Lost Reef The Lost Reef was a " DeepWater " - class light freighter produced by Mon Calamari Shipyards for the use of Mon Calamari Commercial Expeditionary Service . During its rule , the Galactic Empire dissolved that organization , and the " Lost Reef " was sold in auction . It was purchased by a Yarkora antiquities dealer , Saell - Terae , who used the ship to map the Unknown Regions . After an extended stay in the Unknown Regions Saell - Terae abandoned the " Lost Reef " and the ship was discovered empty and adrift near the Elrood sector , carrying three valuable statues in a hidden compartment as well as a dataplaque with astrogation charts for a part of the Unknown Regions . Around that time , the " Lost Reef " was coveted by its owner Saell - Terae , as well as by the Chiss Imperial officer Thrawn — he was interested in the three statues that the freighter carried , as their design would provide valuable information on his enemies . At some point before 0 . 8 ABY , the " Lost Reef " had fallen into Thrawn ' s hands . In turn , he presented the ship as a gift to his longtime friend , smuggler Jorj Car ' das . When the alien warlord Nuso Esva threatened the Poln system — located at the border between the Unknown Regions and the Empire — Thrawn enlisted Car ' das ' help . The " Lost Reef " was essential in turning the tide of the battle of the Poln system , when Thrawn used it to prevent a collision between the Imperial Star Destroyer " Chimaera " and the Golan station guarding Poln Major . Description . The " Lost Reef " was one of the 10 , 000 " DeepWater " - class light freighters that Mon Calamari Shipyards built for use by the Mon Calamari Commercial Expeditionary Service before the Galactic Empire dissolved the organization . As was typical with Mon Calamari starship designs , the " Lost Reef " had unique features , which differentiated it in small , mostly cosmetic ways from every other ship in its class . However , it shared one unusual feature with other ships of the same type : it could be used both in space and underwater with relatively small changes required for the hull and shields . Other features that the " Lost Reef " shared with its sister ships included a modest cargo room — it could only carry eighty - five metric tons in its two holds — length of forty - five meters , and a reliable set of engines , which Saell - Terae , a Yarkora antiquities dealer , later upgraded . Like its exterior , the interior setting of the " Lost Reef " was similar to other " DeepWater " - class ships , consisting of a cockpit in front , two cargo bays on the sides , crew lounge and state rooms in the middle , and an engineering compartment at the rear . The ship was stocked with two months ' worth of consumables . The " Lost Reef " carried three different landing systems : the standard landing gear and the landing claw — which was used when docking with asteroids or other ships , with the extendable boarding tube connected to the airlock — were accompanied by puncture - proof pontoons designed for sea level landings . One of these pontoons held a hidden compartment which Saell - Terae used to hide three statues that he acquired in the Unknown Regions . Saell - Terae made multiple modifications to the ship while it was in his possession . He replaced the life support system , which had been designed for Mon Calamari , with one more suitable for use by non - amphibious species . He upgraded the engines as well , which increased the ship ' s maneuverability and speed , giving it the maximum speed of 1 , 050 kilometers per hour in atmospheric conditions . The hyperdrive was also upgraded from standard x2 to x1 , and the backup system from x15 to x10 . The basic weapon systems found in " DeepWater " - class ships were also replaced and improved , with the " Lost Reef " being equipped with a quad laser cannon turret , instead of the usual dual laser turret , and four hidden torpedo launchers , designed to be used underwater . These weapons — along with military - grade shielding and an improved targeting computer that Saell - Terae installed — were illegal on civilian ships according to Imperial restrictions . The later owner of the ship , a Human smuggler named Jorj Car ' das — who had received the ship from his friend Thrawn , who was a senior captain in the Imperial Navy , at some point before 0 . 8 ABY — added further modifications to the craft . History . Mon Calamari Shipyards manufactured the " Lost Reef " along with around 10 , 000 other " DeepWater " - class light freighters for the Mon Calamari Commercial Expeditionary Service . When the Galactic Empire dissolved the Commercial Expeditionary Service , the " Lost Reef " and its sister ships were put to auction and sold to individual owners . The " Lost Reef " was purchased for 76 , 000 credits by a Yarkora named Saell - Terae who , like many others of his species , claimed to be an antiques dealer . Saell - Terae used his ship to explore the Unknown Regions ; his negotiations at the edges of space , however , did not appear to be profitable . During his travels in the Unknown Regions , Saell - Terae acquired three warrior statues , made by a military commander who — despite his species ' primitive spacefaring culture — was at war with Thrawn , a Chiss Imperial officer who had been sent to work in the Unknown Regions . Having found out that Saell - Terae possessed these wooden statues , covered with precious gems and valuable metals , Thrawn sent his agents