Sisters of Two Nations

A series of images featuring SJ Zipang (BB-50), RSS Sirentide (BB-72), and various other ships on exercises in the Spiderweb Formations.

The Common Combined Fleet Development program bore plenty of fruit in the years it was held between the Phoenix Republic and the Federal State of Sakurajima, deepening the political alliance and cooperation between both states, but also expanding their shipbuilding capabilities and flexibility of their navies.

Naturally, the most prominent result of the CCFDP are the Sirentide/Zipang-class Battleships. While both share largely similar hullforms and identical numbers of armaments, details are slightly different. Sirentides employ the zero-lag master fire control and communications suites developed from the Black Hills; 18 TeV/50 GW ultrarelativistic electron beam guns as main armament; and slightly better maneuverability at the cost of shorter range. The Zipang and her sisters, however, employ improved variants of the zero-lag fire control and communications suites of the Shirane-class Battlecruisers; wield 20.1 TeV/45 GW ultrarelativistic electron beam guns; higher range; and better thermal management suites.

But the other--arguably more impactful--main result of the program, is the Hikaze-class Destroyer (DD-432 to DD-760). Sakurajima needed powerful, maneuverable, mass-production ships to patrol its territories in the Hanami Nebula and beyond. From there, naval designers modified the plans of the already-numerous Thresher-class Destroyer (DD-512 to 1000+) to suit these needs. Slightly longer than the parent class, equipped with squadron command facilities, and wielding a powerful array of 30 AE Torpedoes in six quintuple launchers alongside 12 rapid-firing dual-purpose electron beam guns in six twin turrets, they present a powerful deterrent against both enemy fleets and bands of pirates. This does not mean that the Threshers are less effective, however. While equipped with only 20 torpedoes per ship, they have a broadside of 20 rapid-fire dual-purpose electron beam guns, making them better suited for area defense, escort, and destroyer-hunting, which when paired with an accompanying command cruiser, creates near-impenetrable screens to defend capital ships.

---

I should have done this months ago, this differentiating of the Sirentide sisters. Also I'm not fully happy with the renders. I can't seem to get the OptiX denoiser working quite right.