Ship of the Week : Carrack-class cruiser

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Ship of the Week : Carrack-class cruiser

Post by Captain Seafort »

It's been a very long time since we've had one of these. Too long.

Image

So, what do you think of the ship? 350 metres long, built like a brick, but capable of taking on any ship her size and a quite a few bigger ones. The workhorse of the fleet since the Clone Wars. I like 'em. :)
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Re: Ship of the Week : Carrack-class cruiser

Post by colmquinn »

If its 350 metres long then that window on the front must a hell of a size!
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Re: Ship of the Week : Carrack-class cruiser

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colmquinn wrote:If its 350 metres long then that window on the front must a hell of a size!
Aye - that window's the one thing that's always bugged me about the Carrack - it must be 20 metres tall if it's an inch. The only way it makes sense is if it's a sensor array of some kind rather than a window.
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Re: Ship of the Week : Carrack-class cruiser

Post by Deepcrush »

For an outer rim patrol ship she did well. Armed heavy enough that even I wouldn't feel the need to improve on and also cheap which is important. The only problem with her was the Damorian shield systems she was built with weren't really that reliable in battle. Designed more for transports and cargo ships rather then warships.

Since shields are the only flaw in the design that I've seen. A smart move is parking a squadron of Carracks behind a Star Destroyer of any class really and letting them fire from cover. Their heavy guns adding to the SD's and their lighter weapons helping to screen enemy fighters.

All in all... I'd give this class a 9/10. Again, its only take away is the low grade shields but that doesn't change this from being a great escort.
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Re: Ship of the Week : Carrack-class cruiser

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Deepcrush wrote:Since shields are the only flaw in the design that I've seen.
I think you're forgetting the power generators - a solid hit just aft of midships (say, with a decent-sized rock) and, to quote Han Solo, "boom". I'm not entirely sure whether he was talking disabling her or if Carracks have a habit of going GCS if you hit them in the right place.
Again, its only take away is the low grade shields but that doesn't change this from being a great escort.
Aye. The very fact that Pellaeon considered a task force in which Carracks formed the bulk of the screening force to be "worthy of the old days" speaks volumes. They're small and they got their flaws, but they get the job done.
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Re: Ship of the Week : Carrack-class cruiser

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Captain Seafort wrote:I think you're forgetting the power generators - a solid hit just aft of midships (say, with a decent-sized rock) and, to quote Han Solo, "boom". I'm not entirely sure whether he was talking disabling her or if Carracks have a habit of going GCS if you hit them in the right place.
On a ship that small, either your hitting the foredeck and command... midship and power gens... or aft and engines. Can't really get away from that so I won't count that against her. That and she had a habit of taking on ships far larger then herself, so going boom is just a part of the job rather then a flaw.
Captain Seafort wrote:Aye. The very fact that Pellaeon considered a task force in which Carracks formed the bulk of the screening force to be "worthy of the old days" speaks volumes. They're small and they got their flaws, but they get the job done.
Agreed, I'd them over their weight in CR90's any day of the week. Hell, group up some of the Carracks with the MC80s and I'd feel sorry for anyone trying to run that line.
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Re: Ship of the Week : Carrack-class cruiser

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Deepcrush wrote:Agreed, I'd them over their weight in CR90's any day of the week.
In combat, sure, but CR90s are basically very fast, very well armed courier ships, not proper warships, so I wouldn't expect them to be able to match a Carrack even ton-for-ton.

I think a better comparison would be the Carrack's closest competitor and alleged superior - the Neb-B. Fighters or no fighters, anyone who thinks that spindly piece of crap is the better of the two needs their head examining. It's a fraction of the size and a damn poorer design.
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Re: Ship of the Week : Carrack-class cruiser

Post by RK_Striker_JK_5 »

According to the Essential Guide to Vehicles and Vessels, the window is the location for the 'bridge levels'. I'll see if any of my other guides have anything else.

And I've always wondered who the hell thought the Nubuln-B was a good design. That neck there... it's like a giant neon sign, "Target me!"
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Re: Ship of the Week : Carrack-class cruiser

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Captain Seafort wrote:In combat, sure, but CR90s are basically very fast, very well armed courier ships, not proper warships, so I wouldn't expect them to be able to match a Carrack even ton-for-ton.
The Carrack was a fast ship as well. Easily out pacing anything that wasn't built solely to race and with her fire power she made as good a pursuit ship as she did escort.
Captain Seafort wrote:I think a better comparison would be the Carrack's closest competitor and alleged superior - the Neb-B. Fighters or no fighters, anyone who thinks that spindly piece of crap is the better of the two needs their head examining. It's a fraction of the size and a damn poorer design.
The Neb-B was a good medical ship. All those ports along the midsection for larger ships and the impressive shuttle bay meant she could handle a lot of traffic. But putting the Neb-B in battle is a horrible mistake.
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Re: Ship of the Week : Carrack-class cruiser

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Deepcrush wrote:Easily out pacing anything that wasn't built solely to race
And quite a few that were. If Vader had sent a Carrack or two after the Falcon at Hoth, instead of the Avenger, then ESB would have been a lot shorter. They would have been in trouble in the asteroid field, given that they were in their so long that ISDs were starting to loose shields, but I doubt the chase would have gone on that long - they'd have cruised up behind her, opened up with the ion cannon, and that would have been that.
The Neb-B was a good medical ship. All those ports along the midsection for larger ships and the impressive shuttle bay meant she could handle a lot of traffic. But putting the Neb-B in battle is a horrible mistake.
Trouble was she was never intended as a hospital ship - she was intended as a convoy escort. She's also routinely described as a very good one, despite the blatant evidence to the contrary.

