Like the Agamemnon class battleship, Boadicea class cruiser, and Chevalier class light cruisers, the Dauntless class carrier was one of the first starship designs developed by the Human Alliance. The Human Alliance had a few converted merchant designs but these designs were slow and generally carried a very small number of fighter. The Dauntless class carrier formed the carrier forces of the Human Alliance until the were replaced by the much larger Intrepid class fleet carrier. Still, the older carrier took on secondary roles and served the Human Alliance well. Neither the Dauntless class carrier or the larger Intrepid class was selected for the Consortium Armed Forces when formed and the Human Alliance downsized their navy with the Consortium taking over many of the roles performed by the Human Alliance. As a result, the older ships were retired while the newer (and larger) Intrepid class carriers were retained. Some of the Dauntless class carriers were retained in the inactive reserve fleet. It was later decided to simply dispose of the entire class. Some Dauntless class carriers have been scrapped but some have been sold to other military organizations.
Most militaries now consider the Dauntless class to be a light carrier but when first commissioned, they were considered full "fleet" carriers. The Dauntless class light carriers, even though on the elderly side, are still more effective than most carriers converted from merchant designs. As such, these old designs are preferred by many over merchant conversions although most "modern" light carriers are far more capable than the Dauntless class. Still, the old ships are cheaper than most modern carriers and the age of the ships is not consider as critical as with cruisers. These ships are operated by Independent Defense Forces within Consortium space, by various powers outside of Consortium Space, and by Mercenary Companies. None are presently operated by the Free Worlds Council military but there are rumors of them trying to acquire a pair of the old carriers.
In order to reduce development cost, the Dauntless class light carrier is based on the hull of Boadicea class cruiser. The ship also shares the same engines, both sublight and faster than light, with the cruiser. Compared to many modern carriers, the carriers is a bit slow although the light carrier's sublight speed is equal to the later Intrepid class carrier. The light carrier also uses the same power plant as a Boadicea class cruiser. Instead of an anti-matter power plant, the carrier uses a fusion reactor. While fusion reactor is far more mass intensive than a modern anti-matter power plant, it still has some advantages over the modern systems. Some of these include that fusion plants are far safer and cheaper to refuel. Shield generators are identical to those carried on the cruiser design but armor is slightly reduced compared to the cruiser.
The weaponry of the light carrier is mostly its fighters and conventional weaponry is reduced. The carrier mounts two long range missile batteries, reduced from four batteries carried in the cruiser, and mounts six point defense lasers, six point defense rail guns, and six mini-missile batteries. Payload of mini-missiles is reduced compared to the Boadicea class cruiser.
The normal fighter compliment for the Dauntless class carrier are three squadrons of light starfighters and two squadrons of medium starfighters. The Human Alliance operated the Vixen light starfighter and the Osprey medium starfighter but most militaries still operating these carriers user newer fighters. Newer fighters include the Scorpion and Tanto for light starfighters and the Katana and Black Eagle for medium starfighters. The carriers only have space for a small number of marines and the marines are generally used for shipboard defense only. The carrier only has a single bridge to increase available hanger space.
Ship design uses modified starship speeds and weapon ranges. See Revised Starship Rules for Phase World for more details.
Model Type: CV-12
Vehicle Type: Light Carrier
Crew: 640 (45 Officers, 595 enlisted)
Troops: 80 marines ( typically stay on board for ship defense),
120 fighter pilots, and 36 power armor pilots
Vehicle, Robots, and Power Armors:
Power Armors:
| 36 | Light Power Armors |
| 36 | Light Starfighters (Commonly the SF-9 Vixen Light Starfighter) | |
| 24 | Medium Starfighters (Commonly the SF-6 Osprey Starfighters) |
M.D.C. By Location:
| Point Defense Rail Gun Turrets (6): | 150 each | |
| Double Barrel Defense Laser Turrets (6): | 150 each | |
| Long Range Missile Batteries (2): | 400 each | |
| Mini-Missile Launchers (6): | 100 each | |
| Outer Hull (40 ft/ 12.2 m Area): | 120 | |
| Inner Hull (40 ft/ 12.2 m Area): | 80 | |
| [1] Bridge: | 6,000 | |
| Hanger Bays (4): | 2,000 | |
| [2] Main Engines (2): | 7,500 each | |
| [3] Main Body: | 20,000 | |
| [4] Variable Force Field: | 2,500 a side (15,000 Total) |
Notes:
[1] In reality this is how much damage needs to be done for a weapon
to hit the bridge through the ships armor. This ship does not have an auxiliary
bridge. Even if the bridge is destroyed, the ship can still be piloted
from engineering but ship is -3 to dodge and all weapon systems will be
at local control. Weapon hits near the bridge that do not penetrate the
ships integrity can injure crew members on or near the bridge.
[2] Destroying the main engines means that ship Faster than Light systems
are destroyed and maximum sublight speed is reduced by half.
[3] Depleting the MDC of the main body will put the cruiser out of
commission. All internal systems will shut down, including life support
and internal gravity. The ship itself will be an unsalvageable floating
wreck.
[4] Shields positions can be varied and all could be combined in one
shield. Shields regenerate at the rate of 5% (750 MDC) per melee round
Speed:
Driving on the Ground: Not Possible.
Sublight: Has a special sublight engine that allows the ship
to travel up to 60 percent of the speed of light. Star Ship can accelerate/decelerate
at the rate of 0.6 percent of light per melee.
Atmospheric Propulsion: Maximum speed is 200 mph (322 kph),
can enter an atmosphere and can leave but is not designed for atmospheric
flight
Stardrive: Uses a Gravitonic Drive system that allows the ship
to reach a maximum of 2.5 light-years per hour.
Maximum Range: Effectively Unlimited by either Drive system.
Carries about four years worth of supplies on board.
Statistical Data:
Length: 645 feet (196.5 meters)
Height: 165 feet (50.3 meters)
Width: 282 feet (86.0 meters)
Weight/Mass: 156,000 tons (141,500 metric tons)
Power System: Fusion with a 10 year life span. The ship normally
only goes 5 years between refueling and refitting.
Cargo: Cargo holds are scattered about the ship that allows
for carrying up to 10,000 tons of Cargo in addition to standard compliment
of supplies and ammunition. Each enlisted crew member has a small locker
for personal items and uniforms. Ships officers have more space for personal
items. Most of the ships spaces are take up by extra ammunition, armor,
troops, weapons, engine, and other equipment.
Market Cost: Ship would cost about 1.5 billion credits to manufacture
in present time in the Three Galaxies. Ships are no longer being produced.
When available, these ships sell for 2.5 to 4.5 billion credits.
WEAPON SYSTEMS:
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