Congress
Sarna News
| |
| Congress | |
| Production information | |
| Manufacturer | DeKirk Aerospace |
| Introduced | 2542 |
| Production Year | 2542[1] |
| Use | Convoy Escort/Reconnaissance |
| Tech Base | Star League |
| Cost | 3,608,247,000 C-bills |
| Technical specifications | |
| Mass | 760,000 tons |
| Length | 703 meters |
| Sail Diameter | 1,207 meters |
| Fuel | 2,000 tons |
| Burn Rate | |
| Safe Thrust | 1.5 g |
| Top Thrust | 2.5 g |
| Sail Integrity | 4 |
| KF Drive Integrity | 16 |
| LF Battery | No |
| Armament |
|
| Armor | 487 tons of Blue Nose 440CL Ferro-Carbide |
| DropShip Capacity | 2 |
| Crew | 256 |
| Grav Decks | 1 x 90 meter diameter |
| Escape Pods/Life Boats | 8/8 |
| Heat Sinks | 604 Double Heat Sinks |
| Structural Integrity | 75 |
| BV (1.0) | 78,469 |
| BV (2.0) | ??? |
Contents
Description[edit]
Built to replace the sluggish and outmoded Quixote-class, the Congress-class frigate was one of the swiftest convoy escort and reconnaissance WarShips built in the twenty-sixth century.
Introduced in 2542, the genesis of the Congress was marred by a three year legal battle after Challenge Systems of the Federated Suns world of Galax accused DeKirk Aerospace of industrial espionage and theft of the ship's design, with the Terran Hegemony finally brokering a compromise deal in 2540. While no party admitted liability, Challenge was included as a partner in construction and the Armed Forces of the Federated Suns received a heavy discount on orders for the Congress with the more advanced Hegemony technology absent.
Capable of 1.5 Gs of acceleration, the Congress was swift and well-armed for a convoy escort of the era, also equipped with some of the most advanced and sophisticated sensor systems to perform its secondary role as an information-gathering vessel in enemy territory. Every cubic centimeter of the Congress is used to maximum effect, yet is comfortable and still allows access to all major systems for easy maintenance, a hallmark of DeKirk Aerospace's design work. The Congress's only real flaw was its relatively lackluster aerospace fighter support and anti-Fighter defenses, which many vessels attempted to remedy by carrying DropShips such as the Vengeance-class fighter carrier or the Pentagon-class, an assault gunship originally designed exclusively for use with the Congress.
Such a balanced mix of speed, sensor ability and firepower, the Congress was so well received that the Terran Hegemony and the Star League saw no need to replace the 200 examples of the class for many years. A small amount of the comfortable and easy to maintain ships survived the liberation of Terra, with a number of Congress-class vessels appearing in both the Clan toumans and ComStar naval fleets.
Armament[edit]
The Congress's main armament is sixteen Naval Autocannons, eight Armstrong LN-10 Naval Autocannon NAC/10's along the forward angles and eight Oriente-30 NAC/30s mounted in the rear quarters, secondary firepower coming in the form of Capital Missile Launchers with a massive Killer Whale missile tube mounted in the nose, with a White Shark launcher fitted in each broadside. Eight Magna Large Lasers provide scant protection against fighters.
Cargo[edit]
The Congress features a single 172,085 ton capacity cargo bay, flanked by launch bays for four Small Craft and six aerospace fighters. While the Congress carries two docking collars, it rarely carries troop or 'Mech carrier DropShips, favoring assault ships and fighter carriers to suit its intended role.
Variants[edit]
- Clan
- Those vessels that serve in the various Clan toumans differ little from the original SLDF version beyond the addition of HarJel based hull sealant technology, boosting the fighter bay to ten OmniFighters to suit Clan military structure and the addition of a Lithium-Fusion Battery. BV (1.0) = 79,122[2]
- Davion
- As concessions for the alleged industrial espionage resulting in the design of the Congress-class frigate, the Federated Suns were allowed to purchase Congresses. These vessels were designated Congress-D and lacked the advanced sensors of the Hegemony versions. Instead the forward firing NAC/10s of the Congress were replaced by NAC/30s in the Congress-D. BV (2.0) = 77,655[3]
Named Vessels[edit]
Notes[edit]
- In German products, the unit's proper name was perfectly (at least prior to Reform of German Orthography in 1996) translated to Kongreß.
Gallery[edit]
Original Congress from TRO:2750
Clan refit Congress from TRO:3057
Miniature of Congress-class WDWS Beowulf from AeroTech 2 Revised
Miniature of Congress-class CHH Bucephalus from AeroTech 2 Revised
Miniature of Congress-class CJF Kerensky's Pride from AeroTech 2 Revised
Miniature of Congress-class CSV Snake Leader from AeroTech 2 Revised
A Congress in action as a part of Task Force Leonidas from Historical: Liberation of Terra Volume 2
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References[edit]
- ↑ MUL online date for the Congress
- ↑ AeroTech 2 Record Sheets, p. 299
- ↑ Field Report 2765: AFFS, p. 28