On Naval Warfare
Posted: Mon Aug 31, 2009 11:23 pm
(Note: The following was originally part of a post for TEG's blog, but has instead morphed into part one of a treatise on naval warfare. Expect it to be updated as time goes by)
On Naval Warfare
For a polity to be a great pan-galactic empire, it must have many things. It must have vast territories in the Home Galaxy and many colonies in the satellite galaxies ready to the exploited. It must have the ability to coerce or entice smaller, independent polities, be they colonial or native in nature, into providing access into their markets or act as vassals. And it must have the ability to protect its interests and expand the empire if her political masters see fit to do so. In all cases, said polity cannot accomplish any of these tasks without having a strong navy. Indeed, throughout recorded history, the greatest empires the Milky Way has ever known built and maintained their hegemonies through the power of their awesome starfleets. It is no different for the galactic powers of today, either, as they constantly work to gain whatever advantage they can acquire, be it through merit or deceit, in the realms of naval warfare so that their empire may stand above the rest. The following treatise covers the nature of naval warfare in all its forms, be it the starships, weapons, technologies, or doctrines used by the various powers of the day. Ground warfare will be covered in its own separate treatise.
Warship Classes
With the exception of a few unique designs, virtually all warships are grouped together in classes based on size, power, and relative economic cost, which are listed below. Starfighters and other strikecraft, such as gunboats, and their impact on naval warfare will be discussed in their own separate section.
Ships of the Wall
Superdreadnought (SD): Massive, incredibly heavily armed and armored, and having more in common with a star fortress than a battleship, superdreadnoughts are some of the largest and most powerful conventional warships that can be fielded by any power with enough wealth. These titans among giants are designed for very long-range, high-endurance campaigns, where combat can take place over a span of days. To that end, superdreadnoughts often feature the facilities needed to command and support whole formations of lesser ships, which include dedicated C4ISR facilities, considerable space for ammo, supply, and fuel bunkerage, and even small-scale manufactories for limited resupply and repair purposes. Battlecarrier versions will add in the ability to transport and deploy significant numbers of strikecraft and soldiers to aid dedicated carriers and troopships. And, of course, there the SD’s massive amounts of firepower, armor, and battlescreens that allow the ship to shred whole formations of lesser ships. Supredreadnought subtypes include general purpose (pure combatant with no troop or parasite carrying capabilities), escort, and battlecarrier.
Dreadnought (DN): The smaller sibling to the superdreadnought, dreadnoughts are high endurance warships meant to act as a stepping stone between the fortress with engines that is the superdreadnought and the lighter battleship. Not as ponderous as its larger sibling, the dreadnought is capable of greater accelerations and maneuverability, though it lacks a part of the firepower and defenses of and SD. Like the superdreadnought, a DN can be expected to fight on for a considerable amount of time, as well as patrolling space for extended periods of time before having to be resupplied. Dreadnought subtypes include guided missile, fast, general purpose, and battlecarrier.
Battleship (BB): The standard ship of the wall and the most common and prolific member of the family, the battleship is a heavily armed and armored warship meant for front-line combat, escorting larger, more vulnerable warships, such as carriers, from attack, and leading wolfpacks of high speed raiders. Unlike the other ships of the wall, battleships lack the sheer endurance and firepower of their more ponderous siblings, but make up for it via the large numbers of BBs than can built in relation to DNs and SDs and its deadly combination of speed (compared to the others) and firepower. When properly used and deployed alongside its escorts, a flotilla of battleships can pummel even the largest SD into scrap. Notable subtypes include the fast battleship, used almost exclusively for scouting and leading wolfpack raiders, and the escort battleship, which coordinates the defenses of a carrier battle group.
