Liberator (WarShip class)

This article is about the WarShip design. For other uses, see Liberator.

Liberator
Production information
Manufacturer	Clans
Introduced	(see Notes)
Production Year	3024
Use	Cruiser
Tech Base	Clan
Technical specifications
Mass	830,000 tons
Length	855 meters
Sail Diameter	1,450 meters
Fuel	4,500 tons
Burn Rate	39.52
Safe Thrust	1.5 g
Top Thrust	2.5 g
Sail Integrity	5
KF Drive Integrity	17
LF Battery	Yes
Armament	24x Large Laser 24x Small Laser 8x Medium Pulse Laser 8x LB 20-X AC 8x Ultra AC/10 12x LRM-20 with Artemis IV FCS 8x NAC/20 4x NAC/30 12x Naval Laser 35 6x Naval Laser 45 12x Naval Laser 55 8x Heavy NPPC 4x Light Naval Gauss 4x Heavy Naval Gauss
Armor	949.5 tons Ferro-Carbide
DropShip Capacity	6
Crew	419 71 Officers 275 Enlisted 73 Gunners Bay Personnel: 120
Grav Decks	1 x 145 meters diameter
Escape Pods/Life Boats	60/40
Heat Sinks	592 double
Structural Integrity	85
BV (1.0)	78,649

Description

The Liberator-class cruiser is a refitted design based on the SLDF's Avatar-class heavy cruiser, a design dating back to 2531. Five vessels in SLDF service, along with one of the three captured by Rim Worlds Republic forces survived to join Aleksandr Kerensky's Exodus fleet. Thanks in part to Kerensky's need for their cargo and DropShip capacity, they were later mothballed after seeing use in Operation KLONDIKE and the fleet's settlement in the Pentagon Cluster.

In the thirty-first century, as the Clans began to mobilize for their invasion of the Inner Sphere, these ships were reactivated, upgraded, and (some) renamed to take part in the conquest. Among the vessels' upgrades was the replacement of their conventional armor with Ferro-Carbide armor, which provided 50% greater protection without sacrificing cargo space. The ship proved to be very versatile, being able to carry out small planetary assaults, naval battles, or boarding actions on its own.

Armament

Compared to their original design, the Liberator's weaponry was focused more on anti-fighter duty, although it still packed a sufficient capital punch. Twenty-four large and 24 medium lasers cover all firing arcs on the ship, providing anti-fighter firepower. They are supported by 8 Medium Pulse Lasers, 8 LB 10-X ACs, 10 Ultra AC-10s and 12 Artemis IV FCS-controlled LRM-20s, concentrated on the fore and aft firing arcs. 8 NAC/20s with 320 tons (or 800 rounds) of ammo and 4 NAC/30s with 320 tons (or 400 rounds) of ammo provide hard-hitting ballistic firepower divided between the ship's fore and aft. 4 heavy and 4 light naval Gauss rifles, with 200 and 40 tons of ammo respectively, provide broadside firepower. For capital-strength energy weapons the Liberator carries 12 NL-35, 6 NL-45, 12 NL-55s, and 8 Heavy NPPCs spread between fore, aft and broadside firing arcs.

Cargo

The Liberator has enough cabin space to support three stars of aerospace fighters, two stars of Elementals for boarding actions, and an additional cluster of conventional troops.

• Bay 1: Aerospace fighters (30), 6 doors
• Bay 2: Elemental Points (10), 2 doors
• Bay 3: Cargo (50,395.5 tons), 1 door

See Also

• Category:Individual Liberator-class WarShips

Notes

• There is conflicting information on when the Liberator class was actually designed. The writeup seems to suggest the redesign of the Avatar was only devised when the ships were reactivated in the 31st century. But there are indications that the Liberator upgrade may be much older, possibly as old as the Avatar class itself:
  • Technical Readout: 3057 Revised states an introduction year of 2525, which is six years prior to the Avatar entering service.
  • The SLS Morello, a ship that joined Kerensky's Exodus Fleet, was explicitly listed as a Liberator class vessel in 2874 when the fleet gathered, suggesting at least one such refit already existed by then (possibly a proof-of-concept or prototype vessel). It is not known if the Morello was among the six Avatar class vessels in the fleet, or counted separately.

• In German products, the unit's proper name was translated to Befreier.

Gallery

• 

  Original Clan refit Liberator from TRO:3057

Bibliography

• Field Report: Clans
• Shadows of War (novel)
• Technical Readout: 3057
• Technical Readout: 3057 Revised