THIRD INVID WAR: NEW REF STARSHIPS Next Previous Top Index
The following material is from THE THIRD INVID WAR, a fan supplement by Dave Deitrich and Chris Meadows. Please feel free to use, copy, and distribute it as you see fit. All we ask is that you give proper credit to us and do not claim that it is your own work. Comments and suggestions are welcome.

REF EXETER-CLASS ESCORTS

Based on a starship design by JOHN WALTRIP and JASON WALTRIP
Published in Eternity Comics' Robotech II: The Sentinels comic books.
Original Artwork by PRESLEY H. CANNADY II (cannady@magiccarpet.com)
RPG Stats by DAVE DEITRICH (deitrich@mcs.net)

BACKGROUND

The Exeter-class Escort has perhaps the most intriguing background of any capital ship class in the REF fleet. Originally named the Ark Angel-class, the escorts were built shortly after the first REF engagement with the Invid over Tirol in 2022. During this battle enormous numbers of Invid mecha overwhelmed REF Veritech squadrons and did serious damage to the SDF-3 Pioneer and other REF capital ships before being forced to withdraw. This near-defeat pointed out a fundamental flaw in the REF's war strategy. Based on their experiences with the Zentraedi the REF had expected to encounter a large number of capital ships around Tirol and had built up the expeditionary force fleet accordingly. However, the forces of the Invid Regent were based on hit-and-run tactics using large numbers of smaller mecha such as Scouts and Troopers. Unprepared for assaults by large numbers of mecha, the REF fleet took heavy losses in the early battles of the Sentinels War due to inadequate anti-mecha defenses.

The Ark Angel-class escorts were designed to counteract this weakness. The ship is armed with 40 retractable laser turrets and 8 retractable missile turrets, double the anti-mecha defenses of larger capital ships such as the Warrior-class destroyers and the Tokugawa-class cruisers. In addition, the escorts can carry four wings of Veritechs in their enormous launching bays located on each wing. Designed by the same engineers who built the Horizont-class troop shuttles, the escorts have the same graceful "flying swan" body style that makes them look too delicate for warship duties. However, the ships are surprisingly durable and, more importantly, agile enough to surprise many mecha pilots. The vessels are even fold-capable, allowing them to keep up with large convoys and protect them from Invid attacks. The only glaring weakness of the class is that it lacks heavy weaponry for ship-to-ship combat. Aside from a single heavy laser, the escort must rely on its fighter wings to protect itself from enemy warships.

The RSS Ark Angel, the prototype ship for the design, was the first starship produced by the REF at the recently captured Tirolian shipyards. However, shortly after the warship's initial test flights were completed the Ark Angel was hijacked by Colonel Jonathan Wolff and a group of officers and crew loyal to Rick Hunter and the Sentinels, who were trapped on the dying planet Praxis. After Wolff rescued the Sentinels the freedom fighters commandeered the ship and used it to defeat the Invid on Gaurda and Haydon IV. Following the Sentinels victory at Haydon the grateful Haydonites gave the heroes the last surviving Haydonite cruiser, which Admiral Hunter ironically decided to also name Ark Angel. Both Ark Angels were used by the Sentinels throughout the rest of the Sentinels War. Unfortunately the escort Ark Angel was destroyed above Optera during the final battle of the war.

Eventually the charges against Jonathan Wolff and his associates for stealing the original Ark Angel were dropped. However, not wishing to glorify the hijacking of one of their ships the REF decided to change the name of the class to Exeter, which was the second escort produced at Tirol. The name Ark Angel was officially assigned to the Sentinels' haydonite cruiser when it became part of the REF fleet in 2033.

Exeter-class escorts served as an important part of the REF fleet throughout all three Invid wars. The class was eventually retired in 2052, although escorts continued to serve in the RGF fleet until the late 2070s. Several ships have been purchased by commercial interests and are now used as cargo vessels, a job in which they perform extremely well since they have both space fold and atmospheric re-entry capabilities. Exeters were produced at the Fantoma Orbiting Shipyards, Karbarran Space Works and Peryton IV Shipyards, sometimes reaching production rates as high as 25 per year.