Battlecruiser (CC): While not technically a ship of the wall, battlecruisers are often lumped into the category due to their similarities with battleships. Fast and very well armed, if very thin skinned, battlecruisers serve as excellent raiders and can even engage capital ships at missile range (but not at gun range!) thanks to its ability to carry very heavy missile armaments, such as anti-capital ship missiles. Battlecruisers tend to have an unusually large starfighter wing for further power projection and exceptionally powerful battlescreens to compensate for their lack of almost any armor. Their speed and powerful punch has resulted in certain polities, such as the Imperial Commonwealth, to make use of the battlecruiser as their principal rapid-response warship.
Carriers
Large Carrier (CVB): Essentially a mobile naval base, large carriers (referred to often as supercarriers) are the largest pure carrier in use with any polity. Built on dreadnought hulls, large carriers play host to a truly massive carrier space wing. A truly huge number of drone starfighters, bombers, gunboats, and sublight warships operate out of its cavernous hangars, capable of mauling even the largest ship and rendering it blind and crippled for dedicated warships to finish off. Smaller escorts can be outright annihilated by the ordnance a wave of heavy drones can deliver. Unlike lighter carriers, large carriers can also mount considerable support weapons, allowing them to participate in major fleet actions. Naturally, their large size makes them also suitable for transport troops and their heaviest equipment, as well as acting as flagships for naval formations.
Fleet Carrier (CVF): The most common type of carrier in use, fleet carriers are a general purpose type of warship that can handle planetary invasions, fleet support, base strikes, etc. via its vast parasite fleet. While they still maintain the extensive EW and C&C facilities of the large carrier, they lack much of the heavy anti-starship weaponry found on their larger siblings, and, as such, must stay out of the main fight and rely on its escorts for protection. This isn't so much of a problem considering the fact that much of a fleet carrier's CSW is FTL capable, and thus can be deployed to the battle space from afar. The defenses of a fleet carrier, however, are excellent, and said ships are surprisingly fast for their tonnage.
Attack Carrier (CVA): A more specialized carrier, attack carriers are designed for two closely related missions: moving deep into enemy space and hitting military and industrial targets (thus freeing up fleet carriers for more important duties) and delivering strategic-level ordnance to enemy targets. Because of its mission parameters, the CSW's of attack carriers are devoted primarily to heavy bombers and occasionally gunboats, with limited fighter escort available. Standard strategic ordnance includes implosion and black hole munitions (Tannhäuser weapons being far too large for bombers to deliver), with more conventional, albeit high-yield, ordnance occasionally being used depending on the target. CVA's also have extensive EW suites, as well as a top-of-the-line cloaking device.
Light Carrier (CVL): A scaled down version of the fleet carrier, light fleet carriers act as a multipurpose carrier that can carry out a wide assortment of duties, ranging from fleet support via its CSW to commanding smaller task groups and formations. While their smaller size means that they can only carry half to two-thirds of the starfighter compliment of a fleet carrier, their speed and more prodigious nature allows them to act as rapid response carriers in far-flung sectors or to provide additional starfighter support for fleets and convoys. Like fleet carriers, light carriers have very little in the way of anti-ship weapons and are dependent on its escorts and starfighter wings for defense. Their hull and battlescreens, however, are surprisingly durable, with the largest light carriers having battlecruiser level defenses.
Escort Carrier (CVE): Dirt cheap and easy to build in huge numbers, escort carriers, like its name suggests, are devoted primarily to escorting convoys through dangerous space and providing additional starfighter support for escort ships that have little to no starfighter escort. During times of total war, escort carriers are often constructed from re-appropriated freighters or cruise liners, or the hulls of scrapped ships. In addition to the already mentioned duties, CVE's are also often used for hunter-killer missions against raiders or Q-ships.
Cruisers
Large Cruiser (CB): Often referred to as an intermediary between battlecruisers and heavy cruisers, large cruisers (technically large heavy cruisers) are the kings of cruisers. Designed to hunt down and destroy heavy cruisers and other lighter warships, large cruisers maintain powerful heavy gun and missile armaments, as well as an oversized reactor plant to boot. Like fast battleships, their engines are also uncommonly large and powerful, allowing them to chase down faster warships and act as heavy raiders. Large cruisers do not carry any on-board parasite craft other than shuttles, and can often be found acting as cruiser leaders in addition to their regular cruiser killer duties. Despite their robustness, a large cruiser would be hard pressed to fight a battlecruiser, let alone a ship of the wall.
