Gladiator class (RMN)

The Gladiator class was a class of dreadnoughts used by the Royal Manticoran Navy in the 19th Century PD.
== Service Record ==
With King Roger III's shipbuilding and infrastructure initiatives and the experience building the Royal Winton and Samothrace classes, the shipyards of the Star Kingdom had solved most of the initial problems in building ships of the wall by the time of the Gladiator class with both Navy and civilian shipyards ready to begin true series production.
Introduced in 1868 PD, the class remained in service until 1920 PD, two years longer than the more modern Majestic class due to its better survivability and passive defenses. ()
== Design ==
The Gladiator class was designed as a brawler with an intentionally light missile broadside. Instead, it was equipped with the heaviest beam armament that could fit inside its hull, including an extensive suite of energy torpedoes and later was refitted with the newly developed grav lance. Its beam heavy armament was an early attempt to make a decisive wall engagement possible. The range limitation required a wall equipped with it to close close enough to actually use it however, which meant that the primary effect of its introduction was simply to make fleet commanders across the galaxy even more cautious about close engagements.
The decision to increase the Gladiator's defenses, particularly its countermissile launchers, proved prescient. The original rationale for the increased area defense was to allow the Gladiator to screen itself and other units in the formation while they closed to beam range. With the introduction of the laser headFirst introduced into deployment by the Imperial Andermani Navy in 1872 PD. however the utility of short-range point defense clusters was critically reduced and the Gladiator was one of the few older classes to weather the transition.
Despite its lost missile broadside, the Gladiator was a solid design. Plans were devised to substantially refit the surviving units with sufficient defenses to remain in the wall of battle even in the era of pod-based combat, but the ceasefire and transition to the Second Janacek Admiralty scuttled those plans, and only a few Gladiators remained in service when hostilities resumed. ()
== Origins and design notes ==
As a consequence of the fiscal crisis in the mid-1880s PD, this class was re-designed as the Majestic class, with the heavy beam armament being replaced by a missile-heavy armament. ()
== Technical specifications ==
The technical specs were likely close to those of the Majestic class, which was based on it. ()
== Known ships of the class ==
* HMS Gladiator – lead ship of the class
== References ==
Category:Ship Classes
Category:Manticoran Ship Classes
Category:Dreadnought Ship Classes