RPG STATS

Government: Robotech Expeditionary Force, later Sentinels Alliance
Ship Type: Super Dimensional (Space Fold) Escort
Class: Exeter SFE-2000 (originally Ark Angel Class)
Manufacturer: Tirol (Fantoma Orbiting Shipyard), Karbarra (Karbarran Space Works), Peryton (Peryton IV Shipyards).
Crew: 390 total
Officers: 20
Main Crew: 191
Flight Crew: 100
Mecha Pilots: 48 + 6 reserve
Troops: 25

Notable Ships of Class:
SDF-07 Ark Angel launched 2024, hijacked by Jonathan Wolff same year, served with Sentinels 2024-2032, destroyed over Optera in 2032
SFE-2002 Exeter launched 2025, assigned to REF Venus Attack Group in 2033, destroyed by Invid in 2035

MDC BY LOCATION: 

(1) Main Bridge                                   500
(2) Forward Command Section                     1,200
(2) Neck Section                                  600
(3) Main Body/Engineering Section               3,200
(4) Flight Deck Nacelles (2)                    3,500 each
    Wings (2)                                     900 each
    
(5) Main Engines (3)                            1,500 each
(5) Auxiliary Engines (2)                         800 each
    Guidance Thrusters (30)                       200 each
    
    Main Laser (1, bottom)                        300
    Retractable Laser Turrets (40)                100 each
    Retractable Missile Launchers (8)             100 each
(6) Pin Point Barriers (4)                      5,000 each
    
    Small Airlocks/Access Hatches (12)            250 each
    Main Airlocks (2)                             500 each
    Outer Hull (per 40ft area)                    200
    Interior walls (per 20ft area)                 20
    Hangar Doors (4)                              500 each

NOTES:

  1. Destroying the forward bridge will instantly kill anyone on the command deck. However, there is an auxiliary bridge in the engineering section that the surviving crew can take command from. If the main bridge is lost the ship will be operating at -2 initiative due to having to rely on backup systems.
  2. Depleting the MDC of the forward command section or neck section will seriously impair (practically destroy) the ship. (1D4x10)% of the crew will be killed, the main bridge will be lost (see above), the main laser will be destroyed, and 16 concealed lasers and 2 concealed missile launchers will be destroyed. The surviving crew can effectively command the ship from the engineering section, but will be at -5 initiative and -2 to dodge due to severe systems damage.
  3. Depleting the MDC of the main body/engineering section will eliminate the escort. All internal systems will shut down, including life support and internal gravity. In addition, there is a 40% chance that the power systems will overload and the ship will explode, doing 1D6x1,000 M.D. to everything in a 1,500 ft (458 m) radius. Regardless of whether it explodes or not, the ship itself will be an unsalvageable floating wreck.
  4. Destroying the flight deck nacelles will greatly impair the escort's ability to deploy and recover mecha. Under normal circumstances the destroyer can launch or recover 8 mecha per nacelle, per turn. For every 400 points of damage a flight deck takes reduce this number by 1. If the flight deck reaches 0 MDC then it is destroyed; no mecha can be launched or recovered, (1D6x10)% of the flight crew will be killed, and any mecha that have already been launched will need to find another place to land.
  5. Depleting the MDC of the main engines will force the ship to rely on its secondary engines. Depleting the MDC of the main engines AND secondary engines will leave the ship adrift in space. If in an atmosphere, the ship will crash (destruction of the main engines will render the antigravity system useless due to loss of power). The wings do not provide sufficient lift for the escort to attempt a controlled landing.
  6. The Pinpoint Barriers regenerate at a rate of 1,250 MD per second (2,500 MD per melee round). If destroyed, a barrier will completely regenerate within four seconds (2 melee rounds). See the Pinpoint Barrier System entry for details.

