HMS Merlin (CA-270)

HMS Merlin (CA-270) is a Star Knight-class Heavy Cruiser within Second Fleet. Commanded by CAPTSG Danielle Erikson OR, QBM, RMN, Merlin claims St. Cloud, Minnesota as her charter city, and is the flagship of Destroyer Squadron 265, part of Task Group 21.1, which commands all of the American State of Minnesota.

History

Merlin was first brought into commission on 30 August 2011 under the command of then CAPTJG John Neitz, by order of BuShips. This ship was the first ship ever to be commissioned in Second Fleet, based out of Minneapolis, Minnesota. They participated in CONvergence and MarsCon multiple times, mastering the art of the convention room party, and inventing the shot known as the Missile Pod.

Less than three months after Merlin's commissioning, part of her rapidly-expanding crew formed her sister ship HMS Samurai, the first time a TRMN chapter split off an additional chapter.

In 2012 Captain Neitz launched the battlecruiser HMS Invincible and then-CAPTJG Justin Grays took over as skipper of Merlin. By the time the chapter upgraded to HMS Athena on 28 October 2012, multiple ships were staffed from its crew, creating BatCruRon 21, which became the nucleus of Second Fleet. Upon upgrade, Merlin was placed into the Active Reserves.

Merlin was recommissioned on 19 July 2014, when HMS Bedivere was upgraded and placed in Tenth Fleet. CAPTJG Christopher Beilby took command of the ship, with Santa Ana, California as her charter city, but claimed all of the southern half of the American State of California. They participated in the Los Angeles Comicon and eventually recruited enough members to upgrade to HMS Artemis (BC-592) on 28 November 2015.

Merlin was returned to Second Fleet on 30 November 2015, under the command of then-CAPTJG Garret Bitker, based out of Rochester, Minnesota. Upon the upgrade of the Rochester chapter to the LAC Carrier HMS Unicorn, the St. Cloud, Minnesota chapter HMS Javelin upgraded from destroyer to heavy cruiser and was assigned Merlin on 21 November 2017.

The current Merlin crew are active in support the fleet's efforts at MarsCon, CONvergence, and of course, MantiCon. They are also a major participant group at LionCon in St. Cloud. LionCon is organized by Merlin crew members who own the St. Cloud game store Lionheart Games, where Merlin holds regular gaming day events.

Commanding Officers

#	Name	Assumed	Relieved
1	CAPTJG John Neitz	30 August 2011	27 April 2012
2	CAPTJG Justin Grays	27 April 2012	28 October 2012
3	CAPTJG Christopher Beilby	19 July 2014	28 November 2015
4	CAPTSG Sir Garret Bitker, KE, CGM	30 November 2015	21 November 2017
5	CAPSG Danielle Erikson, OR, QBM	21 November 2017	Incumbent

Crew Lineage

• 30 August 2011: Launched as HMS Merlin (CA-270).
• 28 October 2012: Upgraded to HMS Athena (BC-439).
• 19 July 2014: Recommissioned as HMS Merlin (CA-270) in Tenth Fleet.
• 28 November 2015: Upgraded to HMS Artemis (BC-592).
• 30 November 2015: Recommissioned as HMS Merlin (CA-270) in Second Fleet.

Command Staff

• Commanding Officer: CAPTSG Danielle Erikson
• Executive Officer: CDR Ann Erikson
• Ship's Bosun: CPO Paladin Meyer

Ship's Orders

NOTE: This Wiki is the authoritative source for orders per the Fourth Space Lord. All orders have been provided by the issuing authority or are as posted in the TRMN Forums.

Ship's Orders are subordinate to, and expand upon or amplify Admiralty Orders, Naval Directives, and Second Fleet Orders. They are applicable to Merlin operations and personnel.

Order No.	Effective Date	Subject	Status
HMS Eponynomous Ship's Order 1608-24	24 August 2016	Placeholder for Ship Orders

See Also

Star Knight-class Heavy Cruiser
Merlin - Alchemist - Star Witch