Type: Conestoga Class Transport
In Service: N/A
Number in Service: 0
Mass: 650,000
KF Integrity: 14
Sail Integrity: 4
Thrust: 3/5
Fuel: 15,000 tons
SI: 47
Armor: 609 tons Standard Armor (Fore: 46 Sides: 47 Aft: 40)
Heatsinks: 1000
Docking Collars: 13
Fighters: 48
Small Craft: 16
Crew: 80 officers, 320 enlisted 31 gunners
Crew/Passenger Quarters - 400 1st Class, 2000 2nd Class
Lifeboats: 275
Escape Pods: 200
Grav Deck: 3 (1 200 Meter, 2 300 Meter)
Cargo: 114,257.5 tons
Other Equipment:
Bays:
Bay 1: Fighters (24) 4 doors
Bay 2: Fighters (24) 4 doors
Bay 3: Small Craft (16) 4 doors
Bay 4: Cargo 2 doors
Weapons:
Forward:
3 NL/45
2 Light NPPC
3 LRM 15
Fore Left/Right:
3 White Shark
1 NL/35
3 SRM6
LBS/RBS:
2 NAC/10
6 AC/5
Aft Left/Right:
3 White Sharks
Aft:
2 NL/35
2 NAC/10
Ammo:
240 White Shark Missiles
120 rounds NAC/10 Ammo
15 tons LRM 15 ammo
40 tons SRM 6 Ammo
20 tons AC/5 Ammo
Overview:
In 2550, the Taurian Navy issued a request for a new warship. To the surprise of many observers, the Navy did not request a replacement for the aging Winchester and Dart Cruisers, but instead requested a that many have mistakenly referred to as a heavy troop transport and carrier. The proposed design, which was to be called the Conestoga, was a heavy transport intended to operate along the fringes of Taurian space. During the first half of the 26th Century, the Taurian Concordat was rapidly expanding and colonizing new worlds. As these worlds spread further and further from the Hyades Cluster, they became more vulnerable to pirates and raiders, especially those who preferred to attack the vulnerable shipping vessels. Unable to assign large numbers of the Navy’s line vessels to convoy and escort duty, the senior Admirals of the Taurian Navy instead decided to develop a new transport which could defend itself while operating in the wilds. The new design needed to be able to operate away from base for extended periods of time, while carrying large numbers of dropships and cargo. The ship also needed to be able to defend itself against the typical pirate forces that were found operating in these areas. Ultimately, due to massive miscalculations about the cost of the new design, the Conestoga concept was scrapped and the work completed to that point was used as the basis of the new Wagon Wheel Frigate.
Capabilities:
The Conestoga was designed to provide the Taurian Navy with a ship that combined a heavy lift capability with the ability to defend itself. While it was expected that the Conestoga would be pressed into service as a troop transport and carrier if a war should break out that was not the primary function of the ship.
The main feature of the Conestoga, and what ultimately led to it’s cancellation, was the array of 13 docking collars. The large number of docking collars required a large and expensive KF Core, far more complicated then anything the Taurians had ever built before. The cost of the KF Core quickly spiraled out of control and was the key reason for the redesign of the project. The reason for the large number of docking collars was that Taurian colony development experts determined the minimal requirement for a new colony mission was 10 Jumbo class dropships. The additional docking collars were intended for either extra cargo ships or military escorts.
As the Conestoga was intended to operate on the fringes of Taurian space it needed to be capable of operating independently for long periods of time. It was this requirement that dictated several other key design features. The extremely large fuel tank not only allowed extended operations, but it could also be used to refuel the dropships and fighters carried on the Conestoga. The design also featured an oversized crew, reduce the burden on the crew and providing additional maintenance personnel. To provide for the crews health and morale, the ship has 3 very large grav decks, gym facilities and spacious single and double occupancy quarters for the entire crew.
For self protection the Conestoga would have carried an array of standard and capital weapons. These were not intended to allow the ship to stand up to other warships but would have been more then adequate for countering dropships and fighters. The Conestoga could also carry 2 Air Divisions of fighters and 16 small craft, providing additional protection.
Deployment:
The Conestoga was canceled while still on the drawing board due to the huge cost overruns. As the basic hull was considered sound, the ship was reworked into a fast attack craft for the Taurian Navy, with the first Wagon Wheel Frigate being commissioned in 2570.
