Trailblazer Type: Explorer Ship In Service: 2497 Number in Service: Officially 15, estimated 20-25. Mass: 500,000 KF Integrity: 11 Sail Integrity: 4 Thrust: 2/3 Fuel: 10,000 SI: 60 Armor: 600 tons (40 + 6 per side) Heatsinks: 3500 Docking Collars: 4 Small Craft: 50 (12 fighters, 38 shuttles) Crew: 480 (including 50 person planatery science team) Passengers: 2 Platoons Foot Infantry Lifeboats: 100 Escape Pods: 0 Grav Deck: 1 - 150 meters Cargo: 126,038 tons Bays: Bay 1: 50 Small Craft (8 Doors) Bay 2: Cargo (2 Doors) Bay 3: Infantry 2 Platoons/Science Labs (1 Door) Weapons: Forward: 4 NL 35 10 Large Lasers 10 PPCs 20 Medium Lasers 10 LRM20s Fore Left/Right: 4 NL 35 10 Large Lasers 10 PPCs 20 Medium Lasers 10 LRM20s Aft Left/Right: 4 NL 35 10 Large Lasers 10 PPCs 20 Medium Lasers 10 LRM20s Aft: 4 NL 35 10 Large Lasers 10 PPCs 20 Medium Lasers 10 LRM20s Ammo: 1000 Tons LRM ammo Overview: The Trailblazer Class was designed by the Taurian Concordat in response to the loss of several unarmed jumpships during exploration and colonization missions to pirates in the mid to late 2400s. As the loss of each ship represented a significant loss in terms of both personnel and equipment that the Concordat could ill afford to lose, the Ministry of Trade and Colonization issued a requirement to the Taurian Navy for a new class of Warship that could escort the Ministries jumpships on exploration missions. The Taurian Navy resisted at first as they were already responsible for providing the ship crews for the Ministries jumpships and did not have sufficient manpower to crew a second ship for each exploration mission. Eventually a compromise was reached in which a new class of ship would be constructed that would combined the capabilities of an explorer ship with a warship. The ship would be designed to defend itself against pirate fighters and dropships with only a limited defense against warships (as no pirate bands possessed any of those). The original design was intended to be 300,000 tons but this was found to be inadequate to meet the requirements set down by the Taurian navy and the Ministry of Trade and Colonization and so the design was increased to 500,000 tons. Production commenced at Taurus and the first ships, the TCS Trailblazer, slipped her moorings on Dec 12, 2497. Production of the Trailblazers continued, at a slow rate of production, until the Reunification War when the last 2 Trailblazers under construction were completed to a modified design (Lexington Class Light Strike Carriers) and then the line was converted to the production of Destroyers. The production records are incomplete and those records that survive indicate 15 ships were built. However based on the ships encountered by the SLDF and Davion forces, estimates are that as many as 25 ships may have been constructed. Capabilities: The Trailblazer Class is the most successful explorer ship ever designed, and was even more effective then the Star LeagueŐs Daniel Boone Class which was based on a captured Trailblazer. The primary design requirements of the Trailblazers were to provide a ship capable of long duration exploration missions (over 1 year) and still be capable of defending itself against pirate dropships and aerospace fighters. The Trailblazer meets both of the these goals admirably. The design was so effective that no ships were lost to Pirate aerospace fighters nor to the air wings of the SLDF, all of the ships being lost in either accidents or to enemy Warships. In analyzing Pirate attacks, the Taurian Navy concluded that the primary concern was the Aerospace fighters used by the pirates. The dropships were a secondary concern as there were rarely more then 1 or 2 used in an attack and warships were nonexistent in Pirate forces. For this reason the Trailblazers carry a significant battery of anti-fighter weapons designed to allow the ship to engage aerospace fighters at all ranges. The bulk of the weapons are Lasers and PPCs chosen more because they do not require any ammunition then for any other reason. There are, however, a number of LRM launchers which are used to provide long range fire power. To ensure that the launchers would not run out of ammunition during a mission there ships were stocked with significant amounts of ammunition for the LRM Launchers. The anti-fighter weapons are spread evenly around the ship ensuring that there are no weak spots which an enemy fighter can take advantage of. Further the weapons are designed to provide overlapping fire, so that heavy firepower can be directed at enemy ships at any range. As noted above this anti-fighter defense proved highly effective and no Trailblazers were lost to aerospace fighter attacks. To provide defense against dropships the Trailblazers mount 24 light Naval Lasers, with these weapons chosen for a combination of their range and the fact that they do not require ammunition. In operation these proved effective at deterring Pirate dropships from attacking. In order to fill the role of an explorer and Colonization ship, the Trailblazers were designed with exceptionally large cargo holds. In addition, the ship had 4 docking collars which allowed for the transport of either cargo carrying dropships or Pioneer Class dropships. Through the use of cargo carrying dropships the Trailblazers could conduct missions of several years in duration before it needed to be resupplied. The ships also carried a large fuel tankage and there were provisions to convert part of the cargo bay into fuel tanks if needed. To provide for crew comfort over the long duration of the voyage, the ships were equipped with a 150 meter grav deck and private quarters for all the crew members, as well as large recreational areas and medical facilities. There were several other unique features of the Trailblazer. The first was the 50 person Planetary Science team. This team included Biologists, Botanists, Climatologists, Chemists, Geologists and other specialists who would be responsible for analyzing and classify planets that were discovered by the ship. The Trailblazers contained several labs filled with the latest analysis tools. Another unusual feature was the large number of small craft bays. Typically