Post by Red on Feb 4, 2007 1:55:47 GMT -5
The Legacy of the Empire: The Star Destroyer
Executor Class
The Executor-class measured 19,000 meters in length. 279,144 Imperial Navy officers and enlisted men were said to have crewed the vessel, while 1,590 gunners were said to have operated its over 5,000 turbolasers and ion cannons.
Thirteen engines in five thruster banks gave the Executor-class impressive acceleration for its size. A minimum of 144 starfighters were carried; the massive hangar could hold thousands. Its shields were extremely powerful—equivalent to the total power of a medium star.
The geodesic domes located on and around the Executor's bridge tower (similar to those of Imperial-class Star Destroyers) served dual purposes. Inside the dome were hyperwave transceiver coils for supralight active sensors, while vanes jutting out of the dome served as shield projectors for the surrounding area.
There were many such geodesic domes scattered around the ship, probably to ensure that there were no blind spots for her sensors and to provide a good distribution of shield projector coverage. Concentrated fire on a single area would thus not deprive the ship of all her shield-generating ability.
The bridge tower was almost a starship in itself and a standard module on many warship classes built by KDY. It was equipped with heavy shielding to compensate for its location, and had mess halls, special quarters for officers of high rank, and large escape pods. The admiral aboard the vessel even had his own escape pod, directly above the command bridge and next to admiral's suites. The command tower also had its own power generators, relays, and life-support systems. It was connected to the ship's main reactor by a cluster of power feeds.
During the Battle of Endor, heavy pounding from Alliance warships caused the heavy shields of Executor's bridge tower to falter.
The bridge of the Executor had the same basic layout as standard Star Destroyers. The outer-most part featured nine triangular viewports. The center contained two crewpits which housed the control consoles for the ship. Between them was the command walkway. To the right and left sides of the bridge were two alcoves containing the weapons and defense stations.
Behind the bridge were the communications stations, a turbolift, and a HoloNet pod for ship-to-ship communications. On the level directly beneath the bridge was the main navigation complex.
Imperial I-class
The Imperial I-class belonged to the Star Destroyer family of warship, exemplified by its dagger/arrowhead design. A single Imperial-class vessel cost the Empire more than 3.88 billion Imperial credits, which was the equivalent of several star systems' annual economic output.
It was the premier starship class in the Imperial Navy. All known variants were 1,600 meters long (one mile) and had three large and four small engines capable of accelerating the ship with a force of several thousand g.
According to officially available statistics, Imperial-class Star Destroyers had at least 37,000 officers and crew. Counting the stormtrooper complement (one "division" or "legion", 9,700 men) would total 46,700. This would include a stormtrooper detachment, starfighter pilots, and support craft pilots.
When serving as a flagship, 900 additional personnel were stationed onboard. The Star Destroyer could accommodate up to 1,800 passengers.
For those vessels that entered New Republic service, the New Republic reduced the crew requirements by 8,000, to about 28,000 men.
The crew requirements of the Imperial-class were extraordinarily high. New Republic ships of the closest size tended to have a small fraction of the crew. It is also interesting to note the ISD's high ratio (over 7:1) between full and skeleton complement—a more usual ratio seems to be 4:1 or 5:1 in large vessels.
Possible reasons include:
* Large crew requirements enabled ongoing, intensive recruitment.
* Multiple or redundant onboard crews. Star Destroyers could sustain massive losses and still maintain an operational crew size.
* Allowed for easy placement of Imperial Security Bureau or COMPNOR agents.
* The ISD's six-year endurance requirement passes a certain limit beyond which maintenance requirements greatly increase; large crews of technicians are thus embarked.
* Inferior automation compared to that of latter warships, especially those fielded by the New Republic.
* Multiple shifts, enabling the Imperial-class Star Destroyer to be capable of sustaining days of heavy space combat without suffering from crew fatigue.
The command bridge tower of the Imperial-class Star Destroyer was massive, with the command bridge being very similar to that of the Executor-class. The difference between the deck and the ceiling was three to four meters for the command walkways and one and a half meters more for the control pits. The total number of decks on the bridge tower was somewhere between 20 to 30, with the average spacing of 3 meters.
At a few areas there were portals that appeared at intervals halfway between the main decks. These corresponded to inhabited chambers, rooms, or shafts spanning more than one level.
