Made by Damorian Manufacturing Corporation for the Galactic Republic, the Carrack Class light cruiser is a dedicated combat platform that appeared toward the end of the Clone Wars. It was designed as an affordable and heavily gunned alternative to expensive capital ships. In addition to being capable of fending off smaller ships by itself, the Carrack can also carry a small complement of TIE fighters and assault craft.
Although small in scale relative to contemporary capital ships, the 350m long 72m wide and 75m tall Carrack Class has become important addition to Galactic Empire and the Imperial Navy. Born out of battle, the small combat cruisers are heavily armed and can match the straight line speed of starfighters. Carracks are not designed to operate as ships of the line, but is capable of trading fire with vessels far beyond it size.
Design
Developed toward the end of the Clone War, the Carrack Class combines substantial combat firepower and crew survivability with speed. The long, blocky design features a stout, reinforced and compartmentalized hull that spreads essential systems across 12 partitioned decks throughout the ship. With few exceptions, each compartment and associated partitioned decks are equipped with reserve power, fire control, shield, computer, life support, and damage control systems with auto-sealing bulkheads and blast doors. In the event of a hull breach, a damaged compartment is automatically sealed off from the rest of the ship thus limiting further damage from explosion or catastrophic decompression. Additionally, because systems are spread throughout the ship, no single hit can disable shields or weapons so if its engines are disabled and the vessel is immobilized, a Carrack Class can continue to defend and fight.
The vessel can adapt to a wide variety of atmospheric conditions and is equipped with landing gear; it cannot, however, float on the surface of water or other body of liquid without the aid of its engines and power generators.
Armament is formidable in relation to the size of the ship. A total of 30 weapons hard points can be found across its hull: six (6) fore, seven (7) port, seven (7) starboard, six (6) aft, and four (4) dorsal. In addition, each ship of the class sports one (1) fore, two (2) port, and two (2) starboard tractor beam projectors. Both armor and shield generators are oversized relative to the hull.
The aft third of the overall hull is largely dedicated to power and engines. The original Carrack Class design incorporated twelve (12) ion sublight engines in canted in a downward direction to improve vertical takeoff thrust and increase maneuverability. Two (2) ionization reactors are located on either side of the aft engine module with the main power generators and reserve power cells located immediately ahead of the ion engine module. Each ship of the class is equipped with a primary and backup hyperdrive.
The standard Carrack Class communications and sensor package is military grade with significant upgrades for encrypted communication and hardened systems automation. The 30 weapons systems and five heavy tractor beam projectors can individually acquire, track and attack targets at each firing station or can be grouped in any combination (including the entire vessel) for concentrated fire on a single target. Both the Fast-Attack and Anti-Starfighter variants can be further linked across Carrack Class ships to create an automated multi-vessel anti-starship blockade, sharing sensor, targeting and firing data across all ships.
Because the ship is designed to survive virtually any anticipated combat scenario, the hull does away with large, vulnerable voids such as hanger and cargo bays. Instead, it relies on traditional freighter-style airlocks, lifts, and ventral mooring points for landing craft and/or racks for TIE fighters. Designed cargo capacity is 3,500 metric tons, however loading is limited to freighter and shuttle-style containers that can be guided aboard a standard cargo ramp or lift. Maximum cargo deck height is 3m.
The ship is equipped with a full complement of escape pods, the majority of which are 700-series single-use escape boats with a capacity of eight (8) people per boat. Ten (10) 700-series escape pods located in the forward mid-deck region of the hull are mounted in reusable launch tubes and serve as light duty ship-to-ship and ship-to-surface shuttles.
The original crew compliment was 1,092 with an army/marine contingent of 142 soldiers with life support and supplies for one standard year. With improvements in automation and integration of post-Clone War droid capabilities, it is not uncommon to see Carrack Class ships with 500 crew or significantly less — even as few as two: captain/pilot and navigator/engineer. As a result, Carrack Class light cruisers can often be spotted far from supply bases and on missions where access to supplies is limited.
Variants
Three major variants have been developed during the production run of the Carrack Class Light Cruisers. Later modifications largely involved changes to the aft engine module and fore bridge configuration.
Fast-Attack Escort
The Fast-Attack Escort variant loads the hard points with a combination of turbolasers and ion cannons for neutralizing capital ships:
- Fore: Two (2) Heavy Turbolasers, Four (4) Heavy Ion Cannons, One (1) Heavy Tractor Beam
- Port: Three (3) Heavy Turbolasers, Four (4) Heavy Ion Cannons, Two (2) Heavy Tractor Beams
- Starboard: Three (3) Heavy Turbolasers, Four (4) Heavy Ion Cannons, Two (2) Heavy Tractor Beams
- Aft: Two (2) Heavy Turbolasers, Four (4) Heavy Ion Cannons
- Dorsal: Four (4) Heavy Ion Cannons
The sensor and communications package includes the multi-vessel targeting and fire control link suite, and long-range active and passive sensors. The vessel is equipped with a Class 2 hyperdrive and a Class 12 backup, and an external rack/mooring for up to four (4) TIE fighters or one (1) Gamma Class ATR-6 assault transport (or equivalent).
