Cruiser-class Cruiser, Field Report 2765:DC
The Cruiser-class cruiser comes to us from a throwaway line in the Star League sourcebook. These were very early hegemony cruisers that took part in James McKenna’s “persuasion campaigns”. The actual origin of the Cruiser-class goes back well before then. The original concept dates to the 22nd century as a combat unit based around nuclear warfare in space. Actual combat realities in the 24th century made the limitations of this combat style apparent, but this wouldn’t be immediately apparent. However the early 24th century was a period of experimentation as the Hegemony navy found its feet so the Cruisers saw production.
At 500,000 tons the Cruiser is small by what we understand a cruiser to be. Even the contemporary Dar-class LIGHT cruiser was 680,000 tons as was the Lola-class destroyer. Despite its small size the Cruiser packed a lot of firepower. The NAC bays make it quite comparable to the Dart. The Dart has more armour, but the Cruiser’s capital missiles make critical hits far more likely. The capital missiles probably give us the reason for the Cruiser’s existence. They far outrange the Dreadnought’s light AC AA batteries. While aerospace fighters were not the dominant force they are now, they existed as did combat small craft. It is also interesting to note that the Quixote offering very similar capabilities in a more capable package was introduced in 2350 with the last Cruiser being decommissioned by 2400. Coincidence?
Besides tactical obsolescence the Cruiser suffered from some unplanned for ergonomic problems. Most notably the bow mounted cargo bays and flight deck meant that the Cruiser was vulnerable to large changes in its centre of gravity, sometimes unpredictably.
Oh, and the Cruiser was ugly.
Retired by the Hegemony, the Cruiser was a convenient buy for the Great Houses. We have no idea of numbers but at least one ended up in the service of the Draconis Combine. We have to assume some made it through to the Reunification War at least, but it is notable that the WarShip poor Capellan Confederation wasn’t operating any in 2765.
How do we use a Cruiser? Despite its heavy missile battery the Beercan Battleship stacks up remarkably well as a straight broadside fighter. In straight combat terms it is superior to a Sovetski Soyuz though the later heavy cruiser was more focused on its docking collars. Realistically the Cruiser was comparable to the high end destroyers and frigates. The single 10,000 ton capacity DropShuttle Bay really shows its biggest limitation. A lack of supporting units. The missile bays offer some interesting tactical options, though the 10 reloads are a little lacking if one wants to try risky bearing shots outside 50 hexes. As an AA platform the Cruiser’s armour restricts its survivability, however its actual throw weight is better than an Avalon meaning the Cruiser is very useful as an escort platform.
Killing a Cruiser is all about shooting up the light armour. It is harder to kill than a Lola, but easier than late SLDF cruisers. This is one of the few ships I wouldn’t suggest sending fighters after. If you do have to use ASF, try and get the quick kill. The more time spend under those missile batteries the more fighters you will lose.
