The Rebel Faction

TNO - Defence class Long Range Support Cruiser

Name: Defence class Long Range Support Cruiser

Designation: DSC

Dimensions:
Length: 350 meters
Width: 50 meters
Height: 75 meters

Armament:
8x12" Semi-Automatic Gauss Cannons (4xtwin turrets, firing arcs are, eight port, starboard, four fore, aft.)
48x point defense laser cannons (48xsingle turrets, 24 port, 24 starboard, intended for close range defence against enemy starfighters, missiles).
4xTractor Beam Projectors

Hangar Capacity:
2xSquadrons (24) of TIE Interceptors
4x Lambda Shuttles

Troop Capacity:
2 Platoons (80) of ship guard naval troopers.

Propulsion:
4 Loronar Medium Cruiser Sublight Drive Engines, two each to the side of the cruiser, two medium drive reactor cores, one to each side and linked to two of the engines each.
Sublight Speed: 12 MGLT
Hyperdrive Motivator: 1.5 Past Lightspeed

Shield and Hull:
Medium Novaldex Shield Generators/Projectors, shield strength rated at 1,000 SBD. Hull armour, extra heavy on the main turrets and the main section of the ship, rated at 2,000 RU, on the bridge and hangar modules, less armour, rated at 1,000 RU.

Special Systems:
Anti-Intrusion Naval System.

Description:

The Defence class Long Range Support Cruiser is the latest model in the support and auxiliary roles in terms of fleet deployment and engagements. Armed with the latest in Gauss Cannon technology, the cruiser can stand off the main battle scene and fire large shells up to one hundred kilometers distant and still have a much greater accuracy or hit rate compared to old cruisers armed with similar weapons. The New Gauss Cannons aren't much different than the older ones, except for that the loading process has been speeded up from the ammunition stores to the barrel, increasing the rate of fire to less than one minute and thirty seconds. As a result of the increased rate of firing however, now the barrel must cool down after fifty shots instead of the normal one hundred, and be replaced after two hundred shots instead of three hundred. What is greatly changed is the computer technology involved in aiming and firing the guns. Now the equipment is linked direclty to system scanners, the latest in sensor technology, and communications equipment, along with high powered analyzing equipment. A lock on is achieved only after taking into account the effect of the gravity of nearby bodies on the shot, along with current target speed, distance, and past speed, to determine likely position of target at time of impact. In addition, when the computers achieve a lock on, the communications gear sends three short beeping signals to the Imperial ships to warn them of the incoming shells, although this option can be disabled if decided too distracting. The barrels can elevate independently or together up to a maximum elevation of 45 degress, and to a maximum digression of 10 degrees, but the latter option is only avilable when the barrels are facing to port or starboard. The turrets have a maximum coverage of 200 degrees horizontally, from port to starboard, since they are mounted on rotating turrets. Rounding out the armament of the ship are forty eight point defense laser cannons, mounted twenty four to a side, with a maximum range of 5 kilometers, and an effective range of two point five kilometers. The laser cannons are intended for anti-starfighter work but mainly for the threat of incoming missiles. Should somehow the ship get in close quarter combat, these weapons would be excellent for taking out sensors/communications equipment and individual weapons in sniper style shots. Finally, there are four tractor beam projectors mounted on the bottom of the ships. The shells used in the Gauss Cannons are of three types. You can have High Explosive Contact Shells, High Explosive Proximity Shells, or Armour Penetrating Contact Shells. A fourth type of shell is also added in limited numbers. Taking advantage of the new computer technology shell, a timed High Explosive Shell is now avilable.

There is a hangar bay mounted on the bottom of the ship that has the capacity to host two squadrons, twelve starfighters each, of TIE Interceptors, to deal with the threats of enemy starfighter squadrons or small gunboats. Also, there are four Lambda class shuttles carried. In order to be re-supplied, the entire complement of ships must be dis-embarked, and when they are, a bulk freighter is able to dock with the ship via the hangar bay and re-supply it. In addition, two platoons of naval troopers are on hand in addition to the naval anti-intrusion system to protect the ship from boarders and pirates.

The Propulsion is somewhat heavy and light for a ship this size. There are four Belarus cruiser-rated engines mounted, two to a side pack, linked to the central reactor in side packs, and propells the ship to a standard battleship speed. The hull armour is heavy in the central sections, protecting the ship's reactor and magazines, as well as the Gauss cannons themselves. Less heavily protected are the hangar bays and crew quarters. The shields are standard for a ship this size.

Overall, the support cruiser can be used in close range action, but is best used for long range work. With it's wide varity of shells, it can be used to hurt enemy capital ships, blast holes in planetery mine fields, bring down enemy shipyards and space stations, or hurt enemy planetery shields while staying out of the range of ground based weapons. It is not intended for wide-range deployment, being instead an experimental ship, or a stepping stone, to a ship armed with fully automated guass cannons and computer technology able to hit targets up to 250 kilometers distant.