Galactica type battlestar

2006-12-17T04:22:54Z

Lord of Angmar:

:''This article discusses the original battlestar class (of which ''[[Galactica (RDM)|Galactica]]'' is a member) of the [[Battlestar Galactica (RDM)|Re-imagined Series]]. For information on the battlestars of the Original Series, see [[Battlestar (TOS)]]. For information on the newer ''Mercury'' class battlestars, see [[Mercury class battlestar]].''

{{Ship Data
| image= Bsg-bsg-1.jpg
| race= Colonial
| type= Military
| ftl= Yes (at least 2 drives<ref name="ftl">'''Tigh:''' "Engineering/Combat. Please spin up FTL drives One and Two." ([[Miniseries]])</ref>)
| propol = 6 sublight engines (4 in outboard engine pods, 2 on main hull between engine pods), 40 maneuvering engines (in 10 clusters of 4)<ref name="zoic">Originally sourced to [[Zoic]] without explanation.</ref>
| crew= Approximately 4,000 to 5,000 <ref name="crew">See [[Galactica (RDM)#endnote_originalcrew|Galactica crew count]].</ref>
| role= Capital battleship/carrier
| weapons= Primary and point-defense [[KEW|Kinetic Energy Weapons]], conventional missiles, nuclear warheads, [[Viper (RDM)|Vipers]], [[Raptor|Raptors]]
| status= Active (following heavy refits, with one exception)
| length= {{Meters2Feet|1414}}
| width= {{Meters2Feet|555}}<ref name="podtopod">This is from flight pod to flight pod while they are extended.</ref>
| height= {{Meters2Feet|177}}
| otherdi = '''Flight Pod'''<br />'''Length''': {{Meters2Feet|615}}<ref name="pod">Calculated based on elevations made available by Zoic.</ref><br/>'''Width''': {{Meters2Feet|110}}<br/>'''Height''': {{Meters2Feet|64}}
}}

==Overview==
[[Image:Destroyed Battlestar Mini.JPG|thumb|left|Destroyed ''Galactica'' type battlestar ([[Miniseries]])]]
The '''''Galactica'' type battlestar''' is a Colonial capital ship that combines the functions of aircraft carrier and battleship. The first twelve battlestars were laid down in the early days of the [[Cylon War]], each representing one of the [[Twelve Colonies]] ([[Miniseries]]). This article concerns that original, and unnamed, class.

Following the end of the war, the original battlestars remained in service, and many newer battlestars were built. At the time of the [[Fall of the Twelve Colonies]], the newer [[Mercury class battlestar|''Mercury'' class]] represented the top of the line.

The original battlestars were space-going leviathans of some 4,640ft (1,414m) in length, housing at least 4 squadrons of 20 [[Viper (RDM)|Viper]] space superiority fighters apiece and nuclear warheads. A fully-armed battlestar is capable of a wide range of offensive actions, while her defensive armaments ensure she is fully capable of both protecting herself from attack and engaging an enemy at close quarters.
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==Layout==
The design common to ''Galactica'' and her sister ships can be broken down into two main sections: the main hull, and the twin flight pods.

=== Main Hull ===

This comprises the bulk of a battlestar and can itself be divided into three sections:

The "alligator head" contains water storage tanks ([[Water]]).

The midships area contains the pod retraction mechanisms and crossways linking the hanger pods for the transfer of equipment and personnel ([[Miniseries]]).

The stern section contains sublight engines, [[FTL]] drive coils, etc. Four of the sublight engines are in engine pods, and two more are between the pods.
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=== Flight Pods ===
The flight pods are mounted on either side of the hull and contain a battlestar's [[Viper (RDM)|Vipers]] and [[Raptor|Raptors]]. During normal operations, they are extended away from the main hull. During [[FTL]] jumps, the pods are retracted against the hull, concealing their open ends and making launches and landings impossible. Each pod comprises two main decks for flight operations: the upper landing bay, which extends the full length of the pod, and the lower launch bays, which provide some 40 launch tubes per pod.

Landing approaches are made from the stern. The preferred approach is a slow run into the landing bay, prior to making a vertical landing on a defined landing area ([[Act of Contrition]]). However, in emergencies, [[Combat landing|combat landings]] can be made, in which a craft approaches and lands at high speed on its landing skids ([[Miniseries]]).

