetts where he excelled at sports and academics at Cathedral High school. He was appointed to the USN Academy by Senator Edward "Teddy" Kennedy. Captain Krol's father served as Mayor of Springfield and volunteered his time to the Democratic Party.

|Name: David Walker
+Rank: Commander
+Role: Executive Officer
+Appearance: Commander Walker, aged 43 stands 5' 8" tall and weighs 168 Lbs. His head is shaved clean and he wears no facial hair. He has brown eyes and a two inch scar adorns the corner of his right eye.
+Personality: Commander Walker is much more subdued than his commander, one may call him laid back. He is focused on his duties, but tends to go about them in a more relaxed mode.
+Bio: David Walker is from Springfield, Illinois. His father worked for the Norfolk Southern Railway as a Brakeman, Conductor, then yard master of Decatur Yard. Eventually, David Walker's father, David Sr. was made Operations Manager of Norfolk Southern Railway in Norfolk, VA. By this time, David Jr. was in the Navy.

As a Midshipman, David Walker held the position of Platoon Commander and graduated 252nd out of a class of 1098 students. He trained and qualified in Surface Warfare and was posted as Division leader aboard the USS John F. Kennedy. After being promoted to Lieutenant Junior Grade, Walker was reassigned to the USS Ticonderoga and worked in the Combat Information Center (CIC). After being promote to Lieutenant, Walker was assigned to the USS Arkansas as Surface Warfare Officer. Following his promotion to Lieutenant Commander, he was given command of USS Samuel B. Roberts (FFG-58) which lasted three years. His next assignment was at the US Naval War College at Newport, Rhode Island. Following a three year stint at the War College, David Walker was promoted to Commander and then assigned to the USS America.

Commander David Walker was captain of the boxing team at Annapolis and enjoys boxing. He hosts a boxing competition aboard ship, time permitting. He takes a few sailors under his wing and trains them for upcoming fights.

|Name: Jack Davies
+Rank: Command Master Chief
+Role: Master Chief Petty Officer
+Appearance: Jack Davies, aged 54 is 5' 11" tall and weighs 198 Lbs. He keep his head shaved and wears a black and gray goatee, neatly trimmed. Command Master Chief Davies is missing the pinkie finger off his left hand.
+Personality: This is a no-nonsense NCO. He demands efficiency from the sailors placed in his care and insures those sailors are well taken care of. He demands respect and insures discipline amongst all members of the crew, including the Ensigns and Lt JG's. Afterall, the Captain may be in command, but it is the Command Master Chief who runs the ship.
+Bio: Jack Davies was born and raised in Springfield, Kentucky. His father, Richard Davies served in the US Navy during the Korean War and worked as a Police Officer in Springfield, KY for 35 years. Richard Davies was tough on his son, but treated him fairly. He taught his son discipline at an early age as well as the burden of responsibility. One of the things his fatehr enjoyed doing with Jack Davies was sailing on one of the many lakes around Lexington, KY. They spent many summer weekends hoisting the mainsail and tacking against the wind. Jack took to sailing like a fish to water. He was a natural and enjoys sailing today, even though he spends most of his time aboard a nuclear powered Amphibious Assault Ship.

Jack Davies enlisted in the Navy right out of High School as special warfare combatant-craft crewmen (SWCC). He was initially assigned to Special Boat Team 22 in Mississippi. Due to their proximity to drug trafficking routes, Jack Davies SBT22 have helped to insert and extract Navy Special Warfare (SEAL) Teams on numerous occasions in the jungles of central and South America. Jack came up the ranks the normal rate and remained with the boats for about ten years until he transitioned to Boatswain as a Petty Officer 2nd Class. Part of his reason for changing jobs had to do with an injury he received to his left hand during a SEAL extraction in Honduras.

As a Boatswain, Jack found that he needed to be familiar with all aspects of a ship. He was initially assigned to the USS Knox (DE-1052/FF-1052), an older Destroyer Escort/Frigate. He became very familiar with this ship due to its size, but then when he was promoted to Petty Officer First Class, he was transferred to USS San Jacinto (CG-56), a Ticonderoga-class cruiser. He became comfortable with this ship, spending five years assigned to its crew. Eventually, Jack Davies was promoted to Chief Petty Officer and was firmly qualified as a Boatswain and Surface Warfare Specialist. As a CPO, he spent the next two years training new recruits at Recruit Training Command in Great Lakes, IL. After two years on the trail, Jack Davies was assigned as Division Chief aboard the USS John F. Kennedy. He spent the next four years aboard the JFK and was promoted to Senior Chief Petty Officer and assigned as Command Master Chief aboard the USS Rodney M. Davis (FFG-60), an Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigate. He spent the next six years as Command Master Chief before being promoted to Master Chief Petty Officer and being assigned to the USS America. He has been Command Master Chief of the Amphib Asslt ship for the past three years.

Jack Davies enjoys reading and writing science fiction and fantasy. He is a stickler for the regulations, but when he is not kicking sailors in the ass or embarrassing ensigns, he is reading science fiction novels. They are candy to him.

|Name: Darren Savage
+Rank: Commander
+Role: Air Operations Officer
+Appearance:
+Personality:
+Bio:

|Name: Robert Higginbottom
+Rank: Colonel
+Role: Commander 24th MEU
+Appearance:
+Personality:
+Bio:

|Name: Gilberto Falcon
+Rank: Lieutenant Commander
+Role: Maintenance Officer
+Appearance:
+Personality:
+Bio:

[Queen Raidne]

Since we have four interested people (which was an arbitrary minimum that I had in my head), I'm going to make an OOC for this RP. Expect it to be up in one or two days. I'll even PM you, just so you won't miss it.

[Gunther]

Added the XO and the Command Master Chief, a boxer and a Sci-Fi junkie.

[Queen Raidne]

The OOC is up!