ISS Imperator

The ISS Imperator is the flagship of the Terran Empire in 1880.

The Imperator was designed to be much larger than previous ironclads to take advantage of new construction techniques and the availability of larger shipyards. The Imperator currently serves as the flagship of the Terran Navy.

Background
The Terran fleet has been the dominant naval power for centuries in Velravin, but maintaining this naval supremacy has always been expensive for the country. After the proposed 1873 Naval Rearmament Program was defeated as too ambitious, naval architect Alexander Van Kan drew up a plan for a singular ship which would be able to defeat any foreign warship in the near future.

Van Kan's design called for a nearly 14,000 ton ship with 16" guns and a top speed in excess of 12 knots, along with the range to cruise the Quikbyrn Ocean. This combination of factors made the Imperator the most powerful warship afloat when finished in 1879. Her design presented a number of technical problems, however, not least of which was the difficulty of constructing such a ship out of metal.

Service History
Accommodating such a large ship has proved problematic for the Terran Navy. Since launch the ship has had at least two accidents; when entering Southampton during fitting out the ship collided with a passenger liner causing minor damage, and the ship grounded when entering Sharm-al-Sheikh harbor in December 1879. Similar problems have been encountered with the Redactynian Admiral Whittenhall.