Approved Starship Vert-Class Heavy Cruiser

[Suhara Villow]

OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION

• Intent: To create a Heavy Cruiser
• Image Source: https://www.pixiv.net/en/artworks/40038551
• Canon Link: N/A
• Permissions: N/A
• Primary Source:
  • Alaska-Class Cruiser
  • Chantemer Astral Horizons

PRODUCTION INFORMATION

• Manufacturer: Chantemer Astral Horizons
• Affiliation: Chantemer Astral Horizons, Chantemer
• Market Status: Closed-Market
• Model: Vert-Class Heavy Cruiser
• Production: Limited
• Material:
  • Doonium
  • Duralloy
  • Durasteel
  • Ferroceramic
  • Trimantium
  • Duraplast
  • Starship Components

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

• Classification: Large Cruiser
• Length: 750
• Width: 250
• Height: 260
• Crew: 4,500
• Armament: Very High
• Defenses: High
• Hangar Space: None
• Maneuverability Rating: High
• Speed Rating: High
• Hyperdrive: 1.0

STANDARD FEATURES

• Armament
  • 10 Super Heavy Turbolasers (5 x 2)
  • 24 Dual-Purpose Flak Cannons (12 x 2)
  • 200 Anti-Starfighter AG-2G quad laser cannons (50 x 4)
• Communications and Sensors
  • Rectenna
  • ANs-9.5w wide range sensor system
  • ANq-51 sensor array computer
  • Holotransmitter
  • Holotransceiver
  • ISBe 300 Hyperwave Transmitter Antenna
  • Hyperspace transponder
• Misc. Systems
  • Magnite Crystal Tractor Beam Array
  • KR-7770 targeting computer
  • LR-375a Sureshot advanced targeting array

ADVANCED SYSTEMS

STRENGTHS

• Firepower:The infamous main battery of 10 Super Heavy Turbolasers was built to be able to allow the Verts to be able to go toe-to-toe with pocket Star Destroyers. Blasts from these cannons are capable of cleanly punching through the protection systems of almost every Cruiser in it's displacement range with the outlier of those at extreme distances or those with exceptional armor.
  
  
• Targeting Systems: It's oversized superstructure and advanced sensor suites of the Vert-Class continues to allow the Chantemerian Navy to display their proud tradition of extreme accurate and long range gunnery, allowing even the most incompetent Gun-Officer to start bracketing enemy ships by the second salvo.
  
  
• Speed: The powerful propulsion and rudder-shift systems enable the Vert to stand above most of its peers when it comes to agility and perform daring manoeuvres. Often skilled Captains can even leverage the fine-tuned engines to perform course correction to dodge incoming shots on the slower end.
  
  
• Protection Scheme: the efficient armor layout and overstrength shields allow the Vert to have extended endurance against most medium turbolasers at typical engagement range, though its effectiveness drops off as the range closes. The lack of having a starfighter hangar allows the chance of munition detonations causing catastrophic damage to be highly unlikely.

WEAKNESSES

• Lack of Starfighters: a significant departure from the Galactic Norm, other than the capability to have shuttle and lifeboat docking, the Vert carries no Starfighters.
  
  
• Slower Rate of Fire: the price of placing Super Heavy Turbolasers onto the smaller frame a cruiser means that the Vert suffers from a slower rate of fire that might enable swarms of smaller Frigates and Corvettes to overwhelm it. Though they'll still have to contend with its formidable secondary battery of flak guns.
  
  
• Torpedo Protection: Envisioned at engaging enemy ships at longer range, the Vert has infamously piss-poor protection against Heavy Torpedos launched by Frigates. During the Disaster of Munda Point a volley of particularly well-aimed Assault proton torpedo did such devastating damage to the Vert-Class Valiant that the cruiser's spine was instantly snapped.
  
  
• Still just a cruiser: For the extremely formidable firepower that the Vert has for its displacement, it doesn't have the protection nor the firepower to get into extended gun duels with heavy capital ships such as the Imperial-II class. While it's possible that a pair or trio might be able to bring one down through their combined weight of turbolasers, their cruiser-level protection means that a lucky shot could take a Vert out of action in rapid order.

DESCRIPTION

First laid down in 850 ABY, the Vert-Class Heavy Cruiser for the longest time was the heaviest fast capital ship within the Chantemerian Void Fleet until the advent of the Jaune Battlecruisers and the later Bleu-Class Fast Destroyers. It was first conceived of after naval intelligence received word that the rapidly encroaching Confederacy of Independent Systems had begun development of a so-called "supercruiser" dubbed the B-65. The envisioned Jaune-Class Battlecruiser should have been more than enough to address this new threat but repeated delays in sourcing the Proton Gun System and Fusion Gun battery meant that they would not be able to launch in time for a potential conflict. As a result, plans were drawn up for the crash building of a Heavy Cruiser that could go toe-to-toe with B-65 and demolish any other cruiser within its weight class.

The threat of the B-65 never materialised as the Confederacy withdrew from its plans to expand into the Galactic South following the Unmaker's Offensive against their capital. However, the Vert-Class still went into production as the development costs were considered too high and too far along to justify the line's cancelation. A total of fifty had been ordered but only thirty-six were laid down from 854 to 870 ABY. In 901 they saw extensive refits that reduced their number of secondary guns for more efficient dual-purpose flak guns. The removal of these outdated guns also allowed for more anti-starfighter laser cannons to be added.

While the Vert-Class would go on to have a long and storied service life it was always seen as wasted potential. Yes, it had a powerful main battery on par with pocket Star Destroyers that could theoretical outgun any cruiser it came across while possessing a second-to-none fire control system. But outside of hunting down enemy supercruisers and heavy cruisers, it wasn't good for much else. The slow rate of fire of its main guns limited its ability to engage smaller vessels such as Frigates and Corvettes. Operating in a battleline against heavy capital ships, while it could add substantial supporting fire, was a dangerous prospect given it still had cruiser-grade protection, albeit hardier than average. It could perform in a convoy raiding role but it didn't have the speed to keep up with the Jaune-Class and while scouting ahead wasn't an impossible prospect given its good agility, why risk a very expensive ship on a mission a lesser ship could perform?

It's powerful comms systems and roomy bridge did make it a favorite among officers to pick as their command ship. It had both the firepower and armor to lead from the front while being able to rapidly reposition if the need arose.

Overall the Vert was seen as very good at what it had been built to do - take on cruisers outside of the Battleline and serve as cruiser leaders - but it struggled at anything outside of that niche. It's successor the Marron-Class was lighter but arguably was far more efficient with its displacement use and but versatile.

Following Suhara Villow's uprising they did see increased use against her High Republic backers due to Naboo's lack of heavy Capital Ships at in the opening stages of the conflict. However, this gap existed only on paper and proceeding events would come to prove naval theorists otherwise.

 

[MANIAC]

Suhara Villow

Nicely made!

Approved.