Military | Faja-Class Cruiser

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The Faja-class Cruiser were a pair of cruisers built for the Baumish Navy near the end of the Imperial War. Envisioned as a modern and more capable successor to the Mazela-class light cruiser, it was primarily designed to retaliate against the fierce Wellsian Navy at a time when Baumes losing warships to the Wellsians at an astonishing rate. However, design and production delays meant that production only started in 1946, nearly a year behind schedule. The first ship was completed the following year and was commissioned into service at the beginning of 1948. Although a total of 6 ships were planned, only 2 ended up being produced.

The second ship, RBS Santiara commenced production in around mid 1947. However, it was repeatedly delayed and eventually canceled as the end of the war drew nearer and the need for a modern cruiser became less practical. Furthermore, a slumped post-war economy and subsequent revolution meant that the ship was largely forgotten and the unfinished hull would remain in storage until 1955, when the communist government decided to complete the ship and along with it, make significant changes to the design. In 1958, the now larger and revised RBS Santiara was completed and was commissioned into service later the same year.

When it entered the Baumish Navy, RBS Santiara was the largest ship in the fleet and remained as the navy's flagship for more than 2 decades. However, the ship was eventually retired in 1979 and sold to Verska in 1982 following extensive upgrades. It was utilized as a fleet flagship by the Verskan Navy until 2003 when it was turned into a training vessel until being retired and later converted into a floating hotel two years later. In 2008, it was used as a rescue vessel and since 2015 it has been used by a non-profit organization for humanitarian aid. At the time it was retired, the ship was one of the very last gun cruisers used by any navy.

Design and description

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In 1944, Baumes was losing to the vastly superior and more prepared Wellsian Navy. The larger and more advanced Wellsian ships were inflicting heavy damages on the Baumish Navy. By 1945, the war between Baumes and the United Partitions was coming to an end, meaning that Baumes' main focus shifted towards Wellsia. As a result, the navy issued a new mandate for a new cruiser that would match its Wellsian counterparts. The design made by Paratejo Construção Naval was eventually chosen. However, production would be subject to multiple delays due to the nature of the project, which was unlike any Baumes had ever made, and the immense pressure to complete the ship.

The first ship, RBS Alanau, was completed by May of 1947 and was commissioned into service with the Baumish Navy on 5 April 1948. The ship's first assignment was to help assist in clearing Wellsian ships attempting to create a blockade around a Baumish-occupied port in a Wellsian island. It managed to help sink a frigate and inflict damage on another frigate. On 28 December, it was tasked to help provide fire support for a nearby assault on a Wellsian fleet near the Vacrusian coast. Although the assault was successful, RBS Alanau sustained heavy damages and shortly thereafter sank.

Construction on RBS Santiara commenced in April of 1947, after nearly half a year of delays. Further delays prevented it from being completed on the mid 1948 deadline and with the war coming closer to an end, construction became slower as it wasn't seen as a priority anymore. As a result, the project was canceled in 1949. After the war, it was largely forgotten about, as Baumes attempted to get its post-war economy back on track. Following the communist takeover, potential plans were made to finish the ship. In 1955, a plan to complete RBS Santiara was approved.

On 5 April 1958, RBS Santiara was commissioned into service. It also coincided with the 10th anniversary of the commissioning of RBS Alanau. The design was largely similar to its sister ship, however, new operating systems and technology were retrofitted into the ship as well. Its displacement was also heavier than the original blueprint design by more than 2,000 tons. The armament and layout of the ship were also modified incorporating lessons learned from the Imperial War. Later on in 1966, anti-ship missiles were added as well, replacing 2 turrets with a missile launcher.

For most of its time with the Baumish Navy, RBS Santiara was seen as a status icon for the navy and was considered "the pride of the Baumish Navy" despite its growing obsolesce. However, it did briefly see service in the Baumish-Kilomirean War of 1979 and helped assist in providing fire support in at least 2 different assaults. However, it was quickly withdrawn from frontline service as it stood no match for the more technologically advanced ships, even though the cruiser had far more firepower. Eventually, the Baumish Navy retired the ship in 1980 as it was deemed too impractical.

In 1981, Baumes opened a tender for the sale of the ship. An interested Verskan Navy decided to purchase the cruiser and a deal was reached the same year, with Baumes agreeing to sell the cruiser at a fairly low price. After extensive electronics and weapon systems retrofitting, was officially commissioned into service as the VNS Uçan Yaprak in 1983. For most of its career in Verska, it was used as a fleet flagship. In 2003, it was retired from active service and converted into a training vessel. However, it would be short-lived as the vessel was retired just two years afterward.

Eventually, the ship was sold to a company and had its weaponry and armament removed. It was then converted into a floating hotel anchored in a bay in the Verskan capital of Gelişmiş Başkent. In 2008, it was briefly used as an ad-hoc rescue vessel when it was underway to a repair dock. Later on, it was rented out by a non-profit organization based in Verska named [ADD CHARITY NAME] for humanitarian aid operations, which it has continued to do so since 2015. Most notably, it helped to transport supplies to [ADD PLACE] in [ADD YEAR] following a devastating earthquake.

Ships

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Operator	Name	Launched	Commissioned	Decommissioned	Status	Notes
Baumish Navy	RBS Alanau	12 May 1948	5 April 1948	28 December 1948	Sunk	Lead ship. Sunk in action by Wellsian torpedo bombers and a battleship on 28 December 1948.
Baumish Navy	RBS Santiara	31 March 1957	5 April 1948	8 October 1980	Retired	Decommissioned and sold to the Verskan Navy as VNS Uçan Yaprak in 1981.
Verskan Navy	VNS Uçan Yaprak			23 October 1983	Retired	Previously RBS Santiara of the Baumish Navy. Decommissioned and converted into a floating hotel.