Delranes Fighting Ships 3061 PDF

DELRANES FIGHTING SHIPS 3061
AND INNER SPHERE WARSHIPS REVISED EDITION

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Foreword 04 Kyushu Class Frigate 75
Kirishima Class Heavy Cruiser 78
Fredasa Class Corvette 05

Vincent Mk-42 Class Corvette 08
Non-Canon Warships and Small Craft
Whirlwind Class Attack Destroyer 11 Mark VII Landing Craft 82
York Class Destroyer / Carrier 14 Goalkeeper Mk IV Defence Craft 85
Essex II Class Destroyer 17 Pleiades Space Fighter 88
Lola III Class Destroyer 20 Trader Class Heavy Freight Shuttle 91
Aegis Class Heavy Cruiser 23 Blackwatch ‘Observation Vessel’ 94
Volga Class Troop Transport 26 Dauntless Class Destroyer Escort 97
Congress Class Frigate 29 Endeavour Class Explorer 100
Black Lion Class Battlecruiser Block II 32 Onslaught Class Assault Frigate 103
Sovetskii Soyuz Class Heavy Cruiser 36 Thresher Class Heavy Cruiser 106
Liberator Class Heavy Cruiser 39 Antares Class Fleet Tender 109
Cameron Class Battlecruiser 42 Fearless Class Assault Ship 112
Nightlord Class Battleship 45 Ark Royal Class Heavy Fleet Carrier 115
Potemkin Class Heavy Assault Ship 48 Liparius Class Mobile Repair Yard 119
Texas Class Battleship 51 Arbitration Class Battleship 122
McKenna Class Battleship 55 Peterson Class Naval Station 125
Leviathan II Heavy Battleship 61
Warships Resurgent: Vessels of the Great Houses

Fox Class Corvette 66
Impavido Class Destroyer 69
Suffren Class Destroyer 72
CREDITS
First I’d like to thank you for checking this out and I hope you have as much fun reading it and enjoying the art as I did working to write it and working with the people who did
the art and helped put this together.
This project initially wasn’t planned, I love the Battletech Universe and I felt that one part of it that needed some TLC was the WarShips of the 3057 book. They were poorly
lacking in terms of looks compared to the ships at the back in the 3057 Revised book or the WarShips in TRO 3067. The art for them was great, but for the original SLDF ships..
they needed work. Lots of work. It was a pleasure working with Plog, Shimmering Sword and Colourbrand to make the ideas I had come to life and this would not be at all possible
without their efforts.
I never planned to do a book or product but as more ships were done, an idea grew in my head. I knew I could not do a TRO as I didn’t want to just re-hash TRO 3057 with new
art, so it changed into a fluff book. The kind of book you’d find in the military section of a book store or in the gift shop of a museum.
I hope you have as much fun reading this as I did writing it and watching it come together.
Steve
WRITING ARTWORK
Written by Steven Cross Matt Plog
https://mattplog.deviantart.com
PDF CREATION & FORMAT Chris S aka Colourbrand

Christopher Sanders https://colourbrand.deviantart.com
Anthony Scroggings aka Shimmering Sword

