Escort

Line Combatants (Primary - Capital)				Escort Combatants (Secondary - Subcapital)				Military Auxiliary (Tertiary)
B- Battleship	C- Cruiser	O- Ortillery	V- Carrier	D- Destroyer	E- Escort	F- Fighter	H- Defense/Security	I- Combat Transport	Q- Combat Support	S- Scout	U- Utility	X- Commo	Z- Special

Mercantile Commercial Ships (Trade & Profit)				Non-Mercantile Commercial Ships (Industry & Profit)					Non-Commercial Ships (Nonprofit)			System Craft (Intrastellar)
A- Tramp	M- Freighter	R- Liner	T- Transport	G- Industrial	J- Prospector	K- Expedition	P- Corsair	U- Utility	L- Science	N- Medical	Y- Private	WB- Barge	WA- Satellite	WO- Space Station

E-class Escorts are vessels intended to protect and assist larger vessels.

• Escorts are considered ACS craft between 100.0 to 2,499 tons in displacement.
• Larger Escorts are included in the BCS category from 2,500 to 249,999 tons in displacement.
• They are capable of independent action, but are usually assigned to support Battleships and Cruisers.
• Many call them escorts or secondary combatants.
• The Supraclass designation is also known as Ship Mission, Ship Mission Code, Mission, or Ship Hull Designation.
• It is a starship supraclass.

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Please refer to the following AAB Library Data for more information:
Starship:

• Starship User Types
  • Civilian Ship
  • Military Ship
  • Non-Commercial Vessel
  • Paramilitary Ship

• Advanced Ship Classifications
  • Ship Mission Code / Supraclass
  • Ship Type Code / Superclass
  • Ship Class Code / Class
  • Model (TL)
  • Bloc (Lot)

• Basic Ship Classifications
  • Adventure Class Ship
  • Battle Class Ship
  • Capital Ship
  • Fleet Class Ship
  • Size-Role Classification
  • Subcapital Ship
  • QSP
  • USP
  • World Class Ship

• Ships by Function
  • Bigcraft
  • Boat
  • Capital Ship
  • Largecraft
  • Non-starship
  • Smallcraft
  • Spaceplane
  • Spaceship
  • Starship
  • Subcapital Ship
  • Subcraft
  • System Craft
  • Warship

Speed of Travel

• Astronomical Unit (AU)
• FTL
• Light Speed (c)
• Light-week (lw)
• Light-year (ly)
• NAFAL (STL)
• Parsec (pc)

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Description (Specifications)

Small starships of up to 20,000 tons intended to be light support craft for larger ships, primarily cruisers. Escorts are also widely used for convoy protection and commerce raiding roles.

Image Repository

No information yet available.

Strategy & Doctrine (Operations)

The mainstay of the escort fleet is the ED series. These escort destroyers are typical of Imperial needs. The ED-13, derived from the ED-12, was relatively unsuccessful, and the naval architects returned to the ED-12 for inspiration for the later ED-14. The EF-12 served as the design basis for two divergent ship types: the escort fleet (and later escort strike designs) and the escort missile EM-13/-15.

They often serve on orbital patrols, police operations, garrison duties, and even limited strike missions.

Escort Combatants (Secondary) - The Lightcraft Hierarchy

A number of smallcraft and ACS combatants exist:

1. Bigcraft (W or Other)
2. Smallcraft (F or U)
3. Corvette (EC)
4. Close Escort (ECE)
5. Frigate (EF)
6. Escort (E)
7. Destroyer (D)

The basic breakdown is:

1. TBD

Supraclass Roles

Escorts typically serve the following roles:

1. Brig (EB)
2. Close Escort (ECE)
3. Corvette (EC)
4. Destroyer Escort (DE)
5. Escorts
6. Escort Destroyer (ED)
7. Fast Escort (EF)
8. Fast Attack Craft (EFAC)
9. Fleet Escort (EFE)
10. Gunned Escort (??)
11. Gunship (??)
12. Missile Escort (EM)
13. Missile Sloop (ESM)
14. Patrol Cruiser (ET)
15. Patrol Ship (ET)
16. Pursuit Ship (ET)
17. Rider Escort
18. Sampan (ES)
19. Schooner (ES)
20. Sloop (ES)
21. Strike Escort (ESE)
22. Torpedo Ship (EM)

Supraclass Archtypes

Close Escorts (ECE) are very small starships intended for anti-piracy operations in organised squadrons. An example is the Gazelle class Close Escort.

