Work Text:
Faction:
Holy Irisienne Kingdom (Kingdom of France)
Class:
Louis XVI-class Aircraft Carrier (Modified PA27A Carrier)
Background:
In an alternate timeline…
The development of the Louis XVI-class Aircraft Carriers and in this example, the second ship of the class, Jean III, originally began with the theories outlined by “La Discorde,” a book written by then Lieutenant Colonel Charles de Gaulle. While La Discorde (The Discord for English speakers) was largely an outline that blamed the defeat of the Third French Republic in the First Weltkrieg and would be one of the great influential writings that would lead to the fall of the French Republic and the second restoration of the House of Orléans [1], it was also a treatise in reorganizing the military with the objective of reclaiming the metropole from the French Communards, and what reforms would need to be carried out to achieve that objective.
One of these reforms would deal with the innovation of naval aviation. The fall of the Third Republic, first to German arms in 1918 and then to revolution in 1920 meant that such moves were put on hold and eventually abandoned by the Whites (as the Nationalists would also be known by) but would be revitalized with the restoration of the monarchy). However, as early as 1935, steps were taken to push for a dedicated homemade counter to the carriers operated by the Third Internationale, in particular the Commune of France’s Louise Michel, the former Normandie-class battleship Béarn. This led to the Philippe VII (originally known as Joffre), a design largely influenced by Canadian carriers such as the Audacious-class [2] and blueprints for the American Yorktown-class that was being developed prior to the Second American Civil War. The follow-up Louis XVI-class, originally designated as PA 27, was developed as a counter to further opposition carrier developments, such as the French Communard carrier Canut, the German Graf Zeppelin and Otto Lilienthal-class and the British Republican Wallas-class. [3]
Jean III was laid down on 25 August 1940 at the Societe de Construction Navale d’Oran’s second major dockyard in Bizerte, French Tunisia, her name being given in honor of the first King of France since the institution’s abolishment in 1848, who died that same day. Much like her sister ship, Jean III’s construction would see delays as a consequence of the outbreak of the Second Weltkrieg, a consequence of much needed manpower for the front lines in the liberation of the Metropole. As a result, by the time the carrier was ready to launch on 4 September 1943, the Second Weltkrieg was already very nearly won as France and Italy were entirely liberated by the Entente and Reichspakt forces. Although she would be commissioned before her sister, on 28 March 1944, the decision was made to not bring her into operations in liberating the British Isles from the Union of Britain, having achieved air superiority that it was deemed unnecessary to push for their use. As a result, neither warship would see action in the Second Weltkrieg, largely focusing on patrol duties in the Mediterranean and West Africa, a role in which would dominate her career as well as that of her sister ship.
One of the notable highlights of Jean III would be her role as the royal transport for King Henri VI from the Metropole port of Toulon to Algiers, a royal visit he had conducted biennially throughout his life and a traditional that would continue for French monarchs following the king’s passing in 1999. Beginning in 1960 following the retirement of the second Patrie-class Battleship, République until her own retirement, Jean III would serve in that capacity. It was in the carrier’s inaugural voyage that the king and the now famed field marshal Charles de Gaulle made the plans that would culminate in the launching of a self-coup that would topple Action Francaise in favor of restoring a semblance of democracy over France for the first time since the end of the First Weltkrieg.
Another notable highlight would come with conflict with the Kingdom of Egypt. Egypt, alongside the Kingdom of Rashidi Arabia and the Sublime State of Persia successfully defeated the Ottoman Empire in the Great Desert War, a conflict that would dominate the Middle East during the Weltkrieg, but was largely treated as its own separate conflict. The defeat of the Ottomans had seen vast swaths of Ottoman lands divided between the Iranians, who annexed the Shia religious regions in Ottoman Iraq and parts of and spun the remainder into a client Iraqi Republic, while Egypt established a client Arab Kingdom of Syria that dominated the former Ottoman Levant and Kurdistan. The victory would not only raise the stock of the Egyptian King, Farouk II, but would also see him and thus Egypt, as a potential contender to becoming the hegemon, if not potential unifier, of all Arabs under one state. This Pan-Arab movement had always been a staunch challenge to the French (who still retained Algeria as an integral part of France and Tunisia as a prominent client state, even though formal independence was achieved for the Husaynid Kingdom in 1957) but that threat would grow into a dangerous force for French and Entente influence in Africa by the 1940s and 1950s.
