Tirpitz class Battleship
In class: 34
In service: 2403 (Refit 2755)
Mass: 1,150,000 tons
Sail Integrity: 5
Thrust: 2/3*
Fuel: 1,000 tons
Structural Integrity: 90
Armor: 2,069 ton, (N: 142, FL/R: 150,
AL/R: 150, A: 140)
Docking Collars: 9
Fighters: 54
Small Craft: 8
Crew: 386 minimum (68 Officers, 318 Enlisted)
Passengers: 50
Marines: 210 (Battalion of
Jump Infantry)
Lifeboats: 65
Escape Pods: 65
Grav Decks: 6 120 meters
Cargo: 61,184 tons
Bay 1: Fighters (54) 6 doors
Bay 2: Small Craft (8) 2 doors / Marines (10 platoons)
Bay 3: Cargo (61,184 tons) 2 doors
Weapons: (Heat Sinks: 8,200)
Forward
2 NAC/35s
8 NL/55s
3 Killer
Whale Missile Launchers
5 Large
Lasers
Fore Left/Fore Right
2 NAC/35s
8 NL/55s
3 Killer
Whale Missile Launchers
5 Large
Lasers
Left Broadside/Right Broadside
2 NAC/35s
8 NL/55s
3 Killer
Whale Missile Launchers
5 Large
Lasers
Aft Left/Aft Right
2 NAC/35s
8 NL/55s
3 Killer
Whale Missile Launchers
5 Large
Lasers
Aft
2 NAC/35s
8 NL/55s
3 Killer
Whale Missile Launchers
5 Large
Lasers
Ammo:
1600 Naval Autocannon Rounds
240 White Shark Missiles
Refit Notes:
Upgraded with Modern
Interplanetary Drive, new thrust ratings 3/5
Armor upgraded with Ferro Carbide, 2067 tons (N&A:
284, F&A L/R: 285)
Cargo expanded as result of Drive upgrade, new cargo
total of 130,087 tons
Overview:
In
2398 the Capellan Confederation launched an attack against the Free Worlds
League in order to regain the Andurien system. This assault touched off the 1st
Andurien War which inaugurated the Age of War. In response to these events
Archon Alistair Marsden ordered a massive military buildup that included the
expansion of the Lyran Navy. The Commonwealth’s Admirals, in addition to
ordering further construction of pre-existing designs, commissioned two new
warships. These new vessels would serve to augment the first five Lyran
warships and fill out the fleet before the coming conflict. For one of these
new warships designers hit upon the idea for a huge flagship that would be able
to direct entire campaigns. Although the Arcturus class Battleship was quite
adept at it’s given role, the Lyran Navy couldn’t resist the idea of an even
larger warship that would serve as a secure mobile headquarters. In an
interesting historical footnote the Archon was apparently inspired by his
fiancée, Katherine Steiner, to christen the new class and first ship the
Tirpitz.
Capabilities:
Despite the age of this early
Lyran warship design the Tirpitz remained in active service and unmodified for
more than 350 years, a testament to it’s effectiveness. The vessel’s armament
though pretty technologically basic was quite formidable. The main guns of the
ship were the largest available at the time, sixteen of the new Naval
Autocannon 35s. Supporting these massive cannons were sixty four Naval Laser
55s and twenty four Killer Whale Missile Launchers that helped destroy any
large craft including dropships. These capital weapons were further augmented
by forty Large Lasers which were used against smaller vessels, like assault
dropships and aerospace fighters. It is important to note that this was the
last Lyran warship to mount non-capital weapons until the mid 2700s. Designers
considered these standard weapons a waste of space on capital ships. After all
what was supporting elements like dropships and fighters for? For protection
the Tirpitz mounted more than two thousand tons of armor plating on it’s
already durable hull. The ship’s fusion engine, considered obsolete by the
Terran Hegemony at the time of construction, provided 1.5Gs of maximum thrust.
This speed was considered adequate for the Lyran Navy. Nine docking collars
enabled the Tirpitz to deliver a large ground force into any star system and
for additional support the vessel carried an entire regiment of aerospace
fighters. The most impressive feature of the Tirpitz was the Strategic
Operations Command Center (SOCC). This large room located deep within the
ship’s heart housed the finest communications and computer systems available to
the Lyran Commonwealth at anytime. The SOCC was regularly updated with the best
electronics by the Strategy and Tactics Division of the LCAF. Fifty 1st class
passenger quarters accommodated all Lyran flag officers and their command
staffs. Naturally ample luxuries, like six Grav Decks 120 meters in diameter,
were included for proper relaxation. In 2755 the Lyran Navy undertook an effort
to refit the Tirpitz with modern improvements. The engine were upgraded with a
modern interplanetary drive that gave the refitted Tirpitz a maximum thrust of
2.5Gs. The ship’s armor was replaced with the best available, Ferro Carbide. As
a result of the refit the vessels cargo bay expanded greatly.
Deployment:
Ships of the Tirpitz class
were usually named in honor of great military commanders of the past. As the
Tirpitz was a naval vessel the names were usually great naval commanders. After
the Archon Katherine Steiner assumed the throne the names of these warships
took on a more Germanic ancestry reflecting the Commonwealth’s new ruling line.
As a class the Tirpitz performed exceptionally, as a matter of fact it
performed too well. Unfortunately, many incompetent Social Generals were able
to use the ship to micromanage their ground troops during battle from relative
safety. One vessel, the LCS Nelson, was lost in battle during the Reunification
War when a Social General took command of the vessel itself. After the Lyran
Commonwealth joined the Star League the ships showed what they could do in the
hands of capable commanders.
Notable Ships:
The LCS Charlemagne was perhaps the most distinguished vessel of the Tirpitz class. Archon Katherine Steiner designated the Charlemagne the flagship of the Lyran Commonwealth. The vessel’s SOCC was enlarged to enabling it to become a mobile seat of government. First class and second class passenger quarters were added to provide room for additional government officials. During the Star League a Hyperpulse Generator was added with the assistance of the SLDF. Whenever the Archon went into battle, the Charlemagne as his flagship went with him. The ship served in this capacity throughout the Age of War, the Reunification War, and the Star League era. The Commonwealth Council frequently convened on board with the Archon was in transit. On rare occasions the Estates General could meet on the Charlemagne. This all came to an end in January 2791 during the battle of Styx when the ship was destroyed just days after Archon Jennifer Steiner was killed in action. Recently the Lyran Navy has discovered that parts from two other derelict Tirpitz could be used to restore the Charlemagne but it remains to be seen if the Draconis Combine would allow such a salvage operation.