The forward end of the landing bay also serves as a launch area for Raptors and shuttles. The landing bay is large enough to accept a variety of other Colonial vessels, at least as large as "heavy" passenger ships such as ''[[Colonial Heavy 798]]'' ([[Miniseries]]). Docking collars are located throughout the upper sections of the landing bay in order to provide a pressurized connection between a docked vessel and the battlestar.<ref name="docking">''Colonial Heavy 798'' is seen landing within ''Galactica's'' flight pod in the [[Miniseries]], where a docking ring is shown approaching the ship. As it left Caprica, a similar docking ring is shown detaching from ''798'' as the ship lifts off. This has a logical counterpart to the JetWay retractable tunnels at airports on the real-world Earth, and would be reasonable given that civilian passengers would expect to walk to and from the ship without spacesuits or in hazardous conditions.</ref> The flight pods also have docking ports to dock with larger ships or stations.

The [[hangar deck]] is used for maintenance, repair, refueling, rearming, and launch operations and runs the length of the Flight Pod. Viper flight operations are overseen by a [[Landing Signal Officer]].
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==Specifications==

===Dimensions===
[[Image:bsg-2-cvn.jpg|thumb|right|Comparison of a battlestar and ''Nimitz'']]

An appreciation of the size of an original battlestar can be gleaned from a comparison to current Earth craft. A battlestar is over 4 times longer than a [[Wikipedia:Nimitz class aircraft carrier|''Nimitz'']] class nuclear carrier of the US Navy. The flight pod of an original battlestar is almost twice the length of ''Nimitz'', is some 150ft (46m) wider, and is approximately as tall as the ''Nimitz'' is from waterline to the top of the tower. An original battlestar's "alligator head" is as broad as the flight deck of ''Nimitz'' is long. Each of the nacelles of an original battlestar's outer four sublight engines is large enough to contain ''Nimitz''.

===Propulsion===
[[Image:Sublight.jpg|thumb|right|''Galactica'' with all six sublight engines engaged ([[33]])]]

Despite their massive size, battlestars are extremely maneuverable and can dock with space stations such as [[Ragnar Anchorage]]. Battlestars are not designed for atmospheric flight, although their hulls can manage a tenuous upper atmospheric storm like that surrounding the gas giant [[Ragnar]] and can survive a jump and subsequent freefall in the atmosphere of a habital planet ([[Miniseries]], ([[Exodus, Part II]]). A battlestar's [[FTL]] systems are capable of accurate jumps, able to place them in synchronous orbit above a relatively close planet ([[Miniseries]]) and of placing them safely in the midst of an asteroid field ([[The Hand of God (RDM)|The Hand of God]]), a dense fleet of ships ([[Scattered]]), or a planetary atmosphere ([[Exodus, Part II]]). However, they are grossly inferior to [[Cylon]] systems in safe range ([[Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part I]]).

===Endurance===
Battlestars are intended to operate for long periods without re-supplying. Their water purification capabilities alone are so efficient that, barring an emergency or unforeseen event, a battlestar can operate "for several years before replenishing" ([[Water]]). They also appear capable of undertaking large-scale repairs following battle damage ([[Miniseries]], [[Water]]). They have ammunition assembly capabilities in the armory ([[Epiphanies]]) and may have small general fabrication facilities ([[Litmus]]). Vegetable stores and canned goods are kept in [[Wikipedia:Titanium|titanium]] lockers ([[Final Cut]]).

===Computer Systems===
The original battlestar vessels deliberately avoided the use of networked primary computer systems during the [[Cylon War]], as [[Cylons (RDM)|Cylon]] forces were adept at infiltrating and subverting such systems ([[Miniseries]]).

On ''Galactica'', in the post-Cylon War era, these primary [[computers]] remained isolated by practice on order of its last pre-Holocaust commanding officer, William Adama. This no-networks practice likely saved ''Galactica'' from the fate of its sister battlestars in the [[Fall of the Twelve Colonies]] as ''Galactica's'' no-network order meant that the [[CNP]], installed in almost all [[Colonial Fleet]] vessels at the time, could not be used aboard ''Galactica'' as the CNP was designed for use with a computer network.

