Whirlwind
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- This article is about the destroyer class. For other uses, see Whirlwind (disambiguation).
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| |
| Whirlwind | |
| Production information | |
| Manufacturer | Clans |
| Introduced | 2606 (SLDF Version) |
| Production Year | 2901[1] |
| Use | Destroyer |
| Tech Base | Clan |
| Cost | 2,150,685,000 C-bills[citation needed] |
| Technical specifications | |
| Mass | 520,000 tons |
| Length | 610 meters |
| Sail Diameter | 1,120 meters |
| Fuel | 5,000 tons |
| Burn Rate | 39.52 |
| Safe Thrust | 2 g |
| Top Thrust | 3 g |
| Sail Integrity | 4 |
| KF Drive Integrity | 11 |
| LF Battery | Yes |
| Armament |
|
| Armor | 459.5 tons Ferro-Carbide |
| DropShip Capacity | 0 |
| Crew | 177[2]
Bay Personnel: 20 |
| Grav Decks | 2 x 65 meters diameter |
| Escape Pods/Life Boats | 0/10 |
| Heat Sinks | 545 double |
| Structural Integrity | 55 |
| BV (1.0) | 67,124[2] |
Contents
Description[edit]
The Star League Defense Force navy leased twenty-two of the original Block I Davion-class WarShips under the auspices of First Lord Ian Cameron's Directive 22. For the duration of the Reunification War against the Periphery, these ships served well alongside other states' contributions to the Star League Expeditionary Force. After the war ended, the SLDF navy purchased the 19 that remained in service and refitted them with the best technology the Terran Hegemony had to offer. These ships were renamed the Whirlwind-class entering service in 2606. For the next two centuries and after a number of subsequent refits, the Whirlwind-class ships served the SLDF well.[2][3]
All examples of the class left the Inner Sphere as part of Operation EXODUS. When the Clans returned and invaded the Inner Sphere, the Whirlwind-class ships were only initially seen in the touman of Clan Steel Viper. Analysis of these ships showed that the Clans had made some significant changes to the vessels, adding a Lithium-Fusion Battery, adding docking bays to support a star of Clan OmniFighters, and doubling the armor protection of the ship by using Ferro-Carbide armor. A Star of Elementals was also added to protect the vessels. As the Whirlwind was designed long before the use of battle armor, narrow corridors prevent their use except on a few main thoroughfares aboard the ship.[2]
The class was subsequently found among a handful of Clans, though only Clan Snow Raven continued to field the Whirlwind into the IlClan Era. Two of the vessels were a part of the largest WarShip fleet left in the Inner Sphere, that of the Raven Alliance.[4]
Armament[edit]
The Whirlwind-class, like many Star League WarShips, was designed to engage other WarShips. Consequently, it devotes very little of its available weaponry to anti-aerospace fighter duties. Those weapons that are dedicated to attacking aerospace fighters are located in the broadsides and fore and aft arcs. This leaves several approach vectors covered only by a Light Naval Gauss Rifle, which is particularly ill-suited to defending against small craft.[2]
Cargo[edit]
- Clan
- Bay 1: Aerospace Fighters (10), 2 doors
- Bay 2: Cargo (64,184.5 tons), 1 door
- Star League
- Bay 1: Cargo (71,206 tons), 3 doors
Variants[edit]
- Star League (2750) Era
- It appears that the Clans only made minimal modifications to the armament of their Whirlwinds. Historical records indicate that the Star League Whirlwinds refitted after 2606 had much the same armament as the Clan version. The Star League version however had half as much protection in each area as it carried 306 tons of Improved Ferro-Aluminum Armor. In addition, the SLDF Whirlwind used the less efficient Star League era Extended Range and Pulse lasers, and used standard SRM-6 launchers with Artemis IV Fire Control instead of the Clan's Streak SRM-6. The Star League Whirlwinds were so focused on fighting WarShips that they didn't carry any aerospace fighters. Instead, they had a single cargo bay that carried 71,206 tons of cargo. BV (1.0) = 62,154[2]
See Also[edit]
Related WarShips[edit]
- Davion Block I -class destroyer - the bastard child of the Federated Suns Navy, Prince Alexander Davion leased, then sold, all surviving Block I Davion-class destroyers to the Star League Defense Force. These ships were stripped and rearmed, creating the original Whirlwind-class vessels, and becoming the blueprint for later Clan Whirlwind production.
Notes[edit]
- In German products, the unit's proper name was translated to Wirbelwind.
Gallery[edit]
Original Clan refit Whirlwind from TRO:3057
A Whirlwind in action above Circe during Operation Klondike from Historical: Operation Klondike
