Escort carrier
Production information
Manufacturer	Kuat Drive Yards[1]
Model	Escort carrier
Class	Carrier
Cost	3,500,000[2]
Technical specifications
Length	500 meters
Height/depth	150 meters
Maximum acceleration	4 MGLT/s[1]
MGLT	13 MGLT[1]
Hyperdrive rating	Class 1.0 Backup class 12
Shielding	Rated 1600 SBD[1]
Hull	Rated 912 RU[1]
Navigation system	Navigation computer equipped
Armament	Taim & Bak H8 point defense twin laser cannons (10) Krupx VL-6 warhead launch system[3] Standard load: 25 concussion missiles[1]
Complement	TIE series starfighters (72)[1] Various support craft (usually 6 shuttles) Can carry 4 more shuttles for each 12 fighters removed.
Crew	Crew (3,845)[1] Gunners (20)
Minimum crew	1,500
Passengers	800 (pilots and troops)[1]
Cargo capacity	5,000 metric tons[2]
Consumables	1 year[2]
Usage
Role(s)	Carrier
Era(s)	Rise of the Empire era Rebellion era New Republic era
Affiliation	Galactic Empire Alliance to Restore the Republic

[Source]

The descriptively named escort carrier was a transport ship designed to carry Imperial starfighters.

CharacteristicsEdit

The ship looked like a 500-meter box with a small rear protrusion to cover the ship's sublight engines. The escort carrier closely resembled Kuat's Super Transport series of container ships, and was probably derived from their design.

A standard Imperial chute system provided for rapid deployment of TIE series starfighters and an onboard hangar allowed for minor repairs. The escort carrier was the smallest vessel that could carry a full wing of starfighters (6 squadrons of up to 72 craft). The ship also carried six shuttles, and could carry four more for each fighter squadron removed.

Armament included 10 Taim & Bak H8 dual laser cannons and 1 Krupx VL-6 warhead launch system. Though a capital ship, it was poorly armed and protected relative for its size, so it stayed to the rear of battle for its own safety while allowing its TIE fighters to engage the enemy.

HistoryEdit

Designed and built by Kuat Drive Yards, the escort carrier allowed the Imperial Navy to overcome the hyperdrive deficiency of its primary starfighters in the early years of the Galactic Civil War. The need for them was seen following the Battle of Ton-Falk.

Being purpose-built, escort carriers were much more economical to deploy than an Imperial Star Destroyer. Higher priority convoys often had an escort carrier, along with an EF76 Nebulon-B escort frigate and CR90 corvettes.

It was also common for escort carriers to perform mini-hyperdrive jumps within a system, dropping off a squadron of starfighters with each exit. This tactic made it difficult for Rebel Alliance or pirate pilots to predict where the next attack would come from. In addition to the Empire, some ships were appropriated by the Rebel Alliance as well and added to their navy.

Notable shipsEdit

• Dallust
• Hininbirg
• Tropsobor

Behind the scenesEdit

The escort carrier bears a name very similar to that of the Imperial escort carrier featured in Star Wars: Rogue Squadron III: Rebel Strike. Wedge Antilles's unfamiliarity with the name used by General Crix Madine for the starship in the latter game suggests that neither the Storm Commando vessel seen in Rebel Strike nor the standard Imperial Navy starfighter transport seen in TIE Fighter and its sequels were generally deployed (at least in operations Antilles might have been familiar with) prior to the First Battle of Bakura.

AppearancesEdit

• Star Wars: Rebellion
• Star Wars: TIE Fighter (First appearance)
• Star Wars: X-wing vs. TIE Fighter
• Star Wars: X-wing Alliance
• The Lost City of the Jedi
• Omens

SourcesEdit

• Imperial Sourcebook (First mentioned)
• The Stele Chronicles
• Star Wars Gamemaster Screen, Revised
• Star Wars: Rebellion: Prima's Official Strategy Guide
• Starships of the Galaxy (2001)
•  Jedi Counseling 55 on Wizards.com (original article link, backup links on Archive.org)
• Lords of the Expanse
• The Force Unleashed Campaign Guide
• The Essential Guide to Warfare

Notes and referencesEdit