The Northern Fleet was part of the Cuprien Empire military; from 222 onwards, it was also an autonomous state.

Imperial Military

Queen Lue organised her fleets in the northeast - whose area of operations was initially Netache and the Northern Ocean, as well as parts of the Baovuldian Sound - into a single force with a central headquarters, initially based in Royal but soon after in Port Astra.

The Northern Fleet was uniquely autonomous, and one of the largest armed formations in Cuprien.

Autonomous State

Under the weak Ferse Tsempre (r. 221), the Northern Fleet became essentially autonomous. Its military command became a state administration, and it controlled some territory; this was some actual land on Bao-Mou, Netache, and in the Forgotten Islands, as well as several dependent port cities (called Fleet Cities) which the Fleet used as bases, and protectorates even so far as Litchy (for instance Tyroch, in Litchian Vivi).

The Northern Fleet lost its statehood and its existence as a military formation in 335 OW, when Admiral Tuiz surrendered to Korpeon of Tillent. The military side ceased to exist; ships formerly part of the Fleet were split up among different Grand Armies and no longer enjoyed a separate chain of command. As for the territory, it was split up into different unrelated prefectures.

There were some efforts to restore the Northern Fleet on Bao-Mou; it only continued in an altered form based in Netache.

Heraldry

The initial design for the Northern Fleet flag, derived directly from the Cuprien state flag, was introduced around 114 OW; it was intentionally similar, and was at first used only on ceremonial flag stands alongside the state flag as a kind of divisional emblem. With time, however, the custom became to fly the state flag on the prow of the ship when in port, and the fleet flag on the rear at all times.

The Northern Fleet adopted a new design for itself in 202 OW, slightly changing the change of its sigil (abbreviated for the Surin Common "Flotta Nordan"). Officially, the intent was to more clearly identify Northern Fleet ships at sea (by adopting horizontal stripes rather than a unicolor field), but this was also a statement for the fleet's growing identity as a state apart.

The simple abbreviated sigil was used much more often than the entire flag.

114-202 OW

202-335 OW