Emergency Shipbuilding Program
The Emergency Shipbuilding Program is a significant governmental initiative in Nouvelle Alexandrie, commissioned by the Department of Defense of Nouvelle Alexandrie in 1719 AN and aimed at rapidly expanding the country's naval fleet as well as supplying ships for allies Raspur Pact navies. Initially, the program received orders for the construction of sixty ships, employing a multitude of shipyards across the nation, with work divided between the prominent Pontecorvo Firm and the Honourable Company shipyards.
The program has recently come under intense scrutiny due to a procurement scandal. As of VII.1720 AN, instead of the planned sixty vessels being under construction, work had reportedly only begun on two, and even these were not yet launched. Observers pointed out similarities between the proposed "cruiser" and older, outdated ship models, raising concerns about the quality and effectiveness of the ships being produced. These allegations have caused a wave of skepticism and controversy, with potentially significant consequences for Nouvelle Alexandrie's shipbuilding industry, a major employer in the country. This scandal has threatened not only the credibility of the program and the entities associated with it but also the livelihood of thousands of workers dependent on this industry. As such, the scandal and its aftermath have become a focal point of national discourse and scrutiny, with the future of Nouvelle Alexandrie's naval expansion and shipbuilding industry hanging in the balance.
Initial Plans
The initial order issued under the program was for the construction of sixty ships, to be split evenly between the Pontecorvo Firm and the Honourable Company shipyards in Nouvelle Alexandrie. The directive was to have these vessels launched by the end of the year. Fitting out of armaments, sensors, and command and control systems was to be undertaken by Javelin Industries and partners, utilising off-the-shelf systems available for use. The program explicitly prohibited research and development activities, mandating that only existing technologies be utilised.
Orders
| Ship class | Visual | Orders placed (As of 1720 AN) |
Under construction (As of 1720 AN) |
Delivered (As of 1720 AN) |
Companies | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manco Cápac-class cruiser |  |
60 | 2 | 0 | Auxiliary light cruiser ordered by Federal Navy of Nouvelle Alexandrie from the Pontecorvo Firm and ESB Armada. |
Deployment of Commissariat Agents
Commissariat agents from the National Ordnance and Procurement Board were dispatched in the fourth month of 1719 AN to establish a Department of Defense presence at the following shipyards:
- Pontecorvo Shipbuilding Yards (Pontecorvo, Alduria)
- Rothborne Shipbuilding & Offshore Industries Complex (Rothborne City, Alduria)
- La Fortaleza de Melusina Yard Complex (La Fortaleza de Melusina, South Lyrica).
- Port Tablot Shipyards (Port Tablot, Isles of Caputia)
- Aldurian Shipbuilding Yards (Alkhiva, Alduria)
- ESB Armada (Alkhiva, Alduria)
Each of these shipyards was tasked with laying down and launching ten hulls within a year. The feasibility of this ambitious task was met with scepticism in the industry and by trade press publications. As a result, left-leaning national news outlets began speculating about the feasibility of the programme and the potential trade-offs required to achieve the stipulated number of hulls within the designated time.
Controversies and Scandals
A scandal surrounding the Emergency Shipbuilding Program was realized in VII.1720 AN, when it was revealed that instead of the planned sixty vessels, work had only commenced on two and even these were not yet launched. Furthermore, as these ships took shape, it was noted that they shared commonalities with the Andronikos-class auxiliary cruiser of the Constancian Navy, which had been built off the pattern set by the SS Andronikos, a Babkhan merchant ship.
A large part of the delay in the shipbuilding programme had been occasioned by jurisdictional conflicts between the National Ordnance and Procurement Board under the Department of Defense and the Joint Production Accelerator Cell within the Office of Procurement, which reported directly to the Office of the President. Both entities also reacted against attempts by the Naval Forces Office and Military-Industrial Relations Bureau of Keltia Command to reorientate New Alexandrian shipbuilding towards launching escort corvettes capable of escorting transoceanic trade fleets, whilst also contending with the continuous entreaties of Trans-Euran Command for a focus instead upon landing craft and minesweepers capable of operating within the Gulf of Zinjibar.
After the scandal broke, attention on the part of the Department of Defense internal audit teams began to focus in on the role played by the NOPB commissary agents in allocating work at the earmarked shipyards, and the seeming failure of ESB Armada to commence work at all.
