Light Attack Craft
A Light Attack Craft (abbrev. LAC) is a sublight war vessel operated by several Honorverse navies, including the RMN, GSN, IAN, and RHN. LACs are not capable of faster-than-light travel, so the RMN developed the CLAC (Carrier, Light Attack Craft) as a hyper-capable ship carrying a number (usually approximately 80-100) of LACs to deploy in battle.
TRMN chapter type
In The Royal Manticoran Navy: The Official Honor Harrington Fan Association, Inc. (TRMN), a LAC is the smallest permanent independent chapter available. A LAC requires a minimum of three members, to include a Commanding Officer who has a minimum rank of O-3, an enlisted bosun who is E-7 or higher, and at least one additional member.
Unlike hyper-capable chapters, which must select a canon ship name as provided by BuShips, LAC crews may create a ship name, subject only to BuShips limitations on good taste and replication of existing ship manes. This reflects the idea that LAC crews select nicknames for their vessels, much like WWII bomber plane crews did.
The prefix for Manticoran LAC names is HMLAC (Her Majesty's Light Attack Craft) and each LAC chapter is assigned a Hull Number sequential in order of commissioning within TRMN.
Echelon Units
Any fleet with one or more LACs must appoint a COLAC (Commanding Officer, Light Attack Craft) to oversee operations of LACs. Fleet COs may organize LACs within their order of battle into the following types of echelons, each of which will be commanded by a COLAC:
- LAC Wings consist of all LACs operating from a CLAC.
- LAC Groups consist of a unit of LACs not operating from a CLAC.
Wings and Groups may be divided into LAC Flights of consisting 2-3 LACs, and commanded by a Flight Leader who is the senior LAC CO within the flight.
See also
Admiralty Order 1602-06 Defines command structure for LACs