Dreadnaught-class heavy cruiser
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Common modification:
Dreadnaught-class heavy cruiser
Production information
Manufacturer
Model
Type
Cost
Technical specifications
Width
Height/depth
Engine unit(s)
Hyperdrive system
Power plant
Armament
Complement
Docking bays
Escape craft
Crew
Minimum crew
Cargo capacity
Usage
Availability
Role(s)
- "These are built from Mandalorian design. Not the most modern, butvery strong."
- ―Supreme ChancellorPalpatine[26]
TheDreadnaught-class heavy cruiser, or simply theDreadnaught, was a type ofcapital ship built forplanetary occupation and space combat used by theGalactic Republic,Galactic Empire,New Republic, local governments, and various other organizations. In use for over acentury, they were one of the most ubiquitous ship designs in all ofthe galaxy.
Characteristics[]
- "Rendili StarDrive's latest gift to the military obsessed."
- ―Captain Dubrak Qennto on theDreadnaught-class[27]
Dimensions[]
Dreadnaught-class heavycruiserschematics.
The keel of theDreadnaught-class ran nearly 600meters with the bow overlapping to produce a clamshell-like appearance. Each vessel had a cluster of weapons blisters spread across the hull. The ship was designated a heavycruiser in standard classification[28] and was considered a downscaled warship when compared to the ship-designs from theCore.[15]
The forward ventral portion of theDreadnaught-class was used as a massive cargo hold, with a docking port located at the bow of the ship. Additional cargo holds were situated towards the center of the ship, in front of the areas housing the main reactor and secondary power generators. Docking ports were also located on either side of the ship.
Offensive and defensive systems[]
Weapon systems included twentyquad laser cannons (six bow, seven port, seven starboard), tenturbolaser cannons (five port, five starboard and mounted inblisters), and tenlaser cannons (five bow, five stern). Some ships were later customized to feature a warhead launcher for anti-starfighter defense.
Deflector shield projectors were also located inside some of the blisters flanking the hull, and the primary and secondary sensor transceivers were located towards the stern of the vessel, on the dorsal and ventral sides, similar to those onCR90 corvettes.
While technologically advanced at the time of its construction, theDreadnaught-class lacked in sublight andhyperspace speeds (a Class 4 rating), suffered computer failures, and could not compete with comparable designs in terms of firepower andshielding. Between three and fiveDreadnaught-class cruisers could outgun oneImperial I-class Star Destroyer.[9]
Crew complement[]
In addition to the technical drawbacks,Dreadnaught-class ships also required over 16,000 crewmembers to run at optimal performance—perhaps the highest crew per kilometer ratio of any modernstarship. This high crew requirement put strains on recruitment efforts and turned supplying a Dreadnaught into a logistical nightmare. In comparison, slave-rigged Dreadnaughts reduced the complement requirements down to 2,200 crewmembers.
Hangar complement[]
The initial design was not focused towardscarrier duty, but as the ships were upgraded and refitted, the center cargo holds were converted to hangar space, and a common complement of 12TIE starfighters was added to the vessel. Non-ImperialDreadnaught-class ships tended to be complemented with othersnubfighters, such as theLongshot which carried a squadron of at least sixCloakShape fighters. Meanwhile, the hangar bay of theNew Hope accommodated severalX-wings,assault shuttles,lifeboats, and at least oneHWK-290 light freighter. TheLeviathan, aRepublican anti-pirate vessel, featured an extended hangar for up to 60 starfighters.
Main bridge[]
Unlike many contemporary warship designs, theDreadnaught-class did not have an easily visible bridge section, opting to shelter the command decks and crew stations inside the main armored superstructure. These areas were located on the dorsal side of the bow.
History[]
Dreadnaught-class cruisers being delivered onCoruscant after theBattle of Rendili.
TheDreadnaught-class heavy cruiser was designed and developed byRendili StarDrive for the RepublicJudicial Forces and asflagship forPlanetary Security Forces[16] at least 80 years prior to theClone Wars[29] and was based on the largerMandalorianKandosii-type dreadnaught from the time of theMandalorian Wars.[19][30]
Early service[]
After being commissioned, the Dreadnaughts saw use in ending major conflicts, but its shortcomings were quickly apparent. To counter the most glaring flaw of the Dreadnaught fleet, theGalactic Republic military developed a technology to reduce the crew requirements. By installing a full-rigslave circuitry system, the crew requirements could be reduced from 16,000 per ship to a more manageable 2,200.[31]
Dreadnaughts of theRendili Home Defense Fleet.
Two hundred of the heavy cruisers were outfitted with this new technology and dubbed theKatana fleet. The project failed when the crew were driven insane by ahive virus, slaved the fleet together, and made a random jump into hyperspace before the virus killed off every crew member.[31] A similar system was also fitted to the Dreadnaughts of theRendili Home Defense Fleet.[19]Another famous project that saw the use of Dreadnaughts, was the ill-fatedOutbound Flight Project, aimed at extragalactic exploration. The ship-design used six Dreadnaughts to fill out the hull.[31]
In addition to galactic governments and organizations, local forces also used these ships, as they constituted a cheaper and more easily accessible alternative to the large warships exclusive to the rich and heavily industrialized sectors.[15] Due to trade restrictions imposed by theTrade Federation,Outer Rim worlds had to rely on homemade fighters and downscaled warships for their own defense, sometimes gaining access to older design plans and leading to localizedDreadnaught-class variations.[15] For example, theUtapauan Security Force built and used several as anti-piracy vessels,[32] with their largest Rendili cruiser being one-fifth the size of aTrade Federationbattleship.[15]
During the Clone Wars, the Dreadnaughts saw heavy use in many battles, including theBattle of Duro, theBattle of Rendili, and theBattle of Coruscant.Because the more advancedassault ships andStar Destroyers were reserved for clone crews and highly dedicated Republic officers, the planetary security forces and volunteer militaries of the Republic made heavy use of theDreadnaught-class.[1]
Some of the vessels would receive the newerT.I.E. Starfighters during the war, to provide a starfighter that could make use of available space on the vessel.[11]
Imperial refitting[]
A Dreadnaught's port view.