Destroyer Escorts (DE) are the first type capable of accompanying a regular Imperial fleet. They are also used for convoy protection, orbital patrols, police operations, garrison duties, and even limited strike missions. An example is the Chrysanthenum class Destroyer Escort.

Fleet Escorts (EFE) are the largest of the escorts. They are primarily designed to accompany Imperial fleets. However, some classes have often been sent on independent missions - gunboat diplomacy, showing the flag, orbital support of ground operations, transport of diplomats or refugees, fleet courier operations, and even flagship duty for some smaller squadrons. An example is the P. F. Sloan class Fleet Escort.

These are relatively low displacement vessels (1-10,000tons) designed to support larger squadrons of ships. They are typically deployed for support and play a defensive role for the formation. The usually have the jump and maneuver performance to keep pace with the capital ships with which they are assigned. They might be tasked with protecting fleet refueling, assault, or carrier operations from enemy strike elements. They are noted as necessary but not necessarily glamorous fleet assignments for officers.

Supraclass Archtypes for Escorts
Type	Size Range	Exemplar	Remarks
Escort	200 to 5,000 tons		Escort is an often used term for any ships whose primary focus is on providing escort duty to either military or civilian vessels. These ship range in the 200 - 5,000 ton category. The classification of "Escort" is usually reserved for larger vessels of this class and is often commingled with that of "Fleet Escort", but they lack the ability to support longer term deployments of the later type.
Missile Escort			Escorts of any size whose primary weapon load is missiles. These are not common vessels and they are usually pair up with other types of escort vessels. When that is the situation, they can add an unsuspecting punch to an unwary opponent.
Strike Escort	200 to 5,000 tons		Strike escorts share similar characteristics of other ships of the "Strike" designation. They tend to be larger vessels to support an enhanced jump and maneuver capability, but nevertheless still sacrifice weapon loads and armor to achieve those capabilities. They are not a common ship type and are usually deployed with strike fleets. These are one of the smallest vessels carrying a "Strike" designation.
Escort Corvette	200 to 500 tons		Escort Corvettes are at the other end of the spectrum from "Fleet Escorts" and only range about 200 - 500 tons. They do not have much in the way of weapons, armor, or crew, but they are usually enough of a deterrent to most pirates, especially smaller ones, that they do fill a valued role in convoy duty.
Close Escort	200 to 500 tons		Close escorts tend to be one of the smallest class of escort vessel and are primarily found in the 200 - 500 ton range. They are considered to have low endurance and are tend to be cramped, uncomfortable vessels with small crews. Although they are jump capable, they can conserve their resources by clamping to unoccupied hardpoints on other vessels when not in jump space. This feature is source of their designation. Originally, the close escort was designed and produced by the Imperium for fleet operations. The small, fast close escorts were committed as the flank screens for cruisers or small fleet task forces. Their speed and size also made them ideal for naval courier and personnel transfer duties. But ultimately, they found their true niche. Many close escorts have been assigned to specific star systems or groups of systems for commerce protection. Close escorts may be encountered in nearly any star system, including in amber and red coded zones, protecting local merchant traffic. Because of this duty, they may be expected to stop much of the local traffic for inspection of cargo and to determine the correctness of ship's papers. Close escorts may also be encountered in nearly any star system in convoy with merchant ships or on naval operations in a task force with larger naval ships.
Fleet Escort	1,000 to 5,000 tons		Fleet escorts are small, maneuverable, lightly armed warship, usually in the 1,000 - 5,000 tonnage range. The main difference between fleet escorts and others of the type of vessel is that they tend to be larger and be equipped with fuel scoops and purification plants. They have the jump and maneuver performance to keep pace with the capital ships with which they are assigned. The goal for these vessels is to be able to support fleet deployments and pose the least burdens on fleet supply capabilities. Typical missions include protecting fleet refueling, assault or carrier operations from enemy strike elements. They are noted as necessary but not necessarily glamorous fleet assignments for officers.
Corvette	200 tons on average		Corvettes are the smallest class of escort usually massing about 200 tons. Although they do possess jump capability they are more often used as an in system defense asset. Their jump capability gives them a little more flexibility then SDBs and some systems use them as armed couriers.

