Military Ship Types
The Colonial Fleet includes thousands of larger ships and tens if not hundreds of thousands of smaller craft. Not all these ships are created equal. There is a large range of variety in size, purpose, and age of these vessels, differences which will be detailed below.
BattlestarsThe Battlestar is the iconic capital ship of the Colonial Fleet. Before the Cylon Attack, the Colonial Fleet has approximately 120 Battlestars. However, "Battlestar" is a general description with the actual specifics ranging from Battlestar class to class and even ship to ship within classes. The general rule is that Battestars are warships that also carry an air wing, no matter how small. Thus, Battlestars are carriers (although they are much more than just that). A ship with no air wing would fall under a lower category.
Battlestar Classes
Galactica Class
The Galactica Class is the original class of Battlestars. Twelve Battlestars of this class were built during the beginning of the First Cylon War, that number symbolizing the new unity of the Twelve Colonies. The Galactica Class is known for their immense size, over 1400m long and with crews upward of 5000.
Of the twelve ships built during the war, only three survived the conflict: Galactica, Athena, and Atlantia. Among those lost were: Columbia and Archeron. Over the past forty years, Athena and Atlantia have both been retired (and since been "reborn" as new Mercury Class ships) with Galactica scheduled for retirement as well.
However, the Galactica Class is not destined for extinction or at least not in the next few months. In the years after the war, several new Galactica class ships were built with minor modifications and improvements. Some of these ships are still in service to this day though they are being phased out with the Mercury Class.
Argus Subclass
In the later years of First Cylon War, the Argus was constructed based off the Galactica model as a stealth Battlestar. It is believed that the Argus is the only ship of its class and is potentially still in service.
Mercury Class
The Mercury Class is notable as the newest (full) class of Battlestars, the only notable class to enter service AFTER the First Cylon War. The Mercury was a clear replacement for the Galactica Class and even dwarfs the already massive champions of the First Cylon War. Coming in at nearly 1800m the Mercury Class has more guns and nearly twice the air wing of a Galactica Class ship. However, the Mercury is also vastly updated and technologically advanced. Despite being larger, it manages to function with half the crew of a Galactica type Battlestar, merely 2500 men. The Mercury Class is also more self sustainable with extensive manufacturing facilities on board.
Titan Subclass
The Titans are among the newest ships of the Fleet, a modified version of the Mercury. Still in production, thirteen Titans are planned although only four (Titan, Hyperion, Cronus, and Rhea) have actually been completed. The Titans are notable for having much thicker armor even than their Mercury cousins.
Valkyrie ClassThe Valkyrie Class is the most common type of Battlestar in service today. The Valkyrie is notably much smaller than Galactica or Mercury classes coming in only at about 650m in length with crews typically under 1000 men. Valkyries are not the "ships of the line" designed for massive slugging matches or carrying enormous air wings of Vipers. However, the Valkyrie is also still large enough and strong enough to stand in a fight and bring a respectable number of fighters into a battle, a happy middle ground.
Valkyries first saw service during the First Cylon War. Since the war, they have continued to be produced as the most practical design available. They lacked the great expenses of the larger classes but retained a high level of quality and combat potential unlike the smaller Orions, overall a good deal for the investment cost. The Valkyries have also proved their versatility and their use for a peace time fleet that is not engaging in constant capital ship engagements.
Theseus Subclass
There is but one ship of this subclass so far, the Theseus. She is a Valkyrie that has undergone a massive overhaul converting an entire flight pod from a hanger into a massive gun battery. Thus, at the cost of half her air wing, the Theseus now has the firepower of a ship four times her size. In addition, the Theseus has been upgraded with experimental RCS thrusters to improve maneuverability. The Theseus subclass is completely experimental and also controversial. Time will tell if these changes were for the better, if so then whether the benefit was worth the cost, and if new ships should be added to the subclass.
Orion Class
The Orion Class of Battlestars are often called "Pocket Battlestars." They are by far the smallest ever to see service with a crew of under 200 and typically just one Viper Squadron aboard.
The Orion Class also dates back to the First Cylon War, but has fallen out of favor since. The need to quickly mass produce Battlestars has ended and the limitations of the tiny Orion have made it undesirable in the post war period. Most Orions were lost during the war or retired shortly thereafter. Those still in service are typically a part of the Colonial Air Defense or the Fleet Reserve rather than the Colonial Fleet itself.
Lesser WarshipsAlthough the Battlestars are the iconic vessels of the Fleet, they are numerous other smaller warships. Often these smaller ships are assigned to Battlstar Groups to support the larger ships but often might operate on their own. From smallest to largest they include:
- Gunboats/Patrolboats
- Cutters
- Corvettes
- Frigates
- Destroyers
- Cruisers
For the most part, the classes merely determine ship size which also relates to crew size and armament. For the most part, these ships only carry guns and missiles with no attached air wings (otherwise they would be Battlestars).
Support ShipsA massive fleet requires a massive logistical supply line. Some of these ships have limited combat capabilities while others have absolutely no armament. They function purely to support larger ships. They include:
- Refinery Ships
- Manufacturing Ships
- Tanker Ships
- Transport Ships
- Repair and Salvage Ships
- Hospital Ships
- Reconnaissance and Exploration Ships
Smaller CraftVipersThe Viper has been the standard superiority fighter of the Colonies for decades, originating before even the First Cylon War. There have been seven models of the Viper since the Colonial Fleet was founded. Today, there are tens of thousands of Vipers in service or in reserve from the decks of Battlestars to remote airstrips on sparsely populated colonies. More on the Viper can be found
here.
RaptorsThe Raptor is a multipurpose vessel that is a general staple of the Fleet. It provides combat and non-combat transportation, reconnaissance, electronic countermeasures, and can be outfitted for primary combat roles as well. It is just as (if not more) widespread as the Viper though it is not often found in such numbers. More on the Raptor can be found
here.
ShuttlesShuttles serve a purely non-combat transportation role. Unlike the Raptor they have no support role nor do they have any armament, notable armor, or even combat level evasive capabilities. They are, however, useful for easy transportation between ships, stations, and planets.
