Vigilant
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| 200px | |
| Vigilant | |
| Production information | |
| Manufacturer | |
| Introduced | 2320 |
| Production Year | 2320[1] |
| Use | Corvette |
| Tech Base | Star League |
| Cost | 1,484,746,000 Cbills |
| Technical specifications | |
| Mass | 140,000 tons |
| Length | 266 meters |
| Sail Diameter | 660 meters |
| Fuel | 1,000 tons (5,000) |
| Burn Rate | 19.75 |
| Safe Thrust | 1.5 g |
| Top Thrust | 2.5 g |
| Sail Integrity | 3 |
| KF Drive Integrity | 5 |
| LF Battery | No |
| Armament | 5 x NAC/10s 4 x Large Lasers 4 x PPCs 3 x AC/10s 3 x White Sharks |
| Armor | Fore: 16 Fore-Sides: 16 Aft-Sides: 14 Aft: 13 Standard Armor |
| DropShip Capacity | None |
| Crew | 256 |
| Grav Decks | 1 x 30 meter diameter |
| Escape Pods/Life Boats | 20/20 |
| Heat Sinks | 800 Heat Sinks |
| Structural Integrity | 33 |
| BV (1.0) | 21,599[2] |
Description
Designed shortly after the Bonaventure-class corvette, the Vigilant was designed for reconnaissance and surveillance, and most frequently was deployed in paired-pair squadrons with Bonaventures. The Vigilant is small—in fact, very small for a combat JumpShip. The Vigilant is only slightly more massive than a Merchant-class JumpShip, and bow to stern distance is actually shorter than the height of a Behemoth-class DropShip, or the diameter of a Mammoth-class DropShip.[2]
In 2409, the Capellan Confederation invaded Terra Firma, despite the best efforts of Vigilant-class vessels. In the wake of the invasion, the Vigilant was slowly relegated to mothballs or sold to the navies of neighboring great houses. The Vigilant, like the Bonaventure, were officially replaced in 2432 by the introduction of the Vincent Mk. 39-class corvette.[2]
The Terran Hegemony would later sell these ships to the major Inner Sphere interstellar powers. While in service of other navies, these ships would see action in Periphery during the Reunification War and later conflicts.[3][4] The Federated Suns had at least ten Vigilants active during the Case AMBER ambush at Tentativa, although the losses to the Federated Suns Navy during that engagement were considerable.[5] The Capellan Confederation kept three Vigilants in service during the Star League era alongside three Vincent-class corvettes,[6] while the Lyran Commonwealth was operating four Vigilants in 2765.[7] The greatest user of the Vigilant at this point in time was the Rim Worlds Republic, however; the Republican navy consisted of more than two hundred and seventy WarShips in April 2765, of which thirty were Vigilants.[8]
Two Vigilants were restored to active service by the Draconis Combine during the Succession Wars and were destroyed in 2853 in battle over Hesperus II.[9]
Armament
For its size, the Vigilant was very well armed. The vessel boasted five small naval autocannons, and three White Shark missile systems. The ship also possessed lasers, autocannons and PPCs. However, the Vigilant's targeting and tracking system made it difficult to adequately utilize its armament. The Vigilant was poorly armored, and its acceleration was unimpressive.[2]
Cargo
Like the Bonaventure-class with which Vigilants were frequently paired, the Vigilant was not designed for cargo. The Vigilant has no DropShip collars, and only three bays. Bay 1 is capable of transporting a squadron of Aerospace Fighters. Bay 2 is designed for cargo, with a mere 13,514.5 tons of capacity. Bay 3 can manage up to 4 small craft.[2]
Named Vessels
- Draconis Combine
- DCS Iwate
- DCS Pacheco - also destroyed by the LCS Invincible at Hesperus II in 2853 during a later battle.[10]
- DCS Wakayama
- DCS Wyrm - one of the last surviving WarShips in service with the Draconis Combine during the Succession Wars, the Wyrm was destroyed by the LCS Invincible at Hesperus II in 2853.[11]
- Federated Suns
- Free Worlds League
See Also
References
- ↑ MUL online date for the Vigilant
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Technical Readout: 3057 Revised, p. 188, "Vigilant Corvette Profile"
- ↑ Historical: Reunification War, p.67 Malagrotta, "Federated Suns Order of Battle" - Vigilant's ships are listed and named.
- ↑ Combat Operations, pp. 123,126,128,131,133 - Force Faction Tables for CapCom, FedSuns, FWL, and House Steiner - Shows the Vigilant listed as part of their pre-31st Century Warship navy.
- ↑ Historical: Reunification War, p. 69, "Battle for Tentativa"
- ↑ Field Report: Capellan Confederation 2765, p. 5, "Guarding the Vault of Heaven"
- ↑ Field Report: Lyran Commonwealth 2765, p. 5, "The Vacuum Fleet"
- ↑ Field Report 2765: Periphery, p. 4, "WarShips of the Territorial States"
- ↑ Tactics of Desperation, Part 1 (BattleCorps Scenario)
- ↑ Tactics of Desperation, Part II (BattleCorps Scenario)
- ↑ Tactics of Desperation, Part 1 (BattleCorps Scenario)