Subscribe to download
KNS Sivantse DD12-32

The Sivantse-class destroyers is a series of three large flotilla leaders with firepower matching that of light cruisers. It was proposed as a vessel that would be half the price of a light cruiser but offered the same level of firepower. The heavy armament took up significant hull space reducing the overall livability of the ships. On the other hand, the designers put great effort in reducing the displacement, and keeping the ship's length under control. Overall, the Sivantse-class proved to be the most stable destroyer to date despite its heavy armaments. This was achieved by its hull design which has a lower draft and freeboard than previous classes. Despite this, the good flotation of the vessel meant it was a very dry ship and well liked for its sea keeping capabilities. The navy was quite proud of the design as it met all of its requirements in terms of weapon systems, speed, operational range, size restrictions, sea keeping, and even largely within budget. The budget was exceeded only by 10% which was considered acceptable.

However at 240,000 per ship, the government still deemed the ships too expensive for a destroyer. The UUVs in particular were extremely expensive leading to proposals of its removal. The navy still managed to negotiate for the class to be expanded to three ships in order to supplement its existing flotilla leaders. It was not expanded further due to the pro-reform Naval Advisory Board (commonly referred to as "army reformers") declaring the class too vulnerable at their price tag. The thinly protected but heavily armed ships was projected to be easily lost in battle based on simulated wargames and so such investments were unsound. The Naval Advisory Board was in favor of a improved Uriel-class with better stability, superior anti-aircraft capabilities, and better countermeasures to enhance the survivability of destroyers.
Furthermore, the Naval Advisory Board determined the class did not adequately fulfill a specific doctrinal goal to be useful. However, the governing administration wanted to win over parts of the navy leadership by compromising on a high-low fleet. The proposal also attracted a significant amount of officers that supported a more jeune ecole philosophy which Khertland had long since deviated from. The Sivantse and other flotilla leaders will be the high-end destroyers while the Uriel-class and the expanded Adyl-class will be the low-end ships. This change in policy helped reduce the political influence of the 'maximalist conservative' faction in the navy who argued for a fleet of large and expensive ships but stuck with more traditional naval technologies. The Naval Advisory Board together with the 'mixed-fleet moderates' (pejoratively called "army dogs") formulated a new revised doctrine which shall be tested and followed for future procurement. At the end, a modest class of three ships were authorized, with the lead ship called Sivantse, followed by Tenebris, and Magnolia.

The Uriel and Solaventus classes carry almost comparable armaments as existing flotilla leaders at fraction of the cost and was also smaller. Sivantse were intended to bring the flotilla leaders a step up from the main line destroyers and closer to that of a light cruiser. The designers of the ship also introduced new technologies including four disposable UUVs simply referred to as 'K-torpedoes' as the Naval Advisory Board wanted the navy to start introducing newer technology to the fleet. Other novelties with the ships include introducing a new lightweight and compact twin 152mm turrets that only had a marginally larger base ring than the older single 152mm or twin 138mm guns. The new turret mounting was given credit for how the class managed to double its firepower without significant stability issues. A new torpedo launcher was also developed without the large armored housing to save weight. It also enabled the tubes to superfire over the other launchers, allowing them to be placed closer together. To further shorten the ship, the bridge was built around the forward funnel. This meant the bridge is quite cramped reducing the ship's viability as a flagship. The Sivantse as a result had a completely new armament suite compared to all previous classes of warships.
The stability of the ship allowed the designers to increase the rudder shift angle compared to other contemporary Khertland destroyers, giving the Sivantse-class unparalleled maneuverability at its size. Like all previous destroyers, it is powered by a SSE-3 steam turbine, driving two shafts and gives it a high top speed of 45 knots and allow the ship a maximum operational range of 6,167 kilometers. The navy want all destroyers or larger vessels to have a minimum of 6,000 kilometers so it can navigate from one end of the island nation to the other without refueling. The Sivantse-class initially fell short and had to be retrofitted with larger fuel capacity.

The navy originally expected only Sivantse to be approved and was going to have it join the other flotilla leaders to form the temporary 'Interception Force.' The 'Interception Force' consists of the three Illustris-class, KNS Aishmail, and originally KNS Sivantse. With a expanded Sivantse-class, the navy decided to also assign KNS Tenebris and KNS Magnolia to the unit. The idea is to concentrate the navy's largest, fastest, and most powerful destroyers into one battlegroup so it can respond to incursions quickly as a reserve force while having sufficient firepower to defeat any enemy fleet. If needed, the 'Interception Force' can be complemented by the 1st Patrol Group, consisting of the three Uraeus-class as these two formations are both based at Ma'at Naval Base. Originally, the navy also wanted to assign the KNS Crusader due to its armor to improve the survivability of the force, but it was considered too slow to keep up with the destroyers. Analysts have considered the 'Interception Force' to be a powerful striking force but with a glass jaw. This organization is only temporary until the navy manages to bring more cruisers into service and form proper surface action groups.

[Ship Overview]
Operators: Khertland Navy
Ordered: March 31, 2025
Laid down: April 13, 2025
Launched: April 15, 2025
Commissioned: April 30, 2025

[Class Overview]
Class: Sivantse-class
Planned: 3
Completed: 3
Preceded by: Uriel-class
Succeeded by: None

[General Characteristics]
Type: Destroyer/Flotilla Leader
Displacement: 159,851
Volume: 8,397 m^3
Blocks: 4,585
Cost: 240,696
Overall Length: 138 meters
Waterline Length: 137 meters
Between Perpendiculars: 135 meters
Beam: 13 meters
Draft: 3 meters
Freeboard: 3 meters
Propulsion: 2 shafts powered by 1x SSE-3 8C/1/1/1/1 Mk.I 2.2K4.4
Speed: 45 knots
Endurance: 6,167 km
Turn radius: 363 meters

Sensor and Processing Systems:
>1x RSS-YU-5 Mk.1 Surface Search Radar
>2x FCS-5 m5 Mk.1-L Fire Control Director
>1x FCA-1 m0 Mk.1-L Fire Control Director
>1x REWR-9 Mk.1 Early Warning Radar

Armament:
>5x2 152mm L/53 DPG-15 Mk.1B
>4x5 1m L/10 Surtorp-7 Mk.1 Torpedo Launcher w/ Surtorp-6/5
>4x K-Torpedoes Unmanned Underwater Vehicle

>1x 05m L/8 SS-2 Mk.4A Illumination gun

Other:
>2x 9m Rowing Cutter

Armor:
>Deck: 1m alloy
>Belt: 1m alloy
>Barbette: 1m metal