Syrvanian Navy

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The naval warfare service of Syrvania has existed in various forms since the 2nd century PI. Between 421 and 605, it existed as the Syrvanian Revenue-Reserve Navy, but was reformed as a military branch between 521 and 540, though it would retain the Revenue-Reserve prefix until 530. The Syrvanian Navy was reformed again in 605, though is still a branch of the Syrvanian Defense Forces, and is constitutionally prohibited from mobilization.

Colonial Period
The first Syrvanian Navy was formed in the 2nd century PI by decree of King Theldis I. Between circa 280 and 420, the Syrvanian Navy would be the largest and most powerful naval force in the Kartasian Sea, and would pioneer ironclad steam warships in the late 300s. The Syrvanian Navy would be disbanded in 421 with the end of the First Leersog War.

Syrvanian Revenue-Reserve Navy
The Syrvanian Revenue-Reserve Navy was formed from the remains of the Syrvanian Navy in 421. It was not a military branch, and instead existed to protect Syrvanian fisheries, merchant shipping, and to act as an emergency coastal defense force.

Westenlands Wars
In 521, amid rising tensions between the League of Sovereigns and the Lusivakian Commonwealth, as well as threats of a potential invasion, the Revenue-Reserve Navy would be reintegrated as a military branch under the Syrvanian Republic. On the centennial of the Navy's disbandment, the Revenue-Reserve Navy would buy a number of ships from Commonwealth powers, including two Zaristom class destroyers, four Vithinia class escort ships, two Jurlea class minelayers, and a Sazys class minesweeper from Elandris, and seven Dzvora class corvettes, twelve ZB-4 class torpedo boats, and twenty eight Ezka class river support boats from Akrovia. They would also buy and convert a number of Syrvanian civilian ships such as trawlers, barges, and ferries. In 523, to supplement the Syrvania-Commonwealth Trade and Aid Pact, the Revenue-Reserve Navy and Defense Minister Bartoniy Kruvik would make further deals in secret. These included a license to produce modified Ezka class river support boats as the Z.10 class (though production would not begin until 525), Akrovian and Elandric naval advisors to aid in design of Syrvanian shipyards and potential designs for destroyers, cruisers, and battleships, and crucially, modified versions of the Elandric B-class submarine from the Regis and Telvythi shipyards in Elandris.

Chergarian Invasion
During the Syrvanian Incursion of 523 to 525, riverine craft of the Revenue-Reserve Navy were placed under the command of the army, while the navy retained control of coastal and blue-water vessels. Most coastal action involved limited close artillery and anti-aircraft support for fighting inland, provided by converted trawlers and barges. At this time, construction of the destroyers ordered in 521 had been delayed, four of the corvettes had not yet been delivered, and the order for torpedo boats had been canceled.

By the end of the war, the minesweeper Pyrzava, and escort ships Orydza and Oslan would be sunk in dock by Chergarian aircraft. Pyrzava and Oslan would be refloated and reenter service, while Orydza would sustain heavy damage to its machinery and be scrapped. The escort ship Zbacziy would be sunk by Chergarian land-based artillery while providing fire support for Syrvanian troops defending Voldno. Both minelayers, Prazik and Zveridziy, would be sunk offshore, with the latter attacked by a Bressian Aedental class frigate during minelaying operations, detonating mines on deck and sending the ship down with all hands. One of the corvettes would be sunk while providing offshore fire support, a second heavily damaged in the same operation and remaining in dock for the rest of the war, and the third sunk in dock.

Syrvanian Expansion
The Revenue-Reserve Navy would be rechristened as the Syrvanian Navy in 530. It would have a limited surface presence during actions in the Kartasian Sea, chiefly relegated to coastal defense, minesweeping and minelaying, anti-submarine patrol, and aiding in escorting Commonwealth convoys. The activities of its submarine force remain mostly unknown, but are estimated to have taken substantial losses on Bressian and Darsanese shipping.

Surface Forces
Aside from corvettes, minesweepers and minelayers, and armed civilian vessels, the Revenue-Reserve Navy would have only a small surface fleet, which saw limited action. The two Zaristom class destroyers, NS Grzegor Dawicz and NS Ilo Konstiyv would enter Syrvanian service in 526. Aside from a training exercise off the coast of Akrovia, they would remain in dock to conserve fuel and supplies.

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Submarine Service
The modified B-class submarines from Elandris would enter service with the Revenue-Reserve Navy under extreme secrecy, most likely in 526 or 527, as the S.24 class high-endurance boats. The performance records of the S.24 and S.33 class boats, the only two submarine classes known to have been used by Syrvania, remain largely unknown, due to the destruction of almost all related documents during the Elandric invasion of Syrvania in 540. While records indicate that Elandric yards built twenty-two S.24 class boats for Syrvania, it is believed that Syrvanian shipyards were able to construct at least fifty more, in addition to at least ten S.33 class boats.

Prior to 532, Syrvanian submarines carried no ensigns or jacks, and had no external markings. Afterwards, the S.24 class boats had Syrvanian roundels and hull numbers painted onto their conning towers. It is unknown if such markings were applied to any boats of the S.33 class, but recovered remains from scuttled boats show no traces of paint besides the base hull coat and antifouling paint.

While losses of League shipping by Syrvanian submarines are believed to have been substantial, it has proven difficult to estimate. Due to a common policy of strict radio silence, any kills by Elandric submarines, as well as Beirunese submarines in the Kartasian Sea, would remain unaccounted for if the submarine was sunk during its patrol, while Talahrani submarine skippers would often neglect to report kills. Therefore, of the amount of unclaimed kills on League ships, it is unknown how many were by Syrvanian submarines.