Editing Wales

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| vesselname = Wales
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| type       = [[WarShip]]
| class      = [[Texas]]
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The SLS '''''Wales''''' was the ''[[Texas]]''-class flagship of [[Vice Admiral]] [[Dmitrios Rummolo]] during the naval battle between [[Rim Worlds Republic]] forces and the [[Star League Defense Force]] in the [[New Earth]] system in late December [[2766]] when [[Stefan Amaris]] launched [[Operation APOTHEOSIS]].<ref name="H:LoTV1p72">''Historical: Liberation of Terra Volume 1'', p. 72: "Command of the Stars"</ref>

==History==
===Operation APOTHEOSIS===
The ''Wales'' had arrived in the New Earth system accompanied by an escort consisting of a ''[[Congress]]''-class frigate and two ''[[Essex]]''-class destroyers, and were collectively en route to join the SLDF [[9th Fleet (Star League)|Ninth Fleet]], which Rummolo was due to take command of on promotion to [[Admiral]]. As New Earth was a major supply world for the SLDF, a large convoy was already assembling in the system under the command of [[Commodore]] [[Altran Serdamba]], who was in charge of the convoy defense flotilla consisting of his flagship, the ''[[Luxor (WarShip class)|Luxor]]''-class cruisor [[Van der Bergh|SLS ''Van der Bergh'']], four destroyers and nine corvettes. The ''Wales'' and her vessels were due to be attached to the convoy for their trip out to the [[Magistracy of Canopus]] when [[Stefan Amaris]] launched APOTHEOSIS, his coup to take over the [[Terran Hegemony]] and ultimately the [[Star League]]. As a part of APOTHEOSIS, the [[Rim Worlds Republic]] navy launched attacks across the Hegemony, and one such attack force consisting of twenty Rim Worlds WarShips attacked the convoy as it assembled at the nadir point.<ref name="H:LoTV1p72"/>

The RWR WarShips had the element of surprise, scoring a number of hits against the unprepared ''Wales'' after targeting both the ''Wales'' and the ''Van der Bergh'' as priority targets when they launched their attack. Commodore Serdamba had been running his defense flotilla through convoy protection drills when the attack was launched. His ships immediately returned fire and began launching [[aerospace fighter]]s, even as the Rim Worlds vessels were launching fighters of their own. The swift actions on the part of the defense flotilla bought valuable minutes for the ''Wales'' and her escort to come to battle stations and join the fight, and with the ''Wales'' and the firepower of her squadron added to that of Serdamba's forces, the fight became more even. The greater experience of the SLDF navy crews proved the tipping point, and after losing eight of the ships from their combined forces, Rummolo and Serdamba drove off the RWR ships, crippling fourteen enemy vessels in the process.<ref name="H:LoTV1p72"/>

Unaware of what was happening outside the New Earth system, Rummolo ordered Serdamba to secure the Apollo Four shipyards at a Lagrange point near the fifth planet in the New Earth system, while the ''Wales'' and her two ''Essex''-class escorts quick-charged their engines, the ''Congress'' having been lost in the ambush. The next day, Rummolo dispatched the two destroyers to join Serdamba's position at the shipyards, while the ''Wales'' led thirteen assorted government and military [[JumpShips]] out of the system to the secret naval base that would later become known as [[Freedom Station]].<ref name="H:LoTV1p72"/>

===Operation CHIEFTAIN===
Ten years after Operation APOTHEOSIS, with SLDF forces liberating Hegemony worlds from the [[Amaris Empire]], the Secret Fleet had linked up with the SLDF proper, and Rummolo had taken up command of the Ninth Fleet in time to lead the campaign to liberate New Earth.<ref name="H:LOTv2p52">''Historical: Liberation of Terra Volume 2'', pp. 52–53: "Space Age Sacrifice"</ref>

Rummolo led an unconventional campaign from the outset; having obtained approval to destroy the [[HPG]] in the New Earth system, as the need for security - and the need to prevent the [[SDS]] network sharing information on SLDF tactics, techniques and procedures - outweighed the need for the HPG, which could be replaced on a temporary basis by mobile HPG systems. The attack on New Earth began with three civilian vessels<ref name="H:LOTv2p52"/> who had been operating as a part of the Secret Fleet for some time, the [[DropShip]]s ''[[DeBritta]]'', ''[[Memphis Tale]]'' and ''[[Rojo Caballero]]'', each of which had been modified to carry capital missiles.<ref name="H:LOTv2p54">''Historical: Liberation of Terra Volume 2'', p. 54: "Space Age Sacrifice"</ref>  Although all three modified civilian DropShips were swiftly destroyed by [[Amaris Empire Armed Forces]] aerospace fighters they managed to destroy the HPG as well as crippling several important command and control nodes.<ref name="H:LOTv2p52"/>

As the ''DeBritta'', ''Memphis Tale'' and ''Rojo Caballero'' were making their strike, Admiral Rummolo brought the Ninth Fleet to the nadir jump point and quickly crushed the defenses there before jumping the fleet to the zenith jump point and destroying the defenses there. The Ninth Fleet had secured the zenith jump point well before news of the strike at the nadir point could reach the defenders at the zenith jump point. As the Ninth Fleet recharged their jump engines Admiral Rummolo called in elements of the [[4th Fleet (SLDF)|Fourth Fleet]] to secure the remainder of the system as Amaris' forces retreated back to make a last stand at New Earth.<ref name="H:LOTv2p52"/>

Rummolo's plan for taking New Earth called for the Ninth Fleet to jump to the L1 Lagrange point above New Earth and then, pushing through the [[SDS]] drones to enter low orbit above the planet, where their fighters and assault craft would divide their efforts between attacking the orbital defenses and various ground-based targets, while the WarShips would operate close to the atmosphere, attacking ground targets directly. That plan proved successful - operating so close to the planet was completely against standard naval doctrine and many of the Ninth Fleet's WarShips took damage as a result, but the [[Caspar]] drones experienced even more problems, with many burning up in the atmosphere.<ref name="H:LOTv2p52"/>

==References==
<references />

==Bibliography==
* ''[[Historical: Liberation of Terra Volume 1]]''

[[Category: Individual WarShips]]
[[Category: Individual Battleships]]
[[Category: Individual Texas-class WarShips]]