| Class | Type | Model | Profile | |
| Carrack Class | Light Cruiser | Fast-Attack Escort | Capital Ship | |
| Silhouette | Speed | Handling | HT Thresh | SS Thresh |
| 6 | 4 | -1 | 60 | 40 |
| Armor | Defense: Fore | Defense: Port | Defense: SB | Defense: Aft |
| 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Classification | Cargo Capacity | Life Support | Fuel | |
| Military | 3500 metric tons | 454,000 person-days | 368 operating days | |
| Length | Height | Width | Crew | Passengers |
| 350 meters | 75 meters | 72 meters | 1092; 2 min. | Up to 142 troops |
| Ship Component | Description | |||
| Bridge | Twin-deck, capital ship-style bridge with high visibility, reinforced viewing panels. | |||
| Cargo Hold/Storage | No single large-span cargo bay. Loading is limited to freighter and shuttle-style containers that can be guided aboard a standard cargo ramp or lift. Maximum cargo deck height is 3m. | |||
| Communications | Military encrypted communications with multiple holovid terminals | |||
| Droid Support (Unique) | No custom droids | |||
| Emergency Systems | Multiple Ghtroc 700-series single use life boats; ten (10) Ghtroc 700-series escape pods located in the forward mid-deck region of the hull mounted in reusable launch tubes to serve as light duty ship-to-ship and ship-to-surface shuttles. Compartmentalized hull design. | |||
| Hyperdrive (Primary) | 2 | |||
| Hyperdrive (Backup) | 12 | |||
| Landing/Hanger Bay | None. External ventral rack for up to four (4) TIE fighters or one (1) Gamma Class ATR-6 (or equivalent) | |||
| Landing Gear | Multi-surface hard pad landing struts. | |||
| Navicomputer | Military grade | |||
| Sensors | Multi-vessel targeting and fire control link suite, and long-range active and passive sensors | |||
| Shield Emitters | Military grade -- fore, port, starboard, and aft. | |||
| Sublight Engines | 12 ion sublight engines | |||
| Transponder | Military grade | |||
| Armament | DMG/Crit | Range | Detail | |
| Heavy Turbolasers | 11/3 | Long | Breach 4, Slow-Firing 2 | |
| Heavy Ion Cannons | 7/4 | Medium | Ion | |
| Heavy Tractor Beams | --/-- | Short | Tractor 6 | |
Anti-Starfighter Escort
The Anti-Starfighter Escort variant loads the hard points with a combination of turbolasers and point-defense laser cannons for neutralizing small vessels and starfighters:
- Fore: Two (2) Heavy Turbolasers, Four (4) Heavy Laser Cannons, One (1) Heavy Tractor Beam
- Port: Three (3) Heavy Turbolasers, Four (4) Heavy Laser Cannons, Two (2) Heavy Tractor Beams
- Starboard: Three (3) Heavy Turbolasers, Four (4) Heavy Laser Cannons, Two (2) Heavy Tractor Beams
- Aft: Two (2) Heavy Turbolasers, Four (4) Heavy Laser Cannons
- Dorsal: Four (4) Heavy Laser Cannons
The sensor and communications package includes the multi-vessel targeting and fire control link suite, and long-range active and passive sensors. The vessel is equipped with a Class 2 hyperdrive and a Class 12 backup, and an external rack/mooring for up to four (4) TIE fighters or one (1) Gamma Class ATR-6 assault transport (or equivalent).
