Unified Hull Designation System

[Havear (OP)]

I was working on copying down ship classes so I could remember them later, when I realized that my hull designations are really undescriptive. Real-world designation systems don't exactly work well in Aurora (CCAA for example, doesn't exactly work for an anti-missile combatant). Is there any interest for something like this? The one I've moved to for the moment is separated into two parts - a hull type designation, such as destroyer, cruiser, etc., followed by niche type, such as carrier, anti-missile missile, and so on. When written out, the hull type is followed by the mission type in parentheses. For example, Destroyer (Leader) is a DDL, while a Destroyer (Parasite) is a DDP.

Here's what I've got so far, and as you can see it's only setup for my current fleet mix (excepting the light and heavy cruisers and PDCs) so is missing quite a bit.

Hull Designations
LAC	Light Attack Craft
FAC	Fast Attack Craft
PP	Pod
DD	Destroyer
CL	Light Cruiser
CC	Cruiser
CA	Heavy Cruiser
BC	Battlecruiser
BB	Battleship
DN	Dreadnought
SD	Superdreadnought
Mission Designations
L	Leader
P	Parasite Carrier
AM	Anti-missile (Typically hybrid beam\missile, or miscellaneous like CIWS)
AMB	Anti-missile beam
AMM	Anti-missile missile
R	Recon
M	Missile
EW	Electronic Warfare
J	Jump ship

[Erik L]

USN designates -G as a missile mission, DDG.
Escorts would be -E, encompassing missile and beam anti-missile defenses.

To me, CC is a command cruiser, and CA is cruiser. This could be from SFB

I usually use the following -
F - Fighter (space superiority)
B - Bomber
F/A - Fighter/Bomber
E - EW fighter
FAC - Fast Attack Craft
FG - Frigate
DD - Destroyer
CL - Light Cruiser
CVL - Light Carrier
CA - Cruiser
CV - Carrier
CC - Command Cruiser
BC - Battlecruiser
CVA - Assault Carrier
BB - Battleship
DN - Dreadnaught
MN - Monitor

With the following suffixes -
-L Leader (Usually Destroyers or Frigates)
-G Missile ships (I usually don't put this on cruisers, as I think CAG looks a bit silly. And it's Commander Air Group )
-J Jump ships
-E Escorts

For missiles I usually go with AMM, Light Missile (LM) , Medium Missile (MM), Heavy Missile (HM), and Capital Missile (CM).

So a typical fleet might consist of 3-4 DD squadrons made up of 1 DDL, 1-2 DDG, and 4-6 DDE. These escort a cruiser section made up of 1 CC, 4-6 CA/CL (with the CA being beam or missile). The cruiser squads escort a heavy squad of BCs/BBs/DNs. So one heavy squadron gets 3 cruiser squads as escorts and 9-12 DD squads. The DD squadrons can circle the heavy, or mostly.

[Havear (OP)]

That's what I typically used, except CV denoted a Fleet Carrier, and a CVE was an Escort Carrier. The problem I have with that system is that, for example, a DE and a DD are very different, and a DDE just makes things confusing. Oh, and the problem have with fighters is that they're really not fighters in the conventional definition, instead more like LACs from Honorverse, and that also brings them in line with FACs. Then you run into the whole issue of a cruiser usually beginning with C, so cruisers are usually CC, CA, CL, and so on, but carriers ALSO start with C, regardless of what type of hull they're built on. (DD CVE, CC CVL, and BB CVA for me.) You also run into the issue of no modern equivalent of "guns" on ships. I was hoping to develop something simple to use, where you could designate roughly the ship with the hull type (all things on a cruiser hull are cruisers blast it, I don't want to worry about CV stuff), and then add on a mission suffix if desired. The topic was to get one as good as possible and maybe mainstream so there's less confusion between posts.

EDIT: Added EW to the mission list, thanks for mentioning that.

