New Syrtis (WarShip class)

This article is about the carrier WarShip class. For other uses, see New Syrtis (disambiguation).
New Syrtis WS.jpg
New Syrtis
Production information
Manufacturer
Introduced 2557
Production Year 2557[1]
Use Carrier
Tech Base Inner Sphere
Cost 9,537,092,000
Technical specifications
Mass 920,000 tons
Length 718 meters
Sail Diameter 1,600 meters
Fuel 20,000 tons
Burn Rate 39.52
Safe Thrust 2 g
Top Thrust 3 g
Sail Integrity 5
KF Drive Integrity 19
LF Battery No
Armament
Armor 1,084 tons of Standard
DropShip Capacity 2
Crew 173 officers
634 enlisted/non-rated
125 gunners
20 first-class passengers
60 second-class passengers
450 steerage passengers
120 marines
640 bay personnel
Grav Decks 2x 145 meters
Escape Pods/Life Boats 90/200
Heat Sinks 2,451
Structural Integrity 60
BV (2.0) 84,483



Description[edit]

Following the Davion Civil War, First Prince Alexander Davion initiated a WarShip building program after recognizing that the Federated Suns WarShip fleet was outclassed by those being fielded by his enemies; this program began in 2546 and resulted in the development of the Block II Davion-class WarShip, the Robinson-class Transport and, in 2557, the New Syrtis-class Carrier (called a "Fighter Cruiser" by some sources, as a reference to its respectable inboard firepower).[2]

The New Syrtis was the first WarShip dedicated to operating large aerospace fighter formations, despite battles throughout the Age of War demonstrating that fighter superiority often decided battles. The New Syrtis was intended to project House Davion's power by immediately assuming control of local space, whether that space was a distant jump point or a planet's orbit. The New Syrtis even managed to have relatively spacious crew quarters, despite carrying almost 2,000 crew, including two full crews for every fighter and small craft carried.[2]

Seeing only limited action prior to the rise of the Star League, the New Syrtis-class acquitted itself well in combat, proving that in addition to dominating the local space it could also survive against directed naval gunfire. New Syrtis-class vessels would serve in the Federated Suns navy throughout the Star League era and into the Second Succession War.[2]

The first major test of the New Syrtis came during the Case AMBER operation conducted by the Taurian Concordat during the Reunification War; despite one New Syrtis being destroyed in combat, a second scuttled and a third captured, the New Syrtis was considered to have performed admirably against the Taurian navy.[2] As the Federated Suns began rearming towards the end of the Star League era New Syrtis-class WarShips were active in all four of its naval fleets, with four being active in 2765 including the lead ship of her class, the FSS New Syrtis, flagship of Admiral Mark Creuset and the Coreward Fleet.[3]

Armament[edit]

The New Syrtis is equipped with sufficient armament to be able to project fire out to all ranges, with a mixture of energy and ammunition dependent weapons. The capital weapons are concentrated in the broadsides, although each vessel can inflict substantial damage in the forward arc; reinforcing the weapons batteries are 160 Barracuda missiles, launched from paired launchers around the ship. Evenly spaced LRM launchers and fighter class lasers and machine guns enable the New Syrtis to deal effectively with attacking fighters and small craft.[2]

Each New Syrtis carries 120 fighters, backed up by four squadrons of assorted shuttles, assault craft and heavy escorts, and has enough air crew to operate two full crews for every craft, allowing the New Syrtis to conduct operations constantly with no down time. The four-platoon marine crew assigned to each New Syrtis can also be increased by up to a battalion of additional troops.[2]

Cargo[edit]

  • Bay 1: 60 Fighters, 12 Small Craft, 4 doors
  • Bay 2: 60 Fighters, 12 Small Craft, 4 doors
  • Bay 3: 10 platoons of infantry, 2 doors
  • Bay 4: 50,310 tons of Cargo, 6 doors
  • Bay 5: 50,310 tons of Cargo, 6 doors

Notes[edit]

As of this writing, there are no published record sheets for the New Syrtis.

See Also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. MUL online date for the New Syrtis (WarShip class)
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 Historical: Reunification War, pp. 220–221: "New Syrtis (Carrier)"
  3. Field Report 2765: AFFS, p. 6: "Naval Defense Doctrine"

Bibliography[edit]