Forrestal-class Heavy Destroyer

The Forrestal-class heavy destroyer is a Paxemese series of warships which was put into service after the fall of the Neu Corporate Republik. At just over seven hundred meters long, it is the third-largest airship in the Paxemese Navy, after the Cyrene-class Battlecruiser and Paxem-class Battlecarrier. It is named after Paxemese Rear Admiral Markus T. Forrestal.

SLS Sepulcre

Design

Like many other warships built for the Paxemese Navy following the Great Corporate War, the Forrestal-class originated from late-war era Republik ship plans for a "interceptor-type heavy cruiser". This type of cruiser was designed for armament and speed, with its engine to total mass ratio being the highest of any Republik-era warship. The reason for this was to allow for the ship to intercept and destroy Oscdean cargo craft and their escorts on their way from the Sol Debris Field to Terra. Consequently, the Forrestal-class is among the fastest warships in the Paxemese fleet despite its large size. This has permitted it to act in a "conflict first response role", with Forrestal-class warships being permanently on alert to respond to national security threats.

The ship is built in a "dagger-design" typical of Star Destroyers used by the Dark Angels, which permits for maximum frontal fire from the vessel's cannons. Consequently, the original vessel as planned by the NCR was particularly vulnerable to rear attacks - this was rectified by the Paxemese Navy by removing several of the gun batteries originally planned for the vessel and replacing them with vertical launch missile batteries.

Weapon Systems

The Forrestal-class is designed to serve in an anti-surface and anti-airship role, and has many different types of weapon systems which allow it to fulfill a variety of missions. The ship's main offensive weapons are its forty-two VLS (vertical launch system) batteries, each containing a 4x2 cell pattern. Each cell contains a single ASsM-10 "Basalt" anti-ship/surface missile or four AAM-500 "Backfire" anti-aircraft missiles, depending on their configuration. The ship also has 32 RBM anti-aircraft missile launchers lining the side alleys of the vessel and the superstructure.

In addition to its missile systems, the vessel also has eight turrets, each containing four 500mm Mark 50 railguns for surface bombardment and close-combat anti-ship warfare. Mounted on the side alleys of the vessel and the superstructure are a total of twenty 130mm multi-purpose Mark 55 cannons, used for anti-aircraft and anti-ship combat. Located on the ventral axis of the craft are two Type-9 plasma lances for surface glassing operators or pinpoint surface threat destruction.

Finally, the Forrestal-class has five multi-purpose Mark 12 launchers for ASSuT-10 "Kingfisher" torpedoes or ASuB depth charges mounted on the underside, for anti-ship and submarine warfare.

Superstructure

The superstructure of the vessel is particularly large, forming distinct rising levels which culminate in an elongated-hexagonal bridge structure mounted atop the "conning neck". The raised bridge provides excellent visibility at the cost of vulnerability - a secondary bridge is located deep within the center of the ship in the event that the primary bridge is destroyed or too damaged to adequately direct the vessel.

Mounted atop the superstructure, just before the bridge, is the Forrestal-class's powerful THEIA forward radar array, which assists in navigation, threat detection, and targeting.

Operational History

Four ships of the Forrestal-class have been constructed as of 3023, with one more ordered and expected to be completed by April 3024. These ships are:

Ship	Comissioned	Completed	Fate
SLS Forrestal	January 3022	April 3022	In Service
SLS Sepulcre	January 3022	April 3022	In Service
SLS John Paul Jones	August 3022	December 3022	In Service
SLS Strömbar	October 3022	July 3023	In Service
SLS Palazio Bay	October 3022	April 3024 (expected)	Not Completed

As of 3023, the only ship to see active combat was the SLS Sepulcre, which engaged in a surface bombardment of an ex-NCR loyalist bunker located in the northern Bonitañan wasteland.