TCS Vesuvius
|
|
The Vesuvius-class Heavy Fleet Carrier is a fictional starship in the Wing Commander universe. The first operational ship of this class, TCS Vesuvius was commissioned in 2673.
The Vesuvius was not particularly fast but it was exceptionally well-armed and carried the largest air wing of any known carrier at 400 fighters. She implemented the latest Kilrathi technology (acquired following their defeat) and was considered to superficially resemble modern Kilrathi warships. While not the longest Confederation carrier built, she was the most massive at 250,000 tons standard displacement.
Her gun armament consisted of 14 antimatter guns, 16 mass driver turrets and 24 dual-laser turrets. Two torpedo tubes were also installed, seemingly as a virtual afterthought.
CV-70, TCS Vesuvius was destroyed by the Union of Border Worlds not long after her commissioning.
CV-71, TCS Mt. St. Helens was hijacked by the Union of Border Worlds forces during her engine shakedown cruise, and was then used to damage the Vesuvius in combat. Following the Border Worlds conflict the Mt. St. Helens was returned to Confederation service. During the second wave of the 2681 Nephilim attacks, the Mt. St. Helens was ambushed and destroyed.
Another Vesuvius-class ship, the TCS Eisen, saw operational service against the Nephilim and supported TCS Midway in repelling the first invasion wave coming out of Kilrathi space. She was named after the legendary Rear Admiral William Eisen, who commanded the ship that launched the final strike against Kilrah; she is the only ship not named for a mountain.
Several other carriers of this class were completed, including the TCS McKinley.