[Erik L]

I think the issue for a unified ship designation system is that everyone has different ideas on what the ships should be called.

We rarely agree on the size of a cruiser, let alone what to call it, i.e. waresky's cruisers the size of small moons.

Maybe for AAR/Fiction writers we should get into the habit of making a post on the nomenclature we use for our navies in the reports? Ship deisgnations, command ranks, etc.

[Havear (OP)]

That'd work as well. (I still use Steve's missile designation system from the NATO campaign.)

[TheDeadlyShoe]

I've been working on diversifying my naming systems.   In my current game, one faction uses a 'farscape-like' classifying system based around a handful of multi-purpose Command Carriers. All the small craft are called 'Strikers', and there are a few Escort Cruisers purely for defending the larger vessels.

Another faction currently eschews a traditional navy entirely, and simply uses high-powered short-ranged small vessels launched from planetary bases.  The largest - @ 5kt - are 'Paladins' and the FACs are classed as 'Knights'.  

[Redshirt]

Farscape? I'm reminded of the Nebari... who, after destroying a Peacekeeper Command Carrier, inform Moya and her crew that "Our race does not have any warships."

Can you say high tech levels? 

[Sloshmonger]

I've been working on diversifying my naming systems.   In my current game, one faction uses a 'farscape-like' classifying system based around a handful of multi-purpose Command Carriers. All the small craft are called 'Strikers', and there are a few Escort Cruisers purely for defending the larger vessels.

Another faction currently eschews a traditional navy entirely, and simply uses high-powered short-ranged small vessels launched from planetary bases.  The largest - @ 5kt - are 'Paladins' and the FACs are classed as 'Knights'.  

I also did a Farscape-like setup with command carriers, Prowlers (Gauss armed fighters), Marauders (2000 ton quick strike ships) and one escort cruiser design.

It was the most successful campaign i ever ran, with multiple fleets out and about subjugating the lesser races keeping the peace.

[jseah]

My current game has a grand total of three offensive ship types, with perhaps a 4th and 5th. 

Frigate - 6ktons, AMM and ASM armed
Command Ship - 12ktons, res 1 active, res 20 active, flag bridge
Jumpship - 12ktons commercial, carries jumpdrives for the fleet, also tanker

Flagship - 50ktons (? I left a shipyard on expand and forgot about it), dunno what to do with this
Laser frigate - 6ktons, dual-role laser turrets


Note that the mainline weapon-bearing ship is the smallest.  I have a 8 slip yard ready to go on building them.  Currently suffering from feature creep (in one more month I will have better launchers/magazines/firecons/armour/etc.) so none have been produced yet. 
They don't have damage control... o.O  Oh well, who cares, they're expendable. 

[Arwyn]

I use the designations more for function and role rather than size. I dont bother with beam/missile designations, since the missile is overwhelmingly the primary weapon system.

In order;

F- Fighter
E- Electronic warfare craft (fighter sized)
R- Recon craft (fighter sized)
FAC- Fast attack craft
PC- Patrol craft, small vessel for independent ops, built for defense points to make systems happy
ES- Small escort, usually built around a single weapons system
FG- Frigate, usually beam armed
DE- Destroyer escort- dedicated AMM vessel
DD- Destroyer
DDL- Destroyer leader
CL- Light Cruiser
CLE-Light Cruiser Escort- dedicated AMM vessel
CA-Cruiser
CC- Command Cruiser
BC- Battle Cruiser
BB- Battleship
DN- Dreadnaught
CVE- Escort Carrier, smaller ships, usually assigned to independent operations, carrying less than a full strike group
CVL- Light Carrier, carrying single strike group
CV- Carrier, carrying two or more strike groups
CVA- Assault carrier, built to assault jump points, strike group size is variable, but ship is heavy on defense

My goal was to keep the designation system pretty clean. Ship classes are generally dedicated to single weapon types (beam or missile). Command cruisers and destroyer leaders are command and control craft for their respective squadron types when in independent roles. Larger combatants are usually scaled with command facilities (flag bridge).