| Class | Type | Model | Profile | |
| Carrack Class | Light Cruiser | Anti-Starfighter Escort | Capital Ship | |
| Silhouette | Speed | Handling | HT Thresh | SS Thresh |
| 6 | 4 | -1 | 60 | 40 |
| Armor | Defense: Fore | Defense: Port | Defense: SB | Defense: Aft |
| 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Classification | Cargo Capacity | Life Support | Fuel | |
| Military | 3500 metric tons | 454,000 person-days | 368 operating days | |
| Length | Height | Width | Crew | Passengers |
| 350 meters | 75 meters | 72 meters | 1092; 2 min. | Up to 142 troops |
| Ship Component | Description | |||
| Bridge | Twin-deck, capital ship-style bridge with high visibility, reinforced viewing panels. | |||
| Cargo Hold/Storage | No single large-span cargo bay. Loading is limited to freighter and shuttle-style containers that can be guided aboard a standard cargo ramp or lift. Maximum cargo deck height is 3m. | |||
| Communications | Military encrypted communications with multiple holovid terminals | |||
| Droid Support (Unique) | No custom droids | |||
| Emergency Systems | Multiple Ghtroc 700-series single use life boats; ten (10) Ghtroc 700-series escape pods located in the forward mid-deck region of the hull mounted in reusable launch tubes to serve as light duty ship-to-ship and ship-to-surface shuttles. Compartmentalized hull design. | |||
| Hyperdrive (Primary) | 2 | |||
| Hyperdrive (Backup) | 12 | |||
| Landing/Hanger Bay | None. External ventral rack for up to four (4) TIE fighters or one (1) Gamma Class ATR-6 (or equivalent) | |||
| Landing Gear | Multi-surface hard pad landing struts. | |||
| Navicomputer | Military grade | |||
| Sensors | Multi-vessel targeting and fire control link suite, and long-range active and passive sensors | |||
| Shield Emitters | Military grade -- fore, port, starboard, and aft. | |||
| Sublight Engines | 12 ion sublight engines | |||
| Transponder | Military grade | |||
| Armament | DMG/Crit | Range | Detail | |
| Heavy Turbolasers | 11/3 | Long | Breach 4, Slow-Firing 2 | |
| Heavy Laser Cannons | 6/3 | Short | ||
| Heavy Tractor Beams | --/-- | Short | Tractor 6 | |
Special Operations Escort
The Special Operations Escort variant loads the hard points with a combination of ion cannons and laser cannons for neutralizing ships and engaging in boarding activities:
- Fore: Two (2) Medium Ion Cannons, Four (4) Heavy Laser Cannons, One (1) Heavy Tractor Beam
- Port: Three (3) Medium Ion Cannons, Four (4) Heavy Laser Cannons, Two (2) Heavy Tractor Beams
- Starboard: Three (3) Medium Ion Cannons, Four (4) Heavy Laser Cannons, Two (2) Heavy Tractor Beams
- Aft: Two (2) Medium Ion Cannons, Four (4) Heavy Laser Cannons
- Dorsal: Four (4) Heavy Laser Cannons
The sensor and communications package includes long-range active and passive sensors and an ECM suite. Note: the Special Operations Escort variant does NOT include the multi-vessel targeting and fire control link suite as it can be a security weakness in clandestine operations. The vessel is equipped with a Class 0.95 hyperdrive and a Class 12 backup, and an external rack/mooring for up to four (4) TIE fighters or one (1) Gamma Class ATR-6 assault transport (or equivalent). The crew compliment of this variant varies by mission.
| Class | Type | Model | Profile | |
| Carrack Class | Light Cruiser | Special Operations | Capital Ship | |
| Silhouette | Speed | Handling | HT Thresh | SS Thresh |
| 6 | 4 | -1 | 60 | 40 |
| Armor | Defense: Fore | Defense: Port | Defense: SB | Defense: Aft |
| 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Classification | Cargo Capacity | Life Support | Fuel | |
| Military | 1200 metric tons. Cargo spaces configured for secure storage and detention blocks. | 454,000 person-days | 368 operating days | |
| Length | Height | Width | Crew | Passengers |
| 350 meters | 75 meters | 72 meters | 1092; 2 min. | Up to 142 troops |
| Ship Component | Description | |||
| Bridge | Twin-deck, capital ship-style bridge with high visibility, reinforced viewing panels. | |||
| Cargo Hold/Storage | No single large-span cargo bay; partitioned into secure holding compartments for both cargo and detainees. Loading is limited to freighter and shuttle-style containers that can be guided aboard a standard cargo ramp or lift. Maximum cargo deck height is 3m. | |||
| Communications | Military encrypted communications with multiple holovid terminals. Hardened for clandestine operations. | |||
| Droid Support (Unique) | No custom droids | |||
| Emergency Systems | Multiple Ghtroc 700-series single use life boats; ten (10) Ghtroc 700-series escape pods located in the forward mid-deck region of the hull mounted in reusable launch tubes to serve as light duty ship-to-ship and ship-to-surface shuttles. Compartmentalized hull design. | |||
| Hyperdrive (Primary) | 0.95 | |||
| Hyperdrive (Backup) | 12 | |||
| Landing/Hanger Bay | None. External ventral rack for up to four (4) TIE fighters or one (1) Gamma Class ATR-6 (or equivalent) | |||
| Landing Gear | Multi-surface hard pad landing struts. | |||
| Navicomputer | Military grade | |||
| Sensors | Automated targeting and fire control, long-range active and passive sensors, and ECM package | |||
| Shield Emitters | Military grade -- fore, port, starboard, and aft. | |||
| Sublight Engines | 12 ion sublight engines | |||
| Transponder | Military grade. Multiple transponder settings and ship masking. | |||
| Armament | DMG/Crit | Range | Detail | |
| Medium Ion Canons | 6/4 | Short | Ion | |
| Heavy Laser Cannons | 6/3 | Short | ||
| Heavy Tractor Beams | --/-- | Short | Tractor 6 | |