Wyrm SDS Submersible Fortress
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- This article is about submersible fortress. For the WarShip, see Wyrm (Individual Vigilant-class WarShip).
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| Wyrm SDS Submersible Fortress | |
| Production information | |
| Use | Space Defense System |
| Chassis Type | Fortress |
| Motive Type | Naval (Submarine) |
| Technology Base | Inner Sphere |
| Cost | |
| Introduced | 3072 |
| Technical specifications | |
| Size (in hexes) | 18 |
| Length (meters/Hexes) | 180 meters/6 Hexes |
| Width (meters/Hexes) | 150 meters/5 Hexes |
| Height (meters/Levels) | 60 meters/10 Levels |
| Power System | Fusion |
| Fuel | NA |
| Heat Sinks (total) | 4,588 |
| Construction Factor | 150 |
| Armor (per Hex) | 150 |
| Total Cargo (tons) | 4224.5 |
| Doors (total) | 11 |
| Bays | 4 Super-Heavy Vehicle Bays, 8 Heavy Vehicle Bays, 4 Light Vehicle Bays |
| Escape Pods | 40 (normal) 30 (maritime) |
| Crew | 100 officers 108 crew 324 gunners 243 bay personnel 36 battle armor 36 marines |
| Armament |
|
| Equipment | |
| Facilities | 36 steerage quarters, 356 crew quarters, 1 MASH unit, 20 tons communications equipment, 3 field kitchens, 1 helipad, 2 mobile field bases 4 lift hoists |
| BV (1.0) | |
| BV (2.0) | 47,107 |
Overview[edit]
The Wyrm was the first specialized wet naval Space Defense System designed by the Word of Blake, to augment their Star League-era defenses.[1]
Description[edit]
The Blakists began development of the Wyrm within weeks of taking control of Terra, but the size and complexity of the system meant that it would take until 3072, before the first Wyrm entered service, and only 12 would be constructed before the liberation of Terra by the allied coalition towards the end of the Jihad. Not only was each Wyrm one of the largest mobile structures ever built, it was also one of the most complex and most expensive, due to the requirement that each be submersible.[1]
Each Wyrm was built with the intent that it could remain at sea for months or even years at a time; as such, each had extensive cargo bays and a range of facilities that included a MASH unit with ten additional operating theaters, three field kitchens and two mobile field bases, although all of the crew and officer quarters were double-berth.[1]
As befits the nature of the Wyrm, each carries a ferocious amount of firepower. The combined power of the assorted NL55s, Killer Whale and Barracuda launchers makes a Wyrm capable of destroying a DropShip in a single salvo. In addition to the numerous weapon pods blistering the hull, each Wyrm has four retractable turrets, each of which weighs more than 100 tons and carries enough firepower to destroy an aerospace fighter in a single volley, while the multiple long and short-range torpedo tubes and laser weapons make a subsurface attack a risky proposition. The hull of a Wyrm is compartmentalized and heavily armored, allowing it to continue to submerge and operate even after taking substantial damage.[1]
In addition to the built-in defensive measures, each Wyrm carries four submarines to provide additional protection; with bays to support two Manta fast-attack subs and two Moray heavy attack subs, engaging the Wyrm underwater becomes an increasingly difficult task. Should a Wyrm be successfully boarded, the onboard garrison consisting of a Level II of battle armor has to be overcome in a fierce shipboard battle.[1]
Of the twelve Wyrms manufactured prior to the invasion of Terra, five were destroyed by aerospace bombing runs or targeted orbital bombardment, while five more were captured along the Asian coastline as a result of fierce hand-to-hand boarding actions. By 3079, only two Wyrms were believed to still be on active service, capable of keeping to the depths of the oceans other when not surfacing to replenish oxygen supplies or launch guerrilla attacks against coalition forces.[1]
Named Vessels[edit]
- Lowyfur - the last of the Wyrms to remain in active service, the Lowyfur was finally defeated in February 3080, as a result of a daring boarding action in the North Sea. Gurkha HALO troopers under the command of Major Tracy Rhys executed a combat drop during a storm to board the Lowyfur, which had resurfaced only briefly to exchange air. The surviving Gurkha commandos boarded the Lowyfur's bridge and disabled it for long enough to allow follow-on battalions of battle armor to be delivered by DropShip before the Lowyfur submerged, leading to a deadly compartment-by-compartment battle that saw the Lowyfur's crew finally defeated 3,000 meters below the surface of the North Sea.[2]