(If they ever fix up the art...)
Essex I-class destroyer: FR2765:Periphery
Over the years Battletech authors have named dropped numerous WarShips then promptly stuffed up the dates. The Essex is a classic example with references long before its 2711 introduction. The 2765 Field Report series has tried to correct this, bringing us to this week’s WarShip of the Week. The Essex I.
In the late Star League era the Essex II fills the low end of capability next to the more capable Lola III, and in the Terran Hegemony era the Essex I has the same relationship with the Lola I. Introduced in 2351 the Essex I served as the default destroyer for the Hegemony until the introduction of the Naga in 2645. 300 years of service for such a underpowered hull may seem remarkable, but it is important to compare it to its role. The Essex is a step between the Vigilant and the Lola I. Its job is not to fight fleet battles, but to patrol space and act as a police force. As a ship intended to hang around and beating up smaller craft the Essex is very capable.
Over the years most of the Essex were scrapped or sold off to the House navies. However in the 2760s the Capellan Confederation got their hands on the plans. I am sure a few of our Capellan readers are going to be horrified at this. In a universe where Free Worlds League is building League IIs and Atreus, and the Federated Suns is building Davion IIs and New Syrtis, mass producing tiny primitive Essex I and Vincent Mk39s. Soyal production basically stopped with Amaris. But given the alternative was nothing, the Capellans have/had to be happy with what they got. As normal, these ships and the ability to produce them were eliminated by the First and Second Succession War.
By modern standards the Essex I is clearly vulnerable, but in the Reunification War it was still competitive. In anti-ship terms it is roughly comparable to a League I, Baron or Naga. Note the Nagas replaced the Essex Is after 2645. On the other hand the Essex I is awful as an anti-fighter platform. Even its throw weight (ability to help other ships) is amongst the weakest in the game.
Structurally the Essex I is soft. Really soft. It has the least armour of any destroyer, while its structure is the same as the Baron. At least it has usable thrust. Firepower comes mostly from NAC10s clustered around the bow. An extensive naval laser battery fills the gaps. The NAC batteries are nearly useless at bracketing while the lasers lack the damage to make it worthwhile. Four NL45s in the aft arc are useful for planetary bombardment, which would be one of the roles the Essex I is designed for. Surprisingly it is comparable to a Lola I, though the Essex I loses out in the protection stakes. Indeed the layout seems a hybrid of the Lola I and Essex II.
The flight deck consists of 12 Small Craft. Not a full wing it suggests a mix of a squadron of combat ships and a squadron of support ships. The traditional hundred-thousand ton cargo bay allows extended operations. And as one of those ships that seemed to hang around forever in House fleets when better ships were retired, we have to assume the Essex I is a pretty reliable ship.
So, how do we use an Essex I? Before 2600 you can send it into battle against its peers fairly happily. It is no Davion II (or Davion I), but the Essex I will be available in numbers and have plenty of bigger friends. Pick on corvettes and DropShips. Avoid aerospace fighters. In many ways it is better to think of the Essex I as a big corvette. It is cheap and expendable. Put it in stupid places like orbit where it should be able to dominate the surface, and you don’t care if it gets nuked because it’s better than losing a cruiser. Likewise distant patrol out on the frontier or gate keeper at a jump point. It is a nastier trip wire than a Vincent and allows you to keep your strike force hidden. Tactically your best bet is brawling. You can’t bracket so just cross everything, get those bow NACs into play at short range, and start praying.
After 2600 you are talking singletons in the House fleets and of the Capellan’s growing fleet. Stick with your buddies and pick on the weak. The Cappies are going to have the luxury of facing League IIs on one flank. A League II is about twice as capable as an Essex I so do the maths. Aerospace fighters will work about equal, but the League II’s DropShips could be a problem. Don’t think about Atreus. On the other flank we are talking Davion IIs. That’s about 4:1 odds. You can see where the Capellan fleet went. Avoid, avoid, avoid. Use the Soyals and Du Shi Wangs, offensively, ASF concentrations defensively, and send the Essex Is everywhere enemy WarShips aren’t.
There is not really much to say about killing an Essex I. Aerospace fighters are probably the cheapest way given the lack of armour and weak defences. Hitting it with NACs is probably the fastest way. 86 points in one arc will kill it. Imagining what a Narukami would do is pretty shocking.
