Frigate
EF-class and G-class Frigates are classes of ships smaller than a Cruiser and with even lighter armament. The terms frigate and destroyer escort have considerable semantic overlap.
- The Supraclass designation is also known as Ship Mission, Ship Mission Code, Mission, or Ship Hull Designation.
- It is a starship supraclass.
Description (Specifications)[edit]
Frigates are smaller than 5,000 tons, with most in the 600 to 1,200 ton range. Frigates mount only turret weapons, no spinal or bay mounted weapons. Frigates also lack the drive (acceleration and jump) capabilities of true warships.
Image Repository[edit]
No information yet available.
Escort Combatants (Secondary) - The Lightcraft Hierarchy[edit]
A number of smallcraft and ACS combatants exist:
Smallcraft (F or U) (0 - 99 tons) (* System craft / non-Jump *)
- Fighter: Interceptor / Picket (FD / FE / FP / FR) (10 - 50 tons)
- Gunboat / Torpedo Boat (GB / MB / DB / EB) (40 - 99 tons)
- Cutter (sC/qC) (45+ tons)
- Light Sloop (ESL) (50 - 99 tons)
Bigcraft (W or Other) (100 tons or larger) (* System vessel / non-Jump *)
- Escort Vessel (ES/ESV):
- Sloop-of-War (ESB/ESG) (100 - 600 tons)
- Gun-Brig (EB/EBG) (400 - 1000 tons)
- Defense Boat (DB/SDB) (100 - 1,000 tons)
- System Defense Vessel (DV/SDV) (1,000 - 2,499 tons or larger)
- Defense Frigate (DG) (800 - 1,200 tons)
- Escort Defense Cruiser (EDC) (1,000 - 2,000 tons)
Largecraft (100 tons or larger) (* Jump-capable *)
- Escort (E):
- Jump-Sloop (ESJ) (100 - 600 tons)
- Close Escort (EC/CE) (300 - 600 tons)
- Corvette (E/EG) (300 - 800 tons)
- Frigate (G):
- Destroyer Escort (DE) (400 - 1,000 tons)
- Escort Frigate (EG) (500 - 1,200 tons)
- Gunned Frigate (G) (500 - 1,200 tons)
- Destroyer (D):
- Escort Destroyer (ED) (1,000 - 2,499 tons or larger)
- Escort Cruiser (EC):
- Detached Cruiser (CC) (1,000 - 2,499 tons or larger)
- Colonial Cruiser (CC) (1,000 - 2,499 tons or larger)
- Provincial Cruiser (CC) (1,000 - 2,499 tons or larger)
- Destroyer Leader (DGL/DGC/DLC) (1,000 - 2,499 tons or larger)
- Heavy Gun-Frigate (EGC/GFC) (1,000 - 2,499 tons)
- Detached Cruiser (CC) (1,000 - 2,499 tons or larger)
- Traditionally, the historical vessels from which the names of the modern examples above are taken increased in size along the progression below.
- »» For more detailed background information, please see: Origins of Vessel Naming Nomenclature.
- Gunboat »» Sloop (Single-mast) »» Sloop-of-War (Brig-Sloop (2-mast) »» Ship-Sloop (3-mast)) »» Corvette »» Escort/Patrol Frigate (Destroyer Escort) »» Destroyer (Escort Destroyer / Fleet Destroyer) »» (Destroyer Leader <> Heavy Gun Frigate) »» Cruiser »» (Heavy) Gun Cruiser
Strategy & Tactics (Doctrine)[edit]
A Frigate's primary mission is a defensive role. Providing extra security for merchant ships against pirates and light raiders. The frigate generally mounts enough firepower to defeat most armed merchants, but not enough to threaten a Cruiser or similar warship. Unlike an Escort, which is expected to be able to at least assist in combat with larger warships, most frigates are not.
The lack of firepower, drive capability, and generally armor, makes the frigates less expensive to build and maintain than warships, so they can be built and maintained in large numbers. Their ubiquity lends them to being applied to other missions, including piracy suppression, raiding, and ground support missions.
Lightcraft Hierarchy[edit]
- Smallcraft
- Close Escort / Jump Sloop
- Corvette / Escort
- Frigate / Destroyer Escort
- Fleet Escort / Destroyer
- Heavy Frigate / Destroyer Leader
Supraclass Roles[edit]
Frigates typically serve the following roles:
- Frigate (EF) (Namesake)
- Ambush Frigate (EFA)
- Commerce Protection Vessel (H)
- Corvette (EE)
- Escort Frigate (EF)
- Destroyer Escort (DE)
- Fast Escort (EFF)
- Fast Frigate (EFF)
- Fleet Escort (EFE)
- Heavy Frigate (EF)
- Destroyer Leader (DGL/DGC)
- Detached Cruiser:
- Colonial Cruiser (EC)
- Escort Cruiser (EC)
- Provincial Cruiser (EC)
- Light Frigate (EF)
- Medium Frigate (EF)
- Missile Frigate (EFT)
- Multipurpose Frigate (EFY)
- Patrol Vessel (ET)
- Patrol Corvette (EET)
- Patrol Frigate (EFT)
- Patrol Skiff (EFT)
Supraclass Archetypes[edit]
| EF-class Frigate Supraclass Archetypes | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Archetype | Type Code | Exemplar | Remarks |
| TBD | TBD | TBD | None |
History & Background (Dossier)[edit]
Many interstellar polities outside of the Imperium use Frigates for internal security missions, feeling that full warships are not needed for policing duties. The Imperial Navy uses Escorts for many of these duties.
Major Frigate Classes: A Frigate in the Royal Caledonian Navy is the equivalent of a "Cruiser" in Imperial parlance, and fills the Cruiser role. They are listed under Cruisers.
Selected Variant Types & Classes[edit]
No information yet available.
Ship Summary List[edit]
Some of the most commonly used vessels in this role or these roles include:
| 9 Representative Frigate (EF) Classes | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| 0 Representative Fleet Escort (EFE) Classes | |
|---|---|
| No results |
| 0 Representative Missile Frigate (EFM) Classes | |
|---|---|
| No results |
| 0 Representative Patrol Frigate (EFT) Classes | |
|---|---|
| No results |
Library Data Referral Tree[edit]
- 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 (Auxiliary Class Ship)
- Battle Class Ship (Bulk / Subcapital Class Ship)
- Capital Ship (Capital Class Ship)
- Fleet Class Ship (Capital Class Ship)
- Size-Role Classification
- Subcapital Ship (Small & Large Battle Class Ships)
- QSP
- USP
- World Class Ship
- NAFAL (STL) - (Not As Fast As Light) / (Slower Than Light)
- Light Speed (c)
- FTL - (Faster Than Light) - "Superluminal"
References & Contributors (Sources)[edit]
| 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. |
- T5 Core Rules
- Traveller Wiki Editorial Team
- Author & Contributor: Lord (Marquis) and Master of Sophontology Maksim-Smelchak of the Ministry of Science