History & Background (Dossier)

Escorts are the smallest, capable warships that are still capable of viable interstellar force projection.

Selected Variant Types & Classes

Paramilitary Vessel - Patrol Ship:

1. Type T class Patrol Ship AKA Type ECT class Patrol Corvette
   1. Lurushaar Kilaalum class Corvette
   2. Salient class Patrol Frigate
   3. Sang-O class Patrol Ship
   4. She Zhenɡ Zhe class Patrol Boat
   5. Shivva class Patrol Frigate
   6. Trinity class Patrol Ship
   7. Xadis class Patrol Ship
   8. Yugo class Patrol Ship

1. Paramilitary Vessel - Type T class Patrol Cruiser AKA Type TP class Patrol Cruiser
   1. Barekdoldin class Patrol Cruiser
   2. Dyaus class Patrol Cruiser
   3. Jaghara class Patrol Cruiser
   4. Kharsis class Patrol Cruiser
   5. Rudra class Patrol Cruiser
   6. TC17 Deckert class Patrol Cruiser
   7. Vayu class Patrol Cruiser

Ship Summary List

Some of the most commonly used vessels in this role or these roles include:

14 Representative Escort (E) Classes

Class Mission Code TL Tons Jump G Origin Canon Quick ship profile Class Mission Code TL Tons Jump G Origin Canon Quick ship profile Biter class Close Escort EL 11 500 2 2 Sword Worlds Confederation EL-ES22 Cerberus class Gunboat EB 12 500 3 5 Charted Space No HT-S553 Chaiik class Frigate EF 11 800 2 6 Sath Alliance No. Unpublished, non-canon fan design. TBD Hotspur class Sloop of War EH 12 2,000 2 5 Unity of Sed No. Unpublished, non-canon fan design. TBD KE6c Plague class Brigantine EB 12 600 3 4 Korsumug Empire EB-6P43 Leedos class Frigate EF 11 1,200 2 6 Yimin Jiti No. Unpublished, non-canon fan design. FG-MS62 Musuna class Frigate EF 11 2,000 2 2 High Senate No. Unpublished, non-canon fan design. TBD Phoebe class Armored Escort EB 12 600 3 4 Charted Space No EB-6P43 Sii'kha class Escort Corvette ECE 11 400 2 6 Sath Alliance No. Unpublished, non-canon fan design. TBD Sirocco Converge class Attack Boat E 9 3,000 0 6 Uffan Strategic Space Forces No information yet available. Sirocco Converge class Attack Boat E 9 3,000 0 6 Uffan Strategic Space Forces No information yet available. Taranil class Patrol Frigate EF 10 1,600 1 1 Maujen Defense Bureau No. Unpublished, non-canon fan design. TBD Turku class Light Escort EL 12 400 3 5 The Reach No. Unpublished, non-canon fan design. TBD Yarostnaya Ataka class Combat Sloop E 10 200 1 5 Maujen Defense Bureau TBD

References & Contributors (Sources)

This article is missing content for one or more detailed sections. Additional details are required to complete the article. You can help the Traveller Wiki by expanding it.

This list of sources was used by the Traveller Wiki Editorial Team and individual contributors to compose this article. Copyrighted material is used under license from Far Future Enterprises or by permission of the author. The page history lists all of the contributions.

• Supplement 9
• Challenge 25
• Fighting Ships of the Shattered Imperium
• Bryan Steele. Traders and Gunboats (Mongoose Publishing, 2008), TBD.
• T5 Core Rules
• Traveller Wiki Editorial Team
• Author & Contributor: Lord (Marquis) and Master of Sophontology Maksim-Smelchak of the Ministry of Science