Essex II (WarShip class)

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This article is about the second Essex destroyer design most commonly associated with the name "Essex". For other uses, see Essex (disambiguation).
Essex TRO2750.jpg
Essex
Production information
Manufacturer Mitchell Vehicles
Introduced 2711[1]
Production Year 2711[2]
Use Destroyer
Tech Base Star League
Cost 1,893,822,000 C-bills
Technical specifications
Mass 620,000 tons
Length 615 meters
Sail Diameter 1,120 meters
Fuel 3,000 tons
Burn Rate
Safe Thrust 1.5 g
Top Thrust 2.5 g
Sail Integrity 4
KF Drive Integrity 13
LF Battery No
Armament
Armor 306 tons of MVT CL200 Improved Ferro-Aluminum
DropShip Capacity None
Crew 208[3]
  • 35 Officers
  • 142 Enlisted
  • 31 Gunners

(Crew Types)[4]

  • 30 Pilots / Engineers
  • 37 Junior Officers / Other Crew (Non-Engineers)
  • 141 Secondary Engineers

Bay Personnel: 32

Grav Decks 1 x 55 meter diameter
Escape Pods/Life Boats 6/6
Heat Sinks 746 Double Heat Sinks
Structural Integrity 60
BV (1.0) 62,357[5]
BV (2.0) 60,935[6]



Description[edit]

The second class of WarShip to bear the name, the Essex-class destroyer (also known as Essex II) was designed in response to the Star League Navy's request for a quick destroyer that could also make sustained voyages far from support, replacing the older Baron, Carson, and the Naga-class which had in turn replaced the original HAF era Essex I-class in 2645.[3]

The modern SLS Essex slipped its moorings from the Mitchell Vehicles shipyards above Graham IV in late 2711. Because its designers had wished to emphasize the vessel's swiftness and reliability, they had given it three compact and dependable lnterSystem Class VII engines, built by the Saro Company of Keid, which produce great thrust. The ship's computer systems were built by the Nirasaki Computers Collective, allowing the Essex's crew to do everything from monitor remote surveillance satellites to orchestrating corvette squadrons.

However, the Essex was noted for its ammunition bays, which were too lightly armored to protect its missiles and autocannon shells adequately, and became quite evident with the destruction of Essex destroyers in action against Periphery forces in the 2730s and during the Amaris-Kerensky Civil War. Of the 300 examples of the class sailed,[1] less than thirty survived the campaign to liberate Terra and the bulk left with the Exodus Fleet, but surviving examples continue to serve in the fleets of ComStar, the Free Worlds League, the Word of Blake as well as various Clan toumans.

Armament[edit]

The Essex's main weapons are its twelve Whirlwind-20 Series NAC/20s, manufactured by Karon Naval Armaments of Terra and unmatched for reliability, mounted in four turrets. The Essex carries three missile tubes capable of firing Barracuda missiles, the smallest and smartest of the three standard missile types used by the Star League Navy. The remainder of the vessel's weaponry consists of a mixture of Magna-35 NL35s and Rand-10 Medium NPPCs.

Cargo[edit]

Lacking Docking collars, the Essex has a single 132,634 ton capacity cargo bay, with four Small Craft bays and a single door, six fighter capacity aerospace fighter bay located amidships with entry and exit doors port and starboard.

Variants[edit]

  • Clan 
    Those vessels that survived the genesis of the Star League in Exile continue to serve in the Clan toumans, with upgrades beginning in 2862. Beyond a reduction in armor and cargo space to allow the Essex to carry a Star of OmniFighters and an additional 6 small craft, Clan technicians also added a Lithium-Fusion Battery, while the most notable modification is refitting the ships with the advanced Athena-3 computer system. Far superior to those of the Star League, the Athena-3 can control almost all shipboard functions so a skeleton crew of 25 can run it, though normally it only monitors the ship's system.[3]

See Also[edit]

Gallery[edit]

Notes[edit]

  1. 1.0 1.1 BattleSpace sourcebook, p. 54
  2. MUL online date for the Essex II (WarShip class)
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 Technical Readout: 3057 Revised, p. 138: "Essex Profile"
  4. BattleSpace rulebook, p. 63
  5. AeroTech 2 Record Sheets, p. 291
  6. https://masterunitlist.info/Unit/Details/3828/black-lion-battlecruiser-2691

Bibliography[edit]