https://shimmering-sword.deviantart.com
PROOFREADING
Andrew Rogers Kristian Borg
https://punakettu.deviantart.com
Lily Kenneally
Sheda Lane
Al Stellakis https://jinsonlygurl.deviantart.com
This is a fan-made book and has no association or approval, implied or otherwise, from Topps, Catalyst Games Labs, InMediaRes, Piranha Games Inc., or Harebrained Schemes LLC.
No part of this work may be altered or sold for profit, nor otherwise circulated in any form other than that in which it is published.
FOREWORD
WarShips, massive armed and armoured JumpShips, the largest and most advanced vehicles developed by mankind. Whilst we have built bigger things like
Solar Shields and orbital habitats, none have ever held the mystique and mass appeal of WarShips.
It was a WarShip, the TAS Dreadnought that helped form the Terran Hegemony, it was a WarShips who helped defeat the Scourge of the Amaris Empire and it
was WarShips that also killed untold millions with orbital bombardments during the First and Second Succession Wars. These titanic conflicts also consumed the
fleets of the Great Houses with the survivors being little more than drifting hulks. The industry and expertise needed to build and maintain these behemoths was also
lost, with shipyards, factories and research facilities reduced to rubble or floating wreckage, the ability to build WarShips was all but lost.
Even if the capacity remained to build WarShips, the will did not. With so many worlds devastated and so much lost the House Lords reached an unspoken
accord to not attempt to rebuild their shattered WarShips. Instead they embraced the Ares Convention which made JumpShips sacrosanct to prevent the complete
loss of interstellar travel.
In the Pentagon Worlds and Kerensky Cluster however, the descendants of the exiled SLDF formed the Clans and although they mostly did not use WarShips
outside of the role of armed Transport the appearance of WarShips during Operation REVIVAL and the orbital bombardment of the city of Edo on Turtle Bay
terrorized the Inner Sphere.
Although the Clans withdrew their WarShips from frontline operations following Turtle Bay, the threat of them was enough to galvanize the Inner Sphere into
building their own WarShips to counter the Clan threat.
Despite costs that spiralled into the trillions and the need to rebuild shipyards and factories from the ground up, the vessels of House Davion, Steiner and Kurita
engaged their Clan opponents in open battle and defeated them in Operation BULLDOG and Taskforce SERPENT.
With peace tentatively settling across the Inner Sphere, the Great Houses turned their industry once more to the development of bigger, larger more powerful
vessels in an arms race that has no sign of stopping. Critics of these huge spending programmes point to the ruin of Edo, or worlds rendered uninhabitable during
the fury of the Succession Wars as silent testament to the power and threat that WarShips represent. But the arms race shows no sign of stopping.
Thanks to years of research as well as data from ComStar’s archives we are proud to bring you a comprehensive publication containing the WarShips in use by
the Great Houses and the Clans of Kerensky. The ComStar archives also give us our first looks at many vessels that time had forgotten as well as Small Ships that
have seen service across the Inner Sphere for centuries.
FREDASA CLASS CORVETTE 5
This program led to the development of both the Nightlord and The Fredasa also has a considerable aerospace complement and
Length 415 meters
Fredasa class ships, but came to a halt when the first reports from can carry two Stars of Aerospace fighters (20 craft in total) as well
Displacement 175,000 tons the Dragoons arrived. They spoke of the complete annihilation of as being able to dock a single DropShip.
the Inner Sphere’s WarShip fleet, of the destruction of its shipyards
Crew complement 152 and the death of any experience in building such large vessels. This The Fredasa is a far more capable vessel than the larger Vincent
cut the new WarShip program off at the knees. There was no need but they are built for different roles and are generations apart. The
to waste resources building vessels for battles they would not face Vincent is a patrol craft, built for multi-month voyages along the
Armament and only the already completed Nightlord and Fredasa classes went borders of a powers territory. The Fredasa is much shorter legged
1 x AK-420 Super Heavy Naval 6 x Type 7 SSRM-6 launchers into production. and a far more aggressive vessel. Perhaps because of this the
Autocannon
4 x Longbow Mod 11 LRM-20 Fredasa was quickly spread amongst the Clans and produced in
8 x Series 9SR 45cm Naval Lasers Launchers The Fredasa is a sleek and predatory vessel whose limited cargo large numbers. These smaller ships displaced the Vincents, which
4 x AK-200 Light Naval Autocannon capacity indicated that it was designed to be a raider and convoy were simply put back into mothballs in their respective Clan’s
16 x Series 7.5DS ER Large Lasers hunter rather than a patrol vessel (a role so often done by other Naval Caches.
corvettes in the past).
16 x Series 1.1DS ER Small Lasers
2 x M-7 Gauss Rifles To this end the Fredasa is heavily armed and exceptionally fast.
Aerospace Complement One ship, the CIH Whelp, was seen performing a sustained 4G burn
and the ships reportedly have a very small emergence signature
20 x Aerospace Fighters
when performing a jump, making them ideal at ‘behind the lines’
2 x Type 5 ‘Mule’ Multi-role shuttle raiding as they are fast enough to avoid pursuit and hard to detect
1 DropShip Collar when arriving.
Sensors This main power is provided by a quartet of RBW Type
Type 186 ‘Kerensky’s Vision’ Type 91 ‘Shark Nose’ 3D long-range 3DS engines, drawing their power from a pair of reactors fed
LIDAR/3D Phased array active/passive targeting and tracking
by a generous 6000 tons of fuel. These engines show off Clan
Mod 1009 ‘Jocasta’s Voice’ Type 208 ‘Sirens Song’ engineering. They are compact, powerful and lightweight and
Multiphasic broadband and cross communications array
can produce levels of thrust not seen since the Lyran Mako class
spectrum jamming
corvette. For protection the ship relies on over 131 tons of SR
Compound 3 Ferro-Lamellor amour. This thick shell is equal
As the newest and fastest WarShip in Clan service, the to some destroyer designs and makes the Fredasa an even more
Fredasa’s genesis lies in the build up to Operation REVIVAL and formidable foe for DropShips and aerospace fighters.
the Invasion of the Inner Sphere. Whilst the Clans had their large
naval caches to call upon, they did not know the state of the Inner The ship’s main armament is an AK-420 super-heavy
Sphere’s WarShips. Prior to the Dragoon Compromise the Clans autocannon; although short ranged it can deliver devastating
had no hard information about the Inner Sphere. They did not damage to a WarShip or crush a DropShip with a single hit.
know about the Succession Wars, the regression of technology and Supporting the big cannon is a balanced mixture of naval lasers and
the destruction of all but a tiny handful of WarShips outside those in smaller caliber autocannons which give this ship a heavier punch
the service of Comstar. than the considerably larger Vincent class.
Some within the Clans presumed that the House Lords could Unlike many SLDF era ships in Clan service the Fredasa also
still be producing WarShips that might challenge their Star League features an extensive array of Mech scale weapons to engage
Era ships. Thus the development of new WarShips began, with DropShips and fighters. These weapons would also make the
Clan Snow Raven leading the charge in an effort to preserve their Fredasa a good screening unit for larger vessels who almost
vaunted naval supremacy. uniformly lack these lightweight weapons.
NOTABLE SHIP
During the Ice Hellion incursion, the CIH Whelp was part of a strong Hellion strike force under the personal command of saKhan Connor Rood based out the Dark Nebula system. The
Hellions had been preparing for a new attack when a joint strike force of Jade Falcons and Hell’s Horses jumped into system. While they did not have any WarShips, the attackers had a strong
assault DropShip armadareinforced by numerous aerospace fighters, as well as Elemental-carrying assault shuttles.
In the outer reaches of the system was another Ice Hellion WarShip, the Cold Hunter, a Lola III class destroyer that had been almost fatally damaged in earlier battles. Against the
approaching armada, her Captain recognised that his ship had no chance of survival and instead chose to surrender, despite the accusations of being dezgra cowards from other Hellion forces in
system.
This left only the Whelp to engage the incoming invasion fleet and this they did with exemplary bravado. Using their ships excellent acceleration and thrust rating, the Whelp almost
‘danced’ around the enemy DropShips. The Whelp caused tremendous damage, even destroying two Overlord C’s carrying the elite Falcon Guards, but eventually numbers told. With her
engines crippled and hull breached the furious Horse and Falcon aerospace fighters and DropShips did not relent in their attack until the Whelp was utterly destroyed.
The sacrifice of the Whelp was not in vain; the losses the Falcons and Horses had suffered were so massive that the Jade Falcon saKhan Samantha Clees offered the remaining Hellions in
the system (naval and ground forces alike) hegira, which they accepted.
The brave crew of the Whelp was awarded the Remembrance Bar posthumously.
VINCENT MK-42 CLASS CORVETTE 8
The advanced, semi-modular nature of the Vincent meant that process and required both WarShips to be at a complete halt.
Length 402 meters
it was also very easy to upgrade and maintain; various sub classes
Displacement 420,000 tons were planned but these never entered wide scale service. Amongst The Vincent’s armour is a mere 76 tons of Lamellar Ferro-
the planned ships were a light carrier, a squadron leader, a hospital Carbidide plate that is barely adequate against fighters and assault
Crew complement 185 in SLDF service, 193 in Clan Service and a disaster relief ship to name some. The potent sensor systems DropShips but woefully vulnerable against WarShips. But again, in
on the Vincent also let it carry out ‘dirty picture’ runs along the the environment they were to fight in this was deemed acceptable.
borders of Hegemony space. So common was the class that it was A Vincent was never meant to be alone. They would patrol as a
Armament one of the first WarShips that a visitor to a Hegemony world would group of 4 – 6 ships and in a squadron like this, they could pose a
4 x Luxor-175 Light naval 8 x Series 7.5DS ER Large Lasers see when entering their space. threat to a larger vessel and hunt down pirates and raiders. Each
autocannons
craft also carried 6 Aerospace fighters for point defense and
2 x SSM-550 ‘Barracuda’ Missile Built in their hundreds, the class fought hard in the Amaris Civil reconnaissance duties; when combined with the flights from other
launch systems
War and the survivors left with General Kerensky. Vincents it was a formidable threat.
Aerospace Complement
The Vincent was also heavily exported to member states of the In Clan service the aerospace complement has been enlarged
6/10 x Aerospace Fighters 1 x Type 6 ‘Vesper’ Spaceborn
refueling shuttle Star League, albeit stripped down ‘monkey’ versions that lacked and they carry a Star of Aerospace fighters (10 craft) but neither the
2 x Type 5 ‘Mule’ Multi-role shuttle the advanced Hegemony sensor arrays and computer systems. SLDF or Clans fitted a DropShip collar. In Clan service the Vincent
1 x Mark VII Crew/COD shuttle Unfortunately, these were all gone by the end of the Second was seemingly meant to be replaced by the smaller and more
Succession War. efficient Fredasa but thanks to the sheer number of Vincents that
Sensors survived the Exodus of the SLDF this plan is still seemingly a long
Ulsop Mod 6 ‘Eagle Eye’ long range Type 202 ‘Gauntlet Strike’ phased Loved by their crews and praised for their reliability, the way off from completion.
imaging 3D Active/Passive tracking
Vincent was a superb investment for the Hegemony. The armament
Type 182 ‘Iskandar’ 3D phased Belden Type 405 Mod 3 ‘Sirens of the Vincent is simple but effective and reflects the class’s patrol
array/LIDAR Voice’ communications array
boat nature. The main punch comes from a quartet of light naval
Type 500 Mod 9 ‘Dog howl’ autocannons, able to bring two to bear on each broadside arc.
multiphasic broad spectrum ECM/ Whilst not much of a threat to a larger vessel they can crack open
ECCM
a DropShip with a few hits. For longer range engagements a pair
of Barracuda Missiles in the bow were fitted as were eight Mech-
With the SLDF navies ranks filled with aging or obsolete scale large lasers for point defense. By any standard this is a light
corvettes, tenders were put out In 2325 for a new class of corvette loadout, especially for so large a ship, but it was adequate for the
to replace the aging Bonaventure and Vigilant classes as well as intended role.
the older Tracker class ships. That a relative newcomer to the ship
building scene, Delhi Ships, won the contract was a big surprise, The Vincent was also quite nimble for an SLDF ship. The
especially as it was a Capellan firm and the Hegemony and Vincent’s pair of huge Howser 2G2 ‘Hotfire’ primary thrusters can
Capellan’s had recently been enemies. generate a sustained 3G of thrust, whilst the 2,000 tons of fuel give
good range and endurance. The Hotfire engines also proved to be
Some politicians said it was ironic that the design was to reliable despite being compact, although at full burn they produce
be designed, built, and paid for in part by reparations from the an exceptionally bright thruster bloom.
Capellan’s after the invasion of Terra Firma was repulsed. What
emerged was a vessel larger than any corvette that had come before; The Vincent also boasted a simply gargantuan cargo capacity
it was a superb, flexible and reliable patrol craft. Whilst poorly for its size; over 97,000 tons of cargo could be carried, allowing
armed as a WarShip, it was enough to outgun Pirate ships and it the ship to operate as an armed priority freighter. Other roles saw
could crush any DropShip in service. Its mix of autocannons and Vincent class ships operating as tanker, with her cargo space taken
missiles were also reliable and easily maintained and thanks to the by massive tanks of liquid hydrogen for WarShips and DropShips.
ships expansive cargo capacity the amount of ammunition carried This fuel could then be transferred to a friendly WarShip or
could keep a ship in action for hours. DropShip by a hose and drogue system although this was a slow
NOTABLE SHIP
The Hertzog’s Staff was one of two Vincent Mk42 corvettes in the Tourman of Clan Cloud Cobra. This ship did not have a particularly distinguished history as patrol ship, spending most
of her time traipsing around Cloud Cobra territory looking for intruders or overly bold Dark Caste looters. However, she did join the exploration ship Toth and together the two the Cobra
vessels discovered the Tanite worlds in 2965.
In the Wars of Reaving, the ship was of great importance for the Clan because it was used as an armed courier after the HPG network in Clan space broke down. Attacks by bandits,
elements of The Society and other Clans made the use of standard JumpShips as couriers far too dangerous and costly. It was felt that the hitting power of the Vincent was more than enough to
defend itself, as well as being fast enough to run if needs be.
The Cloud Cobra Khan also ordered the ship be used as scout, exploring systems that had gone dark due to the failure of the HPG network. So the Hertzog’s Staff was tasked with scouting
the Tanite system in mid-3073. This reconnaissance missions led directly to the ill-advised Cobra attack on the Tanite system in late 3073, leaving a black mark on the ship and crew when she
withdrew from the battle due to heavy damage.
Save this skirmish, the ship’s battle records were not as impressive as its record as a courier. Aside from the orbital bombardment of some Dark Caste/Society enclaves on Albion, it was
only during the last battle in the Circe system during the Steel Viper annihilation that the Hertzog’s Staff made her mark. Here, the ship’s Captain and crew volunteered to be in the vanguard
of the planetary assault. They swore never to retreat, to die rather than let this mission fail and to cleanse themselves of their shame from the Tanite system. And so the ship and crew went
straight into the hell of the Vipers’ highly advanced SDS array. They managed to destroy some of the space and ground-based batteries, but the Vincent class was never intended to be in the
centre of such a murderous fire and the ship succumbed with all hands lost; just one of many ships destroyed in the huge battle over the Viper home world.
WHIRLWIND CLASS ATTACK DESTROYER 11
heavy battery of forwards facing weapons was also supported by a aerospace unit (in this case a single Star of fighters (10 in total)
Length 610 meters
mixture of Mech-scale weapons, mainly LRM and SRM racks and is carried). The ship’s Mech-scale weapons were also upgraded
Displacement 520,000 tons a quartet of large pulse lasers. These were spaced to provide anti- to Clan standards, which increased the range and firepower of the
fighter protection and if needed an extra punch at short range. craft and made them capable of at least worrying a hostile fighter
Crew complement 177 in SLDF service, 222 in Clan service strike.
Along with the weapons, the engines and sensors were also
Armament stripped out and replaced with Star League standard equipment.
One major flaw on the Davion I, their temperamental reactor,
3 x Type 2 ‘Ballista’ Light Naval 2 x ‘Flare’ Mk9 Light Naval PPC’s
Gauss Rifles was also resolved which improved fuel efficiency for the new
4 x Longbow Mod 3 LRM-20 class, especially when combined with the newly installed Rolls-
2 x AK-350 Heavy Naval missile systems
Autocannons Royce Zypher-909 main thrust drives. One of the main structural
4 x Series 44.2SR Large Pulse changes of the Whirlwind class is that they gave up their fighter
4 x AK-275 Medium Naval Lasers
Autocannons
and aerospace complement; this cut down on crew and increased
12 x Type 7 SSRM-6 missile systems endurance and also allowed the fitting of an heavier armament
12 x Series 8 Mod 12 45cm Naval
Lasers
than the Davion’s ever had.
Aerospace Complement Still, the Whirlwind betrayed its original heritage and they
10 x Aerospace Fighters or a mix of were plagued by cramped walkways and a poor internal layout
5 fighters and 5 shuttles/small craft that would require almost complete rebuilding to resolve; as there
Sensors were only 22 of the class in service the funding was never put
aside to give them the structural changes they needed.
Mk 62 ‘Gods Eye’ Multispectral Series 109 mod 6 ‘Peacemaker’
LIDAR with 3D phased array Active/Passive tracking with laser
assistance One positive factor was that with the removal of the fighter
Type 16 ‘Bull Roar’ Mod 8 Multi-
spectrum Broad band ECM/ECCM ‘Theta 4’ Long and short range
group there was more internal room; this was given over to
multi-spectrum communications enlarging the crew quarters as well as fitting additional generators
Type 18 ‘Mouse Squeak’ Active
Jammer.
and batteries for emergency power should the reactors be
damaged.
The Whirlwind (without a doubt one of the oldest serving The refitted Whirlwinds saw extensive use by the SLDF but
classes of WarShip) was once the grossly unsuccessful Davion their short range and somewhat specialized role saw them put
Block I destroyer. In the build-up to the Reunification War the in reserve or assigned to training units to act as the ‘OPFOR’
Hegemony fleet expanded but it still needed hulls. House Davion in exercises. The class was fully deployed to the Rim Worlds
leased and then sold 22 of the Davion Block I’s to the Hegemony; Republic during the Amaris Civil War and this spared them the
whilst the Davion block I’s were totally unsatisfactory the basic horror of having to face the M5 Caspar drones of the SDS. It
hull showed promise. After the Reunification War the SLDF also helped ensure that a large number of these ships survived
stripped the ships down to their hulls and then rebuilt them as an and went into exile alongside the rest of the SLDF, where they
‘attack destroyer’ that would charge towards hostile WarShips at serve the Clans to this day. Unlike many ex-SLDF ships the
high speed and gun them down before they could respond. Clans significantly altered the Whirlwinds in service by upgrading
their hull armour (almost doubling the protection offered) as well
To accomplish this the rebuilt destroyers of the renamed as fitting a Lithium Fusion battery and the Clans advanced hull
Whirlwind class had most of their firepower mounted so it could sealant technology.
fire on the forward arc. A trio of the then newly developed Light
Naval Gauss Rifles backed up a heavy battery of autocannons The other major change was the alteration of the cargo bays
whilst naval lasers and PPC’s covered her flanks and stern. The to finally fit launch bays and give the Whirlwind an organic
NOTABLE SHIP
The Whirlwind is a destroyer designed to go for the enemy’s throat. The CSV Constrictor, a Steel Viper ship, can be described as the epitome of this.
When the Wars of Reaving began, the Constrictor was put under the command of Star Captain Shario Andrews. Belonging to the Bloodhouse of ilKhan Brett Andrews, the Star Captain
was as aggressive (and bloodthirsty) as the ilKhan, and his first actions proved this legacy. During the Scouring of Katyusha City there were a number of evacuation efforts as civilians tried
to flee the fighting. The Constrictor’s Captain called these efforts cowardly and targeted any DropShip in range. When a DropShip transporting Viper civilians hailed the Constrictor and told
them about their passengers, the DropShip was immediately targeted and destroyed. Ten more DropShips were destroyed in this incident, all of them falling to the Constrictor’s guns.
This bloodthirsty and brutal act lead to the declaration of a Trial of Reaving against Shario Andrews by the Snow Ravens. This took the form of a naval engagement between the
Constrictor and the CSR Vision of Terra, a Lola III class destroyer. Both commanders agreed to a naval sniper trial, where a certain number of shots were to be fired and the ships with the
most hits would be the winner. The Vipers won by 13 hits to 12 out of a total of 15. An honourable engagement according to the Clans’ rules of limited warfare, it would be one of the last
times a battle like it was fought in the Homeworlds.
The ship and her bloody Star Captain met their end in the Viper Annihilation in 3075. In the apocalyptic naval battle in the system of New Kent, the largest ever fought in Clan space, the
Constrictor fought bitterly for the very survival of its Clan. They critically damaged the CSA Yorktown, an old reactivated Samarkand carrier and managed survive long enough to be the last
Viper WarShip still active. When she tried to escape to the jump point, the ship was hunted by the CSA Vicious Fang and Arcadian Asp, two Fredasa class corvettes. In a brutal engagement in
the outer system all three ships were destroyed, with the Constrictor finally falling to internal fires and structural collapse.
YORK CLASS DESTROYER / CARRIER 14
DropShips to augment its defences. At the outbreak of the Amaris being in the service of Clan Star Adder whilst others were built
Length 630 meters
crisis there were 60 of the Riga II’s in service and they fought by Clan Cloud Cobra and Clan Nova Cat. To fit this firepower,
Displacement 600,000 tons hard during the Civil War as heavy escorts. Twenty-two survived its fighter complement and protection the York’s cargo capacity is
the War and went into exile with the SLDF. They were popular somewhat limited, especially by SLDF standard. This gives the
Crew complement 365 ships with the SLDF. lass somewhat limited endurance, especially as most of the cargo
goes into carrying spare parts, weapons, fuel for their fighter
Armament In the build up to Operation REVIVAL Clan Star Adder complement. York’s also carry fighters in a broken down state as
started a refit of classes like the Avatar as well as constructing replacements for those that are lost although they must be rebuilt
2 x AK-420 Super Heavy Naval 6 x Series 7JA ER large lasers
Autocannons new classes; one of the classes that received a refit was the in the ships hangars. The fighters and their launch crews also
6 x Series J7A ER medium lasers Riga II. Like the Avatar class, the surviving Riga II’s overhaul make the ship more crowded and with hull space at a premium
4 x AK-320 Heavy Naval
Autocannons
24 x Series 1DS ER Small lasers was extensive and time consuming and altered the class so the York’s crew quarters are reported to be spartan even by Clan
4 x Kolibri Omega Series 9 Medium significantly that they were in essence new vessels. standards.
4 x Series 9DS ‘Doombolt’ Medium
pulse lasers
Naval PPC’s
2 x Type 9 Mod3 Ultra AC-10 At 600,000 tons the newly designated York class is rather A few of these ships have been seen in the Inner Sphere: One,
12 x Series 9SR 45cm Naval Lasers
small for a destroyer but the Clans reworked the interior and the CGB Ursa Minor, was involved in a skirmish with forces
12 x Series 8SR 35cm Naval Lasers hull to get the most out of the design. With a quartet of NAME from House Kurita where the Clan WarShip drove off an attacking
Aerospace Complement engines capable of pushing a maximum of 3g of thrust the York force of assault DropShips, forcing them to retreat or be destroyed
is as fast as a Lola class destroyer but is considerably more sturdy on the Bear/Combine border prior to Operation Bulldog.
50 x Aerospace fighters 2 x DropShip Collars
with a structural strength 20% higher than the larger vessel thanks
5 x Shuttles/small craft to the use of endo-steel instead of the older compounds in the
Sensors Riga II. Nearly 550 tons of Lamellor Ferro-carbide armour gives
the class protection that most cruisers would be proud of.
Typhon Series 9 Multi-phased 3D Type 91 ‘Shark Nose’ 3D long range
scanning LIDAR array active/passive targeting and tracking. Like the Riga II the York’s main offensive punch comes from
Typhon Series 7 Aerospace Control Type 208 ‘Sirens Song’ its fighters, but the York features a total of 50 fighters which are
System tied to the Series 9 communications array with laser launched out of bays along the front left and right sections of the
uplink
Type 16b ‘Starscream’ Multi- hull and land at a rear bay which is filled with mag-lev rails which
spectrum broad and narrow band take the fighters back to their launch cradles to be re-armed or
ECM/ECCM.
repaired. It also has two DropShip collars on its upper hull which
allow the ship to help with seizing a world in a pinch.
In the dying years of the Star League the McKenna class
battleship often found itself without a suitable escort. Not Unlike many carrier designs, the York is also a capable
because of a lack of ships, but because a vast majority of the combatant in ship to ship battles and features a mix of heavy and
SLDF’s WarShips lacked the Lithium Fusion battery that gave the super heavy autocannons backed by particle cannons and lasers,
McKenna superb strategic mobility. With the Luxor class cruiser with lasers providing the classes main long ranged punch. The
entering service it was felt there was a need for a smaller, cheaper class was also fitted with a battery of Mech-scale weapons to
escort class ship to accompany the larger cruiser and battleship; engage hostile fighters; this makes strikes against a York a risky
this was eventually known as the Riga II class destroyer, a craft prospect. But this formidable weapons load can tax the ships
unlike any other in Star League service. cooling capabilities and because of this it is believed that a York’s
Captain will try to not let his or her ship be surrounded.
The SLDF’s destroyers were for the most part cheap, easy to
build, fast yet fragile, but the Riga II was more akin to a House Whilst expensive, the refit was seen as a total success.
designs WarShip; it was heavily protected, well-armed and The new design was quickly copied by other Clans who then
flexible. It boasted 36 fighters as well as the capacity to take two produced their own ships; they built new hulls with the most
NOTABLE SHIP
The CSRS Corvidae was, for a long a time, a part of the Lum Naval Garrison Star. The protection of the Ravens’ capitol world with its huge naval yards was of utmost importance for
the Snow Raven Clan. Besides some minor Trials of Possession, the fighting capabilities of both naval stars were rarely tested. This changed in 3065 when Clan Steel Viper begun a huge
assault on Lum. The sudden assault was a complete surprise for the Raven command and the Vipers managed to force their way onto the world.
In space the naval strength of both Clans battled for supremacy, the Corvidae saw extensive use as a mobile fighter base, deploying aerospace fighters to assist with the ground fighting
and enforcing the blockade of the Lum System put in place by the Ravens to stop any Steel Viper supplies reaching their forces.
Finally, after a month of battle with their logistics on the verge of collapse, the Vipers had to evacuate. This started a series of bitterly fought running battles as the Vipers pulled back
and withdrew into the teeth of the Raven’s waiting WarShips. The Vipers’ DropShips put up a bitter fight though. The Vipers’ leadership had prepared for the invasion; their newest assault
DropShips and reserve aerospace fighters fought against the best the ‘Naval’ Clan had to offer whilst WarShips traded blows.
As the battle raged Corvidae challenged the Snake Leader, a Congress class frigate that was covering the evacuation. With clever maneuvering, the Corvidae positioned herself to bring
her heavy autocannons to bare whilst minimizing return fire from the Snake Leader. The hits devastated the Snake Leader’s bridge, disabling the forward weapon bays, and without the
guiding hand of her bridge the ship began to drift. But as the Corvidae moved into position to deliver the coup de grace, the Viper ship’s crew managed to restore partial control long enough
to jump away to safety.
Due it’s exceptional service over Lum, the crew was honoured and allowed to paint two black Raven wings on the hull of the ships. Being “winged” has ever been a great honor for every
ship in the Raven fleet and a symbol of pride for crew and Captain.
ESSEX II CLASS DESTROYER 17
Despite this the class performed well; its grav-decks made General Kerensky’s forces when the SLDF went into exile. The
Length 615 meters
them comfortable to serve on and extensive cargo bays gave older Essex 1 class, in service with the Houses and being built en-
Displacement 620,000 tons them a huge endurance, which made the Essex II an ideal patrol mass by the House Liao were all gone by the Second Succession
vessel. In exercises and wartime, they were massed together into Wars; even by SLDF standards they were weak and vulnerable
Crew complement 240 in SLDF service, 278 in Clan service four to six strong flotillas and tasked with destroying hostile small ships and their weaknesses were horribly exposed when faced with
ships and DropShips; this was a role they were very capable of modern weapons and aerospace fighters.
doing thanks to their heavy and varied mix of lasers, PPCs and
Armament
autocannons. Even alone they were capable of taking down larger In Clan service the Essex class serves in its original role as
12 x Whirlwind Series A195 8 x Magna Type 11 Mod3 35cm
vessels, as was proven when the SLS Gettysburg engaged and a patrol vessel and gunboat; it was an Essex Class destroyer that
Medium Naval Autocannons Naval Lasers
destroyed an ancient Dart class light cruiser. The Gettysburg’s earned Sphere wide infamy when the CSJ Saber Cat leveled
3 x SSM-285 ‘Barracuda’ Missile 8 x Rand ‘Pulsar’ Mk7DS Medium
commander used his ships speed to keep behind his more sluggish the city of Edo on Turtle Bay with her guns. This act itself had
Systems Naval PPCs
foe whilst engaging with his autocannons; eventually the Dart’s repercussions for the Inner Sphere and the Clans. The Saber Cat’s
Aerospace Complement engines were destroyed and a fuel-fire-induced explosion ripped commander was killed in a Trial of Refusal and it lead to the Clans
the larger vessel apart. withdrawing all WarShips from front line service in the Invasion.
6/10 x Aerospace Fighters 2 x Mark VII Crew/COD shuttle
This relegated the massive ships to little more than cargo and
5 x Type 5 ‘Mule’ Multi-role Note that the Essex in SLDF service In Star League service the general purpose nature of the Essex troop hauling duties (or, to be undiplomatic, glorified JumpShips).
Shuttles had only 6 shuttles/small craft
carried onboard saw it serve as a common fleet unit as well as convoy escort. In Perhaps it also highlights how lucky the Inner Sphere is that the
2 x Type 6 ‘Vesper’ refueling shuttles fleet exercises the Essex would work in groups of four to six Clans generally did not use their WarShips in a role beyond that
1 x Type 12 ‘Gannet’ Scout ship vessels which massed their small 6 strong fighter complement of command ship or invasion craft. If they had brought their ships
and considerable firepower to engage other vessels. Working in a when Operation REVIVAL started and used them offensively the
Sensors group like this the Essex could even engage battleships and large Inner Sphere would probably be under the yoke of the Clans.
SP-Y 8000 Multiphasic 3D scanner/ Diamond XR3 AN/SPG-7000 Fire cruisers. Even still, their greatest drawback was their thin armour
LIDAR/DSM tracking array Control System and general vulnerability to fighter strikes. The weak armour As is normal in Clan service, the ships have a lithium fusion
‘Frog Croak’ Active/passive Marcon Mod 400 ‘Starnet’ was especially noticeable round the magazines for the missile battery and have a considerably enlarged small craft complement
broadband ECM with Lock On Communications array launchers. During the initial deployment to Taurian space the SLS of ten fighters and ten shuttles. But otherwise the ships have
Jamming
Turbulent was caught alone by TFA aerospace assets. Although changed little since the days of the Star League.
the fighters were old they were still capable craft and four of
The Hegemony and SLDF designed many destroyer classes them were armed with some Reunification-War-era AMS-2000
over the centuries; the Carson, Baron, Essex I and Naga class ships ‘Shrike’ anti-shipping missiles; of the three that hit, all penetrated
were the main vessels. These all shared a relatively common trait; the hull and sparked of a serious fire that was only brought under
they were cheap to build and operate, and were designed to be control when damage parties from the newly arrived SLS Curonne
easy to maintain. Whilst the flaws with the Baron and Carson have (a squadron mate of the Turbulent) shuttled over and joined the
been discussed at length in other publications, the Essex I was the fire-fighting efforts. Nonetheless, after burning for six hours the
standard destroyer of the Hegemony until replaced by the larger destroyer’s hull was so badly warped and distorted (with some of
Naga. the port aft quarters structural membranes suffering from heat-
induced sagging) that the ship was declared a total constructive
When the Naga needed replacement the builders of the Essex loss and scuttled by the Curonne once her crew had been taken off.
offered a newer version of their old ship. But only the name
was similar; the newer Essex II was larger, heavier and far better Against the M5 Drones the Essex class was completely
armed than its predecessor. Despite this it was still very much a outclassed and had to rely on swarming the Caspar drones to
Hegemony destroyer design, compared to House WarShips they overwhelm them through numbers and firepower. Unfortunately,
were not overly armoured and lacked DropShip collars. They were this didn’t save the Essex class from suffering horrific casualties.
designed to operate as part of a larger squadron or screen for a Whilst over 300 were built, barely more than 30 survived the
cruiser or battleship; they were very much a general purpose craft. Amaris Civil War and these exhausted survivors all left with
NOTABLE SHIP
“Seeking the truth, seeking honour and the light of knowledge” - this was the motto that was written on the hull of the Orpheus, an Essex II destroyer belonging to Clan Goliath Scorpion.
When the Wars of Reaving began, the ship was in the Circe system when Clan Steel Viper challenged the ship to a Trial of Possession. Against a swarm of DropShips and fighters, the
Orpheus suffered heavy damage but managed to cause enough of it’s own to force a draw and both Clan forces withdrew from the battle.
The Orpheus was repaired and returned to patrol duty round the holdings of Clan Goliath Scorpion. In June 3072, the Scorpions and Cobras launched a large joint operation in the Huntress
system; the former Smoke Jaguar home world. Both Clans wanted to expand their enclaves and to Reave some dormant Jaguar legacies stored in Mount Szabo. Not expecting trouble, they
instead found that Mount Szabo had been turned into a fortress by The Society and Bandit caste. Attacking on both the ground and from space, the Society’s fastness at Mount Szabo was
eventually cleansed by internal scuttling charges and orbital fire from the Orpheus.
As the joint taskforce was withdrawing, a Clan Coyote strike force jumped in system and attacked immediately. The Coyotes signaled their intent when the Victoria Ward, a Liberator-class
cruiser, destroyed the CGS Andromeda, a Volga-class transport, with devastating broadside. The Orpheus was too far away to save its companion, but attacked with a vengeance. The Coyotes’
WarShip was supported by swarms of aerospace fighters and unknown types of winged ProtoMechs. While both WarShips sparred against each other, the ProtoMechs closed the distance and
landed on the Orpheus’ hull. With no Mech scale weaponry to engage the ProtoMechs now swarming her and unable to take her guns off their engagement against the larger Liberator, the
Orpheus was in dire trouble.
The combination of the devastating fire of the Victoria Ward and the rampaging ProtoMechs on the hull were eventually simply too much. The ProtoMechs picked and destroyed the gun
turrets one after another whilst others attacked the engines and crippled them. With their ship out of control the Scorpions were forced to abandon her, even as the Orpheus started burning up
in Huntress’ atmosphere. Only a few life pods escaped and these were all captured; the crew were never seen again.
LOLA III CLASS DESTROYER 20
interior space, which made the ships cramped and uncomfortable class destroyed. Still the Lola was the third most numerous class to
Length 653 meters
to serve on. This fact was made worse by Lola III’s lack of a grav- survive the Civil War and they formed a major part of the SLDF’s
Displacement 680,000 tons deck, so the class relied purely on thrust to generate any gravity for exodus into unknown space.
the crew. Despite the Lola’s greater mass, she was both faster and
Crew complement 250 in SLDF service, 288 in Clan service more agile than the smaller and lighter Essex and was one of the When they returned under the colours of the Clans it seems
quickest large vessels in service with the SLDF. that little has changed. Whilst the hull plating has been replaced
with more advanced compounds, it has not gotten any thicker, and
Armament Like other SLDF and Hegemony destroyers the Lola III had a save the enlarging of the Aerospace fighter group and the fitting of
12 x Hellion ‘Magnetar’ Series 18 5 x SSM-550 Mod 3 ‘Barracuda’ small fighter complement and no DropShip capacity, mainly in an a Lithium Fusion battery these ships are as identifiable now as they
55cm Naval Lasers Missile Launch Systems
effort to save money. The fighters would be used purely for self- were centuries ago.
16 x Luxor AK-175 Light naval 4 x Maxell ‘Nova’ Series 14 45cm defense but in wartime, when massed together with other ships of
autocannons Naval Lasers
her type the fighters could be used more offensively. Nonetheless,
2 x SSM-900 ‘White Shark’ Missile the vast majority of Lola’s carried medium fighters that would
Launch Systems operate in an interceptor and point defense role.
Aerospace Complement What the ship had in abundance was weaponry; the Lola III
6/10 x Aerospace Fighters 1 x Type 12 ‘Gannet’ Scout ship could engage distant targets with its frontal batteries of lasers and
5 x Type 5 ‘Mule’ Multi-role Shuttles 2 x Mark VII Crew/COD shuttle then pound them with the naval autocannons on her flank. The craft
2 x Type 6 ‘Vesper’ refuelling Like the Essex class the Lola III in was also dotted with missile launchers but these were primarily
shuttles SLDF service only carried 4 shuttles used in an anti-fighter and anti-DropShip role. Like the smaller
Essex, the Lola III operated in squadrons four-to-six strong when
Sensors part of a larger fleet. For more distant stations these squadrons
would often be built round a cruiser that would act as the command
Delta Trac ‘Zemchug’ Mod 600 Mk 200 mod 3 ‘Bombard’ target and ship for the flotilla and provide a heavier punch when needed.
3D multi-phase scanner array with tracking with HoJ sensors
Hi-lo frequency LIDAR and SMTI
tracking
ViaComm Type 248 ‘Ballroom’ The Lola III served both as an attack ship and screening unit
Long/short range multi-channel for larger vessels. The battery of naval autocannons could cripple
Type 101 ‘Mosquito Buzz’ communications system
Broadband active jamming system
any DropShip in known space with a single hit, whilst the lasers
with integrated ECCM could obliterate fighters; thanks to their fire control systems being
constantly updated the Lola’s received the advanced targeting
systems that let them turn their naval weapons on small craft
Whilst the Lola II was quite the disaster, the builders at with a considerable degree of accuracy. Against WarShips the
Boeing Interstellar continued to work on the design and eventually combination of autocannons and lasers could defeat ships of equal
produced what they labelled the ‘ultimate destroyer’ for the SLDF tonnage and a group of Lola’s was a serious threat to larger vessels.
in 2662. Whilst structurally similar to the preceding Lola II, the
Lola III featured a completely reworked fuel and storage system; Most famously the Lola III hull was used as the base hull of the
this eliminated the Lola II’s biggest (and most dangerous) flaw. The M5 CASPAR drone WarShip; the CASPAR was a lethal automated
ship also featured an enlarged array of weapons that could threaten WarShip and the crown jewel of the SDS system. Stripping out
a cruiser. anything that was related to crew whilst retaining the Lola’s
advanced double hull buffer design meant that the M5 featured
The Lola III was large for a destroyer; at 680,000 tons she out- greater firepower and enhanced defenses which made the drone
massed other destroyers, and whilst rather lightly protected the ship truly lethal.
was fast thanks to its huge Rolls Royce engines. These engines,
however, were built for cruiser-scale ships; fitting them and their In the Civil war the Lola III and M5 clashed again and again;
associated systems onto a destroyer-scale hull did cut down on the Lola’s suffered horrific losses which saw roughly 80% of the
NOTABLE SHIP
The CCS Honour of Ages was a Lola III class destroyer, part of a massive Coyote strike force that struck at the last Homeworlds possession of the Clan Diamond Shark; the world of
Vinton in August 3073.
As they achieved orbit, the Shark defenders activated their hidden and previously unknown SDS and opened fire. Batteries of ground-based energy weapons, as well as ground-to-space
missiles, roared forth to lash at the Coyote formation. Both the lead ships of the formation, the Courage, another Lola III and the Broken Sea, a York class carrier, were caught by surprise by
the initial volley and suffered catastrophic damage; the Broken Sea vanishing in a magazine explosion whilst the Courage fell into the atmosphere, completely out of control.
Reacting quickly, the Honour of Ages returned fire and destroyed one of the SDS batteries. Star Captain Rastan McTighe then moved the ship along to shield the DropShip flotilla from
the SDS’s fire, taking heavy damage whilst doing so.
The situation worsened when a Shark WarShip, the Deal Breaker, an old Samarkand class carrier, joined the fray. Launching their fighters to attack the DropShips, dogfights between
Shark and Coyote’s aerospace fighters raged between the WarShips whilst the Deal Breaker decimated the 12th Battle Cluster’s DropShips with her main guns.
The Honour of Ages moved to confront the larger Shark WarShip; once more the ship moved to shield the vulnerable DropShips whilst returning fire. Swarmed by fighters and pounded
by the guns of the Deal Breaker, the Honour of Ages succumbed to the Shark WarShip’s guns as well as the damage caused by the SDS.
But the sacrifice of the Honour of Ages bought much needed time for the Great Coyote Spirit to finally enter firing range. The Nightlord class Battleship destroyed the Deal Breaker and
turned her guns on the SDS batteries on Vinton before withdrawing.
For their valiant and brave sacrifice all of the Honour of Ages crew were awarded the Coyote’s Claw posthumously.
AEGIS CLASS HEAVY CRUISER 23
and the interior re-worked. Whilst termed a refit you could easily slow speed, the heavy guns of an Aegis class ship could crush a
Length 725 meters
call the end result a new class that joined the SLDF’s fleets as the Caspar M5 in a few salvos whilst the drone had to contend with
Displacement 750,000 tons Reunification War began. the cruiser’s thick armoured hide. With their large DropShip
capacity, the Aegis was a useful transport for the SLDF’s exodus
Crew complement 426 in SLDF service, 430 in Clan service Built for bruising, close range battles the Aegis has a thick from known space.
hide and her heavy firepower was instrumental in many of the
Armament battles against the Periphery nations, including the titanic Battle The cruisers in House service fought and died in the fires
of Robsart. It was a common sight in the war to see a Monsoon of the First and Second Succession Wars. Because of their
18 x Armstrong II Series-325 Heavy 8 x SSM-900 ‘White Shark’ Missile
Naval Autocannons Launch Systems or Farragut class with an Aegis lurking within a few hundred capabilities in an orbital bombardment role the Aegis was a
kilometers acting as a bodyguard for the big ship. That the deadly threat in orbit and became a priority target. The last of
24 x Imperator Series-195 Medium 4 x SSM-500 Mod 2 ‘Barracuda’
Naval Autocannons Missile Launch Systems Monsoon was also just as cumbersome as the Aegis made them a the ships in House service, the FSS Stalwart, was destroyed by
good pairing. a ramming attack from the DCS Yokozuna (a Kuritan Overlord
12 x Randall ‘Hellburner’ Mod 42
55cm Naval Lasers
DropShip). Whilst the impact wasn’t fatal by itself, the two 1
Unfortunately, the improvements to the design did little to megaton charges aboard the DropShip were and the last Aegis
4 x Magna ‘Nova’ Series 14 45cm
Naval Lasers
improve the classes sluggish speed and turn rates. The Aegis was vanished in a thermonuclear fireball.
a superb escort because of her firepower and large complements
Aerospace Complement of fighters and DropShips but they were of little use in a In Clan service the Aegis serves as a command ship; with
18/20 x Aerospace Fighters 4 x DropShip Collars pursuit situation. In spite of that, the refitted Aegis gave superb its large DropShip capacity the cruiser can carry a full invasion
10 x Small craft/shuttles
service; the inclusion of a Lithium Fusion battery gave the ship force without needing to rely on slower and more vulnerable
considerable strategic mobility as well, which somewhat made up JumpShips.
Sensors for her slow tactical speed. Other design flaws showed up after
the refits were completed. Whilst the larger cannons added to The Aegis class ships in Clan service have changed little apart
KTI Mod 389 ‘Typhon’ Long range Type 99 Mod 3 ‘Long Tom’ 3D the punch of the cruiser the magazines were not expanded; this from alterations to enlarge the fighter complement to suit Clan
active and passive multi-phased 3D active fire control/LIDAR array
tracking sensor array limited the number of shells that could be fired without bringing standards and fitting of their hull sealant technology. The class
OPM Stratacaster ‘Dragons Call’ more up from storage. seems to be favoured by Clan Jade Falcon as several Aegis class
Series 42 ‘Tuba Pulse’ Broadband multichannel communications with
active ECM with Active/passive laser uplink ships have been sighted in their initial attacks and in the Clan’s
ECCM The ammunition hoists were also initially rated for the older Occupation Zone.
Series 32 ‘Clarion Call’ Passive ECM and smaller canons, which meant that the added weight slowed
them considerably and greatly extended the firing cycle for the
main guns.
As one of the longest lived ships in service, The Aegis first
entered service in 2372 and over a hundred of the class were One bonus of the modernization was that there was a large
produced. These naval-autocannon-heavy gunboats would serve amount of room freed up due to the reduction in crew. This was
in the Hegemony navy until the foundation of the Star League, in turn used to give the crew quarters that were, by any standards,
where 36 of the class were turned over to various House navies. palatial. Two and three man bunks were the norm with each bunk
Their replacement, the Avatar class, was larger and better armed having plenty of storage for belongings and uniforms along with
but as the Reunification War loomed on the horizon the ancient their own bathing facilities instead of the old cleaning blocks
Aegis was hauled out of mothballs to serve once more. of other ships of the era. The refit even saw the instillation of
a zero-g swimming pool which was viewed an extravagance
Less those in House service, the class entered the yards onboard a liner, let alone a WarShip class.
for a huge and expensive series of overhauls. Newer, heavier
weaponry was fitted, which replaced the massed NAC-10’s that Somewhat surprisingly the Amaris Civil war was kind to the
covered the Aegis and in their place went a mixed battery of Aegis and a large number of the class survived the heavy fighting
NAC-35 and 20’s. The ancient hull plating was also replaced to free the Hegemony from the Usurper’s grasp. Even with their
NOTABLE SHIP
The NCS Chronicle was the first Clan Nova Cat vessel to engage the then new York Class destroyer carrier, Star Fire, during the Trial of Possession for the Cats’ Mech factory on the
world of Brim. Unaware of her opponent’s capabilities the Chronicle suffered heavy damage when she was swarmed with fighters. With his ship in danger, the Nova Cat Star Commodore
had to request Hegira and withdrew from battle. The Chronicle and Star Fire would meet again under less civil circumstances in May 3060.
With the Nova Cats choosing to join the Second Star League and then being Abjured by the Clans’ Grand Council, the Clan and its holdings became the centre of a feeding frenzy of
attacks from other Clans.
As part of Kappa Galaxy and overseeing the evacuation, the Chronicle was overseeing the evacuation of Hoard when Kappa Galaxy came under attack from elements from three other
Clans. Whilst Kappa held on, the ground the evacuation proceeded at a frantic pace, despite attacks from hostile DropShips and aerospace fighters.
The CSA Star Fire once again met the Chronicle in battle but this time with the lives of thousands of lower caste civilians at stake, as well as over a million tons of equipment and factory
parts. The Nova Cat Commander, Star Commodore Sel Bravos, accepted the Star Fire’s challenge and moved to engage. Although the Star Fire was quickly destroyed she caused heavy
damage before she went down.
Without their mothership, the Adder fighters attacked in a fury, swarming the larger Cat vessel and her fighters, causing heavy damage before finally being forced to withdraw due to them
running low on fuel and ammunition, as well as suffering heavy casualties. This brave holding action helped save the lives of over 100,000 civilians, all be it at the cost of terrible damage to
the Chronicle and the complete destruction of Kappa Galaxy, whose warriors fought and died to the last man and woman.
VOLGA CLASS TROOP TRANSPORT 26
was won by Eaton Aerospace, which caused some alarm in the their number, with them being favored targets for the SDS in the
Length 715 meters
halls of the Admiralty as Eaton had been responsible for the Amaris Civil War.
Displacement 780,000 tons Quixote-class frigate mess. Still, Eaton promised the ship would
come in on budget and on time; perhaps to great surprise, they Those few survivors in Clan service have changed little over
Crew complement 304 in SLDF service, 320 in Clan service succeeded. the intervening centuries; changes have been made to their anti-
fighter weapons in order to bring them up to Clan standards, there
The Volga class transport was built to Merchant standards has been a mild expansion of their fighter bays to support the
Armament
and whilst its hull was based on the old Quixote class frigates, it Clan’s base 5-unit size, and a lithium fusion battery has been fitted
2 x ‘Thunderlord’ Mk62 Heavy 16 x Series 7.5DS ER Large Lasers
lacked that design’s thick armour and internal bracing; this made for the added strategic mobility which the Clans so highly prize.
Naval Gauss Rifles
8 x Kolbrik Mod 3DS Large Pulse the Volga quicker, easier and cheaper to produce. The merchant
6 x AK-320 Heavy Naval Lasers
hull design was also surprisingly tough; one vessel, the SLS
Autocannons
16 x Kolbrik Mod 9DS Medium Fort Victoria, was rammed by an out of control DropShip that
4 x AK-195 Medium Naval Pulse Lasers suffered a thruster failure as it came to dock. The Union-class
Autocannons
ship slammed into the upper port hull with the thrusters at full
4 x Theta Type 5 35cm Naval Lasers burn before the engines gave out. With a Union-class DropShip
7 x Theta Type 6 45cm Naval Lasers embedded eighteen meters into her hull, the Fort Victoria’s crew
16 x Type 22SR Mod 2 ER PPCs were able to rapidly seal off the damaged sections and prevent a
fire with the loss of only three people. When the wrecked Union
Aerospace Complement was removed, it took four days to repair the hole in the Victoria’s
12/20 x Aerospace Fighters/Small 4 x DropShip Collars hull before she resumed her original course.
craft
With a respectable 212,517 tons of cargo space as well as
Sensors collars for a quartet of DropShips, the Volga also featured space
for a dozen fighters for self-defense in addition to an anti-shipping
Series 42 Herakles 3D active search Series 21 Mod 98 ‘Ganymede’ Long
array range communications suite
armament that was mainly built with an anti-DropShip role in
mind. The design also featured Mech-scale weapons to deter
Series 39 ‘Jervis Bay’ broadband
active Jammer with narrow band
hostile fighters (something quite rare in Star League designs). This
backup and ECCM heavy anti-fighter armament was tested during the Amaris Civil
War but it proved its worth; the Volga class were targets because of
Series 66 ‘Rawalpindi’ Multi-phased
active tracking and LIDAR fire the troops they carried and Rim World forces would often ignore
control their escorts if they had a chance of getting at a troop transport like
the Volga. Thanks to their surprising bite, the Volga was capable
of warding off most DropShip attacks as well as being a threat to a
In 2703 the SLDF acknowledged that it lacked sufficient destroyer or corvette that broke through the escort cordon.
armed transports for its massive ground forces. Whilst the huge
Potemkin could carry a huge number of DropShips, the craft Of course to cut costs there were drawbacks; the biggest was
themselves were expensive to crew and build and also required the cooling system of the transport. This system would allow
specialist shipyards for their construction (which of course affected the ship to fire a total of 45% of her armament and then it would
their construction rate). Cost-conscious Senators and Admiralty start being overwhelmed. As part of Transport Command’s ‘main
officials were always worried about how much the class cost per movers,’ it was felt that Volga’s would not come under direct
ship. What was needed was a light, cheap transport that would be assault as they would always be escorted by friendly destroyers
able to carry sufficient troops and defend itself if required. and later cruisers. The design also retained the old engines from
the Quixote class; the Volga was by no stretch of the imagination
Various ship building firms put forward tenders; the contract a fast vessel. Built in large numbers, the Volga’s lost over 200 of
NOTABLE SHIP
The CHH Mount Olympus was the only ship of her class within the Clan Hell’s Horses naval Tourman and had been under the command of Star Commodore Lucilla Johnston from 3059.
During Clan Ice Hellions’ Operation ICE STORM, the Horses finally turned on their ‘allies’ and joined the Falcons in attacking the Hellions’ forces. Eventually these counter attacks
forced Ice Hellion back to three primary locations - the Dark Nebula, Evciler and Vantaa. The Mount Olympus joined the Hell’s Horses’ Iota Galaxy in a combined action with the Jade
Falcon Alpha and Gamma Galaxies and two Jade Falcon WarShips, the Black Lion CJF Jade Aerie and the Sovetskii Soyuz CJF Hawker, in their attack on Vantaa.
Defending the Vantaa system was the Ice Hellion Alpha Naval Star, consisting of the Ice Hellion flagship, the McKenna class battleship CIH Cage’s Pride, the York class destroyer CIH
Pack Leader and the Aegis-class heavy cruiser CIH Chaos Sailor. The Chaos Sailor and the Pack Leader squared off against the Hawker, Jade Aerie and Mount Olympus whilst the Cage’s
Pride attempted to intercept the Hell’s Horses and Jade Falcon ground forces as they dropped onto the planet.
The Mount Olympus was engaged by the Pack Leader, but was at a considerable disadvantage being both outgunned and slower than her smaller opponent. With their faster vessel the
Hellions managed to cross the bow of the lumbering Mount Olympus, engaging her with their broadside batteries whilst the Olympus could only respond with her bow guns. The Mount
Olympus took massive damage and began to drift, listing and bleeding air from her mauled forequarters. The Hellion commander, thinking that his opponent was out of the battle, moved
to support their sister ship and ignored the listing Olympus. This gave the Horses the opening they needed. With a final salvo they managed to disable the Pack Leader, wrecking her drive
section and making her an easy target.
Despite all this, after the battle for Vantaa the Mount Olympus had to be scuttled. With her jump drive wrecked and with entire sections open to space, the ship’s damage was too great.
Not wanting her to be salvaged, the ship was destroyed by scuttling charges.
CONGRESS CLASS FRIGATE 29
Dekirk and Challenge Systems of the Federated Suns (who served as its main anti-fighter defense. It was also common to
Length 703 meters
claimed that Dekirk had either stolen or heavily based their design see a AR-N Shuttle carried aboard as a mine hunter and sweeper.
Displacement 760,000 tons on a proposal from Challenge Systems). Competition for berths on a Pentagon and Congress was fierce
as the hard working frigates tended to see more action than the
Crew complement 288 in SLDF service, 301 in Clan service Eventually the lawsuit was settled with an agreement to build battleships and cruisers of the fleet; additionally, a Congress
some ships for the Federated Suns. The new Congress class of Captain could make a name for him or herself and command of
frigate was the Star League’s last ‘true’ frigate design and without such a ship was seen as a good way to get promoted.
Armament
a doubt its biggest; at 760,000 tons the Congress out massed all
12 x Armstrong Mk99 Light Naval 1 x SSM-1200 Killer Whale Missile
preceding frigates and more than a few cruiser designs. During the Amaris crisis the Congress class was widely spread
Autocannons launch system
across the Inner Sphere and Periphery; it took months to recall all
4 x Oriente Mk-73 Heavy Naval 8 x Type 9sr ER Large Lasers
Whilst launched post-Reunification-War the design of the the ships for the push on the Hegemony. To secure their supply
Autocannons
Congress was a call-back to ships of the era; small groupings of lines as well as look for raiding forces, the Congress class ships
2 x SSM-900 White Shark Missile naval autocannons provided its main punch. Some critics argued were often used as convoy escorts or scouts that surveyed worlds
launch systems
the class was under-armed, but its supporters pointed out that as to be attacked. The class’s somewhat limited firepower did not
Aerospace Complement a patrol ship it was perfectly armed to deal with anything short give it much of a chance against any patrolling M5 drone, however
of a full hostile force. This was ably demonstrated by the brave a few bold Captains were able to turn the tables on the far more
6/10 x Aerospace fighters 2 x DropShip collars
sacrifice of the SLS Star Devil in her battle against four Taurian powerful drones through innovative tactics that were as impressive
4 x Small craft and personnel Lola II class destroyers; this action silenced the critics of the class. as they were dangerous to the ship and crew.
shuttles
Sensors In service the Congress proved to be exceptionally reliable; The surviving ships all joined General Kerensky in Operation
it was fast enough to keep up with capital fleet units and also EXODUS and would later enter service with the Clans (where
Pheaton-Ellings Model 72 Griffin-Webb enhanced long range capable of undertaking multi-month patrols. Her six fighters and their huge cargo capacity initially saw them used as armed
Multiphasic 3D scanning array optical viewing systems two attached DropShips (usually the formidable Pentagon class) transports). The Clans did not reproduce the extinct Pentagon
Pheaton-Ellings ‘Gossamer’ long Type 47 comms intercept. – There added to the ship’s firepower and anti-fighter defenses. They were design; typically, they teamed the ship with Union C’s. One
range communications laser array is sadly little detail on the Type 47 also popular with their crews, as roomy walkways and comfortable vessel, the CJF Fire Rose, was engaged by a FedCom escort
but apparently it was based on the
Pheaton-Ellings Type 0 ‘Discord’
hyper-advanced spy systems of the
quarters made long patrols far more bearable and cut down on group consisting of two Avenger and one Achilles along with a
Broad and narrow band ECM with incidents of stress. In combat the simple-to-maintain autocannons dozen fighters, but the Clan WarShip saw off her attackers despite
Bug-Eye spy ship
automatic frequency hopping and
adaptive ECCM
were reliable and hard hitting; they were more than enough to deal moderate damage to her bow and engine. The Clans have changed
with typical Pirate craft. The frigate’s trio of missile launchers the class little; so far they have increased the fighter complement
also let it engage targets at extreme range whilst some Mech- to 10, installed a Lithium Fusion battery and also their advanced
In Star League service the Frigate occupied a curious position; scale large lasers provided a very limited defense against strafing hull sealant technology.
whereas Corvettes would normally patrol in groups or be based in fighters.
systems a Frigate would carry out ‘deep range’ patrols often alone
for months at a time. The Congress was also an extremely sturdy vessel; its thick
armour and reinforced hull were more akin to those found on
Crews on these vessels were amongst the most highly trained cruisers. The electronics outfit was also a modern marvel with
and often commanded by Captains noted for independence. sensors more akin to a spy ship; this gave the Congress near-
Whilst the SLDF’s history with Frigates had not been too stellar unprecedented EW capabilities (only the hyper-advanced Bug
considering the Quixote fiasco (which would then be converted Eye would boast better performance with their electronics outfit).
into a very capable missile cruiser), the Riga class of frigate was The Congress was also mated with the Pentagon class assault
getting long in the tooth and the expense of keeping the class in the DropShip, which was viewed as one of the finest craft of its type.
field with repeated refits and upgrades was seen as unsustainable. The Pentagon was designed to engage fighters and DropShips,
When the contract for the NFD (New Frigate Design) was won by was fast and packed a formidable punch whilst having heavy
Dekirk Aerospace, a 3 year long legal battle commenced between protection. Along with the frigate’s six fighters, the Pentagon
NOTABLE SHIP
The NCS True Vision was the long serving flagship for Clan Nova Cat. And despite her being out-massed by larger and more powerful ships, the ship would always be the command
vessel of the Nova Cat’s Keshik as the personal vessel of the Clans Khan. The True Vision served dutifully in this role, engaging in several trials in Clan space until Operation REVIVAL,
where the ship travelled to the Inner Sphere. The True Vision and her embarked troops then took part in the battle of Drask’s Den under the auspices of Clan Wolf.
It was the True Vision that carried the Precentor Marshal of ComStar to meet the ilKhan aboard the Dire Wolf prior to the ilKhan’s death aboard the Wolf cruiser. When the Nova Cats
joined the Second Star League, the newly renamed SLS True Vision was displaced as flagship by the larger Black Lion class battlecruiser, the NCS Severen Leroux, ending over a century of
being the Clan’s flagship.
During the massive Second Battle of Alshain the True Vision joined other Nova Cat WarShips as they tried to claim the Leviathan II class Battleship, CGB Rasalhague, in a Trial of
Possession that devolved into a huge freewheeling brawl between the Bear and Cat forces. Trading fire with several Bear WarShips and subject to repeated fighter strikes, the True Vision
was horrifically damaged and fell out of the battle with her hull broken and whole sections consumed by fire.
So bad was her damage that the Bear’s claimed her as a kill but the expert Nova Cat crew managed to get the ship and fires under control long enough to withdraw. Under repair for over a
year, the True Vision did not see action again until the end of the Jihad, where she joined the fleet clearing the defences round Terra. Here though, finally, the True Vision met her second death,
swarmed by Tiamat and Dragu drones. Although she destroyed two Tiamat class vessels the others attacking her kept hammering her hull until a lucky round breached her battered armour and
detonated in one of her secondary magazines.
BLACK LION CLASS BATTLECRUISER BLOCK II 32
run circles round the older Cameron class ships they replaced. most of the Black Lions lost were due to fighter attacks, especially
Length 772 meters
Curiously the Black Lion featured no energy weapons and relied when they encountered the drone fighters of the SDS. Still, at least
Displacement 810,000 tons on massed autocannons (often mounted in dual or triple-mounted sixteen ships of the class survived and all of these joined the SLDF
turrets) for it’s main punch, alongside a considerable missile in exile. In Clan service the Battlecruisers serve as command ships
Crew complement 358 in SLDF service, 362 in Clan service battery to engage distant targets or smaller vessels. or flagships; only three Black Lions have been seen in the Inner
Sphere. Alterations remain limited to the usual expansion of the
The heavy triple turrets for the NAC-20’s were initially very fighter complement (the ship now carries 20 aerospace fighters)
Armament
troublesome; it took eight years to finally get them working and the instillation of a Lithium Fusion battery. Additional
32 x Boeing-Winchester Mk4 8 x Mod 3 VLS launchers for SSM-
correctly. The turrets’ main flaw was the intricate loading and anti- tonnage is also lost due to the mobile HPG being installed on most
381mm Naval Autocannons 1200 Killer Whale Missiles
fire protection systems; these could sometimes jam and disable a ships (whereas in SLDF service the Black Lions all featured the
18 x Boeing-Winchester Mk7 6 x Series 1 VLS launchers for SSM-
gun until said gun was cleared. Unfortunately, this flaw resulted top secret ‘Hyper-Faxes,’ or as they are more commonly known as
461mm Naval Autocannons 550 Barracuda Missiles
in an explosion in a turret aboard the SLS Moonraker; the tragedy ‘Black boxes,’ for long range communications; an HPG is much
Aerospace Complement was caused by a failure in the loading system which saw one of quicker and possesses greater range).
the guns get loaded twice. When fired, both shells detonated in the
18/(20) x Aerospace fighters 4 x DropShip collars
barrel and the flash of the explosion wrecked the whole mounting
10 x Shuttles/Small craft and killed all the gun crew.
Sensors Another flaw was that the Black Lion had somewhat limited
Needham Series 42 ‘Oracle’ Multi- Needham Aerostar Type 81
endurance. With only 70,000 tons of cargo onboard, and with an
phase 3D integrated passive and ‘Horsefly’ Long range multi- armament that could consume over ten tons of ammunition with
active scanning array band communications with laser a full broadside, the Black Lion was less suited for independent
communication uplink and HPG action or long patrols. The Maelstrom engines were also
Needham Series 200 ‘Bull Roar’
Feed
Mod 3 Multi-band active and passive renowned for being fuel-hungry. It was not uncommon to see a
ECM and ECCM Needham Series 382 ‘Hawk Screech’ Vincent corvette serving as a supply ship as part of a Black Lion’s
LIDAR assisted fire control retinue; whilst the Black Lion almost habitually carried one cargo
DropShip to help keep her in the field longer.
The original Black Lion was designed by James McKenna,
in part to serve as a faster version of the Dreadnought class of The missile systems, however, performed flawlessly whilst
WarShip; the class did not age well however, and whilst the the broad upper hull provided plenty of room for the ship’s four
remaining vessels were sold off to the Houses the new Black Lion DropShips. Eighteen aerospace fighters alongside ten shuttles
(named after the famous design) was a far more capable vessel. and small craft also extended the ship’s reach and provided a CAP
against hostile fighters.
Designed by the renowned Boeing Interstellar, the Black Lion
was built from the keel up to be a WarShip. Somewhat curiously With more tonnage devoted to protection, as well as an
the accepted design was a modified version of a design that Boeing enlarged fighter and DropShip complement over the Cameron,
put forwards when the Cameron class was being initially tendered the Black Lion was a superior vessel but due to its large and
for. When the first ship finished her trials and entered service the complicated engines it was also slow to produce; only sixty-two of
SLDF found itself with a capable WarShip; one that would outclass the ships would be completed.
all House WarShips of equal mass save the Lyran’s potent Tharkad
class. The Black Lion’s speed, firepower and expansive
communications suite would make the vessel a popular command
The ship’s huge Rolls-Patterson ‘Maelstrom’ engines provided ship for assault groups. The battlecruisers had a reputation backed
the 810,000-ton craft with a large volume of thrust; the Black up by performance in the Hidden Wars and eventually the Amaris
Lion was able to pace the Essex class destroyer and they could Civil War, but the class remained vulnerable to fighter attacks;
NOTABLE SHIP
The CBS Rocinante was one of only six WarShips that Clan Blood Spirit could muster, and because of her size she was often used as a flagship. For decades the ship did a sterling job
of fighting off Clan Burrock raids at convoys to and from the only remaining enclave the Spirits still had in the Foster system. In one engagement, the Rocinante fought the Ico McMillan, a
Vincent Mk 42, and destroyed her in short order, going so far as to kill all survivors in their lifeboats and escape pods. When the Spirits had to abandon their Foster enclave in 2866, the ship
was moved to the York system, strengthening the naval defences here and keeping the Clan in its self-imposed isolation.
This force was even more depleted in the Burrock Absorption War when the Aegis Carmine Justice was destroyed by Adder and Burrock forces; that same engagement saw the Rocinante
also suffer heavy damage that simply could not be repaired due to the Blood Spirits’ lack of suitable shipyards.
Despite this, help arrived from an unexpected quarter. In 3065 Clan Snow Raven offered to repair the Blood Spirit WarShips in exchange for the Spirits’ knowledge on ProtoMech
operation and construction. With their fleet crippled the Spirits agreed and the Rocinante, along with the Spirits other surviving ships, were quickly repaired. The Rocinante immediately
made her presence felt when, in 3066, she managed to isolate the CSA Vritra, a Vincent Mk 42 corvette, and destroy her. The Rocinante and Iota Galaxy then proceeded to attack the Adder
enclave on Tathis and defeated the Adder forces there before withdrawing to York.
In the Wars of Reaving the Rocinante was part of every battle the Spirits took part in. The Blood Spirits’ Khan, Karianna Schmitt, personally lead the successful attack on Arcadia in
3069. But in 3071 the ship would meet her end in a battle against Clan Ghost Bear. The Bears were evacuating their last civilians from their last enclave on Arcadia and moving them
into the Inner Sphere. The Spirits intended to make a deal with the Bears, but failed. To try and ‘force’ the issue, the Spirits destroyed a civilian JumpShip, killing all on-board to make a
point. The reaction of the Bears was one of unbridled anger as all their military ships in vicinity attacked the Rocinante. While no WarShip was among the attackers, their fire savaged the
Rocinante in moments. When the bridge exploded, Khan Karianna Schmitt was badly wounded. Whilst she would be rescued, Schmitt would lose Khanship due to her grievous wounds and
her disastrous decision to provoke Clan Ghost Bear.
BLACK LION CLASS BATTLECRUISER BLOCK I 35
SOVETSKII SOYUZ CLASS HEAVY CRUISER 36
was a new cruiser that would have greater endurance than previous production run of 10 per year, with over 400 completed before the
Length 803 meters
classes whilst also having heavy firepower. fall of the Star League. It also made the ships easy to repair as you
Displacement 830,000 tons could remove an entire section if it was badly damaged and replace
The Sovetskii Soyuz was called a heavy cruiser, some even it with a new one. Of course this took many months and required a
Crew complement 319 in SLDF service, 323 in Clan service called it a battlecruiser, but in truth the ship was an oversized dockyard or Yardship to accomplish but it was possible.
frigate. Designed from the keel up for mass production, the ship
was as heavy as the previous Avatar class but had less armour, In the Amaris Civil War the Sovetskii Soyuz class was one of
Armament was slower and considerably less well armed. But it had one the most common heavy combat units and suffered accordingly
6 x Sorenstein Series 2 ‘Oni’ 45cm 2 x SSM-1200 Killer Whale Missile huge advantage in its favour; it was cheap to build, and once in in combat with the SDS. In spite of this, the under gunned but
Naval Lasers launch systems
service was exceptionally reliable. The dual Gosport-Ellison tough cruisers gave a good account of themselves and fought hard.
12 x Imperator Mk 245 Medium 4 x SSM-724 Mod 3 VLS Barracuda Phantom-6000 main drive was a model of reliability and by all Casualties, however, were very high and roughly forty of the class
Naval Autocannons Missile launch systems
accounts was a pleasure to work on. The massive cargo space of survived the war and left with the SLDF on Operation EXODUS.
8 x Ceres-N Mod 101 ‘Flare‘ over 220,000 tons gave the ship a huge cruising range, as well as
Medium Naval Particle Cannons the capacity to ‘top up’ squadron mates whilst out on patrol. In Clan service the most famous Sovetskii Soyuz is the CWS
Dire Wolf. It was on her bridge that ilKhan Leo Showers was killed
Aerospace Complement The cruiser was also flexible; its four DropShip collars and by a suicide run by Rasalhague pilot Tyra Miraborg. The Dire Wolf
18/20 x Aerospace fighters 4/5 x DropShip collars eighteen fighters meant it could be self-escorting (and most cruisers was damaged but survived and continues to serve as the Wolves’
8 x Shuttles/small craft on patrol carried at least one Titan class DropShip for a total of flagship.
36 fighters). Eight shuttles or boarding craft also allowed the ship
Sensors to perform customs inspections and deep space rescue missions In Clan service the Sovetskii Soyuz had little in the way of
ASTROC 4-b Mod 12 Long range KAT-701 Long Range multi-channel
usually carried out by destroyers. changes. Her fighter complement was increased to 20, whilst a
broadband 3D phased scanning array communications array with Laser lithium-fusion battery was added along with an extra DropShip
communications pickup Roomy crew quarters were also greatly appreciated as were the collar as well as the advanced hull sealant technology that is a
NCC Mod 44 Adaptive multi-
spectrum ECM/ECCM ships dual grav-decks; the cruisers were also popular with the men feature of all Clan vessels.
and women who commanded them. Their well laid out interior was
NCC Series 9000 ‘HAL’ Fire control
system with predictive targeting and
designed to increase crew efficiency. A well-drilled crew could get
threat analysis from their bunks to action stations rapidly; the fleet record was 2
minutes 47.9 seconds on the SLS Koning der Nederlanden, with her
sister ship the SLS Tre Konnor at 2 minutes 48 seconds.
Although called a heavy cruiser, the cheap and very common
Sovetskii Soyuz (more commonly called the Sov Soy by their crew Whilst under-gunned compared to the older Avatar and
and by anyone outside of an official document) was more closely Aegis class the Sovetskii Soyuz itself was not poorly armed, and
related to the SLDF’s line of Frigates. The class may well represent compared to other Frigates it was a well-armed ship. A mixture
the final evolution of the Frigate-as-WarShip. of lasers, autocannons and particle cannons supported by missiles
provided a potent long ranged punch, and this would often be
The new cruiser was designed by Blue Nose Clipper Ships joined by squadron mates to quickly overwhelm a target. One flaw
during Commanding General Rebecca Fredasas’s New Arms Order. was the cruisers aft, which was completely lacking in weapons; this
This was mostly a press-hyped campaign which highlighted the presented a dangerous blind spot in combat. It was not uncommon
weaknesses of the SLDF compared to the House fleets. Some to see a destroyer following behind a ‘Soy’ to act as a tail guard.
canny observers compared it to the ancient ‘We want eight and we
won’t wait!’ political campaign in the British Empire in the early Whilst initially built over Mars, the Sovetskii Soyuz went into
19th Century. NAO was politically successful and drew most of its rapid production at a dozen factories across the Hegemony, with
funding from a slowed SDS program; it saw a marked increase in each factory producing a part of the cruiser. These individual
new ships being completed as well as new Battlemech and vehicles parts would then be mated together in a naval yard. This modular
coming into service for the SLDF. One of the key components construction made the ships very easy to build, which resulted in a
NOTABLE SHIP
A veteran of the Amaris Civil War, the CWS Dire Wolf, formerly the SLS Kharkov, was often used as the flagship for Clan Wolf from the Clans inception. She was the first Sovetskii
Soyuz to be refitted to the typical Clan standard, gaining a fifth DropShip collar, hull sealant technology to protect against hull breeches and the installation of a Lithium Fusion battery.
Despite her favoured status, the Dire Wolf saw little action until Operation REVIVAL, being one of only two Clan Wolf WarShips that joined the invasion forces in the attack on the Inner
Sphere. In this she acted as a large transport, carrying a modified Command Overlord DropShip as well as a group of assault DropShips as escorts. The Dire Wolf carried Precentor Marshal
Anastasius Focht to meet with ilKhan Leo Showers and was carrying the ilKhan at the Battle of Radstadt.
The Dire Wolf and her escorts were pursuing the fleeing vessels carrying Prince Haakon Magnusson in what should have been an easy victory, but the Clan war machine was stopped dead
in its tracks when a fighter flown by Tyra Miraborg rammed the Dire Wolf in a kamikaze attack. Whilst the attack did little damage to the ship, the ilKhan was in the section where the fighter
hit and he was killed when the hull was breached. This act stopped the Clans assault as they withdrew their leadership to the Homeworlds to vote for a new ilKhan.
Quickly repaired, the Dire Wolf did not take part in Refusal War but remained in Clan Wolf hands following the Crusader/Warden split; becoming the flagship of the Crusader Wolves. In
the brutal fighting during the Jihad, the Dire Wolf claimed several Blakist DropShips and was part of the fleet that liberated Terra, all be it in a badly damaged state.
With few repair facilities at hand, the Wolf Empire has kept the Dire Wolf in service, where her guns have destroyed yet more hostile craft as well as engaging vessels belonging to Clan
Wolf-in-Exile with great gusto. Because of her past, with the ship witnessing the fall of Terra and being there when it was liberated from oppressors twice, the Dire Wolf is held in high regard
by the Clan and her crew are rightly proud of her heritage and strength.
LIBERATOR CLASS HEAVY CRUISER 39
replacing the Aegis, the Avatar served alongside the older ship and the MechWarrior’s and Elementals having their own training areas,
Length 855 meters
was eventually rotated into the war reserves in mothballs or used as perhaps to keep the chance of a fight breaking out between the often
Displacement 830,000 tons a training ship for new crews. hot-blooded young warriors.
Crew complement 539 including 50 Elementals + room for 75 With the outbreak of the Amaris crisis those Avatars still in As usual the class also received a Lithium Fusion battery and
more troops/passengers SLDF hands were quickly reactivated and called back into service; the Clans’ advanced hull sealant technology. These large, flexible
the Rim World forces also captured a substantial number of the cruisers would act as flagships or lead assaults against heavily
class and drafted them into service of the Amaris Empire. Avatars fortified worlds, but when the Clans found that the WarShip fleet of
Armament on both sides would trade fire throughout the crisis. Although old, the Inner Sphere was nothing more than a memory the Liberators
6 x Series 7SJ ‘Fang’ 45cm Naval 4 x Theta 106DS ‘Whitworth’ the Avatar’s heavy firepower and protection saw it in good stead but were without a role; thus they were relegated to acting as glorified
Lasers Medium Naval Gauss Rifles it suffered horrific losses when engaged by the CASPAR drones. transports, where their size and firepower were more than enough
12 x Series 3SJ ‘Claw’ 35cm Naval 4 x AK-320 Heavy Naval an intimidation factor to ward off any potential Inner Sphere
Lasers Autocannons Initial records state that only six of the class survived the attacker.
10 x Series 10SJ ‘Sabertooth’ 55cm 24 x Series 7.5DS ER Large Lasers Amaris Civil war, but it is possible that more were taken by General
Naval Lasers Kerensky into exodus as their large DropShip capacity stood them The NCS Korat gave the Inner Sphere a taste of what the
24 x Series 1.1DS ER Small Lasers
8 x Alfa Series 3DS Heavy Naval in good stead. Liberator class was capable of when she engaged naval elements
10 x Kappa-3SJ 105mm Ultra
Particle Cannons
autocannons of Task Force Serpent. In battle the cruiser heavily damaged the
4 x Theta 109DS ‘Armstrong’ Heavy This was not the end of the Avatar class; put into mothballs Cameron class battlecruiser Invisible Truth and came close to
8 x Type Mu Mod 3 LB-20X
Naval Gauss Rifles
Autocannons
after Operation EXODUS, the surviving Avatars were pulled out of defeating the flagship of ComStar, however the Cameron was saved
storage in the build-up towards Operation REVIVAL and taken to by the Fire Fang and the Korat was destroyed, but not before nearly
Aerospace Complement various yards to be overhauled and reactivated. Yet the Clans didn’t crippling the Invisible Truth and badly mauling the Fire Fang. Her
30 x Aerospace fighters/Small craft 6 x DropShip collars
just reactivate the ships; they also reworked them, and in doing escorting fighters and DropShips also caused havoc; they badly
in total, normally a 20 fighter/10 so finally solved the classes electrical and computer problems. damaged the Ranger and Antrim before landing on Huntress. This
Small craft mix The hull plating was heavily re-worked and replaced with Ferro- short, sharp battle showed how potent the Liberator class was in
carbide plating which greatly increased protection. The cruiser, combat, thus proving the value of their refits that finally laid the
Sensors now designated the Liberator class (in anticipation of Operation ghosts of the Avatar to peaceful rest.
REVIVAL’s success), also received an armament change with the
Omega-13 Long range broad-band Series Gamma-7 ‘Thunderchild’
3D phased scanning array laser assisted Fire Control System addition of Mech-scale lasers and missiles as well as naval gauss
with Home on Jam tracking rifles on the broadside, but at the cost of the Avatar’s missile battery
Series Theta ‘Osis Roar’ Primary
multi-spectrum ECM/ECCM Kappa-32 ‘Pheaton’ Long range and changes to other weapons.
communications array
The Clans chose to retain the Avatar’s DropShip complement
and enlarged the Aerospace complement to a full Trinary of
In 2531 the Avatar class of heavy cruiser entered service as a aerospace fighters (30 craft), although it was not uncommon for
replacement for the dated Aegis class. On paper the Avatar was some fighters to be replaced by shuttles.
a success; she was larger, faster, better armed and carried more
DropShips and fighters, which made her self-escorting and capable Curiously, the Liberator class also has barracks for a Cluster’s
of taking on most hostile WarShips. But the class was riddled with worth of conventional troops; this is perhaps a hangover from
electrical gremlins that were never fully resolved; these could cause the original design or from when the Clans used normal infantry
major and minor problems, and resulted in such infamous instances instead of just Elementals. As the Clans do not use traditional
as when the main cargo bay door on the port side of the SLS infantry forces, this space is often just filled with more cargo.
Nebuchadnezzar opened, which vented the cargo hold to space and The Liberator also features a single 145-meter diameter grav-
killed nineteen crew in the process. Repeated system overhauls, deck which greatly simplifies the internal layout of the cruiser and
refits and checks never quite solved these electrical issues, and makes life more comfortable for the ship’s crew and any embarked
as a consequence granted the class a bad reputation. Instead of MechWarrior’s or Elementals. The crew quarters are divided with
NOTABLE SHIP
The CJF Gauntlet was one of the Avatar class cruisers reactivated and converted into the Liberator class before being won in a Trial by Clan Jade Falcon once the conversion was
complete. Slated to be one of ships involved in Operation REVIVAL, the Gauntlet was reduced to being a transport for troops and materials being shipped to and from the Homeworlds
after the Clans pulled their WarShips out of the Inner Sphere. When the Wars of Reaving consumed the Homeworld, it was Clan Jade Falcon that was one of the first targets by other Clans
seeking to prove themselves as ‘pure’ and free of any of the Spheroid taint that had ‘infected’ the Falcons.
The Falcons holdings were subject to all out assaults from Clan Steel Viper and the Gauntlet was one of the Falcon WarShips tasked with defending the Clan’s capitol of Ironhold.
Alongside the Black Lions Blue Aerie and White Aerie, and the Carrack Ironhold Provider, the Gauntlet engaged the Adder attackers for several hours. But faced with over 100 Adder
aerospace fighters, dozens of assault DropShips and the Nightlord Dark Asp, as well as the Cameron Zalman’s Endeavour, an Aegis, a Lola III and a Whirlwind, the Falcon forces took
horrific casualties, with most of their fighters and DropShips lost. Forced back from Ironhold they could do nothing as the Adders began landing en-mass whilst supported by orbital fire
from the Dark Asp.
Battered and weary the Falcon WarShips withdrew to the Raven world of Lum and the Falcons last holding there in the Homeworlds. But the Star Adder forces were relentless and pursued
the retreating Falcons. In a three-hour long battle over Lum, the Gauntlet traded fire with the Dark Asp and caused the Aegis Steel Python to withdraw, but they were fearsomely outnumbered.
With ammunition running low and no chance to repair, the crippled Falcon WarShips were lost one by one. The Gauntlet herself fell to the guns of the Dark Asp and of the Falcon forces, only
the crippled White Aerie managed to flee the system.
CAMERON CLASS BATTLECRUISER 42
design being revised again and again as various arms firms offered taken money from the construction of the ship for personal gain.
Length 839 meters
weapons and mounts whilst the ships role changed from cruiser- Dassault-Shimmon’s assets were seized by House Cameron whilst
Displacement 860,000 tons hunter to cruiser-flotilla-flagship then back again. Barracks were to those caught up in the scandal were discharged in disgrace and then
be carried for troops, but these were then deleted to increase cargo imprisoned.
Crew complement 329 in SLDF service, 337 in Clan service capacity; the main armament changed four times and the computer
systems were continually updated and changed. The other Camerons were then brought in to be overhauled, at
considerable cost, to fix their electrical flaws before being quietly
Armament Costs swelled as did the design, which grew into an 860,000-ton consigned to Transport Command as little more than glorified
16 x Pontiac Series Mk-42 Series 8 x Vospers-Armstrong ‘Maelstrom’ vessel before the Admiralty realized they had a pig on their hands. transports.
Medium Naval Autocannons AR-10 Multi-type Missile launch
VLS mounts
So much money had been sunk into the design, however, that to
8 x Rand Mk209 ‘Super’ Heavy cancel it now would cost even more; fearing a public backlash and It was this that saved the Cameron class when the Amaris crisis
Naval Particle Cannons
budget cuts they had little choice but to press on with the design. erupted. The thirty-nine ships were spread across the Hegemony
10 x Tronel Zeta-99 Type 55cm Thus the Admiralty ordered 40 of the class to be constructed. and Star League; recalling them took time. This kept them from
Naval Lasers What emerged from the yards over New Earth was far below the facing the SDS until the final battles closing in on Terra; many
SLDF’s expectations; the added 50,000 tons of mass had not been of the class survived to leave with General Kerensky. In combat
Aerospace Complement compensated for with uprated engines and the ‘fast’ battlecruiser against Rim World forces and the SDS the Cameron performed
16/20 x Aerospace fighters 2 x DropShip Collars was as slow and plodding as the Aegis class cruisers. To quote one surprisingly well for so poorly-regarded a ship; despite their low
2 x Small Craft Admiral, the Cameron ‘couldn’t catch a cold’. status the Cameron proved itself a potent WarShip when needed.
Sensors But whilst it was slow, the Cameron class battlecruiser was Although the Cameron all but vanished from the Inner Sphere
JDM-6000 Primary and secondary ViaComm-1011 Long range
well armed and heavily protected; whilst it could not run down any with Operation EXODUS, two were given over to Comstar and
phased 3D array communications with laser and cruiser save the Aegis or Dart its firepower could crush a hostile renamed Invisible Truth and StarSword. Whilst the StarSword was
satellite uplink ship in short order and even gave it a punch to engage an unwary hulked to keep her sister in service the Invisible Truth became the
DSE-108 Broad and narrow band
active ECM/ECCM battleship. Order’s flagship and helped lead the attack on Clan Smoke Jaguar.
JDM-6008 Mod 2 ‘Thunders Call’
laser assisted fire control and
When entering service, the Cameron class seemed to perform The large number of Camerons in Clan service have changed
tracking well and the class was publically touted as a success despite little as with many ex-SLDF vessels. As usual they have had their
grumblings from those not in the halls of power. As it was fighter complement enlarged to suit the Clans base 10 for fighter
equipped with 16 fighters, two DropShips and a heavy armament groups, which has increased their complement to 20 aerospace
Perhaps one of the Star Leagues more famous and costly the ship was potent, if ponderous. The balloon was burst when fighters in total. A lithium fusion battery was installed whilst the
boondoggles, the Cameron, is a prime example of what happens the SLS Saint Joan suffered a series of catastrophic electrical armour was augmented by the Clan’s hull sealant technology. In
when you have too many chefs and not enough cooks. As the and reactor failures whilst escorting a convoy in the Periphery; Clan service the Camerons serve as command ships for Clusters,
Monsoon class was being retired, scrapped or mothballed, the recovered data showed that when the ship powered its weapons, the although it is still as slow as it was in Star League service (it does
SLDF wanted a new ship to fill the gap left by the loss of the power grid shorted out and both reactors carried out an emergency seem that the Clan’s technology does have some limits to what it
battleship. The initial design called for an 810,000-ton WarShip shut down. The ship’s batteries then activated but these could not can do).
that would fill the gap between cruiser and battleship, yet also be power the life support and weapons at the same time, which led to
fast enough to outrun battleships whilst having sufficient firepower the Saint Joan and her convoy being destroyed or captured by the
to defeat any cruiser. The design was also to be reliable and easy pirates.
to maintain. Whilst many firms put in tenders for the design, it was
a big surprise when the contract was won by newcomers Dassault- During the very public investigation into the disaster it came to
Shimmon Enterprises. Boeing Interstellar, who had been widely light that executives at Dassault-Shimmon knew of the flaws with
pipped to win the contract, cried foul publically and privately but the ships power grid, but didn’t bring it up out of fear of losing
this changed nothing and construction was funded and authorized. the contract. This revelation led to investigations into the over-
long construction of the Cameron; it was discovered that several
Then began eleven years of bureaucratic meddling, with the Admirals and other high-ranking personnel had been bribed or
NOTABLE SHIP
The SLS Troutbridge was a source of frustration for the 22nd Naval Flotilla when she was attached to it following the Saint Joan debacle. For some reason, the Troutbridge had amongst
the largest percentage of trainee personnel onboard, as well as those who had been under disciplinary action, in the entire SLDF. The result was a ship that seemed to barely keep station on
exercises, was always the last to acknowledge orders and slower still to carry them out, as well as being the center of a suspected gang of light fingered personnel who sold items on the black
and grey market.
The Troutbridge’s commander, Captain Povey, was seen as a professional who was let down by his crew, especially his ‘Number One’, a Lieutenant Price who owed his continued position
to the patronage of his father.
At the outbreak of the Amaris Crisis, the 22nd was recalled to join the main body of the SLDF as it moved from the ruins of the Rim Worlds Republic. The Troutbridge and her two
attached DropShips departed a day late owing to a leaking hydrogen seal and were integrated into the fleet once they rejoined them. Here the ships dismal record continued with her nearly
ramming the SLS Leander when the Helmsman, a Sub-Lieutenan Phillips, gave the horribly vague helm command of ‘left hand down a bit’. Collision was missed by a dozen meters but the
crew were saved from a reprimand due to the ship being scheduled to take part in the Liberation of Altair.
The SLS Troutbrige was one of the first ships to jump in to the system, but she was several million kilometres out of position at the jump point. Unable to catch up with the main body of
the Flotilla, the ship was ordered to cover the rear of the invasion force and its vulnerable JumpShips as the fleet moved in to the system.
It was whilst carrying out this rearguard action that the Troutbridge’s sensors detected a squadron of eight Rim World Pinto class corvettes that had managed to evade the main body and
were closing in on the exposed JumpShips. With support hours away, the Troutbridge turned to engage whilst launching fighters and her escorting DropShips.
Surprisingly, the expected disaster did not happen. For once in her career the SLS Troutbridge and her crew performed superbly, destroying four of the Pinto’s and disabling another two
along with many of their fighters in a two hour running battle before fighters and DropShips from the fleet arrived. Unfortunately, the Troutbridge had taken severe damage and had to be
abandoned. Captain Povey had been injured in the attack and never commanded a WarShip again, instead choosing to remain on Terra after the liberation to try and help in the rebuilding
efforts, refusing to leave when Operation EXODUS was launched and instead retired to the city of Portsmouth in England.
NIGHTLORD CLASS BATTLESHIP 45
Clans by Trial or trade it was still expensive to produce so large a The Nightlord features a battery of ER PPC’s and ER Large
Length 1,100 meters
vessel and only a few Clans adopted the class. lasers for anti-fighter defense, but her organic aerospace assets
Displacement 1,200,000 tons (two Stars, totalling 20 fighters) are her primary means of defence
As the ship was designed to show the strength of Clan Snow against hostile aerospace fighters. It is also common to see a Titan
Crew complement 1573 including 500 Elementals, Raven, the Nightlord featured all the advances made by the class carrier amongst the ship’s DropShip complement, which gives
100 Mechwarriors and support staff Clans and applied them to WarShip construction. As it possessed the Nightlord a total of 50 fighters. The Nightlord’s armament is
powerful and advanced fire control systems, as well as a heavily a somewhat hodgepodge mixture of lasers, particle cannons and
reinforced hull with the latest armour compounds, the Nightlord gauss rifles, with no firepower overly concentrated in one direction.
Armament had superior protection to the vaunted McKenna class and rivals This lends credence to the theory that the Nightlord was meant to
7 x AK-254 Medium Naval 4 x AK-425 Super Heavy Naval that of the notoriously tough Texas class. Most curiously, the fight its way into orbit and engage multiple foes at the same time
Autocannons Autocannons Ravens seem to have been influenced by the ancient House Davion whilst deploying and defending her Mechs.
6 x Series 10SR ‘Shrike’ 55cm Naval 6 x Series 3.2SR ‘Kestrel’ 35cm Robinson class destroyer transport. In addition to four DropShips,
Lasers Naval Lasers the Nightlord had a huge ventral bay system for launching Encounters with a Nightlord have, to date, been few and far
4 x Beta Series 7SR Medium Naval 6 x Series 7SR ‘Skua’ 45cm Naval Battlemech’s from low orbit, with the capacity for 100 Battlemech’s between. One, the CJF Emerald Talon, was seen in Operation
Particle Cannons Lasers to be carried in drop cocoons. There was also a grand total of 500 REVIVAL where her on-board Mechs helped capture the world
8 x Theta 106DS ‘Whitworth’ 14 x Series 7.5DS ER Large lasers sets of Elemental battle armour carried on-board, which made the of Zoetermeer. Three more were seen during the Great Refusal;
Medium Naval Gauss Rifles
8 x ER PPC Nightlord a self-contained invasion platform. The Nightlord was two Raven vessels and one belonging to Clan Goliath Scorpion
6 x AK-185 Light Naval also as fast as other SLDF-era battleships and her trio of Mk-2 remained in orbit over Strana Mechty, during which time they
Autocannons Thunderchild thrusters could deliver a total of 2.5g of thrust. observed the Star League and House forces.
Aerospace Complement It seems that Clan Snow Raven thought the battles against the
20 x Aerospace fighters/Small craft 100 Mech’s in drop cocoons Inner Sphere would be akin to the Pentagon Campaign or Amaris
4 x DropShips Collars Civil war, where WarShips would have to force their way into
orbit against sustained opposition in space, and the huge carrying
Sensors capacity of the Nightlords could then be used to deploy troops and
Pattern 09 Epsilon ‘Odin’s Eye’ Type 4 Mod 2 ‘Blucher’ Multi-mode thus rapidly overwhelm a defender. Whilst such tactics were not
Multi-channel 3D phased LIDAR ranging and fire control system needed in Operation REVIVAL and the Nightlord was kept from
array the front lines it does represent a potent-if-unused way of attacking
Series 32 Delta Channel hopping
Type 801 Multi-channel broad and long and short range communication a world.
narrowband active and passive ECM/ with HPG uplink
ECCM
The Nightlord’s armament, whilst based on weapons built
during the Star League, are all Clan produced and are extremely
Although information about the genesis of the Nightlord class reliable and potent. The Naval Gauss rifles, unlike those used on
is limited it is believed that Clan Snow Raven commissioned the SLDF ships, do not use a small reactor to charge the capacitors;
design prior to the ‘Dragoon Compromise,’ when the invasion of instead the rifles draw directly from the reactor. This saves space
the Inner Sphere started looming large in the minds of the Clans of and weight whilst allowing for a quicker charge. The Naval
Kerensky. Due to a perceived need for a new Battleship that could autocannons use a rotary ‘carousel’ loading arrangement. With
also carry a large number of ground forces safely into orbit when older weapons the shell is brought up and rammed into the breech
facing hostile opposition, the first Nightlord emerged from the huge before the propellant charge is then brought up and loaded before
yards of Lum in the early 2930’s. the breech is closed (this is still a fast firing cycle with even the
gargantuan super-heavy naval autocannons being able to load and
When the Wolf’s Dragoons reported back on the sorry state of fire within six seconds); the Clan’s rotary system, however, loads
the Inner Sphere and its non-existent naval strength, however, the the shell and the propellant charge in one movement, thus cutting
need for the Nightlord was greatly lessened and production rates loading time down and reducing wear and tear on the machines
were slowed. Although the design was disseminated amongst the involved in loading the multi-ton shells into the breech.
NOTABLE SHIP
The CSA Absolute Truth has one of the most remarkable and maybe the bloodiest battle records for a ship of the Nightlord class. The fifth of her type built, the Adders acquired her in a
trade deal, offering a years-worth output of raw material from their vast Germanium mines in the Paxon system. The Adders assigned the ship to Alpha Galaxy. With its large Mech deploying
capacity it was the perfect choice for making Alpha Galaxy the Adders primary rapid strike force.
The first true test of the ship’s potential was the Burrock Absorption. The Absolute Truth jumped to a pirate point near the Burrocks’ capitol world of Albion, destroying the planetary
SDS command centre in a devastating and accurate broadside. The ship then deployed its Mechs to engage defenders on the ground and both Alpha Galaxy’s 5th Assault cluster and the 11th
Armoured Cavalry Squadron quickly established a beachhead. After this, the ship continued to attack SDS installations; quickly silencing them. When Clan Blood Spirit attacked, the Absolute
Truth could not stop the invading Spirit DropShips, but when the Spirits were forced to retreat after being pummelled on Albion, the Nightlord took a heavy toll on the fleeing DropShips.
However, she suffered immense damage in a ramming attack by a Spirit Carrier class DropShip.
In the Wars of Reaving the Absolute Truth fought in many major engagements, destroying at least two WarShips and numerous DropShips. Its primary role as a self-contained invasion
force was immensely useful in the assault on the Tanite worlds in 3074, as well as the bitter naval battle in the New Kent system during the Viper Annihilation.
The ships most notorious actions were the planetary bombardment of York in 3072 and the final killing stroke of the last Blood Spirit possession on Haven, killing millions of people and
levelling entire cities.
POTEMKIN CLASS HEAVY ASSAULT SHIP 48
into a 1.5-million-ton leviathan over 1,500 meters long that was ships, bore the burden of carrying the SLDF’s troops during the
Length 1,508 meters
capable of carrying a full division on its 25 docking collars. This liberation of the Hegemony from the grip of the Usurper. Because
Displacement 1,510,000 tons was due to the design being constantly altered and changed, not of their immense strategic value, the Potemkins became priority
by bureaucrats but by the Star League Admiralty who wanted the targets for the SDS and its associated Casper drones and thus had to
Crew complement 445 in both SLDF and Clan service with best possible ship for their money. After nearly a dozen redesigns be heavily escorted. During the attack on the Sol system a pair of
bunks for thousands and 8 years of inter-service wrangling the first new Potemkin class Potemkins accompanied Task Force Leonidas, with the forlorn hope
assault transport was laid down to launch in 2611. The statistics that they could destroy the M5 drones defending Terra. Both ships,
of the Potemkin boggled the mind when they entered service; they the Bull Run and the Borodino, were loaded with 25 Pentagon
Armament were longer than the Farragut class battleship and heavier than the assault DropShips; these vessels and the Potemkin’s guns helped
24 x Fusigon 2a Series ‘Quasar’ 8 x Mark 901 VLS launchers for planned Texas class ships and were also equipped with protection with the destruction of 106 drones before Task Force Leonidas
Heavy Naval Particle Cannons Barracuda missiles and firepower that would be considered battleship-level. A single was eventually overwhelmed. The Bull Run was destroyed by a
16 x Maxell Series 7 ‘Starburst’ massive 95 meter grav-deck filled the interior and made life more ramming attack whilst the Borodino was ripped open by gunfire
45cm Naval Lasers comfortable for the Potemkin’s crew as well as the crews of her from four drones in the final hour of the engagement.
docked DropShips (who could also be barracked in the ship’s
Aerospace Complement massive cargo decks). All of the ships were fitted with quick-install Despite heavy casualties during the Amaris Civil War, over 30
10 x Small craft/Shuttles
bedding to turn whole areas into sleeping quarters for any troops on Potemkins survived to join General Kerensky in his self-imposed
25 x DropShip collars board. exodus. During the long months of the Exodus the Potemkins
became mobile cities and the first children of the Exodus were born
Sensors The main firepower came from a battery of heavy naval PPCs on these craft. One was later involved in the Prinz Eugen Revolt;
KTI-600I Mod 4 3D phased LIDAR Pheaton 301 ‘Water Seeker’ Series (the ship was able to bring 12 to bear on a broadside) whilst lasers the SLS Hermes was one of the craft that wanted to return to the
array Primary fire control and missiles could be turned on targets as the range dropped. These Inner Sphere. and her Captain and Officers were amongst those
KTI-80 ‘Wolf Howl’ Mod 3 Active TelStar HN 008 Long and short weapons were fitted with advanced fire control systems that would executed when the revolt was put down.
and passive ECM/ECCM with range communications with HPG allow for pin-point firing during orbital bombardment, which
automated channel hopping uplink allowed the Potemkin to support its troops on the ground. The In Clan service the class serves more as a simple transport,
massive ships, however, had to be built at a series of specialized due to the Clans being averse to the huge multi-unit deployments
The Potemkin is one of the largest and certainly most shipyards and most yards were not built to take a ship of the the Potemkin is designed for. They also were used as an ersatz-
expensive classes of WarShip built. The craft’s genesis lies back Potemkin’s bulk; non-compliant shipyards needed to be altered so battleship; in this role the Potemkin serves well as a potent gun
in the Reunification War; during the brutal fighting in the Taurian Potemkins could be docked for repairs. This, combined with the platform although it is a waste of their huge transport capacity.
Concordat the SLDF and House fleets lost JumpShips and their huge cost of the massive transports, did slow production but 106 of Clan Diamond Shark reportedly have the most ships of this class
carried troops to fighter and WarShip attack as well as ‘dirty tricks’ the class were constructed in spite of these challenges. in their Tourman and three of these ships in Shark colours were
like minefields or CAPTOR missiles. Whilst WarShips carried amongst those escorting the troops of the Second Star League to
DropShips, these were most often assault and carrier vessels to Whilst expensive to operate, the Potemkin class proved itself Strana Mechty for the Great Refusal. Like other Star-League-era
enhance their fighting power. Using WarShips as troop carriers in exercises and deployments; there was simply no way to counter ships in Clan service, the Potemkin is fitted with a Lithium-Fusion
was seen as inefficient, and this put the strain of carrying troops their massive transport capacity. During Operation Golden Dragon battery and the advanced hull sealant technology developed by the
and Mechs on the vulnerable JumpShips. When faced with such (a large scale training exercise on the Kurita borders during Clans.
heavy losses it became obvious that a ship able to defend itself heightened tensions with House Kurita) three Potemkin class ships
and carry large numbers of DropShips for planetary assaults was (the Manassas, Aboukir and Oscarsborg) deployed three divisions
needed. The initial prototype of this was the Fearless class, based against ‘hostile’ forces in the space of two hours once they had
on the Monsoon battleship, which was a largely successful design achieved orbit; the combined forces captured their objectives and
yet plagued with electronic issues that were never resolved. The overwhelmed the Red Force defenders (who were using DCMS
Fearless did, however, prove that the concept was sound and a tactics). It was unsubtle but the message was received; the
‘proper’ design should be constructed instead of a rush job like the Combine pulled its forces back from the border.
Fearless.
The real test came during the Amaris Civil War where they,
What started off as a ‘transport cruiser’ of 750,000 tons grew along with the Volga class and the few surviving Fearless class
NOTABLE SHIP
The first of two Potemkin class WarShips to bear the name of Titanic was in service to Clan Diamond Shark, and attached to the Sharks’ Spectral Diamond Naval Star.
The ship was kept busy transporting goods from the Clan Homeworlds to the Inner Sphere and vice versa. With tensions in the Homeworlds rising, the Sharks used the Titanic to transport
more and more war materials produced in their Inner Sphere factories to the sparring factions.
In 3073, the Titanic and the Fredasa-class corvette, CDS Swift Strike, were used to transport several DropShips full of supplies and materials for Clan Blood Spirit from the Diamond Shark
holding of Nyserta in the Inner Sphere to the Blood Spirit enclaves on York.
Galaxy Commander Stephan Faulk was the proponent of this trade deal. He had been warned by the Khans and high-ranking members of the Merchant caste that fighting in the
Homeworlds had been escalating to such an extent, that this enterprise was considered as being too risky (some said it would be crazy). Faulk ignored the warnings; honour demanded that the
Sharks had to fulfil their part of the deal.
When the Swift Strike and the Titanic arrived at York in August 3073, they found the system under a blockade imposed by Clan Star Adder. The Adders were bombarding the world, slowly
levelling the Spirit holdings and units on York whilst hoping to catch and destroy any other Spirit forces that might still be in system.
Moving into the system, the Sharks contacted the Adders to ask for Safcon. Galaxy Commander Faulk spoke with the Adders, citing the arrangements which had been bargained out
between Diamond Sharks and Blood Spirits. The Adders commanding officer, Star Admiral Fortunato Gena, laughed at this and refused to allow the two Shark vessel to pass. He threatened to
meet them with deadly force if any attempt was made to break the Adder blockade.
Stephan Faulk did not believe that the Adders would follow through on their threat and gave the order to head in system. The Star Adders responded immediately as the Nightlord class
battleship, CSA Absolute Truth, and the Sovetskii Soyuz, CSA Nygaard, moved to engage the Swift Strike and the Titanic. The heavier Star Adder vessels first manoeuvred to block the path of
the Shark vessels to the planet, with both ships flanking the Titanic as she headed towards York. They once again called for the ship to deviate from its course but when the Titanic refused to,
they both fired full broadsides into her. The attack was so devastating that after a mere two broadsides the Titanic was destroyed, launching her DropShips as she was torn apart.
TEXAS CLASS BATTLESHIP 51
The ship’s Rolls Royce Kraken engines, powered by a trio of trials and first cruises. In gunnery trials the SLS Texas competed
Length 1,209 meters
General Electric fusion reactors, could generate a maximum of against the Farragut class battleship SLS Jellico; The Jellico had a
Displacement 1,560,000 tons 2.5g of thrust; this was faster than the Monsoon and matched the reputation as one of the finest gunnery ships in the fleet whilst the
standard fleet speed of most other vessels in service like the Avatar Texas had a fresh crew on board who were still getting accustomed
Crew complement 862 in both SLDF and Clan service class cruiser. The most distinguishing factor of the new ship was to their new vessel. Their target, a decommissioned Monsoon class
its heavy armour, which took full advantage of the newly developed vessel (the SLS Sissoi Veliky), was to be engaged at long range by
Lamellor Ferro-carbide hull plating. The designers at Krester both ships, and both ships were to take turns to engage. Whilst
Armament sheathed the new battleship in 1782 tons of the new plate, and thus the Farragut class had heavier firepower, her guns and fire control
48 x Omicron 92 Series 45cm Naval 8 x Armstrong-Hawker AR-10 Mod provided the equivalent of 4500 tons of standard hull plating. This system had problems engaging at long range against the slowly
Lasers 1 flexible missile launch systems
made the battleship the most well protected WarShip ever produced; moving Sissoi Veliky. With her large banks of lasers, more advanced
16 x Sunspot-3L Heavy Naval 4 x SSM-1200 Killer Whale Missile even the larger McKenna could not compare. predictive fire controls as well as rapid cycling chain firing guns
Particle Cannons launch systems the Texas scored far more hits than the three scored by the Jellico.
2 x Winchester-Boeing Mk 50 The new battleship’s armament was built around a large array When the Sissoi Veliky went down it was due to the guns of the
485mm Super Heavy Naval of NL-45s in huge 12-gun batteries. Four sets of heavy naval PPC’s Texas and not the vastly more experienced crew of the Jellico.
Autocannons
on each bow quarter provided additional firepower out to long
Aerospace Complement range whilst a single ultra-heavy naval autocannon could also be This, alongside other gunnery tests and trials, proved the value
brought to bear. The heavy autocannon was quickly nicknamed the of the Texas class as a whole; they quickly became sought after
40 x Aerospace fighters 6 x DropShip collars
‘carronade’ or ‘smasher’ in honour of ancient age-of-sail cannons commands and were popular ships to serve upon. The biggest
16 x Small craft/Shuttles which delivered heavy damage at short range. A hit from this improvement over the Farragut class was their reliability; whereas
autocannon could smash almost any DropShip in service; it served the older Battleship was a dockyard queen and maintenance
Sensors as a brutal deterrent against close assaults. Twelve missile launchers intensive, the Texas was far more reliable whilst also having larger
MORSAT 901-Theta Multi-channel MORSAT 2000-Iota laser assisted also provided additional firepower and acted as the main anti-fighter crew quarters (with most crew sharing 3 man bunks). The hull of
long and short range active and tracking and fire control armament. Each Texas class ship also had a locker for ‘special the Texas was heavily reinforced and crisscrossed by hull bracing as
passive 3D phased array
Pathfinder 43-CD Multi-channel long weapons’; polite political language for nuclear warheads which well as multiple redundant blast doors and quick-closing bulkheads;
IDC Type 76 ‘Clarinet Screech’ Hi and short range communications could be mated to the missiles if authorized. this design would let damage control teams seal off breached areas
and low frequency ECM/ECCM with with HPG Interface
of a hull or, if needed, open them to space to fight a fire. Crews
active channel hopping
With docking ports for six DropShips and an integral aerospace became proud of their tough, if rather ugly ships and the Texas class
complement of 40 fighters, the Texas was also self-escorting and its led an active life in service of the SLDF.
In 2611 the Monsoon class was close to being retired and fighters could provide a fearsome strike against a hostile WarShip.
the potent-but-maintenance- intensive Farragut class still proved Curiously, the designers at Krester kept the bow and stern clear Unfortunately, tightening budgets curtailed the building program
problematic even after a hundred and sixty years of service; it was of weapons (the rationale being that the ship was built to fight at of the class when it was seen as a smarter political move to spend
obvious that a new battleship was needed. The new design would extreme ranges using her broadside, so bow and stern weapons money on larger scale civic and infrastructure programs within the
take the changing doctrine and tactics of the SLDF to heart, and also would be of little use in such an engagement). This design decision Hegemony; this limited the Texas’ production run to 52 vessels.
feature the latest fire control systems to accurately engage targets also helped give the Texas a simply massive amount of cargo space;
at a ranges the Monsoon or Farragut could only dream of. The over 300,000 tons of cargo could be carried which allowed the ship During the Amaris crisis the Texas was at the forefront of the
contract was won by Krester Ship Works and construction started in and her crew to remain on station and patrol for many months whilst effort to liberate the Hegemony; the class suffered brutal losses as
2616; the SLDF asked for a heavily armed, fast and well protected also operating as a mobile depot for squadron mates. This sparked they were singled out for being command ships and major weapons
vessel equal to or surpassing any preceding class of Battleship. the biggest criticism of the class; other ship builders complained platforms with known nuclear lockers. The M5 Drones targeted the
that too much cargo was used and that the ship’s ready to use class without fail and when Terra was free, only 7 survived to leave
The new design that emerged delivered on all counts; although ammunition was too limited, especially for the missile launchers. with General Kerensky.
critics did complain that the new WarShip was less well armed than One naval review even said that “Krester has designed a beautiful
the preceding Farragut class, they did not take into account the ship, but it is a shame they forgot to put guns on it.” In Clan service these WarShips are the flagship of the Clan and
changing doctrine and tactics of the SLDF, nor did they know about act as a command ship for a Galaxy; only one was seen in the Inner
the advanced and top secret fire control computers that allowed the Despite the misgivings of Armchair Admirals, the first of the Sphere during Operation REVIVAL, but like every other WarShip it
ship to accurately engage targets at extreme ranges. 52 Texas class ships to enter service performed very well on their was withdrawn following the bombardment of Edo on Turtle Bay.
NOTABLE SHIP
Formerly the SLS Indiana, the CWS Nicholas Kerensky was one of the largest vessels in Clan Wolf and often served as flagship for their Tourman. In the Amaris Civil War, the Indiana
earned distinction for her gunnery and the bravery of her crew. Over Terra the Indiana exchanged fire with the SDS installations in the Cascades and on Cuba, and is credited with silencing
the Cuba battery. Repaired after the Liberation, the Indiana joined General Kerensky’s forces in Operation EXODUS, her cargo bays full of Royal Division units as well as carrying many
soldiers’ families on her attached DropShips.
During Operation REVIVAL the WarShip, like many others, was used as an escort for forces going to and from the Inner Sphere, but was withdrawn from combat roles after the destruction
of Edo.
Now used as a glorified transport, the Battleship would form part of the Wolves supply chain, carrying cargo DropShips and with her hold full of Mechs, tanks and other war materials
going back and forth between the Homeworlds and the growing Wolf Occupation Zone.
During the Refusal War, the big Wolf battleship sparred with Falcon naval forces but there was no serious clash of naval strength between the two Clans, despite the ferocity of the conflict
between the two rivals. With the Crusader/Warden split dividing Clan Wolf, the Nicholas Kerensky became part of the Crusader Wolves Tourman, and was used to defend their holdings whilst
Khan Ward rebuilt his battered Tourman.
The Nicholas Kerensky was on active service during the Jihad and was part of the Clan Wolf forces that attacked the Blake Protectorate. Like many of her sister ships lost in the Amaris
Civil War, the Nicholas Kerensky was destroyed by massed aerospace fighters, as well as a nuclear strike that caused terrible damage to the Texas class ship despite her thick armour. Badly
damaged and with her sensors scrambled by the EMP, the Nicholas Kerensky was swarmed by Blakist fighters and assault DropShips. Fighting to the last, the Nicholas Kerensky even claimed
a DropShip as a kill as she broke up, her death blast crippling a Blakist Mule Q-Ship, starting fires that would detonate the Blakist ships ammunition stores.
TEXAS CLASS BATTLESHIP - INITIAL DRAFT 54
MCKENNA CLASS BATTLESHIP 55
Clipperships in 2648; with the resources of Sol and the Hegemony McKenna fired they would light up like a star on any thermal
Length 1,405 meters
at their beck and call the famous Martian shipbuilding firm laid display.
Displacement 1,930,000 tons down a behemoth.
A trio of huge Goliath LV-9 engines, each powered by a
Crew complement 759 on standard McKennas, 925 on the The new WarShip was bigger than any preceding class in dedicated pair of reactors provided a maximum of 2.5 g of thrust;
Command variant terms of sheer mass, and measured 1,930,000 tons and 1,405 this allowed the McKenna to keep up with the standard fleet speed
meters in length. It was built using the most advanced materials of the time. These engines received high marks for reliability
known to the Hegemony at the time. The hugely reinforced and ease of maintenance, although they did also get a reputation
Armament
hull was based on the systems used in the Texas and Farragut as being rather fuel hungry. This inefficiency was countered by
48 x Kreuss XX Type 9 Heavy Naval 12 x Thunderbolt Series 9 55cm
classes, and the extensive use of endo-composites made the hull the McKenna’s 255,000 tons of cargo space, which allowed her
Particle Cannons Naval Lasers
stronger yet lighter which allowed for the ship to be covered in to be on station for long periods of time. This cargo space was
12 x Zeus-Krupps Mark 200 ‘Bertha’ 6 x Armstrong-Hawker AR-10 Mod
1,603.5 tons of Ferro-carbide armour. Whilst not as thick as the also used to help fuel the WarShip’s 6 DropShips as well as her 50
Super Heavy Naval Autocannons 18 flexible missile launch systems
famously rugged Texas, this protection was greater than any other fighters and 16 shuttles. Replacement fighters were also carried in
Aerospace Complement Battleship in service since the last Farragut went into mothballs. a crated state in the cargo along with fuel, food and ammunition.
50 x Aerospace fighters 6 x DropShip collars
Habitability was also focused on, and the interior of the class As the ship lacked any form of anti-fighter weapons, the
16/24 x Small Craft, 24 were fitted
on the Command McKenna variant was noted for possessing a well laid out deck plan including McKenna relied on her aerospace wing to protect her from hostile
transit routes. The three grav-decks made life comfortable for the fighters; most McKennas often had a carrier DropShip with them
Sensors WarShip’s crew complement and she was fitted with extensive to increase this even further. The other five DropShips were
NCC-2100 3D Phased search Krupps-Ellingon ‘Omega’ Type facilities for off duty personnel, including a zero-g swimming often assault DropShips which added another layer of defenses
LIDAR with ‘Ghost’ Infra and 0 Multi-tracking fire control with pool and even a garden section for crew to escape the grey and to the McKenna class in combat. The DropShip complement
submillimeter thermal receiver predictive targeting software metal of the WarShips interior. But BNCS did not design her as a and her on-board fighter wing were commanded by a CAG (or
NCC-103-Beta ‘Zeus’ Active and Type 901 ‘Churchill’ Pattern 3 Long pleasure cruiser; the new class was a WarShip after all. Commander Air Group) which would direct the ship’s fighters and
passive ECM/ECCM range communications and HPG DropShips with oversight from the battleship’s Commander or
relay
Designed with the engagement ranges of the Texas in mind, 2IC.
the McKenna class battleship was built to engage targets at the
The McKenna class of Battleship perhaps exemplifies longest of ranges and destroy them before they became a threat. The McKenna also featured a Lithium Fusion battery which
the sheer industrial strength and military might of the Terran To this end the ship’s flanks were layered with turrets for heavy greatly increased her strategic mobility by allowing her to make
Hegemony and the SLDF. The phrase ‘a post-scarcity society’ naval PPCs; each turret bore a quartet of canons. In a broadside two jumps in quick succession. This expensive system was fitted
was often used in the early 21st Century to describe a point where engagement the McKenna could bring twenty-four Heavy Naval on the smaller Luxor and Riga II class ships that would form the
a society had moved to such a point that resources were no longer PPC’s to bare on a target, and thanks to the latest fire control primary escorts for the McKenna in time of war, and would also
a concern, where people would not worry about food, shelter, systems these were accurate out to the weapon’s maximum range allow the McKenna and her squadron mates to quickly react to a
power or heat. With the McKenna class the Hegemony showed and therefore could be turned on smaller craft if needed. threat up to 60 light years away.
that it truly was a post-scarcity society.
The main battery was supported by an array of lasers, missile Once initial trials were completed the McKenna was rapidly
Resources and money were flowing into the Hegemony like launchers and super-heavy autocannons. The lasers were used approved for production; four yards in the Hegemony started
never before in the mid 2600’s; as such, the Star League Defence more to ward of DropShips whilst the autocannons could cripple producing the ships at a staggering rate. Thanks to the latest
force lobbied for a new WarShip to be built that would serve smaller vessels in one or two hits, or fire flak shells to disrupt advances in automation as well as the effectively-limitless
as crown jewel of the SLDF and ensure its supremacy into the fighter attacks or ward off smaller and faster ships that might try resources of the Hegemony, the McKenna was built in numbers
future. This meant a new battleship and with public and political to swarm a McKenna. This array of weapons generated a huge unseen by any battleship, or even many cruiser classes. Despite
good will to call upon, as well as seemingly limitless resources, amount of heat and led to the design’s most distinctive feature; the fact each ship cost over 21 billion c-bills (inflation-adjusted to
tenders were put out for a new Battleship to be constructed in the huge dorsal and ventral radiator fins helped vent the excess heat present dollars) the Hegemony went on to produce 280 of these
Hegemony in 2645. After intense public lobbying and several away from the hull. Whilst inactive out of combat these cooling massive craft in a period from 2652 until 2765 with more on the
redesigns, the contract for the new ship was won by Blue Nose surfaces also helped reduce the ship’s IR signature, but when a slips at the outbreak of the Amaris Civil War.
By the outbreak of the Civil War there were more WarShips of and free the Hegemony with one of the Command McKenna’s;
this single class in service than some House fleets in their entirety. this particular ship was the SLS McKenna’s Pride, which was the
This rapid construction did allow for three distinct sub-classes flagship of Commanding General Aleksandr Kerensky. Despite
to be produced. The Block I McKennas, built over Mars and their firepower and protection, the McKennas suffered heavy
Titan, were eighty strong before a slightly modified Block II was casualties in the liberation of the Hegemony as they were one
developed. Whilst identical in terms of performance, protection of the few classes of ships that could engage the ground-based
and armament, the Block II McKenna was visually different with SDS batteries with any chance of surviving and the M5 drones
a slightly more cubic design. This hull form was cheaper, easier designated them as priority targets.
and quicker to produce and the remaining McKennas were all
built to this Block II standard. Some SLDF Admirals complained Only eighteen survived to go into exile, including the
that the Block II was a more severe looking ship; this in turn saw McKenna’s Pride, and none were left in the Inner Sphere once the
the Block I’s being used more often as flagships whilst the later SLDF departed. The surviving ships in Clan service were refitted
Block II’s were standard line units. with the Clans hull sealant technology but otherwise remained
unchanged. The McKenna’s Pride herself serves as the tomb of
Six McKenna class ships were also taken whilst barely a General Kerensky and is in permanent geostationary orbit over
shell to be converted into dedicated command vessels. Each Strana Mechty. Warriors often take a form of pilgrimage to visit
of these dedicated McKennas boasted advanced and powerful the General’s tomb aboard his flagship and the McKenna’s Pride
communications equipment, as well as tactical displays which is kept in a fully operational status, as if waiting for General
allowed ground and space commanders to direct their forces Kerensky to resume command.
from the battleships heavily protected CiC, these new Command
ships would serve not as fleet command ships but were capable
of controlling the entirety of the SLDF. They were fitted with
an HPG and the ‘Black Box’ hyper-fax as well as a massively
enhanced and enlarged CiC that could accept data from any ship,
unit or system; as such it was from these vessels that a war would
be fought and directed. These six Command McKennas were
physically very different from the standard class but retained the
same weapons, armour protection, DropShip capacity and fighter
wing. Their enlarged hull had more crew on-board as well as a
large number of suites and quarters for any command staff. The
HPG and four hyper-faxes also had their own specialised staff
whilst the larger CiC and communications systems took up more
interior space. These changes were added at a slight cost in the
McKenna’s cargo capacity. A large reinforced bunker was also
installed that could in dire emergency act as a life pod for the
ship’s senior officers. Each one was also fitted to be a vessel for
the First Lord to call home in the case of a crisis or when he was
touring the Star League. To this end there was also room for up
to a Company’s worth of infantry and all their equipment and the
Royal Black Watch always deployed at least 90 – 150 Nighthawk
PA(L) equipped infantry when on a vessel with the First Lord.
During the Amaris Crisis the McKenna was the most powerful
ship in service and was at the forefront to overthrow the Usurper
NOTABLE SHIP
The SLS McKenna’s Pride was one of six Command McKenna class battleships and served as the flagship for Commanding General Aleksandr Kerensky when she entered service. As the
flagship of the Commander of the SLDF, the General’s Lee class DropShip, the Borodino, was permanently part of her DropShip compliment and she carried a greatly enlarged command staff
detachment aboard, as well as two hundred Marines whose sole job was the protection of the General.
When the Taurian Crisis erupted, the McKenna’s Pride was targeted by Taurian Freedom Army forces but the WarShip and her escorts obliterated the attackers before they could come in
range of their own weapons. Due to her role the McKenna’s Pride was kept out of the line of battle and always had a full escort group protecting her, making her near immune to attack by any
conventional method. It was from the McKenna’s Pride that General Kerensky planned and directed the liberation of the Terran Hegemony, her briefing rooms always full of Officers of all
ranks.
During the Battle for Terra, the McKenna’s Pride turned her guns on the many Castle Brians defending Earth and was damaged in an exchange of gunfire by the SDS defending Alaska. As
the Star League collapsed, the McKenna’s Pride visited the capitals of the House Lords as the General attempted to stop the coming avalanche, but he failed. Stripped of his rank, it was aboard
the McKenna’s Pride that General Kerensky planned Operation EXODUS.
With the General’s death in 2801 the ship became the General’s tomb and she carried out this duty ever since. Only at the end of the Wars of Reaving was the McKenna’s Pride called
to action once more, and the WarShip lead the assault on the last holdings of Clan Steel Viper. She turned her guns ground-ward once more, obliterating the city of New Kent in a torrent of
particle cannon fire as well as engaging Viper forces in orbit. The strike by the McKenna’s Pride was the nail in the coffin for Clan Steel Viper and signalled the doomed Clan’s Annihilation.
MCKENNA CLASS BATTLESHIP FLIGHT II 58
MCKENNA FLEET COMMAND BATTLESHIP 59
MCKENNA CLASS BATTLESHIP FLIGHT I 60
LEVIATHAN II HEAVY BATTLESHIP 61
realised they could not complete the two vessels alone due to a clear that the Blakists were a major threat to the Dominion.
Length 1,700 meters
lack of experience in such massive space borne projects, if not
Displacement 2,400,000 tons will. Fortunately the Bear’s long term allies in Clan Snow Raven When Clan Ghost Bear launched its attacks against the
were all too willing to offer their expertise in this area, in return forces of the Word, at the head of the spear was the three fully
Crew complement 1995 for mining rights and trade agreements between the two Clans that operational Leviathans and all three immediately proved their
would benefit them the most. worth, destroying the sole Blakist McKenna as well as many other
Armament WarShips, whilst taking punishment that would have destroyed
Construction was still slow however and when Operation a lesser craft. Now capable of carrying a full Galaxy’s worth of
2 x ‘Thunderlord’ Mk62 Mod-3 40 x Series 3SR ER Medium Lasers
Heavy Naval Gauss rifles
REVIVAL was launched, the huge ships were still incomplete and aerospace fighters as well as eight DropShips the Leviathan was
20 x Kolbrik Mod 4DS Large pulse construction had come to a halt as the Clans as a whole turned built to engage enemies at extreme range with massed banks of
4 x Theta 10GB ‘Whitworth’ lasers
Medium Naval Gauss rifles
their attention to REVIVAL and the assault on the Inner Sphere. lasers, particle cannons, missiles and gauss rifles. Any foes that
40 x Kolbrik Mod 9DS Medium survived would then run the gauntlet of the ships autocannons
10 x AK-320 Heavy Naval pulse lasers
Autocannons
Both vessels languished with only maintenance crews aboard and a staggering amount of point defences that could smash an
16 x Type 6GB Gauss rifles their air tight but mostly toothless hulls, but after the Great entire wing of attacking fighters, if any managed to break through
28 x Beta Series 7GB Medium Naval
80 x Remer Series Alpha Deuce Refusal and the complete discrediting and defeat of the Crusader the three hundred fighters carried on-board. Over two hundred
Particle Cannons
ATM-12 missile launchers ideology, Khan Bjorn Jorgensson and his SaKhan agreed to Elementals could also be used to defend the ship against boarding
108 x Series 14GB ‘Maul’ 55cm
18 x Type VI Mod 4 Streak Missile move the entire populace of Clan Ghost Bear from the Clan actions or overwhelm any vessel in the Inner Sphere. At the
Naval Lasers
launchers Homeworlds to their far larger Occupation Zone in the Inner height of the Jihad the Leviathan class carried a full group of
6 x Alfa pattern AR-10 flexible Sphere. eight Vanir class Assault DropShips to act as its heavy escorts as
12 x Ursa Mod 3GB LRM-20 missile
missile launchers
launchers they can extend the ship’s anti-fighter barrier and engage hostile
10 x Type 22a DS ER PPCs Unfortunately, the Clan lacked the shipping strength to move DropShips with their sub-capital weapons.
30 x Type 9 Den Guard Anti-missile
50 x Series 7.5DS ER Large Lasers batteries so many millions of people and megatons of industrial equipment
until it was pointed out that the Leviathans could. Whilst airtight
Aerospace Complement and active, they were almost disarmed and mostly empty and
300 x Aerospace fighters 8 x DropShip docking collars could be fitted in a short time to carry huge numbers of passengers
and massive amounts of cargo. Once suitably refitted the two
Sensors Leviathans, the CGB Leviathan and CGB Great Bear would each
Pattern 12 Gamma ‘Nanook’ Long Type 5 Mod 8 ‘Wojtek’ Multi mode carry a quarter of a million people and over four hundred thousand
and short range 3D multi-phased ranging and fire control system tonnes of cargo, and this was not including the capacity of any
LIDAR array
Series 41 Alfa Long and short range
DropShips they would be carrying.
Type 991 Multi-channel broad and multi-channel communications array
narrowband active and passive ECM/ with HPG and HPG uplink Once safe in their Occupation Zone the Bear’s
ECCM decommissioned the Leviathans once again, using them as
orbital supply points and bases whilst rapidly building up the
As the possibility of a return to the Inner Sphere began to infrastructure on their worlds. But by 3068 this task was no
crystallize from idea into reality, Clan Ghost Bear’s Khans, in the longer needed, the first shipyards were complete and awaiting
grandest tradition of their Clan decreed that they would have the their first ‘customers’, the Leviathans.
largest and most powerful WarShip ever built to lead the Clan’s
way back to the Inner Sphere. Longer and far more massive than Using the industrial muscle of the new Ghost Bear Dominion,
the lauded McKenna, the Scientists of Clan Ghost Bear designed a the Bears now worked to complete both ships and their newly
space going monster that was called the Leviathan class. ordered sister ship the CGB Rasalhague as they were originally
intended, as massively armed and armoured battleships. As the
But construction of the huge vessel taxed even the Bear’s Word of Blake’s Jihad spread across the Inner Sphere the work to
industrial strength and despite their best efforts the Bear Scientists finish this was accelerated and then accelerated again as it became
NOTABLE SHIP
The CGB Rasalhague was laid down in 3067 and as she neared completion, Clan Nova Cat, old enemies of the Bears launched a Trial of Possession for her that saw the naval strength of
both Clans suffer heavy losses, but the Bear’s retained their prized warship for her to be accepted into service in 3069.
During the Dominion’s assault on the Word of Blake the battle for the Dyev system would be the Rasalhague’s first test and a true trial by fire. Alongside the smaller Nightlord Ursa Major
and the CSR Scabbard the Clan forces dropped their troops onto Dyev before engaging a Word flotilla centred around the Aegis Righteous Fury and her escorts the Whirlwind Firefang and
Congress Hollings York. Outgunned and outnumbered by the fighters pouring from Rasalhague the Word ships were all destroyed but not before the Hollings York launched a nuclear tipped
missile at the huge Clan battleship. Once the blast had subsided the Rasalhague signalled that she was fully operational and moving to engage in the bombardment of Word forces on the planet
below.
Repairs to the Rasalhague’s hull took several months but she was soon in action, helping liberate more worlds from Blakist oppression before finally joining the fleet that would help
liberate Terra and finally cut the head off the Blakist serpent. With twenty-six other WarShips from across the Inner Sphere and the Clans, the battle for the Sol system was still hard and the
Rasalhague suffered severe damage engaging orbital defences as well as Pocket WarShips and repeated fighter attacks.
Repaired and put back into service, the Rasalhague is the last Leviathan in active service, although rumours abound of a new vessel currently under construction that somehow improves on
the Leviathans already formidable performance.
WARSHIPS RESURGENT
THE VESSELS OF THE GREAT HOUSES
WARSHIPS RESURGENT
THE VESSELS OF THE GREAT HOUSES
With their WarShip fleets annihilated and their supporting infrastructure destroyed in the fires of the First and Second Succession Wars, the capacity to build
WarShips became LosTech thanks to the growing collapse of the Inner Sphere’s manufacturing base and the death of those with the knowledge to build and maintain
the complex systems and platforms which built WarShips. Many worlds also bore the scars of orbital bombardment, of cities reduced to ruin by fire from above and
worlds in the grip of a nuclear winter. The fear of letting such a genie out of the bottle again also meant that even if there was the capacity to build new WarShips,
there wasn’t the will.
This attitude slowly changed in the Fourth Succession War, whilst the Ares Convention held JumpShips as being sacrosanct, as well as prohibiting the use of
WMDs or indiscriminate orbital bombardment, the economic and financial powerhouse that was the Federated Commonwealth started looking at the possibility of
building WarShips once more.
With the discovery of the Helm Memory Core and the huge boost to the once declining state of the Inner Sphere’s technology base, the Federated Commonwealth
slowly pressed ahead with the first WarShip to be built in centuries, but they ran into a huge stumbling block.
There was no technical data on how to build the main thruster assemblies and engines for a WarShip type vessel, nor was there any facility to build them other than
in the Sol System, where the Rolls Royce Interstellar factory could still manufacture such huge thrusters.
The slow burn project received a huge shot in the arm with the arrival of the Clans in 3050 and their massed WarShip fleets and the aftershocks of the destruction
of the city of Edo on Turtle Bay reverberated round the Inner Sphere, amplifying how vulnerable the House Lords were, should the Clans order their many WarShips
guns pointed groundward.
It wasn’t until 3056 when the loss of HPG’s to the Word of Blake made ComStar realise it needed an injection of credits to continue operating and with the House
Lords desperate, they offered to sell the engine and drive units for WarShips to all of the Houses.
This then started a WarShip building frenzy. Whilst the Federated Commonwealth pressed ahead with their newly named Fox class corvette, Houses Kurita, Marik
and Liao all pressed ahead with their own WarShip development plans to counter the Clan threat.
Fortunately though the Clans withdrew their WarShips from combat after the destruction of Edo and the feared threat of annihilation from space never came. This
brought more time for the Inner Sphere to press ahead and built up the industry to support their slowly growing fleets.
Detailed in this book are the first five WarShip classes built within the Inner Sphere for nearly two hundred years, showing the determination, or some would say
foolishness, of the House Lords to not fall behind in any arena of War.
FOX CLASS CORVETTE 66
Several weapons factories had to be built from scratch, again Thanks to the Steiner designers influence on the design, the
Length 440 meters
at great cost whilst scientists and researchers from the NAIS were protection or structural strength wasn’t scrimped on either, with the
Displacement 240,000 tons sent out to teach the factory workers how to manufacture the huge Fox having enough internal bracing to rival the hull strength of a
lasers and autocannons that would be the RX-78’s armament. The Star League battleship, whilst nearly 395 tons of Improved Ferro-
Crew complement 158 only ‘easy’ weapon was the warships missiles but there were huge Aluminium give her an armoured hide that would be considered
challenges in overcoming guidance issues when the initial test equal to a Cruiser.
model proved very easy to spoof and jam.
Armament Unfortunately, the cost of this protection and firepower does
10 x Armstrong LN-10 Mark 9 14 x SPL 2000 Large Pulse Lasers These challenges were overcome, albeit at huge cost whilst mean that the Fox is rather slow for a vessel of its size and she can
Heavy repeating Naval autocannons
6 x Kicker Type 30 ‘Void-shredder’ the old shipyards at Galax were brought online. However, the carry little more than 15,000 tons of cargo, which greatly limits her
8 x FB-200 Barracuda Missile Machine guns Federated Commonwealth still lacked the main thruster assembly deployment capability and range.
launch systems
6 x McArthur Phalanx 9000 Anti- for the ship. Without a main drive, the still incomplete vessel And whilst the Fox carries a large mix of weapons, she lacks a
4 x FB Series 210 ‘Medusa’ 55cm Missile systems wouldn’t even be a monitor, it would be a large, well-armed but focus of firepower, and being comparatively slow, she can be run
lasers utterly immobile satellite. down by swifter Clan vessels that would outgun her in battle. This
4 x FB Series 109 ‘Cyclops’ 45cm then turns a potential battle into one of endurance versus firepower.
lasers But fortunately help arrived from a most unexpected quarter
Aerospace Complement when ComStar allowed the sale of engine assemblies from their The comparatively simple, if cramped and uncomfortable hull
facilities and yards in the Sol system. This would make everyone design fortunately lent itself towards series production, and as more
12 x Aerospace fighters 2 x Multi-purpose shuttles
dependent on ComStar for the vital engines and their parts. It vessels were completed, the production lines, their workers, and
5 x Docking collars for DropShips also meant that, eventually, Federated Commonwealth tech’s and the yard staff became more adept at building the Fox class. This
scientists would get a look at the thruster assemblies and then be ease of construction helped make the Fox the most numerous of
Sensors
able to complete such huge drives themselves. the Greater Houses WarShips, with over 20 vessels of the class
FB Type 101 ‘Grand Banks’ 3D Achernar Electronics HICS-99 Long constructed.
phased LIDAR array range communication array with
Construction proceeded well from 3052 to 3057 until a terrorist
laser coms interface and HPG uplink
TharHes Ares-200 ‘Star Centurion’
capability bomb, later believed to be a Capellan Agent, caused significant
Multi-range omnidirectional FCS damage to the yards at Galax. The Federated Commonwealth also
with independent LIDAR feed
suffered an embargo by ComStar on vital parts for the engines,
TharHes Aspis-99 ‘Thunderstorm’ causing further delays, but in 3058 the first Fox class corvette left
broadband multi-channel active and
passive ECM
the slip.
Named after the famous, beloved, respected or hated

