Type: Lexington Class Light Strike Carrier In Service: 2579 Number in Service: 2 Mass: 500,000 KF Integrity: 11 Sail Integrity: 4 Thrust: 4/6 Fuel: 10,000 SI: 60 Armor: 600 tons (40 + 6 per side) Heatsinks: 4800 Docking Collars: 4 Fighter Bays: 96 Crew: 480 Lifeboats: 100 Escape Pods: 0 Grav Deck: 0 Cargo: 24,816 tons Bays: Bay 1: 48 Fighters (8 Doors) Bay 2: 48 Fighters (8 Doors) Bay 3: Infantry 2 Platoons / Cargo (2 Doors) Weapons: Forward: 4 NL 55 10 Large Lasers 10 PPCs 20 Medium Lasers 10 LRM20s Fore Left/Right: 2 NAC 20 Autocannons 4 NL 55 10 Large Lasers 10 PPCs 20 Medium Lasers 10 LRM20s Aft Left/Right: 2 NAC 20 Autocannons 4 NL 55 10 Large Lasers 10 PPCs 20 Medium Lasers 10 LRM20s Aft: 4 NL 55 10 Large Lasers 10 PPCs 20 Medium Lasers 10 LRM20s Ammo 1000 Tons LRM ammo 500 shots NAC 20 Ammo Overview: The Lexington Class of Light Strike Carriers consists of 2 heavily modified Trailblazer class Explorer Ships. When the Star League issued the Pollux Proclamation there were 2 Trailblazers under construction at Taurus, the TCS Flannagan and the TCS Ryan. Construction was halted on the 2 ships while the Taurian Navy determined if the ships could be modified into more capable warships. A proposal was made to convert the 2 ships into Light Strike Carriers by increasing the thrust and armament of the ships. Since the KF drives and main structural work was already completed, there were no improvements made to the armor of the ship as the time required to rebuild the superstructure would have been excessive. The ships were completed in 2579 and proved to be excellent warships in spite of their limited armor. Despite this no further ships of this class were built due to the limited number of aerospace fighters and pilots available to the Concordat, which would have made it it nearly impossible to equip any future ships with a full fighter complement. Instead the lines were converted to the production of Destroyers and Corvettes which would be quicker to build and more effective given the limited number of aerospace fighters. Capabilities: The Lexington Class ships proved to be very valuable additions to the Taurian Navy. While they were not as effective as they could have been due to their having been converted from explorer ships, they did prove to be a match for many of the Star League ships due to their large fighter complement. Another advantage that the ships had was their visual similarity to the Trailblazer class which made it difficult for the SLDF forces to determine if they were fighting the LexingtonÕs or their less capable siblings the Trailblazers. The most important change made to the Lexingtons was to replace the original maneuvering thrusters with ones capable of generating twice the thrust as those used on the Trailblazers, allowing the Lexington class to reach 3 GÕs of acceleration. This increase caught more then one Star League Captain off guard when the Lexingtons performed maneuvers that would be impossible for a Trailblazer. In addition to improving the maneuverability of the ships, the weapons were improved to provide more punch against warships. The heavy anti-fighter defenses were retained and, as with the wartime modified Trailblazers, the ships mounted 24 Heavy Naval Lasers. In addition there were 8 Class 20 Naval Autocannons mounted because of their combination of range, damage capacity and weight. As impressive as the improvement to the weaponry were, the most important change to the offensive capability of the ships was the increase of the fighter complement to 96 aerospace fighters. The massive number of fighters proved very deadly to Star League and Davion ships, few of which mounted any anti-fighter defenses. It is interesting to note that unlike the Trailblazers, the Lexington class never replaced any of itÕs aerospace fighters with fire ships, as the Taurian High Command always made sure that the Lexington Class ships were given priority for replacement fighters and pilots. Deployment: While there were only 2 LexingtonÕs built and the two ships had very different lives. The Lexington was placed under the command of Admiral Kelly Roberts, one of the architects of Case Amber, and used a raider against Davion and Star League Forces. The Saratoga was assigned to the Taurian Second Fleet. The Saratoga saw action in the Pleiades Cluster and at Robsart where the ship was badly damaged before it was able to escape. The ship retired to the Haydes Cluster where it was repaired and then participate in Case Black, where again it was badly damaged. Repaired once more, the ship participated in the attempts to break the SLDF siege of Warren. During the battle the shipÕs KF drive was damaged and it was unable to escape. Rather then surrender, Captain MacGruder rammed the ship into the SLS Vulcan, an Aegis class Cruiser, destroying both ships. The Lexington led a far more charmed life then the Saratoga. Assigned to Admiral Robarts as the lead ship of Task Force 1.6, consisting of the Lexington and 4 corvettes as escorts, the Lexington was used as raider in Davion space. From 2579 to 2596 the Lexington raided a number of Star League and Davion staging areas and supply depots. The LexingtonÕs Task Force was credited with the destruction of over 100 jumpships, 15 destroyers, 4 cruisers and 1 Battleship as well as hundreds of dropships, countless aerospace fighters, several million tons of supplies and several SLDF and Davion units that were caught loaded into their dropships while waiting for the jumpships KF Core to recharge. The task force proved so effective that the SLDF was forced to deploy a number of warships in their rear area for defense, as well deploying several squadrons to try and hunt down the Lexington. It was during this time that the SLDF forces nicknamed the ship the Blue Ghost. The nickname derived from the LexingtonÕs distinctive blue paint scheme and the fact that the ship was reported destroyed no less then 7 times by the Star League but always reappeared a short while later. The LexingtonÕs success was due in large part to the audacity of Admiral Robarts and the ships large fighter complement, which proved deadly to the SLDF and Davion ships which lacked good fighter protection. The Lexington continued to operate as a raider against the Star League even after FlannaganÕs Nebula was surrounded. It is believed she was operating from an undiscovered Taurian Naval Facility outside of the Haydes Cluster. According to official records the Lexington was destroyed on August 6, 2596 shortly before the surrender of the Concordat. The official records claim the ship was engaged by the SLDF Cruisers Daedalus, Defender, and Dragon supported by Desron 23 and that she was destroyed while attempting to raid Merope in Pleiades Cluster. However Captain Tenaka of the Defender stated on his deathbed that the Defender was not at Merope, but rather Electra and that the ships logs had been altered to support the official story. He also stated that according to the Captain of the Daedalus the Lexington had escaped from the system. Careful examination of the navigation data from the ships involved and ground tracking stations showed this to be true, as a ship matching the LexingtonÕs mass can be seen jumping out of the system about the time the SLDF reports her destroyed. As the Lexington has not been seen since the war, it is suspected that she was able to make good her escape and then mothballed by the Concordat for future use in the rumored Norfolk Naval Facility.