Indefatigable class
The Indefatigable-class was born out of Shildonian Naval Procurement Requirement 2005\0a\8q, which called for a method of providing heavy support to amphibious assault operations in all weather conditions. In the past this role has been carried out by Naval Aviation, primarily the A-5 Centaur, but many senior officers felt that this drew valuable assets away from carrying out bombing raids against enemy infrastructure. As a result, the Indefatigable-class was born.
At 281 metres long, and with a beam of 37 metres the Indefatigable-class is the largest non-aircraft carrier in the fleet. They are also the first battleships to built for the Shildonian Navy for almost forty years, and as such necessitated the construction of new port facilities to enable basing and maintainance.
The Indefatigable class carries a crew of 2000, with additional berthing for up 200 marines available in wartime.
Operational Usage
The Indefatigable-class has yet to see service in combat, though examples of the class are typically deployed with Shildonian Navy Carrier Battle Groups and Shildonian Navy Amphibious Assault Groups.
Specifications
Length: 281 metres
Beam: 37 metres
Displacement: 60,500 tons empty, 71,000 tons fully loaded
Powerplant: 2x nuclear reactors, driving five propellers
Crew: 1800 Enlisted, 200 Officers
Primary Armament: 9x 400mm cannon in three tripple turrets
Secondary Armament: 16x 125mm cannon, 8 on either side
Defensive Armament: 128 VLS cells, capable of holding a combination of SAM, SSM, AShM and ASuM, 6x Vanguard-class CIWS turrets
Aircraft: 4x Apaches for reconnaissance\attack. Capability to land but not maintain Osprey-class cargo plane.
