Warspite-class battlecruiser

The Warspite-class battlecruiser is one of the largest ships to be domestically produced for the Commonwealth of New South Wales. Weighing in at 15.4 million tonnes, it is only beaten out by the monstrous Eagle-class heavy carriers. However it is by far their most potent ship-killer, with three heavy MACs, several dozen Archer missile pods, and even several SHIVA-class nuclear warheads. Designed to be able to combat some of the heavier warships in the Banished's arsenal, their focus on long-range combat allows it to engage and potentially destroy any opponent before they get into range. The two ships completed have become the centrepiece of the Commonwealth's hunter-killer groups, stalking unconquered systems in the Outer Colonies, actively seeking out and destroying threats to the Commonwealth before they can manifest in any meaningful way.
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==Design and Construction==
The requirement for a heavy ship-killer sprouted from experience the Commonwealth gained fighting Banished naval forces above the planet of Hrungnir in 2563. The CNF task force, focused around the Midnight-class cruisers CNFS Red Sails and Claymore, engaged a Banished DOS-class supercruiser and its escorts in a short engagement. Whilst the CNF task force was able to defeat the Banished warband, the Claymore received heavy damage, as it was revealed that the range the Midnights had was not sufficient enough to neutralise threats without taking serious damage. The Claymore would spend four months in drydock, as designers scrambled to meet CNF standards for a new cruiser-class vessel that could engage threats well before the ship itself was in imminent danger. 
Federation Industries, the designers of the Midnight, put together a proposal in an astonishing six days, that called for a battlecruiser that displaced roughly 34 million tonnes and used three Heavy MAC systems, and a series of lighter weapon systems to fight off smaller escort-level warships, such as frigates and corvettes. 
The proposal was rapidly accepted by the CNF, which wanted a ship that could execute a long-range alpha strike capability that was available with the CNF's small number of Artemis-class battlecruisers. The battlecruiser would be laid down at Federation Industries' Tasmania complex in January of 2564, with construction halting on several Brigand-class corvettes to facilitate a quick build time for the battlecruiser. The class, by now designated as the Warspite-class, would consist of a first flight of two warships: the Warspite and the Princess Royal. 
The Warspite and Princess Royal would be commissioned in the midst of the Frontier Brush War, whereupon they would fight at several engagements, proving their worth and capability to both the Commonwealth and their Banished foes. In one engagement near the planet Elendil, the Warspite, along with three Redgum-class frigates and a single Halberd-class destroyer, would successfully destroy four Banished CCS-class battlecruisers and several smaller escort ships, for no loss of their own. 
== Role and Usage ==
== Specifications ==
=== Armament ===
=== Armour & Layout ===
=== Complement ===
=== Countermeasures ===
== Ships of the Line ==
Name 	Hull Number	Commissioned	Manufacturer 	Status
Warspite 	BC/3 	2569 	Federation Industries	Active
Princess Royal	BC/4 	2569 	Federation Industries	Active