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Lucrehulk-class battleship

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Lucrehulk-class battleship
Production information
Manufacturer

Hoersch-Kessel Drive, Inc.[1]

Product line

Lucrehulk-series[1]

Model

Modified Lucrehulk-class LH-3210 cargo freighter[1]

Class

Battleship[1]

Technical specifications
Length

3,170 meters[1]

Maximum acceleration

3,000 G[1]

Maximum speed (atmosphere)

500 km/h[1]

Engine unit(s)
Hyperdrive rating
  • Class 2.0[1]
  • Backup: Class 10[1]
Power output

Peak (shields): ~1,08 × 1025 W[2]

Armament

Pre-Clone Wars refitting:

Clone Wars refitting:

Complement
Crew

150 to 350[1]

Passengers

100,000+[1]

Cargo capacity

5 million tons[1]

Consumables

500 days[1]

Usage
Role(s)
Era(s)
Affiliation
[Source]

The Lucrehulk-class battleship was the primary capital ship of the Trade Federation's Trade Defense Force. Most Lucrehulks were modified from enormous cargo haulers.[1] Upgraded and modified versions were later used by the CIS Navy,[10] the Alliance to Restore the Republic,[9] the Corporate Sector Authority[8] and the Killik Colony.[4]

Contents

Characteristics

A hangar bay with MTTs.

At over three kilometers in diameter, the enormous vessels resembled a torus missing a section of its circumference and with a central sphere containing the ship's bridge and reactor assemblies. The front void of the craft, held two mammoth docking bays on either side,lined with forward docking claws. These gigantic cargo vessels had been built for many years by the Trade Federation to haul cargo between planets and were an important asset to their enterprise.[1]

Housed in the stern of the main body were the main reactors, each connected to one of the three main engines, as well as to secondary engines and each other. The central sphere housed its own reactor/power generator assemblies.[1]

Lining the equatorial bands in batteries of three, were quad turbolaser cannons capable of rotating inwards when not in use. Their limited coverage of the hull made the early battleships vulnerable, and made them rely more on the massive number of starfighters carried, to defend the ships against enemy starfighters. This was, however, rectified with later ships whose armor and shields proved too strong for starfighter firepower, the fact becoming quickly apparent at the Battle of Naboo.[1]

Clone Wars-era battleship

A wartime Lucrehulk-class battleship bearing the markings of the Confederacy of Independent Systems.

Battleships fighting in the Clone Wars had less trouble with weak spots, as they were augmented with gun batteries and much stronger shielding. Batteries of long guns and heavy guns complemented the additional quad turbolaser batteries added to the Lucrehulk superstructure when the war erupted.[10][11]

Each ship was also now so powerful due to the increased amount of power devoted to offensive and defensive systems that a whole flotilla of Republic Star Destroyers was needed just to bring down its shields.[12]

History

Origins

When the Trade Federation began creating its military, the Executive Board realized the need for large cruisers to transport their weapons across the galaxy, battleships to defend against starfighter attacks, and flagships for controlling their vast legions of battle droids. Reluctant to spend the credits necessary to construct and purchase a fleet of military vessels, the Trade Federation began modifying its existing Lucrehulk-class freighters into warships.[1]

Invasion of Naboo

The bridge of the Saak'ak.

The Trade Federation used a substantial fleet of Lucrehulk-class battleships to enforce the invasion of Naboo, led by the flagship Saak'ak.[13] The most important vessel in the Trade Federation's blockade was the Droid Control Ship. When the rest of the blockade dispersed after Naboo was successfully occupied, the Neimoidians left the Droid Control Ship in orbit to coordinate their droid forces. The Control Ship was later destroyed by the young Anakin Skywalker, resulting in the deactivation of the Droid Army.[13]

After the Invasion of Naboo, the Republic ordered the Trade Federation to disband its military forces. The crafty Trade Federation pretended to comply with this command by apparently disassembling most of its battleships, only to transform their centrispheres into detachable core ships capable of carrying supplies.[14]

Later, some of these vessels were used to try to destroy Outbound Flight. Chiss Commander Thrawn destroyed all but one of the Lucrehulks, allowing it to surrender.[15]

The Clone Wars

Three quad turbolaser cannons on a Trade Federation battleship.

Core ships were used during the Battle of Geonosis where they carried legions of battle droids. In retreat, the Core Ships were found to be able to reattach themselves to the outer ring. These vessels saw continued use during the devastating Clone Wars, transporting military equipment and troops to countless worlds, and engaging Republic fleets in combat.[14]

During the wars, the Lucrehulk-class received a massive upgrade in terms of firepower, with the addition of hundreds of long guns, quad guns, and heavy guns dotting the surface of both the core ship and the surrounding cargo arms. They, along with the other capital ships of the Confederate Navy, also proudly wore the colors and insignia of the Confederacy.[10] A few dozen participated in the attack on Coruscant towards the end of the war.[12]

Legacy

During the Imperial Period, some militarized Lucrehulks remained in operation, fighting on the side of Separatist holdouts or early Rebel Alliance units.[9] A few battleships kept in Imperial surplus stock were also sold to the Corporate Sector or to wealthy merchants.[8]

One of several Alliance Lucrehulks, the Fortressa served as a starfighter carrier, carrying a complement of hundreds of T-65 X-wing starfighters. In 0 BBY, it participated in an assault on the first Death Star and was destroyed by the battle station's superlaser.[9] In 36 ABY, dozens of Lucrehulk-series freighters were appropriated by forces allied with The Colony and used as carriers for Dartship swarms during the Swarm War.[4]

Appearances

Wookieepedia has a collection of images related to Lucrehulk-class battleship.
A Lucrehulk-class battleship of the Confederate Navy.

Non-canon appearances

Sources

Notes and references

  1. ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 1.15 1.16 1.17 1.18 1.19 1.20 1.21 1.22 1.23 1.24 1.25 1.26 1.27 1.28 1.29 1.30 1.31 Episode I: Incredible Cross-Sections
  2. ↑ Revenge of the Sith: Incredible Cross-Sections, if the minimal amount of Venators in a flotilla is 3.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 Starship Battles Preview 4
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Dark Nest III: The Swarm War
  5. ↑ Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones
  6. ↑ Star Wars: Battlefront II
  7. ↑ The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 New Essential Guide to Vehicles and Vessels
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 Death Star (novel)
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith
  11. ↑ You must be a member of Star Wars Hyperspace to view this linkGun Guide on Hyperspace
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 Revenge of the Sith: Incredible Cross-Sections
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 Attack of the Clones: Incredible Cross-Sections
  15. ↑ Outbound Flight (novel)
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