Imperial battleship (788 UC era)

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Revision as of 21:16, 5 January 2012

Imperial standard battleship Kärnten (796 UC (487 IC / 3596 CE))
Affiliation:	Galactic Empire
Type:	Battleship
Length:	677 metres(FFC3)
Width:	179 metres(FFC3)
Height:	228 metres(FFC3)
Armament:	8 forward cannons 22 port cannons 22 starboard cannons
Crew:	726(FFC3)

This Imperial battleship (Japanese:戦艦) design served as the standard battleship design of Imperial fleets from the late stages of the FPA-Imperial War to at least 801 UC (3 NIC / 492 IC / 3601 CE).

Design

The standard battleship design has three separate engines, with two mounted on nacelles on the port and starboard side of the main hull, and one (the largest) mounted on the ventral hull.

In terms of armament, the ship mounts eight beam cannons in the bow and at least twenty-two cannons on both the port and starboard side. Of the forward armament, the upper six beam cannons are those most often observed firing in battle. In addition to this armament, the port and starboard engine nacelles are each equipped with five additional weapons apertures which have been observed firing both beam weapons and a form of projectile - including both from the same ship in the same battle. The vessel has also been observed to fire two additional beam weapons from the forward facing area of the ventral hull, and has smaller weapons used for defence against starfighters mounted around the ship's crest. (My Conquest Is the Sea of Stars; LOGH: 'The Battle of Vermilion (Part One)', 'The Battle of Vermilion (Part One)', 'Die by the Sword')

In addition, the battleship has a heavy missile armament, and had been observed launching no less than forty missiles at a time (from eight launchers, in groups of five). LOGH: 'A Challenge to Arms')

The vessel accomodates several shuttles, together with a large Valkyrie fighter complement, with at least thirty-three launch bays (carrying one Valkyrie each) being mounted on both the port and starboard side of the ventral engine nacelle (for a total of at least 66 Valkyrie fighters).

Role and Capabilities

The standard battleship design fought in all known fleet battles from at least 788 UC (479 IC / 3588 CE) to 801 UC (3 NIC / 492 IC / 3601 CE), in large numbers. A fleet of 2,000 ships under a Rear admiral (i.e. only a single unit of a much larger fleet) could be expected to include anywhere from 200 to 250 battleships alone. (LOGH: 'First Battle')

In addition to forming the core of Imperial fleets, the standard battleship can serve as a flagship for officers, from the rank of Commodore to High admiral. In this role, battleships would often (though not always) bear a unique variation of the Imperial crest (whether under the Goldenbaum or Goldenlöwe dynasties). (HBSHBL: 'The Battle of Van-Fleet Starzone'; LOGH: 'Courage and Loyalty').

The standard battleship, unlike its Alliance counterparts, could enter planetary atmospheres and land on the surface, including water landings. In offensive operations, it would use this capability to deploy ground forces, either via parachute drop (from 12 hatches on the ventral side of the forward hull, divided equally beween the port and starboard side) or by ramps located on the underside of the ventrally mounted engine. (LOGH: 'Farewell, Distant Memories')

Gallery

Stern (796 UC (487 IC / 3596 CE))	Valkyrie launch bays (796 UC (487 IC / 3596 CE))	Missile launch (801 UC (3 NIC / 492 IC / 3601 CE))	Energy weapons (795 UC (486 IC / 3595 CE))
Nacelle weapons (800 UC (2 NIC / 491 IC / 3600 CE))

Appendices

Appearance differences

There are various noticeable differences in the design of the standard of the Imperial battleship throughout the films, the main series, and the Gaiden - for example, the height and length of the engine nacelles will appear to differ. This should be considered an inconsistency in the animation, caused by the changing style of animation in the course of production of the series.

Licensed sources

This standard Imperial battleship design was first produced in early 750 UC (441 IC / 3550 CE), though there have been minor modifications and refinements to the design over the years.

The standard Imperial battleship mounted 6 long range large calibre beam cannons in its prow. The two openings underneath the main cannons are identified as two reverse thruster nozzles.

Unlike the large FTL antennas used by the Alliance, which extended vertically from the hull, the Empire used dome shaped FTL antenna emplacements. These are visible as silver domes on the surface of the hull.

For movement in atmosphere, the design relied on taking in outside atmospheric air, heating it via heat exchangers, and then expelling it from the rear for forward propulsion.

On either side of the ventral engine mounting, were 24 Valkyrie launch ports, for a total of 48 total Valkyrie fighters. (Fleet File Collection Vol.3, Fleet File Collection Vol.8, Fleet File Collection Vol.9)

The use of multiple engines was in contrast to the Alliance's use of a single large engine for its warships. Though this arrangement was more inefficient, the use of multiple engines allowed for some degree of redundancy in case of damage.

An average fleet under an Admiral was estimated by Alliance experts to contain approximately 2,000 battleships. (Data Book: Mechanic & Seiyū Encyclopaedia, p. 168)

This battleship design served for over half a century and by the end of its lifespan was starting to show its age. By 780 UC (471 IC / 3580 CE), the desire for a new battleship design started to be voiced, but officially the search for a new design did not begin until 797 UC (488 IC / 3597 CE). A variety of the newer flagships produced in the last years of the Galactic Empire or the early years of the New Galactic Empire, were testbeds for a new standard battleship design. (Fleet File Collection Vol.5)