The Amazon class light cruiser, termed by the designs bureau as the project 0324, was first fielded around 20 years prior to the point of the main story line, and as such was hardly an old vessel. The whole design was based around the central fighter bay, capable of carrying 1 fighter, 1 fighter/bomber and 1 bomber squadron in its hold. The design is much heavier and bulkier than the smaller classes of ships that have been fielded, owing the the heavier armour plating and support equipment needed for the fighter bays, of which few smaller vessels are capable of carrying.
The primary armament of the Amazon class is the forward mounted 6" twin plasma stream cannon, a beam configured turret capable of a refire rate of a 1 second burst ever 4 seconds. This provides the punch to take on other cruisers and some slow moving destroyers, as well as small space stations. She also carries 4 5.5" plasma stream cannons each with a refire rate of a 1 second burst every 3 seconds; a single 4" plasma pulse cannon capable of a 1 shot per second refire rate. Finally, her anti-fighter armament consists of 13 single light pulse fire laser turrets, with a refire rate of 5 shots per second.
The Amazon's drive array, unlike most ships, is situated toward the forward area of the hull, making her a very stable ship in turbulent environments. Her maneuverability has unfortunately been compromised by this; she is somewhat more cumbersome than the other comparable ships of other races, but her durable, stable and bulky design makes her much more resilient.
There are over 200 of these ships in operation at the current time, some of the most notable being the flagship Endurance of the 175th defense fleet, and the Ticonderoga of the 10th general flotilla, as well as the original starship Amazon.