I'm also somewhat suspicious of claims regarding their fighter capacity, especially those that mention X-Wings. Where the hell do they fit them?
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Re: Ship of the Week : Carrack-class cruiser

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Captain Seafort wrote:And quite a few that were. If Vader had sent a Carrack or two after the Falcon at Hoth, instead of the Avenger, then ESB would have been a lot shorter. They would have been in trouble in the asteroid field, given that they were in their so long that ISDs were starting to loose shields, but I doubt the chase would have gone on that long - they'd have cruised up behind her, opened up with the ion cannon, and that would have been that.
Only a few of the Carracks had Ion Cannons I thought. Even so they could have inflected heavy damage to the Falcon in the field and forced Solo to land or withdraw from the field.
Captain Seafort wrote:Trouble was she was never intended as a hospital ship - she was intended as a convoy escort. She's also routinely described as a very good one, despite the blatant evidence to the contrary.
To be honest, I've never heard anything great about the Neb-B's other then acting as medical ships. I know one book I read (forget the title) a Neb-B + convoy was ambushed twice. Both times the Neb-B could fend off the attacking bombers and ended up just parking the convoy ships to itself and then using its shields to protect them long enough to jump to hyperspace.
Captain Seafort wrote:I'm also somewhat suspicious of claims regarding their fighter capacity, especially those that mention X-Wings. Where the hell do they fit them?
Her shuttle bay fits six and she can dock another twelve on her exterior ports. That gives her up to eighteen at a time though launching from the shuttle bay would be tricky since its single level. They would be getting out of there fast.
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Re: Ship of the Week : Carrack-class cruiser

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Deepcrush wrote:Only a few of the Carracks had Ion Cannons I thought.
On the contrary - twenty of them was the standard fit. It was the quad laser model that was the rarer version.
To be honest, I've never heard anything great about the Neb-B's other then acting as medical ships.
The EGVV describes them as the most powerful ton-for-ton ships other than the Carrack, and explicitly states that they're superior to Carracks because of the fighter complement.
Her shuttle bay fits six and she can dock another twelve on her exterior ports. That gives her up to eighteen at a time though launching from the shuttle bay would be tricky since its single level. They would be getting out of there fast.
Where's the shuttle bay? Back in the engine block?
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Re: Ship of the Week : Carrack-class cruiser

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Captain Seafort wrote:On the contrary - twenty of them was the standard fit. It was the quad laser model that was the rarer version.
You are correct, though for a ship of that size I think I'd prefer the Quad Lasers. The Carrack in battle is likely a target of bomber squadrons.
The EGVV describes them as the most powerful ton-for-ton ships other than the Carrack, and explicitly states that they're superior to Carracks because of the fighter complement.
Well, eighteen B/X/Y wings or twenty four TIEs would add a fair bit of firepower and against a ship of its own size. Carrack having five fighters only and the Neb-B having twenty four means that the Carrack would have a range fight issue. Her lesser shields would take a beating before the main Ship-to-Ship fight would have a chance to even begin.

That brings up another point to the Carrack v Neb-B. The Carrack is an Escort ship period, thats where she is in her prime. Supporting larger ships of the line with Ion/AA and cheap heavy guns. The Neb-B was loved by the Rebels because they gave them the ability to move fighters for raids.
Where's the shuttle bay? Back in the engine block?
Not that I know of... in the X-Wing series is was mid-aft in the Forward Block. Near the medical bay and bridge and docking ring, which makes sense really.
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Re: Ship of the Week : Carrack-class cruiser

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Deepcrush wrote:Well, eighteen B/X/Y wings or twenty four TIEs would add a fair bit of firepower and against a ship of its own size. Carrack having five fighters only and the Neb-B having twenty four means that the Carrack would have a range fight issue. Her lesser shields would take a beating before the main Ship-to-Ship fight would have a chance to even begin.
To a degree that's true, but with only TIEs involved I don't see the fighters having much effect. Low kT-range firepower isn't going to hurt ships that can throw high-GT/low-TT range firepower.
Not that I know of... in the X-Wing series is was mid-aft in the Forward Block. Near the medical bay and bridge and docking ring, which makes sense really.
Hmm. That's a very tight fit - they'd have to have a couple of rows of three fighters each stacked one on top of the other.
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Re: Ship of the Week : Carrack-class cruiser

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Captain Seafort wrote:To a degree that's true, but with only TIEs involved I don't see the fighters having much effect. Low kT-range firepower isn't going to hurt ships that can throw high-GT/low-TT range firepower.
Considering the shields that the Carrack has and that the attacking craft could focus their fire into a single area to support the oncoming attack from a Neb-B. Even a small effect would be useful against a ship with already poor shielding when facing another ship with fresh shielding.
Hmm. That's a very tight fit - they'd have to have a couple of rows of three fighters each stacked one on top of the other.
Not really. To my knowledge only six fighters fit in the shuttle bay. The rest are on flight or dock with the exterior ports.
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