Heavy Cruiser (CA): The jack-of-all-trades of many navies, heavy cruisers are long-ranged vessels that balance the robustness of a large cruiser with the speed of a light cruiser. Because of this, heavy cruisers undertake a myriad array of missions, including 'showing the flag', screening for larger warships, and, most famously, long-range, independent patrols. As such, heavy cruisers have high endurance and have the supplies and facilities necessary to operate away from their bases for very long periods of time. Heavy carriers, in addition to their support craft, also carry a small force of starfighters for tactical support. Many subtypes of heavy cruisers exist, such as gun cruisers, guided missile cruisers (CG), scout cruisers, and command cruisers. Due to the 'lone wolf' nature of some of the ship's missions, heavy cruisers are often one of the most sought after commands for captains.
Light Cruiser (CL): The light cruiser is a fast screening ship designed to hunt down and destroy destroyers, attack ships, and starfighters via its versatile array of anti-starship and anti-starfighter weapons. Against other cruisers, a light cruiser can perform admirably by using its agility, weapon power, and defenses. Light cruisers lack the diversity of their heavier siblings, but still include several subtypes that are important for a fleet. Escort cruisers (which tend to have heavy missile armaments) provide area defense and a stable platform against light craft, while torpedo cruisers sacrifice most of their armament for massive batteries of torpedo tubes that can threaten even dreadnoughts at close range, for example. Like their heavier siblings, light cruisers can also carry a small starfighter compliment.
Escorts
Destroyer Leader (DL): A larger and more potent version of the common destroyer, destroyer leaders (sometimes referred to as fleet destroyers) are the principal ship used in commanding destroyer formations or other formations of escort ships. While it does have more firepower and stronger armor/battlescreens, the main feature of a destroyer leader is its massively expanded command and control and datalink systems. Said systems allow for destroyer and escort divisions to act as one networked warship, synchronizing their movements and fire control systems to devastating effect.
Destroyer (DD): The most common medium-weight warship seen in the galaxy, destroyers serve as the principal main screening unit and convoy protection craft in many navies. Capable of chasing down lighter warships yet heavy enough to lead independent missions, destroyers may be insignificant when compared to other naval titans, but can still reduce worlds to molten slag given enough time, as well as deliver both starfighter and troop formations and their vehicles to hot spots throughout the galaxy. Destroyer subtypes include torpedo destroyers, guided missile destroyers, and destroyer-carriers. Destroyers are typically the smallest warship to have class names and individual ship names. DD's are often lovingly referred to by their crew as 'tin cans'.
Destroyer Escort (DE): A smaller, slower version of the destroyer, destroyer escorts are designed primarily to escort convoys and provide anti-starfighter and anti-attack ship defense. Destroyer escorts maintain the gun armaments of a destroyer, but lack its torpedo and missile armaments and have reduced starfighter and troop transport capabilities. While slow, they do enjoy surprising range when compared to lesser escorts, and have much greater durability than a frigate or corvette.
Frigate (FF): Usually used for anti-piracy and light combat duties, frigates are general purpose warships used for patrolling the space lanes and providing 'presence' for their patron nations in remote sectors. Unlike destroyer escorts, which can operate independently, frigates are normally short-ranged craft that are dependent on tenders for support. Longer-ranged and more heavily armed versions, known as fleet frigates, lack those restrictions, however, and are often attached to larger ships as escorts and secondary screens.
Corvette (K): Corvettes are small, fast warships that are dirt cheat and used for a staggering multitude of tasks. Often seen patrolling calmer areas or acting as a picket, corvettes are also extremely suitable for interdiction and raiding campaigns against merchant convoys and logistic trains behind enemy lines. To this end, raider corvettes are fitted with high grade ECM gear and extremely efficient cloaking devices, as well as FTL-capable anti-starship torpedoes (not to be confused with their much larger capital-grade brethren) to take out thin skinned starships with one or two hits. Their surprising punch has resulting in raider corvettes being a common sight on many carriers and larger warships, which carry at least a few of them to compliment their longer range craft, such as gunboats and heavy starfighters.
