Fall of the Scorpion Fleet Shipyards

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Fall of the Scorpion Fleet Shipyards
Fall of the Scorpian Ship Yards
Fall of the Scorpian Ship Yards
Fall of the Scorpian Ship Yards
Summary
Conflict: Second Cylon war
Date: Zero Hour, concurrent with Fall of the Twelve Colonies
Related Episode(s):
Place: Scorpion Fleet Shipyards
Result: Decisive Cylon victory
  • At least 3 battlestars and 3 other military vessels[1][2]
  • 12 Vipers and 2 Raptors from Pegasus's air wing. 12 further craft beyond repair.Unknown, minimal"
Combatants
Colonial Fleet Cylons
Commanders
Admiral Helena Cain Basestar command
Strength
At least 4 battlestars (including Pegasus) and 3 support vessels [1][2] Unknown number of basestars and associated Raiders
Materiel Losses
Shipyards, as well as:
  • At least 3 battlestars and 3 other military vessels[1][2]
  • 12 Vipers and 2 Raptors from Pegasus's air wing. 12 further craft beyond repair.
Unknown, minimal
Casualties
At least 723 crewmen lost on Pegasus, plus those lost on other ships.
Unknown, minimal
[[Colonial battles chronology ({{{series}}})|Battle Chronology]]
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Fall of the Twelve Colonies Fall of the Scorpion Fleet Shipyards Battle of the Communications Relay


Sometime during the Fall of the Twelve Colonies the Cylons attack the Scorpion Fleet Shipyards using numerous Raider squadrons, as well as nuclear weapons. Losses counted in the initial strike are five Colonial Fleet ships, two of which are battlestars.

Pegasus is docked at the shipyards, and about to undergo a three-month systems overhaul, when the attack occurs. All computer networks are shut down in preparation of the refit, leaving the battlestar largely unaffected by Cylon infiltration of the Command Navigation Program. However, with the computer networks off-line, the crew is forced to perform many operations manually.

While tethered to its dock, Pegasus is attacked by waves of Raiders and struck by multiple missiles. The resulting damage causes an explosion of fuel and ordnance on the hangar decks, and leads to over 700 casualties. Admiral Cain henceforth orders a hasty departure, and as the reverse thrusters fire, the ship tears itself free from remaining umbilicals and the burning dock superstructure.

With Pegasus's defenses down and two nuclear missile inbound, Cain orders the CIC crew to spin up the FTL drive and perform a blind jump: "Wherever. Anywhere. Just jump", Cain recounts to Commander Adama and President Roslin in a conversation shortly after Galactica is tracked down by Pegasus months later.

The blind jump is successful in that it allows Pegasus to escape the Cylons, and to avoid a collision with a celestial body (which can occur when attempting to jump without predetermined coordinates). Furthermore, their escape is made possible by an EMP (interference from a nuclear detonation) that disrupts Cylon DRADIS, and masks the battlestar's escape jump ("Pegasus", "Razor").

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. 1.0 1.1 In "Pegasus", Cain says "Five ships, two of them battlestars, they were destroyed right there." In "Razor" two battlestars can be clearly seen in the establishing shot of the shipyard, and two ships of Valkyrie's design are destroyed later. Together with the unknown vessel above Pegasus, this makes at least four initial losses, which makes it likely that Cain's comment is an estimate.
  2. 2.0 2.1 It is unknown whether the large vessel above Pegasus is a designated as a battlestar by the Colonial Fleet.