Elysian Space Navy

This article describes the setting of a military science fiction series of stories by David Weber featuring Honor Harrington, the Nelsonesque heroine in a series reminiscent of C. S. Forester's Horatio Hornblower book series. The Elysian Space Navy is a doubly fictional space navy that exists momentarily in the events described in the eighth book of David Weber's Honor Harrington series, Echoes of Honor.

Background
Elysian Space Navy was voluntairy fleet created by the Alliance POW's and other StateSec prisoners, after gaining control of Hades, StateSec prison planet (in fact - system defence command and the only StateSec garrizon located od Styx island). Elysian Space Navy main aim was rescuing of all prisoners, who would like to escape from planet.

Seizing of Styx was organized by Honor Harrington and her RMN personnel after escape from from prison at StateSec vessel PNS Tepes. Significant help was given by Camp Inferno inmates led by Commodore Jesus Ramirez from San Martin, senior officer there.

Name for the Navy
The autor of name was Commodore Jesus Ramirez, San Martin citizen. Because StateSec prison planet was named Hades it was an ironic antonimic suggestion to name the fleet after the Elysian Fields of Greek mythology. Idea of new common navy helped to integrate and subordinate its multinational volontaire members. However creating new navy, instead of incorporating captured ships into existing ones (eg. RMN or GSN), raised later legal difficulties for Honor Harrington as Grayson Steadholder (she wasn't aware, that Steadholders were not permitted to command more than 50 armed retainers outside the Armed Services of Grayson).

Ship acquisition
Captured Havenite ships only.
 * single StatSec warships:
 * Mars-class CA Krashnark, CO Citizen Captain Pangborn,
 * Frigate-class CL Bacchante,
 * Citizen Major General Thornegrave's convoy:
 * Warlord-class BC: Wallenstein, Farnese, Kutuzov, MacArthur, Barbarosa,
 * Mars-class CA: Ares, Huan-Ti, Ishtar,
 * Frigate-class CL Sabine,
 * some Longstop-class transports,
 * two Roughneck-class Fast Attack Transports survived from Citizen General Chernock joint task force.

Capturing of Thornegrave's convoy
StatSec convoy under Major General Thornegrave command, due to load 70 thousands of forced workers from Hades, entered the parking orbit at Hades. Convoy was ordered by system defence to dropp wedges and shields. When demand for surrender was transmitted CO of BC Attila attempted defiance and ship was blown away by the orbital defenses. The explosion resulted in the near total destruction of the CA Hachiman and CL Seahorse. The rest of the convoy remained spaceworthy.

Battle of Cerberus
A joint State Security-People's Navy task force was sent to Cerberus system due to suspicion, that Hades was seized by prisoners. Joint task force CO was Citizen General Chernock, fleet component of the operation was commanded by Citizen Rear Admiral Yearman. Joint task force was composed of ten battlecruisers, six heavy cruisers and two fast transport ships.

Joint task force used standard approach vector to the star system. Elysian Space Navy maneuvered its ships on an intercept course using thrusters only, which allowed to catch the enemy by surprise and destroy all enemy warships.

Elysian Space Navy order to battle

 * Navy CO - Admiral (Commodore) Honor Harrington (ENS Farnese),
 * Navy second-in-command - Commodore Jesus Ramirez (ENS Wallenstein),
 * battlecruisers:
 * ENS Wallenstein - CO Commodore Alistair McKeon,
 * ENS Farnese - CO Admiral Honor Harrington, XO Warner Caslet,
 * ENS Kutuzov - CO Captain Harriet Benson,
 * ENS MacArthur - 	CO Commander Solomon Marchant,
 * ENS Barbarosa - 	CO Lieutenant Commander Geraldine Metcalf,
 * heavy cruisers:
 * ENS Krashnark - 	CO Lieutenant Commander Scotty Tremaine,
 * ENS Ares - CO Commander Ainspan,
 * ENS Huan-Ti - CO Lieutenant Commander Anson Lethridge,
 * ENS Ishtar - CO Lieutenant Commander Sarah DuChene,
 * light cruiser ENS Bacchante - CO Lieutenant Commander Roberta Ellis.

Havenite task force order to battle

 * task force fleet component CO - Citizen Rear Admiral Yearman (PNS Tammerlane),
 * task force fleet component second-in-command - Citizen Captain Isler (PNS Modred),
 * 10 battlecruisers (including 3 StateSec battlecruisers: PNS Ivan IV, PNS Cassander, PNS Modred - CO Citizen Captain Isler),
 * 6 heavy cruisers (including StateSec heavy cruiser PNS Morrigan - CO Citizen Captain Sorrenson).

Extraction prisoners form Hades

 * first convoy (after capturing of Thornegrave's convoy ):
 * CL Sabine (CO Captain Cynthia Gonsalves),
 * Longstop-class transports from Citizen Major General Thornegrave's convoy,
 * second convoy (after battle of Cerberus):
 * Elysian Space Navy main forces,
 * 2 FAT's from Citizen General Chernock task force.

Afterward
After arrival to Trevor Star, the Elysian Space Navy was incorporated into Grayson Space Navy as The Protector's Own. This was a political move, as Honor had inadvertently raised a military force which under Grayson law would constitute an act of treason (steadholders are permitted a strictly limited number of personal armsmen, primarily as bodyguards for the household). This was also done in order to keep the personnel together as a single group. Most of them had been prisoners since their home worlds were swallowed by Haven, with some others being Havenite political prisoners and purged naval personnel.

(The Protectors Own became in effect a kind of Graysonian Foreign legion, with service bringing citizenship. This was also part of Protector Benjamin's modernisation strategy, creating an influx of new citizens with a variety of backgrounds and social mores. By the events of War of Honor, the Protector's Own has been outfitted with the new Harrington-class SD(P)s, which Admiral Alfredo Yu serving as its 2nd in Command (and de facto CO, in absence of Honor Harrington)).

Time of Elysian Space Navy existence
Since CA Krashnark had been captured - until first slower rescuers convoy departed to Trevor Star (under Captain Cynthia Gonsalves command).

Source
David Weber, Echoes of Honor, chapters: 43, 44, 47, 48, 49, Epilogue.