Others
Planetary Assault Lander(LPA): A hybrid troop transport/carrier/mobile fortress, planetary assault landers are the main type of starship used in planetary invasions. The ship's starfighter compliment and heavy weapons (biased toward the planetary bombardment role, but still capable of engaging warships) are used to break through battlescreens and clear landing zones of all hostiles before a LPA lands and unleashes its cargo. The sheer size of a planetary lander allows it to not only deploy vast quantities of troops and their heaviest weapons, such as planetary assault vehicles, but also to act as its garrison (at least until a proper base can be built) and stronghold. In the case of the latter, a LPA can deliver strategic-level ordnance across vast distances and, if necessary, use its propulsion systems (typically its counter-gravity generators) to transport itself to the front lines and provide direct fire support. Referred to by its crew as battle barges, planetary assault landers have become one of the most treasured assets of any army or marine force in operation in the galaxy.
Monitor (BM): Built on battleship-scale hulls, monitors are that are loaded to the brim with massive amounts of weapons, defenses, and reactors, but at the cost of almost no interstellar travel capability. As such, monitors are strictly system defense craft that guard homesapce and supply lines from enemy raiders. Compared to other ships of the wall, monitors are much cheaper to construct, resulting in an economy of force in their use as garrison units. Because of their semi-modular construction process, monitors can swap in and out a wide variety of weapon systems to suit their needs. Variations of the design, known as fleet monitors, convert the typical monitor into a interstellar-grade siege ship, whose massive weapon banks are designed to crack open even the strongest defenses.
Fleet Tender (FT): Having more in common with a naval station than anything else, fleet tenders are massive starships that are designed to provide virtually every service imaginable to whole fleets. Not only do said ships maintain the neutronium generators necessary to provide fuel for the fleet and the massive hydroponic farms to feed its spacemen, but they can also repair (and given enough time, build) warships and undertake their own construction projects via their hyperfabricating nanolathes. Left to its own devices and with access to sufficient raw materials, a fleet tender or group of fleet tenders can create a self-sustaining fortress in what was once a barren star system. Fleet tenders tend to vary in size, with fleet and armada-level formations typically receiving more comprehensive versions. Those naval formations that operate far from nearby bases for extended periods of time, such as those belonging to the Imperial Commonwealth's Royal Extragalactic Forces or the United States S.T.R.I.K.E. Command, in contrast, make use of some of the largest and most comprehensive fleet tenders available.
Pocket Battleship (BL): In reality a heavy cruiser in terms of tonnage, pocket battleships are heavy cruisers equipped with battleship-grade weaponry that could, in theory, destroy anything smaller than it and outrun anything larger than it. While in theory the pocket battleship had some potential and could certainly devastate lighter ships, in reality they proved to be unable to cope with the speed and firepower of large cruisers or battlecruisers, which could chase them down and rip them to shreds. Despite that, the design occasionally reappears every so often within the navies of certain powers. Unfortunately, the design has also occasionally shown up in the arsenals of certain pirate kingdoms.
Combat Planetoid (CP): Combat Planetoids (also known as battlemoons or warmoons) are the single largest class of starship that have been used within the Milky Way. Starting at 500 kilometers in diameter and going up to 1000+, combat planetoids are mobile fortress worlds, capable destroying whole worlds and armadas singlehandedly and pacifying entire sectors with its on-board fleet of warships, clouds of starfighters, and vast armies. Capable of immense power projection and seemingly unlimited range, combat planetoids are also very expensive and time consuming to make (at least in comparison to conventional starships). In addition, there is also the concern of the 'all your eggs in one basket' phenomena. Used occasionally, combat planetoids, as of right now, are not being fielding by any polity in the Milky Way. Rumors, however, are circulating that the Imperial Commonwealth may be considering reviving the terrible monster...
