Akagi-class Assault Carrier

[Dragon Cat]

I thought I had posted this ages ago oops it was built by JA Baker and I've hijacked it for my AU, not the first design I've stolen and hopefully not the last.

AeroTech 2 Vessel Technical Readout
                                  VALIDATED

Class/Model/Name:  Akagi class Assault Carrier
Tech:              Inner Sphere / 3108
Vessel Type:       WarShip
Rules:             Level 2, Custom design
Rules Set:         AeroTech2

Mass:              1,650,000 tons
Hull:              Galadin SYN
K-F Drive System:  KF Tiger I
Length:            1,445 meters
Sail Diameter:     1,395 meters
Power Plant:       4 GM 8050 Starlifters
Safe Thrust:       5
Maximum Thrust:    8
Armor Type:        Panthex YM1 Lamellor Ferro-carbide
Armament:         
    4 Heavy Naval Gauss Cannons
   32 KWI Ultra AC/5's
    8 Shigunga MRM-40's
   16 Lord's Light 2 ER-PPC's
   16 Kajuka Type 1 Small Pulse Lasers
   16 Yori Flyswatter AMS
   16 Scarborough-30 Series Naval Autocannons
   16 Kraken-T Missile Launchers
Manufacturer:   DeHuego & Freshet WarShip Design
  Location:     New Smarkand
Communications System:  Pathfinder 43CD w. Naval C3
Targeting & Tracking System:  MORSAT w. Naval C3
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
==Overview:==
     Everyone knew that it was only a matter of time before the Draconis
Combine responded to the Federated Suns continued fleet build up, especially
with more ships being stationed along their border but what no one expected,
what no one could have expected, was the exact nature of their response.
     The Draconis Combine response was first noted in 3108 when they unveiled
the DCS Akagi the first in a line of so-called Assault Carriers the massive ship
became visible, speculation spread like wildfire across the Inner Sphere and
beyond, least not because of the startling similarities between the Akagi and the
Federated Suns Columbia class Battleship.
     Accusations soon started to fly between Terra, New Avalon and New
Smarkand, with the Star League Protectorate claiming that the design had
obviously originated in the Federated Suns.  Unfortunately with little true
evidence to show where, and who had designed the Akagi, thus far the Star
League have not brought sanctions against the Draconis Combine.

==Capabilities:==
     Massing 120k tons more than the Columbia, and almost 400-meters longer,
the Akagi none the less follows the same design aspheric, all be it more
streamlined. It starts with what has become known as an 'alligator head'
forward section, which then tapers off to a central core with two launch bays
sticking out either side, before bulging out to an aft engineering section
holding the main transit-drive. Unlike the Columbia, however, these drives
have been relocated to four distinct pods to allow for ease of maintenance and
repair. This is, it is important to note, at the cost of increased risk that
they could be damaged in combat.
     Armament wise, the two ships are also very different; while the team at
New Avalon Shipyards went with a primarily energy based configuration for the
Columbia, their counterparts at DeHuego & Freshet decided that the Akagi
needed a stronger punch, so chose projectile weapons. As such she carries four
massive Heavy Naval Gauss Cannons in her bow and forward arcs, supplemented by
quad launchers for the massive Kraken-T anti-ship missile. These are in tern
supplemented by ranks of Scarborough-30 Series Naval Autocannons in each
broadside, allowing the Akagi to engage targets at close and medium range.
Further  Kraken-T launchers cover the rear of the ship, but the placement of
the engine pods has created a narrow blind spot to the rear covered only by
anti-fighter and point-defence weapons. Speaking off close-in weapons, the
Akagi is protected by a number of KWI Ultra AC/5's and Lords Light 2 ER-PPC's
covering every angle, supported by Shigunga MRM-40 pods in the bow, broadsides
and aft. Point-defence is covered by a number of Kajuka Type 1 Small Pulse
Lasers and Yori Flyswatter anti-missile weapons.
     For armour, the Akagi carries over 2,500 tons of Panthex YM1 Lamellor
Ferro-carbide in a unique double-hull configuration: the inner hull is
armoured as expected, but then there is a latticework of cross-bracing before
a layer of ablative armour on top. This theoretically improve protection by
15% over standard armour, but has been untested in battle. Despite its size,
the Akagi is capable of 4G's of acceleration at full power, allowing it to
keep up with the Kirishima class Cruiser, despite being twice its size. The
Akagi is also fitted with a Naval version of the C3 computer system.
     Interestingly, this is not the only way in which the Akagi is similar to
the Kirishima. Unlike the Columbia, which is a Battleship/Carrier hybrid, the
designers behind the Akagi sacrificed half off her DropShip docking collars
and most of her fighter bays in favour of space to carry an entire regiment of
BattleMech's in dedicated drop bays, allowing them to be deployed on-mass
directly from orbit. These are groped together in three separate bays, each
capable of holding an entire battalion. One bay is located in the forward
'alligator head', while the other two are found in the rear of the launch
bays.  So far it has been established that the DCMS are using the DCS Akagi
as a base for one of their Special Landing Force Regiments which means
these BattleMechs are actually Land Air Mechs.
      To help organise ground operations, the Akagi has room for up to
50-passengers and comes equipped with a dedicated CIC for ground-combat,
freeing up space that would otherwise have been taken up on the main bridge.
This allows the ground-forces commander and the ships captain to concentrate
on their own jobs without being bombarded by useless information all the time.

