Carrack - class light cruiser / Legends The Carrack " - class light cruiser , also known as the Carrack " - class gunship , was a cruiser deployed by the Republic Navy throughout the final era of the Galactic Republic and was prominent in the Clone Wars . It was later an important addition to the Imperial Navy ; although 350 meters long , the small combat cruisers were heavily armed and had a top speed that matched X - wing starfighters . The " Carrack " - class was made as a cheap replacement for expensive capital ships and was not designed to operate as ships of the line , despite being capable of trading fire with larger adversaries . Characteristics . Two weapon configurations were known for this class : one with ten heavy turbolasers , twenty laser cannons designed to defend against starfighters and missiles , and five tractor beam projectors , and an alternative version which replaced the flak lasers with ion cannons . In either version , the " Carrack " was very heavily armed for its size , a feature which it coupled with impressive speed and maneuverability made it a highly versatile warship . A group of " Carrack " s could defeat one ship ten times bigger than an individual " Carrack " . In addition , the survivability of the design was enhanced by safety devices built into the hull to strengthen the spaceframe and provided extra protection for the crew . Reinforced bulkheads and a compartmentalized design made " Carrack " s tough for their size , and these were combined with independent life - support systems in different sections of the hull to lessen the dangers of hull breaches . Even when " Carrack " s were reduced to drifting hulks , it was by no means uncommon for salvage teams to find survivors unharmed inside the wreckage . However , the small size of the ship , especially when combined with the additional reinforcement and safety equipment , meant that there was no room available for an internal hangar bay . The Imperial Navy countered this weakness by adding an exterior rack that held up to five TIE Series starfighters for use on short - range reconnaissance , escort , or courier duties . The ship ' s controls were also simple and automated enough so that two people could operate the vessel , although in normal circumstances , they carried a crew of 1 , 092 and a small army contingent of 142 soldiers . History . During the Clone Wars , they served as fast - attack escorts for larger ships like " Dreadnaught " - class heavy cruisers . A group of " Carrack " s Lorth Needa commanded along with other Republic vessels , helped bring down the Confederate flagship " Invisible Hand " at the Battle of Coruscant . Over time , the rise of Star Destroyers as the dominant starship of the Imperial Navy saw a strategic realignment of the " Carrack " - class . Pairs of the light cruisers were assigned as system patrol vessels in quieter areas of Imperial space , where their lack of starfighters was less important . While not a match for most large warships , a Carrack in open space could outrun most threats that it could not fend off , and it was also fast and tough enough to break through a blockade fleet . Some were even assigned as personal transports to important Imperial dignitaries . Other ships of this class were put to more esoteric uses . In 5 BBY , during a campaign to exterminate the Oswaft , the Empire blockaded the entrance to the sack - shaped ThonBoka with five hundred capital ships ( mostly " Carrack " cruisers modified to contaminate the " interstellar plankton " drifting into the nebula ) , intending to starve the entire Oswaft race into extinction . Luckily for the Oswaft , the Imperial plot was thwarted with the arrival of Lando Calrissian and Vuffi Raa . Perhaps one of the best examples of the " Carrack " - class ' capabilities came with the Invasion of Bakura in 4 ABY . As the sole cruiser in the Bakuran system , the Imperial starship " Dominant " was the primary target of the invading Ssi - Ruuvi fleet , who heavily damaged the vessel . In a display of the class ' s toughness , the vessel remained nominally operational despite major damage , and became the cornerstone of the new Bakuran Defense Fleet soon afterwards . In the years after the Battle of Endor , Imperial commanders like Zsinj , Thrawn and Josef Grunger deployed them in skirmish lines ahead of their primary screening forces of " Strike " - class cruisers at battles like Tralus and Sluis Van .