Duncan Liao (Individual Du Shi Wang-class WarShip)
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- This article is about the WarShip. For the eponymous character, see Duncan Liao.
| Duncan Liao | |
|---|---|
| Vessel Profile | |
| Type | WarShip |
| Class | Du Shi Wang |
| In service until | 2805 (destroyed) |
The CCS Duncan Liao was a Du Shi Wang-class battleship belonging to the Capellan Confederation Navy. It was active since at least 2765, but was likely constructed closer to 2380 when the Du Shi Wang-class was launched.[1][2]
History[edit]
Duncan Liao was severely damaged in the December 2804 first invasion of Oriente. Despite encountering no opposing WarShips, her small fleet of three other WarShips took heavy casualties from nuclear armed Aerospace Fighters, conscripted civilian DropShips, and Oriente's impressive SDS system which was mostly centered around the capital city of Cadiz. The invasion was ultimately unsuccessful with Capellan forces destroying the cities of Lugo, Mercia, and Soria at the cost of the other three WarShips.[3]
Duncan Liao was still undergoing repairs during the second invasion of Oriente but would be pressed into service along with every other WarShip the CCAF could assemble for the September 2805 third invasion despite not being fully repaired. The rest of this fleet consisted of four Vincent-class corvettes, two Essex-class destroyers.
They had been active in the Oriente system for several weeks, supporting the ground forces still there and bringing more troops trying to end with the remnants of the planetary defenses destroyed or damaged during the first two invasions.
The Free Worlds League sent the Karka, a Soyal-class heavy cruiser and a sister ship, the FWLS Makara, and deployed alongside two League II-class destroyers under the overall command of the FWLS Bismarck, one of the few Atreus class battleships still in service by this point in time.[4]
Arriving at the Oriente zenith jump point, the Bismarck's task force attacked the Capellan JumpShips there, capturing two and destroying the remainder within twenty minutes of their arrival. The Bismarck then dispatched the two League-class destroyers to escort the Free Worlds League Military ground forces on their approach to Oriente, before moving to intercept the Capellan WarShips, flanked by the Karka and Makara. The three WarShips made an in-system jump to a pirate point between Oriente and its two moons, surprising the Capellan WarShips; as the Bismarck moved swiftly to engage the Duncan Liao, the two Soyals began making long-range attacks against the Capellan ships, while all three WarShips launched their aerospace fighters.[4]
The resulting naval engagement lasted thirty minutes; the Capellan forces enjoyed a numerical advantage, but the League ships were in much better condition and had the advantage in terms of number of fighters. The Duncan Liao was destroyed, with her shattered remains left to fall into Oriente's gravity well; one of the Essex-class destroyers had surrendered, while the other Capellan WarShips had all been destroyed, and only a single squadron of Capellan aerospace fighters managed to make it to the surface of Oriente to join the ground forces. The Capellan forces had managed to destroy the Makara and a third of the League aerospace fighters, as well as crippling the Bismarck's K-F drive, but the League now had control of Oriente's orbital space, leaving the ground troops free to break the siege.[4]