Designed to use the industrial and financial power of the (depending on your State), Hanse Davion whose political and
Federated Commonwealth to bootstrap the hugely expensive strategic skill earned him the nickname ‘The Fox’, the corvette was
production of new technology and advances, the Project RX- unlike any SLDF design and very much cut from whole cloth.
78 WarShip was a massive project. Creating a space frame 440
meters long was not a challenge, after all the Monolith and Star Unlike SLDF era vessels, the Fox class was designed to
Lord class JumpShips were both longer than the planned hull, but be durable and act both as a WarShip but also as a planetary
the difficulties in creating a space frame of a large size that could assault craft. To this end, she can carry five DropShips on her
withstand the rigours of combat were formidable. docking collars, as well as a dozen Aerospace fighters. The five
DropShips can also provide a heavy escort if she is carrying assault
Every aspect of the design was challenging, the reactor, one DropShips. The armament was also different from SLDF corvettes,
of Lyran design was built to operate planet-side as a major cities which the Fox would significantly outgun. Armed with a mixture
power plant and millions of C-Bills and years of man-hours were of missiles, lasers and naval autocannons as well as a defensive
spent ruggedizing the reactor so it could withstand being on a battery of large pulse lasers, machine guns and anti-missile
combat vessel. batteries, the Fox covers firepower at all ranges.
NOTABLE VESSEL
FCS Rostock
The FCS Rostock, named after one of the founding First Princes of the Federated Suns was one of the earliest Fox class corvettes completed and was on patrol from the moment of her
launch along the borders with Clan occupied space.
In 3059 the corvette and her dropship group formed part of Taskforce Serpent along with her sister ship the FCS Antrim. It was with the Antrim that she took part in the Battle of Trafalgar
when Taskforce Serpent encountered a Clan Ghost Bear civilian convoy under escort. It was not known at the time that this convoy was shepherding civilians to the Bear’s new home in the
Inner Sphere. Whilst the Rostock was ordered to guard the Assault forces dropships and sat out the battle, it was fully operational when Serpent launched its assault on the Smoke Jaguar’s
homeworld of Huntress.
The Jaguars had a single Sovetskii Soyuz class cruiser escorted by a pair of Vincent class corvettes guarding their capital. The battle lines were quickly drawn whilst aerospace fighters
duelled for supremacy.
The Rostock moved to support Serpents flagship Cameron class battlecruiser the Invisible Truth as she went to engage the Clan Cruiser. In the initial clash, the larger and better armed
Invisible Truth was gaining ascendancy over her Clan opponent, but fearing the flagship would be too heavily damaged, the Rostock’s commander brought his ship into the battle. Some
officers believe this rash course of action was taken out of the Captain’s fear of missing out on the ‘glory’ of a battle after having sat out the Battle of Trafalgar.
Whatever the reason, the Rostock’s Captain ordered an intercept course laid in and the guns to engage. Unfortunately, the Rostock’s firepower was not enough to significantly damage the
much larger Clan cruiser. Her Jaguar Captain, enraged at the smaller ships interference in what she perceived as a duel between her vessel and the Invisible Truth brought her ship around and
caught the Rostock with her as yet unengaged broadside batteries. Unable to withdraw, the Rostock’s heavy armour was smashed apart by two full broadsides at short range. The first ripped
open the corvettes hull and disabled over fifty percent of her weapons, the second triggered a magazine explosion of the corvette’s autocannons and the blast consumed the ship. There were
only five survivors, the Captain was not amongst them.
IMPAVIDO CLASS DESTROYER 69
Speculation ranged from the designs being stolen and then self-supporting, a vessel had to be able to defend itself against
Length 450 meters
built at some secret and hidden facility deep within Marik space, fighters and assault DropShips without having to rely on other
Displacement 490,000 tons to them being salvaged from a derelict ship, either of SLDF origin craft.
or from a ship wrecked in the fighting in the First and Second
Crew complement 284 (Including 54 Marines) Succession Wars. Unfortunately, this mix of new weapons proved to be a
maintenance nightmare for the crews and despite aid from the
Regardless of the origin of the engines, when the FWLS word of Blake the Impavido class became known as dockyard
Armament
Impavido left the slips in late 3058 her successful launch and trials queens. But despite this, the class was seen as a success. Faster
12 x Oriente Model 75/20 Naval 8 x Diverse Optics Sunbeam Mod 2
were a considerable milestone for the burgeoning economy and than any ex SLDF vessel in service and capable of hitting 4G
Autocannons ER Large lasers
industrial strength of the Free Worlds League. Untroubled by the of acceleration the Impavido is able to control the range of an
6 x Oriente Model 64/10 Light Naval 8 x Tronel PPL-800 Series Large
Clan wars, and able to learn from the fighting boiling over the engagement with her high speed. Her polygot armament makes
Autocannons lasers
borders of the Combine, Rasalhague Republic and Federated Suns, her equally capable of engaging WarShips with her autocannons
3 x Fusigon Model XXIV Light 16 x Holly Mod 4 LRM-20 launchers the launch of the Impavido was the starting whistle that would lead and her lasers and particle cannons can crack open hostile Assault
Naval PPCs
4 x Burrow Space Blizzard AMS to the League having the largest fleet outside of the Clans by the DropShips. This allows the ship to serve both as a raider and
10 x Diverse Optics Solar Flare-109 mountings end of 3067. heavy escort, a role the class performed as more ships joined the
Series 45cm lasers
Free Worlds League Fleet.
2 x Grizzard Model 201 Mod 3 Unlike the ‘cheap’ and somewhat disposable destroyers
Gauss rifles
of the SLDF, the Impavido class was a multi-role design, The class also featured a generous cargo capacity, allowing
Aerospace Complement capable of acting as a raider or as part of a larger squadron of her to undertake long cruises, also allowing the ship to be used as
Irian 899 ‘Eagles Wing’ Mod 6 Masters Voice Beta 3 Long ranged
WarShips. Designed to be self-escorting, the Impavido class a patrol vessel and it was in this role that the Capellan admiralty
LIDAR and 3D phased search array communications array with HPG and was built to carry eighteen fighters as well as having a pair of used their three ships of the class.
laser coms uplinks DropShip docking ports. Unfortunately, due to space limitations,
Irian Series 9 multi-phased FCS with
Home on Jamming and independent CommuTech 119 Long and short no shuttles were carried so most of the class replaced four fighters Although largely displaced by the later Eagle class Frigate and
LIDAR array ranged broadband/narrowband ECM with shuttles to aid in personnel transportation and stores delivery Zechetinu class Corvette, the Impavido served House Marik and
without having to use a DropShip. House Liao well in action and gave both Houses vital experience
Sensors in WarShip construction and maintenance.
18 x Aerospace Fighters (usually a The destroyers also featured a somewhat mix-bag armament
mix of 16 fighters and 2 shuttles) of lasers, particle cannons and autocannons, supported by a large
2 x Docking Collars for DropShip number of Mech scale weaponry for anti-fighter and close in work
against DropShips. The choice of this mixed battery of weapons
was partially due to industrial limitations. It had been centuries
The Impavido class (meaning fearless in Italian) was the since the League or Capellans had constructed WarShip scale
product of the Free Worlds League and Capellan Confederation armaments and there weren’t the factories to produce them in large
working together to produce their own WarShip class. With numbers.
considerable technical support from the Word of Blake personnel
in Marik space, there was still a fair amount of confusion regarding So, to prevent bottlenecks with weapon delivery the ship was
how the ship was built. to be armed with a mixed armament with triple gun mounts for
autocannons being the primary armament, whilst naval lasers
Most of the confusion stemmed from the ship’s trio of and light particle cannons provided additional firepower against
KDY-2000 Magna Primary thrusters. At the time of the ship’s WarShips and a heavy punch against hostile Assault DropShips.
construction, the only known factory for engines for WarShips
within the Inner Sphere was on Terra, and ComStar had certainly The heavy anti-fighter battery as well as the addition of AMS
not licensed the engines to either House Marik or Liao and defences in the bow and stern were a sign of the times. Unable to
certainly not the Word of Blake. produce WarShips in large numbers where they could be mutually
NOTABLE SHIP
FWS Janos Marik
Second of the class to be launched, the Janos Marik served partially as a training vessel for new crews and Starsmen who would go on to serve in the expanding fleet of the Free Worlds
League. She was also used to train Aerospace fighters in anti-shipping tactics as well as fighter handling doctrine after being attached to the Lloyd Marik-Stanley Aerospace School.
This peaceful period came to an end after nearly a decade of service when the Word of Blake turned on the Free Worlds League.
In orbit over the Capital of Atreus, the six ships of the Free World League fleet were ambushed by WarShips under the control of the Word of Blake on the 25th of October 3068. Caught
flat footed and by total surprise, the defending vessels were heavily outmassed. The largest of them being the FWLS Gwain, an Eagle class frigate, whilst the smaller Sparta, Acari
and Scorpion were Zechetinu class corvettes. The old Essex II class destroyer Raven and, of course, the Janos Marik faced off against far larger opponents that meant to conquer the
Capital. Centred on the Thera class super-carrier Corinth there was also the Aegis Nueva Badajoz, the Black Lion Xanthos, the Agamemnon class cruiser Aenas, the Eagle Mordred, and the
Impavido herself.
With their backs to the Capital the now loyalist WarShips were unable to flee and outgunned. They had to run for a Pirate Point the suborned Blakist ships had arrived at.
Heavily outgunned, the Loyalist ships and their escorts suffered heavily on the approach. The battle devolved into a free-wheeling brawl, there was little command, they had just been told
to run and fight another day and each ship was trying to reach the jump point with its escorting fighters.
The Janos Marik managed to inflict significant damage to the lightly built Aenas, damaging her port weapons and starting several fires but her flight to the Jump point came to an end when
the Black Lion class battlecruiser Xanthos interposed herself between the fleeing destroyer and her destination. Although the gunners of the Janos Marik managed to cause moderate damage,
including destroying one gun turret, the far heavier firepower of the Xanthos pounded the Janos Marik into blazing ruin. The wreckage of the Janos Marik would not be found until years after
the Jihad, and what remained was simply too badly damaged to repair, the hulk was broken up for scrap in 3082.
SUFFREN CLASS DESTROYER 72
Authorised by Primus Hollings York, the new ships design phase Suffren class is slow by destroyer standards. At full burn, her two
Length 590 meters
featured extensive use of computer simulations, up to and including Rolls Royce BL2000 thrusters can produce a total of 2.5gs sustained
Displacement 540,000 tons VR setup’s for planned bridge and engine room layouts. These VR thrust, which is what a vessel as large as a McKenna class battleship
simulations helped the designers and future crewmen and women was capable of producing.
Crew complement 290 (with room for up to 252 Marines) spot potential issues with the ship’s internal layout and correct them
before a single hull plate had even been laid down. The ship’s aerospace complement is also limited, and although
equipped to handle four DropShips, there are no dedicated fighter
Armament The first ship the CSV Narbonne joined ComStar’s fleet in 3062 bays, but rather bays for eight small craft. These can be altered to
4 x KAW Große Kanone Series 440 32 x Blakenberg Mod 9 ER large despite attempts to rush her completion for Taskforce Serpent and carry fighters and the usual mix is 6 fighters and 2 shuttles. But,
Super Heavy Naval Autocannons lasers Operation BULLDOG. The over-long design period did pay off when carrying Marines, no fighters are carried, as the full
3 x Titan Naval Works ‘Blakes 8 x Holly Starbloom Type 48 LRM though, as the interior of the ship was well laid out and allowed for complement of small craft is needed to shuttle the Marines to their
Light’ Mark 3 Heavy Naval Particle 20 launch racks the movement of Battle armoured marines throughout the length of targets.
Cannons
4 x M7 Mod 3 Gauss Rifles the ship, making the class easier to defend in the event of a boarding
12 x KAW ‘Sonnesturm’ Series 200
12 x Blakenberg Spitfire Series
action. This lack of fighter support lays extra onus on the defensive
45cm Naval Lasers weapons as well as any escorting DropShips carried by the Suffren
Small Pulse Lasers
4 x KAW Große Kanone Series 220 Crew quarters for the 290 crew are by all accounts spacious into an engagement. Typical ComStar doctrine is to pair at least one
Light Naval Autocannons with 4 man bunks being the norm with shared toilets and washing Titan class carrier or a pair of Leopard CV’s as part of the WarShips
facilities. The Suffren class also has barracks for up to a full DropShip compliment.
Aerospace Complement Battalion of Marines and all their equipment, up to and including
StarCorps/TNW ‘Blake’s Vision’ ‘Blake’s Voice’ Pattern-2 Long power armour, but this full capacity is rarely carried outside of Despite these flaws, the Suffren class has proven successful in
Series 4 LIDAR and 3D phased ranged communications phased
deployments where the ship is expected to board and capture hostile service and it is assumed that more of the Class will be laid down to
search array secure array with HPG and laser
coms uplinks craft or an orbital platform. replace the older vessels in the Order’s fleet.
StarCorps Type 9 ‘Toyama’s Heart’
multi-phased FCS with Home on ‘York’s Aegis’ Theta 400 Multi-
Jamming and independent LIDAR phased ECM with active and passive
Like the larger Dante class, the Suffren class is armed with a
array deception interface wide range of weapons from the largest of naval autocannons down
to small pulse lasers and unlike the older SLDF ships in ComStar
Sensors service is well protected against hostile fighter strikes.
8 x Shuttles/Fighter bays
For a destroyer, the Suffren class Is heavily armed with a quartet
4 x Docking collars for DropShip
of NAC-40’s providing punishing fire ahead and astern whilst three
heavy naval particle cannons provide long range firepower. The
Although ComStar’s ‘Hidden Fleet’ was a large, if unused asset, ‘eyes’ of the ships, in the fore and aft quarters, contain a 3 45cm
the vast majority of the WarShips in mothballs or inactive reserve Naval lasers whilst the broadside arcs are covered by a pair of
were from the SLDF era, with classes like the Vincent, Lola III and NAC-20’s. These weapons are near identical to those that would
Essex being the most common. These ships were getting harder to be featured on SLDF era ships thanks to them being constructed
maintain and the most ‘modern’ vessels in the fleet were the three at factories on Terra. A large battery of ER large lasers and LRMs
Dante class Frigates, but even these ships were over 110 years old. provide anti-fighter and DropShip firepower, whilst clusters of small
pulse lasers can be used against hostile fighters at short range or as
With the high crew requirements of SLDF era ships making an anti-missile defence.
it near unsustainable to crew the fleet fully without revealing the
strength of their fleet or spending huge amounts of C-Bills refitting The design’s layered improved ferro-aluminium armour also
the older ships and then training the thousands of personnel needed provides considerable protection with the armour being closer to
to crew such an armada, ComStar looked instead to building a new that of the much larger Congress class in terms of raw thickness and
design that would incorporate the latest advancements in WarShip protection.
design as well as extensive automation to try and cut down crew
numbers. Unfortunately to carry this firepower and level of protection, the
NOTABLE SHIP
CSV Anasasius Focht
The Anasasius Focht was the lead ship in the Suffren class, and despite frantic efforts to complete her in time for Operation Bulldog, the destroyer was 90% complete owing to bottlenecks
in weapons production as well as several technical issues with the factories at the Titan Yards delaying construction.
The Anasasius Focht would go on to be part of ComStar’s public fleet and not part of its hidden and mostly mothballed armada still in storage at Luyten 68-28 and Ross 248 as well as the
ultra-secret Gabriel facility.
Assigned to patrol the joint borders of the Draconis Combine, Rasalhauge and Clan Ghost Bear Occupation Zone the Anasasius Focht led a charmed and uneventful life until the outbreak
of the Jihad. Massed together with most of ComStar’s fleet for an assault on the Sol System the Anasasius Focht lead the jump into the Sol system and into the teeth of the Blakist defences in
Operation CASE WHITE.
The Anasasius Focht, fortunately free of Blakist agents, found herself confronted by the WoBS Herald of Wisdom a much larger and more heavily armed Aegis class cruiser. With fighters
from both sides unable to intervene, the engagement quickly became a slugging match, with the faster Focht trying to bring her bow guns to bare whilst the Herald tried to present her
broadside. In the slowly spiralling fight the heavier firepower of the Herald started to tell with her scoring several heavy hits before the Focht could slip out of her gun’s arcs of fire. Still the
Focht caused significant damage to her larger opponent before her superior speed allowed her to turn inside the larger vessel and bring her heavy bow guns to bare. In a furious exchange of
fire, the Focht’s heavy cannons tore open the port side of the Herald but received several missile strikes from the cruiser, one of which struck well aft, badly damaging her fuel transfer systems.
With the Herald of Wisdom crippled and out of action, the Anasasius Focht moved to engage another Blakist WarShip, but the damage to her fuel systems caused several hundred tons of
hydrogen slush to ‘wash back’ into the tanks after being partially energized prior to being used in the ship’s reactors. Unstable hydrogen met stable hydrogen and reacted violently, the blast
ripping the stern of the Focht into a blazing ruin before a sympathetic detonation in the NAC-20 magazine obliterated what was left of the vessel.
KYUSHU CLASS FRIGATE 75
Large enough to be classified as a Frigate, the Kyushu would Capable of carrying a full Regiment of 108 Mechs, the
Length 640 meters
feature a mixed armament mainly built around naval autocannons, Kyushu can deploy these Mechs three ways. The first involves a
Displacement 630,000 tons whilst lasers and particle cannons provide additional punch, complex and at times temperamental loading system that brings
especially during orbital bombardment roles. Unfortunately, the the Mech’s up to the docking collars for the four DropShips that
Crew complement 587 (including 108 MechWarriors) Kyushu’s designers did not install a powerful cooling system and the ship can carry. The Mech’s are loaded onboard as this saves
the heat load of just the broadside naval weapons firing can strain the attached DropShip having to carry any forces onboard as they
Armament the heatsinks to their limit and the shorter ranged weapons that would all be on the ship.
dot the ship’s hull will overheat it.
2 x LAW/DO Type 268 ‘Lords 16 x Victory Nickel Alloy Series 2
Wrath’ Heavy Naval PPCs ER large lasers Unfortunately, this method is slow and requires the ship to
The classes heavy armament though would still allow it to be at a complete stop with the DropShips attached. There are
6 x Imperator Arms ‘Godslayer’ 16 x Victory Heartbeat Series 2
Series 994 Ultra-heavy autocannons Medium pulse lasers bulldoze through heavy opposition, and indeed the firepower also a dozen Type 901 ‘Fugaku’ Heavy Shuttles. Each of these
of a Kyushu class frigate exceeds larger and heavier SLDF era highly specialist craft can load and carry two Mech’s on its two
4 x Imperator Arms ‘Titanslayer’ 16 x Shigunga ‘Star Blossom’ Beta 1
Series 885 Super-heavy autocannons LRM-20 racks
Sovietskii Soyuz class cruiser. deck loading bay. Each Mech must lay on its back and this is not
intended for quick deployment as, on average, it takes up to five
8 x Imperator Arms ‘Heroslayer’ 32 x Victory Polished Bronze Series
Series 701 Medium autocannons 2 Small pulse lasers
The Kyushu class also has heavier hull plating than many minutes to unload a Mech and for it to be powered up and ready
SLDF cruisers, with nearly 880 tons of thick Improved Ferro to move out.
12 x Victory Type 35 ‘Clarion’ 35cm 16 x Yori Starswatter Anti-missile
Naval Lasers systems
Aluminium armour plating the ship’s hull, whilst the internal
bracing of the hull and its strength members was also equal to that In combat operations however, the Mechs can be hot dropped
2 x LAW/DO Type 134 ‘Lords
Might’ Medium Naval PPCs
on cruiser scale vessels. from low orbit with each one being encased in a disposable
drop-cocoon. This is similar to a combat drop from a DropShip
Aerospace Complement Of considerable note is the ship’s autocannon batteries which but done at a much higher altitude, hence the need for the
Nakajima/LAW G8N ‘Renzan’ LAW ‘Dragon’s Voice’ Type 6 Long pairs a super-heavy autocannon with a far lighter weapon, and at cocoon. Whilst risky, it is also the quickest way to deploy the
LIDAR and 3D phased search array ranged communications phased shorter ranges both weapons can bring a devastating weight of fire Regiment and is the preferred method during combat.
secure array with HPG and laser to bare against any target.
StarCorps Type 9 ‘Toyama’s Heart’
coms uplinks
multi-phased FCS with Home on The frigate also carries eighteen fighters, although these are
Jamming and independent LIDAR StarCorps Type 400 ‘Kabuto’ Active The designers also paid attention to the threat of aerospace mostly for self-defence and most Kyushu’s are accompanied by at
array and passive multi-channel ECM/
ECCM
fighters and the Kyushu class features a heavy and extensive array least one Okinawa class DropShip to provide fighter support for
of anti-fighter and assault craft weapons, built around clusters of the Mechs carried onboard.
Sensors ER large lasers and LRMs which can reach out to several hundred
18/12 x Fighter and Shuttle bays kilometres, whilst batteries of small pulse lasers can be used at Whilst capable of carrying over 61,000 tons of cargo, the
shorter ranges and as a terminal defence against anti-ship missiles. Kyushu’s designers also placed considerable emphasis on crew
4 x Docking collars for DropShips
comfort, a must during long voyages or deployments. The crew
The two Rolls-Royce ‘Thunders Call’ engines were all have double occupancy rooms and each of the six main crew
The genesis of what would become the Kyushu class can unfortunately somewhat under powered and whilst fuel efficient, decks has their own messing facilities as well as recreation areas.
actually be traced back to House Davion’s Robinson class they could not produce a great level of sustained thrust without Whilst well designed, the class has not been without its problems.
Transport. The Robinson Class was designed as a one ship causing extensive damage. This hindered the thrust produced The engines continue to give considerable trouble and are
assault force, capable of carrying Mech’s, aerospace fighters and by the engines, limiting the Kyushu’s thrust to that of more maintenance intensive, and each ship carries a larger than average
Dropships and being able to escort itself to deploy these forces traditional cruiser and battleship speed, with a maximum of 2.5g complement of technical specialists and engineers to work on the
onto a hostile world. of thrust being the most the Thunders Call could produce. engines.
House Kurita actually captured two Robinson class vessels Like the ancient Robinson class, the Kyushu can deploy Mech These engine problems have also resulted in larger than
during the First Succession War and it was these ships and the forces from special cocoons and launch bays, but her carrying expected fuel burn rates and the ‘Thunder’s Call’ engine has a
tactical as well as strategic choices they offered that shaped the capacity dwarfs that of the Federated Suns vessels. reputation for being thirsty.
DCA as it designed what would become the Kyushu class.
NOTABLE SHIP
The DCS Luthien was one of the first four Kyushu class ships to be completed and was viewed as a prestige vessel after being named after the ‘Black Pearl’ of the Combine, its
Capital planet. Until the launch of the first Kirishima class cruiser the Luthien was the fleet flagship of the Draconis Combine’s navy and had larger facilities onboard for command and
communications personnel as well as an enhanced communications suite which would later be augmented by a mobile HPG.
Unlike her three sister ships, the Luthien was unable to join Task Force Serpent when it departed the Inner Sphere for its strike on Clan Smoke Jaguar. Once her trials and shakedown were
complete, the DCS Luthien was instead assigned to patrol the Combine/Ghost Bear borders as well as show the flag around the Combine by visiting various Prefecture Capitals and taking part
in naval exercises which also included hunting down and destroying several pirate bands.
The DCS Luthien replaced the destroyed DCS Dream of Kessel in the 2nd Naval Squadron following the latter vessels destruction during Operation Bulldog and became the Squadron
Flagship with her escorting corvettes the DCS Night of Agony and Swiping Claw.
She was still leading this squadron as the Jihad swept over the Inner Sphere and fought several engagements against Blakist vessels, claiming four assault dropships and badly damaging the
WoBS Deliverance, forcing the Blakist ship to disengage and then spend months in drydock being repaired.
In 3072 the 2nd Naval Squadron was called upon to assault Benjamin and break the Word’s blockade of the system and land forces to support the DCMS on the ground or drive off the
Word invaders. Carrying elements of the 15th Benjamin Regulars, the small Combine fleet and its escorting DropShips were engaged within minutes of jumping in system. Challenged by
the WoBS Blade of Holiness and Faith’s End and supported by the WoBS Hollings York, the three Combine ships moved to engage. However, they had not accounted for the large number of
Blakist ‘Q-Ships’ that were also part of the force that encountered them and nuclear tipped missiles destroyed the Swiping Claw and scrambled the sensors of the surviving vessels. The Night
of Agony rammed the Faith’s End but the Luthien was still left facing two vessels as well as a swarm of DropShips.
Her heavy guns were able to first badly damage the Blade of Holiness and then destroy the now blazing Blakist vessel with a hit to her reactors but the weak cooling system of the Kyushu
class was her downfall as the Holling’s York was able to approach from port whilst the Luthien engaged her targets with her starboard guns. Repeated salvos of autocannon fire caused heavy
damage before a missile struck her still full MechBay. Sympathetic detonations of fuel and ammunition ripped through the belly of the DCS Luthien and the ship blew itself apart as her
structural integrity failed. After the Jihad, the bow section of the Luthien was located but instead of being salvaged, she was designated a war grave and the battered hulk was allowed instead
to drift into the Benjamin system Oort cloud.
KIRISHIMA CLASS HEAVY CRUISER 78
Black Lion class of Battlecruiser. But with little over 4,200 tons the Imperator Arms NY-106 ‘Mastodon’ Heavy naval gauss rifles
Length 748 meters
of cargo the Kirishima’s endurance is greatly limited, although the which can reach out to huge distances and cripple a DropShip
Displacement 790,000 tons addition of a Lithium-Fusion Battery does give the ship a useful with a single hit or even threaten a more lightly armoured
degree of strategic mobility, allowing her to cover large areas of WarShip. Clusters of autocannons as well as a dozen Naval lasers
Crew complement 309 space thanks to the battery system. Still the ship is very dependent can engage at long to mid ranges whilst eighteen Naval PPC’s add
on fuel and supply stops and they must carry a cargo DropShip for to the ships punch at longer ranges.
any mission.
Armament To counter hostile strike craft and assault dropships, the
2 x Imperator Arms ‘Mastodon’ NY- 2 x LAW/DO Type 99 ‘Lords One of the most noticeable features of the Kirishima class is Kirishima has a withering array of energy weapons. Sixteen ER
106 Heavy Naval Gauss Rifles Strength’ Light Naval PPCs
her speed, at full burn the ships three LASW GE-9000 engines can large lasers and sixteen ER PPC’s form the primary long range anti-
4 x Imperator Arms ‘Titanslayer’ 16 x Victory Nickel Alloy Series 2 sustain a 4g burn, making the Kirishima one of the fastest ships fighter battery whilst a staggering thirty-two large pulse lasers cover
Series 885 Super-heavy autocannons ER large lasers
of any size. Only the old Kimagure class cruiser could match this the mid to short ranges. Finally, thirty-two medium pulse lasers
2 x Imperator Arms ‘Giantslayer’ 16 x LAW Type 105 Lords Light ER speed and it is unknown if any of those survived in Clan service. and sixteen small pulse lasers can thin out any survivors as well as
Series 789 Heavy autocannons PPCs intercept missiles on terminal approach.
8 x Imperator Arms ‘Heroslayer’ 32 x Victory Drumbeat Series 8 Layered with nearly 1,100 tons of ferro-carbide armour, the
Series 701 Medium autocannons Large Pulse Lasers Kirishima’s protection exceeds the standard cruiser of the SLDF One curiosity to note about the Kirishima is its complete lack
12 x Victory Type 45 ‘Banshee’ 32 x Victory Heartbeat Series 2 and thus the Clans; the Sovietskii Soyuz by a considerable margin. of missile weapons, most WarShips mount at least some missiles,
45cm Naval Lasers Medium pulse lasers Heavy hull bracing and multiple system redundancies are designed be they long range anti-shipping ones, or point short ranged
16 x LAW/DO Type 134 ‘Lords 16 x Victory Polished Bronze Series to keep the ship operating despite taking significant damage and anti-fighter weapons, but the Kirishima is completely lacking in
Might’ Medium Naval PPCs 2 Small pulse lasers the interior walkways and doors are designed to allow for the missiles.
movement of friendly Battle Armoured troops.
Aerospace Complement The heavy anti-ship and anti-fighter weapons do make the
Nakajima/LAW G8N Mod 3 Type Delta/47 ‘Smaug’ Long range Unlike the Kyushu class though, the Kirishima did not place Kirishima class more a battlecruiser than a heavy cruiser and make
‘Renzan’ LIDAR and 3D phased secure communications with HPG
search array uplink
as much importance on crew comfort, partially due to the limited them a truly formidable threat against all but the largest WarShips
space available with so much armour and weapons on board, as in service today. Their limited endurance and crew discomfort are
Nakajima/LAW BZ-49 ‘Soryu’ Nakajima/LAW RN-03 ‘Hosho’
well as the large engines, all of which consumed a great deal of hull considered small drawbacks in what has otherwise proved to be a
multi-phased FCS with Home on Active and passive ECM with HOJ
Jamming and independent LIDAR direct ECM space. Despite the designs dual grav decks, the crew are quartered reliable and potent vessel and a constant symbol of the might of the
array in six man bunks, whilst Officers and Department heads must share Draconis Combine.
rooms, only the Captain and XO have individual quarters and for
Sensors Officers of their position, they are small and cramped by other
12 x Aerospace fighters 3 x Docking collars for DropShips nations standards.
2 x Small craft
Recreation facilities are limited and all eating is done in mess
halls. The limited internal space also means that the Kirishima
Even though the Kyushu class had yet to be launched, the class carries only a dozen fighters and a pair of small craft. This
DCMS officially announced plans for a larger cruiser scale vessel, small fighter complement is more for self-defence and although
the first to be built within the Inner Sphere in Centuries. The the ship can carry up to three DropShips, one of these is often a
dedicated shipyards in the Togura system were constructed with aid craft with a large cargo capacity to extend the endurance of the
from across the Combine and it became a matter of pride for the Kirishima during long patrols. Initial tests with a Vengeance class
Draconis Combine and its people that they had all come together to carrier put too great a strain on the ship consumables and now most
have a part in the rebuilding of the Dragon’s naval arm once more. carry an Okinawa class to provide additional fighter support.
Unlike Star League designs, the Kirishima was built from the The Kirishima classes armament is a balanced mix of energy
keel up to be an attack ship, sacrificing endurance for firepower and and ballistic weapons as well as a large battery of anti-fighter
protection that make her nearly as potent as larger vessels like the weapons for point and anti-missile defence. Pride of place are
NOTABLE SHIP
The DCS Shiro was the second Kirishima class vessel to be constructed and was rushed to take part in Operation BULLDOG and was the second largest WarShip in the Inner Sphere fleet,
second only to the CSV Invisible Truth the flagship of ComStar. So frantic was the pace of construction that the Shiro departed with over sixty civilian workers still hurriedly fitting out the
WarShip as she joined the taskforce.
Eighteen were still on-board when the Shiro reached her jump point for the wave three assault on Schuyler, having been delayed from taking parts in the Wave One and Two assaults due to
ongoing issues with her power systems. With the Achilles Longest Night and Okinawa Taiho providing escort as well as six other Assault DropShips the Shiro was charged with escorting an
allied assault force to the surface of Schuyler.
Not detecting any space borne opposition the Shiro settled into a low orbit to give support to the troops now entering the atmosphere when the LIDAR displays lit up with warnings of
inbound Clan aerospace fighters that only now were curling over the north pole, having launched on the night side from hidden airbases.
With most of the assault force and its escorting fighters entering the atmosphere and unable to effectively manoeuvre, the Shiro and her escort group moved to engage. Several of the Clan
fighters were not identified until after the battle and it was the Inner Sphere’s first encounter with the Xerxes and Hydaspes classes of heavy and assault fighters whilst a number of Avar’s
ran as top cover and interceptors. The Clan fighters massed together and charged the Shiro who, now in the planet’s gravity well could not manoeuvre at full speed. Her escorts and fighters
interposed themselves whilst the cruiser fired into the oncoming mass and the Clan fighters suffered heavy casualties, but enough broke through to close on the sluggish WarShip.
To the horror of the Shiro’s Captain, even his cruisers heavy defences were not that effective against the new Clan assault fighter and their return fire was savaging his vessels
armour. Trying to break for high orbit the Shiro was struck aft by a crippled Xerxes, the impact severing fuel lines and causing a larger secondary explosion. To prevent the risk to the ship’s
fuel tanks the primary thruster was immediately shut down but attempts to re-start it failed as the last Clan fighters fell to the Shiro’s escorts and point defence weapons. With her primary
engine disabled the Shiro could not generate enough thrust to pull out of Schuyler’s gravity well.
Too heavily damaged to be recovered, the Shiro was abandoned before she finally fell into Schuyler’s gravity well and burned up in the upper atmosphere, with chunks of her hull landing in
the primary ocean of the world.
NON-CANON WARSHIPS
AND SMALL CRAFT
I always felt that the naval history of the Battletech universe needed expanding. Whilst thinking in naval terms I saw the SLDF as lacking in things like supply
ships, tenders, escorts or craft that would lead to later developments. I guessed there simply had to be a progenitor to the Newgrange Class, unless the SLDF risked a
huge amount of resources on a 2.5 million-ton ship with no prior experience in such vessels. Carriers were also very rare.
This can be attributed to Carrier DropShips. But, these small ships would probably impose a severe logistics burden on their mothership. They would also
carry little in the way of spares and weapons for their fighters, making them more akin to the US Navies ‘Jeep Carriers’ the famous CVE (Combustible Vulnerable
Expendable) or Escort Aircraft Carrier to give them their proper name. A larger carrier would offer a lot more, at a higher cost of course.
New Clan ships are also present as well as a nod to one of my favourite ships seen in a movie in the film 2010.
This section also hosts a trio of Small Craft commissioned by Maingunnery and Daryk from the Battletech Forums and we included those vessels in this book,
giving details on their history, design and of course, their looks.
MARK VII LANDING CRAFT 82
over to a larger engine and much heavier weapon load, including use of a DropShip would not be economically feasible.
Length 21 meters
an Autocannon, large missile array, and two large lasers, making it
Displacement 150 tons a small and cheap gunboat. A Steiner version improves the engine, The older and more bulky Mark V is often seen aboard
but retains sufficient cargo space to carry a light vehicle. JumpShips and served as the inspiration for the SLDF’s Mark
Crew complement 4 (can and often does vary) V-MH mine hunter, a product of necessity brought to light by the
Notable variants include the Mk VI ‘Sentry’ SPAWACS, loss of several Star League WarShips in the Reunification War to
The “Mark VII Landing Craft” designation has been applied built for the SLDF and actually a stretched hull variant that mines around the Taurus system.
to numerous designs over the centuries since the SLDF produced weight 200 tons. The SPAWACS (SPace Aerospace Warning
the original in the mid-28th century. While the capabilities of the And Control System), or ‘Sentry’ as it was known, was loaded
various designs varied widely, the outward appearance of the craft with communication equipment and a small yet powerful LIDAR
changed little, making it relatively easy to hide long range variants array. This served to extend a WarShip’s LIDAR bubble and was
among shorter ranged orbit to surface versions. often part of a large battlegroup’s small craft complement. Ships
like the Ark Royal class Fleet Carrier each carried four Mark VI
The most common variant houses an open cargo bay, Sentry’s with their very highly trained crews and FIDOs (Fighter
approximately 14 meters long and 8 meters wide, with a clearance Intercept Direction Officers). The Sentry would aid with targeting
of 5 meters. In all versions, the entire floor of the bay is an elevator and communications, and each FIDO would help coordinate the
capable of lifting 80 tons. When the elevator lowers to the ground, large aerospace group after launch, as coordinating the actions
cargo can be easily loaded or unloaded. of over 200 fighters in combat was a daunting task. By breaking
the task down amongst the FIDOs and CAG, the air battle could
The walls of the bay are covered with many fuel and cooling be coordinated with far greater ease and allowed for multiple
circulation pipes, heat ducts, electrical conduits, and access panels redundancy.
leading to the various drive components and weapons bays. At the
front of the end of the bay is a door leading into the craft’s airlock, Unfortunately, these highly specialized craft were exclusive
which contains a smaller external door, as well as a narrow staircase property of the SLDF and the few that served in the House fleets
leading up to the crew compartment and cockpit. The airlock is were lost in the First and Second Succession Wars.
large enough to accommodate an exoskeleton, but few craft do,
preferring to use the space as extra storage. At the back of the Another version of the Mark VII was the SLDF’s Mk VIIB,
cargo bay is a recessed ladder that leads to a tiny engineering space commonly known as the Mule, featuring enhanced electronics and
perched above the main thruster used only for maintenance. superior flight controls and was used as a shuttle for personnel and
supplies from ground and orbital facilities to a WarShip in orbit.
Long range variants typically carry a crew of four: A Pilot, Co- Most SLDF WarShips had at least one Mark VIIB in their shuttle
pilot, Engineer, and Load Master/Gunner. The cramped bunk room complement.
holds two double bunks across from a tiny head and even smaller
kitchen. The most radical variant, called the “Egret” by ComStar, While all variants of the Mark VII are theoretically capable of
cuts the cargo bay in half vertically, dramatically reducing the vertical lift off and landing, the engine systems of some versions
clearance of the vehicle bay, but providing short term living space are particularly ill-suited to the task, and require extremely well
for over 30 troops. The upper part of the bay can only be accessed qualified pilots. This also depended on the cargo. After several
from the airlock, and is sealed from the vehicle bay. notable crashes whilst carrying liquid cargo, and in one case a
rather large number of cattle, various builders suggested that the
In their service life hundreds of variants of this craft were made, Mark VII family perform a rolling take-off when carrying full cargo
usually locally produced variants which add, change or remove loads or cargo that can shift and move around.
armament as needed.
The Mark VII and older Mark VI and V craft exist in huge
Most variants of the Mark VII are lightly armed with a variety numbers, and some cargo firms employ them by the dozens on
of missile and laser weapons, but a Liao version gives the cargo bay worlds to transport cargo between star ports or facilities where the
NOTABLE VESSELS
With so many thousands of the Mark VII family in production and service, it’s hard to pick out one such craft. The Mark VII also features heavily in tales heard in space port pubs, making
it even harder to discern truth from harmless white lies. One craft name that appears regularly is the ‘Millennium Eagle’, purportedly a craft in service to House Marik that changed hands
several times and was heavily modified to act as a smuggling vessel. The story goes that during the Amaris Civil War, the Millennium Eagle not only evaded several Amaris Empire patrols
after being dropped off in system but helped save the lives of hundreds of Hegemony civilians. Further, the craft allegedly claimed a score of Empire fighters with her guns before outrunning a
pursuing Rim World Navy cruiser and luring it into an asteroid field where it was heavily damaged, or destroyed, depending on who tells the story.
If the Millennium Eagle existed or not, it is a story that has not gone away despite the passage of time.
GOALKEEPER MK IV DEFENCE CRAFT 85
a hostile missile, sacrificing their lives to save the lives of their As the Star League crumbled, the various Houses produced
Length 21 meters
shipmates. more Goalkeeper’s for their respective fleets as construction of
Displacement 150 tons Mechs, aerospace fighters and small craft surged to new heights.
Thankfully for many Goalkeeper crews, it turned out that the
Crew complement 6 usage of nuclear armed missiles was way lower than predicted This lasted as long as the peace did and during the First and
during the time of when the Goalkeeper was originally designed. Second Succession Wars the Goalkeepers flying escort for House
However, during engagements in where nuclear warheads were WarShips suffered terrible losses and like the WarShip fleets of the
Armament used, Goalkeepers Defence Craft were a priority target for Fighters Inner Sphere were all but extinct save those in Belter and ComStar
20 x Maxwell Starfire Small lasers 12 x McArthur Mark 87 AMS and Naval Lasers. service. Those that did remain with the Houses were taken by the
(Mark IV) gatling guns (Mark V)
Military and acted as escorts for vital strategic targets like Recharge
4 x Maxwell Starblaze Medium The initial versions of the Goalkeeper Defence Craft were stations or Monolith class JumpShips.
Lasers (Mark V)
deployed as part of the WODEN defence network around Terra,
these relied on primitive small chemical lasers. These lasers With the technical renaissance that swept the Inner Sphere after
Many students in contemporary naval academy’s often wonder were hard to maintain, toxic and explosive. When standard lasers the discovery of the Helm Memory Core, the Goalkeeper started
why old WarShips had very little to no point defences. The short became available the design was quickly updated and brought into entering limited production once again. This spiked during the
answer to this is fleet doctrine. In the old days ships travelled in production. In many cases the older Mk 2 and 3 Goalkeepers were Clan Invasion as the Houses built up WarShip fleets once again,
groups and these were screened by combat DropShips and Fighters. simply thrown overboard upon receiving the new models. but changing doctrine saw many of these new WarShips built
Between the main group and the screening force there would be a with their own self defence batteries and thus limited the need for
point defence squadron, which usually consisted out of either Small The design would receive some minor updates until it was Goalkeepers.
Craft or Light aerospace fighters. The main job of this squadron completely standardized in the Mark IV with its dozen small lasers
was to defend the main group from Capital Missiles. mounted on three gimbal mounts. This version quickly spread to all This changed during the Jihad where the use of atomics in naval
known corners of space and became the default version of a defence engagements became worryingly common and the threat of Blakist
Before the extinction of WarShips during the Succession Wars, craft, with WarShip squadrons of every faction having at least a Q-Ships seemed omnipresent. Produced in a panic, the Mark IV
the most common defence craft was the Goalkeeper, which also had dozen escorting them. and Mark V Goalkeeper would see service until the end of the Jihad
the longest and widest service record. Compared to light fighters the and remain in service to this day.
Goalkeeper series had several advantages and disadvantages. They The SLDF, of course wanted to have their own variant and
weren’t as fast as interceptors but they were fast enough to keep up came up with the Mark V which was never shared with the Houses After the Jihad, Goalkeeper Defence Craft were relegated to
with the groups that they had to defend. Their greater endurance of the Star League. The Mark V refit was a comprehensive overhaul civilian authorities to serve as orbital debris sweepers. The accurate
would allow them to keep station with a squadron as it moved on of the hull, with increased cooling capabilities. Whilst the small lasers were very capable in this task of vaporizing small debris
its patrol routes, whilst the amenities onboard allowed for the crew lasers were replaced with an equal number of AMS mounts. This that could cause problems for civilian traffic and infrastructure. In
to prepare hot food and drinks as well as take lavatory breaks, made the Mark V far more capable in its role and allowed for a cases of large pieces, the Goalkeeper could simple spend more time
making them positively luxurious compared to a fighter. However, greater depth of defensive fire with multiple Goalkeeper’s being vaporizing it away or the crew would attach cables to slowly tow it
Goalkeeper duty was quite unpopular with crews assigned to the able to mass fire against an inbound missile strike. The Mark V away.
dumpy spheroid vessel. In short, life for Goalkeeper crews tended craft also had the rather curious problem shared by its predecessors.
to be boring. Once a ship jumped in system it would deploy its Although the AMS turrets were fully automated, the bow and stern
Goalkeepers and they would patrol for hours on end with the only turrets were manned, and for the gunner to get out of them, the
‘excitement’ being refuelling from a shuttle. Such was the tedium mounting had to be locked into its ‘forwards’ position, otherwise
of these long, and often uneventful missions that some Captains the gunner would not be able to get out of the back of the turret.
who had troublesome Aerospace pilots would assign them to a
Goalkeeper for a few weeks as a punishment duty. No known SLDF Goalkeeper survived the campaign to liberate
Terra, as SDS fighter drones designated Goalkeeper Defence Craft
Still, during battle the Goalkeeper system performed well, and as priority targets. Because of this, no examples were taken along
both crew and craft did not let their larger charges down. Indeed, with the Exodus. The Goalkeeper also wasn’t brought back to
during the Reunification War, there were a considerable number production by the Clans as they reject the use of nuclear weaponry,
of cases where Goalkeeper crews interposed their craft between thus making the design nearly unnecessary among the Clans.
NOTABLE SHIPS - RADETZKY GROUP