the ships would carry 12 fighters for defense and 38 shuttles for planetary exploration. These shuttles could be used to land explorer teams at remote sites on planets. In order to meet the primary requirements of the design, the design team was required to sacrifice armor and maneuverability. As a result the ships are only capable of 1.5 G acceleration, however since this was not designed to fight warships, this lack of maneuvering was not seen as a hindrance. The armor is also limited on the ships. There is 600 tons of standard armor which provides adequate protection from fighters and dropships, but is still considered weak when compared to the value of these ships. However increasing the armor would have required strengthening the structure of the ship which would have reduced the cargo capacity to unacceptable levels. Deployment: It is a testament to the excellence of the design that no Trailblazers were lost to Pirate attacks. The design was so effective that many pirate bands went in search of easier targets. In the years leading up to the Reunification War only 1 ship was lost in a misjump, while carrying out hundreds to deep space survey missions and charting many worlds which were later colonized by the Taurian Concordat. When the Star League issued the Pollux Proclamation the Taurian Navy requisitioned the Trailblazers for use as light carriers. Due to their low thrust and light armor Taurian doctrine called for the Trailblazers to be used primarily as transports for aerospace fighters and not engage enemy ships directly. The Trailblazers participated in many of the Taurians battles against the Star League, including Case Amber, the battles in the Pleiades cluster and Flintoft. From experience gained with Case Amber a series of modifications were made to improve the combat capabilities of the design. (See wartime modifications below) The modified ships made their first appearance at Pleiades Cluster where the added firepower caught the Star League warships off guard. At the battle of Flintoft, the Trailblazers were the first Taurian ships to deploy Ňfire shipsÓ old shuttles packed with explosives and piloted by volunteers that would then ram the SLDF warships. The use of the fire ships was begun due to the lack of aerospace fighters with which to equip the Trailblazers. The fire ship tactics proved very effect and destroyed many SLDF warships. In the early part of the war the Trailblazers seemed to live a charmed life, in the first 4 years of the war only 2 Trailblazers were lost, both in the Pleiades Cluster. That changed at the Battle of Robsart where 10 Trailblazers were destroyed when SLDFŐs Admiral Franklin dispatched several squadrons of fast destroyers to engage the Trailblazers. The slow speed to the Trailblazers condemned the ships, as they were unable to escape the faster destroyers. After Robsart the remaining Trailblazers continued to fight the Star League participating in Case Black, the attempt to break the Blockade of Warren in 2584 and the attempt to recapture Montour in 2587 where the last known Trailblazer, the TCS Lewis & Clark was destroyed. However there are rumors that 1 Trailblazer, the Pathfinder, survived the war. From fragmentary records it appears that the Pathfinder was used towards the end of the war to try and find a new homeworld in the deep periphery, to which the Taurian people could be evacuated and start over free of the Star League. It appears no suitable worlds were found before the SLDF surrounded FlannaganŐs Nebula and cut off the option of a mass exodus. According to rumors the Pathfinder was mothballed in the equally rumored Norfolk Naval Facility, a Taurian Naval base that was never found by the Star League. Since the early 3000Ős there have been reports of a ship matching the PathfinderŐs description in the deep periphery beyond the Concordat. If the reports are true it is possible the Concordat has reactivated the ship and is using the ship in itŐs original role of deep space exploration. One ship, the TCS Discovery, was captured by the SLDF at the battle of the Pleiades Cluster. This was repaired by the Star League and used as an aggressor ship to train SLDF crews how to fight the Trailblazers. The Discovery later served as the inspiration for the Star LeagueŐs Daniel Boone Class Explorer Ships. She was scrapped in 2654. Wartime Modification Program (all other stats are the same as the Trailblazers) In Service: 2577 Cargo: 58,368 tons Bays: Bay 1: 50 Small Craft (8 Doors) Bay 2: Cargo (2 Doors) Bay 3: Infantry 4 Platoons (1 Door) Heatsinks: 7800 Weapons: Forward: 4 Medium NPPC 4 NL 55 10 Large Lasers 10 PPCs 20 Medium Lasers 10 LRM20s Fore Left/Right 4 Medium NPPC 4 NL 55 10 Large Lasers 10 PPCs 20 Medium Lasers 10 LRM20s Aft Left/Right 4 Medium NPPC 4 NL 55 10 Large Lasers 10 PPCs 20 Medium Lasers 10 LRM20s Aft 4 Medium NPPC 4 NL 55 10 Large Lasers 10 PPCs 20 Medium Lasers 10 LRM20s Ammo: 1000 Tons LRM Ammo Shortly after the war began plans were made to improve the combat capabilities of the Trailblazers in an effort to turn them into true Warships. As nothing could be done to improve the thrust or armor of the ships, without years worth of refitting, the Taurian designers focused on the weapons array. The Naval lasers were upgraded to Heavy Naval Lasers and 24 Medium Naval PPCs were added. This provided the ship with heavy long range firepower so that they would not have to close with the enemy ships, where their weak armor would be a liability. Also added were sufficient heatsinks to handle the new weapons array and 2 additional Infantry platoons. These modifications could be completed in 3 to 6 months . Most of the Trailblazers were modified to this standard, the only exceptions being the few lost in the first years on the war. The Small craft complement on the Standard and Modified Trailblazers was typically 48 Aerospace fighters and 2 assault shuttles to be used for boarding operations against SLDF ships. As the war progressed the Aerospace fighters were replaced with fire ships as the Taurians lack both the fighters and pilots to man them. By the last battles of the war there were as many as 30 or 40 fire ships per Trailblazer.