E.A.S. CENTURION
The Centurion class Dreadnoughts are, at the date, the most
powerful warships ever rushed in service by the Earthforce Navy.
This design incorporates the lessons learned from the last (after
Drakh war) developments and projects. This ship is, from
many points of view, the conceptual evolution of the Tillmann
Delta class heavy dreadnoughts, but with many improvements: in particular, the hull design is an
enlargement of the effective and sturdy Nike hull, the layout of weapon system
installations follows the successful and combat proven outline of
the Nova Delta Improved Dreadnoughts. The Main engines
are eight Gravitic Enhanced Ion Engines; the design of the unit
will include a gravitic drive derived from the one of the Nike
cruiser, but more powerful and simpler, that is actually under
development.(*) The power installed is still enough to
allow good acceleration and maneuverability. The main energy grid
includes eight main reactors, and two auxiliary reactors for the
weapon feeding.
The forward hull design has been dictated from the installation
of the two Mk XIII Heavy particle G.O.D. cannons, a formidable
weapon that is, from all the points of view, an enlargement of
the standard models of Heavy Particle Cannons. The power output
is classified, but rumors claim that the Mk. XIII has at least
five times the power of the others weapons of the same category.
The barrels of the twin cannons are installed parallel and very
close one to another, and focal coils are added to the muzzles,
to allow fine aim corrections and the convergence of the two
beams in a single spot on the target.
The main long range weapons, besides the G.O.D. cannons,
are four Hard Ray Q-spoiling Pulse Lasers, a turret
emplacement of the A.M.S. QSL series spinal laser, yet installed
on the Lupo frigates and on the Nova Deltas, and lightly
shortened to allow a non-spinal installation. The overall nominal
power of such weapons is not prohibitively high, but, due to the
short-pulse, high energy mode of fire, the piercing power is
awesome.
The Plasma pulse cannons have been substituted by a very new
design, outcome of the last advancements in the Gravitic
enhancement of the fusion process: the Gravitic Fusion Pulse
Cannons, weapons that have shown itselves devastating at the
short and medium ranges, with the advantage that the main
build-up of the energy of a discharge is made inside the barrell
of the weapon, lightentnig the load on the power distribution
grid, and allowing an impressive rate of fire.
Even if, as a Dreadnought, this ship is conceived for artillery
engagements, the sheer dimensions of the hull allowed to embark a
large fighter complement, and a massive missile load, that can be
launched through 12 launching tubes.
The Muzzles of the G.O.D. cannons and the missile launchers, when
not in use, are protected by a two valve, heavy armoured
protective cover.
The technologies for the sensors, the Fire Control Systems and
the armour have been developed by the R&D sector of the Navy
in conjunction with the technical division of the E.F.N.I. . The
Technology of the armour still remains classified.
The E.A.S. Centurion, less than a year after the service, with her task force, composed of one Nike battlecruiser, three Omega destroyers, and four Lupo class frigates, was involved in a skirmish with an unspecified enemy, probably different from the Drakhs, while escorting the E.A.S Styx in an unspecified mission. One Omega and one Lupo were badly damaged, the Nike class Orion was lightly damaged. The attack against the Earth Allianc fleet was enforced by a single ship, that was destroyed by the combined firepower of the units of the task force and of the Styx. The outcome of the combat was defined a "Lucky strike" by an officer of one of the ships.
"We were alerted of an incoming target from the Hyperspace by the new units, and so we were able to prepare the weapons and the fighters, and to line up in combat formation. It was very large and very,very powerful: it was able to substain our fire, taking the punishment, and still returning the fire against us, losing debris, being damaged and still advancing and hammering us: the spinal lasers of the frigates seemed able to punch through the armour, but the damage wasn't enough: we were shooting at it, and I've seen our beams doing something, but not enough, and it was closing the distance: It was the fusion cannons fire of the Centurion to slow down and wound that Thing, and the point blank discharge of the G.O.D. cannons of the Styx that destroyed the enemy. I've never seen nothing like that: it was not mainly their power that upset me, it was the way they attacked us, the rage, the hate...For the first time in my life, i think i've seen the evil."
A declaration released by a
speaker of the Earthforce explained that the events were still
under investigation by the Information Services, and that the
aggressor stills remains unknown, either to the other members of
the ISA. The investigations are going on with the support of the
governments of the main ISA members, the Rangers, and the support
of the Centauri republic. An high officer of the E.F.N.I. said.
"The buildup of the Fleet and the costruction of powerful
units by the Eartforce, in the last years, has been perceived
like a menace by some members of the ISA, and observed with
suspect, particularly by the Minbari and the Centauri Republic.
All our efforts are not a dagger pointed against them, are a
sword, better, a shield to protect the Earth Alliance, our
allies, and our friends, Centauri and Minbari included".
*See "Brightwarrior
project - II"
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
Class: Centurion
Type: Dreadnought
Lenght: 2780 meters
Mass: 212 millions metric tons
Acceleration: 2,45 g
Crew: 385
Troops: Classified
Fighters: 64 Mitchell-Hyundane SA-26A Thunderbolt Starfury or 64
Mitchell-Hyundane SA-32 Firebolt Starfury.
Power/Propulsion:
8*Westinghouse "Event Horizon-II" Gravitic Enhanced
Fusion Reactors.
2*Westinghouse GRCK-1000 Gravitic Enhanced Fusion Reactors.
8*Lockheed-General Electric I-110LGE900 gravitic enhanced plasma
engines.
4*Lockheed-Mitchell M185 Jump engines.
-Provisions for -
1*Lockheed-Mitchell GWR-2 "Waverider-II" Gravitic
Drive.
Weapons:
2*Earthforce Arsenals Mk XIII Heavy
Particle G.O.D. cannons.
12*Westhinghouse-O.T.O. Melara M381 Heavy
Gravitic Fusion Pulse cannons
4*A.M.S. QSL - 4T "Equalizer"
Q-spoiling Hard-Ray Heavy Lasers.
4*O.T.O.Melara 127/762 Heavy railgun
turrets.
32*Walther-Raytheon WRX 1028 Light Pulse
particle Cannon Turrets.
144*"Blue Phoenix"
Missiles,12*launching tubes with automatic loading.
Defense:
21 to 32 meter armored hull, Carbonat VIII (Multi-layer composite armour),
Unspecified anti-neutron ablative armour, Double layer Nanotechnological armour.
42*Interceptor Mk.III or Interceptor Mk.IV Defense Grid Energy
Projectors.E-Web Mk3.
E.A.S. CENTURION DREADNOUGHT