The sight of Russian-made submarines operated by the Egyptian Royal Navy would be the catalyst for France to modernize the carriers in the 1950s, including steel sheeting and an angled flight deck installed to allow her to operate jet aircraft such as the Bloch Étendard VI and Étendard IV, and heavier ASW aircraft such as the Bréguet 1050 Alizé, establishing a carrier dedicated for anti-submarine operations, while newer, larger carriers such as the nuclear powered 48,000-ton Catherine de’ Medici-class [4] entered service in 1958-1961. The outbreak of the First Franco-Egyptian War from December 1962 to March 1963 would be marked with a gradual rollback of French forces, with Wadai [5] reclaiming independence under Egyptian auspices, but not without French aircraft from Jean III and Louis XVI launching numerous sorties on Egyptian and Libyan positions along Libya’s shared border with Tunisia, Algeria and Libya. Though the four month war would end in a status quo peace brokered by Germany and Ethiopia, it would be clear that Egyptian ambitions were not sated, as two more such conflicts would occur in the future.
Such conflicts would be beyond the career of Jean III however, with the carrier prepped for and ultimately decommissioned in 1971. After an extensive period in reserve, she would be sold for scrapping in 1988.
[1]: As told in CC-SP#13 (MRF Louis XVI)
[2]: The Audacious-class ITTL is functionally a CVL, larger than HMS Hermes but smaller than HMS Ark Royal.
[3]: Union of Britain’s equivalent to the OTL Illustrious-class.
[4]: TTL’s version of the unbuilt French carrier Verdun.
[5]: OTL Chad.
—
The aircraft carrier Louis XVI is an original ship representing a hypothetical Tier III Aircraft Carrier (1940 Carrier Hull with Man the Guns active) for a Royalist variant of National France (Kingdom of France) in the Hearts of Iron IV mod “Kaiserreich: Legacy of the Weltkrieg.” Louis XVI represents PA 27, a preliminary aircraft carrier design that is comparable to the Essex-class design alongside other such types as the PA 28 and PA 54 (the OTL Clemenceau-class).
Namesake:
Jean III is the name chosen for this iteration of a “French Essex-class” aircraft carrier, and is named after the regnal name for the figure known in our timeline as Prince Jean, Duke of Guise. Jean was the son of Prince Robert, Duc de Chartres, and the patrilineal great-grandson of the last King of the French, Louis Philippe I. An amateur historian and archaeologist by trade, he would spend some time living initially in mainland France, and, by 1909, working a large farm near the city of Rabat, Morocco, although he would reside in Larache, in Morocco’s north. As the Prince was forbidden from serving in the French Army, Jean would serve with the Royal Danish Army in the 1890s, serving in the Life Guards until 1899. During the First World War, as he was forbidden from serving in the French Army, and no Entente power allowed him to serve, Jean would serve in the Red Cross, offering his residence at the Château de Nouvion-en-Thiérache to be used as a hospital. He would also serve as the French ambassador to Bulgaria, in what would be an ultimately futile attempt at trying to keep Bulgaria from joining the Central Powers. Jean would be awarded the Croix de Guerre on 27 July 1919 by French President Raymond Poincaré.
Upon the death of his first cousin and brother-in-law, Prince Philippe, Comte de Paris (styled as Philippe VIII as Head of the House of Bourbon-Orléans), the Duc de Guise would become the new head of the House, and thus pretender to the defunct French Royal Throne as “Jean III.” However, due to an edict passed by French Prime Minister Charles de Freycinet in 1886, as heir to the French throne, he and his son, Prince Henri were condemned to exile, legally forbidden from setting foot in mainland France or her colonies. While this would not affect his residence, as Larache fell under the Spanish zone of control, his farm in Rabat would be ceded, as it fell under France’s zone of control.
His period as Head of the House of Orléans would be noted by his estrangement and ultimately, break between the royal House and that of Action Française, after Pope Pius XI forbade Catholics from supporting the French integralist movement, thus marking the first time that the Orléanist movement would no longer be solely associated with French conservatism.
No ship in the French Navy would ever be named in honor of the Duke of Guise.
Rarity:
UR
Stat Spread:
In terms of stats, Louis XVI shares a similar spread to that of the Essex-class. She sports top of the line Aviation (S) and sports fairly decent stats in Anti-Air, Speed and HP (All B).
Abilities:
- Its Bloody Flag Has Been Raised: When this ship launches an airstrike, launch an unique SO.8000 Narval aircraft with defense-ignoring bombs, with damage based on skill level. Enemies hit by this airstrike will suffer a “Bleeding” effect, which causes damage equivalent to 0.3% (3%) of the enemy ship’s Max HP in damage every 3 seconds for 15 seconds.
