Karka (Individual Soyal-class WarShip)

(Redirected from Karka)
Karka
Vessel Profile
TypeWarShip
ClassSoyal

History[edit]

The Karka was a Soyal-class heavy cruiser in service with the Free Worlds League Navy. Active during the First Succession War, the Karka and a sister ship, the FWLS Makara, were two of the ships dispatched to counter the third invasion of Oriente in late 2805. The Karka and Makara 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. With the bulk of the planetary defenses destroyed or damaged during the first two invasions, the Capellan Confederation Armed Forces task force - escorted by every WarShip the CCAF could assemble quickly, a total of four Vincent-class corvettes, two Essex-class destroyers and the damaged Du Shi Wang-class battleship CCS Duncan Liao - had been active in the Oriente system for several weeks, supporting the ground forces.[1]

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.[1]

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.[1]

References[edit]

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 First Succession War, p. 85, "Objective Oriente - Strike Three and Out"

Bibliography[edit]