Post by Rose on Apr 23, 2007 15:11:39 GMT -5
Republic Assault Ship
Basic Information -
Size: 752 meters long
Manufacturer: Rothana Heavy Engineering
Type: Acclamator-Class Trans-Galactic Military Transport Ship
Weapon: 12 Quad Turbolaser Turrets; 24 Laser Cannons; 4 Missile/Torpedo Tubes
Affiliation: Galactic Republic
Associations: Republic Assault Ship
While the Kaminoans labored to perfect an indomitable clone army, the neighboring shipyards of Rothana were subcontracted to develop the hardware, armor and transports for the new infantry. The bold lines and stark silhouettes of the resulting craft were departures from the polished craftsmanship of personalized styles that marked the final Republic era. Instead, the wedge-shaped assault ships were foreboding harbingers of the new era to come. At the start of the Clone Wars, the Republic used these titanic transport vessels to deliver clone troopers to the battlefields of Geonosis. Though large, the transports were capable of operating and landing within a planetary atmosphere, deploying hundreds of troops and their vehicles into combat. On Coruscant, an immense staging area of thousands of troops boarded waiting assault ships, ready to continue the fight to preserve the Republic on distant worlds. The long-standing rift between the commerce guilds and Kuat Drive Yards was aggravated when the Neimoidians took control of the Trade Federation, in an event that resulted in the deaths of key Kuati executives.
Distancing themselves from the other corporate titans, KDY partnered instead with the Supreme Chancellery, developing such vessels as the Delta-7 starfighter for the Jedi order. The secret KDY subsidiary on Rothana crafted the Acclamator-class transport ship. Though designated a transport, the vessel carries enough firepower to be a considerable threat without its carried forces. A dozen quad turbolaser turrets line its surface, supplemented by 24 laser cannons and four missile / torpedo launch tubes. So effective and impressive were the Acclamator designs that many leading shipbuilders looked on with envy, and began incorporating similar concepts into their own fleets. Rendili Stardrive followed a few short years later with the development of their historic Victory-class Star Destroyers. The Republic assault ship can carry four dozen AT-TEs, three dozen SPHA-Ts, 320 speeder bikes, 80 Republic gunships, and 16,000 clone troopers.