Dreadnaughts saw extensive use in theImperial Navy due to their abundance. Battlesquadrons assigned to unimportant systems were often assigned aDreadnaught-class cruiser in place of a more modern cruiser. To increase its field potential, the Imperial Starfleet upgraded the ships'hyperdrive to Class 2 and converted cargo space into a hangar. With the hangar modification, a Dreadnaught could carry a squadron ofTIE/LN starfighters. These upgraded cruisers now saw use as patrol ships, which maintained Imperial dominance over primitive worlds.
Later use[]
Fifty years after theKatana fleet was lost,Grand AdmiralThrawn recovered 178 of its ships. They proved critical in his assault against the New Republic, since he had an abundance ofcloned navy crewmen.[9]
Part of theKatana fleet.
Garm Bel Iblis maintained a personal fleet of sixKatana fleet Dreadnaughts, which he used to capture 15 of theKatana ships, including theKatana herself; the final ship of the fleet was destroyed in thebattle for theKatana fleet.[9] Some of Bel Iblis's Dreadnaughts usedion cannons.
The still fledgling fleet of the New Republic used donated, captured, or recoveredDreadnaught-class cruisers until theNew Republic Defense Fleet formally decommissioned them after theNew Class project. During theYuuzhan Vong War, Dreadnaughts would continue to be used by the New Republic and its successor government, theGalactic Federation of Free Alliances.
ManyDreadnaught-class cruisers were converted by the Alliance and later the New Republic intoassault frigates, which were much less manpower-intensive than standard Dreadnaughts and carried a heavier armament.[31]
Some Dreadnaughts ended up as building material for theHidden Temple during theSith–Imperial War in127 ABY.[33]
Legacy[]
Rendili's practice of letting local shipyards produce their own Dreadnaught-variants on a license lead to many different models being built and fielded.[16] For instance, theUtapauns produced Rendili Dreadnaughts in several different sizes for their own defensive fleet.[15] TheQuarren of theMon Calamari Orbital Shipyards designed some of the most extreme models while working on the Rendili license.[16] These engineers later defected during theClone Wars, bringing their ideas to theConfederacy of Independent Systems. As a result, their refined version of the Rendili Dreadnaught, theProvidence-class carrier/destroyer and its upscaled variant, the Separatist Dreadnaught, served the Confederate cause throughout the war.[16]
Behind the scenes[]
ADreadnaught-class heavy cruiser shown to scale with anImperial-class Star Destroyer (1,600m).
Due to the variety of sources used and the common use of modifiedDreadnaught-class vessels, the statistics listed in the infobox may not accurately represent a stock Galactic Republic Dreadnaught. The originalImperial Sourcebook listed a lighter armament than most later sources. Both sets of specifications are listed here.
Different WEG materials provide a different account of the vessel's fighter complement. The Imperial Sourcebook makes note that the Imperial Navy modified the cargo bays to allow a fighter squadron, while Adventure Journal 10 has the existing republic naval vessels in the game (Carrack and Dreadnaught) receiving T.I.E. Starfighters as part of their republic complement. It's possible but unclarified it was a standard upgrade with the imperial fleet and a per-ship modification on the republic models due to the nature of the vessel's often modified state, and other republic Dreadnaughts being seen with fighters, as this would allow both to be correct.
There was also some discrepancy regarding the armament of the Dreadnaught-class heavy cruiser. While most of the sources agreed with a general weaponry of 10 cannons, 20 quad cannon and 10 batteries, the nature of these weapons was inconsistent. This included 10 laser cannons, 20 quad laser cannon and 10 turbolaser batteries in theImperial Sourcebook,The Thrawn Trilogy Sourcebook and inThe Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia; or 10 turbolaser cannons, 20 quad turbolaser cannon and 10 turbolaser batteries inStar Wars Gamemaster Screen, Revised,Starships of the Galaxy and in theStarWars.com databank. The most recent source, theStar Wars: Age of Rebellion Core Rulebook, created an intermediate version that is used in the infobox of this article.
Dreadnaught-class heavy cruiser concept art forStar Wars: TIE Fighter
Dreadnaught-class starships are seen in many ofTimothy Zahn's novels. They were first shown in action inDark Force Rising, in the struggle for control of theKatana fleet. These vessels were mentioned earlier inHeir to the Empire, providing the main hull ofNomad City, and in theBattle of Sluis Van where the New Republic modified variant (anassault frigate) is snared byChimaera's tractor beam. The Dreadnaughts would also form part ofOutbound Flight. Like many of the ships and vehicles inThe Thrawn Trilogy, the Dreadnaught originated in theImperial Sourcebook.
TheDreadnaught-class cruiser seen inStar Wars: TIE Fighter andStar Wars: X-Wing vs. TIE Fighter is noticeably different in physical appearance from other depictions of the vessel, including the model used in that game's sequel,Star Wars: X-Wing Alliance.
Appearances[]
Non-canon appearances[]
- "Light and Dark"(Vision)(Unlicensed)
Sources[]
Notes and references[]
- Related categories:
- Dreadnaught-class heavy cruisers
- Related Categories:
- Dreadnaught-class heavy cruisers