Type: Canopus Class Destroyers In Service: 2547 Number in Service: 24 Mass: 425,000 tons KF Integrity: 10 Sail Integrity: 3 Thrust: 4/6 Fuel: 3000 tons SI: 50 Armor: 425 tons Standard Armor (Fore/Aft: 25 + 5 Sides: 30 +5) Heatsinks: 1700 Docking Collars: 0 Fighters: 12 Small Craft: 0 Crew: 230 Lifeboats: 5 Escape Pods: 15 Grav Deck: 0 Cargo: 67,124 tons Bays: Bay 1: Fighters: 6 Doors Bay 2: Cargo Weapons: Forward: 6 Light Naval PPCs 4 PPC Fore Left/Right: 2 NAC/20 2 NL/35 4 PPC Aft Left/Right: 2 NL/35 3 PPC Aft: 2 PPC Ammo 100 Rounds NAC20 Ammo Overview: As part of their military build up in the mid 2500's, the Canopian Navy commissioned a destroyer class ship to provide fire support for their large corvette fleet. With only limited resources available to design and build the new ship, the Canopian Shipyards simply enlarged the Amazon class corvette that was already being produced for the Canopian Navy. The resulting destroyer was slightly more then twice the size of the Amazon Corvettes. As part of the effort to reduce the development time and cost, the engineers chose to use many of the same components that were used on the Amazon Class. The two ships share many of the same components, simplifying supply and repair of both ships. The Magistracy produced a total of 24 ships to outfit 4 destroyer squadrons. Capabilities: The Canopus Class Destroyer was really nothing more then a scaled up Amazon Class Corvette. The ship uses 4 of the massive drive units developed for the Amazon [Ed Note: The Amazon uses 2 of these drive units] to provide the ship with maneuverability comparable to the Amazon. This proved to be a major boon to the Canopian Navy during the Reunification War when the nimble Canopus Class ships were able to out maneuver the lumbering Star League ships. The armament used on the Canopus class was based on the weapons array used by the Amazon. The armament was designed to provide heavy fire to the forward arcs and sides of the ship. The main weapons are 4 Class 20 Naval Autocannons. Supporting these guns are 6 Light Naval PPCs and 8 Light Naval Lasers. The majority of these weapons were mounted to cover the forward and side arcs. Only a few naval lasers were used to cover the rear arc. This proved to be a weak spot of the design. However it was only the rare SLDF ship that could exploit this, as the maneuverability of the Canopus Class allowed the Canopian Captains to fight the battles on their terms. One major improvement over the Amazon class was the ability to carry 12 fighters to provide defense against other fighters. This proved particularly effective against pirate forces, which used mainly fighters and dropships, as the Canopus class carried only limited anti-fighter weapons. The armor protection on the ships is limited by their small size and light structure. Even so this armor was comparable to that mounted on other similar designs of the era. While many of the systems used on the ship were very basic and uncomplicated to reduce cost and ease maintenance, the Canopian Navy requested that the ships carry advanced sensors and jamming gear. The Canopian Navy saw the ship as a raider and felt the advanced equipment would provide the ships with an advantage against potential opponents. The sensor and jamming gear used on the ships was purchased from the Lyran Commonwealth. [Ed Note: It is believed but can not be proved that the gear was sold to the Magistracy of Canopus in violation of Lyran Commonwealth trade restrictions] This electronic gear, combined with the very small emergence signature of the ship, made the Canopus class a good raider. The Magistracy would prove this to the Star League during the Reunification War. Deployment: The Canopus Class Destroyers were the primary warships of the Canopian Navy. While the Amazon class corvettes were more numerous, they were intended primarily to serve as patrol ships. As a result Canopian Naval doctrine used the Amazons to locate the enemy and the Canopus class to destroy them. The 24 Canopus Class Destroyers were deployed in 4 squadron each led by a Magistracy Class Cruiser. In the years before the Reunification War the ships were successful in fending off a number of pirate raids against the Magistracy. However it was during the Reunification War that the ships showed their true worth. Used as raiders against the SLDF and FWL forces, these ships destroyed numerous enemy jumpships. While there are many stories of the Canopian Navy's victories against the SLDF at Vakarel and Meadowvale, one of the most successful Canopian operations was also the least well known. In 2582 the SLDF began organizing an assault force at Umka to launch an assault on Canopus IV. The Canopians learned of this from partisans on Umka and organized a strike to take out the SLDF's transports. The bulk of the Canopian fleet was used to launch raids against the SLDF to tie down their warships. The Magistracy class cruisers, along with the Amazon class corvettes caused havoc all along the border and drew the SLDF fleet away from Umka. The 22 surviving Canopus class cruisers were organized into a single task force and headed for Umka. The ships were able to jump into the system undetected and approached the SLDF transport flotilla orbiting the planet. In a quick and vicious attack 28 jumpships were destroyed by the Canopians and an additional 12 were severely damaged. The Canopian Destroyers were able to escape the system unharmed. While no SLDF ground troops were lost (they were all on the planet at the time), the loss of so many jumpships forced the SLDF to postpone the attack on Canopus IV until 2584 when more transports were available. Captain-General Marik covered up the loss of these ships to prevent the First Lord from learning about the debacle. [Ed Note: First Lord Cameron did eventually learn of this in 2583. He almost removed the Captain-General from command of the attack against the Magistracy but decided against it after hearing of the victory at Thurrock.] Most of the Canopus Class Destroyers were lost in the Battle of Thurrock. The only 3 survivors were the Umka, Hardcore and Claybrooke. The Hardcore would later be destroyed in the defense of Canopus IV. The Umka and Claybrooke both survived the war. [Ed Note: It is a bit of Irony that both ships were named for planets that were annexed by the FWL.] The Umka is believed to have headed off to deep space and operated as a pirate ship against the FWL for a number of years. The Claybrooke was captured by the SLDF and used as an aggressor ship by the SLDF until 2679 when it was scrapped.