On Naval Warfare
For a polity to be a great pan-galactic empire, it must have many things. It must have vast territories in the Home Galaxy and many colonies in the satellite galaxies ready to the exploited. It must have the ability to coerce or entice smaller, independent polities, be they colonial or native in nature, into providing access into their markets or act as vassals. And it must have the ability to protect its interests and expand the empire if her political masters see fit to do so. In all cases, said polity cannot accomplish any of these tasks without having a strong navy. Indeed, throughout recorded history, the greatest empires the Milky Way has ever known built and maintained their hegemonies through the power of their awesome starfleets. It is no different for the galactic powers of today, either, as they constantly work to gain whatever advantage they can acquire, be it through merit or deceit, in the realms of naval warfare so that their empire may stand above the rest. The following treatise covers the nature of naval warfare in all its forms, be it the starships, weapons, technologies, or doctrines used by the various powers of the day. Ground warfare will be covered in its own separate treatise.
Warship Classes
With the exception of a few unique designs, virtually all warships are grouped together in classes based on size, power, and relative economic cost, which are listed below. Starfighters and other strikecraft, such as gunboats, and their impact on naval warfare will be discussed in their own separate section.
Ships of the Wall
Superdreadnought (SD): Massive, incredibly heavily armed and armored, and having more in common with a star fortress than a battleship, superdreadnoughts are some of the largest and most powerful conventional warships that can be fielded by any power with enough wealth. These titans among giants are designed for very long-range, high-endurance campaigns, where combat can take place over a span of days. To that end, superdreadnoughts often feature the facilities needed to command and support whole formations of lesser ships, which include dedicated C4ISR facilities, considerable space for ammo, supply, and fuel bunkerage, and even small-scale manufactories for limited resupply and repair purposes. Battlecarrier versions will add in the ability to transport and deploy significant numbers of strikecraft and soldiers to aid dedicated carriers and troopships. And, of course, there the SD’s massive amounts of firepower, armor, and battlescreens that allow the ship to shred whole formations of lesser ships. Supredreadnought subtypes include general purpose (pure combatant with no troop or parasite carrying capabilities), escort, and battlecarrier.
Dreadnought (DN): The smaller sibling to the superdreadnought, dreadnoughts are high endurance warships meant to act as a stepping stone between the fortress with engines that is the superdreadnought and the lighter battleship. Not as ponderous as its larger sibling, the dreadnought is capable of greater accelerations and maneuverability, though it lacks a part of the firepower and defenses of and SD. Like the superdreadnought, a DN can be expected to fight on for a considerable amount of time, as well as patrolling space for extended periods of time before having to be resupplied. Dreadnought subtypes include guided missile, fast, general purpose, and battlecarrier.
Battleship (BB): The standard ship of the wall and the most common and prolific member of the family, the battleship is a heavily armed and armored warship meant for front-line combat, escorting larger, more vulnerable warships, such as carriers, from attack, and leading wolfpacks of high speed raiders. Unlike the other ships of the wall, battleships lack the sheer endurance and firepower of their more ponderous siblings, but make up for it via the large numbers of BBs than can built in relation to DNs and SDs and its deadly combination of speed (compared to the others) and firepower. When properly used and deployed alongside its escorts, a flotilla of battleships can pummel even the largest SD into scrap. Notable subtypes include the fast battleship, used almost exclusively for scouting and leading wolfpack raiders, and the escort battleship, which coordinates the defenses of a carrier battle group.
Battlecruiser (CC): While not technically a ship of the wall, battlecruisers are often lumped into the category due to their similarities with battleships. Fast and very well armed, if very thin skinned, battlecruisers serve as excellent raiders and can even engage capital ships at missile range (but not at gun range!) thanks to its ability to carry very heavy missile armaments, such as anti-capital ship missiles. Battlecruisers tend to have an unusually large starfighter wing for further power projection and exceptionally powerful battlescreens to compensate for their lack of almost any armor. Their speed and powerful punch has resulted in certain polities, such as the Imperial Commonwealth, to make use of the battlecruiser as their principal rapid-response warship.
