HMS Blåker

HMS Blåker was a series of hybrid cargo and passenger vessel serving as flag ships in the merchant fleet of Fisks Handelshus and later Fisks islands. Several ships received this name, while some of these were renamed when their commissioning changed. This article describes the foremost vessels with this name.

The ships were named after the city part Blåker in Talpå (current day Vittmark) where the Fisks stim operating the trade and merchant fleet were based originally.

The prefix HMS originally stood for "Hans Majestäts Skepp" (His Majesty's Ship) but the abbreviation lost its meaning between 7523 and 7575 when the Fisks fleet did not have any allegiance with any monarch. The prefix was however continued when the 4th vessel was launched with this name, giving it a fake aura of Anarian authority while operating off the coast of Altaia. Before 7523 the reference was to the House of Hagen or the House of Iunsala (Ådalen) depending on the strategic alliance the Fisks stim had at the time. Between 7575 and 7609 it referred to the kingdom of Vittmark and the House of Kulla, in this case only Queen Anna of Vittmark, even though Fisks de facto had an allegiance to the Empress of Kamura from the 7590's on. While some vessels with the Blåker name were registered in Kamura, all of them ailed under the Sokokan flag from 7609 onward.

Blåker III

HMS Blåker III pictured around 7580.

The third iteration of the HMS Blåker was commissioned in 7519 in Talpå, Vittmark. It was this vessel that led the exodus of the Fisks stim from Talpå with a fleet of nine ships and about 900 stim members, when the city was besieged by Ådalen and Hagen as part of the Pan-Anarian War. The fleet relocated several times, seeking harbour in Cykeria before settling at a small island group between Kamura and The Bind. This vessel was the last wooden ship to carry the name, a combined steam powered and sailing vessel.

Due to the Pan-Anarian War already raging at the time of construction, this HMS Blåker came equipped with naval style defense systems in the form of guns and canons, making it a hybrid between a naval and merchant vessel. It was however registered as a merchant vessel.

The lack of proper shipbuilding timber in the region made the vessel difficult to maintain. When the cost of upkeep skyrocketed in the 7540's, the decision was made to build a new flagship for the fleet. The HMS Blåker III was renamed Fisks Henkes and stationed permanently on Henkesö, serving as stationary command vessel and defensive fortification in the port of the northern Fisks Islands. It was destroyed during the Wolgos Scourge in 7598.

Blåker IV

This vessel was built at Fisks own shipyard on Henkesö between 7540 and 7544, the first steel hull bearing the name. It became about twice as big in tonnage of water display compared to its predecessor with a much larger cargo capacity, while the passenger capacity was downscaled in response to demand for transport around the Shangti. While it was mainly steam powered, it did have additional sails in order to save fueling costs and enabling them continuing journeys at slow speed even when fuel ran out. This because the Fisks fleet was depending on acquiring coal in ports of call, being a vessel not registered at any recognized national registry. The registry at Fisks did not have a separation between naval and merchant vessels. The ship was even considered a pirate ship by many nations around the Shangti, not in the least by the Anarian colonial territories around the Julian Sea.

Just as its predecessor it was quite heavily armed for what basically was a merchant vessel, enabling it to defend itself from any foreign threat. It was equipped with a single 38 caliber gun, four twin 40 mm guns and 12 single 20 mm guns. It was quite slow upon launch with an operating speed of 14 knots (26 kph) before an overhaul in 7578 enabling 19 knots. The ship played an important part in establishing a lasting presence on the southern part of the Fisks islands between Bowersland and Schangtienrand. When Fisks became a territory within Vittmark, it was the main vessel on the trade route between the Julian Sea and Stoldavia.

The ship was damaged in a collission with a Hellish naval vessel in 7584, an incident part of the conflict when Vittmark had occupied a part of Häverist Aedeland. The ship limped back home through the northern passage where the Häverist navy could not follow it. Upon arrival in Henkesö, it was decided that repairing the 40 year old ship would be too costly, so it was decommissioned. First it was cannibalized for spare parts of sister ships in the fleet, then it was scrapped in Kamura since Fisks did not have its own facility. It is estimated that about 40% of the steel was re-used in building the next Blåker.