The sensor array on top of the Mk. I's tower had support beams running diagonally across it. These would later be substituted for vertical ones during a minor refit, which made the array look similar to the one on Mk. II vessels
For sublight propulsion, the Imperial-class relied on an array of three primary Destroyer-I ion engines produced by KDY specifically for the vessels. For emergency situations requiring additional thrust, the Imperial-class could use its four Gemon-4 ion engines.
The Imperial I-class Star Destroyer possessed a main battery of twelve heavy turbolasers and four heavy ion cannons, arranged in eight dual mounts flanking the ship's tower structure.
Strangely, the Star Destroyer's designers did not take advantage of its wedge shape to give these heavy cannons the ability to focus on targets in the forward firing arc that were level with the ship. This could have been accomplished either by superelevating the aft turrets, or merely by spacing the turrets apart over a longer distance of the ship's length.
Possible explanations for this were that superelevation was impossible due to the immense recoils involved (yields were so great that the momentum of the fired bolts and the associated recoil were in the gigaton range), or that spacing the turrets further apart was too great a compromise in terms of power distribution. In any case, the Star Destroyer could bring all its heavy guns to bear by dipping its bow downward.
Numerous smaller and medium guns were mounted around the ship to ward off attacks against lesser ships not capable of being targeted by the main battery. They varied in size; some were designed as point-defense cannon to destroy incoming missiles and starfighters while others engaged lesser capital ships. Some ships, such as Emancipator (ex-Accuser), were refitted with proton torpedo launchers.
The Star Destroyer's weapons were designed to make the vessel a long range warship. The weapons systems were not very capable of targeting at point-blank range, a weakness exploited by the Alliance Fleet at the Battle of Endor.
Imperial-class Star Destroyers typically carried a standard Imperial wing of 6 TIE squadrons, for a total of 72 starfighters. The standard wing included one squadron of TIE/In starfighters, one squadron of TIE/sa starfighters (lower priority ships had to make do with TIE/gt starfighters), one reconnaissance squadron of TIE/rc starfighters, and three TIE/ln starfighter squadrons. One or two flights in a fighter squadron were TIE/fc starfighters. Sometimes, one of the fighter squadrons was used for training purposes. By the Battle of Endor, one of these fighter squadrons had been phased out in favor of a second squadron of TIE Interceptors.
The attack hangar was guarded by a set of armored doors. TIE fighter service and refueling bays, and TIE launch hangars surround the main hangar. TIEs were launched from cycling racks and pilots boarded from overhead gantries and were released into space as they disengaged from the front position in the racks.
Returning fighters landed in separate hangars and then were guided by small tractor beams into receiver-carriers. The receivers carried the TIE to a debarkation station where the pilot would exit. Once moved through the transfer tunnels to a launch hangar, the fighter could be serviced and refueled in a separate bay. In the hangar the TIEs were cycled through a launch rack and ready for the next launch.
The small forward hangar was for shuttle craft carrying high-ranking officials. The forward hangar was also used as a back-up to the main hangar.
Originally known as Imperator-class Star Destroyer until after the Great Jedi Purge, these vessels were designed as massive, powerful, medium-sized warships meant to take the place of older Star Destroyers like the Venator-class. Capable of laying waste to entire worlds (provided those worlds did not have planetary shields), the Imperial-class became infamous as the prime enforcer of Imperial rule.
Victory I-Class
Victory I-class Star Destroyers were 900 meters long, making them some of the largest capital ships capable of atmospheric operations.
A single Victory I-class Star Destroyer required 4,798 crew members and 402 gunners for optimal operation and could transport up to 2,040 troops, 8,100 metric tons of cargo, several ground vehicles like the AT-AT, and two squadrons of starfighters.
Despite being several decades old, the shields and hull armor of Victory I-class ships were still quite heavy compared to the other vessels used during the Galactic Civil War. They were equipped with 10 quad turbolaser batteries, 40 double turbolaser batteries, 80 concussion missiles, and 10 tractor beam projectors.
Super-Class
The Super-class was described as 8,000m long, armed with 250 turbolaser batteries, 250 heavy turbolaser batteries, 250 ion cannons, 250 concussion missile tubes, and 40 tractor beams.
It would carry twelve TIE squadrons (including two TIE Interceptor squadrons) and more than fifty other small craft. For ground operations, it would carry a full corps of ground troops, apparently mixing stormtrooper legions with regular Army personnel, plus 25 AT-ATs, 50 AT-STs, and three prefab garrison bases.
A single ship of this class would be considered the equal of ten or twenty Imperial-class ships, and they were meant to be used as command ships by many of the most important Sector Fleets in the Empire.
