Ship of the week: Nebula-class Star Destroyer

[SuperSaiyaMan12]

Length: 1,040 meters

Hyperdrive rating: Class 1.0 Backup: Class 10

Power output Peak: >9,28 × 1024 W[4] (over 20% more power than the ISD-I)

Navigation system Navigation computer equipped

Armament: Heavy turbolasers (40: 10 fore, 10 aft, 10 port, 10 starboard)
Turbolasers (40: 10 fore, 10 aft, 10 port, 10 starboard)
Ion cannons (20: 5 fore, 5 aft, 5 port, 5 starboard)
Assault concussion missile tubes (8, turreted)
30 missiles each
Tractor beam projectors (8: 3 fore, 2 port, 2 starboard, 1 aft)

Complement: Starfighters/shuttles (60)

Crew: 6,795 crew
244 gunners

Minimum crew: 2,265

Passengers: 1,600 troops

Cargo capacity: 15,000 metric tons

Consumables: 6 months

Characteristics
Although it was only 1,040 meters long (65% of the length of an Imperial-class Star Destroyer), the Nebula-class was built to be a match for an Imperial II. It was designed to be able to defeat any one enemy Star Destroyer, two heavy cruisers, or an entire line of smaller Imperial support ships. It was designed with defenses strong enough to resist even some of the smaller Super Star Destroyers or analog warships.


Nebula-class Star Destroyers in space.

Following the New Class practice of using the same hull for multiple configurations, the Nebula-class Star Destroyers shared their basic spaceframe design with the Endurance-class fleet carriers.

The armament of the Nebula-class Star Destroyer consisted of 40 heavy turbolaser cannons, 40 turbolaser cannons, 20 ion cannons, 8 tractor beam projectors, and 8 assault concussion missile tubes, each equipped with 30 missiles. Despite the touting of far superior firepower over the Republic-class, the two had nearly similar armaments: the difference was eight concussion missile launchers for the Nebula, and two additional tractor beams for the Republic. The power generation and model of guns was different enough to make the Nebula a far superior design to the Republic.

The ships could carry up to sixty starfighters and shuttles, normally including one wing of three fighter squadrons, plus support ships. Fighters deployed included short-range K-wing bombers and Defender starfighter, as well as hyperdrive-equipped E-wings, A-wings, or upgraded X-wings. Nebula-class Star Destroyers were equipped with a Class 1 hyperdrive, and they carried 1,600 troops and enough consumables for five to six months, depending on configuration.


History
Originally part of the Defender design program developed soon after the Battle of Endor, the "DSD", or "pocket Star Destroyer", eventually entered service almost a decade later, but even during the Yuuzhan Vong War, it represented the peak of modern, efficient Star Destroyer design.

Due to the process of building compact, yet powerful warships of this sort, only a small number of Nebula-class ships were built, with ten being in service c. 17 ABY, and one more being launched every year afterwards. When the Yuuzhan Vong invaded, the few ships of the New Republic's valuable Nebula-class were kept close to the Core Worlds in reserve fleets. Despite this, Nebulas performed well in clashes with the extra-galactic warships.

Source: http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Nebula-c ... _Destroyer

[SuperSaiyaMan12]

So what are the thoughts on the Nebula-class?

[Monroe]

Well its obvious to me that this ship kicks some serious ass. If it can destroy a normal Star Destroyer one on one then it is worth making. Pocket battle ships are important to a fleet and while it was a bit too complicated to make a lot of when it was needed most it did its job well.

[Mikey]

So what are the thoughts on the Nebula-class?

I don't understand the point of this thread. Are you expecting someone to say that the Nebula-class sucks, or can't compete, or something like that? Is this specifically just to copy and paste some stats and pictures?

[Sionnach Glic]

Meh, it looks pretty damn ugly. None of the deadly, functional grace of the classic ISD.

No idea how it fares at its role, however, as I've never read any of the books its turned up in. Still, the stats look good.

[Monroe]

Meh, it looks pretty damn ugly. None of the deadly, functional grace of the classic ISD.

True. Not a weapon of fear. That marks it down in my book slightly.

[SuperSaiyaMan12]

Meh, it looks pretty damn ugly. None of the deadly, functional grace of the classic ISD.

...grace? The ISD was a powerful, cool looking ship, but it looked as graceful as a arrow point.

The Nebula (also called Defender) looks better in my book. It looks sleeker, carries as many weapons, etc.

[Deepcrush]

Its a great ship no doubt but I hear very very very costly. I have a strong love of the MC90s. Pretty cheap and like the Nebula class SD, more then a match for any ISD. I kinda see the Nebulas as the answer to the New Republic's problem of relying on the Mon Cals for their heavy ships.