==Battle History:==
     The DCS Akagi appeared first in the battle for Addicks in January 3108
supporting the DCMS conquest of the planet.  Three months later in the Helen
system the Akagi attempted to track down insurgents in the system including
a Federated Suns Bug Eye-class vessel during this operation the ship was hit
by a nuclear weapon fired from DropShips hidden in the Helen system's asteroid
belt.  The Akagi survived the attack and was sent to Dieron for repairs.

==Variants:==
     None to date.

==Notable Vessels & Crews:==
Draconis Combine
DCS Akagi

==Deployment==
     So far only the Akagi herself has entered service and is currently
assigned to the Combine/Raven Alliance border, while three further ships
Dragon's Breath, the Bushido and the Blade Of Honour are reported to be
under construction, with the Dragon's Breath is expected to be launched in
3111, Bushido two years later and the Blade Of Honour two years later.
All are expected to be mated with SNLF Regiments.

Code: [Select]

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Class/Model/Name:  Akagi class Assault Carrier
Mass:              1,650,000 tons

Equipment:                                                            Mass 
Power Plant, Drive & Control:                                      495,000.00
Thrust:  Safe Thrust: 5
      Maximum Thrust: 8
Kearny-Fuchida Hyperdrive:  Compact (Integrity = 32)               746,625.00
Lithium Fusion Battery                                              16,500.00
Jump Sail (Detachable): (Integrity = 7)                                112.00
Structural Integrity: 100                                          165,000.00
Total Heat Sinks:    1,450 Double                                      411.00
Fuel & Fuel Pumps:                                                   5,100.00
Bridge, Controls, Radar, Computer & Attitude Thrusters:              4,125.00
Fire Control Computers:                                                   .00
Food & Water:  (274 days supply)                                     1,547.00
Armor Type:  Lamellor Ferro-carbide  (2,566 total armor pts)         2,506.00
                           Capital Scale Armor Pts
   Location:                            L / R
   Fore:                                474
   Fore-Left/Right:                  427/427
   Aft-Left/Right:                   427/427
   Aft:                                 384

Cargo:
   Bay 1:  Fighters (12) with 4 doors                                1,800.00
           Small Craft (4)                                             800.00
   Bay 2:  Fighters (12) with 4 doors                                1,800.00
           Small Craft (4)                                             800.00
   Bay 3:  BattleMechs (36) with 36 doors                            5,400.00
   Bay 4:  BattleMechs (36) with 36 doors                            5,400.00
   Bay 5:  BattleMechs (36) with 36 doors                            5,400.00
   Bay 6:  Cargo (1) with 2 doors                                   25,000.00

DropShip Capacity:  2 Docking Hardpoints                             2,000.00
Grav Decks #1 - 2:  (55-meter diameter)                                100.00
Grav Decks #3 - 4:  (75-meter diameter)                                100.00
Life Boats:  80 (7 tons each)                                          560.00
Escape Pods:  80 (7 tons each)                                         560.00

