The Five Township Navy

The main military unit in the lower towns

The Five Township Navy is a collection of trained sailors with the purpose of fending off any enemies that might sail into the harbor. The soldiers are from all five towns, no gender boundaries, and with an enlistment age as early as fifteen. Some parents hand their children off to the navy if they cannot take care of them, since the navy provides meals, places to sleep, and clothes. It is not unheard of for extra daughters to be sent to the navy when parents do not have enough for another dowry.

Primarily, the navy exists to help maintain records of trade and protect against piracy. The Five Townships have a strict no-pirate law, despite being one of the most popular harbors on their side of the continent. While typically a forgiving council, pirates are often hanged or drowned in battle if found.

Composition

Manpower

• The larger ships have around 80 sailors on board.
• Smaller ships have around 20.
• On any given ship, there is: a captain, a healer, a navigator, a cook, several boatswains, master-at-arms, interpreter, carpenter, and a painter.

Training

Training consists of several months and each sailor must pass a test to display strength in either fighting, general boat upkeep and/or navigating. Depending on level of skill, they can pick their second assignment, but their first one is decided by the training officers.

Logistics

Auxilia

They have hawks that can send messages to land troops and officers if support is needed.

Upkeep

A large amount of money goes into the upkeep of the navy, taking away from things like public education or the arts. Many people do not like how much money the navy gets since the most recent threat is land-based (the Northern Countries invading) and relationships with countries reached by the harbor are currently well. But the navy is important for general military upkeep.

Recruitment

Recruitment is open for the navy, although traditionally it was very closed and restricted only to men in the lower towns. However, a war over a hundred years ago allowed for women to join, and lowered the age of enlistment down to fifteen. Most people these days can't imagine having only men in the navy. 
At the end of training, recruits celebrate by a large party, just after finding out their first assignments given to them by their training officers. Typically these assignments consist of 2-5 people in one cohort, who you are expected to fight alongside and protect even more so than other naval officers. There is no official ranking order in these cohorts, since assignments will have a higher officer on site.

History

In general the Five Township Navy is known for its strategic formations and fighting, although they are not known as brutal or cruel. There have been a few distinct fights across battleships, but the most recent one was still twenty years ago.

"The navy isn't just for everyone, despite us getting people's cast-offs. You need to be ready for anything, focused under pressure, and willing to protect your fellow sailors with your life. Without that trust, a cohort and crew has nothing."
-Quote from an Unknown Training Officer

Type

Navy