Mako class Corvette
In class: 210
In service: 2418 (Refit 2612)
Mass: 400,000 tons
Sail Integrity: 4
Thrust: 4/6
Fuel: 500 tons
Structural Integrity: 90
Armor: 719 ton, Standard (All locations: 57)
Docking Collars: 3
Fighters: 6
Small Craft: 2
Crew: 181 minimum (32 Officers, 149 Enlisted)
Passengers: 0
Marines: 21 (Jump Infantry)
Lifeboats: 20
Escape Pods: 20
Grav Decks: 2 50 meter
Cargo: 25,515 tons
Bay 1: Fighters (6) 3 doors
Bay 2: Marines (21) 1 doors
Bay 3: Small Craft (2) 1 door / Cargo (21,106 tons) 2 doors
Other Equipment
None
Weapons: (Heat Sinks: 2500)
Forward
4 Naval Laser/35s
2 White
Shark Missile Launchers
Fore Left/Fore Right
2 Naval Autocannon 20s
4 Naval
Laser/35s
2 White
Shark Missile Launchers
Left Broadside/Right Broadside
4 Naval Laser/35s
2 White
Shark Missile Launchers
Aft Left/Aft Right
2 Naval Autocannon 20s
4 Naval
Laser/35s
2 White
Shark Missile Launchers
Aft
4 Naval Laser/35s
2 White
Shark Missile Launchers
Ammo:
400 rounds of Naval Autocannon
ammunition
160 White Shark Missiles
Refit Notes:
Armor: 719.5 ton, Improved
Ferro Aluminum (N: 82, FL/R: 82, AL/R: 80, A: 80)
Crew: 187 Minimum (33
Officers, 154 Enlisted)
Grav Deck: 2 additional, 50 meter each (4 total 50 meter)
Cargo: 15,769.5 tons (total)
Heat Sinks: +700 (3200 total)
+5 Medium Naval PPCs
Upgraded Sensor Package
Overview:
The Mako class Corvette
typified the entire pre-Succession War Lyran Navy. The “bigger is better”
mentality that pervaded the Lyran military establishment often resulted in slow
plodding mammoth warships. In fact, only Terran (Star League) vessels
outweighed their Lyran counterparts due to the Hegemony’s superior technical
expertise. Commonwealth warships had excellent, sometimes even legendary,
damage thresholds combined with good naval firepower. Despite these advantages
these huge lumbering ships were often outmaneuvered by smaller faster vessels
from other Houses and in particular pirates. Privateers of the era reportedly
referred to Lyran warships as “Space Slugs” because of their inability to catch
raiders. Commonwealth ships also suffered from chronic fuel problems again due
to their large size and small fuel tanks. Fuel tanks on Steiner warships were
approximately half the size of their Terran equivalents. Following the Fatima
Incident that so profoundly impacted the Lyran Navy, fuel tank size on warships
were decreased in order to increase vessel survivability.
Capabilities:
A direct result of Archon
Katherine Steiner’s new Brandenburg Edicts to reform and upgrade the LCAF the
Mako class was to supplant the Commonwealth’s first warship, the Freedom class
Corvette. The Lyran Navy spared no expense in creating the largest (outweighing
some Destroyers of the day) most capable corvette of the time. The Mako
utilized the newest propulsion drive of the period and was able to achieve 3Gs
making it the fastest Lyran ship in the fleet for over three hundred years! The
ship’s armament (8 Naval Autocannon 20, 32 Naval Laser 35s, and 16 White
Sharks) provided superior firepower to any corvette or small warship of the
time. However, as was typical of Lyran ships these formidable weapon systems
were divided evenly into a Uniform Firing Arc. This technique on the whole
helped the slow Lyran Navy but hurt faster Lyran warships like the Mako. If the
armament was placed in the Mako’s forward firing arcs crews could have taken
advantage of the ships good speed making the vessel an even deadlier weapon
platform. In addition, the Mako was saddled with 3 docking hard points which
were included to carry planetary raiding forces (’Mech battalion plus
supporting elements) or assault dropships to support the warship. This
increased the vessels cost but more importantly led to a large Emergence
Signature which gave away the Mako‘s presence to enemy ships. This large
Emergence Signature canceled out the vessels speed because it gave pirates time
to begin their departure or enemies time to prepare for an attack.
The Mako’s extensive refit following the Reunification
War extended the vessels operational life, as the Lyran Navy had no intentions
of building a new smaller warship class. An Upgraded Sensor Package purchased
from the Star League gave the ship excellent detection ability. The vessels
survivability was further increased with the addition of Improved Ferro
Aluminum armor. Five Medium Naval PPCs and additional heat sinks were added to
increase the Mako’s firepower while taking advantage of her speed. Even two
additional Grav Decks were added to improve crew conditions. The refit however
cost the Mako, which already small cargo space, nearly 10,000 tons of cargo.
This meant that the ship could no longer perform long term raiding missions,
which often required 5% of the vessels mass to be devoted to spare parts alone.
After this refit the Mako lost it’s ability as a raider and effectively became
an escort ship and a static installation guardian.
Deployment:
The Mako was the second and
nearly the final corvette to be designed by the Commonwealth. Nearly one
hundred years of construction produced 210 of these impressive vessels. Serving
the Commonwealth well in numerous campaigns for over 400 years the Mako lost
their greatest number as part of the Star League Edict of 2650 reducing the
size of House militaries. Lyran Admirals decided to cut the smallest warships
from the Commonwealth Navy in order to come in under the new limits imposed
upon them. Only 70 Mako survived to actually fight in the Succession Wars were
despite their good performance they too eventually succumb to the horrible
attrition of those conflicts.
Notable Ships:
The LCS Augustus like so many of it’s sister ships met a
sudden end during the 1st Succession War. The Augustus served the
Lyran nation admirably during the Age of War and the Reunification War.
Fighting opponents from the House Kurita, the House Marik, the Rim Worlds
Republic, and pirates established a fine tradition. That proud tradition all
came to an end on February 17, 2787 during the battle of New Kyoto. Marik
forces were under orders to destroy Bolson Shipyards. Using a massed fighter
attack (which the Free Worlds Navy always favored) they engaged the Augustus,
which was one of the largest defending Lyran warships, crippling her. Two Marik
Destroyers then moved in and finished the job but not before they took some
heavy damage.
The LCS Alexander maybe the only functional Mako class
warship that survived until present day. Like the Augustus, the Alexander had a
proud naval heritage in the Lyran Navy. However, when the Amaris Coup occurred
the Archon declared he would not help the SLDF crush the Usurper. Kaptain
Johann Gagern was outraged by his government’s inaction and took the Alexander
to Circinus to join the SLDF. Along with other warships from the Great Houses
(mainly Steiner) the Alexander became part of the Loyalist Fleet. Many of these
vessels were destroyed during the campaign to liberate Earth but it is now
believed that the Alexander survived and accompanied Kerensky on the Exodus.
The SLDF declared after the liberation that all of the Loyalist Fleet was
destroyed but it is now believed that this was done to protect their crews from
punishment. The ship was spotted during Operation Bulldog in a Clan Cache
Fleet, possibly belonging to Diamond Shark or Snow Raven.
Taking a page from his neighbors, the Free Worlds League, new Archon Peter Steiner-Davion maybe considering a proposal from the Lyran Navy to salvage and restore several derelict warships, including Mako’s, to working order. With the need to rebuild the warship fleet from the disastrous FedCom Civil War this plan may be put into motion. However, it looks as though the LCAF will concentrate on rebuilding it’s depleted ground forces before undertaking any naval rearmament program.