More commonly known as R-Group, this squadron of six Goalkeeper Mark V’s was part of the expanded small ship complement aboard the SLS McKenna’s Pride the flagship of the
Commanding General’s Squadron and the ship that General Aleksandr Kerensky would call home for the duration of the Amaris Coup. Because of the importance of the McKenna’s Pride
the Goalkeepers of R-Group would not see much action but they were utterly dedicated and more than willing to lay their lives on the line for the Commanding General and the Star League.
R-Group saw action during the Battle for Terra during Operation CENTURION. As the McKenna’s Pride helped reduce the gun batteries of the Ozarks SDS position a battery of ground
mobile Killer Whale missile launchers which had evaded detection opened fire, launching two dozen missiles at the largest radar return they had.
Although the Goalkeepers performed superbly, one missile did break through the wall of shot thrown up by the AMS mounts on the craft. RG-3 fired its thrusters and rammed the damaged
missile before it could reach a detonation point and although the impact destroyed the Goalkeeper and the missile, the warhead did not trigger. For this brave act, the crew of RG-3 were all
posthumously promoted and the Medal of Valour.
PLEIADES SPACE FIGHTER 88
consistent for nearly a millennia. The main weapons are always produced by the various Belter groups, but it is rumoured that
Length 29 meters
two large direct fire weapons, which are supported by either some of them are producing the Royal variant for themselves.
Displacement 175 tons missile launchers and/or a bomb bay. The earliest version of
the Pleiades Space-Fighter used primitive chemical lasers and Some states are known to still use Pleiades Space-Fighters
Crew complement 4 primitive missile systems. However as jamming technology in combat, such as the Marian Hegemony and the Taurian
began to outpace missile guidance systems, these launchers were Concordat. Some also survive in Mercenary units where their
Armament quickly scrapped in the mark 2 for a larger bomb bay. The most ease of repair and commonality of parts makes the craft a joy to
standard version of the craft and one that remained in service work on and maintain.
This varied over the years, but the common Mark XI was armed with the
following: until its replacement by Aerospace Fighters was armed with a
2 x Armstrong Mk 1109 ‘Buster’ 1 x Holly Series 81 ‘Rapier’ heavy
pair of hard hitting autocannons supported by a six-shot missile And there is also some intelligence to suggest that Clan
rapid fire heavy autocannons short range missile six shot rack. rack for close in battles. This heavy armament combined with Goliath Scorpion might have refitted a large number of Pleiades
the Pleiades’s heavy protection made it a prickly opponent. But Space-Fighters with Clan technology, vastly increasing their
it was also woefully vulnerable to tailing with no rear firing capabilities. This would allow the Scorpions to use the Pleiades
During the days of the Terran Alliance there were no weapons, and Pleiades crew quickly learned to ‘snap turn’ their as a form of gunship in Trials but none have been seen by the Star
Aerospace Fighters, the Fighters of that time were either designed fighter to remove any hostile fighter on their 6. League representatives in Clan space since The Great Refusal.
for use in space or for use in the atmosphere. The heaviest Space
Fighter ever build was the Pleiades Space-Fighter. Versions of These fighters were also instrumental during the McKenna
it continue to serve among various nations as a heavy combatant coup. During this event, the Pleiades Space-Fighters loyal to
for over a millennium. It was first introduced in 2102, where McKenna disabled or destroyed all the defence satellites what
massive numbers of these fighters were needed to provide full were able to cross a specific orbit. This left the way clear for the
coverage to all space assets in the Terran Solar System. During TAS Dreadnought to destroy two uninhabited islands. It was only
their development, special attention was given to make them recently discovered by archaeologists that the site contained an
easy to maintain and pilot in space, but this came at the cost of actual command complex for the orbital defence network. This
atmospheric flight instability. has also seemed to explain the disappearance of several of James
McKenna’s rivals.
The Pleiades is easy to recognize, as it has a very particular
blocky look, with most of the main systems having clear sections. The arrival of the far more efficient and flexible Aerospace
Another exterior feature are the four wing-like booms, which Fighters quickly relegated the Pleiades Space-Fighter to training
can be deployed in an X-configuration. Each of these booms units. In this role it fared quite well, earning the respect of many
have a large number of directional thrusters to make dog fighting pilots. To this day most surviving Pleiades Space-Fighters are
in space easy. By modern standards the Pleiades is a ‘Small- used by military and civilian pilot training institutes.
craft’ like the Lyonesse and Aquarius classes, but at their time of
introduction these large, formidable craft were ‘fighters’ as true Much later during the last days of the SLDF. The Royal
Aerospace fighters did not reach service until the late 2200’s. units of the Star League successfully lobbied for a Royal version
of the Pleiades Space-Fighter. This version uses Gauss Rifles,
Due to their unique layout, the Pleiades must take off and an Artemis-enhanced LRM launcher, Ferro-aluminium armour
land vertically and according to many pilots needed a turning and double heat sinks. Most officers dismissed this variant as
circle of roughly most of Siberia to do a 180 degree turn. The wasteful, but it demonstrated its effectiveness during the Amaris
Pleiades was one of the first examples of the school of thought coup. In which Royal unit instructors used many this advanced
that anything will fly if enough thrust was applied, and whilst they variant to escort the fleeing Royal Aerospace Cadre out of the Sol
handled like a house in an atmosphere, the Pleiades was a potent system. The experienced instructors were able to destroy many
craft in the void of space. drones or lure them away until the Drones ran out of fuel.
The weapons package of the Pleiades has been reasonability Nowadays the standard Pleiades Space-Fighter is still being
NOTABLE SQUADRON
VF-3 - Assigned to the TAS Dreadnought VF-3 was a 12-strong group of Pleiades that acted as fighter cover for the flagship of the Terran Alliance Navy. To serve as a crewman (or
woman) of VF-3 you had to be recommended by a units Commanding Officer as well as having an unimpeachable service record. All members of VF-3 were combat veterans and you had to
be an Ace and have scored a minimum of 5 kills in combat. This made VF-3 the elite of the elite and even when Aerospace fighters were introduced and the Dreadnought was refitted to carry
them, VF-3 retained their Pleiades out of a sense of tradition.
Like the Dreadnought herself, VF-3 was never retired and although it eventually became the final post for a select few veterans prior to retirement as a thank you from a grateful SLDF, the
unit was still combat ready and on December 27th, 2766 with Rim Worlds forces attacking the Sol system, the veterans of VF-3 launched to cover the Dreadnought as she withdrew to rearm.
With the Dreadnought now escorting dozens of civilian JumpShips out of the combat zone, she and her escorts from VF-3 fought a series of running battles against Rim World forces.
At Wyatt, the Dreadnought and her battered but still fully formed escorts found their nemesis, a Rim World fleet centred around a Monsoon class battleship. Outgunned and outnumbered
the Dreadnought and VF-3 fought to the last. Lt Colonel K. Thrace destroyed a Rim World Essex class destroyer in a ramming attack whilst the other Pleiades of VF-3 fought an
overwhelming number of RWN Drone fighters.
The gallant actions of VF-3 and the Dreadnought though allowed over 30 JumpShips and 60 DropShips to escape to Lyran space with thousands of civilians and military dependents
onboard.
TRADER CLASS HEAVY FREIGHT SHUTTLE 91
became the norm for all following variants. The Mk-5 and Mk-6 that hitchhike on commercial JumpShips.
Length 30 meters
mostly invested any freed tonnage into the fuel.
Displacement 200 tons The new Mk-10 is relatively rare and has so far only seen use
The first version to not use primitive technology was the Mk-7. by the Great Houses and various Mega Corporations. These will
Crew complement 3 enlisted/non-rated The use of standard technology freed up a large amount of weight, often transport valuable cargo or strike teams.
which was then mostly invested into armour. With century’s worth
of engineering refinement in the design, it had reach a point of
Armament extreme reliability and even to this day the Mk-7 is widely in use.
Nil Both as a cargo distributor in the civilian sector and as a primary
Sensors transport in regions that aren’t deemed worthwhile enough for
DropShips.
Commonly available civilian navigation and communications systems, often
a hodgepodge of different systems from different manufacturers and time
periods In the more lawless regions of known space it often travels in
convoys, with either combat craft or with Q-variants of the Trader.
These variants add a gunner to the crew and sacrificed most of
The Trader Freight Shuttle is one of the oldest and most their cargo space to mount either four LRM-20s or a gathering of
common series of cargo carriers in the history of human space improvised weapons. These weapons would be hidden behind
travel. The Mk-1 debuted in the early 22nd century and the latest the cargo doors until the enemy comes close enough for a reliable
version, being the Mk-10, came out during the Jihad. Throughout salvo. Because of this most pirates will wait for the Trader to land
its existence, the Trader has amassed a superb safety and reliability before trying to rob one.
record. With parts commonly available and powered by a rugged
GM-104B reactor the Trader can be repaired with duct tape, a At the end of the 27th century, the SLDF ordered a special
hammer and strong language. Unfortunately, the crew quarters are variant to be made for their own use. This Mk-8 uses a more
on the simple side but as most cargo runs are fairly short in system powerful engine at the expense of fuel and armour tonnage,
hops most crew don’t mind the fact that the quarters are little more although the armour reduction was offset by the use of Ferro
than simple bunks with little in the way of privacy or comfort. armour. During the Succession Wars, the Mk-8s that had been
left behind were stripped of their Ferro armour and downgraded
The reason why this series of cargo hauler lasted this long is to using standard armour. The Jihad era introduced a widespread
that it specializes in the ability to carry massive amount of cargo refit of these Mk-9s into Mk-10s. The Mk-10 upgrades the armour
and because it is often completely ignored by the military. This to Heavy Ferro and the heatsinks to double strength type. It also
is because, with a few minor exceptions, it carries no weapons. sacrifices some cargo space for advanced sensors systems and eight
The lack of weapons means that is almost never used by military concealed AMS systems.
forces, which often mandate a minimum amount of firepower for
their Small Craft. On rare occasions, it has been used for inserting The Trader Small Craft is in use by all space capable worlds
combat forces, but the required time for securing and unloading and the design has been part of the public commons for over half a
units as cargo, and the lack of weapons for self-defence, make this a millennia. As such every aerospace company is allowed to produce
very risky option. them and will do so upon request. In fact, the construction of a
Trader is often done as a training project for technicians.
The primitive Mk-1 to Mk-3 were the primary cargo transports
of their day, whenever technology improved, the design would be Currently the most common version is the Mk-7. These are
improved to keep at the forefront of cargo capacity. The Trader especially popular for in-system trading, fleet-logistics and with
would only begin to be gradually displaced by Cargo DropShuttles Behemoth DropShips. In combination with Behemoth DropShips
after these reached their maximum bay transportable size of 5000 they are very effective in transferring large amount of cargo over a
tons. The Mk-4 was deemed a major milestone as it was the first in large distance to multiple destinations. Because they are also very
its series with the ability to transport over 100 tons of cargo, this affordable and reliable, they are also often used by solo operators
NOTABLE SHIP: “LUCKY SEVEN”

