Realm Action Group

Realm Action Groups (Tipsprek: Rykaktiongroep) were a type of naval formation within the Tiperyn Realm Armada from the late 1920s to the early 1950s. They acted as Tiperyn's largest and most powerful naval formations outside of the North Iapetus and Balearic Sea, tasked with missions such as colonial action, commerce raiding, and hunting commerce raiders. All Realm Action Groups were flagshipped by Tiperyn's "light", some of which were supported by as well as submarine divisions and surface escorts. The formation served throughout the interwar period, but fell out of favor during the Great Kesh War as ad hoc formations became universal practice and the Realm Armada found itself based entirely around ad hoc fleet carrier and amphibious assault groups with the service's remaining gunboats in support.

Following the Grand Campaigns, Realm Action Groups acted largely as independent overseas naval formations responsible for covering specified areas of sea. They typically maintained permanent basing at ports within Tiperyn overseas territories or allies and, as such, were the face of the Realm Armada overseas for three decades (although other formations made up of cruisers, destroyers and submarines also operated overseas).

Postwar period (1925—1930)
The Admiralty Board took away several key lessons from the Grand Campaigns that influenced its 1925 Armada Review plan postwar. During the war, the performance of the Realm Armada in protecting merchant shipping, intercepting and destroying enemy commerce raiders, and obstructing the flow of troops and materiel from Brigantica and Chezzetcook to Western Tiperyn triggered a systematic critique of the armada's force structure. While the Realm Armada had started the war with a total of 20 dreadnought battleships as the core of its fleet—bolstered by a blitz of shipbuilding from 1914-1920 in anticipation of Tiperyn's entry into the war—it had emerged from the war with only eight, including one it had constructed during the war. The board was also influenced by the generally positive experiences of both the Realm Armada's single Quick Division equipped with battlecruisers and its aircraft carriers used in the scouting and torpedo bombing roles. This review was concurrent with a strategic shift to force engagements to happen as far away from mainland Tiperyn as possible and synthesize naval and land forces during amphibious operations.

The result was the Realm Action Group concept, which would be headed by battlecruisers to capitalize on speed, range of action, and the range of their armaments. The Admiralty Board also called for a split in battlecruiser lines, with one "light" class for the Realm Action Groups and one "heavy" class for screening battleship forces and operating with fleet carriers in the North Iapetus and Balearic. Additionally, some but not all Realm Action Groups would include a purpose-built light carriers—the first in Tiperyn's history—to aid in finding and harassing enemy commerce raiders and conduct raids themselves. They would also be supported by cruisers and destroyers of varying quantities, and at times act in conjunction with submarine groups operating within the same Sea Division (geographically-based fleets).

By 1926, the Admiralty Board's plan called for seven battleships, 14 battlecruisers (10 light and four heavy), two fleet aircraft carriers, and four light aircraft carriers. However, by 1929, only seven of the 10 planned light battlecruisers would be in service—including three built before or during the Grand Campaigns—and only two of the planned four heavy battlecruisers.

The following were the active Realm Action Groups at the beginning of 1929 with their capital ships listed (not including surface escorts or sustainment ships):


 * Rykaktiongroep—Valentyna
 * TNV Volbloed battlecruiser♔
 * TNV Sprintyst battlecruiser
 * TNV Albatros light carrier♔
 * Rykaktiongroep—Chimchag
 * TNV Seilvisk battlecruiser
 * TNV Slektvalk battlecruiser
 * TNV Pelikan light carrier
 * Rykaktiongroep—Kitoko
 * TNV Vigilante battlecruiser
 * TNV Stoarmvogel light carrier
 * Rykaktiongroep—Elora
 * TNV Reder battlecruiser
 * TNV Skarbek light carrier
 * Rykaktiongroep—Naserye
 * TNV Vaktyst battlecruiser♔

♔ Lead ship of her class

All five Realm Action Groups were formed in 1926, although at first most were flagshipped by heavy cruisers and supported by pre-war aircraft carriers before a sufficient number of light battlecruisers could be commissioned. The Realm Action Groups stationed in New Valentina, Chimchag and Kitoko were mainly responsible for intercepting commerce raiders and commerce raiding themselves in the Iapetus Diamond (the shipping lanes connected the three countries and territories to Tiperyn). This was the focal point of the battlecruiser force, largely due to the volume of shipping that was interdicted by Brigantic and Goetic raiders during the Grand Campaigns and the threat of Zahavan commerce raiders in the South Iapetus particularly. Meanwhile, the group stationed in Ellora was responsible for conducting the same mission in the region of the South Tethys, aimed mainly at Kodeshia and Akiteiwa in protection of Tiperyn's islandic territories in the vicinity of East Kesh. Finally, the group stationed in Nasiria was expected to do the same job in the Eurybian Sea, but was relegated mainly to showing the flag prior to the Great Kesh War. By 1929, Realm Action Groups stationed in New Valentina and Chimchag were outfitted with the new Volbloed-class light battlecruiser while the other groups were equipped with the pre-Grand Campaigns Vaktyst-class.