Executor Class
The Executor-class measured 19,000 meters in length. 279,144 Imperial Navy officers and enlisted men were said to have crewed the vessel, while 1,590 gunners were said to have operated its over 5,000 turbolasers and ion cannons.
Thirteen engines in five thruster banks gave the Executor-class impressive acceleration for its size. A minimum of 144 starfighters were carried; the massive hangar could hold thousands. Its shields were extremely powerful—equivalent to the total power of a medium star.
The geodesic domes located on and around the Executor's bridge tower (similar to those of Imperial-class Star Destroyers) served dual purposes. Inside the dome were hyperwave transceiver coils for supralight active sensors, while vanes jutting out of the dome served as shield projectors for the surrounding area.
There were many such geodesic domes scattered around the ship, probably to ensure that there were no blind spots for her sensors and to provide a good distribution of shield projector coverage. Concentrated fire on a single area would thus not deprive the ship of all her shield-generating ability.
The bridge tower was almost a starship in itself and a standard module on many warship classes built by KDY. It was equipped with heavy shielding to compensate for its location, and had mess halls, special quarters for officers of high rank, and large escape pods. The admiral aboard the vessel even had his own escape pod, directly above the command bridge and next to admiral's suites. The command tower also had its own power generators, relays, and life-support systems. It was connected to the ship's main reactor by a cluster of power feeds.
During the Battle of Endor, heavy pounding from Alliance warships caused the heavy shields of Executor's bridge tower to falter.
The bridge of the Executor had the same basic layout as standard Star Destroyers. The outer-most part featured nine triangular viewports. The center contained two crewpits which housed the control consoles for the ship. Between them was the command walkway. To the right and left sides of the bridge were two alcoves containing the weapons and defense stations.
Behind the bridge were the communications stations, a turbolift, and a HoloNet pod for ship-to-ship communications. On the level directly beneath the bridge was the main navigation complex.
Imperial I-class
The Imperial I-class belonged to the Star Destroyer family of warship, exemplified by its dagger/arrowhead design. A single Imperial-class vessel cost the Empire more than 3.88 billion Imperial credits, which was the equivalent of several star systems' annual economic output.
It was the premier starship class in the Imperial Navy. All known variants were 1,600 meters long (one mile) and had three large and four small engines capable of accelerating the ship with a force of several thousand g.
According to officially available statistics, Imperial-class Star Destroyers had at least 37,000 officers and crew. Counting the stormtrooper complement (one "division" or "legion", 9,700 men) would total 46,700. This would include a stormtrooper detachment, starfighter pilots, and support craft pilots.
When serving as a flagship, 900 additional personnel were stationed onboard. The Star Destroyer could accommodate up to 1,800 passengers.
For those vessels that entered New Republic service, the New Republic reduced the crew requirements by 8,000, to about 28,000 men.
The crew requirements of the Imperial-class were extraordinarily high. New Republic ships of the closest size tended to have a small fraction of the crew. It is also interesting to note the ISD's high ratio (over 7:1) between full and skeleton complement—a more usual ratio seems to be 4:1 or 5:1 in large vessels.
Possible reasons include:
* Large crew requirements enabled ongoing, intensive recruitment.
* Multiple or redundant onboard crews. Star Destroyers could sustain massive losses and still maintain an operational crew size.
* Allowed for easy placement of Imperial Security Bureau or COMPNOR agents.
* The ISD's six-year endurance requirement passes a certain limit beyond which maintenance requirements greatly increase; large crews of technicians are thus embarked.
* Inferior automation compared to that of latter warships, especially those fielded by the New Republic.
* Multiple shifts, enabling the Imperial-class Star Destroyer to be capable of sustaining days of heavy space combat without suffering from crew fatigue.
The command bridge tower of the Imperial-class Star Destroyer was massive, with the command bridge being very similar to that of the Executor-class. The difference between the deck and the ceiling was three to four meters for the command walkways and one and a half meters more for the control pits. The total number of decks on the bridge tower was somewhere between 20 to 30, with the average spacing of 3 meters.
At a few areas there were portals that appeared at intervals halfway between the main decks. These corresponded to inhabited chambers, rooms, or shafts spanning more than one level.
The sensor array on top of the Mk. I's tower had support beams running diagonally across it. These would later be substituted for vertical ones during a minor refit, which made the array look similar to the one on Mk. II vessels
For sublight propulsion, the Imperial-class relied on an array of three primary Destroyer-I ion engines produced by KDY specifically for the vessels. For emergency situations requiring additional thrust, the Imperial-class could use its four Gemon-4 ion engines.