In the distant past and for a short period, the Trader Small Craft was used as an improvised ‘Mech Transport for those that didn’t have access to proper ‘Mech carriers. A good example
would be the first known solo mercenary Mechwarrior “Lucky” Stingray. He piloted a salvaged Hegemony Mackie and was well known during his time. His Trader was the seventh Mk-7
ever build and it transported him for decades to many of the most dangerous battles of his day. During this time the Small Craft earned the nickname “Lucky Seven” as it always managed to
transport him safely to the battlefield and to safety during retreats. After he retired he sold his Trader to a museum.
Centuries later the “Lucky Seven” would be stolen from the museum and end up returning to the battlefield. In 2954 it became part of a massive pirate raid in where the pirates used a
Behemoth to mount an surprise raid. They moved their DropShip in orbit and then launched 20 Traders, each transporting a pirate BattleMech and some basic supplies. This surprise attack
didn’t work as, unfortunately for them, the local militia was tipped off and managed to hit the landing sites before the Pirates could fully disembark. The following battle killed nearly all the
pirates. The only Trader that was undamaged was “Lucky Seven” as it managed to escape the system. The surviving pirate later sold the “Lucky Seven” and went into hiding. Currently that
Trader is back in the museum but with tighter security.
BLACKWATCH ‘OBSERVATION VESSEL’ 94
form and outer layers were designed to deflect or absorb radar

