Volga

Volga
Production information
Manufacturer	Eaton AeroSpace
Introduced	2709
Use	Transport
Tech Base	Star League
Cost	5,336,756,000 Cbills
Technical specifications
Mass	780,000 tons
Length	715 meters
Sail Diameter	1205 meters
Fuel	1,900 tons (4,750)
Burn Rate	39.52
Safe Thrust	1 g
Top Thrust	1.5 g
Sail Integrity	4
KF Drive Integrity	16
LF Battery	No
Armament	16 x ER Large Lasers 16 x Medium Lasers 16 x ER PPCs 8 x Large Pulse Lasers 16 x Medium Pulse Lasers 4 x NAC/20s 6 x NAC/30s 4 x NL35s 7 x NL45s 2 x Heavy Naval Gauss Cannons
Armor	Ferro-Aluminum
DropShip Capacity	4
Crew	280
Grav Decks	2, 120 and 145 meter diameters
Escape Pods/Life Boats	20/20
Heat Sinks	477 (954)
Structural Integrity	75
BV (1.0)	53,948
BV (2.0)	66,467

Description

The Volga-Class tranport was developed in response to an SLDF commission for an armored cargo transport vessel able to ensure the steady supply and support of Star League bases in the Periphery states. Eaton AeroSpace used the hull of the mothballed Quixote-class frigate as the basis of their design; the small drive that doomed the Quixote enabled the Volga to carry an unusually large amount of cargo - almost 25 percent of the vessel's mass.

The well armored Volga saw extensive action during the war liberate to Terra, but a lack of firepower and a poorly designed coolant system resulted in the destruction of more than 200 Volgas during the Amaris crisis. Only about two dozen of the class survived to join the Exodus fleet, finally returning to the Inner Sphere in the fleets of several Clans in the wake of the Battle of Tukayyid, transporting troops and material between the occupation zones and Clan Homeworlds.

Armament

Intended as a transport, the Volga carries a weapons array geared towards defense against AeroSpace Fighters, a rarity for Star League era craft, proving only marginally effective against other WarShips. In the nose bay two NAC/20's, a NL45, and four ER Large Laser, Medium Lasers and Medium Pulse Lasers each provide notable head-on firepower, backed up by two NAC/30's, a another NL45 along with another four ER Large and Medium Lasers in each front quarter. Each broadside carries two NL35's and a Heavy N-Gauss cannon, backed up four ER PPCs and Medium Pulse Lasers. The aft quarters carry two NL45, four ER PPCs, four Large Pulse Lasers, directly aft mirroring the nose bay, save for excluding the Naval Laser. The Volgas lack of firepower is further hampered by a poorly designed coolant circuit, allowing only 45 percent of its weapons to operate at any one time.

Cargo

The Volga has a single large cargo bay, capable of carrying 213,517 tons of cargo, flanked by two fighter bays.

Variants

• Clan Upgrade - Beyond periodic maintenance upgrades such as using new computers and life-support, the sole major modification between the SLDF and Clan Volgas is the addition of a Lithium-Fusion Battery System. BV (1.0) = 58,630

Named Vessels

Com Guards

• CSV Enlightened Path - Assigned to Com Guard Second Fleet at Ross 248.

Clan Diamond Shark

• CDS Bold Venture

• CDS Speculator

Clan Ghost Bear

• CGB Ursine Boatman

Clan Goliath Scorpion

• CGS Andromeda - This Vessel is assigned to Clan Goliath Scorpions Wild Hunt Battlegroup.

Clan Hells Horses

• CHH Mount Olympus

Clan Snow Raven

• CSR Scavenger - This Vessel is assigned to Clan Snow Raven's Fleet Command Star.

Related WarShips

• Quixote - Eaton AeroSpace decided to construct the new Volga-class transport by heavily modifying the hulls of the decommissioned, mothballed Quixote-class frigate.

Bibliography

• Field Manual: Crusader Clans
• Field Manual: Warden Clans
• Technical Readout: 3057
• Technical Readout: 3057 Revised