Carrier

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

V-class Carriers are designed to carry large numbers of combatant smallcraft (...under 100 tons), which in turn attack the enemy’s combatant vessels or world surfaces.

• Tenders and Carriers form the mission category: Subcraft Carriers.
• The most common types are Carriers and Tenders. Carriers carry smallcraft fighters and tenders carry bigcraft battle riders.
• Commercial or civilian tenders tend to be called Ship Transporters among other terms.
• The Supraclass designation is also known as Ship Mission, Ship Mission Code, Mission, or Ship Hull Designation.
• It is a starship supraclass.

Library Data Referral Tree

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)

Description (Specifications)

Carriers are starships designed to carry large numbers of small combat vessels, termed either fighters or system defense boats, to screen the battle fleet or support a planetary invasion. The smaller craft are arranged into groupings known as carried squadrons.

• Fighters and light SDBs are little more than an annoying distraction in a major fleet action, but they can be extremely effective against ships of cruiser class or less.

Frequently large displacement hulls are used with an unstreamlined dispersed structure. Imperial navies prefer hulls which can carry some armor and often use large launch tubes for rapid fighter deployment and recovery, often in place of a spinal mounted weapon, and sometimes in addition to it. Screens, repulsors, and defensive batteries are a top priority for protection and numerous small beam batteries are used to shoot down enemy fighters.

Image Repository

No information yet available.

Strategy & Tactics (Doctrine)

To understand carrier operations is to understand the utility and limitations of fleet fighters. Carriers are used to defend fleets from enemy fighters. They can maintain a combat space patrol. Fighters with sufficiently large and sophisticated computers can score hits on enemy minor combatants and degrade enemy escort strength. One squadron per escort is typical for massed volley fire. Fusion armed fighters rush in for close assaults to increase their chances of scoring penetrating hits against low agility lightly armored targets. Fighters can be used to finish weakened ships which have withdrawn from the line of battle for repairs. They can provide cover for boarding operations as well. They can provide close point defense by intercepting homing ordinance targeting friendly fleet assets. They are invaluable for planetary assaults and are critical for marines to survive. Close fighter support allows assault capsules to land, supplies to arrive and wounded to be evacuated. Fighter strikes are used to smash hard targets so that marine forces can bypass centers of resistance and maintain an accelerated offensive tempo vital for their style of assault. They leave protracted siege to follow on army units.

Supraclass Roles

Subcraft Carriers typically serve as Carriers or Tenders:

Carriers typically serve the following roles:

1. Assault Carrier (VA)
2. Battle Carrier (VB)
3. Carrier (V) (Namesake)
4. Command Carrier (VC)
5. Escort Carrier (VL)
6. Fleet Carrier (VF)
7. Heavy Carrier (VH)
8. Light Carrier (VL)
9. Mercenary Carrier (VS)
10. Micro-Escort Carrier (VL)
11. Pocket Carrier (VP)
12. Provincial Combat Carrier (VF)
13. Range Carrier (VF)
14. Strike Carrier (VS)
15. System Defense Carrier (VD)

Tenders typically serve the following roles:

1. Battle Tender (VTB)
2. Commercial Tender (TB)
3. Communication Tender (XT)
4. Cruiser Tender (VTQ)
5. Escort Tender (VTL)
6. Fighter Tender (VT)
7. Fleet Tender (VTF)
8. Interdiction Tender (VTD)
9. Jump Carrier (VT)
10. Repair Tender (VTQ)
11. Ship Tender (VTQ)
12. Tender (VT) (Namesake)
13. Xboat Tender (XT)

Size-Class Roles for Carrier Vessels

Carriers:

1. Utility Craft (U) (1 to 99 tons)
2. Escort Carrier (VE) (100 to 2,499 tons)
3. Light Carrier (VL) (2,500 to 99,999 tons)
4. Medium Carrier (VM) (100,000 to 199,999 tons)
5. Pocket Carrier (VP) (200,000 to 249,999 tons)
6. Heavy Carrier (VH) (250,000 to 499,999 tons)
7. Superheavy Carrier (VS) (500,000 to 999,999 tons)
8. Ultraheavy Carrier (VU) (1,000,000 or more tons)