Carriers
Large Carrier (CVB): Essentially a mobile naval base, large carriers (referred to often as supercarriers) are the largest pure carrier in use with any polity. Built on dreadnought hulls, large carriers play host to a truly massive carrier space wing. A truly huge number of drone starfighters, bombers, gunboats, and sublight warships operate out of its cavernous hangars, capable of mauling even the largest ship and rendering it blind and crippled for dedicated warships to finish off. Smaller escorts can be outright annihilated by the ordnance a wave of heavy drones can deliver. Unlike lighter carriers, large carriers can also mount considerable support weapons, allowing them to participate in major fleet actions. Naturally, their large size makes them also suitable for transport troops and their heaviest equipment, as well as acting as flagships for naval formations.
Fleet Carrier (CVF): The most common type of carrier in use, fleet carriers are a general purpose type of warship that can handle planetary invasions, fleet support, base strikes, etc. via its vast parasite fleet. While they still maintain the extensive EW and C&C facilities of the large carrier, they lack much of the heavy anti-starship weaponry found on their larger siblings, and, as such, must stay out of the main fight and rely on its escorts for protection. This isn't so much of a problem considering the fact that much of a fleet carrier's CSW is FTL capable, and thus can be deployed to the battle space from afar. The defenses of a fleet carrier, however, are excellent, and said ships are surprisingly fast for their tonnage.
Attack Carrier (CVA): A more specialized carrier, attack carriers are designed for two closely related missions: moving deep into enemy space and hitting military and industrial targets (thus freeing up fleet carriers for more important duties) and delivering strategic-level ordnance to enemy targets. Because of its mission parameters, the CSW's of attack carriers are devoted primarily to heavy bombers and occasionally gunboats, with limited fighter escort available. Standard strategic ordnance includes implosion and black hole munitions (Tannhäuser weapons being far too large for bombers to deliver), with more conventional, albeit high-yield, ordnance occasionally being used depending on the target. CVA's also have extensive EW suites, as well as a top-of-the-line cloaking device.
Light Carrier (CVL): A scaled down version of the fleet carrier, light fleet carriers act as a multipurpose carrier that can carry out a wide assortment of duties, ranging from fleet support via its CSW to commanding smaller task groups and formations. While their smaller size means that they can only carry half to two-thirds of the starfighter compliment of a fleet carrier, their speed and more prodigious nature allows them to act as rapid response carriers in far-flung sectors or to provide additional starfighter support for fleets and convoys. Like fleet carriers, light carriers have very little in the way of anti-ship weapons and are dependent on its escorts and starfighter wings for defense. Their hull and battlescreens, however, are surprisingly durable, with the largest light carriers having battlecruiser level defenses.
Escort Carrier (CVE): Dirt cheap and easy to build in huge numbers, escort carriers, like its name suggests, are devoted primarily to escorting convoys through dangerous space and providing additional starfighter support for escort ships that have little to no starfighter escort. During times of total war, escort carriers are often constructed from re-appropriated freighters or cruise liners, or the hulls of scrapped ships. In addition to the already mentioned duties, CVE's are also often used for hunter-killer missions against raiders or Q-ships.
Cruisers
Large Cruiser (CB): Often referred to as an intermediary between battlecruisers and heavy cruisers, large cruisers (technically large heavy cruisers) are the kings of cruisers. Designed to hunt down and destroy heavy cruisers and other lighter warships, large cruisers maintain powerful heavy gun and missile armaments, as well as an oversized reactor plant to boot. Like fast battleships, their engines are also uncommonly large and powerful, allowing them to chase down faster warships and act as heavy raiders. Large cruisers do not carry any on-board parasite craft other than shuttles, and can often be found acting as cruiser leaders in addition to their regular cruiser killer duties. Despite their robustness, a large cruiser would be hard pressed to fight a battlecruiser, let alone a ship of the wall.
