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Potemkin

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Potemkin
Production information
Manufacturer Riga Interstellar Shipyards
Introduced 2611
Use Troop Cruiser
Tech Base Inner Sphere
Cost 22,646,353,000 C-Bills
Technical specifications
Mass 1,510,000 tons
Length 1,508 meters
Sail Diameter
Fuel
Burn Rate
Safe Thrust
Top Thrust 3
Sail Integrity
KF Drive Integrity
LF Battery No
Armament *16x NL45
  • 8x Barracuda
  • 24x Heavy NPPC
Armor Ferro-carbide
DropShip Capacity 25
Crew 445
Grav Decks One (95m)
Escape Pods/Life Boats 50/50
Heat Sinks 3,325 (Double)
Structural Integrity
BV (1.0) 96,567


Description

The Potemkin Troop Cruiser, better known as the "Corncob Cruiser" thanks to it's dropship collar arrangement, was introduced in the early 2600's as a solution to the poorly protected transports of the day. Weighing in at 1.5 million tons the Potemkin is larger then many Battleships not only in mass but in sheer volume with a length well over a kilometer. This massive size was built for one purpose: transport. Arranged in five rings around the Potemkin are twenty five dropship collars, the most of any vessel ever deployed. Thick armor and weaponry fit for a heavy cruiser enable the Potemkin to protect her dropships with impunity and has helped the design survive the ravages of war and time.

Despite it's impressive performance as a mass transport the Potemkin does have it's flaws. The use of a Potemkin, while certainly imposing, runs the risk of it becomming the primary target of opposing forces bent on stranding it's attached dropships. In addition, carrying so many dropships requires a staggering ammount of fuel, further requiring the use of tankers which themselves need protection. Finally, the facilities aboard the ship are geared mostly towards the ship's own crew, the most blatant example being the single 95 meter gravity deck. Extended stays can get uncomfortable for the dropship crews, left to either mill about on their own vessels or go exploring the Potemkin's lengthy corridors.

Production of the Potemkin ceased in 2781 when improvements in escort tactics and craft made it difficult to justify deployment of the large ship. A total of 106 Potemkins were built, roughly 30 of which survived the Amaris coup and departed with General Aleksandr Kerensky on the Exodus.

Armament

Tasked with protecting up to twenty five dropships, the Potemkin is easily capable of fending off all but the largest of enemy craft thanks to it's banks of Naval Lasers and Heavy NPPC's. The fore and aft are protected by Barracuda Capital Missiles, a highly accurate and lethal detterent for those that would attempt flanking or trailing maneuvers. Because at least some of the Potemkin's attached dropships are usually dedicated assault craft she does not carry aerospace fighters nor conventional weapons to protect against the same. Ten small craft bays can hold fighters in a pinch but are better used for the small transports they are meant to service.

Cargo

386,362.5 tons

  • Bay 1: 5 Small Craft
  • Bay 2: 5 Small Craft
  • Bay 3: Cargo

Variants

As with much of the SLDF fleet that accompanied the Exodus, the Potemkins that left with General Kerensky still serve in the Clan fleets. The Clans have performed their routine upgrades on the class, the most drastic change being the inclusion of a Lithium-Fusion Battery in exchange for a portion of the cargo space.

Named Vessels

References

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