Forrestal Class Carriers

Forrestal Class Fighter Carrier

The Forrestal class was the last "flat top" carrier of the Union Navy and traces its history and design features all the way back to the wet keel carriers of Pre Astro Earth.

The space fighter doctrine of United Earth and later United Stars Spatial Navy in cluded dedicated carrier craft to transport the short range fighters to combat,provide logistics, repair facilities as well as crew and pilot accommodations.

United Earth designers basically used the same design features of the Pre Astro wet keel ships. Flat top launch and recovery surface, in hull hangar facilities. Since no other known society (at United Earth times)

utilized fighters, the carrier concept was unique to Terran designs and remained unchanged for millenia.

However the size of battle ships kept increasing and especially after the implementation of the Uni design doctrine were capable of carring large number of fighters.

Most Union battle ships are in effect, "Battle Ship carriers ". The development of the now famous "Revolver starters " and "Conveyor Fighter Recovery " systems eliminated the need for flat tops altogether.

However Spatial navy planning continued to call for dedicated carriers more or less out of tradition. Flat tops remained usefull, especially in the deployment of Fighters and Gunboats.

(See: Union Fighter and Gun boat tactics )

During the years between 4600-4800 new Fighter/Gunboat launch and recovery technology diminished the need for dedicated carriers and most flat top carriers were scrapped, moth balled or converted into mobile small craft ship yards.

In 4950 the very last and at that time very old flat top carrier (Forrestal class) USS Norgmar was decomissioned and scrapped.

The Hornet class replacing the Forrestal class was still a dedicated carrier but no longer featured flat top facilities.

Only 5000 Hornet class were produced as the Union Spatial Navy put less and less focus on carriers.

The introduction of the Dai society and later the Nul into the Union reversed that trend. Both the Dai and the Nul made extensive use of carriers.

Specs

 * Name: Forrestal-class carrier
 * Builders: SII - ROSS 248 - Frank Elmore (Planet)
 * Operators:  United Stars Spatial Navy
 * Preceded by: Tobuc class
 * Succeeded by: Hornet class
 * In commission: 4500 OTT – 4950 OTT
 * Completed: 22,000
 * Laid up: 22,001

General characteristics

 * Displacement: 6,000,000 tons
 * Length: 1300 m
 * Beam: 400 m
 * Draft: 190 m
 * Propulsion: ISAH Engines - 4 x Mark 19-4500
 * Acceleration:   311 km/sec
 * Max Trans SOL : 14,000
 * Max Range: 9200 ly
 * Complement: 4,378

Armament:

 * 4 x TL - Kilo Load
 * 12 x Hellbore 5K
 * Refit armament:
 * 6 x Loki Torpedo Launchers
 * 12 x Point Defense "Fly Zapper"
 * 3 × Ultwig Defense Missile systems
 * Fighters carried: 300
 * Gun Boats: 200
 * Heavy Bombers: 200
 * Gazelle: 20
 * Spec Ops Craft: 20
 * Destroyers: 2
 * Bisons: 12
 * SSRC (Space Search and Rescue Craft ) 12