Length 125 meters estimated
emissions it could be that the Hegemony did develop an actual
Displacement 6,200 tons estimated working stealth vessel.
Crew complement Unknown A partial record found in the archives also gave hints about
a form of powerful radar/LIDAR sensor that could possibly fool
Armament both systems by measuring the frequencies and broadcasting
Unknown down them, that might, in theory make a radar or LIDAR
system not register a ‘hit’ with a sweep. It was not known if this
Aerospace Complement project was successful but it could have been integrated into the
Unknown Blackwatch class.
Sensors The single clear image of the Blackwatch also shows it
Unknown having its sensors and receivers capable of being made flush
with the hull or hidden behind retracting panels. Its small
A ship that officially never existed, the first official size means that it could not have a grav-deck and we can only
acknowledgement of the class’s existence came in 3057 when extrapolate how it might deploy and carry out its missions.
a pair of pictures of a previously unknown ship were found in
the ComStar archives. Although one, even with modern digital Like a Bug-Eye class vessel, a Blackwatch would probably
enhancements was of poor quality, the other was a profile shot jump in system with another larger vessel, using its jump flare
and it gave the Inner Sphere the first look at one of House to mask its own. It could then drift in system to its target
Cameron’s most ‘Black’ projects. before deploying an advanced array of sensors to obtain the
information it needed.
What little data that was found in the ComStar archives
indicate that the so called Blackwatch class spy ship was an It can also be assumed that this could be carried out with
evolution of the already hyper advanced and specialised Bug- the aid of the infamous Blackhearts, the SLDF’s elite covert
Eye class spy ship and indeed the Blackwatch does seem to be intelligence gathering force.
based on the same hull as the Bug-Eye. But unlike the Bug-
Eye which relied on looking like other ships, the Blackwatch
apparently relied on the first true attempts at stealth systems for
a WarShip.
With its very unusual hull shape that is shaped and curved
to reduce radar and LIDAR bounces, the Blackwatch appears to
be covered in an unknown hull plating that we can only assume
was part of the ships dedicated stealth systems.
Even the engine design is unique and very different by even

