Royal Aztec Navy Construction Doctrine 1930

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In the early 1900s the Royal Aztec Navy was focused on regional defense and power projection.  This resulted in the fleet that was ultimately wiped out in the Caicos War.  Due to the urgency of conflict with great powers making moves in the Aztec Sphere, defined as the Caribbean/Gulf to the East and the Pacific Littorals to the West, a Jeune Ecole style fleet consisting of light and fast units was developed as a 'raiding and contestation' fleet to threaten any opposition's large units with a multiplicity of threats against their supply lines and sea lanes as well as a major torpedo threat based around GTBs and MTBs operating primarily at night.  This fleet development lasted until the late teens/early twenties.

With the Roman threat abated through diplomacy, regional power projection and dominance began to be asserted as the primary function of the RAN.  Larger cruisers, powerful destroyers, and proper battleships were the hallmarks.  The Mayan war vindicated the gun-based armaments of the larger cruisers, while Destroyers and lighter cruisers suffered cruelly attempting to get into torpedo range in daylight.  Despite their relatively primitive nature, air threats from ground based aircraft proved to be more effective against larger Mayan ships than GTBs which were generally unable to have any discernible effect.  Despite their large cost, cruisers with significant (100mm or greater) armor belts and firepower proved to be the ideal screening units, while lighter cruisers suffered in exchanges.  The light battlecruiser Razees with 11in guns proved useful and generally did not suffer greatly in the cruiser fights but the low number of guns and low rate of fire meant that they were not very effective.  The Battle lines did not clash as the screening fight ended the battle before the battle lines could close to contact.  However, assessment of the effects of Mayan capital ships would indicate that the Monarch class would acquit itself admirably in any direct contest with the Mayan battle line.  Submarine threats were useful but the lack of numbers and lack of significant range in the active submarine fleet limited their utility.

Concluding from this experience, the RAN determined that aviation was more integral to the development of asymmetric threats than fast torpedo boats, as aircraft were more responsive and could engage targets more quickly.  The cost of the larger and more powerful cruisers was justified because they could survive engagements while rapidly dealing damage.  A 9in gun was sufficient for the screening fight and new Razees would be built with that gun.  The 180mm gun was proven to be an effective weapon.  And Destroyers should be as powerful as possible with large and powerful guns to rapidly sink the enemy screening forces.  Due to the primary threat, Mayans, extensively employing anti-torpedo defenses, torpedoes were judged to be marginally effective and while they should be mounted should not be relied upon as a primary weapon system as they were on the GTBs.

Moving into the late 20s and 1930, the RAN is a fleet capable of regional power projection as well as colonial policing duties with limited ability to deploy task forces in support of allies abroad.  With closer ties to Parthia, the slower battle line would have a longer lease as it would have a counterpart in any deployed operations in support of Parthia.  Fast Capital ships able to run down and destroy enemy forces at sea, backed by powerful cruisers would be the primary fleet elements, with a growing Carrier strength to take the role of scouting and asymmetric threat from the GTBs in advance of their eventual retirement.  A large mixed submarine fleet of coastal submarines for duties in the shallow and narrow waters of the outer gates, with larger submarines for duties in the Caribbean, Atlantic, and Pacific would be developed.

Due to financial constraints, a fleet of nothing but powerful units is not possible.  So a 'High/Low' mix of units along the following axes will be pursued:

Capital Ships:  Large and Fast Battleships with 400-450mm guns as the high, with the potential for smaller battleships if desired, though not planned, existing slow battle line units will be maintained and upgraded for the foreseeable future.

Carriers:  Large 'strike carriers' capable of sustained operations at a high tempo including CAP and Strike backed by smaller 'Escort' carrier types that can be built cheaply and quickly and provide scout and CAP for fleet elements.\

Cruisers:  Powerful Frigates with 180mm guns and Razees with 9in guns as the high, backed by smaller corvettes in larger numbers capable of escorting forces and providing presence missions outside of the fleet screen roles.  General Purpose aviation cruisers would also be built for colonial purposes and providing limited scouting and CAP over small cruiser task forces in support of existing colonial cruisers which are considered second-line units.

Destroyers:  Powerful 'fleet destroyers' with large gun armaments designed around sinking destroyers and light units by gunfire with torpedoes as a secondary armament, backed by smaller general purpose 'escort destroyers' designed around AAW, ASW, and a more generalist surface combat capability.

OPVs:  The previous concept of sloops, minesweepers, or small destroyers would be streamlined into a duty of Offshore Patrol Vessel, which would be a small escort designed with a long range and good seakeeping for patrol purposes, a potent ASW capability, limited but noted AAW capability, a brace of torpedoes for a threat against larger surface combatants, and defensive mine warfare capability.  No new minelayers would be built for now as cruiser production was needed on fleet and escort units and costs would be saved by using existing small minelayers and local boats for harbor defense minebelts, with no intentions of laying significant offensive minefields.

Auxiliaries:  Existing Auxiliaries of the Sojourner class would be maintained and upgraded for use alongside the new Tuna class of large auxiliary for maintaining large task forces at sea.  Existing Auxiliaries of the Whale class would be maintained and upgrade alongside a new class of small auxiliary for maintaining colonial and patrol task forces.

Non-Carrier Aviation:  Significant investment in improved fixed wing aviation, remaining zeppelins to be relegated to second line duties in the generally uncontested Pacific region, with both shore based installations and the construction of a limited number of Island-class seaplane tenders for surging additional support to hotspots.