Castrum

Castrum Pocket WarShip
Production information
Manufacturer	Boeing Interstellar
Production Year	3097
Use	???
Type	Military Spheroid
Tech Base	Inner Sphere (Experimental)
Technical specifications
Mass	100,000 tons
Structural Integrity	150
Length	114 meters
Width	124 meters
Height	324 meters
Drive System	Fusion
Safe Thrust	3
Max Thrust	5
Fuel (tons)	1,000
Fuel (days)	1.84
Armament	Main Weaponry 8x Medium Sub-Capital Cannons 36x Light Sub-Capital Cannons 8x AR-10s 48x Improved Heavy Gauss Rifles 15x AMS 3x Screen Launchers
Armor	540 tons heavy ferro-aluminum Fore: 1,305 Sides: 1,153 Aft: 1,003
Crew	110 + 162 bay personnel 20 officers 20 enlisted 70 gunners
Escape Pods/Life Boats	0/50
Small Craft/ AeroSpace Fighters	18
Heat Sinks	600 (1,200)
BV (2.0)	67,223

Description

Produced by the Republic of the Sphere, the Castrum-Class Pocket WarShip, was answer to the nation's need to improve the firepower for their then fledging Border Fleets. The largest combat Dropship ever produced, the Castrum was the brain child of Vice Admiral Christoff Brennan Wright, who backed efforts to develop the ship to fill out the Republic's fleets. Part of the reason was due to many of the Word of Blake designs that the Republic inherited and put into production were reassign to ground based military formations at the time.

History

The first notable usage of the Castrum was at the end of the Second Combine-Dominion War in 3101, where the Republic was called in as special investigators by Clan Nova Cat. Republic dispatch some Castrums, which served as part of a special fleet that was assembled to traveled to the Irece Prefecture to protect the investigators and the Nova Cats. These ships would remain in orbit over Labrea and Irece maintaining the peace between Ghost Bear invaders and Draconis Combine and their Nova Cat peoples. The presence of the Castrum help maintain the reassuring presence while investigator looked into actions of the war. The ships would remain on station until 3103, where they would return to the Republic and rejoin the Republic's WarShip Command.

During the Capellan Crusades, Castrums assigned to the Fifth and Sixth Border Fleets were used to as deterrents against House Liao back naval forces. However, those fleets commands were cautious in using them. Their presence in large naval formation which helped to keep naval engagements from escalating into large conflict between nations.

Weapons and Equipment

Launched from Boeing Interstellar's facilities at New Earth, the Castrum unusual size offered challenges in their deployment. The ship is strictly a spaceborne only vessel and to transport them requires two Docking Collars of a JumpShip.

The ship intended to be center of a naval task force, for their mission they were fitted out with Naval C3. The computers would tie into other Republic vessel using Naval C3 such as newer variants of the Achilles, Tiamat, and Dragau II-Classes of DropShips and helped to coordinate their collective firepower better.

The Castrum's weaponry is arranged similarly to WarShips, where their Sub-Capital Cannons which can be used orbital bombardment or in bracket fire to shoot down incoming smaller spacecraft. Castrum are general geared for long range engagements, using Capital/Subcapital guns along with some of it's conventional weaponry. The ship's are noted for their better than average targeting abilities at long ranges.

The ship main Capital-grade fire power comes from it's sixteen AR-10 multiple missile launchers mounted in it's front sides of the ship in sets of eight. These launchers have full compliment of Killer Whales, White Sharks and Barracuda Missiles.

It's compliment of Medium and Light Sub-Capital Cannons are arrange with the Lights being focus on bow and aft-sides, while the heavier Medium Cannons are mounted in the forward sides with the AR-10 launchers. Anti-Missile Systems are fitted clusters of 5 systems, in each front side facing, and to the aft. For more conventional weaponry, the Castrum relies on it's heavy battery of Improved Heavy Gauss Rifles which are mounted all sides and in the aft aid in protecting the ship from smaller threats as well as assisting taking down large threats.

For it's defenses, the Castrum has large quality of Heavy Ferro-Aluminum Armor, over 540 tons giving the ship amble protection in a prolong fight. Though not necessarily geared to carry fighters, the ship's small craft bay all the ship use it's compliment of Battle Armor squads to board other ships, should need arise.

Cargo

As a dedicated transport the Castrum has three cargo bays:

• Bay 1 - Small Craft (18) - 6 Doors
• Bay 2 - Battle Armor Bay (12 Squads/48 Suits) - 1 Door
• Bay 3 - Cargo (9,242.5 tons) - 2 Doors

Notes

As of this writing, there is no MUL Profile for the Castrum and the record sheet is only published in XTRO: Republic I.

Design Quirks

The Castrum has the following Design Quirks;

• Improved Targeting, Long Range
• Large DropShip
• Un-streamlined

Bibliography

• Experimental Technical Readout: Republic, Volume 1