Tharkad (WarShip class)
Sarna News
| |
| Tharkad | |
| Production information | |
| Manufacturer | Bolson-Tamar Shipyards |
| Introduced | 2690 |
| Use | Battlecruiser |
| Tech Base | Inner Sphere |
| Cost | 20,341,685,416 C-Bills |
| Technical specifications | |
| Mass | 900,000 tons |
| Length | 975m |
| Sail Diameter | |
| Fuel | |
| Burn Rate | |
| Safe Thrust | |
| Top Thrust | 5 |
| Sail Integrity | |
| KF Drive Integrity | |
| LF Battery | Yes |
| Armament | *4 NL35
|
| Armor | Ferro-carbide |
| DropShip Capacity | 6 |
| Crew | 474 |
| Grav Decks | 2 (95m) |
| Escape Pods/Life Boats | 30/35 |
| Heat Sinks | 7,000 |
| Structural Integrity | |
| BV (1.0) | 205,482 |
Description
The first in a line of new WarShips for the Lyran Commonwealth during the Star League, the Tharkad class Battlecruiser was easily the match for the vast majority of it's contemporaries, only really outclassed by the Texas and McKenna Battleships. Carrying a vast array of weaponry, moderately heavy armor, and above average speed, the Tharkad helped enforce Lyran will accross the nation. Unfortunately for the Lyran navy, barely more then 20 were produced between it's introduction in 2690 and the destruction of the Bolson-Tamar Shipyards in the beginning of the First Succession War.
Combat losses, both in material and crew, wittled away at the number of functional Tharkad's until finally one remained, the LCS Invincible. Dispatched in 2853 to help the forces defending Hesperus II from Kuritan invaders, the now near-decrepit Invincible was successful in breaking the DCMS blockade and ended the battle. The ship disapeared after jumping from Hesperus II and was thought lost to a misjump or jump drive failure, although even the most hopeful could hardly guess the Invincible's final fate.
In November of 3067 the member states of the second Star League gathered on the Lyran capitol of Tharkad for the Fourth Star League Conference. There above the icey blue skies of Tharkad the LCS Invincible reappeared, apparently found derelict by the Word of Blake and repaired to operational capacity, escorted by serval other Blakist WarShips. When the Star League dissolved, thanks mostly to the withdrawal of the Capellan Confederation, Federated Suns, and Lyran Alliance itself, the Word of Blake unleashed the wrath of the Invincible on her classes namesake, detonating a nuclear reactor and sowing chaos across the capitol. The planet would spend the next 4+ years under the thumb of the Word with the help of the Invincible until finally a task force broke though, liberating the system and even capturing the Invincible, putting her back in Lyran hands for the first time in over 200 years.
Armament
The Tharkad is armed primarily with a wide variety of Naval grade autocannons and lasers, providing a selection of weapons to properly respond to an enemy threat without needlessly wasting firepower on smaller targets. The vessel does carry a number of Medium and Heavy Naval PPC's and four massive Heavy Naval Gauss canons, making the Tharkad a threat to heavier WarShips as well. Unusual for it's era, the Tharkad carries a significant number of conventional weapons to fight off aerospace fighters. WarShips of the time usually relied on their attending dropships to provide screens against enemy fighters and, although the practice is commonplace on modern WarShips, conventional weapons were often seen as a waste of tonnage on vessels deployed during the Age of War and the Star League. Outside of the ships strong armor and prolific firepower, this ability to fend for itself was likely one of the reasons that the LCS Invincible was one of the last functional warships in the Inner Sphere until the Clan Invasion.
Cargo
44,914.5 tons
- Bay 1: 36 Fighters
- Bay 2: 8 Small Craft
- Bay 3: Cargo
Named Vessels
- LCS Tharkad (Destroyed)
- LCS (LAS) Invincible