for long-range interstellar missions.
Light cruisers were seen as interstellar units, intended to operate for long periods of time without outside support, primarily for strategic and tactical scouting missions. Substantially larger than current-generation destroyers, they were also more potent combat units, capable of dealing with the increasing numbers of heavily armed “privateers” operated by various Silesian separatist movements in the Confederacy. Despite this, Manticore never had more than a couple of dozen light cruisers in service prior to King Roger’s naval expansion program. Lacking neighbors with ill intent and with a battle fleet geared primarily towards home system defense rather than power projection, the RMN’s limited wall of battle had little need for strategic scouting, and the tactical scouting role was filled by LACs and destroyers in the home system. Roles had begun to shift within the RMN in the 1820s, however, due to the ever-expanding reach of the Manticoran merchant marine. As conditions worsened in Silesia, missions normally assigned to destroyers began to be filled by the limited number of RMN light cruisers, and tasks normally assigned to frigates began to be filled by destroyers and light cruisers alike. The success of both the merchant marine and the light cruisers assigned to protect it prompted an acceleration of CL building programs, which were already underway when Roger began to increase the size of the battle fleet. The expansion of the battle fleet substantially accelerated the process, and as increasing numbers of cruisers became available, the remaining frigates were steadily taken out of service, both to free up manpower for the king’s “New Navy” and to increase the combat power and survivability of individual units.
The best known light cruiser in RMN history is certainly HMS Unconquered (CL-16), built in 1649 PD, which served as the first hyper-capable command for both Edward Saganami and Ellen D’Orville. Unconquered has been restored and kept in permanent commission as a living museum in orbit around Manticore.
Courageous-class light cruiser
Mass: 88,250 tons
Dimensions: 389 × 40 × 31 m
Acceleration: 519.6 G (5.096 kps²)
80% Accel: 415.7 G (4.076 kps²)
Broadside: 7M, 2L, 2G, 3CM, 3PD
Chase: 2M, 1L, 2CM, 2PD
Total Built: 62
Service Life: 1820–1909
The Courageous-class light cruiser was the oldest light cruiser class in the RMN’s inventory at the start of the war. These cruisers were originally scheduled to be decommissioned in 1897 PD, but remained on the active list for another ten years in light of the Navy’s growing demand for light combatants in Silesia, coupled with a shortage of yard space for the construction of replacements. The Courageous class was designed for commerce escort and anti-piracy duties, where it could make best use of its heavy offensive armament. Although scarcely larger than a modern destroyer, the Courageous mounts a broadside of seven lightweight missile tubes and was one of the few units of its size to mount grasers in its beam broadside.
The heavy offensive armament of the class came at a cost, however. It is virtually unarmored, even by light cruiser standards, and the designers opted to save even more mass by reducing crew spaces and bunkerage to levels well below current standards. The reduction in cruise duration between resupply evolutions has rendered the Courageous less suited to its intended role than its weapons fit might indicate, and in that respect it was a disappointing replacement for the classes it superseded.
Despite the age of its offensive systems and its endurance issues, the Courageous class has a good performance record. It was still a strong performer in missile combat and, if it could keep the range open, was a match for most contemporary light cruisers. However, the combination of reduced endurance and cramped crew accommodations make it unpopular with crews. The surviving ships had a series of major upgrades over the years, but hardware supply constraints have caused them to fall behind the more modern classes. They were being replaced on a hull-for-hull basis by the Valiant class as the war began, and the last unit was decommissioned in 1909 PD.
Apollo-class light cruiser
Mass: 126,000 tons
Dimensions: 438 × 46 × 35 m
Acceleration: 517.8 G (5.078 kps²)
80% Accel: 414.2 G (4.062 kps²)
Broadside: 5M, 6L, 4CM, 4PD
Chase: 2M, 1L, 3CM, 3PD
Total Built: 132
Service Life: 1856–present
The Apollo class is a beam-centric light cruiser designed for anti-piracy operations. Built as the result of an 1846 design study, the focus of the design was overall protection and antimissile defenses on extended duration deployments far from resupply, primarily in places like Silesia, but also with an eye towards future fleet scouting requirements.
The first seven ships built to
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