Furious Type: Attack Carrier Builder: Challenge Systems, Federated Boeing Interstellar, Universal Air In Class: 18 Introduction: 2668 Mass: 500,000 Sail Integrity: 4 Thrust: 3/5 Fuel: 4000 tons Structural Integrity: 60 Armor: 600 tons of standard armor (240, 40+6 each) Docking Collars: 2 Fighters: 54 Small Craft: 10 Crew: 200 Lifeboats: 25 Escape Pods: 25 Grav Decks: 1 100 meter Cargo: 49,510 Bay 1: Fighters (27), cargo (16,500) 6 doors Bay 2: Fighters (27), cargo (16,500) 6 doors Bay 3: Small Craft (10), cargo (16,510) 6 doors Weapons: Fwd 4 Naval Autocannon 35 1 Killer Whale FL/FR 5 Naval Laser 55s LBS/ RBS 3 Naval Autocannon 10 1 Killer Whale AL/AR 3 Naval Autocannon 10 1 Killer Whale Aft 6 Heavy Naval PPCs Ammo Load: 100 tons of Naval AC 35 ammo 120 tons of Naval AC 10 ammo 50 Killer Whale missiles Overview: The Furious class carrier was originally concieved as an escort ship for the venerable Iron Duke class battleships that were the principle big guns of the Davion fleet. Though the Iron Duke was tremendously armed and heavily armored, it did have one critical design flaw. It lacked an integral fighter complement, instead depending on its dropship complement for protection from enemy fighter attack. During the Davion civil war, this problem resulted in the loss of a number of Iron Dukes to fighters, and it was soon decided that dropship escort was simply insufficient. Unfortunately, the need for reconstruction after the war left little money available to produce new warships, forcing the cancellation of several naval projects, including the original Furious and an unammed frigate. The high command instead concentrated the majority of the naval budget on the construction of Rodney class cruisers (though work on even this "favored" ship was somewhat slow). By the time of Zane Davion's reign, peace had settled in over the inner sphere, and the need for an escort for the Iron Dukes was simply not felt (besides, the Federated Suns was in the middle of something of an economic depression anyway). It was not until Zane's daughter Sarah took power that the fleet would recieve another good look. With fifty Iron Duke class battleships in service with the Federated Suns fleet, and with all of them woefully underprotected against fighter attacks, it was decided that either a new escort ship was needed, or every Iron Duke in service would have to undergo refit. Surprisingly enough, Sarah Davion called for the former. Federated Boeing Interstellar, Challenge Systems, and Universal Air each agreed to form a joint design team to work on the new ship, and the end result of their efforts was the Furious class escort/attack carrier. Despite its stated role as an escort ship intended to screen other ships from fighter attacks, the designers packed a tremendous armament into the five hundred thousand ton hull of the Furious. Four huge naval autocannons are mounted in the nose of the craft, supported by naval lasers, naval particle cannons, naval missile tubes, and a dozen lighter naval guns. While this armament is impressive, many believe that it is at the same time unecessary, giving the weapons of a destroyer or frigate to a fighter carrier. A few naval officers have pointed to the ship's rather weak (for a Davion vessel) hull and excessive armament and suggested that the designers made a ship that tries to do too many things at once. Despite these critics, the Furious is certainly qualified to screen a fleet from enemy fighter attack. Though the original plans for the 2560 version of the Furious had the ship relying on massed batteries of LRMs to strike at enemy fighters, the design team of the 2668 version decided that this was too limiting. They wanted a ship with a secondary attack role in addition to its normal escort role. As a consequence, in addition to the heavy weapons, they included space for a regiment of fighters. This gives the Furious the ability to throw up an enormous fighter screen to blunt enemy attacks, AND it also gives the ship a very flexible offensive capability. Sarah Davion approved the design for production, and all three partners in its development set to work producing the new carrier. Each yard would produce six ships over the course of the next three years, however the High Command suddenly ordered construction halted after that. The reasons for the sudden halting of construction have never been adequately explained, but there is some indication that other members of the Star League Council were concerned that House Davion was perhaps taking advantage of the recent freezing of the SLDF budget and developing a blatantly offensive weapon. This idea certainly wasn't dispelled during the Summer Lightning wargames between elements of the Davion and SLDF fleets in 2693. The Davion commander, Fleet Admiral Amy Harris (herself former commander of the carrier Glorious), utilized the six Furious class carriers under her command with brutal effectiveness, launching a surprise simulated strike (dubbed operation Niitaka) against the SLDF fleet at Malagrotta and nearly winning the wargame in one swift strike. To this day it is claimed that Davion pilots were heard to shout "Tora Tora Tora!" over their communications channels when the moderators for the wargame announced that the flagship for the SLDF fleet had been destroyed. By the end of the battle, five SLDF battleships had been ruled killed. In the meantime all six Furious class ships, along with the command cruiser Kirov (which had been coordinating the battle) escaped the system, their only losses being a handful of fighters. By the end of the wargame the Davion forces had fought the SLDF force to a draw despite being badly outnumbered. After Summer Lighting, the image of the Furious as an escort was forever discarded. Through the rest of their career, these ships would serve as attack vessels. Each served well during the Davion War of Succession, the First Succession War, and even the Second Succession War. The last Furious class vessel, the Ark Royal, was not lost until 2853 (the same year the LCS Invincible was lost over Hesperus II). Despite years of noble service, the Ark Royal had an ingnoble end when she was rammed amidships by a Capellan dropship during a raid against Epsilon Eridani. Already in poor condition because of the ravages of near constant warfare, the once beautiful old warship snapped in half like a dry twig. One of these halves eventually drifted into the asteroid belt and was smashed to bits. The other half was over time stripped of everything even somewhat valuable (it is believed that Chancellor Liao had some of the ship's armor forged into eating utensils for his own table, but that is only a rumor) and left to float dead in space. In 2931 the stripped skeleton finally burned up in E. Eridani's atmosphere.