Independence Type: Destroyer In class: 20? In service: 2550? Mass: 480,000 Sail Integrity: 4 Thrust: 4/6 Fuel: 6000 tons Structural Integrity: 60 Armor: 576 tons of armor Standard armor ratings: 39+6 foreward and aft, 38+6 sides Ferro Aluminium armor ratings: 59+6 foreward and aft, 57+6 sides Docking Collars: 0 Fighters: 24 Small Craft: 4 Crew: 230 Lifeboats: 10 Escape Pods: 20 Grav Decks: 1 65 meter Cargo: 16,007 Bay 1: Small Craft (4) 2 doors Bay 2: Cargo (16,007) 2 doors Bay 3: Fighters (24) 8 doors Other equipment none Weapons: Heatsinks: 3960 (enough) Forward 4 Naval Autocannon 30s 4 Naval Laser 45s Fore Left/Fore Right 4 White Shark Launchers 4 Naval Autocannon 30s 4 Naval Laser 45s Aft Left/Aft Right 4 White Shark Launchers 8 Naval Laser 45s Aft 8 Naval Laser 45s Ammo 180 tons of Naval Autocannon ammo 160 White Shark Overview: The Independence class Destroyer was one of the Taurian Concordat's newest warships during the Reunification war, and at the same time one of its most carefully guarded secrets. Though the first Independence class vessels were believed to have come into service some time in early 2550, for over twenty years, very little information was available about the new Taurian destroyer. The Concordat made sure to keep its newest warships away from the prying eyes of its larger neighbors, and not even the intelligence organizations of House Davion or the Terran Hegemony were able to gather more than some vague and contradictory data which seemed to indicate that the Independence was little more than an enlarged version of the Lola I class destroyers already in service with the Taurian fleet (purchased from the Terran Hegemony in the late 25th century). Though there was little hard data on the Independence, the great houses decided that the ship was not much to worry about (another sign of tendency of the great houses to dismiss the strength of periphery military forces out of hand), and this view seemed to be confirmed in the Independence's first engagment. In 2573, a Taurian naval squadron, including the Independence class Destroyer Pleiades, clashed with Davion naval forces in the Malagrotta system. Most of the squadron, including the Pleiades, was lost. The Pleiades, opperating under orders to conceal its true capabilities, was quickly run down and crippled by a Davion destroyer, resulting in the death of sixty eight crewmen and the forced self destruction of the ship to prevent its capture. The Davion vessel was only lightly damaged. In an official report on the incident, Davion officers described the Taurian destroyer as "slow, undergunned, and only a marginal threat". And then came the Reunification war, and the Independence bit back with a vengeance. Capabilities: As the SLDF would soon discover, the Independence was far from just a marginal threat. Its primary armament were twelve state of the art Vandenburg Arms God's Wrath-30 Naval Autocannons covering the forward arcs. Unlike comperable guns used by the Terran Hegemony and other Great Houses, the entire God's Wrath series of naval autocannons used the same ammunition as the old PWB cannons used on the Lola I and Defiant, they just had a higher rate of fire (one of the highest firing rates ever achieved with naval grade cannons in the case of the larger models) producing a comperable effect to more standard naval cannons using larger rounds. Though no more efficient in terms of damage, range, heat, or mass compared to conventional naval guns, the God's Wrath did greatly simplify logistics, allowing the Concordat to focus on producing large amounts of one type of ammunition rather than several different types. Also, the rate of fire for the guns could be varied. This would allow captains to stretch out their ammunition supply if needed, and in the case of the Independence, would allow the ship to conceal its real firepower. Backing up the autocannons were three dozen naval lasers, two-thirds of them mounted to cover the ship's rear. The Independence was concieved as a fast attack ship, making a quick attack with its forward guns then pulling out at high speed, repeating the process if necessary and/or possible. The aft mounted lasers were considered adequate to deal with dropships and those corvettes capable of keeping pace or closing with the destroyer, with further protection provided by accompanying Bulldog corvettes as needed. Sixteen naval missile tubes further suplement the main battery, providing excellent cover against fighter attacks. This was further augmented by two dozen fighter bays. Unlike the Bulldog, who's numerous fighter bays were more an idle threat than an actual weapon, the TDF made sure to keep the Independence and her sisters fully staffed with fighters whenever possible. As a consequence, Independence class ships frequently filled the role of carriers in addition to their other duties, as with the exception of the rare fully staffed Bulldog or the even rarer Lexington, no other TDF warship carried as many fighters as an Independence. The armor used on the Independence is something of a mystery. Though it is believed that the majority were fairly lightly armored using conventional armor plate, there is some indication that at least a few were fitted with more advanced Ferro Aluminium armor. How the Taurians were able to acquire this armor is not known. Deployment: As with so much else about the Independence, the actual number that the TDF had in service was never really determined. There was a great deal of confusion surrounding the ship, and the TDF seemed to take a perverse delight in perpetuating that confusion. The SLDF believed it was able to identify twenty specific ships, however we can't be entirely sure. Between the TDF burning, hiding, or changing every bit of data they could before surrendering, exagerated reports of a horde of Independence class ships from House Davion (Davion commanders, trying to put the right spin on the disaster that was Case Amber, tended to spin tall tales of dozens of Taurian warships attacking from every direction rather than admit they blew it), and the failures of the SLDF to properly keep track of the ships they were fighting (one Independence, the Enterprise, was reported destroyed by the SLDF on five seperate occasions, and none of them were right. The ship was captured nearly intact towards the end of the war) we just don't know. Best guess, based on its date of introduction and the shipbuilding capabilities of the Concordat at the time, is between a dozen and three dozen ships. However many there were, they all fought hard, at times taking on and beating ships nearly twice their size. Some would also last far beyond the war. Half a dozen survived the war in good enough condition to be siezed by the SLDF and House Davion. The SLDF continued to opperate its three Independence class ships (since renamed the Immortal, Intractable, and Impetuous) right up to the Amaris coup, and one, the Immortal (ex-Enterprise) accompanied the Exodus fleet. The fate of this ship is currently not known. House Davion, on the other hand, took its three Independence class vessels out of service in the mid 27th century, selling them for scrap.