Crew and Passengers:
    136 Officers (104 minimum)                                       1,360.00
    450 Crew (239 minimum)                                           3,150.00
     70 Gunners (51 minimum)                                           490.00
     50 2nd Class Passengers                                           350.00
     84 Marines                                                        420.00
     36 Marine Battle Armor Troopers/Elementals                        252.00
    304 Bay Personnel                                                     .00
Weapons and Equipment      Loc        SRV    MRV    LRV    ERV  Heat    Mass
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2 Heavy N-Gauss(30 rounds) Nose        60     60     60     60   36 14,015.00
4 Ultra AC/5(160 rounds)   Nose     3(28)  3(28)  3(28)     --    8     44.00
2 MRM 40(48 rounds)        Nose     5(48)  5(48)     --     --   24     32.00
2 ER PPC                   Nose     2(20)  2(20)  2(20)     --   30     14.00
2 Small Pulse Laser        Nose      1(6)     --     --     --    4      2.00
2 AMS(240 rounds)          Nose        --     --     --     --    2     21.00
2 NAC/30(40 rounds)        FL/R        60     60     60     --  400 14,064.00
1 Heavy N-Gauss(15 rounds) FL/R        30     30     30     30   36 14,016.00
4 Kraken-T(60 msls)        FL/R        40     40     40     40  400 13,760.00
4 Ultra AC/5(160 rounds)   FL/R     3(28)  3(28)  3(28)     --   16     88.00
2 ER PPC                   FL/R     2(20)  2(20)  2(20)     --   60     28.00
2 Small Pulse Laser        FL/R      1(6)     --     --     --    8      4.00
2 AMS(240 rounds)          FL/R        --     --     --     --    4     42.00
2 NAC/30(40 rounds)        L/RBS       60     60     60     --  400 14,064.00
2 NAC/30(40 rounds)        L/RBS       60     60     60     --  400 14,064.00
4 Ultra AC/5(160 rounds)   L/RBS    3(28)  3(28)  3(28)     --   16     88.00
2 MRM 40(48 rounds)        L/RBS    5(48)  5(48)     --     --   48     64.00
2 ER PPC                   L/RBS    2(20)  2(20)  2(20)     --   60     28.00
2 Small Pulse Laser        L/RBS     1(6)     --     --     --    8      4.00
2 AMS(240 rounds)          L/RBS       --     --     --     --    4     42.00
2 NAC/30(40 rounds)        AL/R        60     60     60     --  400 14,064.00
4 Kraken-T(60 msls)        AL/R        40     40     40     40  400 13,760.00
4 Ultra AC/5(160 rounds)   AL/R     3(28)  3(28)  3(28)     --   16     88.00
2 ER PPC                   AL/R     2(20)  2(20)  2(20)     --   60     28.00
2 Small Pulse Laser        AL/R      1(6)     --     --     --    8      4.00
2 AMS(240 rounds)          AL/R        --     --     --     --    4     42.00
4 Ultra AC/5(160 rounds)   Aft      3(28)  3(28)  3(28)     --    8     44.00
2 MRM 40(48 rounds)        Aft      5(48)  5(48)     --     --   24     32.00
2 ER PPC                   Aft      2(20)  2(20)  2(20)     --   30     14.00
2 Small Pulse Laser        Aft       1(6)     --     --     --    4      2.00
2 AMS(240 rounds)          Aft         --     --     --     --    2     21.00
1 Lot Spare Parts (2.50%)                                           41,250.00
1 Naval C3 System                                                    1,500.00
1 Ground Combat CIC                                                  2,000.00
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
TOTALS:                                            Heat: 2,920   1,650,000.00

[Cryhavok101]

I like it. It's like the Kyushu's big brother. I bet a LAM regiment would love to be calling one of those home.

[JA Baker]

I have the model assembled and painted, but I'm still trying to track down some DCMS decals to finish it off.

And no, Fighting Piranha don't seem to ship to the UK.

[marauder648]

Very very very nice design, she's a super Kyushu, very well armed, damn fast, and with enough forces onboard to self escort and act as a assault force.  Nice work folks!

[Wrangler]

I like the ship, JA Baker, thank you keeping supply of new designs coming in!

I think only fault i can find with this ship is it's main job is to deliver BattleMechs to the field and take them home.
LAMs are mainstay in AT&T universe, but if the ship was needed to retrieve other units in a rescue mission or extraction it would need hold out more and need assistance covering ferrying ships bring the non-LAM mechs up to the WarShip.

