HIRMS Borodino by LoneQueenOfTheNorth on DeviantArt (original) (raw)

A History: The Borodino-class battlecruisers, sometimes referred as the Izmail-class, can find its origins from the aftermath of the Russo-Japanese War. It was decided that there was a need for a squadron of fast armored cruisers whose job is to engage the leader of a enemy battle line. The design was delayed and changed numerous times. Initially the ships would had a speed of 28 knots, armed with 12-inch guns and relatively weak armor - but this was delayed when the State Duma session was ended before the proposal could be voted on.

The leaders of the navy revised their requirements now asking for a slightly slower ship, with dramatically improved armor and a upgrade in armament with 9 14-inch guns. Construction was approved in 1912 and after the approval a fourth turret with new hull section was inserted into the design which resulted in the program going overbudget and in 1913, it was discovered the armor scheme of the Gangut-class battleships was too vulnerable to both plunging fire and shock impact from heavy shells. The Borodinos' were redesigned to have thicker armor on their turrets and deck - this lead to delays, the removal of aft conning tower and a slight reduction in belt armor.

Three of the ships were launched in 1915, but it became clear that Russia would not be able to finish them during the war due to a shortage of steel and Russia's inability to import foreign made parts, by 1916 work was basically halted.

After the Soviet takeover, there were various proposals made of what to do with the four ships, there was a proposal to complete Izmail and possibly Borodino to the original design, unfortunately, they were unlikely to receive enough guns. There were other attempts made to possibly use the hulls for other types of ships but all of these ideas were scrapped whether its because the hulls were unsuitable for the task(such as being a liner and a freighter) or Soviet industry was ill-equipped to actually complete these proposals(there were proposals to up-armed them to 8 16 inch guns, but since Soviet industry could barely make 14 inch guns forget about making 16 inch guns, prior to the fall of the empire, Russia produced one 14 inch gun, in the same time frame, Vickers supplied 10 such guns)

3 of the ships were sold to a German company for scrap in 1923 due to a need for cash for the government. There was a proposal to convert Izmail into a aircraft carrier in 1925 - this was approved by the Council of the People's Commissars but it was blocked by the Red Army who strongly opposed naval projects - The Red Army managed to gain control of the commission in charge of reviewing the needs of the Navy as a result the project was canceled in 1926 and Izmail was scrapped starting in 1931.

Character Bio: Borodino holds a massive grudge against the Northern Parliament. They destroyed the Empire, they stole the glory of a centuries-old civilization, they stole her birthright. Along with her sisters, she was scrapped by the Northern Parliamentarian Army because they are so inept at running their disgusting mockery of a regime. But if there is something else she hates nearly as much as those socialists are the Iron Blood, the inheritors of the Eisenreich, and those Sakura hyenas.

Borodino is quite apathetic towards nearly everyone except for her sisters and her familiar, Alek. One would think that since she is the co-captain ,alongside Izmail , of the Imperial Life Guards that she would have a private friendship with the Imperial family, alas that is false. In fact if anything she is incredibly annoyed with the bickering and squabbling between the members of the Imperial family, especially Imperator Pavel I and Imperator Aleksandr III. The only member whom she has some respect for is Imperatritsa Elaterina Velikaya as at least she does not act like some inept whining child. After all she is the Co-Captain of the Imperial Life Guards, not some babysitter for some spoiled and egotistical little girls.

In fact, she is so infamous for her apathy and general demeaning attitude that many within and out of the White Legion considered her to be more of a royal than many of the actual members of the Imperial family. However she's not completely unique in that aspect as the same can be said of her sister Izmail, if anything Izmail is even colder than she is.

However, Borodino, unlike most of the White Legion, holds a major distrust for one of their most gifted soldiers, the old Great War veteran, Zaamurets. Borodino just has a feeling that something isn’t quite right with the surly train, after all she has that look in her eyes and of course, one must be wary of people who have a history of defections, one must never let their guard down around such people, lest they betray you.

The only people that Borodino shows her true self to are her sisters. They are all jaded souls, they were never completed, they lost their home, they were left behind. The old Czar, their old master, the man and whose family they swore to protect is dead, slain by the Revolution. Asides from the surviving Imperial family and their oaths of eternal servitude, all they have are each other. They shared everything with each other, they cared for each other, they loved each other, the only thing that could match their love for one another is their love for their fallen homeland.

During this War, Borodino and Izmail leads an elite rapid deployment force of the Imperial Guard. Borodino herself was a veteran of the battle of Arkhangelsk, the Eastern Frontiers Campaign and the battle for Tsaritsyn(she shall never call it by its Northern Parliamentarian name). All throughout this war, she lives by the creed of Czar Nicholas I, Orthodoxy, Autocracy, and Nationality.

The Imperial family shall be restored to the throne, none shall challenge them ever again. The Empire shall triumph in this war, it shall triumph over its enemies, it shall be restored to its rightful place as among the world’s most powerful nations. May God have mercy on the souls of the rebels as she shall show them none.