Capital ship/Legends

"Capital starships serve many functions: exploration, transportation, tourism, and – especially in recent times – war."

―Commander Elpfel, commanding officer of the Mon Calamari cruiser Wavesong^[1]

A capital ship was any armed military starship over one hundred meters long. Ships of this class ranged from small and nimble corvettes like the Corellian Engineering Corporation CR90 corvette to titanic Star Dreadnoughts, such as the Kuat Drive Yards Eclipse.

History

"But these instruments of destruction have their weaknesses as well. High power consumption, low maneuverability; complex redundant system design, large crew requirements, tactical disadvantages against small starfighters - luckily for the galaxy, these ships are not unstoppable, though they come closer than any other weapon in recorded history…"

―Commander Elpfel^[1]

*Venator*-class Star Destroyers were the primary capital ship of the Republic during the Clone Wars

Ships of this class were typically designed for fleet warfare, often positioned in armadas stationed in high orbit around a strategic planet. They formed the primary attack groups in most fleets. There were, however, exceptions to the typical definition. For example, the Sienar Fleet Systems GAT-12 Skipray Blastboat was considered a capital ship because of its heavy armament, despite being a mere twenty-five meters in length and operating primarily in the role of a heavy assault starfighter.

These vessels were commonly fitted with ship-to-ship and anti-fighter defensive weaponry, ranging from heavy ion cannons to turbolaser turrets. Many capital-ship classes also served as carriers and were able to deploy starfighters, landing craft, and other resources as required.

Given their size, capital ships required relatively large crews, employing in some instances thousands of beings. An example was the Imperial-class Star Destroyer, which was 1,600 meters long and required a crew of 37,000 to operate at full efficiency. There were also examples that utilized substantially fewer active personnel, whether by means of advanced control systems or simple necessity, as in the cases of the Katana fleet and the Errant Venture, respectively.

Classification

The Anaxes War College System divided capital ships into seven main classifications.

Corvettes: Ships roughly 100–200 meters long^[2]
Frigates: Ships roughly 200–400 meters long^[2]
Cruisers: Ships roughly 400–600 meters long^[2]
- Dreadnaught-class heavy cruiser^[2]
Heavy cruisers: Ships roughly 600–1000 meters long^[2]
- Acclamator-class assault ship^[2]
- Victory-class Star Destroyer^[5]
Star Destroyers: Ships roughly 1000–2000 meters long^[2]
- Venator-class Star Destroyer^[6]
- Imperial-class Star Destroyer^[2]
Battlecruisers: Ships roughly 2000–5000 meters long^[2]
- Bulwark Mark III^[7]
- Praetor II-class Star Battlecruiser^[2]
Dreadnaughts: All ships over 5000 meters long^[2]
- Executor-class Star Dreadnought^[2]
- Eclipse-class dreadnought^[8]

A ship's classification could also depend on its armament and intended role. For example, the Carrack-class light cruiser's length of 350 meters would classify it as a frigate, but its armament and role sometimes caused it to be classified as a cruiser.^[2]