Carrack
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| |
| Carrack | |
| Production information | |
| Manufacturer | Unknown |
| Introduced | 2603 (SLDF)[1] 2950 (Clan)[2] 2985 (Clan Merchant)[3] |
| Production Year | 2950[4] |
| Use | Merchant Transport |
| Tech Base | Clan |
| Cost | 3,219,204,000 C-bills |
| Technical specifications | |
| Mass | 300,000 tons[5] [6] |
| Length | 830 m [5] [6] |
| Sail Diameter | 880 m [5] [6] |
| Fuel | 2,000 tons [5] [6] |
| Burn Rate | |
| Safe Thrust | 1.5 g |
| Top Thrust | 2.5 g |
| Sail Integrity | 3 [5] [6] |
| KF Drive Integrity | 7 [5] [6] |
| LF Battery | No [5] [6] |
| Armament | 16 x ER Large Lasers 40 x Anti-Missile Systems 32 x Large Pulse Lasers 16 x NL35s 3 x NAC/20s 6 x NAC/10s[5] [6] |
| Armor | 70 tons of Standard [6] |
| DropShip Capacity | 2[5] [6] |
| Crew | 43 [5] [6] |
| Grav Decks | 1 x 98 meter diameter [5] [6] |
| Escape Pods/Life Boats | 4 escape pods, 4 life boats [5] [6] |
| Heat Sinks | 747 Double Heat Sinks [5] [6] |
| Structural Integrity | 15 [5] [6] |
| BV (1.0) | 10,674 |
| BV (2.0) | ??? |
Contents
Description
Developed as a merchantman to ply potentially hostile Periphery shipping lanes, the Carrack-class military transport served with the Star League Defense Force and Great House navies. While no examples of the class were known to remain in the Inner Sphere following the maelstrom of the early Succession War era, an undetermined number accompanied the Exodus Fleet, with the modern Clan Carrack military transport first entering service in 2950. ComStar analysts were unable to determine how many of the Carracks which are currently in service among the various Clan toumans are upgraded Star League era vessels and how many are new, Clan-built ships. What ComStar was able to conclude following operations on Wayside V was that the differences between the original Star League and standard Clan Carrack were negligible; while mounting HarJel-based Hull Sealant technology, unlike many re-designed and upgraded Clan vessels the modern Carrack is not equipped with either advanced armor or a Lithium-Fusion Battery.[5] [6]
The modern Carrack-class transport serves in the fleets of nearly every Clan, but the Merchant Castes of both Clans Diamond Shark and Nova Cat possessed the lion-share. [5] [6] In truth most of these Diamond Shark and Nova Cat Carracks are the downgraded "non-military" versions stripped of capital grade weaponry, both Clans unwilling to give their Merchant Castes war materiel on-par with that of the Warrior Caste.[7]
Armament
Due to its role as a military transport, the Carrack features a light array of mixed capital class and anti-fighter weaponry. The nose bay and each broadside feature a pair of NL35s and a single NAC/20, two ER Large Lasers and four Large Pulse Lasers, rounded off by four Anti-Missile Systems for point defense. Save for downgrading the Naval Autocannon to a NAC/10, each fore and rear angle as well as directly aft features almost the same layout as well. [5] [6]
Cargo
The Carrack's 63,446 ton cargo hold surrounds the vessel's Compact Kearny-Fuchida Drive core and is flanked in turn by two Small Craft bays on either side. These bays frequently house a pair of aerospace fighters and a pair of shuttlecraft, however the exact composition of the small craft complement appears to depend on each individual vessel’s captain. [5] [6]
Variants
- Merchant
- A joint venture between Clans Nova Cat and Clan Diamond Shark that reduces the Carrack's offensive and defensive capacity to become true merchant vessels, the so-called Merchant Carrack removes all the Naval Lasers and Autocannons for a lighter defensive array of one ER Large and two ER Medium Lasers, one Large and two Medium Pulse Lasers and an Artemis IV-enhanced LRM-20 rack on every facing, the front and rear merely adding an additional Artemis-enhanced SRM-6 launcher. Carrying almost half the volume of standard heat sinks the Merchant Carrack carrying a minimal fifteen and a half tons of standard armor, freeing up a massive amount of space for cargo, 98,806 tons worth, nearly a third over that of the standard Carrack transport. The Merchant Carrack also carries a full Star of Elementals to help fend off boarding attempts. BV (1.0) = 10,674[7]
- Fighter Carrier
- During the First Succession War, some Carracks were converted into Aerospace Carriers. One example of this conversion was the FSS Pretoria Castle, which was converted into a fighter carrier capable of transporting a wing of aerospace fighters.[8] The Free Worlds League was also known to employ its own Aerospace Carrier variants of the Carrack during the war.[9]
See-Also
Notes
- To date, no record sheet or formal variant for this modified version of the Carrack has been released.
Carrack-class WarShip Gallery
A Carrack-class transport launching small craft.
References
- ↑ MUL online date
- ↑ MUL online date
- ↑ MUL online date
- ↑ MUL online date for the Carrack
- ↑ 5.00 5.01 5.02 5.03 5.04 5.05 5.06 5.07 5.08 5.09 5.10 5.11 5.12 5.13 5.14 5.15 5.16 5.17 Explorer Corps, pp. 108-110 "New Vehicles & Vessels - Carrack Class Transport"
- ↑ 6.00 6.01 6.02 6.03 6.04 6.05 6.06 6.07 6.08 6.09 6.10 6.11 6.12 6.13 6.14 6.15 6.16 6.17 6.18 Technical Readout: 3067, p. 218 "Clan WarShips - Carrack (Transport)"
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Technical Readout: 3057 Revised, p. 198 "Lost WarShip Introduction - Carrack (Merchant)"
- ↑ First Succession War, p. 76, "Once More, With Feeling"
- ↑ First Succession War, p. 58, "Fallout" - Pair of Carrack Carriers are part of a House Marik Naval Squadron bring revenge against raids by House Liao.