- Résurrection (Resurrection): Upon the start of battle, if there are three or more Iris ships (Iris Libre, Vichya Dominion, Iris Orthodoxy, Holy Irisienne Empire, Iris Consulate etc…) in the same fleet as this ship, increase this ship’s Aviation and Accuracy by 5% (15%). If any ship in the same fleet as this ship is reduced to 0% HP, heal that ship to 30% of the target ship’s max HP at the cost of its buffs. This ability can only be used once per battle.
- La Marseillaise des Blancs (The Marseillaise of the Whites): Increase the Firepower, Reload, Torpedo, Aviation and Anti-Air of all Iris ships by 5% (15%). If sortied with a Richelieu-class Battleship, République (WoWS or KR) or Patrie (WoWS or KR), decrease the loading time for those ships main gun shots by 10% (20%).
Personality:
Compared to her more timid and at times introverted sister, Jean III is brash, impulsive, and stubborn to a fault, seeing little need for the pomp and decorum when working alongside comrades from their faction or allies among the Entente. She is outspoken, willing to speak her mind and is someone who is far more keen to see battle than to sit idle.
Quotes:
- Acquisition: I’m Jean III, the Iris Kingdom’s third aircraft carrier. Whether it is the will of the Iris or just pure dumb luck, you’ll be leading us into battle. Don’t fuck it up, Commandant.
- Secretary (Idle) 1: Both Louis XVI and myself have often been tasked with such busywork. This is nothing for me.
- Secretary (Idle) 2: The Iris of this world being at the mercy of the Boches? Hmph, guess some things never change.
- Secretary (Idle) 3: Those that I serve often speak and pray for God. If God had been with us, we would’ve never lost our motherland to the Reds.
- Secretary (Touch): I’m not someone who is easily wooed, Commandant. Take that shite elsewhere.
- Secretary (Special Touch): Next time I’m taking your hand as recompense.
- Skill Activation: To arms, Vendéeans, cut them down!
- MVP: As expected of royalty, but don’t you dare discredit our other units either!
- Affinity (Disappointed): Vas te faire foutre et crève! (Kiss my ass and die!)
- Affinity (Stranger): Glory’s all well and good, but it ain’t worth anything of value if it’s only gonna get you killed in the end.
- Affinity (Friendly): I never got to fight in the Second Weltkrieg, even if I came into being as it was going on. Guess they were scared of breaking their new toys too soon.
- Affinity (Like): Stay behind me, Commandant. The young ones wouldn’t forgive me if you were to get hurt…I suppose I wouldn’t forgive myself either. Yes, that is an order from the King herself!
- Affinity (Love): Every time you’re with me, it makes me feel more at ease, like the burdens of trying to be a leader, trying to keep Louis out of trouble, it just goes away. I don’t know what you’ve done to me, but now I can’t help but be unable to think of what happens to me when you’re gone…
- Oath: I’ve never really felt comfortable with these ceremonies. They’ve always been a bit too stuffy and extravagant for what I like. But I’ll put up with it just because it’s you. Yes, you! I wouldn’t do it for anyone else otherwise!
- Sortie (Louis XVI): You can’t keep to yourself forever, Louis! If you’re gonna be a leader then you need to act and trash talk like one too!
- Sortie (Yorktown II): You’re larger than I thought you were. I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised.
- Sortie (Enterprise): The Eagle’s top ace, huh? Let’s see how well you fare with me.
- Sortie (Richelieu): Why must you act like the goody-goody, Cardinal?
- Sortie (Jean Bart): Sister troubles too? Not the first time I needed to deal with it.
- Sortie (Any of the Following: Hornet, Hornet II, Hammann, Hammann II): Even if it's with the Eagles, I shall cast the first stone into battle!
Design:
Jean III is depicted as a woman in her late-twenties with lower-back length silvery white hair with streaks of gold both in front of her face and along the sides, and icy blue eyes. She is of a moderate build. Her attire consists of a long-sleeved hard leather white tailcoat with an unkempt collar over a light blue open shirt, leather gloves, and two belts over her waist, one navy blue with the arms of the Kingdom of France and one light blue with a yellow center with the arms of the Commune of Guise. She carries a single cavalry, attached to her light blue belt. She wears white pants and a pair of long brown leather boots.
Jean III’s rigging consists of a pair of runways, side-by side from each other, decorated ornately on pearl white hulls with the arms of the Kingdom of France (on her left) and the Commune of Guise (on her right)