SPECIFICATIONS


GOVERNMENT:United States SpaceNavy
TYPE: Corvette
MODEL: Type-59 class
DATE INTRODUCED: 2059 AD
LENGTH: 227.56 feet
WIDTH: 75 feet
HEIGHT: 50 feet
MATERIAL: Composite Alloy
POWER PLANT:
            Rokwheel RNR-7500 nuclear reactor
OUTPUT: 7500 megawatts
ARMOR TYPE: Composite Alloy
ARMOR THICKNESS: .5 inches
DISPLACEMENT: 900 tons
CREW: 24 (1 Operator/pilot, 2 Officers, 1 Medical, 17 Gunners, 1 Technician, 1 Electrician, 1 Engineer)

PROPULSION

             PRIMARY:
             1x Rocketdyne RFT-533 Fusion Thruster
             SPEED: 90,000 mph

             AUXILLIARY:
             4x Rocketdyne ID-296 ion drives
             SPEED: 25,000 mph each

WEAPONS:

             PRIMARY (OFFENSIVE):
             4x Norking LC-801 80-megawatt laser cannon turrets; Effective Range: 800 miles; Power Requirement: 80-megawatts; ROF: up to 6 blasts per minute.

             SECONDARY (OFFENSIVE):
            5x Bohing STL-02; Missile Type: MHST-01 2000-pound SMART-guided space torpedo; Effective Range: 27 miles; Payload: 10 space torpedoes each; ROF: 1 torpedo every 2 seconds per torpedo tube.

             PRIMARY (DEFENSIVE):
             8x Norking LC-402 dual 20-megawatt laser cannon turrets; Effective Range: 200 miles; Power Requirement: 40-megawatts; ROF: up to 12 blasts per minute.

ELECTRONICS:
             1x Microwave radio Communications array with a 1 AU range.
             1x Laser Communications array with a 1 AU range.
             1x RADAR sensor array with a 5000-mile range.
             1x Passive EMS sensor array with a 10,000-mile range.
             1x Active EMS Sensor array with a range of 50,000 miles.
             1x Gravitational Control/Antigravity unit Effect: provides artificial lift,g-force compensation and enhanced maneuverability.

DEFENSE SYSTEMS:
              6x Norking ND-90 90-megawatt nuclear dampener generators; RANGE: 9 miles; Effect: Random due to numerous variables. In general, the nuclear dampeners provided moderate to considerable resistance to energy weapons and were able to cause missile warheads to either explode or go inert within its area of effect.

Description/Overview:
          After the USSN space fleet of Kentucky class assault shuttles had been decimated in 2058 during the decisive battle of Juno; the USSN high command, under the leadership of Admiral Horatio Xavier, put into action a plan of immediate rearmament while they still had control of the planetoid Juno. Knowing that their remaining fleet—consisting of only 35 Kentucky class assault shuttles, and hundreds of captured UN cargo shuttles—was totally inadequate to fight against the superior UNSC warships. Of all the UNSC vessels the AS-03 was of primary concern to the USSN high command. The desperate situation the USSN found itself in as of 2058 caused Admiral Xavier to push his remaining forces and all the resources of Juno to their limits. From this desperate need to survive three new space warships were born. The first of the new USSN fleet was the Type-59 Corvette.
         While the Kentucky class had been built to fight a war against traditonal spacecraft like satellites, shuttles, and spacestations, the Type-59 was intended to fight in actual space warfare. In order to fight against the spacecraft of the UNSC fleet, the new USSN warship had to be fast, well armed, and have adequate defense systems to contend with the new UNSC fleet of assault shuttles, the SF-01, and the ST-52. It was with this criteria in mind that the Type-59 was intentionally modeled after a standard ocean-navy corvette in both size and function.
         The need for a fast moving warship caused the USSN design team to mount a large Rocketdyne RFT-533 fusion thruster capable of propelling the craft at 90,000 mph. This engine was viewed as being adequate for Juno-to-Earth travel, but not enough for travel within the inner sphere of the Sol starsystem. Therefore, four Rocketdyne ID-296 ion drives were added to the craft in order to provide an additional 100,000 mph of speed. Thus the combined speed of the Type-59 was 190,000 mph: more than enough to travel between the inner planets and the asteroid belt.
         The weapons of the Type-59 Corvette were vastly superior to those of the Kentucky class assault shuttle. With four single-barrel, Norking LC-801 80-megawatt laser cannon turrets as its primary offensive weaponry, the Type-59 could destroy any spacefighter or assault shuttle of the UNSC with a single well-placed barrage. Eight dual-barrel, Norking LC-402 40-megawatt laser cannon turrets acted as the primary anti-mecha/spacefighter weapons of the warship. These dual-barrel cannon turrets were mounted in key locations along the top and bottom of the hull of the vessel in order to maximize their defensive capability. The final armaments of the Type-59 were five Bohing STL-02 heavy space torpedo tubes. Each of these tubes carried ten MHST-01 medium-range heavy space torpedoes armed with HEAP warheads (nuclear only when needed). These warheads were capable of destroying practically any UNSC spacecraft, but were intended mostly to expediate the capture of Atlas class super-heavy transport ships/space-tugs.
         The Type-59 was the first USSN space vessel to be fitted with nuclear dampeners. Six Norking ND-90 90-megawatt nuclear dampener generators were fitted to the hull in concealed hardpoints. These generators gave the craft unprecedented protection for a warship of its era, and paved the way for use of the nuclear dampening systems in future generations of USSN/EFF spacecraft. It was also the first USSN craft to be fitted wtih a gravitational control unit (antigravity).
         The Type-59 Corvette proved to be such a major success as an escort that this class of vessel was produced in large numbers. The production rate at Juno was two ships per week from 2059 until 2068 when the Arctic class was introduced: for a total fleet of 1040 vessels at the end of production. The Type-59 Corvettes were engaged in combat almost as soon as the first squadron of 6 vessels was completed—after production began only six weeks earlier—and left the shipyards of Juno in 2059. These warships continued fighting until the last few months of the 1st Interplanetary War. After the 1st Interplanetary War was over, the Type-59 was upgraded to the Type-59/80 and used as the main escort vessel of battleships and cruisers of the Earth Federal SpaceNavy. It should be noted that these vessels are exclusive to the EFSN and were never used by the Earth Federal Space Marine forces.