Atago Type: Heavy Cruiser In class: 60 In service: 2652 Mass: 810,000 Sail Integrity: 4 Thrust: 2/3 Fuel: 3000 tons Structural Integrity: 80 Armor: 1200 tons of standard armor (80+8 per facing) Docking Collars: 4 Fighters: 24 Small Craft: 10 Marines: 756 Crew: 280 Lifeboats: 10 Escape Pods: 20 Grav Decks: 2 120 meter Cargo: 75,527 Bay 1: Small Craft (10) 2 doors Bay 2: Cargo (75,527) 2 doors Bay 3: Fighters (24) 4 doors Bay 4: Marines (756) 1 door Other equipment none Weapons: Heatsinks: 5360 Forward 4 Naval Autocannon 25s Fore Left/Fore Right 5 Naval Autocannon 10s 5 Naval Laser 55s 2 Killer Whale Launchers Left Broadside/Right Broadside 4 Naval Autocannon 25s 5 Naval Autocannon 10s 5 Naval Laser 55s 1 Killer Whale Launcher Aft Left/Aft Right 4 Naval Autocannon 35s 4 Naval Autocannon 25s 1 Killer Whale Launcher Aft 2 Naval Autocannon 35s Ammo: 1000 rounds of Naval AC 35 ammo 2000 rounds of Naval AC 25 ammo 2000 rounds of Naval AC 10 ammo 320 Killer Whale Overview: The Atago was commissioned by Urizen Kurita the Second to replace the older Sultan and Kirov class heavy cruisers that until this time had been a bulwark of the DCA. At first, the announcement of Kurita's deployment of a new class of heavy cruiser, comming barely two years after Michael Cameron edict restricting the military strength of house militaries, caused a great deal of a stir. Many accused Kurita of disregarding Cameron's edict, and for a while there was talk that the naval arms race that had tainted the first half of the century would begin again. However, these fears were quickly put to rest. True to his word, Urizen II ordered the gradual phasing out of the older Kirovs and Sultans, replacing them with new Atago class vessels as they became available, and therefore, at least on the surface, staying below the naval limits imposed by the Star League. [editor's note: Actually, the Atago is one of the few times where the Combine didn't try to duck around its obligations to the star league. This is believed to be partially due to the "Japanification" of the Combine first begun by Urizen II. Though Japanese culture had always had an influence over the Combine, it wasn't until his reign that it really took hold. This inevitably spread to the fleet as well, including to wide scale renaming or replacement of so called gaikoku (foreign) ships. Though the Combine already had several classes of ships with japanese names (such as the Hiei class battleships and several destroyer classes), under Urizen II this became policy. Sure the Sultan and Kirov classes were old and would need replacement eventually, but they were also another thing as well. They were gaikoku.] Capabilities: The Atago class exemplified the design principles of the heavy cruiser. The ship is slow, and its armor is somewhat subpar for its size. On the other hand it is armed to the teeth. Fifty naval autocannons of varying calibers make up the main firepower, backed up by twenty naval lasers. Eight killer whale tubes and twenty four fighters in the meanwhile provide defense against enemy fighter attacks. Combine naval planners envisioned the Atago as sort of a roving utility man, able to respond to trouble as it arose. With this in mind, the designers included four docking collars in the design, along with barracks space for a full regiment of marines. This allows the ship to deliver military forces to any trouble spot. Deployment: The combine constructed sixty Atago class cruisers from 2652 to 2672, spreading them out across the realm, where they acted as command ships for frigate and destroyer squadrons. Their service during the Davion War of Succession was limited, but in general they performed well. When the First Succesion War began, the entire class was rushed to the borders with Steiner and Davion, playing a large role in the battles of Skondia and Cholame. However almost the entire class would be destroyed before the end of the first succesion war. Only one ship, the Maya, survived the first war, and she would not long last. The Maya was destroyed by the FWLS Olympic in the Tania Borealis system in the last year of the so called Comstar War. Notable Commanders: Ryoko Igarashii, commander of the DCS Haguro from 2658 to 2669, was an extremely rare sight in the Combine, a female officer in command of a major warship. Her great grandfather was a decorated (if obscure) mechwarrior who served as part of the SLDF in the Rim Worlds Republic during the Reunification War, however her noble lineage ended there. Though an extremely talented tactician, she found it necessary to resort to a curious strategem to overcome the bias of the Combine military. During her time as commander of the Haguro, she would in general defer to her executive officer in most matters. apparently effectively ceeding command of the Haguro to him. After three years of exceptional battlefield performance (including one rarely talked about incident where the Haguro transported the Coordinator himself to Luthien, in the process fending off an attack by a force of periphery secessionists looking to capture Lord Kurita as leverage for their own demands), Igarashii's executive officer was promoted to command of his own ship. In his first engagement, that officer proved to be completely tactically inept. Though Igarashii had apparently been allowing him to command the Haguro, it became apparent that in fact she had been simply using him as a figurehead to issue orders, as few in her crew were willing to take orders from a woman. Igarashii in the meanwhile eventually managed to earn the respect of her crew, overcomming the Combine's male bias. Though neither the Haguro nor her captain ever recieved any real recognition for their performance, the ship nevertheless had an excellent service record for the next eight years. In 2669, Ryoko Igarashii stepped down from command of the Haguro to settle in as housewife to Tai-Sa Franklin Nobunaga, a staff officer assigned to the Military Coordination Office. The Nobunaga family continued to serve the Combine admirably right up to the start of the Second Succession War when the last living member, Hideo Nobunaga (great grandson of Ryoko and Franklin), retired as commander of the DCS Ayanami.