In one dire instance in the early months of their exodus, ''Galactica'' networks its primary computers temporarily to aid in computation speeds for [[FTL|Jump]] calculations needed to find the missing civilian Fleet ([[Scattered]]), but it is not without consequence. One or more computers are cracked during a Cylon attack with a Cylon [[virus]], which proves resistant to removal and (weeks later) threatens the operation of the battlestar until the computers' hard drives are erased and restored from pre-Fall backup sets ([[Flight of the Phoenix]]).

===Armament===
[[Image:Flakfield.jpg|thumb|right|The flak field from ''Galactica''<nowiki>'s</nowiki> large turrets ([[Scattered]])]]
*24 large antiship [[KEW|gun]] turrets (mounting 2 guns apiece)<ref name="flak">These have been referred to as railguns by some fan sources, but there is substantial evidence to the contrary. See [[Railgun]] for more.</ref>
:These are mounted on the dorsal and ventral surfaces of the main hull and the ventral surface of the bow. The two guns on each turret fire in tandem. They have been shown to be quite effective against targets like [[Basestar (RDM)|basestars]] ([[Resurrection Ship, Part II]]). These large guns have several methods of operation, including "salvo fire" and "full attack mode".
[[Image:Pointdefence2 101 1080i.jpg|thumb|right|Some of ''Galactica''<nowiki>'s</nowiki> point defense turrets]]
*Numerous smaller point-defense turrets (mounting 2 guns apiece)<ref name="small">Unsourced figures have ranged from 252 to 512. According to the BSG Magazine, the number is 504. </ref>
:These are mounted on the flight pods and other surfaces. Each barrel fires explosive rounds in bursts.
*Multiple nuclear warheads<ref name="nukes">As of the episode "[[Bastille Day]]", ''[[Galactica (RDM)|Galactica]]'' was equipped with five nuclear warheads. This may be lower than the typical number, since ''Galactica'' was in the process of being decommissioned and had already had most of its ammunition removed. If this is the case, we must conclude that ''Galactica'' was unable to reload its supply of nuclear arms at [[Ragnar Anchorage]] (a sensible proposition, given the ease with which purported arms smuggler [[Leoben Conoy]] was able to gain access to the facility).</ref>
:Deployed from 10 vertical-launch tubes mounted in the main hull. ([[The Eye of Jupiter]])
*At least 4 squadrons of 20 [[Viper (RDM)|Viper]] space superiority fighters<ref name="vipers">After the destruction of 20 Vipers during the Cylon Attack, ''Galactica'' was still able to muster a 40-Viper strong defensive screen by combining their remaining squadron of Mk. VII vipers with a full squadron of Mk. II vipers from a museum exhibit in the starboard flight pod. This suggests that ''Galactica'', with a single operational flight pod, was fielding two squadrons from it, and that when fully operational it could have fielded an additional two squadrons from the starboard pod as well.</ref>
:Even the latest Mk. VII Vipers remain compatible with this class's launch and recovery facilities.
*Numerous [[Raptor]] multi-role vehicles<ref name="raptors">At the time of the Cylon Attack, ''Galactica'' was apparently equipped with at least eight. See [[Galactica (RDM)#endnote_raptors|Galactica Raptor tally]] for a running count.</ref>

===Crew===
''Galactica's'' crew complement prior to her scheduled decommissioning was approximately 2,800.<ref name="crew"/> This figure is likely higher for a fully staffed, operational battlestar.

===Life Support===
Approximately twelve oxygen recirculation units are mounted throughout the ship, which replenish oxygen as well as remove ("scrub") carbon dioxide from the air. These devices work continuously ([[Final Cut]]).

== References ==
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== Known Galactica Type Battlestars ==

[[Galactica]]

Unknown Destroyed Battlestar [Image:http://en.battlestarwiki.org/wiki/Image:Destroyed_Battlestar_Mini.JPG]

10 other unknown Battlestars, presumed destroyed \

[[Category:A to Z]]
[[Category:Battlestars|*]]
[[Category:Technology]]
[[Category:Technology (TOS)]]
[[Category:Technology (RDM)]]
[[Category:RDM]]

[[de:Kampfstern, Galactica-Typ]]

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Galactica type battlestar