Floating fortress
Encyclopedia
Floating fortress is a term used to describe expansive sea bases (i.e. squadrons of commercial vessels loaded with heavy military equipment and supporting logistical stocks), as well as battleship
s or carriers
which accompany the sea bases. The term's etymology
is derived from the WWII-era B-17 Flying Fortress, which were employed by the United States Air Force
during raids on Germany.
s) as well as print media. However, it should be noted these are often depicted as airborne vessels.
Battleship
A battleship is a large armored warship with a main battery consisting of heavy caliber guns. Battleships were larger, better armed and armored than cruisers and destroyers. As the largest armed ships in a fleet, battleships were used to attain command of the sea and represented the apex of a...
s or carriers
Aircraft carrier
An aircraft carrier is a warship designed with a primary mission of deploying and recovering aircraft, acting as a seagoing airbase. Aircraft carriers thus allow a naval force to project air power worldwide without having to depend on local bases for staging aircraft operations...
which accompany the sea bases. The term's etymology
Etymology
Etymology is the study of the history of words, their origins, and how their form and meaning have changed over time.For languages with a long written history, etymologists make use of texts in these languages and texts about the languages to gather knowledge about how words were used during...
is derived from the WWII-era B-17 Flying Fortress, which were employed by the United States Air Force
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
during raids on Germany.
Examples
- San Juan de UlúaSan Juan de UlúaSan Juan de Ulúa, also known as Castle of San Juan de Ulúa is a large complex of fortresses, prisons and one former palace on an island overlooking the seaport of Veracruz, Mexico.-History:...
, a fortress on an island, located near the MexicanMexicoThe United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
seaport of Veracruz.
- The historic Venetian ArsenalVenetian ArsenalThe Venetian Arsenal was a complex of state-owned shipyards and armories clustered together in Venice in northern Italy. It was responsible for the bulk of Venice's naval power during the middle part of the second millennium AD...
, included ships known as galleass; these were merchant vessels which were modified to hold heavy artillery. This included guns mounted on wheeled carriages.
- Fort DrumFort Drum (El Fraile Island)Fort Drum , also known as the “concrete battleship,” is a heavily fortified island fortress situated at the mouth of Manila Bay in the Philippines, due south of Corregidor Island. It was occupied by the Japanese in World War II, and was recaptured by the U.S...
a fortress built on the remains of El Fraile Island at the entrance to Manila BayManila BayManila Bay is a natural harbor which serves the Port of Manila , in the Philippines.The bay is considered to be one of the best natural harbors in Southeast Asia and one of the finest in the world...
.
Fictional references
Floating fortress references abound in video games (in particular role-playing video gameRole-playing video game
Role-playing video games are a video game genre with origins in pen-and-paper role-playing games such as Dungeons & Dragons, using much of the same terminology, settings and game mechanics. The player in RPGs controls one character, or several adventuring party members, fulfilling one or many quests...
s) as well as print media. However, it should be noted these are often depicted as airborne vessels.
- Floating fortress was the vehicle of choice for The Sinistrals, a quartet of demigodDemigodThe term "demigod" , meaning "half-god", is commonly used to describe mythological figures whose one parent was a god and whose other parent was human; as such, demigods are human-god hybrids...
s featured in Lufia & the Fortress of DoomLufia & the Fortress of DoomLufia & the Fortress of Doom, known as in Japan, is an RPG developed by Neverland and published by Taito in 1993, for the Super Nintendo. It is the first title in the Lufia series of video games and the only game from the series released under the Taito label in North America.- Story :The story...
, the 1993 RPG; - A floating fortress served as home to the Wind Crystal and Wind Fiend, characters from the Final FantasyFinal Fantasy (video game)is a fantasy role-playing video game created by Hironobu Sakaguchi, developed and first published in Japan by Square in 1987. It is the first game in Square's Final Fantasy series...
video game; - In the DragonlanceDragonlanceDragonlance is a shared universe created by Laura and Tracy Hickman, and expanded by Tracy Hickman and Margaret Weis under the direction of TSR, Inc. into a series of popular fantasy novels. The Hickmans conceived Dragonlance while driving in their car on the way to TSR for a job application...
series, floating fortresses existed as large castles or cities torn out of the earth, called flying citidels. - Noted author George OrwellGeorge OrwellEric Arthur Blair , better known by his pen name George Orwell, was an English author and journalist...
's political novel Nineteen Eighty-FourNineteen Eighty-FourNineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell is a dystopian novel about Oceania, a society ruled by the oligarchical dictatorship of the Party...
includes several references to such vessels belonging to Oceania (and, possibly, also to the other two totalitarian superstates: Eurasia and Eastasia). They are depicted as nearly unsinkable and the "natural evolution" of the "frail and weak battleships" of the early 20th century; they are also notable as being one of the few technologies developed and enhanced under the Party's watch. - In Electronic ArtsElectronic ArtsElectronic Arts, Inc. is a major American developer, marketer, publisher and distributor of video games. Founded and incorporated on May 28, 1982 by Trip Hawkins, the company was a pioneer of the early home computer games industry and was notable for promoting the designers and programmers...
' Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3 is a 2008 real-time strategy video game developed by EA Los Angeles and published by Electronic Arts. Announced on February 14, 2008, it was released on October 28, 2008 in the United States for Microsoft Windows-based PCs and three days later in Europe. A version for...
, The Empire Of The Rising Sun employs a style of floating fortresses as armed mobile launch pads for its highly advanced army.