[TheDeadlyShoe]

Hmm... to put what I was thinking in words:

The Western-centric naval designations are sweet, but hull designations are another way of reflecting the political reality of the story you are playing out - and/or the naval design philosophy of your faction. Like the russian Aviation Cruisers.

I guess also that plays into the politically motivated design process as well, which is much easier to play out in interesting ways in multi-faction campaigns.

[swarm_sadist]

Most people just look up the Hull nomenclature of the US on wikipedia.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hull_classification_symbol

Most cannot exist in Aurora, some are redundant and most are missing (jump). The first letter is usually reserved for ship hull type or purpose, second for hull variant or role, with the third (if any) being for specialty or distinguishing features. Two of the same letters usually represents the basic variant of the ship (DD: Destroyer; Common), with the exception of carrier (which is C for cruiser, and V for Vouler; CV).

What I use are:
B-ABCEVN-GJL(N)(S)(C)
CV-ABCELVP-GJL(N)(S)(V)
C-ABCELVN-GJL(N)(S)(C)
D-DELGLVN-GJ(N)(S)
F-FAB-GBR(AD)(PD)(JD)
G-ABCE[LE][ME][HE]-GBL

FIGHTERS:
A-Close attack
B-Bombers
E-Electronic Warfare/Fire Control
F-Fighters
I-Interceptor
J-Jump Capable or Jump Breacher
L-Landing Craft/Boarding Craft
R-Reconnaissance
S-Surveillance
U-Utility
X-Stealth, experimental, etc

Civilians are usually GE, GV, FT, WL, etc.

[ardem]

The sizing is very true, in one game my frigates were 16-20KT, and if other games they are 6-8KT. It really depends on your storyline.

The same with designations, your put only purely English designations. Best thing about Aurora, it can be how you want it to be.

[OAM47]

A bit late to the party, but this is one of my fav subjects.

In general, the size of my ships is more based on tech level and my industry base, and the designations are based on role, slightly influenced by RP.  The more pompous I imagine a faction I'm playing, the more likely my first ships are to be cruisers, rather than destroyers.  Also typically if a ship I make has independent sensor capacity, it gets upgraded to a cruiser, even if it's technically a destroyer.  I'd lump them in with light cruisers, in addition to the role for CLs I mention below.

An early fleet (not counting support elements) for me typically consists of only two types of ships, one for AM defense and emergency FAC/fighter defense (for a certain spoiler race... turns out it works really well to use AM laser turrets against the little buggers).  The specifics of how I name them depend on the flavor of the story, but typically I stray away from using the escort designation for some reason, especially odd as I interchange destroyer/cruiser as RP demands.  Sometimes I will add a missile designation on cruisers as the fleet expands and I put heavy missile emphasis on one class.  Destroyers with missiles don't get special treatment though, and I reserve battleship and the like for beam ships, so this can result in a missile cruisers being considered the pinnacle of my fleet development if I go the missile route.  In fact, I tend to avoid using designations of anything heavier than a cruiser, save a carrier, witch is a special case.  In the event I need something heavier than my mainline, it's a battlecruiser, not a battleship.

Anywho, with that preface, here's what I use, in order that they typically appear.

DD - Destroyer (Focus on defense using beams)
CC - Command Cruiser (Main sensor ships/flag bridge/etc)
CA - Cruiser (Offensive Ships)
CG - Missile Cruiser (Optional name for missile armed offense as tech level increases)
CL - Light Cruiser (Scouts, and may have them carry one scout fighter or "float plane" as I would call it in naval terms)
BC - Battlecruiser (Heavy Cruiser basically, beam armed)
CV - Carrier (Self Explanatory)
PC - Patrol Craft (Typically missile armed FACs for quick hit and runs.  I've been known to experiment with loading them into carriers too)