Difference between revisions of "Starship Types"

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Revision as of 18:28, 4 July 2014

A Starship Type is a description of the mission statement of a Starship. This should not be confused with Starship Classes, which is a particular design. Each design is usually assigned to a particular type of starship, and each type will usually have many different classes.

A starship type is usually identified by a starship type code, a one to three letter code attached to the starship class or description.

Sometimes a starship will move from one type to another. Often former battleships became cruisers, and cruisers became destroyers, when the maximum ship size increases with the tech level of the computer. For example a CH Heavy Cruiser is a front-line warship, however as they age, and technology advances, a class may be no longer fit for the front-line, and moved to a more secondary role such as DE Escort Destroyer. Sometimes the same design with different armaments will be of a different type (e.g. CS Strike Cruiser vs CC Cruiser). Its also common to downgrade the starship mission for political reasons, so a cruiser could become a destroyer, if arms regulations restrict heavy warships in a demilitarized zone.

The mission statement tell the purpose of a ship, but not its size or performance. e.g a CP Patrol Cruiser is often smaller than a DE Escort Destroyer, even if the first has the mission to cruise behind enemy lines, while the second has the mission to escort the main battle group and to destroy fighters and other small vessels. The Starship Type is therefore confusing and the performance characteristics for civilian and military vessels is better explained by the Imperial Ship Profile code.

Military

Broad Ship Types

The Imperial Navy acknowledges five broad ship types in its service: scouts, escorts. cruisers, carriers, and battleships. Each type has its own function within the overall mission of the navy.

  • Battleship The power of the Imperial Navy is concentrated in its battleships. The definition of a battleship is a ship which, due to its armament and protection, is capable of standing in the line of battle. When a battleship meets any lesser type of ship, its victory is almost guaranteed. When battleships on two sides meet, victory goes to the better armed, better armored, and better directed ship.
  • Dreadnought A dreadnought is a superbattleship, designed to be the best possible battleship. The Imperial Navy places the dreadnought designation on its latest, most-effective battleships, redesignating them simply as battleships when their superior abilities are supplanted by newer construction. The concept of dreadnought does not mean that battleships are not built as well. Due to the expense of dreadnoughts, the Imperial Navy also acquires battleships as such.
  • Battle Rider A battle rider is a nonjump-capable vessel which is otherwise armed and armored like a battleship. By eliminating the jump drives and their associated controls and power plant support, the internal space they would occupy may be allocated to additional armor, weaponry, or agility. of any two vessels of equal tonnage, a battle rider (which is not burdened with jump drives and required jump drive support) would logically be superior to a jump-capable battleship (until it needs to retreat).
  • Battle Tender A battle tender is a ship designed to carry battle riders into battle.
  • Cruisers Cruisers are more lightly armored and less heavily armed than battleships. To unarmed, unarmored ships, this difference is negligible, since a cruiser can easily attack and destroy any noncombatant ships. Cruisers are assigned to support battleships and carry combat to areas where a battleship is not considered necessary.
  • Carriers Carriers are designed to carry large numbers of small combat craft, which in turn attack the enemy’s combatants or world surfaces.
  • Escorts Escorts are vessels intended to protect and assist larger vessels. They are capable of independent action, but are usually assigned to support battleships and cruisers.
  • Scouts Scouts are survey and exploration ships normally employed in the scout service. They are transferred to naval duty in time of war or when otherwise necessary. Many scout ships are couriers for the navy.

Ships with the Strike prefix usually have higher jump drives than others types.

Heavy Warships

Tenders/Riders

Carriers

Cruisers

Destroyers

Escort

Frigates

Support Ships

Smaller Ships

Fighters

Civilian Types

Mercantile

Non-Commercial

Auxiliary

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.
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