Terran Confederation "Confederation" Dreadnought

Name: Confederation-Class dreadnought
Craft: Sirius Prime Engineering Confederation-Class Dreadnought
Type: Dreadnought/Carrier
Scale: capital
Length: 983.7 meters
Skill: capital ship pilot
Crew: 4,000; skeleton: 400/+10
Passengers: 988 passengers; 312 hospital patients
Cargo Capacity: 50,000 metric tons
Consumables: 12 months
Jump Drive: x1
Nav Computer: yes
Maneuverability: 1D+2
Space: 2
Atmosphere: 225; 650 km/h
Hull: 5D+1; 6D+1 vs energy weapons
Shields: 12D+1
Sensors

• Passive: 20 / 0D+1
• Scan: 40 / 1D
• Search: 60 / 1D+1
• Focus: 2 / 2D

Weapons

• 2 Dual Anti-Matter Guns

Fire Arc: 2 turrets
Crew: 2
Scale: capital
Skill: capital ship gunnery
Fire Control: 4D+1
Space Range: 1-8/20/40
Atmosphere Range: 2-16/40/80km
Damage: 7D Ignores Shields

• 10 Anti-Matter Guns

Fire Arc: 2 port, 2 starboard, 6 turrets
Crew: 2
Scale: capital
Skill: capital ship gunnery
Fire Control: 4D+1
Space Range: 1-8/20/40
Atmosphere Range: 2-16/40/80km
Damage: 6D Ignores Shields

• 12 Flak Cannons

Fire Arc: 1 starboard, 1 port, 3 aft, 7 turrets
Crew: 1
Scale: speeder
Skill: starship gunnery
Fire Control: 4D+2
Space Range: 1-3/8/15
Atmosphere Range: 10-300/800/1,500
Damage: 1D+1

• 2 Heavy Torpedo Tubes

Fire Arc: forward
Crew: 2
Scale: capital
Skill: capital ship gunnery
Fire Control: 2D
Space Range: 1-4/10/20
Atmosphere Range: 2-8/20/40km
Ammo: 15 MK IV Torpedoes per tube
Damage: 40D

• Phase Transit Cannon

Fire Arc: forward
Crew: 2
Scale: capital
Skill: capital ship gunnery
Fire Control: 3D
Space Range: 1-8/20/40
Atmosphere Range: 2-16/40/80km
Damage: 20D; Ignores Shields

• Electronic Counter Measure Module

Fire Arc: all
Crew: 1
Skill: sensors
Space Range: 1-5/13/25
Atmosphere Range: 10-500/1,300/2,500m
Effects: Enemy Sensors and Fire Control -1D

Gear:

• External Docking Port: 2
• Phase Shields: While active the ship become immune to all forms of damage provided it is not hit by anything that can bypass its shields (such as Anti-Matter Guns or torpedoes).
• Escape Pods: 58

Ship Complement

• P-64 Ferret Patrol Fighters: 24
• F-54 Epee Light Fighters: 24
• F-44/G Rapier-II Space Superiority Fighters: 24
• F-57 Sabre Fighter/Bombers: 24
• A-17/A Broadsword Heavy Bombers: 24

Description: The Confederation-class Dreadnought was one of the largest capital ships deployed by the Terran Confederation during the Terran-Kilrathi War.

The Confederation-class is a vessel born out of one of the most tumultuous periods of the Kilrathi War. Following the destruction of the Goddard Colony in late 2654 and subsequent destruction of the Kilrathi strike fleet that had devastated it, Confederation engineers and scientists studied the wreckage of the weapon the Kilrathi used to attack the colony. It was a mass accelerator, using superconductors to fire a charged particle with such an enormous force that whatever target was lined up in its sights would be completely destroyed. The weapon mounted to KIS Sivar was highly effective against ground targets but the arming and firing sequence was much too slow for it to be of any use against a capital ship. Confederation Research & Development was able to redesign the weapon, lowering its destruction potential, but shortening the arming sequence so that it could be an effective anti-ship platform: the Phase-Transit Cannon. They designed it to fit into the keel of a new class of battleship then under construction.

This new ship would be one of the most powerful ever fielded by the Confederation during the war. Nearly a kilometer long and weighing 73,000 metric tons, the Confederation-class was packed with every offensive weapon that her designers could fit on the space frame. With the Phase-Transit Cannon, several energy mounts and room for twelve fighter squadrons; the Confederation was a most formidable vessel.

Despite its considerable capabilities, the design was beset with several major flaws. The most significant was the massive power drain caused by the Phase-Transit Cannon on the vessel's power plant. The Phase-Transit Cannon drained so much of the dreadnought's energy in one shot that too many firing attempts within a given time frame could potentially overload the reactor and destroy the vessel. Additionally, the hangar bays of the Confederation-Class were very exposed and thus easy targets for missile attacks by the Kilrathi, which often put the vessel's fighter launch capabilities out of commission until repairs were made, endangering the ship in the midst of a battle. Another drawback was a lack of armor protection. In order to fit both a fleet carrier and a battleship on the same hull, sacrifices had to be made when it came to armor. Though very well shielded, the armor of the Confederation class was thinner than that on contemporary Confederation and Kilrathi heavy cruisers, such as the Fralthra.

By far the most famous example of this class was TCS Concordia. The Concordia served as the flagship of Admiral Geoffrey Tolwyn and served with great distinction during the Enigma Sector Campaign. She later fought during the Battle of Earth and was later lost at Vespus.

Source:

• Wing Commander Encyclopedia: Confederation-class dreadnought
• Wing Commander Information Center: Confederation-class Dreadnought
• The Wing Commander Role Playing Game (page 396)
• thedemonapostle