Blåker V

Building the new Blåker started in 7585 in Henkesö. The plan was to build it in southern Fisks, but that was considered too risky for the entire coorporation since the Häverist colony of Schangtienrand was very nearby. Built during a time of conflict with a continuous fuel shortage, the Blåker V was designed 20% lighter and with less draft and a higher operational speed, so it could berth at more ports in the region. The ship was mainly powered by a heavy oil piston engine of Anisoran design, partially build with supplies from Aspasia. Support by Anisora and Kamura led to a short building time, enabling commissioning already in 7586.

This vessel remained in the Shangti during the conflict with the Häverists, operating routes to The Bind, Kamura and Anisora for further transportation to Anaria. During its first years, it often encountered the Häverist Commonwealth navy who claimed the Askers islands in the strait between mainland Altaia (Bowersland) and Schangtienrand. Fortunately for the HMS Blåker, the naval units of the Häverist colonies were relatively small, poorly maintained and underarmed, giving the heavily armed merchant vessel clearly the upper hand. This version of the Blåker operated most as a purely naval vessel organising military transports and engaging in conflicts with Häverist forces.

When the Häverist threat slowly got replaced by a more threatening attitude from The Bind, a previous ally to Vittmark and Fisks, the Blåker started focusing on relocating Fisks' assets from the vulnerable northern islands. In order to do so, it had to acquire territory. So it started focusing more on providing logistics and support to indigenous militias in Schangtienrand wanting to liberate it from Häverist rule. The smaller draft helped in reaching several smaller coastal strongholds with a relatively large vessel, making it possible to quickly transport equipment and forces along the coastline.

With Shuuen liberated in 7XXX, the Blåker got the task of relocating assets to the port of Berewan. It was about halfway that operation when The Bind attacked the northern islands in 7598. Thanks to the heavy weaponry the Blåker could escape, but in the end the Wolgos would reach Askers as southern island at the end of the conflict in 7602. Since Fisks islands were officially administered by Kamura since the start of the event, the HMS Blåker was sailing under a Kamuran flag, even though it was not part of the Kamuran navy. When encountering the Wolgos near Askers in 7602, the weaponry had been adapted to answer to the Wolgos naval battle tactics with their vast amount of smaller vessels. The HMS Blåker was relatively compact in comparison to Hallisian, Anisoran and Livarian dreadnaughts and cruisers, making it and its sister vessel Kålhamn more suitable for attacking the Wolgos charges.

After the Wolgos Scourge, the HMS Blåker assisted Bowersland to decolonize. It was on board of the HMS Blåker that the Hallisian Commonweath signed the agreement severing their ties with the territory, which renamed itself Shaaniaah and became a founding member state of Sokoku. In 7611 the HMS Blåker was officially registered as a naval cargo ship in the Sokokan registry, when the new constitution of Vittmark formally severed all ties with Fisks that de facto had been cut already in 7598. It was the first HMS Blåker to be registered as a strictly naval vessel.

The ship served in the Sokokan navy until 7638, when it sunk after being struck by a torpedo from the Livarian navy in the conflict of the liberation of Garis Hati. The ship should have been decommissioned about 10 years earlier, but due to the ongoing conflicts surrounding the emergence of Sokoku, it was always needed as a reliable cargo ship. It lost its status as flag ship pretty soon in the 7620's when Sokoku commissioned larger naval vessels. The ship sank in shallow waters, saving most of the crew, but also enabling it to be salvaged in the 7640s. It was moved to Mengakui, where it was turned into a museum ship.

Blåker VI

Soon after the sinking of the Blåker V, the decision was made to give the next TY4 class frigate the name of Blåker (Buroker). It was already under construction in the naval shipyards near Taumakan and commissioned under this name in 7640. It was decommissioned in 7576 and sold to XX as the YY.

Blåker VII

In 7680 the first new naval cargo ship with amphibious capacity, the type BO7 was launched. Internationally, this ship class is known as the Blåker class. Since 7681 the HMS Blåker once again is the flag ship of the naval cargo fleet. It plays an important role in civilian readiness operations, like support with natural disasters and swift cargo movements. The HMS Blåker is equipped with additional sails which predominantly are used on non-military missions.