"Those air attack would have sunk our carriers if it weren't for these air defence ships"

Overview
The heavy cruiser ANS Marstelle is one of the most feared ship for any aviator. The lead ship of her class she featured powerful anti air assets and a powerful main battery armaments. The ship is equipped with an extensive radar suite at the time one of the most advanced in the world.

Wartime need
With the 2nd world war ramping up in 1940 the need for more cruisers arise. While at the start of Arsenian involvement in the war there was a sufficient number of cruisers it was expected that losses would soon start to mount. Several wartime programs were initiated, one of which was the standard heavy cruiser program. This program was planned to give the navy a capable and reliable cruiser to escort carriers and convoy ships.

The program was led by Hartylon shipbuilding. By this time the london and Washington naval treaty had been abandoned. The initial proposal was for a 15.000 tons cruiser, but this was increased due to the reports of the new Baltimore class. Eventually a 19.000 tons design was selected. By 1941 construction of the Hartylon shipbuilding facilities were completed and their first product would be the new heavy cruisers.

The new cruiser was planned to be built in large batches to reduce production cost and speed up construction. The first batch would be ordered in April 1941 and construction would began in june of that year. The first batch was made up of 6 ships each named after a town or city in one of the arsenian overseas territories.

Design
While the initial goal of the program was for an escort cruiser, her design would grow in a large and and very capable ship. She would be armed with 12x 8 inch mark 11 guns and 14x 5 inch guns equipped with the new VT Fuze. Her powerful main armaments are further boosted with a very formidable anti air armament. She is capable of reaching speeds of up to 31 knots. Ships of this class would also be equipped with one of the most powerful radar suite on the seas only being outclassed by Ursean battleships and Arsenian Emperor class battleships. She would be one of the first ship in the navy to use the KT series and RK series radar. The ship would be designed aa a multipurpose all rounder ship, capable of many mission.

History
In 1943 ANS marstelle would be commissioned in to the navy, she would be sent to the Pacific theatre of the war and be used as a powerful escorts for carrier battlegroup. Her size and powerful weaponry would be a sizeable deterrence for any ships thinking about attacking a carrier battlegroup. In the day the ship would be providing escort for carriers while at night the ship would be used as a powerful raider with her powerful weaponry and impressive radar suite. From 1943 to 1944 she would participate in many night battles with URN cruiser and destroyers, this would result in her receiving several battle awards and credit for sinking of the cruiser USS helena.

With the Ursean Navy victory at midway and Guadalcanal the initiative was in their hands. This crisis would push the Arsenian navy to begin sending more ships towards the Pacific theatre. Thia would slow down Ursean advance but not full stop it. There needed a decisive battle to either push back or destroy the Ursean Advance.

The Marstelle would preform several escorts and raiding operations leading up to the battle of Zenitrak Sea. This series of operation would result in the Marstelle sinking the cruiser USS Pittsburgh. She would later be part of the carrier battle of Zenitrak being one of the escort for the ANS Haizeraum battle group. She would prove invaluable as after the ANS Kaizerus was damaged she would take over the coordination of air defense in the fleet.

After Zenitrak the Marstelle continue to be used as an escort and raiding ship with it managing to sink the destroyer USS Hazelwood and USS Conway. By the end of the war for Arsenia in 1946 she was one of the most advanced cruiser in the fleet. She was planned to be modernized in 1948 but due to budgetary limitations she was decided to be decommissioned. She would be saved by the City of Marstelle which by this time had grown to be one of the largest overseas city in the empire. She has now become a museum ship in the Jelano river near downtown Marstelle.