Hermes
Craft: FNASS Hermes
Type: second-line light starfighter carrier
Scale: capital
Dimensions: length 182.3 m, beam 21.4 m
Crew: 636, gunners: 24
Passengers: up to 240 (pilots and other aircrew)
Cargo: 185 tons (not including hangars)
Consumables: 10 months
Hyperdrive: none
Maneuverability: 0D
Space: 3
Hull: 2D
Shields: 0D+2
Sensors: 10/0D; 15/0D+2; 25/1D; 1/1D+2
Weapons:
6 Light Laser Cannons
Fa: 1 front-port, 1 front-starboard, 2 aft-port, 2 aft-starboard
Crew: 3
Fc: 0D+2
Space range: 2-8/25/50
Damage: 3D+1
3 Heavy Blaster Cannon
Fa: 2 front-port-starboard, 1 aft-port-starboard
Crew: 2
Fc: 1D
Space range: 2-8/25/50
Damage: 1D+2
Starfighters: 20
Capsule: The Hermes was the first FNA starfighter carrier actually designed as such, rather than being converted from another ship. Unfortunately she was designed at a time when the FNA had very little operational experience with carriers, and she shows several glaring design flaws as a result. Chief amongst these was the simple fact that she had been built too small, which prompted the HPL to repeat this error the following year. It should be noted however, that the Hermes carries almost as many starfighters as the converted Eagle, despite being much smaller. Another oddity in the construction of the Hermes is her weaponry. At the time of her design it was not believed that starfighters alone would be able to repel enemy capital ships, and so she was designed with anti-capital ship weaponry rather than the anti-starfighter weaponry which is much more important to carriers. The Hermes has served valiantly despite these drawbacks, although the fact that she was obsolete almost as soon as she was built had relegated her to lower-threat areas, such as hunting for HPL commerce raiders, and performing reconnaissance missions. The Hermes has more than adequately demonstrated the value of even a small flight deck where no other starfighter support exists, but was lost to HPL starfighters. At the time of her loss she was carrying no starfighters.
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