New Samarkand (Individual Samarkand-class WarShip)
Sarna News
- This article is about the WarShip. For the planetary system, see New Samarkand.
| New Samarkand | |
|---|---|
| Vessel Profile | |
| Type | WarShip |
| Class | Samarkand |
| In service until | March 2814[1] |
History[edit]
Star League Era[edit]
In 2765, the flagship of the Draconis Combine Admiralty Second Fleet was the DCS New Samarkand, a Block II Samarkand-class carrier, one of eight such sister ships to be in service at that point of time - six Block II's, and two older Block I's. The New Samarkand and the Second Fleet were operating within the Galedon district of the Draconis Combine alongside the First Fleet at this point in time.[2]
The DCA was only operating forty-two WarShips in 2765—although this was a significant increase on the thirty WarShips in service in 2750—and of those ships, twenty-seven were destroyers or corvettes, with just a handful of Aegis-class heavy cruisers and a pair of Cruiser-class heavy cruisers outweighing the New Samarkand and her sister ships.[2][3]
First Succession War[edit]
In March 2814, the Armed Forces of the Federated Suns launched an offensive to liberate Robinson, where the New Samarkand and Narukami II-class destroyer DCS Shōwakusei were stationed. Commanding the AFFS naval escort from the bridge of the Congress-D-class frigate FSS Starlight Raider was Admiral Mateo Arrian, a veteran of the Battle of Cholame, and acting as escorts to the Starlight Raider were a pair of Davion II-class destroyers, the FSS Duke Alexander and the FSS Sarah Davion. Admiral Arrian only became aware of the presence of the New Samarkand and Shōwakusei shortly before the attack, but adjusted his plans to compensate for the presence of the two WarShips. At this point, while the New Samarkand was no longer the flagship of the Second Fleet, her crew were one of the most experienced carrier crews left in the DCA.[1]
When Arrian's forces attacked, the Duke Alexander and Sarah Davion engaged the Shōwakusei, while the various fighter groups from the WarShips and accompanying DropShips battled each other. All five WarShips were in fighting trim, but half of the New Samarkand's aerospace fighter complement were guarding key sites on the planet, and were unavailable for the battle. As the Starlight Raider engaged the New Samarkand, DropShips emerged from concealment behind the AFFS WarShips and drove for the New Samarkand. When they were within range, the DropShips disgorged squadrons of Land-Air 'Mechs, which engaged the New Samarkand directly, before transforming into the BattleMech configuration and blasting their way into the inside of the New Samarkand through her flight bays. Once inside the New Samarkand, the 'Mechs caused havoc, inflicting enough damage to cause the carrier to tumble out of control. Only three LAMs managed to escape from the burning hulk of the New Samarkand, but the Starlight Raider took only moderate damage during the attack.[1]
The Shōwakusei was destroyed during the battle, but not before managing to cripple the Sarah Davion.[1]
Notes[edit]
The New Samarkand was possibly named after the DCS Samarkand, one of the first four carriers of the original Block I. Equally, as the Samarkands in service appear to be named after prominent systems within the Draconis Combine, it may have been named for the New Samarkand system, which had been the capital of the Combine prior to Luthien.