Supraclass Archetypal Roles

These vessels typically serve the following archetypal roles:

V-class Subcraft Carrier Supraclass Archetypes
Archetype	Type Code	Exemplar	Remarks
Subcraft Carrier	V	Lurenti class Battle Carrier	V-class vessels represent a school of thought using larger vessels to deploy smaller ones, or subcraft. The Subcraft Carrier supraclass includes both carriers and tenders. Carriers carry smallcraft fighters and tenders carry bigcraft battle riders. V = Vehicle Carrier, aViation or voler, etc. Voler is a Terran French word meaning "to fly."
Assault Carrier	VA	Wind class Strike Carrier	No information yet available. VA-14: These Carriers carry assault landers and other craft whose missions are focused on ground assault mission, rather then fighters. These vessels usually carry large numbers of troops. VS-13/-15: The VS-13/-15 series is a new line of carriers designed independent of the VF-11/-12 series. A = Assault, Attack, Strike, etc.
Battle Carrier	VB	Auliaau class Battle Carrier	TBD B = Battle, Combat, Far, Fast, Frontier, etc.
Command Carrier	VC	War Child class Command Carrier	None C = Command
Defense Carrier	VD	TBD class Defense Carrier	None D = Defense
Escort Carrier	VE	Hyperion class Escort Carrier	Escort Carriers or Very Light Carriers are small vessels that displace between 100 to 2,499 tons in size. While not very useful for larger fleet formations, they are great in an escort role, putting out a sensor picket, protecting against other fighters, or for strikes against lightly defended targets. They can also be built relatively quickly, staffed quickly, and quickly deploy into action. Many fleets operate escort carriers because of their usefulness within their identified roles. E = Escort, Very Light Carrier, etc.
Fleet Carrier	VF	Antiama class Fleet Carrier	Fleet Carriers are built to operate as part of a fleet, not independently. Their subcraft provide tactical and strategic support to a line a battlefleet a CruRon or a BatRon. Their fighters provide sensor pickets, an expanded sensor net, either in a tactical or strategic sense, provide missile shields intercepting enemy munitions, or provide strike assets damaging enemy capital ships. They are dependent on other capital ships and auxiliary elements such as tankers or combat support ships. VF-11: The massive VF-11 was produced to provide support for the vast numbers of fighters that fleet tactics required. The size and design of the VF-11 call for an independent refueling tanker, the TV-11. VF-12: The technological development of the VF-11 into the VF-12 also called for a similar tanker, but rather than design a new vessel, the TV-11 was used without change. F = Fleet, Combat Support, Strategic, etc.
Heavy Carrier	VH	Midway class Heavy Carrier	No information yet available. VH-13: Very large carrier designed to serve as a force flagship, carrying a large suite of defensive weaponry. Due to its size, cost, and complexity, they were not considered effective units. The smaller carriers are favored due to cost effectiveness and tactical flexibility. H = Heavy
Light Carrier	VL	Skimkish class Light Carrier	No information yet available. VL-15: The higher-tech trend is to smaller carriers. The VL-15 light carrier L = Light
Medium Carrier	VM	Antiama class Fleet Carrier	None M = Medium
Pocket Carrier	VP	Horror class Strike Carrier	No information yet available. VP-15: Even smaller than the light carriers is the VP-15 pocket carrier continuing the higher-tech trend to smaller, more inexpensive vessels. P = Pocket
Superheavy Carrier	VS	Mordax class Fleet Carrier	TBD S = Superheavy
Ultraheavy Carrier	VU	Kliqrv class Battle Carrier	No information yet available. U = Ultraheavy
Tender	VT (Namesake)	World class Battle Tender	Tenders carry bigcraft, which is to say subcraft that are 100 tons or larger in displacement. These subcraft are significantly larger, more powerful, and longer-legged than the smallcraft fighters carried by traditional carriers. This gives significantly more strategic options than a fighter-equipped carrier, but not always better striking power within a fighter's range envelope. The Battle Rider is the prototypical bigcraft carried by Battle Tenders and entire schools of naval strategy have arisen concerning their usage and deployment. T = Tender, Military Ship Transporter, Battle Tender, etc.
Commercial Tender & Ship Transporter	TV	Mariner class Frame Carrier	Ship Transporters or commercial tenders are similar to carriers and tenders, but instead of military subcraft, they carry civilian subcraft. The concept is similar to the battle rider concept, except in a civilian application. The class also includes various kinds of jump ships or jump trains, specialized to carry variable cargos, or as jump shuttles. V = Vehicle Carrier, Subcraft Carrier, Jump ConVeyance, Jump Shuttles, Ship Transporter, etc.
NOTES: There is semantic overlap between many of the classes and codes. Some codes organize by mission or capability, others by size and tonnage, and yet others by other characteristics.

