Rapier (Naval Vessel class)

This article is about the blue water naval vessel. For other uses, see Rapier (disambiguation).

Rapier Patrol Destroyer
Production information
Manufacturer	Federated Suns
Use	Naval Fire Support, Sea Patrol, Pirate Hunting
Tech Base	Star League Advanced (Non-Tournament Legal) Technology
Chassis Type (Size)	Naval Vessel, Large (Large, Template C)
Equipment Rating
Introduced	2943
Technical specifications
Mass	8,500 Tons
Top Speed	86.4 km/h
Power Plant	electric (fuel cell)
Fuel (Type/Range)	8,347 km
Communications System	Unspecified
Fire Control System	Advanced
Armament	8x ER PPC 2x LRM-20 2x Arrow IV 2x LRT-20 2x ER large laser 2x TAG
Heat Sinks	186 single
Armor	Unspecified
Barrier Armor Rating (BAR)	10
Crew	227 22 officers 48 enlisted/non-rated 58 gunners 15 bay personnel 84 jump infantry

Description

The Rapier Patrol Destroyer was designed as the Federated Suns' principal wet navy patrol asset. In service since just before the dawn of the thirty-first century, the Rapier has been used on many worlds which have oceans to keep the peace on the high seas and support ground troops with its firepower. The Rapier also has a secondary disaster relief role, providing medical and other support to affected coastal regions. Although Rapier sections can be shipped to a world for construction on-site, the ships were designed specifically so that two of them could be transported in the cargo hold of a modified Mammoth-class DropShip, allowing them to be deployed as part of an invasion force.

The Rapier was originally introduced in 2943 but received an update to its current standard model shortly after the Clan Invasion. Compared to the original vessel the modern Rapier's weaponry includes similar but more advanced lostech versions as well as more armoring, cargo space and fuel capacity since being introduced in 3054. During the opening years of the Jihad, dozens of Rapiers are thought to have been sunk in conflict with the Word of Blake. Some of these ships were sunk by orbiting Pocket WarShips and pirate vessels using capital or sub-capital grade weaponry.

Armament and Capabilities

The ship's principal weaponry is found in three armored turrets. The ship boasts eight extended range particle projector cannons, with four in Turret One and a pair each in Turrets Two and Three. The ship has four extended range large lasers, with two fitted in Turret One and two more covering the rear left and right firing arcs. The ship has a pair of 20-tubed long-range missile launchers mounted on its bow, with six tons or thirty-six racks of ammunition to fire between them. It also has a pair of 20-tubed long range torpedo launchers dedicated to antisubmarine warfare. These torpedo launchers mounted on the front left and right of the ship's bow are supplied with four tons of ammunition for twenty-four volleys. For artillery support, the ship carries two Arrow IV launchers and TAG mounted in Turret Two, with eight tons of ammunition set aside for forty reloads. All of the Rapier's ammunition is found in the main body of the vessel, protected by CASE, and its weaponry guided by the ship's advanced fire control system.

With its 1,997-ton fuel cell engine, the Rapier can maintain a cruising speed of 54 km/h and can travel over 8,000 km thanks to a little over 2,500 tons of fuel. The ship is also well-protected with twenty-nine tons of armoring spread evenly around its hull and turrets. In addition, the Rapier mounts ten tons of communication equipment, a MASH unit with five operating theaters, a helipad, a field kitchen and thirty lifeboats.

Cargo

• 1,044 tons standard cargo bay - 2 doors (left stern/right stern)
• 4 infantry bays (jump infantry)
• 3 light vehicle bays

Variants

• Rapier-class Patrol Destroyer (Original) 

  The original design of the Rapier, this model only has Succession Wars Era technology fitted on them, lacking the Star League Era technology the current incarnation has.

Named Vessels

• ex–FSS Duladier - The Duladier was part of a trio of Rapiers that were deployed to the Sarna March world of Liao in the 3050s. The ship, along with its sister ships, surrendered to House Liao forces in 3057 during Operation Guerrero. It remained decommissioned for a decade, until Liao's Home Guard began recommissioning other Rapiers as fire support vessels. The Duladier was considered a candidate for a conversion into an aircraft carrier to support other ships that were vulnerable to air attacks in 3067. It's not known whether the ship survived the Blakist invasion during the Jihad.

Related Designs

• Andryusha-class Bombardment Frigate. Two of the three Rapiers that were stationed on Liao were converted to artillery fire support design by the Capellan Confederation in 3065. The design includes Long Tom artillery pieces instead of the Arrow IV launchers.

Notes

As of this writing, there are no published record sheets for either Standard or Original versions of the Rapier-class patrol destroyer at this, nor is there any official listing for its Battle Value in its profile on the Master Unit List for Catalyst Game Labs.

Bibliography

• Handbook: House Davion
• Handbook: House Liao
• Master Unit List
• TechManual