SPEEDS:

Speed (sublight): 0.24 speed of light (38,400 miles/61,800 km per second)
Speed (Auxiliary Drives): Mach 15
Space Fold: Range Unlimited (1 light year every 6 minutes).
Planet bound:
Has vertical take off and landing (VTOL) capability. Can reach speeds of up to Mach 5 in an upper planetary atmosphere, but not designed for extended flight or maneuvering. Can also travel underwater at up to 100 mph (160 kmph) if absolutely necessary.
Maximum Range: Unlimited (powered by a protoculture reactor with an estimated life span of 20 years)

STATISTICAL DATA:

Length: 700 ft (233 m)
Width: 518 ft (158 m)
Height: 210 ft (64 m)
Weight: 19,200 tons (standard)

Fold System: Robotech Research Group (RRG) Mk. 2G fold system cluster
Sublight Drive: REF Naval Engineering Class VII macro nozzle cluster
Gravity Control System: REF Naval Engineering Class IV internal gravity control system
Auxiliary Engine: REF Naval Engineering Class VIII mass-conservation thrust system
Radar System: RRG Type X Hyperspace Sensor Cluster

WEAPON SYSTEMS:

  1. MAIN LASER CANNON (1): The only anti-starship weapon the Exeter-class escort carries is a single heavy laser cannon mounted below the command section of the ship. The laser is fixed forward and can only fire at targets directly in front of the ship.

  2. RETRACTABLE LASER TURRETS (40): The escort's main anti-mecha weaponry consists of 40 retractable laser turrets mounted at various strategic places along the hull. These short-range are devastating against mecha and can do moderate damage against any enemy spacecraft that get too close. When not in use gun turrets are concealed within the hull underneath a sliding hatch. At most 20 lasers can be brought to bear on a single target.

  3. RETRACTABLE MEDIUM MISSILE LAUNCHERS (8): In addition to the retractable lasers, the Exeter escorts carry eight medium range missile launchers which are also intended for anti-mecha defense. Each launcher contains 10 missile tubes allowing volleys of up to 10 missiles to be fired at a single target per launcher. Once depleted, the missile launchers are reloaded by an automated loading system that takes 15 seconds (one melee round) to reload all 10 missiles. Armor-piercing smart missiles are usually used to avoid chances of friendly fighters being shot down by the missiles.

  4. DS-1 PINPOINT BARRIER DEFENSE SYSTEM: Originally developed by Dr. Emil Lang onboard the SDF-1 during the First Robotech War, the Pinpoint Barrier System is a standard defense system on board most REF starships, including the Exeter escorts. The system generates four small disc-shaped force fields that can be positioned anywhere along the ship to deflect missiles, energy beams or projectiles. Each pinpoint barrier is about 200 ft (61 m) in length and can absorb up to 5,000 MD in damage, which then regenerates within five seconds (3 melee attacks). The barriers can also be layered on top of each other to generate a field which provides 20,000 MDC and can even deflect heavy particle beams (usually).

    The four barriers are controlled by operators in the command tower of the carrier. These operators are instructed to defend (1) the command section, (2) main engines, (3) flight decks, and (4) engineering section, in that order. The operators primarily concentrate on defending the ship against larger spacecraft and leave defense against mecha attacking the destroyer to the Veritechs and retractable weapon systems.

SYSTEMS OF NOTE:

MECHA COMPLEMENT:

Each landing bay nacelle can hold and support up to 24 veritechs/destroids of any type (48 total), as long as the mecha are smaller than 50 ft (15.2 m) and weigh less than 40 tons each. Destroids are rare on Exeter escorts since they are usually restricted to space duties, however the final mecha breakdown depends on the mission. A typical mecha complement for an Exeter will include: An Exeter will also have 25 Cyclones of various types (for use by the troops), 8 TCH-4 Tractor-Haulers, 14 ML-3 Forklifts, and 4 REF Personnel Shuttles onboard.

THIRD INVID WAR: NEW REF STARSHIPS Next Previous Top Index
DAVE DEITRICH
http://www.mcs.net/~deitrich/index.html
deitrich@mcs.net		 Last Updated: Friday, 18-Jan-08 02:59:13 PST