HMS Triumphant

A Short History of the HMS Triumphant
As compiled by J.C. Norrington, Professor of Military History, UoE.

The history of the HMS Triumphant, our first and proudest ship, is one filled with accomplishment and daring. It was the Triumphant that showed the universe what Sivadian technology can do, and it affixed the good will of the Sivadian people in the minds of aliens all over.

She was launched in 2837 from the Royal Space Docks, which was the former Sivadian Astronautical Union Shipyard. This was not the docks' first ship, a number of civilian vessels and science craft (including Morrigans 1-6) had been built in the seventeen year history of the docks. However, the building of a space navy was a (poorly guarded) secret, and so the facility was bought out by the government to produce the Triumphant class of ships.

The first ship in the Triumphant class, the Triumphant herself, was laid down in March 2835 and the major structural work was completed by December 2836. A shortage of high-speed optical datalinks for the ship's nervous system caused fianl work to be halted until June of 2837, and she was launched by September.

Her performance as a light cruiser was spectacular, and seven more ships were ordered. Massive expansion of the RSD faciliy was also planned, as she only had three pressurized drydocks and one emergency, unpressurized wetdock available. This work did not stop the HMS's fleet plans, as the HMS Victor was laid down in January 2838, the HMS Conquerer in February of that year, and the HMS Invincible that April.

The crew of the first Sivadian space cruiser was the best that Franklin I's government could find. The hero of the epic battles of Regreb Atoll, Admiral Jospeh Tanner, used his mighty political clout to overcome all allegations of his age and infirm nature to grab the coveted Captain's seat. Pushing seventy, the now-Capt. Tanner underwent extensive dna-binding processes to slow the age creeping over him, and a few cosmetic enhancements to make himself more photogenic and diplomatic.

The first officer of the Triumphant was, also, a career navy woman. Commander Alice McFreedle, Captain of the flagship of the recently downsized Enaj Fleet, was chosen for her level head and calm demeanor under any kind of stress. She brought her favorite signalman (and suspected lover) Lt. Commander Timothy Skowans to be the communications officer.

The rest of the crew, however, were found in places other than the military. The brilliant Prof. Gadwyn Cholix, systems specialist aboard the legendary Franklin module of Morrigan 3, and third man to set foot on Morrigan proper, was chosen as Chief Engineer. He was offered a lucrative contract to leave his post as head of the rapidly growing Engineering Dept. at the University of Enaj, and jumped at the offer.

The looting of the UoE's staff didn't end there, as noted theorists Dr. Janice Klinger-Toddleson and Prof. Franklin Grumber were chosen as xenobiochemist and Xenoarchaeologist, respectively. The Resident Surgeon at Enaj Municipal Hospital and Cholix's friend, Dr. Charles Montgomery Bowensmith, was chosen as chief surgeon, and brought his apprentice and son-in-law Jeffrey Rastings IV along.

Other noted names include Carla Tiggins as reactor/energy specialist, and legendary pilot and second man on Morrigan Lt. Harold Garner, Sivadian Aerospace Corps, as Quartermaster of the ship. The ship's primary mission was two-fold.

First, seek out new forms of life and undiscovered planets for later expiditions. Second, protect Sivadian interests in other systems as best as circumstances allowed. More of the latter than the former occured, as many Sivadian tourists landed themselves in diplomatic trouble and the mighty Triumphant was relegated to the role of VIP limo for the first few years of service.

The Triumphant's first taste of battle came on October 17, 2841, when she sucessfully defeated a pirate attack on Barrister Jonathan Hugley's private yacht, 300,000 kilometers outside of sivadian orbit. The ship was lightly damaged, and spent a week in the drydocks at RSD having the brilliant red'n'gold paint reapplied to her exterior.

A few months after this she was grouped with the HMS Conquerer and HMS Formidable for an expedition of discovery to a newly-discovered system, named Osiris Phi. Upon arrival in the Osiris system, the convoy discovered that Osiris 1, closest planet to the massive star, was Sivad-like in atmosphere and surface composition. All hopes at colonization were crushed, however, when it was found that the aging star Osiris emitted too much radiation for any surface-dwelling creatures to survive. The ships returned home in May, 2842.

The Triumphant was soon outclassed by stronger and more technologically advanced ships, but served well in her many seven years of active service. In 2914 she was decomissioned and renamed the Ouroborous, reclassified as a training ship, and set out into the void with fresh crews of recruits. She was deemed unfit for any kind of service by the Council of Equals Military Oversight Committiee in 2854, and scrapped in 2856.

To date, four ships have borne the name of HMS Triumphant. The second, built in 2923, was a Victorious-class cruiser. This ship was destroyed due to reactor meltdown in 2955. The third was launched in 2961, and was the second of the Audacious-class cruisers. It fell to a pirate ambush near Ungstir in 2984. The fourth is due to be launched in 3003, if budgetary cutbacks don't topple the mighty cuiser before it is launched.

Special thanks to Harvington for creating this history