modern standards. Instead of a large thruster, the drive nozzle
is broken down into lots of smaller vents surrounded by super
coolers and ion emitters. We can only assume that this was
to reduce the ship’s thermal signature, whilst the ship’s hull
NOTABLE INCIDENT
The so-called Jupiter Incident in 2764 has remained a mystery to this day. Although with the discovery of the Blackwatch class, it might come closer to being solved. In March of 2764 a
notable Diplomat belonging to the Rim Worlds Republic was found ‘lost’ inside ‘The Citadel’, a primary SDS control centre on Terra. Arrested and imprisoned, the young First Lord ordered
his immediate release from his cell on Mars.
The RWS Gods Gauntlet, a Pinto class corvette, was ordered to carry the diplomat to Terra and she was in turn escorted by the SLS Star of Hope a Lola III class destroyer. During the trip
from Mars to Terra, the Star’s data logs showed a very faint sensor echo ahead of the Gods Gauntlet before the Pinto class vessel erupted in a thermonuclear fireball, the blast being at least two
megatons in scale.
The blast seemed to have come from the engine compartment of the Pinto, but there was no warning or indication of any engine distress before the ship exploded.
The unexplained explosion and the destruction of the Gods Gauntlet along with her entire crew deep in the Sol system, did cause a stir and was the subject of several inquiries but they
found no evidence and put it down to a terrible accident and a fault with the Pinto’s magnetic containment fields.
DAUNTLESS CLASS DESTROYER ESCORT 97
Blisteringly fast, thanks to their quartet of Churchill 9000 series 17,000 tons of cargo, the ship was not capable of long voyages
Length 537 meters
engines, the new ship would be the fastest vessel in the fleet outside and her crew quarters were cramped and uncomfortable. Only
Displacement 400,000 tons the few Lyran designed Mako’s in service, it could pull up to 4g’s the Captain and XO had single occupancy rooms, whilst the other
of sustained thrust. This large amount of thrust allowed the ship Officers and senior personnel shared 2 man bunks. The crew and
Crew complement 248 to interpose itself between an incoming fighter strike or give it the the small detachment of Marines were ‘treated’ to 6 man bunks. The
capability to move round a convoy quickly to bring its guns to bare ship also lacked a grav-deck, making her only capable of creating
on any threat. gravity through thrust. But crew comforts aside, the biggest
Armament drawback was the ship’s cooling system. The cooling system
2 x Lockheed-Vospers Series 8 28 x KAW Series 9 Large Pulse Armed with thirty-two 35cm Naval lasers in quadruple turret for the weapons could barely withstand the heat generated by a
‘Flamberge’ Light Naval Gauss Laser mounts with the latest fire control allowed them to engage targets as broadside, and if attacked from multiple angles, the NDE/01 could
4 x SSM-1200 Mod 6a ‘Killer 14 x KAW ‘Fur burner’ mod 2 Large small as fighters out to many hundreds of kilometres. Another layer be vulnerable. Their small size and limited cargo bay also meant
Whale’ Missile launch systems lasers of anti-fighter weapons is sixteen Barracuda missiles launch systems they could not be fitted with a Lithium-Fusion battery, which in turn
16 x SSM-550 Mod 7d ‘Barracuda’ 10 x KAW Series 3 Medium Lasers in VLS silos. One feature of the NDE/01 was a large magazine limited their strategic mobility.
Missile VLS silos that was purely developed for ‘special weapons’, SLDF parlance
21 x McArthur II Anti-missile
32 x Omicron Series 77 35cm Naval systems for nuclear warheads that could be fitted to the Barracudas. When These flaws aside, the class was ordered and the initial batch of
Lasers authorized for deployment, a single warhead would be able to take 24, with four outfitted as Squadron leaders, were in service when
out an entire squadron or damage multiple groups of fighters, or the Amaris Coup took place on Terra. Unaware of the small ships
Aerospace Complement obliterate a DropShip. But each missile as standard was fitted with capabilities, the Rim World forces and the SDS system under their
4 x Small craft an explosive ‘starburst’ warhead. This would detonate the missile a control suffered heavily, but, by the time of the assault on the Sol
few kilometres from a fighter group, showering the area with a cloud System, only eight of the ships were still intact. And all but one died
Sensors of explosive charges and tungsten projectiles that would be lethal to in the Battle for the Sol system with the last, the SLS Good Hope
SN/SP-Y7801D SPAEGIS 3D MST-2K Long and short ranged a fighter. There were also the more traditional kinetic kill warheads being scuttled after being abandoned and picked clean for parts.
phased active and passive scanning secure communications with HPG for use against heavy fighters.
array uplink
SN/SP-Y101 ‘Millennium’ Fire JY-2010 ‘Bullhorn’ active multi- At the shortest of ranges a mixture of large pulse lasers and
control with SPAEGIS slave link frequency adaptive broad and medium lasers were backed up by an extensive AMS battery. The
narrowband ECM
clusters of AMS mountings could screen friendly ships from
inbound missile strikes which was the NDE/01’s second role.
The NEP, or New Escort Programme, was originally meant to Finally, for anti-shipping work the ship had a pair of light naval
produce a completed hull by 2760 but bureaucratic delays and then a gauss rifles as well as a quartet of heavy White Shark missile launch
strike by shipyard workers delayed construction until 2765 when the systems which could also be used in the anti-fighter role.
first of the class was laid down at the Titan Yards in the Sol system.
With the House militaries bolstering their fleets the SLDF viewed The key to the ship’s performance was the very advanced
swarms of fighters and assault DropShips as the primary threat SPAEGIS (SPace Advanced Electronic Guidance and Information
to their massed WarShip fleets. Hard won experience from the System) computer system and its associated programme developed
Reunification War showed that fighters were a serious threat to by Nirasaki Computers Collective and Vospers-Electric the
WarShips and were cheap to produce and replace, and large numbers SPAEGIS system could receive data from friendly vessels and even
of fighters with nuclear missiles could threaten even the largest suitably upgraded fighters or shuttles. It could then coordinate fire
battleship. to ensure that there weren’t multiple weapons engaging the same
target. It could also direct missiles at all aspects of their approach
The NEP programme put forwards tenders to produce a small and direct them to an unengaged target. When combined with the
destroyer sized vessel that would be capable of engaging swarms quick reacting turret mounts of the destroyers’ lasers, the Dauntless
of fighters and DropShips with capital scale weapons. It was to be class could easily engage fighters well beyond their engagement
small, fast and heavily armed, a pure gunboat which were quite rare envelope.
in SLDF service. Of the six tenders put forwards, the SLDF selected
the Krester Ship Construction design for their NDE/01 design. Unfortunately, this firepower came at a cost. With just over
NOTABLE SHIP
The SLS Destiny’s Road was assigned to the 4th Fleet as the close escort of the SLS Texas the fleet flagship. During the Liberation of Caver V, the 4th Fleet was forced to move in system
whilst facing heavy attacks from CASPAR Drones as well as a squadron of Rim World WarShips. The Texas and her escort group came under heavy attack from Black Wasp and Voidseeker
drone fighters and with her own fighters already engaged the Texas was exposed to the strike until the Destiny’s Road moved to engage. The established doctrine called for the Dauntless
class to engage at extreme range but the Road’s Captain instead took her ship on a course to engage the inbound Drones in a head-on pass. As the range dropped, the first volley of Barracuda
missiles was armed with nuclear warheads. When the sensors cleared, dozens of Drones had been destroyed but they now made the small escort ship a priority target.
Between her normal weapons and nuclear tipped missiles the Destiny’s Road’s destroyed over sixty fighters before they started their attack runs. The Voidseeker and BlackWasp series of
Drones were programmed to sacrifice themselves if needed and eight slammed into the Destiny’s Road’s flanks, wrecking two turrets and disabling one engine. By the time fighters from the
142nd Air Group arrived, the destroyer was badly damaged but she had destroyed a total of eighty-six fighters and saved the Texas from attack.
The heavily damaged Destiny’s Road’s was partially repaired and would travel to Terra in Operation CENTURION and acted as escort for the DropShips heading in system.
Unfortunately, the ship had stressed her cooling systems so badly during the Assault on Carver V that she suffered system failures and had to be abandoned. The hulk was later recovered
by Belter surveyors and slowly stripped for parts and material over the next ten years. One of her quad turrets still exists as a defensive emplacement on a Belter colony asteroid.
ENDEAVOUR CLASS EXPLORER 100
What emerged was a 610-meter-long vessel massing 500,000 Thus, the SLDF got a spy ship as well in the new science
Length 610 meters
tons, and despite the money spent on her she looked curiously vessel. In the initial twelve months of service each ship would
Displacement 500,000 tons old fashioned. A massive interlinked rotating section dominated cruise round Hegemony space or the space of various House lords
the ship’s profile, sticking out of the hull much like the Taurian’s to carry out scientific missions, often looking at a systems primary
Crew complement 423 Wagon Wheel class except instead of being lots of smaller grav- Star. This included a two-month long survey of the Canopus
decks this was one huge rotating mass. Technically it was four system, investigating the massive Blue giant that dominated the
grav-decks as at the main hull level there was also a bulge out of system. That the ship during this time also ‘happened’ to listen to
Armament the rotating ring forming a rough cross shape. The lower grav- secure communications between various members of the Canopian
2 x Hellion ‘Magnetar’ Series 18 16 X Donnal Mod 8 PPC’s deck 96 meters in diameter whilst the primary one was 175 leadership was purely coincidental.
55cm Naval Lasers
16 x Martell Mod 4 Medium Lasers meters. This massive array of grav-decks was designed to give the
2 x SSM-900 White Shark Missile maximum amount of room in a gravity positive or micro-gravity The ship’s biggest problem though was the sheer expense of
Launch Systems
environment. Filled with science and research labs, hydroponic fitting them out. With their advanced labs and research systems
16 x Armstrong series 3 light bays, hazmat storage as well as the spacious crew quarters the being near unique to each ship with them having to be installed
autocannons large grav-deck was also a technicians’ maintenance nightmare. If and calibrated by dedicated teams of specialists. Each ship also
Aerospace Complement something went wrong you had to access the rotating systems from ‘consumed’ many well-trained scientists and data analysts in their
within the primary hull and work ‘under’ them, whilst the grav- crew and many research groups, projects and foundations resented
12 x Small craft/shuttles 2 x DropShip Collars
deck was turned off. The grav-deck’s exposed nature also made it their best and brightest being ‘borrowed’ for exploration duty.
Sensors vulnerable to damage but it was felt that the ships research nature
would keep it away from any threats. The sheer cost of the Endeavour Class eventually limited
Series 189 ‘Daedalus’ Long range Series 700 ‘Galileo’ Multi-frequency
multi-phased sensors with Hubble radio telescope and communications
the construction to just four vessels from a planned ten. The
array Still this did not stop it being armed for self-defence with a SLS Hawking, Einstein, Averroes and C. Sagan. Whilst they
Series 7 Long range optical sensor
mixture of Mech scale weapons that were more than enough to proved successful in their roles the class seemed to suffer from
interlink Type 1 ‘Newton’ Gravitation and
mass sensor drive off any overly bold pirates as well as a pair of lasers in the bad luck. The Hawking on a deep space trip to Rigel ceased
Series 201 ‘Kepler’ ultra-cool long bow section that were part weapon, part research tool. The NL-55’s reporting in and was presumed lost with all hands to unknown
range thermal imaging system
would be used to carve up asteroids and comets for salvage and circumstances. A similar fate befell the C. Sagan who stopped
inspection and the ships dozen shuttles and small craft could pick reporting in whilst exploring to the ‘south West’ of Marik
The Endeavour class started as a design in the period of peace up chunks of rock to be brought aboard for investigation. space. The Einstein was caught up in the Amaris Civil War and
after the Reunification War and was originally designed to be the performed admirably as a spy vessel and communications ship
next generation of SLDF spy ship. But as budgets tightened after Another interesting system was the pair of White Shark missile before being strafed and then rammed by a Vulcan aerospace fighter
the War and money was poured into rebuilding efforts, the funding launchers. But instead of firing a missile, they could launch multi- which started a serious internal fire which gutted the ship.
for the expensive design dried up. ton probes that would allow them to study dangerous objects at a
distance. The Averroes like the Einstein was used as a command and
After 15 years in financial limbo, the funding was finally control vessel and vanished with General Kerensky’s forces,
authorised for a new class of vessel but the role had changed. With With over 120,000 tons devoted to cargo space as well as although there are no records of a ship matching her description in
the Reunification War over, and the Star League enjoying a boom carrying 366 days’ worth of food and water, the Endeavour was Clan service, it is assumed she was lost or scrapped.
time with the money in taxes being raked from the Periphery built for long range missions and every inch of her hull space
states money and resources were flowing into the League at a near was used with nothing going to waste. The large ‘hammerhead’
unheard of rate. bow section was packed with a wide range of highly advanced
imaging and data retrieval systems ranging from long range thermal
Whilst the Navy was getting new warships and facilities, the and optical telescopes to thermal spectrographs and supercooled
men and women of Exploration Command dusted off the initial spectrometers as well as advanced laser imaging and measuring
plan for a spy craft and decided they wanted a piece of the funding systems. It was also a very ‘happy coincidence’ that these systems
pie. Still, the wrangling for such a craft took a further three years could also study objects in near space, such as shipyards, works on
and was finally approved with the support of the Navy who also had a planet as well as being able to pick up radio transmissions across
a role for the ship. a huge spectrum of frequencies.
NOTABLE SHIP
Due to their somewhat sedentary nature, the Endeavour’s never accumulated much acclaim outside of scientific circles, and of course Military Intelligence. Still, their findings did improve
things like HPG reliability and clarity when very dense objects like White Dwarfs and Neutron Stars were found to not only warp space-time but also hyperspace. Several major experiments
into Dark Matter and Dark Energy also helped with man’s understanding of Hyperspace although many theories brought up by this research were eventually sequestered by ComStar and are
still secured to this day.
ONSLAUGHT CLASS ASSAULT FRIGATE 103
to be better armed and faster than the old Congress.

Length 767 meters
Displacement 760,000 tons Two weeks of discussion, debate, argument and counter
argument eventually gave rise to a sleek ship that was quite unlike
Crew complement 555 any preceding frigate type ship. In the past, the frigate served as a
patrol ship and convoy escort, the new design was built to engage
WarShips and DropShips at high speed and disable or destroy them
Armament before they could respond.
2 x Iota 99SR Light Repeating Naval 54 x Nu 7HH 20cm Sub-Capital
Gauss Lasers
And unlike other SLDF era vessels the new design was built
6 x Series 12SR ‘Winchester’ 55cm 40 x Series 7.5DS ER Large laser to engage targets from the front and that’s where the majority of
Naval Pulse Lasers
24 x Chi Pattern 3 Mod 2 HAG-40’s its firepower would be mounted. The core of the ship’s firepower
8 x Beta Series 2DS Medium NPPC
32 x Beamsplitter LAMS would be a pair of Repeating Naval Gauss Rifles or ‘reapers’ as
they were sometimes known. Supporting this would be two clusters
Aerospace Complement of three naval pulse lasers 55’s from Clan Snow Raven. Whilst
20 x Aerospace fighters and 10 Small 2 DropShip Collars mounted in the front left and right quarters of the ship the hull was
Craft shaped in such a way to allow all six lasers to fire over the bow, but
only on limited arcs, the ship’s Captain would have to ‘centerline’ a
Sensors target to allow all the lasers to engage.
Omega-18 Long range broad-band Series Gamma-9 ‘Sans Pareil’ laser
3D phased scanning array assisted Fire Control with active Two turrets mounting medium naval PPC’s would be mounted
jamming tracking and homing
Series Lambda ‘Osis Roar’ Primary on each broadside but the ships other weapons would be clusters of
Multi-spectrum ECM/ECCM newly developed Sub Capital lasers. Whilst they had been in use
by the House Lords for decades, the Clans had avoided the weapons
When the True Clan’s NWP (New Warship Program) started to but faced with the reality of large, tough and well-armed assault
crystallize from ideas, thought exercises and debates into a more DropShips that could threaten a WarShip, the sub capital weapons
solid series of vessels the need was seen for a smaller ship to be were seen as a viable alternative vs heavy capital ship weapons and
put into service. Whilst the Arbitration class battleship was truly their potency against DropShips could not be denied.
formidable and the still to be named battlecruiser was promising,
not every Clan had the resources or yard facilities to produce such Anti-fighter defences were stressed by a Dominion
large vessels. By the decree of the Council of the Khans the Arbiter representative and a mixture of HAG and laser’s would cover the
class would only be built in the yards over Tukkayid to prevent a ships firing arcs whilst a strong AMS would protect the vessel
run-away arm race the option to build a smaller vessel was called against missiles.
for by the Council.
Like the Congress the craft carried a pair of DropShip collars
Many of the Clans had a gamut of older Star League era vessels as well as having berths for 20 aerospace fighters and ten small
and without significant refits they were simply sliding more and craft. The ship also had room for a large complement of Marines
more into obsolescence with their lightly built hulls no longer being or Elementals for boarding actions and self defence. Whilst cargo
suitable for combat against the growing navies of the Successor space was a bit light, the ship was built as an attack ship, not a
States. Whilst the Dominion rolled out their Bergen class escort patrol craft and this was not seen as a drawback. The trio of huge
and then promptly refused to share the design (much like the GRB-2000 thrusters gave the considerable speed for a craft its size,
Leviathan series) the Scientists opted for a ship of roughly the being able to sustain a 4g burn that matched the ancient Kimagure
same size. It was a Nova Cat Scientist voicing her admiration for class. Although such bursts were brutal on the crew they gave the
a vessel as large as the Congress class that made the design grow, ship the speed and agility it needed to control the engagement and
whilst a former Hellion now in Horses service pressed for the ship bring its guns to bear.
NOTABLE SHIPS
Unfortunately as the first ship has only just entered service with the Hells Horses Tourman, the single ship CHH Thunder on the Mountain has yet to prove herself beyond her initial trials
and tests of her guns.
THRESHER CLASS HEAVY CRUISER 106
the Rim Worlds Republic now lacked the capacity to build the ostensibly designed to patrol and protect the Rim Worlds Republic
Length 610 meters
large number of focusing arrays and lenses needed for the original and there was no need for a large cargo capacity for long range
Displacement 500,000 tons planned armament of large numbers of naval lasers. Instead missions. With the growing friendship between Stefan Amaris and
these were replaced with a greater number of hard hitting naval First Lord Richard Cameron expanded and the ‘country bumpkin’
Crew complement 423 autocannons. Cheaper to produce and easier to maintain, the from the Periphery got more power and influence within the
autocannons were a natural fit. Terran Hegemony, Amaris used this to allow for a subclass of the
Thresher to be constructed.
Armament
Long range firepower was provided by sixteen Killer Whale
24 x Republic Type 42 ‘Thunder’ 6 x Krupp’s Weapon Works Pattern
missiles, eight on each broadside and these missiles were often With access to the vast industrial strength of the Hegemony
Medium Naval autocannons 311 45cm Naval Lasers
armed with nuclear warheads, making a barrage from a Thresher a and Corporate and Political leaders despairing of the
12 x Republic Type 34 ‘Tremor’ 32 x RAW ‘Starstreak’ Type 4a
threat to any vessel or station. mismanagement by Lord Richard, Amaris called in favours with
Medium Naval Autocannons LRM-20 missile launch systems
Krupp’s to allow the purchase, at cost, of enough lasers to arm
16 x RAW-411 ‘Blue Streak’ Killer 16 x Stolz Harbinger 4a Particle The Olympus MG-2000 engines were bulky but powerful six Thresher class ships under construction with enough lasers to
Whale heavy naval missile launch Cannons
systems units, and could propel the Thresher in short sprints of up to complete the class as was originally designed. Labelled the Tiger
32 x Firefly Type 1a Small lasers 2.5g making them faster than the Aegis the ship was meant to Shark class Battlecruiser they were seen as command ships and
8 x RAW-250 ‘Swingfire’ Barracuda
interceptor naval missile launch
equal. Unfortunately, these engines were also exceptionally until the completion of the first Stefan Amaris class battleships,
systems maintenance intensive and consumed fuel at a far higher rate than these ships were the pride and joy of the Rim Worlds Navy, acting
was expected. The fuel tanks for the Thresher were also poorly as flagships despite the addition of several old Monsoon class ships
Aerospace Complement placed making refuelling them a slow and drawn out process. from the Hegemony reserves, courtesy of the First Lord.
18 x Fighters 4 x DropShip docking collars
6 x Small Craft Like the Aegis class the Thresher had four dropship collars and Twenty Threshers and four Tiger Sharks were complete by the
berths for eighteen fighters as well as half a dozen small craft. start of the coup, the two part finished Tiger Shark’s formed part
Sensors The hangers were placed well towards the stern of the ship, of the orbital defences around Apollo whilst the Threshers helped
Roe Systems MG-29-A Long range Roe Systems Tangerine-004A Long adjoining the engine section but this also made the Threshers secure the Hegemony during the coup. The battles for the Sol
active and passive Radar/LIDAR and short range communications exceptionally difficult to land fighters on. Standard procedure was System were hard on the class, and four Threshers and one Tiger
array array to bring the cruiser to a complete stop and let craft coming in to Shark were destroyed in the space battles for the Hegemony.
Roe Systems HX671 Primary fire TW-801a ‘Bull Roar’ Active multi- land come in backwards onto their waiting launch racks.
control systems with TW-100e ‘Bull frequency ECM One ship the RWS Perdition’s Flame was captured by the
Snort’ ECCM
This was far from ideal and could not be done in combat and SLDF during the drive on Terra and the ship was repaired and took
incidences of aerospace fighters crashing or suffering damage part in the final battles for the Hegemony, being lost to a nuclear
Designed during the reign of Gregory Amaris, albeit in secret, on landing were uncommonly high on the Thresher class. The missile over New Earth. The last ship of the class the Tiger Shark
the design was meant to equal any Hegemony cruiser in existence Threshers usually carried a full group of Vulcan fighters and this RWS Stefan’s Audacity was in orbit over Terra herself and was
and during that period, it meant the Aegis class cruiser as well as had its own problems. The large amount of ammunition needed to thought to be a possible evacuation craft for ‘Emperor’ Amaris,
the common and popular Dart class light cruiser. But to appear ‘bomb up’ the Vulcan’s was stored in an armoured magazine near her engines crippled the ship fell into the atmosphere and partially
compliant with the Star League’s wishes and not wanting to the hangar decks, which in turn was adjacent to one of the poorly burned up, the ruined hulk splashing down in the Indian Ocean.
provoke them during the aftermath of the Reunification War the placed fuel tanks for the thirsty engines and the area around the
cruiser was never laid down and instead the design languished hangar magazines became a primary target and weak-point for the
until Stefan Amaris came to power. class.
Laid down in the yards that had once produced the Pinto Over a thousand tons of Ferro-Carbide armour gave the
class corvette the Thresher design was altered quite radically. In Threshers a sturdy hide equal to many SLDF Battlecruiser designs
addition to Mech scale weapons being added for anti-fighter whilst heavy structural bracing made the hull capable of taking
defences, the Cruisers armament was completely revised. Unlike heavy damage, but also limited the grav-decks size and cargo
the Republic during the period leading up to the Reunification War, capacity. But this was not seen as a negative. The Thresher was
NOTABLE SHIP
The RWS Vendetta was one of the last Thresher’s to be complete and enter service with the Rim Worlds Navy before the coup, but her short career was one marked by terrible
violence. Tasked with subduing Caph the Vendetta’s Captain ordered nuclear strikes against several civilian and non-military targets to ‘ensure compliance with His Majesty’s wishes’. The
Vendetta also destroyed a civilian DropShip full of refugees, and it was this act which made her a prime target for the forces at Freedom Station.
The forces under Admiral Rummolo learned the Vendetta would be refuelling at a hastily set up orbital station near Caph II and planned an assault. An all-out attack was not feasible due
to the number of Rim World forces in system, so instead a more subtle but no less effective plan was hatched. A stolen Rim World shuttle was to be used to smuggle a nuclear device onto the
station and destroy both it and any docked ships. Captain W.J. Blazkowicz volunteered to lead the mission with two other volunteers.
Through an incredible mix of bluff and good luck the Shuttle was able to dock and refuel before unloading her cargo for the crew and departing.
At 1745 local time the RWS Vendetta moved to dock with the refuelling station and at 1800, the nuke went off, destroying the station, the Vendetta as well as half a dozen DropShips.
ANTARES CLASS FLEET TENDER 109
Mech’s, rifles, ammunition, food, water, fuel and spare parts for ship performing a specific role was at its core, inefficient. But, it
Length 808 meters
anything from portable toilets to warships autocannon barrels. did highlight the usefulness of such craft that could repair ships
Displacement 830,000 tons and maintain their crews and assist other ships. This lead to
Of course to carry this, the ship had to be large and the studies into making a single hull that could do both, that would
Crew complement 550 with room for 1000 passengers cruiser sized Antares would easily rival the Avatar class in terms eventually result in the huge Newgrange class.
of length and displacement with the Antares being 60 meters
Armament longer. Because of their rear echelon role many of the class were
18 x SSM-550 ‘Barracuda’ Missile 30 x Holly Series 4 LRM-20s with spared having to fight the CASPAR drones but those that were
launch systems Artemis On the port and starboard hull a large array of arms and caught were classed as priority targets due to their strategic
30 x Blankenburg Mod 4 Large pulse 30 x McArthur II Mod 3 AMS linkages could allow the ship to hard dock with another vessel nature, despite this 11 survived the War to help with the
lasers to transfer supplies over as well as allowing her to operate like reconstruction efforts but when it was obvious that the House
a tug to tow a disabled vessel if needs be. There was also an Lords would not listen to the SLDF and Operation EXODUS
Aerospace Complement extensive housing system to allow the transfer of fuel or water was ordered the class, bar the SLS Aquitania who remained in
6 x DropShip Collars from huge liquid storage tanks. the Sol system, deactivated as part of the Titan yards, left with
48 x Small craft General Kerensky.
The ship enjoyed a single large grav-deck much like that of
Sensors
the later Potemkin class and this was also used as a hospital with The Aquitania served as a maintenance vessel and helped
Series 42 Herakles 3D active search Series 21 Mod 77 ‘Hyperion’ long multiple surgery theatres with beds for hundreds of injured. In with cleaning up the Sol system of wreckage and debris and
array range communications suite
times of peace the ship could also act as a disaster relief the ship was still active when Jerome Blake seized the Sol
Series 33 ‘Cap Trafalgar’ Broadband ship, replacing Mechs and fighters with rescue vehicles and system. She would continue to service ComStar’s hidden fleet
active jammer
construction equipment. but was finally retired to an undisclosed location when the first
Series 49 ‘Carmania’ Active tracking
Faslane class entered service.
and LIDAR Fire control
The ship was rather lightly armed in terms of capital
weaponry but it was heavily protected against fighter attacks as
The Reunification War showed that the SLDF was well as having a layered anti-missile system to protect against
not prepared for long distance campaigns and long term ship and fighter launched missiles.
deployments. With repair facilities and stockpiles of material
far away in Hegemony space, the SLDF was forced to either Whilst extremely specialised the design was approved
build facilities to support offensives or rely on inferior House alongside the Liparius class and both would be seen as welcome
yards with an increased risk of espionage and sabotage. additions to the fleet. But the sheer specialised nature of the
Antares class limited its usefulness in the eyes of those who
Whilst fixed facilities like orbital docks were the most controlled the budget. The ship was expensive to build and
effective means of repairing a ship, they were also the most maintain and was not a WarShip in most bureaucrats’ eyes but
vulnerable, and building one took months, which meant that an over large transport whose role outside of wartime did not
damaged vessels were without proper facilities until it was justify their cost. With other wrangling over the budget this
completed. cut short the Antares programme after only 21 ships had been
completed out of a planned 50.
To cure this, the SLDF developed the first YardShips with Deployed when large scale exercises were carried out, the
the Liparius class but whilst these ships were capable something Antares class spent most of their time in and out of orbit round
more was needed. Instead of a dedicated mobile repair yard, Hegemony worlds or in orbit over developing worlds acting as a
a new design emerged that would act as a support vessel with mobile command centre until ground facilities were completed.
a large grav-deck for crews to be able to relax in, as well as
carrying a huge amount of supplies from crated fighters to The ‘tag-team’ of the Antares and Liparius class with each
NOTABLE SHIP
The SLS Gran Grifón was part of the 7th Fleet and was the first ship to arrive at the stricken world of Ko which had suffered a super-volcanic eruption. Unloading her cargo, the Gran
Grifón was used as an evacuation ship taking on the citizens from several towns and at one point had a massive 6000 people crammed on board until more vessels arrived to ease the burden.
The Gran Grifón’s crew were also the first down on Ko to help fight fires and rescue those who could not initially evacuate. Working 18 hour days the Gran Grifón’s crew is credited with
saving another 2000 lives.
The SLS Gran Grifón departed the Inner Sphere with General Kerensky’s forces, carrying many dependents and family members but her final fate is unknown.
FEARLESS CLASS ASSAULT SHIP 112
DropShips collars in two groups of seven, running in a row along often deployed but often spent long times laid up in reserve.
Length 1,100 meters
the ship’s spine and belly.
Displacement 1,310,000 tons Despite these faults, twenty of the class were built and were
The interior was also heavily reconfigured to replace the eventually displaced by the larger, more modern Potemkin
Crew complement 553 Monsoon’s trio of grav-decks with a pair of 85 meter grav-decks class. Relegated to second line squadrons the surviving Fearless
filling out most the interior. The aerospace compliment was also class ships would see service in the Amaris crisis when they were
altered, reduced to 12 fighters but also capable of carrying 12 small pulled from mothballs. Two were salvaged by Rim World Forces
Armament craft or shuttles. The weapons fit was also radically altered with and were destroyed in battle, the four survivors joined General
2 x Whirlwind Series A195 Medium 4 x Luxor-175 Light Naval most the autocannon based weapons being removed save the bow Kerensky on Operation EXODUS and have not been seen since.
Naval Autocannons Autocannons
and fore/aft quarter autocannons albeit with the weapons being
20 x Ceres-N Mod 87 ‘Flare’ 16 x SSM-285 ‘Barracuda’ Missile reduced in calibre.
Medium Naval Particle Cannons Systems
32 x Magna ‘Nova’ Series 11 45cm The missile launchers were also altered and replaced with
Naval Lasers Barracuda launchers to deal with smaller and more agile targets
Aerospace Complement with eight launchers being carried (two on each fore and aft
quarter). The broadside autocannon turrets and associated
12 x Aerospace fighters 14 x DropShip docking collars
ammunition were replaced with four turrets, each mounting a
12 x Small craft quartet of mid-sized naval lasers. The bow and stern quarter
Sensors Medium Naval PPC’s were also retained. The lasers increased the
ship’s heat load significantly and extensive improvements were
LSI Type 42 Long and short range KAT-661 Long range multi-channel made to the weapons cooling systems allowing for the ship to fire
multi-band LIDAR array communications array
roughly 75% of its armament without heat issues.
LSI Type 9 auto-tracking long range
gunnery systems
It had been planned to fit the ships with a Lithium-Fusion
NCC Mod 33 ‘Bull Roar’ active and battery but the expense of this very new piece of equipment and
passive ECM tightening budgets meant that it could not be fitted, although space
was set aside for it to be added.
During the Reunification War, the nascent SLDF found to its
cost that JumpShips were vulnerable and little more than barely Completed after the Reunification War, the first Fearless class
mobile targets and the loss of a large JumpShip and its DropShip ASD left her slip at Titan to begin trials with the fleet. The odd
cargo could adversely affect a whole campaign. number of docking collars was initially seen as strange but instead
the ship was permanently assigned two DropShips for self-defence
Whilst Warships did carry dropships, these were mostly assault purposes whilst the other twelve would be used to carry troop and
DropShips for their own defence and space superiority, leaving the Mech carrying vessels. Although slow and ponderous to answer the
job of hauling troops to JumpShips which in turn required heavy helm the class was not meant to take part in the battle line unless
escorting, taking units away from the fleet and front lines. something had gone very wrong, and war-games found that the
ship could handily defend itself against destroyer’s or other smaller
The Admiralty put forwards tenders for a large ‘troop carrier faster craft attacking it.
warship’ that would be able to carry a large number of DropShips as
well as be able to defend itself from hostile ships that usually went Unfortunately, the computer systems required repeated
JumpShip hunting, normally destroyers, frigates and corvettes. overhauls to fix targeting issues with the new programmes that
would allow the mountings to engage small craft. Electrical
Blue Nosed Clipperships put forwards a design for what they gremlins also were common with the class having to run their
called an ASDC (Assault Ship Docking Collar) design. Based reactors at 105% which meant more common trips to the yards for
on the Monsoon class battleship’s hull the design featured 14 overhauls. Because the ships were yard queens, they were also not
NOTABLE VESSEL
The SLS Blue Ridge was the third Fearless to be completed and launched. Although too late to take part in the Reunification War, the Blue Ridge and her sisters were part of the so called
‘Magic Carpet’ convoys which brought SLDF and House military personnel home from the Taurian front. Quite by accident the Blue Ridge ended out carrying a polygot mix of SLDF and
House forces and because of this she became the most well-travelled member of the class, visiting all the Capitals of the various Houses during her ‘Magic Carpet’ trip. In several major
exercises the Fearless Class proved their worth and the Blue Ridge was the Command ship of General D. Johnson during BLUE STEEL, a series of exercises along the Capellan border during
a time of tension with House Liao. The Blue Ridge was then decommissioned and in mothballs for six years before being reactivated for another round of fleet exercises.
Unfortunately, by 2733 the Blue Ridge was showing her age and had developed several fuel system faults, one of which lead to a fire which claimed the lives of a dozen crew.
Deactivated for the last time the SLS Blue Ridge was expended as a gunnery target for elements of the 8th Cruiser Squadron of the Sol Home Fleet in May 2735.
In recognition of her service though, the next Potemkin class vessel to enter service was called Blue Ridge.
ARK ROYAL CLASS HEAVY FLEET CARRIER 115
strain on them. Trials with the Monsoon class Battleship Imperio, asked about this Krester replied that the ship was a strategic asset
Length 1,200 meters
giving her a full complement of 6 of the newly developed Titan and needed a high level of protection.
Displacement 1,400,000 tons class DropShips (these 6 were the initial prototypes) proved to be
a huge drain on her logistics as well as imposing a considerable To house the ships, large crew the carrier was well appointed
Crew complement 1,193 with facilities for 750 passengers hardship on the crew who now had to find bunks for the 552 crew with large grav-decks whilst fuel and ammunition storage was
of the DropShips. Converting cargo holds into barracks was not plentiful allowing the ship to remain in the field for extended
ideal and this decrease in habitability as well as serviceability of the periods of time. Krester even spent time talking with ship CAG’s
Armament carriers and their crew made the experiment a short-lived failure. and fighter pilots to try and figure out the best possible launching
12 x Sorenstein Series 2 ‘Oni’ 45cm 40 x Mydron Excel ‘Starshooter’ and landing arrangements. The arrangement that was accepted
Naval Lasers LB-10X autocannons
Following the Reunification War, the Admiralty sought to would see the fighters land on the lower rear flanks of the ships,
12 x Sunspot-3L Heavy Naval 40 x Holy LRM-20 Series 4 missile redress what was seen as a serious potential flaw and weakness that away from any drive plume. A series of electromagnetic rails
Particle Cannons systems
could be exploited. The obvious solution was to resurrect the old would then bring the fighters along the lower interior hull to be
12 x SSM-550 ‘Barracuda’ Mod 3 32 x McArthur Mod 4 Anti-missile blue water aircraft carrier concept and adopt it for the black water repaired and refuelled in the huge hangar bay area forwards of
VLS Silo’s guns of space and this was then put out to tender. the main grav-deck before having the fighters launched out of the
12 x SSM-900 ‘White Shark’ Mod 8 bow section with launch bays being under the ships ‘chin’. There
VLS Silo’s The contract was won by Krester Ship Construction and they was also an emergency ‘flight deck’ on the upper hull next to the
in turn produced two designs one larger ‘heavy fleet carrier’ design DropShip collars. This ‘deck’ was layered with electro-magnets
and the smaller but visually identical ‘battle carrier’ that was and a damaged fighter could use this if they were worried they
216 x Aerospace fighters 6 x DropShip docking collars
smaller and cheaper to produce. could not land safely. The flight decks magnets would slow and
32 x Small Craft stop a damaged fighter. It could then be moved to an elevator to be
The Admiralty naturally went for the heavy carrier design. recovered.
Sensors
ASA-1198 ‘Ceres’ Long and short Pathfinder 43CD Long range To carry a suitable number of fighters as well as their ordnance, The first ship the SLS Ark Royal entered service and her first
range phased 3D active and passive communications array with HPG
LIDAR array Uplink and transmitter
fuel, stores, spare fighters and crew, as well as being able to defend tour of duty with the 2nd Fleet was a 12-month long deployment
itself the ship would need to be large and Krester didn’t disappoint through the Periphery hunting pirates with elements of the 222nd
MORSAT Series 7 Fire control with
on that regard. What emerged was a design capable of carrying an Battlegroup with the Carrier acting as flagship.
home on jam and ECCM
unprecedented 216 fighters, or four full regiments worth. There
NIKE ‘Home Crowd’ active and were also facilities for 20 support craft and six DropShip collars During this period the 222nd engaged several pirate bands as
passive multi-channel ECM
that would carry assault DropShips to provide additional protection. well as engaging in convoy escort and two major exercises. The
Ark Royal performed well but concerns were raised about the
The Reunification war showed that fighters in large numbers With such a huge mass of aerospace fighters, the carrier was vulnerability of the internal rail system as well as the ship being
could be a serious threat to warships of all sizes and large enough seen as a command ship and was fitted as a flagship with large rather unpleasant to land on whilst underway. It was feared that
strikes could overwhelm any defending fighters. And all it took quarters for any visiting Admiral and his or her staff. A large and damage to the ships dorsal area could adversely affect the internal
was one strike craft with a nuclear missile to spell the doom for a powerful communications suite allowed the ship to guide and rail system bringing fighters up from their landing bays. Whilst
multi-thousand-ton ship and all its crew. control other fleet elements whilst batteries of missiles, autocannons heavily protected concerns about shock damage were taken to heart
and lasers provided protection against fighter strikes. and alterations were made to all subsequent ships.
In the Reunification war, even with their technological
advantages, this happened far too many times to the House and Anti-shipping firepower was limited though, with lasers Unfortunately, the biggest problem with the class was their
SLDF forces, especially those engaged on the Taurian front. It was and missiles being the order of the day, again mainly as an anti- sheer cost. They were expensive to crew, man and keep supplied
felt that something had to be done. fighter focused defence. Finally, four large turrets mounting a and despite large internal stores they still required supply ships
trio of heavy naval PPCs provided the main anti-ship punch if and tankers to keep them in the field and this logistics tail was in
The ‘quick fix’ was to deploy as many carrier DropShips needed. But the carrier was envisioned to operate at the heart of a turn vulnerable. Faced with tightening budgets and competing
as possible, but these came with their own logistics needs and battlegroup, surrounded by destroyers, cruisers and battleships so requirements, the carrier program was severely curtailed with
were cramped and uncomfortable to serve on for any period of heavy anti-ship firepower was not needed. Protection was not weak eighteen entering service before production was halted. This was
time. Attaching such vessels to a Warship also imposed a logistics and was roughly equal to the Monsoon class battleships. When out of a planned 36 to be constructed.
The smaller ‘battle carrier’ and its 108 fighters was looked
at but even this was felt to be simply too expensive. Funding
was very tight following the Cameron class fiasco, with the navy
eventually choosing to purchase the cheaper Black Lion class of
battlecruiser. The disastrous mismanagement of the SLS Enterprise
Supercarrier also cooled the bureaucracy’s respect for the Carrier as
an operational concept despite protests from the Admiralty.
Because of their huge value, all 18 ships were kept in service