Heavy Cruiser (CA): The jack-of-all-trades of many navies, heavy cruisers are long-ranged vessels that balance the robustness of a large cruiser with the speed of a light cruiser. Because of this, heavy cruisers undertake a myriad array of missions, including 'showing the flag', screening for larger warships, and, most famously, long-range, independent patrols. As such, heavy cruisers have high endurance and have the supplies and facilities necessary to operate away from their bases for very long periods of time. Heavy carriers, in addition to their support craft, also carry a small force of starfighters for tactical support. Many subtypes of heavy cruisers exist, such as gun cruisers, guided missile cruisers (CG), scout cruisers, and command cruisers. Due to the 'lone wolf' nature of some of the ship's missions, heavy cruisers are often one of the most sought after commands for captains.
Light Cruiser (CL): The light cruiser is a fast screening ship designed to hunt down and destroy destroyers, attack ships, and starfighters via its versatile array of anti-starship and anti-starfighter weapons. Against other cruisers, a light cruiser can perform admirably by using its agility, weapon power, and defenses. Light cruisers lack the diversity of their heavier siblings, but still include several subtypes that are important for a fleet. Escort cruisers (which tend to have heavy missile armaments) provide area defense and a stable platform against light craft, while torpedo cruisers sacrifice most of their armament for massive batteries of torpedo tubes that can threaten even dreadnoughts at close range, for example. Like their heavier siblings, light cruisers can also carry a small starfighter compliment.
Escorts
Destroyer Leader (DL): A larger and more potent version of the common destroyer, destroyer leaders (sometimes referred to as fleet destroyers) are the principal ship used in commanding destroyer formations or other formations of escort ships. While it does have more firepower and stronger armor/battlescreens, the main feature of a destroyer leader is its massively expanded command and control and datalink systems. Said systems allow for destroyer and escort divisions to act as one networked warship, synchronizing their movements and fire control systems to devastating effect.
Destroyer (DD): The most common medium-weight warship seen in the galaxy, destroyers serve as the principal main screening unit and convoy protection craft in many navies. Capable of chasing down lighter warships yet heavy enough to lead independent missions, destroyers may be insignificant when compared to other naval titans, but can still reduce worlds to molten slag given enough time, as well as deliver both starfighter and troop formations and their vehicles to hot spots throughout the galaxy. Destroyer subtypes include torpedo destroyers, guided missile destroyers, and destroyer-carriers. Destroyers are typically the smallest warship to have class names and individual ship names. DD's are often lovingly referred to by their crew as 'tin cans'.
Destroyer Escort (DE): A smaller, slower version of the destroyer, destroyer escorts are designed primarily to escort convoys and provide anti-starfighter and anti-attack ship defense. Destroyer escorts maintain the gun armaments of a destroyer, but lack its torpedo and missile armaments and have reduced starfighter and troop transport capabilities. While slow, they do enjoy surprising range when compared to lesser escorts, and have much greater durability than a frigate or corvette.
Frigate (FF): Usually used for anti-piracy and light combat duties, frigates are general purpose warships used for patrolling the space lanes and providing 'presence' for their patron nations in remote sectors. Unlike destroyer escorts, which can operate independently, frigates are normally short-ranged craft that are dependent on tenders for support. Longer-ranged and more heavily armed versions, known as fleet frigates, lack those restrictions, however, and are often attached to larger ships as escorts and secondary screens.
Corvette (K): Corvettes are small, fast warships that are dirt cheat and used for a staggering multitude of tasks. Often seen patrolling calmer areas or acting as a picket, corvettes are also extremely suitable for interdiction and raiding campaigns against merchant convoys and logistic trains behind enemy lines. To this end, raider corvettes are fitted with high grade ECM gear and extremely efficient cloaking devices, as well as FTL-capable anti-starship torpedoes (not to be confused with their much larger capital-grade brethren) to take out thin skinned starships with one or two hits. Their surprising punch has resulting in raider corvettes being a common sight on many carriers and larger warships, which carry at least a few of them to compliment their longer range craft, such as gunboats and heavy starfighters.
