Ardent class destroyer
| Ardent-class destroyer | |
|---|---|
 Outboard profile of DDG-11 Ardent | |
| Class overview | |
| Name | Ardent-class destroyer |
| Builders | Sun Shipbuilding Corporation, North Point |
| Operators |
 North Point North Point Sea Command |
| Class before | Chevalier-class |
| Class after | Association-class |
| Planned | 7 |
| Built | 8 |
| Active | 8 |
| General Characteristics | |
| Type | Guided missile destroyer (DDG) |
| Displacement |
5,800 tons (standard) 6,390 tons (full load) |
| Length | 146.7 metres (481 ft) |
| Beam | 18.6 metres (61 ft) |
| Draught | 4.75 metres (15.6 ft) |
| Propulsion |
CODOG 2 x MacMillan LM2500 gas turbines 2 x Caterpillar 3600 diesel engines 2 shafts, 2 screws Maneuvering unit |
| Speed | 28.5 knots (52.8 km/h) |
| Range | 4,500 nautical miles (8,300 km) at 18 knots (33 km/h) |
| Complement | 48 officers, 202 enlisted |
| Sensors |
Wentworth SPY-1D 3-D multifunction radar Raytheon SPS-67(V)4 surface search radar Raytheon DE1160 LF active and passive sonar 2 x ARIES navigation/surface search radar 2 x Raytheon SPG-62 Mk.99 radar illuminators |
| ECM |
4 x FMC SRBOC Mk.36 flare launchers SLQ-25A Enhanced Nixie torpedo countermeasures Indra SLQ-380 EW suite |
| Armament |
1 x 5"/54-caliber Mk.45 Mod.2 gun 1 x 48-cell Mk.41 vertical launch system 8 x RGM-94D Sea Lance anti-ship missiles 1 x RIM-116 rolling airframe missile launcher4 x 324mm Mk.32 Mod.9 double torpedo tubes with 12 Mk.46 Mod.5 torpedoes 2 x Oerlikon 20mm cannon 2 x Browning M2 .50-caliber machine gun |
| Aviation & Flight Deck | |
| Helicopters | 1 x SH-2G Super SeaSprite |
The Ardent class destroyer is a type of guided missile destroyer designed and manufactured in North Point. Built as a replacement for the aging fleet of Chevalier class destroyers currently in service, the Ardent class is the first escort ship in North Point service to utilize the Aegis combat system designed in Praetonia. They, along with the later and larger Association class destroyers, provide fleet air defense for the North Point Sea Command. Six ships are in active service, with five more planned.
The Ardent class has seen significant action during the Questarian Rebellion, where the four active ships at the time sortied in support of Freeholder Navy and Praetonian formations.
Development
People worked really hard to mount really big radars and missiles on a ship. Four original ships from "Flight I" completed by 2003; outbreak of Questarian Civil War leads to emergency order in 2014 for seven more "Flight IA" ships. Only DDG-19 and DDG-20 completed before Questarian Civil War ends, remaining five hulls laid down but construction paused.
Operational history
Anti-surface and anti-submarine warfare vs. Syndicalist fleet in the eastern Axackal during Questarian Civil War; Tomahawk strikes on Syndicalist positions inland; screening Praetonian/Tairendian landings at Baltimore; many shootdowns of hostile anti-ship missiles fired against Commonwealth naval forces.
DDG-14 Attacker damaged by P-14 Termit near-miss aft during screening operations in the Axackal Strait; returned to North Point for repairs and in service by 2015. DDG-12 Advancer credited with sinking one Syndicalist submarine during Operation Hard Tack.
List of ships
| Hull number | Name | Commissioned | Fate | Disposal date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Point Sea Command
| ||||
| DDG-11 | Ardent | 2000 | active | N/A |
| DDG-12 | Advancer | 2000 | active | N/A |
| DDG-13 | Alacrity | 2001 | active | N/A |
| DDG-14 | Attacker | 2003 | active | N/A |
| DDG-19 | Ambuscade | 2015 | active | N/A |
| DDG-20 | Active | 2016 | active | N/A |
| DDG-21 | Arrow | 2020 | planned | N/A |
| DDG-22 | Argonaut | 2020 | planned | N/A |
| DDG-23 | Aggressor | 2020 | planned | N/A |
| DDG-24 | Audacity | 2020 | planned | N/A |
| DDG-25 | Atlas | 2020 | planned | N/A |