and were generally popular ships although there was a friendly
rivalry between the carrier commanders and their ‘black shoe’
counterparts on the fleets battleships. The Amaris Civil War was
hard on the class with only three surviving to see the liberation of
Terra, and one of those the SLS Ranger had to be scuttled following
the liberation when her battle damage proved uneconomical to
repair. The two known survivors the SLS Formidable and SLS
Yorktown both vanished with the SLDF when it went into exile,
their fate since is unknown.
NOTABLE SHIP
The SLS Viraat (Sanskrit for Giant) was the 8th Ark Royal to commission into service and was immediately assigned to the escort fleet built around the SLS McKenna’s Pride and the two
ships would become near inseparable during the build up to the Periphery Uprisings with the Viraat often acting as a second fleet command vessel. This ended as the violence in the Periphery
got worse and the Viraat and her escort group was instead dispatched to the Outworld Alliance to support SLDF troops there.
The SLS Viraat was in orbit over Lushann when she and her escort group came under attack two days after arriving in system. With SLDF units down on the ground the fleet stood its
ground as four unmarked Mule class DropShips launched a huge number of fighters from within their hulls. Scrambling her air wing, the Viraat’s pilots along with those of her escort, caused
huge casualties but the determined attackers broke through and launched a volley of nuclear tipped missiles before finally being destroyed. The SLS Roanoke and SLS Visakhapatnam were
both hit and destroyed whilst the Viraat managed to destroy the missile aimed at her a few hundred meters short of impact. The warhead still partially detonated and the Carrier suffered severe
damage, the worst of which was to her Jump drive which was cracked and knocked out.
Unable to jump, the Viraat became a command ship for the region and was instrumental in bringing the Outworld Alliance back under control. By the end of the Civil War, the Viraat’s
drive was repaired and she would rendezvous with General Kerensky’s forces in Operation EXODUS.
Records of her service within the Clans are sketchy but Clan Snow Raven claimed the ship as their own, making her part of the Lum Shipyards and a fighter production plant.
LIPARIUS CLASS MOBILE REPAIR YARD 119
The other option was to simply wait whilst Logistics Command was reduced a 50-man security detachment. With next to no
Length 1,955 meters
built a temporary yard. Even with their muscle and resources, this weaponry save AMS systems fitted and a pair of NL-45’s in the front
Displacement 1,680,000 tons could take months to build and bring on line, thus taking the damaged and stern quarters and with no aerospace fighters aboard the crew
ships out of the line for anywhere from 2 – 6 months before repairs compliment went down, but these were replaced with engineers and
Crew complement 569 permanent crew up to 2000 workers could even begin. yard personnel. The cargo bays carried anything from hull armour
plating to miles of wiring, spare NAC barrels and laser focusing
Recognising that this was simply unacceptable, the SLDF put arrays, deck plating, banks of computers and tonnes of food and other
Armament out an emergency tender for a mobile repair yard that could service, supplies for when a ship just needed to replenish its stocks. The final
4 x Maxell ‘Nova’ Series 14 45cm 32 x Blankenburg Mod 3 Medium repair and maintain ships in the field without having to bring them piece of the puzzle was a very new, very expensive (and somewhat
Naval Lasers Pulse Lasers home to a fixed (and thus vulnerable) position. temperamental) Lithium Fusion battery that gave the huge ships
8 Barracuda x SSM-550 Mod 2 32 x McArthur Type 1 Anti-missile considerable strategic mobility, letting them move to ships in need of
‘Barracuda’ VLS Silos systems The designers of the Farragut class battleship the mainstay of the repair quickly.
32 x Tiegart Maximum Beta 4 ER SLDF’s battle line accepted the challenge and began working with a
PPCs design based on the Farragut’s hull. The first ship the SLS Liparius was rushed into completion and
32 x Blankenburg Mod 4 Large managed to take part in the closing 9 months of the Reunification War
Pulse Lasers Removing all but a few weapons for self-defence whilst also where she could provide support for the fleets advancing on Taurus,
reducing the power to the four massive Hispano-Rawlings engines dramatically shortening the supply chain.
Aerospace Complement reduced the ship’s thrust somewhat but this was not needed for a
14 x Small Craft support unit. Some of the weight saved was applied to the hull and By no means a combat vessel the Liparius was always
4 x DropShip docking collars
the ship’s beam was increased whilst armour was also thinned out accompanied by at least two destroyers, often a full group of four
somewhat. This freed up a considerable amount of tonnage but more would guard her and due to her important strategic nature, she
Sensors was needed. The forwards hull was extended by 550 meters (a total would often lurk in a system’s Oort cloud, well off the beaten
KTI 391 Long and short range Diamond XXM Active and passive length of 1955 meters), this was then combined with the forwards path. Despite her sluggishness in manoeuvring and the ship being
LIDAR array ECM and ECCM hull to create a 650-meter-long pressurised repair bay accessed by all but defenceless, she performed well enough in her role under
a pair of huge doors in the bow. Whilst not long enough to fully the command of Commodore Karl Stromberg. This performance
KTI 375 ‘Ivanhoe’ Primary fire
control Mod 3 accommodate a cruiser it was enough to allow work crews to work in was enough to have the SLDF press for more orders for the class
an assisted environment even if it did look like a ship being serviced with another 9 being ordered. The ’10 Greeks,’ as the class were
Marcon DIY-9B Long range
would have its bow or stern ‘hanging out’ of the front of the ship known due to their naming convention being that of Greek/Classical
communications array with HPG
uplink through the huge open doors of the repair bay. deities and figures, were assigned to major fleet elements and kept in
constant service.
To assist in repairs of larger vessels that could not fit in the
With a massive number of repair yards within Hegemony space, forwards repair bay, a massive extending gantry system was fitted to One ship, the SLS Prometheus, was lost due to an asteroid impact
if a warship or JumpShip needed to have repairs carried out then they the starboard side. Capable of deploying in 45 minutes with a full from a rogue rock which impacted on her bow, causing significant
could easily move a jump or two and would usually find themselves array of cranes, jibs and retracting servo arms and cutting devices structural damage and starting several on-board fires that quickly got
in a system with a fully established repair facility. This wealth of with access to the massive cargo holds inventory to allow the ship to out of control. Abandoned and aflame the ship was scuttled by her
facilities made the nascent SLDF seem to forget that not everywhere help repair external hull plating as well as carrying out other major escorting destroyers.
else had the same level of resources and when the Reunification War structural repairs.
came along the SLDF was in for a huge shock to the system. The SLS Hecate was crippled over the Titan Yards in the Sol
The Farragut’s fearsome fighter compliment was eliminated System by forces loyal to Stefan Amaris but the ship’s captain refused
If a ship was damaged in battle ‘in the wilds’ then it meant one whilst another two DropShip collars were added bringing the total to to surrender and overloaded the main reactor, destroying the vessel
of two things. Carrying out ad-hoc repairs with the crew doing most 4, these would be dedicated tugs and maintenance vessels. The small and two Rim World Pinto class vessels in the blast.
of the work, or risking a jump back to an established facility. The craft compliment was also increased to 14 up from 10.
problem was that there were no major facilities, at least none The surviving vessels (four in total) departed at the end of the
captured intact. This could mean a journey of weeks or even months The large central 150 meter grav-deck was retained whilst the Amaris Civil War with General Kerensky. It is believed that along
back to a yard for a ship, which came with its own dangers depending smaller 45 meter one was enlarged to a 75-meter deck. Additional with a Newgrange class vessel that they helped form a major part of
on how bad the damage was. berths were fitted for other ships crews and the marine complement the Lum shipyards.
NOTABLE SHIP
The SLS Tantalus was assigned to the 22nd Fleet under the Command of Commodore James Goodenough. The Tantalus helped salvage the hull of the SLS Barham a Monsoon class
battleship that had been lost during the Reunification War and helped prove the Yardship concept to a skeptical Admiralty when over the space of eight months the Barham was repaired enough
to return to be classed as combat ready on her return to the Hegemony. The Tantalus also helped tow several asteroids out of position from what could have been a potentially devastating
impact in the Delphine system. Unfortunately, the Tantalus was overrun by Amaris personnel during the capture of the Sol system, the Yardship in system for a refit.
Now under Rim World control the ship helped salvage several ships in the aftermath of the fall of the Hegemony but was destroyed in a raid by the Kimagure class SLS Kronprinz, the raid
also claiming the RWS Mutilator and Malevolent, a pair of Essex I class destroyers undergoing refits within the Tantalus’ docking bays.
ARBITRATION CLASS BATTLESHIP 122
autocannons, class-55 Naval Lasers and eight Repeating Naval

Length 1,368 meters
Gauss Rifles (known as Reapers). Supporting these naval weapons
Displacement 1,900,000 tons are an array of AR-15 Sub-capital Missile Launchers and twenty
large pulse lasers to be used against aerospace fighters.
Crew complement 825
To defend the WarShip there are 2,500 tons of Lamellor Ferro-
carbide, four Screen launchers and thirty-six Laser based Anti-
Armament Missile Systems.
8 x Iota 99SR Light Repeating Naval 8 x ‘Frenzy’ Mod 1DS AR-15 Sub
Gauss Rifles Capital Missile Launcher
Supporting the Arbitrations capabilities are sixty aerospace
16 x Alfa Series 3DS Heavy Naval 20 x Kolbrik Series Delta 3DS Large fighters, twenty small craft and seventy-five power armoured
Particle Cannons Pulse Lasers
Elementals for onboard defence and assaults on other WarShips.
24 x AK-350 Heavy Naval 36 x Beamsplitter Mod 3 Laser Anti-
Autocannons Missile systems Whilst the Clan Council knew the ship was being designed,
40 x Series 10SR ‘Shrike’ 55cm 4 x Alfa 1GB ‘Den Guard’ Screen they were not aware of the completion of the CS Arbitration until
Naval Lasers Launchers she was debuted at a Council meeting by the Tukkayid Black
Guard and the Loremaster of the Clans who claimed the vessel as
their own and as part of the defences of the new home of the Clan
60 x Aerospace Fighters 5 x DropShip collars
Council.
20 x Small craft
Despite the objections of various Khans, the Arbitration was
Sensors added to the naval forces of Tukayyid under the direction of the
TY-9001 ‘Circe’ Long and short TY-200 ‘Babylon’ Multi-channel Loremaster of the Clans. Future versions of the Arbitration will be
ranged Phased 3D scanning and adaptive ECM
tracking LIDAR array
put up for Trials of Possession between the other Clans. Clan Snow
TY-671 ‘Arcadia’ Long range Raven also started production of two of the Class having claimed
TY-994 ‘Eden’ Fire control system communications array with HPG
that as the design was for all Clans then all Clans should have
with ECCM and multi-track data uplink and transmitter
sharing uplink access to it. There was also an implied threat that they would take
the Arbitration by force, and not wishing to provoke fighting in the
Tukkayid system the Loremaster agreed to the Raven’s point and
The Arbitration-class Battleship was born over Tukayyid by freely distributed the design to the Clans.
Clan scientist’s intention on improving all WarShips in use by the
Clans. The deployment first Arbitration class vessel was added to
the Tukayyid defence force and tasked with escorting Clan units
throughout Clan space and to Solaris VII as the Clans attempted to
build the world.
Almost two million gross tonnes the Arbitration is among the

largest of WarShips but not large enough to challenge the Ghost
Bears Leviathan-class. Capable of a maximum thrust of three G
of acceleration and carrying a Mk II Lithium Fusion Battery the
Arbitration is as mobile as most large WarShips.
The designers of Tukayyid decided that the Arbitration should

be able to move and fight as well as any other WarShip so it is
armed with an array of Heavy Naval Particle Cannons, Heavy naval
NOTABLE SHIPS
Like the Onslaught class, the Arbitration class has yet to see service, with only one vessel complete and three more being built at Tukkayid and at Quatre Belle. Analysts believe the class’s
heavy short ranged firepower and long ranged punch make them more formidable than all but the Leviathan Class that is only in service with the Rasalhague Dominion.
PETERSON CLASS NAVAL STATION 125
recharging stations, able to help ships recharge quickly before was still a major base in its own right whilst the full three axis
Length 2,739 meters tall and wide along X, Y and
departing. Finally, a massive hydroponics bay is fitted to allow complex would be a lynchpin of a world’s orbital defences and a
Z axis
the crew to relax in an open space as well as provide the station major trade hub.
Displacement 830,000 tons with food supplies.
Unfortunately, the massive cost of building and manning such
Crew complement 9,154 with room for 2800 permanent The Z axis of the station is heavily industrialized with a focus facilities limited their numbers and a full three axis station was
passengers on technical aspects and vessel repair. Six unpressurized repair quite rare although the Sol system boasted two complete facilities
bays, two of which are capable of accommodating battleships in geostationary orbit over Terra and Province Capitals each had
form much of the working area. Six more internal bays can take their own complete Paterson complex.
Combined Armament DropShips for repairs and another 10 energy recharge stations
144 x Thunderbolt Series 9 55cm 72 x Armstrong-Hawker AR-10 Mod allow the Peterson to help re-deploy fleets. There were rumors of hidden facilities in out of the way
Naval Lasers 18 Flexible Missile Launch systems
systems that were given over to research and development or the
144 x Kreuss XX Type 9 Heavy 54 x AMS The huge station is linked together by a massive network of Intelligence branch of the SLDF. The huge cloud of debris found
Naval Particle Cannons
trams that move along the outside of the station to transfer cargo in the LV-426 system, a worthless and dead system did lend credit
Aerospace Complement or personnel from one section or axis to another. Each tram has to this theory but there has never been any solid proof. There was
5 trains and these can haul anything from people to liquid cargos also rumor of a huge ‘giga-complex,’ a group of six Petersons
324 x Aerospace fighters/small craft
and are the most efficient way of moving round the station. Each docked together. The hunt for this facility became the goal of
54 x DropShip Collars
section can hold over 1 million tons of cargo and when complete many treasure hunters and officially funded expeditions during the
Sensors they formed a vital part of the Hegemony’s trade network as Second and Third Succession Wars, as well as the time leading up
DropShips could dock and unload cargo without having to burn to the Fourth War.
NCC-2099 3D Phased search Krupps-Ellington ‘Omega’ Type 0 fuel landing and taking off.
LIDAR Array with multi-frequency Multi-track fire control
thermal/optical detectors Again, no such facility has ever been located, and if it
Communal V-1a Long and short The Peterson is massively armed and during a time of war existed it has probably been destroyed by now, taking whatever
NCC-103-Beta ‘Zeus’ Active and range communications with HPG
passive ECM/ECCM uplink and connection would act as a command and system defence post. Over their technological marvels were housed there with it.
lives the Petersons armament was continuously updated and
the most modern iterations would ape the McKenna class of
One of the largest free standing structures made in the Inner Battleship with their mixture of lasers and PPCs, supported by
Sphere, the Peterson class Naval Station is technically three batteries of missiles to engage approaching threats and destroy
stations docked together to form a single orbital complex. The them at hugely long ranges.
vertically aligned Y axis section was the command section
and housed the primary grav-deck, one of the largest made at Each individual axis of the station boasted 48 55cm lasers and
1500 meters in diameter. This section was also home to the 48 heavy naval particle cannons, whilst two dozen AR10 Multi-
primary reactors for the station that were stationed at the bottom missile launchers provided additional long range firepower. For
on their own section which could be jettisoned in case of an point defence against missiles each section also featured 18 AMS
emergency. The Y Section also featured a HPG as well as all the mountings. Able to mass its firepower against multiple targets
systems necessary to coordinate a fleet of SDS drones, with up the Peterson can cripple hostile WarShips at extreme range whilst
to 324 M5’s being able to be controlled at once. The Y axis also over 8,000 tons of the latest armour compounds gave the station
serves as the primary dock for up to 54 DropShips which dock a huge degree of protection, making them a veritable orbital
near the primary grav-deck. fortress. This degree of firepower and protection lets the Peterson
challenge a fleet and endure anything short of massed nuclear
The X axis section is the primary industrial hub and boasts saturation attack.
two Pressurized repair bays that can each take a ship of up
to 2,000,000 tons. It can also house up to a dozen Dropships Smaller versions of the Peterson also existed, using only one
internally for repairs as well as a quartet of KF battery or two axis dependent on what was needed but each of these
NOTABLE FACILITIES
Fort Metz was one of three stations in orbit over Terra and was part of the final line of defence for the capital of the Hegemony and the birthplace of Mankind should disaster befall the Star
League and thus the Hegemony itself.
Unfortunately, when disaster did strike it was not from known enemies outside, but by betrayal and treachery within. With the First Lord assassinated by Stefan Amaris, the usurpers Rim
World forces in the Hegemony and Sol system went on the offensive against a surprised and off balance SLDF. The massive station was undamaged in the initial wave of nuclear attacks
which damaged and crippled Fort Sumter and Port Messina. The frantic efforts by the Metz’ crew to regain control over the SDS were foiled as the system was receiving contradictory orders
from two legitimate command sources. The Rim World vessels attacking the SLDF ships in the Sol System were showing as friendly and so the system simply shut down and awaited clear
instructions, leaving the huge number of M5 Caspar drones in the Sol system sitting idle as the Capital of the Star League was slowly overrun.
Initially the Rim World forces avoided the guns of Metz and this allowed the SLS Enterprise and SLS Logan to dock with the station and urgently take on supplies and personnel before
rejoining the fight.
Under fire from occupied SDS batteries, the Metz turned her firepower groundward and silenced several SDS emplacements but was hit repeatedly by ground based fire as well as a single
multi-megaton warhead which caused significant damage. Fort Metz continued to give friendly ground forces fire support until it was destroyed by a massed fighter and DropShip assault
on the 29th of December 2172, although only eight Rim World fighters survived to return to their base out of over two hundred in the assault on the damaged station. These losses would be
keenly felt as the Rim World Troops struggled to fully pacify the Sol system.
DELRANES FIGHTING SHIPS 3061
AND INNER SPHERE WARSHIPS REVISED EDITION

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DELRANES FIGHTING SHIPS 3061

AND INNER SPHERE WARSHIPS REVISED EDITION

Fredasa Class Corvette 05

York Class Destroyer / Carrier 14 Goalkeeper Mk IV Defence Craft 85

Essex II Class Destroyer 17 Pleiades Space Fighter 88

Lola III Class Destroyer 20 Trader Class Heavy Freight Shuttle 91

Aegis Class Heavy Cruiser 23 Blackwatch ‘Observation Vessel’ 94

Volga Class Troop Transport 26 Dauntless Class Destroyer Escort 97

Congress Class Frigate 29 Endeavour Class Explorer 100

Liberator Class Heavy Cruiser 39 Antares Class Fleet Tender 109

Cameron Class Battlecruiser 42 Fearless Class Assault Ship 112

Texas Class Battleship 51 Arbitration Class Battleship 122

McKenna Class Battleship 55 Peterson Class Naval Station 125

Leviathan II Heavy Battleship 61

Warships Resurgent: Vessels of the Great Houses

PDF CREATION & FORMAT Chris S aka Colourbrand

Anthony Scroggings aka Shimmering Sword

Named after the famous, beloved, respected or hated

NOTABLE SHIPS - RADETZKY GROUP

NOTABLE SHIP: “LUCKY SEVEN”

form and outer layers were designed to deflect or absorb radar

Even the engine design is unique and very different by even

to be better armed and faster than the old Congress.

Because of their huge value, all 18 ships were kept in service

autocannons, class-55 Naval Lasers and eight Repeating Naval

Almost two million gross tonnes the Arbitration is among the

The designers of Tukayyid decided that the Arbitration should

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