Others
Planetary Assault Lander(LPA): A hybrid troop transport/carrier/mobile fortress, planetary assault landers are the main type of starship used in planetary invasions. The ship's starfighter compliment and heavy weapons (biased toward the planetary bombardment role, but still capable of engaging warships) are used to break through battlescreens and clear landing zones of all hostiles before a LPA lands and unleashes its cargo. The sheer size of a planetary lander allows it to not only deploy vast quantities of troops and their heaviest weapons, such as planetary assault vehicles, but also to act as its garrison (at least until a proper base can be built) and stronghold. In the case of the latter, a LPA can deliver strategic-level ordnance across vast distances and, if necessary, use its propulsion systems (typically its counter-gravity generators) to transport itself to the front lines and provide direct fire support. Referred to by its crew as battle barges, planetary assault landers have become one of the most treasured assets of any army or marine force in operation in the galaxy.
Monitor (BM): Built on battleship-scale hulls, monitors are that are loaded to the brim with massive amounts of weapons, defenses, and reactors, but at the cost of almost no interstellar travel capability. As such, monitors are strictly system defense craft that guard homesapce and supply lines from enemy raiders. Compared to other ships of the wall, monitors are much cheaper to construct, resulting in an economy of force in their use as garrison units. Because of their semi-modular construction process, monitors can swap in and out a wide variety of weapon systems to suit their needs. Variations of the design, known as fleet monitors, convert the typical monitor into a interstellar-grade siege ship, whose massive weapon banks are designed to crack open even the strongest defenses.
Fleet Tender (FT): Having more in common with a naval station than anything else, fleet tenders are massive starships that are designed to provide virtually every service imaginable to whole fleets. Not only do said ships maintain the neutronium generators necessary to provide fuel for the fleet and the massive hydroponic farms to feed its spacemen, but they can also repair (and given enough time, build) warships and undertake their own construction projects via their hyperfabricating nanolathes. Left to its own devices and with access to sufficient raw materials, a fleet tender or group of fleet tenders can create a self-sustaining fortress in what was once a barren star system. Fleet tenders tend to vary in size, with fleet and armada-level formations typically receiving more comprehensive versions. Those naval formations that operate far from nearby bases for extended periods of time, such as those belonging to the Imperial Commonwealth's Royal Extragalactic Forces or the United States S.T.R.I.K.E. Command, in contrast, make use of some of the largest and most comprehensive fleet tenders available.
Pocket Battleship (BL): In reality a heavy cruiser in terms of tonnage, pocket battleships are heavy cruisers equipped with battleship-grade weaponry that could, in theory, destroy anything smaller than it and outrun anything larger than it. While in theory the pocket battleship had some potential and could certainly devastate lighter ships, in reality they proved to be unable to cope with the speed and firepower of large cruisers or battlecruisers, which could chase them down and rip them to shreds. Despite that, the design occasionally reappears every so often within the navies of certain powers. Unfortunately, the design has also occasionally shown up in the arsenals of certain pirate kingdoms.
Combat Planetoid (CP): Combat Planetoids (also known as battlemoons or warmoons) are the single largest class of starship that have been used within the Milky Way. Starting at 500 kilometers in diameter and going up to 1000+, combat planetoids are mobile fortress worlds, capable destroying whole worlds and armadas singlehandedly and pacifying entire sectors with its on-board fleet of warships, clouds of starfighters, and vast armies. Capable of immense power projection and seemingly unlimited range, combat planetoids are also very expensive and time consuming to make (at least in comparison to conventional starships). In addition, there is also the concern of the 'all your eggs in one basket' phenomena. Used occasionally, combat planetoids, as of right now, are not being fielding by any polity in the Milky Way. Rumors, however, are circulating that the Imperial Commonwealth may be considering reviving the terrible monster...