EF76 Nebulon - B escort frigate / Legends The EF76 Nebulon - B escort frigate was a 300 - meter - long warship that was built by Kuat Drive Yards for use by the Imperial Navy , to protect convoys from Rebel Alliance starfighter actions . It was , however , used more famously by the Rebellion . Characteristics . The standard Nebulon - B frigate was armed with twelve turbolasers , twelve laser cannons , and two tractor beam projectors . It was designed to carry twenty - four TIE Series starfighters . While generally well - armed for a vessel of that size , the midsection connecting spar was an exploitable vulnerability . It could be split open by concentrated heavy weapons fire , venting the frigate ' s atmosphere and killing most of the crew . History . The EF76 was introduced as a counter - insurgency ship after the Clone Wars . It largely phased out the Class - C frigate . The Nebulon - B was originally designed to defend Imperial convoys against raids by Rebel starfighters , as the Imperial Navy wasn ' t keen on the idea of relegating its expensive " Imperial " - class Star Destroyers to escort duty , and the CR90 corvettes were too weak and carried few , if any , TIE Fighters . The EF76 was used extensively by both sides in the Galactic Civil War . The frigate was known and respected for its efficiency against fighters and bombers , and its anti - fighter assignment in Imperial convoys had an immediate impact , causing the Rebels to reconsider their hyperspace raids after suffering irreplaceable losses in fighters and pilots . They were often used to support larger capital ships , such as " Imperial " - class Star Destroyers and Rebel Mon Calamari Star Cruiser s . In their starfleets , Imperial Admirals Thrawn and Zaarin often used Nebulon - B frigates as command ships in lieu of the standard Star Destroyer . Rebel Usage . Before the formal founding of the Rebel Alliance , the escort frigate " Resurgence " was used by the Alderaanian Resistance forces allied with Alya Aldrete and Bail Prestor Organa . The Rebel Alliance also acquired a number of these ships through defection , capturing them in battle , or by outright theft . Indeed , one of their first flagships was a Nebulon - B captured in a skirmish over Ylesia , which they christened the " Salvation " . The Rebels were not the only ones beyond the Empire to acquire Nebulon - B frigates . It was rumored that Kuat Drive Yards would sell the frigates to interested third parties through secret fronts so as not to upset the Imperial Navy . The sale price was 19 , 400 , 000 credits , cited as a twentieth of the cost of an " Imperial " - class Star Destroyer . The Rebels ' usage of the Nebulon B was extensive enough that , during the Battle of Oovo IV , Imperial Admiral Hurkk once expressed irritation and pled that the Imperial fleet , if only once , could destroy a Rebel - owned starship that the Imperials did not originally pay for . The Rebels were able to find other uses for the ships which took advantage of their sophisticated sensors and deep - space multifrequency antennas . Escort frigates were used as long - range scouts , search and rescue ships , or to relay information to command ships during battle . In small , shorthanded , Rebel task forces , Nebulon - B frigates often served as command ships . One Nebulon - B , the " Redemption " , served the Alliance as their primary hospital ship . All available Rebel Nebulon - B frigates were deployed at the Battle of Endor , where they took a pivotal part in the battle . The " Redemption " was lost to the Death Star ' s superlaser . The frigates were also used by the Rebellion ' s successor state , the New Republic . Variants . The Rebels converted some of their Nebulon - B frigates into medical vessels , which served as mobile hospitals . Weaponry and hangar space was sacrificed to make room for treatment facilities , 15 bacta tanks , 745 beds , and other hospital suites . The crew was slightly modified to included an additional 80 medical personnel and 30 medical droids ( such as the 2 - 1B model ) . These ships could not carry any fighters , and their armament was reduced to 6 turbolasers ( with computer - assisted targeting ) and 8 laser cannons . Luke Skywalker was treated for the injuries he suffered on Cloud City onboard the medical frigate " Redemption " . Kuat Drive Yards eventually produced an improved version of the Nebulon - B , the Nebulon - B2 . They were similar overall , but had higher sublight speed , improved shields and hull armor , a thicker connecting spar , and additional weaponry . Following the Battle of Endor , Kuat Drive Yards followed up on its successful Nebulon - B design with a new starship class , the 275 meter - long " Corona " - class frigate . " Corona " - class frigates were produced solely for the New Republic . Due to the fact that Corona frigates were not part of the New Republic ' s New Class Modernization Program , orders for the ships remained modest . A number of them served in the Corellian Defense Force during the Second Galactic Civil War . At least one EF76 was used to make up a secret retreat in 137 ABY . The criminal organization Black Sun used such a frigate around this time , where it was stationed near Vigo Lun Rask ' s headquarters over Kaer . At least one was used during the Evacuation of Dac . Behind the scenes . In the " Star Wars : The Essential Guide to Vehicles " , the entry for the Nebulon - B Frigate is erroneously referred to as a " Rebel Cruiser " , which can lead it to be confused with Mon Calamari Star Cruiser s . Most sources commonly refer it it as " Nebulon - B Frigate " or " Escort Frigate " . The shape of the Nebulon - B , designed by Nilo Rodis - Jamero , was inspired by an outboard motor . There is some dispute among fans on the claimed fighter capacity of the Nebulon - B . Computer games and the deck - plans in " The Far Orbit Project " show a hangar in the forward hull , with a launch aperture in the starboard flank , but there seems to be no such opening on the model used in the movies . Other depictions in the computer games show starfighters docking and launching via an opening in the thin connection between the superstructure and drive bay . However , the " Rebel Alliance Sourcebook " , seemingly the source which first introduced the Nebulon - B ' s starfighter capability , makes no mention of internal hangars . The text simply says that : " The escort frigate has the capacity to carry up to two squadrons of starfighters into battle . In addition , the ship has docking fixtures to accommodate ships of up to medium freighter size " ( p . 60 ) . Since " " shows the " docking fixtures " to be external hardpoints on the spar between the prow superstructure and engines , it is possible that the fighters could also be carried on a rack along the spar , in the manner of " Carrack " - class cruisers , assault frigates , and " FarStar " . Additionally , some fans have speculated that some Nebulon - Bs could have been equipped with an enclosed hangar bay fitted under the spar , filling the space between the forward keel and the engine block . Perhaps added as aftermarket additions , such hangars would enable them to carry fighters like X - wings more comfortably , and " Kalla ' s Stanchion " , a ship that could belong to this subtype of the class , has appeared in Rebel Alliance hands in an of " " . Although scaling extrapolations when compared with snubfighters shown in the same panels would suggest a size significantly larger than the 300m - long Nebulon - B , the two designs corresponds closely in appearance , and the size discrepancy may simply be a result of artistic license in the comic - book art .