[snakespinner]

Nice design, but still waiting for the first battle between an Akagi and a Colombia. :D O0

[JA Baker]

Nice design, but still waiting for the first battle between an Akagi and a Colombia. :D O0

...let them fight  [watch]

[Sharpnel]

But they are both your creations. Do you really want to see one, or both, of your children die?

[JA Baker]

But they are both your creations. Do you really want to see one, or both, of your children die?

<- you note the Avatar?

[Vition2]

If they were equally equipped (ie. all ASF), then the fight is weighted fairly heavily in the Akagi's favor.  It has more fighters and more significant amounts of armament (roughly 3x the total firepower). 

As they are intended to be used, though the fight is more even.  Shifting all the Akagi's ASF complement to LAMs significant decreases both their potential firepower and maneuverability - and this including the ability for them to use XL gyros and light fusion engines in DC's AU.  This puts the ASF portion at near parity, leaving the Columbia to come out ahead in the skirmish portion due to the extra pair of dropship collars.  At this point the remaining FS ASF can make bombing runs against the Akagi, combined with direct engagement there is more of a question as to who comes out on top.

The real difference between the two is the versatility they have.  The Akagi is a one-trick pony, so to speak, it is a command carrier through and through, not only that but it is relatively short ranged, with only 25kt of cargo.  It does serve very well in its role though.  On the other hand the Columbia is much more versatile, with 4 dropships - 2 more than the Akagi - it can fit itself out better for the needs of the mission and has more than double the cargo capacity (~1.5x if we lump the spare parts into this).

And of course the last thing to note is the Akagi totally cheats with more than 100 doors for it's ASF and LAMs to use.  O0

[Cryhavok101]

And of course the last thing to note is the Akagi totally cheats with more than 100 doors for it's ASF and LAMs to use.  O0

I had missed that. That is funny. Max for a ship that size is 25 doors total normally.

[Dragon Cat]

I'll be honest I too missed it

One thing I have noticed though your pitching the Akagi against a Columbia due to the mass

But far more likely she will face the more numerous Mercury, First Prince II or Indefatigable since there is only one Columbia

[Vition2]

One thing I have noticed though your pitching the Akagi against a Columbia due to the mass

But far more likely she will face the more numerous Mercury, First Prince II or Indefatigable since there is only one Columbia

Actually I pitted them against each other due to having similar roles, they are both fast assault/battle carriers.

I do agree that she would much more likely face any of the 3 classes you mentioned, so I'll take them one at a time.

Against a Mercury, the only thing the Akagi is likely to do is run - unless it's battlegroup can be used to shore up the differences.  The Mercury has more armor, more guns, more ASF, more dropships, more cargo, more... you get the picture, the only thing the Akagi has on top of the Mercury is acceleration.

Up against a First Prince II, the result is just about the opposite, with the Akagi having more everything with the only exception being the dropship collars, which the First Prince II has 3 over the Akagi - this really isn't going to make much of a difference though.

The Indefatigable-class is a much more equivalent opponent.  It has slightly heavier firepower, slightly heavier armor, while it's 2 more dropships close to makes up for the 72 fewer ASF/LAMs the Akagi has.  If the Akagi can soften up the Indefatigable before closing it'll win, but if the Indefatigable can bring its guns to bear more quickly, success is more in doubt.

That doesn't include the possibility of going up against a clan design or the Otey-class battleships.  The Leviathan and Arbitration fall into the same category as the Mercury, while the Nightlord II, Mississippi, Texas, and Otey are all closer to the Indefatigable - though their pluses and minuses are much different than that ship.

[Dragon Cat]

Yup the WarShip count looks pretty rosy at the moment but it doesn't overshadow the AU too much there's still been plenty drama elsewhere

[Wrangler]

I wish I knew how to make a warship so i could contribute.  I'm big naval-fan.  :(
My old HMA long since gave up the ghost and its obsolete.  I'm not sure how to use a Warship Calculator spreadsheet someone made.

[Cryhavok101]

I'm not sure how to use a Warship Calculator spreadsheet someone made.

The link in my signature has the thread for it, you can ask any questions you have about it in that thread or PM me directly. Though you will need some understanding of the construction rules from SO and the weapons and equipment from TO and TM to make sure it is a legal design.