Ship of the Week 2 : Acclamator Class

[Deepcrush]

Since the first SotW I put up had already been brought up about a three years back. I figured we'd bring up another to talk about. In keeping with the Clone Wars/Early Imperial line I selected the Acclamator class Assault Carrier otherwise known as the Republic Assault Ship.

http://www.starwars.com/databank/starsh ... index.html
http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Acclamat ... sault_ship

As a transport ship, this thing is a beast. 48 AT-TEs, 36 SPHA-Ts, 320 speeder bikes, 80 Republic gunships, and 16,000 clone troopers with enough supplies for two years of operation. The Republic 5th Fleet showed that it was an effective fighter carrier as well. Trading their speeder space for fighters (as many as two full wings) and trading their SPHA-Ts for more AT-TEs. The AAC is fully able to operate inside of atmo and land troops anywhere on any planet. Its legs and hover systems being the best I've personally ever seen in SW.

On the defensive side is has 12 Quad turbolasers, 24 lasercannons and 4 missile/torpedo launchers. While not not truly a Ship-to-Ship combatant it fire power is nothing to shrug at for her size and intended use.

As a troop transport/carrier I'd give this class a 10/10. The ability to land the equal of 84 MBTs, 80 Gunships, nearly a full Marine Division and carry either 320 scouts or 150ish fighters is a serious tool. Next to its low cost in time and money to produce along with its proven effectiveness. A great design all around as I see it.

[Reliant121]

It was an ideal blueprint too. It provided the basis for the entire Star Destroyer blueprint: A lot of firepower with a flexible capability to take on fighters and a mahusive detatchment of troops. Cheap to produce and available in ridiculous numbers and, since I believe it was used quite universally well into the Imperial reign, it had to be a proven and solid design in terms of reliability.

[stitch626]

Considering these things lasted well into the New Republic era... yeah, they were well built little guys.

[Mikey]

The Acclamator is, as Deep said, a beast. The ability to project massive amounts of force - all the way to the ground - with very respectable defensive firepower for a ship not designed for S2S combat. What's not to like?

[Deepcrush]

Looking over the details, I think I would rather trade the speeders for TX-130s. I've never cared for speeder bikes and if I can take just one TX-130 per every five bikes, I'd be happy.

[Mikey]

I agree, but I think I'd keep some of each, and some speeders too. 16,000 troops and all that armor means that you are landing enough force to have some flexibility in missions. In other words, if you're landing all of that, you're not just going to have mech-i; you're going to have cav, you're going to recon, you're going to have spec-forces, you're going to have airmobile, etc., etc.

[Mikey]

In fact, in addition to the tanks, I think I'd swap a good number of those bikes with Gaba-18 recon speeders, and try to include a couple of the one man, AT-PT/AT-RT scout/AP support walkers too.

[Captain Seafort]

I agree, but I think I'd keep some of each, and some speeders too. 16,000 troops and all that armor means that you are landing enough force to have some flexibility in missions. In other words, if you're landing all of that, you're not just going to have mech-i; you're going to have cav, you're going to recon, you're going to have spec-forces, you're going to have airmobile, etc., etc.

To a certain degree, sure, but no more so than your bog-standard division would have. I certainly don't see the need for SF - indeed, if you had an SF job to be done then an Accy would just draw attention to the insertion, which is the last thing they want. They've got many fine qualities, but subtlety isn't one of them.

As for airmobility, how else to you expect them to deploy their heavy armour?

[Mikey]

airmobile as in paratroopers/ARC/whatever-the-hell SW calls them.

Fair point on SF, I was just rambling about the availability of mixed forces in a landing the size an Acc could provide.

[Captain Seafort]

airmobile as in paratroopers/ARC/whatever-the-hell SW calls them

They've got the LAATs, so both their light and armoured infantry can be considered air mobile.

[Mikey]

Yes, yes, I got it - I was just trying to refer to light insertion forces rather than the typical infantry.

Weren't the heavy artillery pieces to big for a LAAT? How did they land those?

[Captain Seafort]

Weren't the heavy artillery pieces to big for a LAAT? How did they land those?

The SPHA-Ts? They came down the ramps like the majority of the landed force. Even with their optimum payload, the LAATs and speeders could deploy less than a quarter of the Accy's troop complement.

[Mikey]

Hmm. OK, I wasn't sure if there were other drop ships or if the Acc performed a conventional landing. I suppose it would make one hell of a forward command post, though.

[Deepcrush]

At forty troops per AT-TE, thirty per LAAT plus the 320 bikes the Acclamator could only effect a rapid deployment of 4,640 troops. After that since the AT-TEs and bikes wouldn't be returning. At the most, being that somehow none of the LAATs are lost, they could only airlift another 1,920 troopers per run afterwards.

The risk is that the advanced force has to land and secure the zone before the Acclamator can land and SAFELY unload its cargo via the huge ramps on her underside.

[Captain Seafort]

At forty troops per AT-TE, thirty per LAAT plus the 320 bikes the Acclamator could only effect a rapid deployment of 4,640 troops. After that since the AT-TEs and bikes wouldn't be returning. At the most, being that somehow none of the LAATs are lost, they could only airlift another 1,920 troopers per run afterwards.

I doubt it - I'd put the maximum single-lift rapid deployment at 3392 men (48 LAAT/cs carrying the AT-TEs at 44 men per AT-TE, the remaining 32 being LAAT/is at 30 men each as you say, plus the speeders. After that you'd be down to 960 per lift. In practice I wouldn't expect them to carry enough LAAT/cs to deploy the entire AT-TE force simultaneously - the LAAT/is are too important, both as gunships and to shift troops around the battlefield, to cut back their numbers just to allow a single-lift AT-TE deployment. I'd go for 16 LAAT/c, 64 LAAT/i, 2624 men, give or take. Call it one armoured infantry battalion, three light, plus brigade HQ.