to find the Yarkora and retrieve them , as their design could help the Chiss learn more about his opponent . Pursued by Thrawn ' s agents , Saell - Terae was forced to abandon his ship near the Elrood sector after deleting his navcomputer records . When the ship was discovered drifting , however , a dataplaque — which held detailed charts of parts of the Unknown Regions — was hidden in a secret compartment located in the " Lost Reef " airlock . The three warrior statues were also still concealed in the pontoon , carefully protected with cargo netting and packing foam . When the " Lost Reef " was discovered drifting , Saell - Terae wanted to reclaim his ship , and he was even prepared to kill whoever possessed it . At the same time , Thrawn ' s agents were also still seeking to deliver the " Lost Reef " and the warrior statues to their master . Eventually the ship fell into the hands of Thrawn , who gave it to his Human friend Jorj Car ' das , the head of a large smuggling and information brokering organization . About eight months after the Battle of Yavin , when Car ' das ' s health had started to deteriorate , Thrawn requested his help in stopping alien warlord Nuso Esva . Together Car ' das and Thrawn traveled to the Forest Moon of Endor , where Thrawn arranged a meeting with Emperor Palpatine on board the " Lost Reef " . Thrawn gave the Emperor his suggestions on improving the defenses set around the construction site of the second Death Star , a new moon - sized battlestation that the Empire was building . He also made a request for six more Star Destroyers to help him address the threat that Esva ' s fleet posed , but the Emperor turned him down , advising the Chiss to speak with his Sith apprentice , Darth Vader , instead . After meeting with Vader , Car ' das and Thrawn used the " Lost Reef " to follow the Imperial Star Destroyer " Chimaera " , which Esva had infiltrated under a false identity , to the Unknown Regions . Soon an emergency call from Poln Major , the capital planet of the Candoras sector , reached them and ordered all Imperial vessels to defend the system against a Rebel threat . In the Poln system they found that " Chimaera " , which Esva had crippled , was on a collision course with the Golan station orbiting Poln Major . Car ' das and Thrawn used the " Lost Reef " and " Chimaera " remaining tractor beam systems to steer the seriously damaged ship away from the space station and ruined Esva ' s battle plan , which had rested on Thrawn being forced to sacrifice either the warship or the Golan station . When Esva had brought in the rest of his troops , Thrawn also invited his reinforcements to the scene : Darth Vader and his private task force known as the Death Squadron , a group consisting of the Super Star Destroyer " Executor " and six Star Destroyers : the " Accuser " , the " Adjudicator " , the " Avenger " , the " Devastator " , the " Stalker " , and the " Tyrant " . As Thrawn was still on board the " Lost Reef " , he transferred command of his task force to Vader for the rest of the battle . One third of Esva ' s entire fleet was lost in battle , and after conversing with Vader , Thrawn was eager to head back out to the Unknown Regions and use the advantage he had gained . Before leaving , Thrawn suggested that Car ' das should travel to the planet Wroona and rescue the people whom Esva was holding hostage there . Esva was using the people on Wroona to blackmail a Human named Sorro , forcing him to act as his pilot . Despite being seriously ill and knowing his only hope for a cure laid in the outlying Kathol sector , Car ' das made plans to visit Wroona and see if he and the " Lost Reef " could be of help . Owners and operators . The first individual owner of the " Lost Reef " was a Yarkora called Saell - Terae . Before he bought the ship from an auction , it was owned by Mon Calamari Commercial Expeditionary Service , a company that the Galactic Empire closed down . Like other Yarkora — a species encountered only in small numbers , the members of which often claimed to have specialized in antiques and little - known religions — Saell - Terae kept his ultimate mission quiet , using the " Lost Reef " to travel the little - studied starlanes of the Unknown Regions with minimal gain for himself . After Saell - Terae lost his ship , it fell into the hands of Senior Captain Thrawn , who gave it to his friend Jorj Car ' das . The smuggler leader was in possession of the " Lost Reef " long enough to make multiple modifications to the ship , before he joined Thrawn ' s effort to crush Nuso Esva . When saying goodbyes to Thrawn after the battle of the Poln system , Car ' das planned to first travel to Wroona and attempt to rescue Esva ' s hostages , before he would continue toward the Kathol sector , where he hoped he could improve his failing health . Behind the scenes . The " Lost Reef " was first described in the West End Games ' s " " sourcebook " Stock Ships " , where it appeared as an example ship for the " DeepWater " - class light freighter . The ship later appeared in Timothy Zahn ' s novel " Choices of One " , where it is used by Jorj Car ' das . These two sources create a minor inconsistency concerning Thrawn ' s rank in the Imperial military : " Stock Ships " grants him the title of admiral , while he is only a senior captain during the events of " Choices of One " . This article assumes that the events of " Stock Ships " take place before those described in " Choices of One " .