Riga II
Sarna News
- This article is about the successor "Riga II" model. For other uses, see Riga.
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| |
| Riga II | |
| Production information | |
| Manufacturer | Terran Hegemony |
| Introduced | 2747 |
| Production Year | 2747[1] |
| Use | Destroyer/Carrier[2] Escort |
| Tech Base | Inner Sphere |
| Technical specifications | |
| Mass | 600,000 tons |
| Length | 630m |
| Sail Diameter | 1,180m |
| Fuel | 9,000 tons |
| Burn Rate | 39.52 |
| Safe Thrust | 2 g |
| Top Thrust | 3 g |
| Sail Integrity | 4 |
| KF Drive Integrity | 32 |
| LF Battery | Yes |
| Armament |
|
| Armor | 604 tons Lamellor Ferro-Carbide |
| DropShip Capacity | 2 |
| Crew | 240[2]
Bay Personnel: 97 |
| Grav Decks | 2 (1 x 140 meters diameter, 1 x 65 meters diameter) |
| Escape Pods/Life Boats | 20/30 |
| Heat Sinks | 581 double (1,062) |
| Structural Integrity | 60 |
| BV (2.0) | 73,035[1][2] |
Contents
Description[edit]
Arguably a frigate in all but name, the Riga II-class destroyer and fighter carrier entered service in 2747, a product of the growing use of lithium-fusion batteries in the Star League Defense Force navy. When first introduced in the 2500s, LF batteries had given cruisers a new lease of life, only for the cruiser class to be rendered obsolete once again in the 2600s as McKenna-class battleships became more common, often deploying singly in situations that had previously required the deployment of a pair of cruisers. The McKenna originally relied on DropShips to act as escorts, but as the battleships deployed more and more often the need for a heavy escort for them grew.[2]
The Riga II was conceived to fill that capability gap. Equipped with docking collars, heavy armor, and LF batteries the new class was an anomaly compared to previous Star League destroyer classes, which had tended to be cheap, expendable, and numerous. The first Riga IIs were rushed into service after the death of First Lord Simon Cameron, and the sixtieth ship entered service by Christmas 2766, on the eve of the Amaris Coup. The Riga IIs were a high-value asset within the SLDF fleet, somewhat akin to a high-value Great House navy within the SLDF fleet, and were considered more valuable than such contemporaries as the Essex and Lola III.[2]
Of the sixty ships manufactured, two were serving in the First Fleet and were destroyed by the Reagan SDS network while attacking surface targets near Geneva. The remaining fifty-eight Riga IIs were deployed in the Periphery at the time, and had been heavily involved in the various battles of the Periphery Uprising; it was most common to see them deploying as first response ships alongside either a McKenna or a cruiser. As the various navies of the Territorial States were unable to engage the SLDF navy head-on and preferred to instead strike by ambushing exposed targets, the Riga II deployments alongside other ships kept them relatively safe.[2]
In contrast to the battles seen in the Periphery Uprising, the Hegemony Campaign saw the more advanced classes in the SLDF fleet deploying in the vanguard of many offensives. This caused heavy losses on these newer ships such as the Luxor-class heavy cruiser, the McKenna, and the Riga II. Half of the Riga IIs were destroyed although this casualty rate was lower than the ninety percent losses inflicted on the Lola III and Essex fleets. Twenty-six Riga IIs survived the campaign, but four of those were badly damaged enough that they were stripped and scuttled; the remaining twenty-two ships departed on the Exodus.[2]
During the Exodus the Riga II served as the fleet's primary patrol ships, and the majority of them were kept in service after the Star League-in-Exile settled on the Pentagon Worlds. When the Pentagon Worlds erupted in their own civil war, the remaining Riga IIs took part in the fratricidal conflict. When Nicholas Kerensky brought the Pentagon Worlds under his control through Operation KLONDIKE the last two active Pentagon Riga IIs were destroyed, leaving just six surviving ships of the class. Those six ships served the Clans for several centuries before being reworked via a series of extensive refits, evolving into the York class of destroyers starting in 2947.[2][3]
Weapons and Capacities[edit]
The Riga II was protected by just over six hundred tons of Lamellor ferro-carbide armor and transported thirty-six fighters distributed across two bays. Each ship could also transport a pair of DropShips, and there were bays for four small craft in the main cargo bay. The Riga II mounted a pair of NL45s and NL35s in the fore and aft left and right arcs, with four more of each mounted in the stern; each broadside was equipped with a pair of NAC/30s, whilst mounted in the nose of the destroyer were four Medium Naval PPCs and two NAC/40s in single bays.[2]
Cargo[edit]
- Bay 1: 18 Fighters - 4 Doors[2]
- Bay 2: 18 Fighters - 4 Doors[2]
- Bay 3: 70,496 tons of Cargo, 5 Small Craft - 1 Door[2]
See Also[edit]
Notes[edit]
The Record Sheet for the Riga II-class destroyer is found in Field Report 2765: Periphery.
Gallery[edit]
Riga II from FR2765:Periphery
Related WarShips[edit]
- Riga Block I-class frigate - larger Age of War block of Riga production, served for two centuries until being phased out by the Congress and Sovetskii Soyuz classes in the last half-century of the Star League
- York-class destroyer/carrier - began as Clan upgrade of the six surviving Riga IIs, later built from the keel up as new vessels to serve throughout the Clan toumans