The Imperial I-class Star Destroyer possessed a main battery of twelve heavy turbolasers and four heavy ion cannons, arranged in eight dual mounts flanking the ship's tower structure.
Strangely, the Star Destroyer's designers did not take advantage of its wedge shape to give these heavy cannons the ability to focus on targets in the forward firing arc that were level with the ship. This could have been accomplished either by superelevating the aft turrets, or merely by spacing the turrets apart over a longer distance of the ship's length.
Possible explanations for this were that superelevation was impossible due to the immense recoils involved (yields were so great that the momentum of the fired bolts and the associated recoil were in the gigaton range), or that spacing the turrets further apart was too great a compromise in terms of power distribution. In any case, the Star Destroyer could bring all its heavy guns to bear by dipping its bow downward.
Numerous smaller and medium guns were mounted around the ship to ward off attacks against lesser ships not capable of being targeted by the main battery. They varied in size; some were designed as point-defense cannon to destroy incoming missiles and starfighters while others engaged lesser capital ships. Some ships, such as Emancipator (ex-Accuser), were refitted with proton torpedo launchers.
The Star Destroyer's weapons were designed to make the vessel a long range warship. The weapons systems were not very capable of targeting at point-blank range, a weakness exploited by the Alliance Fleet at the Battle of Endor.
Imperial-class Star Destroyers typically carried a standard Imperial wing of 6 TIE squadrons, for a total of 72 starfighters. The standard wing included one squadron of TIE/In starfighters, one squadron of TIE/sa starfighters (lower priority ships had to make do with TIE/gt starfighters), one reconnaissance squadron of TIE/rc starfighters, and three TIE/ln starfighter squadrons. One or two flights in a fighter squadron were TIE/fc starfighters. Sometimes, one of the fighter squadrons was used for training purposes. By the Battle of Endor, one of these fighter squadrons had been phased out in favor of a second squadron of TIE Interceptors.
The attack hangar was guarded by a set of armored doors. TIE fighter service and refueling bays, and TIE launch hangars surround the main hangar. TIEs were launched from cycling racks and pilots boarded from overhead gantries and were released into space as they disengaged from the front position in the racks.
Returning fighters landed in separate hangars and then were guided by small tractor beams into receiver-carriers. The receivers carried the TIE to a debarkation station where the pilot would exit. Once moved through the transfer tunnels to a launch hangar, the fighter could be serviced and refueled in a separate bay. In the hangar the TIEs were cycled through a launch rack and ready for the next launch.
The small forward hangar was for shuttle craft carrying high-ranking officials. The forward hangar was also used as a back-up to the main hangar.
Originally known as Imperator-class Star Destroyer until after the Great Jedi Purge, these vessels were designed as massive, powerful, medium-sized warships meant to take the place of older Star Destroyers like the Venator-class. Capable of laying waste to entire worlds (provided those worlds did not have planetary shields), the Imperial-class became infamous as the prime enforcer of Imperial rule.
Victory I-Class
Victory I-class Star Destroyers were 900 meters long, making them some of the largest capital ships capable of atmospheric operations.
A single Victory I-class Star Destroyer required 4,798 crew members and 402 gunners for optimal operation and could transport up to 2,040 troops, 8,100 metric tons of cargo, several ground vehicles like the AT-AT, and two squadrons of starfighters.
Despite being several decades old, the shields and hull armor of Victory I-class ships were still quite heavy compared to the other vessels used during the Galactic Civil War. They were equipped with 10 quad turbolaser batteries, 40 double turbolaser batteries, 80 concussion missiles, and 10 tractor beam projectors.
Super-Class
The Super-class was described as 8,000m long, armed with 250 turbolaser batteries, 250 heavy turbolaser batteries, 250 ion cannons, 250 concussion missile tubes, and 40 tractor beams.
It would carry twelve TIE squadrons (including two TIE Interceptor squadrons) and more than fifty other small craft. For ground operations, it would carry a full corps of ground troops, apparently mixing stormtrooper legions with regular Army personnel, plus 25 AT-ATs, 50 AT-STs, and three prefab garrison bases.
A single ship of this class would be considered the equal of ten or twenty Imperial-class ships, and they were meant to be used as command ships by many of the most important Sector Fleets in the Empire.