Kamushain-class aircraft carrier



The Kamushain class is a class of four in service with the Chiseian Royal Navy and Meridonian Navy. The lead ship of the class, Kamushain, is named after the 17th century Saramosiri monarch, Kamushain II, and entered service in 2001. With a length of 261.5 m and a full-load displacement of 42,500 t, the Kamushain was the largest class of ship ever built for the Royal Navy, until the completion of the first Ateruy class in 2018. It was also one of the first nuclear-powered classes of aircraft carrier to be put into service. The second ship, Kunneshain, was completed in 2002, and entered service in 2006.

While primarily designed for the Chiseian Royal Navy with a planned run of 4 carriers, two were cancelled while still under constructon. Meridon, in an agreement made with Chisei in 2003, arranged for the restart of construction and the delivery of two modified Kamushain-class aircraft carriers to the Meridon Defense Forces. The ships were delivered in 2008 and 2010 and both were commissioned in 2015, and are considered part of the Sistine subclass.

The class was designed to carry a complement of 28 - 40 aircraft, including the, , Kawazaki Ki-62 Tengu II, and helicopters such as the XX, XX and XX. The Kamushain is a -type carrier that uses two 75 m steam catapults of a shorter version of the catapult system installed on the Zusian -class aircraft carriers, one catapult at the bow and one across the front of the landing area.

Alleged espionage
In 1992, it was alleged by the Nishiba Shinbun that a group of engineers who had inspected the under-construction carrier were in fact agents of the Yamataian Imperial Security Agency. They were believed to have been learning the method of the ship's reactor shielding, as well as other technical details about the reactor and electronics. However both the Yamataian government and the Shinsengumi denied any evidence of espionage, and the newspaper was forced to publish a rebuttal and apology by the Commission for Information.

Trials and technical problems
Kamushain entered sea trials in 1998. While initial trials did not reveal any glaring faults, the carrier's port propeller broke during a voyage from Mukapet to Niihama in March 2001, forcing the ship to return to Wanshu for a replacement. The investigations that followed showed similar structural faults in the other propeller and in the spare propellers: bubbles in the one-piece propellers near the centre. This was believed to be the fault of the manufacturer, Gonshi Maritime Technology, and the company was thoroughly panned in the press, with calls for the state and industry regulators to take action. A few hours after the Chiseian minister of the right ordered an investigation on quality management however, a fire destroyed the archives of the manufacturer. As a temporary solution, Kamushain was fitted with less-advanced spare propellers from Nakatama, limiting the maximum speed to 24 knots (44 km/h) instead of the contractual 27 knots (50 km/h).

On 5 March 2001, Kamushain went back to sea with two older propellers and sailed at 25.2 knots (47 km/h) on her trials.

Shortly after the conclusion of trials, it was reported in the Press that the level of radioactivity on board the Kamushain was slightly higher than acceptable standards, even after earlier safety inspections and retrofits following a smoke incident in late 1999. This was found to be because while the level of radioactivity was appropriate to the original design specification, the Naval standards had been changed in the course of construction. Further adjustments were consequently made, delaying the ship's entry into service until 2002.

Operation Masukan Freedom
Kamushain was part of the operational task force supporting the HECO invasion of Masuka in 2010. The carrier recieved light damage following a saturation attack by enemy missile boats, which also resulted in minor damage to two Yamataian destroyers, but was able to continue providing air cover to ground troops throughout the duration of the operation.

Shinja incident
Following the seizure of the Yamataian and Chiseian-crewed, Masuka-flagged freighter Shinja by the Arshavati All-Peoples Navy Coastal Guard in February 2019, Kunneshain was deployed alongside the Yamataian carrier Eikaku to conduct a freedom of navigation patrol in the Gulf of Quanhco and support a prisoner rescue operation by special forces.

Air wing
In wartime, it is expected the carriers would operate air wings close to their full capacity of 40 fixed-wing and rotary aircraft, with as many as 36 Escarfighter I-KC naval fighters. Outside of exercises the two Kamushains typically patrol with far less, averaging at around 2 squadrons of 12 fightercraft and a single 4 aircraft squadron of Funmyō SK-2 Tetsutaka in support.

During operations around Masuka in 2010, the Kamushain carried an operational record complement of 35 aircraft: three Mizutaka helicopters, twenty five Escarfighter I-KCs, five Tetsutaka, and two DS-118 Shikigami electronic warfare aircraft.