History & Background (Dossier)

Historically different navies have used fighters differently.

• Imperial fleets do not heavily emphasize carriers as the ships that decide battles. They carefully pair carriers with assault squadrons and battle squadrons with fleet tenders. Fighters can screen the launching and recovery of battle riders. Battle riders are used to destroy enemy ships of the line and the fighters make sure some survive recovery operations.
• Vargr fighter pilots are widely regarded as fierce and unpredictable opponents. Corsairs use fighters when available. Fighter pilot duty is seen as extremely charismatic among the Vargr.
• Zhodani fleets are more likely to place fighters on small patrol ships for intelligence gathering and recon. Some of this is thought to be supplemented by psionic crew members. They use the fighters as a force multiplier to give smaller ships more batteries to bring to bear against smaller combatants and are very helpful during commerce raiding deep behind enemy lines.

Selected Variant Types & Classes

Carrier:

1. Type TBD class Carrier
   1. TBD class Free Carrier

Tender:

1. Type TBD class Tender
   1. TBD class Free Tender

Ship Summary List

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

19 Representative Subcraft Carrier (V) 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 Exilicanda class Medium Carrier VM 13 100,000 4 1 Council of Leh Perash Garin class Light Carrier VL 10 10,000 1 5 Firstworlds No. Unpublished, non-canon fan design. VL-TBD Garin class Light Carrier VL 10 10,000 1 5 Firstworlds No. Unpublished, non-canon fan design. VL-TBD Garin class Light Carrier VL 10 10,000 1 5 Firstworlds No. Unpublished, non-canon fan design. VL-TBD Horror class Strike Carrier VPS 12 200,000 3 5 Old Worlds Navy No. Unpublished, non-canon fan design. VP-0LP53 Hyperion class Escort Carrier VE 9 1,000 1 1 Nist Military Forces No. Unpublished, non-canon fan design. VE-KS11 Ishker class Command Carrier VC 11 25,000 2 2 The Last Line No. Unpublished, non-canon fan design. VC-TBD Karna class Fleet Tender VTH 11 20,000 2 2 Regency of Muirimi No. Further developed by a fan. VTH-0MU34 Merant class Fleet Tender VTB 10 12,000 1 1 Rimward Federation No. Unpublished, non-canon fan design. TBD Merant class Fleet Tender VTB 10 12,000 1 1 Rimward Federation No. Unpublished, non-canon fan design. TBD Mie class Fleet Tender VTB 13 10,000 4 4 Taakas Yh'Drak No. Unpublished, non-canon fan design. TBD Senator class Battle Tender VTB 11 20,000 2 2 High Senate No. Unpublished, non-canon fan design. TBD Senator class Battle Tender VTB 11 20,000 2 2 High Senate No. Unpublished, non-canon fan design. TBD Senator class Battle Tender VTB 11 20,000 2 2 High Senate No. Unpublished, non-canon fan design. TBD Senator class Battle Tender VTB 11 20,000 2 2 High Senate No. Unpublished, non-canon fan design. TBD Senator class Battle Tender VTB 11 20,000 2 2 High Senate No. Unpublished, non-canon fan design. TBD Sshkih class Carrier VTL 11 8,000 2 1 Sath Alliance No. Unpublished, non-canon fan design. VTL-08U12 Stanter class Defense Escort Carrier VD 9 2,000 0 6 Uffan Strategic Space Forces No. Unpublished, non-canon fan design. VD-TBD Vati class Support Carrier VL 9 3,000 1 1 Descarothe Hegemony No. Unpublished, non-canon fan design. TBD