Pros
Nebulas could be built most anywhere. They were smaller then most cruisers of the time which meant plenty of ship yards.
As above, the New Republic now has a true ship of its own.
The New Republic's ship can beat the hell out of any ship her size.

Cons
The New Republic has to pay for them and they aren't cheap (The Mon Cals never that I have heard ever billed the NR).
Limited numbers due to cost and building time.
New design means trouble (glitches and kinks that are just part of any new model shake down).

[Captain Seafort]

Cons
The New Republic has to pay for them and they aren't cheap (The Mon Cals never that I have heard ever billed the NR).
Limited numbers due to cost and building time.
New design means trouble (glitches and kinks that are just part of any new model shake down).

The Neb's biggest weakness in the same role as the ISD is it's lack of hangar/living space. It's got half the fighter compliment of the ISD, and troop compliment has been cut down from an unusually large brigade to a normal battlegroup. It's also got far less endurance (5-6 months rather than six years). It would have been better to go for broke and design the ship as an all-out gun warship to challenge the Tector, rather than try and retain the COIN capability in a ship that simply isn't intended for the role, or big enough to properly fulfil it.

In combat, looking at the design it doesn't have the advantages of the ISD's uncluttered wedge - it might have 20% greater firepower but the distribution of the weapons is pretty poor, preventing it from bringing all it's heavy guns to bear in the forward arc. If those heavy wing turrets can channel the reactor's entire output there shouldn't be a problem, but if they're limited to a fraction of it in the same way the ISD's heavy guns are, then I think the ship would be at a disadvantage.

[Deepcrush]

Even more good points that I missed.

I for one would not purchase this ship if I were building a fleet. High cost, poor range, low troop count, low fighter count, poor weapons coverage and just ugly.

[Teaos]

I think it looks kind of cool, not pretty, but interesting.

[Sionnach Glic]

Meh, it looks pretty damn ugly. None of the deadly, functional grace of the classic ISD.

...grace? The ISD was a powerful, cool looking ship, but it looked as graceful as a arrow point.

Note the adjectives before "grace". Maybe that's not the best word to express it, but it's how I see it.

The Nebula (also called Defender) looks better in my book. It looks sleeker, carries as many weapons, etc

In terms of aesthetics, I think this looks a lot worse than the ISD.

[SuperSaiyaMan12]

Cons
The New Republic has to pay for them and they aren't cheap (The Mon Cals never that I have heard ever billed the NR).
Limited numbers due to cost and building time.
New design means trouble (glitches and kinks that are just part of any new model shake down).

The Neb's biggest weakness in the same role as the ISD is it's lack of hangar/living space. It's got half the fighter compliment of the ISD, and troop compliment has been cut down from an unusually large brigade to a normal battlegroup. It's also got far less endurance (5-6 months rather than six years). It would have been better to go for broke and design the ship as an all-out gun warship to challenge the Tector, rather than try and retain the COIN capability in a ship that simply isn't intended for the role, or big enough to properly fulfil it.

In combat, looking at the design it doesn't have the advantages of the ISD's uncluttered wedge - it might have 20% greater firepower but the distribution of the weapons is pretty poor, preventing it from bringing all it's heavy guns to bear in the forward arc. If those heavy wing turrets can channel the reactor's entire output there shouldn't be a problem, but if they're limited to a fraction of it in the same way the ISD's heavy guns are, then I think the ship would be at a disadvantage.

Its got 60 starfighters, how is that half the compliment of an ISD which has 72? And how are the weapons pretty poor? We have 40 heavy turbolaser batteries, 40 turbolaser cannons, concussion missiles? It has a total of 80 heavy weapons to go up against an ISD's.

[Deepcrush]

The ISD-II's were loaded with around a hundred heavy guns IIRC. This means that even though the Nebula is smaller and equiped with better shields it may not have as much of an advantage as Wooki seems to think.

Rather then being a Cruiser killer like the ISD-II's or MC90's. The Nebula may just be a great escort hunter. Big guns spread out enough to be able to knock down huge numbers of smaller destroyers, frigates and corvettes or even transports. This would make a great flanking ship. Big enough to stay in the front lines and deal out hurt but not really meant for long term deployment.

[Mikey]

And how are the weapons pretty poor?

*ahem* Seafort wrote (my emphasis) -
"the distribution of the weapons is pretty poor, preventing it from bringing all it's heavy guns to bear in the forward arc."

Meaning, as I take it, that there are a number of spots that are only in the fields of fire of a small number of those weapons - unlike the ISD.