Type: Thor Class Battleship In Service: 2590 Number in Service: 20 Mass: 1,500,000 tons KF Integrity: 29 Sail Integrity: 6 Thrust: 2/3 Fuel: 10,000 SI: 90 Armor: 2700 tons Ferro Carbide (Fore: 300 + 9, FL/FR: 400 + 9 AL/AR: 400 +9 Aft: 260 + 9 ) Heatsinks: 14,000 Docking Collars: 6 Fighters: 54 Aerospace Fighters Small Craft: 6 Shuttles Crew: 816 Lifeboats: 50 Escape Pods: 75 Grav Deck: 2 (150m, 200m) Cargo: 102,705 tons Bays: Bay 1: Fighters (6 doors) Bay 2: Small Craft (2 doors) Bay 3: Cargo (4 doors) Weapons: Forward: 4 Heavy NPPC 2 NAC/40 6 NAC/20 10 NL55 10 Killer Whale Launchers Fore Left/Right: 4 Heavy NPPC 3 NAC/40 4 NAC/20 3 NL45 4 Killer Whale Launchers LBS/RBS 4 Heavy NPPC 3 NAC/40 5 NAC/20 5 NL55 10 Killer Whale launchers Aft Left/Right: 2 Heavy NPPC 3 NAC/40 5 NAC/20 2 NL45 4 Killer Whale Launchers Aft: 6 NAC/20 10 NL45 4 Killer Whale Launchers Ammo: NAC/40: 800 rounds NAC/20: 1600 rounds Killer Whale: 500 Missiles Overview: The Thor class battleships were designed by the Lyran Commonwealth during the Reunification war to be the ultimate warship. The requirements issued by the Lyran Navy in 2582, called for the largest warship, mounting the heaviest guns and maximum armor. After several years of review, the naval command accepted the proposal from Bolson Shipyards for what would become the Thor Class Battleships. While the other design proposals tended to have a better balance of speed and weapons, the Admirals of the Lyran Navy were impressed by the sheer firepower of the Bolson proposal, which mounted nearly twice the firepower of any other proposal. Because of the massive size of the ships (they dwarfed even the SLDFÕs Farragut class Battleships), production was very slow and costly. As a result the Lyran Navy built only 30 ships between 2590 and 2650, when production was stopped due to the Star League Edict 2650, which limited the size of house armies . To meet the requirements of Edict 2650, the Lyran Commonwealth was required to scrap 5 of the ships and place 5 others into mothballs. The mothballed ships would prove very valuable to the Lyran Commonwealth when the Star League collapsed and they were returned to active service in the 1st Succession War. The remaining 20 ships served as flagships of the Lyran fleets until they were all destroyed in the 1st Succession War. Capabilities: The Thor Class Battleships were the largest and most powerful ships ever constructed when they entered service. While other larger ships would later see service, few would ever match the sheer firepower of the Thors. All of this firepower did come at a price, the Thors were some of the slowest warships ever designed. This is consistent with Lyran thinking, where firepower and armor are emphasized over speed and maneuverability. The low thrust would limit the Thors offensive capabilities, as it was easy for most other ships to out run a Thor. However, when it came to defensive operations there were few ships that could challenge a Thor. Many smaller fleets would retreat when they encountered a planet defended by a Thor Class Battleship rather then risk destruction. The weapons array of the Thor was designed to provide maximum firepower. Consistent with Lyran thinking at the time, the ship mounts the heaviest weapons possible. The primary guns of the ship were 20 massive class 40 Naval Autocannons. The Thors was the first Lyran ship to make use of such large cannons. The ships also mounted an array of Heavy Naval PPCs and Heavy Naval Lasers, which were primarily intended to be used for planetary bombardment. Backing up this impressive weapons load was a staggering 40 class 20 Naval Autocannons, which according to Lyran doctrine were considered secondary weaponry on the ship. It was intended that these guns would be used to engage smaller targets such as destroyers and dropships, while the main guns took on enemy capital ships. There were also a number of Killer Whale Missile Launchers which were used primarily to defend against aerospace fighters. It is interesting to note that as impressive as the weapons load was, the ship was still very vulnerable to attacks from aerospace fighters. In fact FWL and Combine forces would take advantage of this Achilles heel and destroy several Thors in the 1st Succession War through the use of massed fighter attacks. In addition to mounting an impressive weapons array, the Thors also mounted very heavy armor. The designers maximized the strength of the structural framework so that they could add the most armor possible to the ship. The armor was heaviest on the sides, which was consistent with the weapons array, which was designed to provide a very strong broadside attack. The armor was weakest on the Aft, which combined with the weaker weaponry defending the aft section of the ship, proved to be a liability to the ships. It is also worth noting that the ships carried a full fighter regiment to defend against enemy aerospace fighters. The ships also had the capability to carry up to 6 dropships. Typically the ship would carry assault ships such as the Achilles to deal with enemy fighters and dropships. Deployment: The Thor class were used as the main fighting components of the Lyran Navy Fleets. Typically one of these ships would be assigned to each fleet as the flagship. Due to their lack of maneuverability these ships excelled at defensive operations and as a result several were assigned to the protection of key worlds early in the First Succession War. One notable defensive operation involving a Thor, was when the LCS Odin defended the Port Sydney Naval yards against a FWL attack. The Odin destroyed 2 cruisers and several smaller ships during the battle. More importantly the Odin prevented the FWL forces from doing significant damage to the facility. The Odin suffered moderate damage but was repaired and later destroyed during the Lyran CommonwealthÕs offensive against Dyev in 2790. Another notable defensive operation was the first battle of Hesperus II, where the LCS Freya and Balder, repeatedly prevented the Combine warships from getting a position from which they could bombard the factories. The ships could not prevent the destruction of the orbital shipyards however, as the fast Combine warships were able to outrace the slower the Lyran ships to the shipyards and destroy them before the Thors arrived. The Combine forces did eventually withdraw but not before crippling the Baldur so badly that the Lyran forces could only scavenge the hulk for usable parts and then scrapped the remains. The largest deployment of Thors during the war was in the battle of Skondia where 5 of the ships defended the planet against the Combine. This was one of the largest warship battles of the 1st Succession War and the Thors inflicted heavy casualties on the Combine fleet. Even so the Thors were all destroyed when the Combine used massed fighter attacks against the giant ships. With the loss of the last Thor, the LCS Hrungnir, the Commonwealth fleet lost heart and retreated from the system. No Thors survived the 1st Succession War.