0 Representative Assault Carrier (VA) Classes
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0 Representative Battle Carrier (VB) Classes
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1 Representative Command Carrier (VC) 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 Ishker class Command Carrier VC 11 25,000 2 2 The Last Line No. Unpublished, non-canon fan design. VC-TBD

1 Representative Defense Carrier (VD) 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 Stanter class Defense Escort Carrier VD 9 2,000 0 6 Uffan Strategic Space Forces No. Unpublished, non-canon fan design. VD-TBD

1 Representative Escort Carrier (VE) 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 Hyperion class Escort Carrier VE 9 1,000 1 1 Nist Military Forces No. Unpublished, non-canon fan design. VE-KS11

0 Representative Fleet Carrier (VF) Classes
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0 Representative Heavy Carrier (VH) Classes
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4 Representative Light Carrier (VL) 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 Garin class Light Carrier VL 10 10,000 1 5 Firstworlds No. Unpublished, non-canon fan design. VL-TBD Garin class Light Carrier VL 10 10,000 1 5 Firstworlds No. Unpublished, non-canon fan design. VL-TBD Garin class Light Carrier VL 10 10,000 1 5 Firstworlds No. Unpublished, non-canon fan design. VL-TBD Vati class Support Carrier VL 9 3,000 1 1 Descarothe Hegemony No. Unpublished, non-canon fan design. TBD

1 Representative Medium Carrier (VM) 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 Exilicanda class Medium Carrier VM 13 100,000 4 1 Council of Leh Perash

1 Representative Pocket Carrier (VP) 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 Horror class Strike Carrier VPS 12 200,000 3 5 Old Worlds Navy No. Unpublished, non-canon fan design. VP-0LP53

0 Representative Supraheavy Carrier (VS) Classes
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10 Representative Tenders (VT) 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 Karna class Fleet Tender VTH 11 20,000 2 2 Regency of Muirimi No. Further developed by a fan. VTH-0MU34 Merant class Fleet Tender VTB 10 12,000 1 1 Rimward Federation No. Unpublished, non-canon fan design. TBD Merant class Fleet Tender VTB 10 12,000 1 1 Rimward Federation No. Unpublished, non-canon fan design. TBD Mie class Fleet Tender VTB 13 10,000 4 4 Taakas Yh'Drak No. Unpublished, non-canon fan design. TBD Senator class Battle Tender VTB 11 20,000 2 2 High Senate No. Unpublished, non-canon fan design. TBD Senator class Battle Tender VTB 11 20,000 2 2 High Senate No. Unpublished, non-canon fan design. TBD Senator class Battle Tender VTB 11 20,000 2 2 High Senate No. Unpublished, non-canon fan design. TBD Senator class Battle Tender VTB 11 20,000 2 2 High Senate No. Unpublished, non-canon fan design. TBD Senator class Battle Tender VTB 11 20,000 2 2 High Senate No. Unpublished, non-canon fan design. TBD Sshkih class Carrier VTL 11 8,000 2 1 Sath Alliance No. Unpublished, non-canon fan design. VTL-08U12

0 Representative Ultraheavy Carrier (VU) Classes
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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.

• John Harshman, Marc Miller, Loren Wiseman. Library Data (A-M) (Game Designers Workshop, 1981), TBD. (Classic Traveller Supplement 8)
• Timothy B. Brown. Fighting Ships (Game Designers Workshop, 1981), 34-36. (Classic Traveller Supplement 9)
• Marc Miller. Fighting Ships of the Shattered Imperium (Game Designers Workshop, 1990), 54-64.
• HIWG Papers
• Ben W. Bell, Martin Dougherty. Fighting Ships (QuikLink Interactive, 2003), 14-15.
• Traveller Wiki Editorial Team
• Author & Contributor: Lord (Marquis) and Master of Sophontology Maksim-Smelchak of the Ministry of Science