Lola III

This article is about the third Lola-class WarShip. For other uses, see Lola.
Lola I TRO2750.jpg
Lola III
Production information
Manufacturer Boeing Interstellar[1]
Introduced 2662
Production Year 2662[2]
Use Destroyer
Tech Base Star League
Cost 6,656,410,600 C-Bills[3]
Technical specifications
Mass 680,000 tons[4]
Length 653 meters
Sail Diameter 1,100 meters
Fuel 1,200 tons
Burn Rate 39.52
Safe Thrust 2 g
Top Thrust 3 g
Sail Integrity 4
KF Drive Integrity 14
LF Battery No
Armament
Armor 322 tons Boeing D-Span Ferro-Carbide
DropShip Capacity 0
Crew 218[5]
  • 38 Officers
  • 143 Enlisted
  • 37 Gunners

(Crew Types)[6]

  • 50 Pilots / Engineers
  • 41 Junior Officers / Other Crew (Non-Engineers)
  • 63 Secondary Engineers

Bay Personnel: 32

Grav Decks None
Escape Pods/Life Boats 8/0
Heat Sinks 742 double
Structural Integrity 50
BV (1.0) 59,501[7]

Description[edit]

The third WarShip class to be named after the famous Rear Admiral Adelaide Lola, the Lola III first entered service with the Star League Navy in 2662. Designed to be quick and inexpensive to build, the Lola III was strong enough to provide escort duty in the Periphery, and dependable enough for extended picket duty within the Terran Hegemony. It is the most heavily armed and armored destroyer designed, due in part to Boeing Interstellar's consultation with BattleMech designers to implement "baffled space", a concept that uses a cushion layer between the inner and outer hull to absorb hits. However, this construction technique increased the ship's weight which, in combination with its oversized engines, continued the earlier Block I and Block II vessels' cramped living conditions.[1][8]

Boeing Interstellar's Galax yards were one of the few Star League production facilities found outside of the Terran Hegemony.[9] These yards produced Lola IIIs until the Amaris Civil War, which a large number of the 470 launched did survive,[10] and were the second-most numerous WarShip class within the Exodus Fleet. The Clans were able to improve the class thanks to their technological advancement, primarily increasing available space and reducing crew requirements. Following their subsequent return to the Inner Sphere, the Lola III has continued to serve in most Clan naval toumans, though it was inaccurately reported in 3057 that Clan Wolf and Clan Nova Cat had none of the vessels.[5]

Comstar and the Word of Blake maintained a handful of Lola vessels until the splinter sect's destructive Jihad.[11] Clan Nova Cat lost the last of their Lolas in the creation of the Republic of the Sphere, and Clan Diamond Shark converted theirs to an Aimag base, leaving few examples of the once numerous class in use in the IlClan era.

Armament[edit]

The Lola III carries twelve Hellion-55 Naval Laser 55s located in four turrets spaced evenly to cover all firing arcs and provide long-range firepower. A pair of White Shark missile launchers are located in the ship's fore section, and four Barracuda missile launchers are divided between its port and starboard sides, with a fifth Barracuda launcher covering the ship's rear firing arc. Sixteen Luxor-10 Naval Autocannon/10s and four Maxell-45 Naval Laser 45s are framed around both entrances to the ship's hangars, providing additional broadside coverage. When fully stocked, a Lola III carries twelve White Shark missiles, twenty Barracuda missiles, and 400 rounds of autocannon ammunition.[1][5]

Cargo[edit]

The ship has three cargo bays, allowing it to carry a total of 117,178 tons of cargo. The first bay typically carries six aerospace fighters, while the second carries four Small Craft, leaving the third to carry general cargo. The loss of 2 bay doors from the previous Blocks is notable, though the doors of the small craft and fighters are interchangeable.[1][5]

Variants[edit]

  • Clan 
    Begun in 2841, the Clans upgraded Lola III makes several modifications to the original version. Most notably, an advanced computer system decreased the number of crew from 254 to 220. This allows the ship to carry ten aerospace fighters and ten Small Craft, providing it additional protection against enemy fighters, though more than doubling the number of bay personnel and their bunk crew accommodations. The ship has also been fitted with a Lithium-Fusion Battery at the cost of armor tonnage (286.5 tons) and cargo bay size (108,613.5 tons).[5]

Related WarShips[edit]

  • M-5 Drone: The Lola II served as the basis for the WarShips of the Terran Hegemony's Space Defense System.[12] Popularly known as the Caspar drone, these ships were the main combat unit of the SDS.[13]

See Also[edit]

Gallery[edit]

References[edit]

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Technical Readout: 2750, pp. 130–131
  2. MUL online date for the Lola III
  3. https://masterunitlist.info/Unit/Details/4533/lola-iii-destroyer-2662
  4. The vessel's mass was originally given as 678,000 tons in Technical Readout: 2750, p. 130, and Technical Readout: 3057, p. 142. However, this was later amended to 680,000 tons in Technical Readout: 3057 Revised, p. 140, following changes to the design rules for spacecraft that necessitated changes to the stats of a number of units. The MUL confirms 680,000 tons as the correct mass for all iterations of the Lola.
  5. 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 Technical Readout: 3057 Revised, pp. 140–141: "Lola III (Destroyer)"
  6. BattleSpace rulebook, p. 63
  7. AeroTech 2 Record Sheets, p. 294
  8. Technical Readout: 3057 Revised, pp. 210–211: Lola I & II (Destroyers)
  9. BattleSpace sourcebook, p. 27
  10. BattleSpace sourcebook, p. 54
  11. Masters and Minions: The StarCorps Dossiers, p. 211, "The Com Guard: Key Military Commands"
  12. The Star League, p. 61: "The drones were automated warships that packed the punch of a battlecruiser in the frame of a Lola destroyer."
  13. Historical: Liberation of Terra Volume 1, p. 168: M-5 "Caspar" Capital Drone

Bibliography[edit]