RA CLASS DREADNOUGHT
The classification "Dreadnought" had been retired from use in the unified Colonial Fleet by the time the specifications for what would eventually become the RA CLASS came into being.
As the TIGER CLASS Destroyers came into combat service with their specification that they be able to take out a Cylon Basestar or Gunstar by themselves - after the first battles the engagements were studied and a list of improvements were worked up for the design. One of the biggest was that though the TIGER CLASS was very effective against the Cylon warships as long as they had some kind of fighter support to keep the Cylon fighters from interfering in the fight.
A personal project of the legendary Commander Cain - he worked up the specifications and pushed the project of the "Super-Destroyer" through all the red tape of the bureaus of Colonial Fleet Headquarters. After using all his influence to get the project going - a Battlestar under early construction was ordered converted to the design to get the project completed as soon as possible (much to the
VERY vocal protests from many High Officers in the Fleet that felt that construction of Battlestars would better benefit the war effort).
The new design combined the already extensive firepower of the Destroyers weapons with the KEW railgun killing power of the older Battlecruisers on a Battlestar size hull with it's massive engines to make a truly formidable anti-ship platform. As a nod to the new era of Fighter to Fighter combat the ship also incorporated a single, standard sized Battlestar Hangar Bay pod capable of both launching, servicing & landing aircraft under combat conditions.
The term "Super-Destroyer" didn't stick for long as it was so different from the standard Basestar Destroyers in the Colonial Fleet so the term "Dreadnought" was resurrected for the type. The lead ship was name
RA in honor of the Sun God as worshiped by some sects of the Colonials. However after the completion of the
RA no further ships of this class or type were built due to the overwhelming need for new Battlestars.
The
RA had a very impressive career as flagship of the 5th Destroyer Squadron with Commander Cain's 5th Fleet taking part in many of his famous "Hit & Fade" operations - including probably the most famous - the strike on the Cylon Shipyards that destroyed over 50 major warships. However the
RA was destroyed with the rest of the Colonial Fleet's Destroyers during the ill-fated Battle of Molecay.
RA CLASS DREADNOUGHT:
LENGTH: 1,385 meters
STANDARD CREW: 2,200 Officers and Crew
PASSENGERS: 500 Marines
ARMAMENT:
2x Super-Heavy Turbo-Laser Cannons (Lower Bow)
4x Heavy, Turbo-Laser Cannons (two in each wing)
4x Twin, Super Heavy, Anti-Ship Class KEW Turrets
4x Twin, Medium, Anti-Ship Class KEW Turrets
12x Heavy, Solonite Missile Tubes (Reloadable) (500 Megaton Thunderbolt anti-ship/anti-surface missiles)
12x Twin, Heavy Dual-Purpose Blaster Batteries
40x Twin, Light Point-Defense Blaster Batteries
AIRWING:
2x Squadrons Viper Mk.I Fighters (24 aircraft each)
2x Squadrons Adder Mk.II Strike Fighters (24 aircraft each)
2x Condor Class Drop-Ships
1x Transport Flight - 6x Alpha Class Shuttles - 6x Micro-Shuttles