Ark Royal (Warship)

==Overview==
The Ark Royal-Class Heavy Fleet Carrier is a WarShip produced during the early portion of the Star League Era shortly after the Reunification War that ended in 2597. The design was intended to make up the short falls of Aerospace Fighter cover for ships of the era. 
The League would produce 18 of the ships, originally slated for 32. During the SLS Ark Royal's first cruise, the ship showed vulnerabilities in the ship's performance when handling of fighters & small craft. It was felt the internal rail system could be crippled in battle, not allowing launch/landing vessels to move into and from the landing bay. Additionally, the cost each ship dwarfed what was typically acceptable.
The ships despite their deficiency, perform admirally during their careers during the Star League Navy. Star League Civil War decimated the class leaving three survivors, two operational enough to travel with the Exodus Fleet of the SLDF in 2781. 
The ship appears in the Zhukov AU setting created by Steve Cross.
==Armaments and Capacities==
While based loosely on the older Monsoon Class Battleships, the ship improves on it for protection and speed. The ship's hull is protected with Ferro-carbide armor, with nearly even protection. It's engines create enough thrust to move the ship at speeds that rival a speedy cruiser.
The ship's primary anti-ship weaponry comes from it's Broadside mounted Heavy Naval PPCs and its long reaching Class 55 Naval Lasers (bow and aft, 6 each laser bay), which are intended for the ship stand off enemy vessels, while depending on escorts to find off ships from closing in on the ship. The ship's capital missile launchers would be found its front and aft sides, with 3 tubes per White Shark and Barracuda Missile Launchers.
While many ships of the period lack adequate anti-fighter weapons, the Ark Royal's shipwrights prevailed to add large banks of 20-Tubed LRM Launchers and LB10-X autocannons giving her ability to make in-bound fighters need to bolster their courage before making a run on it's ship. While the ship missile protection is firmly fitted banks of 32 Anti-Missile Systems, evenly spread across the hull. Each weapons group mounted in each of the ship arcs's with (5 LB 10-X AC (150 shots), x4 LRM 20+Art IV (120 shots), and x5 Anti-Missile (252 shots).
However, for it's primary mission of launching fighters which it's main weapon, the ship bolsters 216 fighters, with 20 supporting small craft help relay crew and marines for boarding actions or relay cargo from it's cavernous cargo bay. 
==Cargo==
*Bay 1: Small Craft (4) 4 Doors
*Bay 2: Fighters (108) 8 Doors
*Bay 3: Fighters (108) 8 Doors
*Bay 4: Cargo (231,302 tons) 1 Doors
==Variants==
*;Ark Royal Class Heavy Fighter Carrier - Block II : Clan refit of the surviving ships of the fleet. Retaining much of the ship's armaments, but adding NavCom, Mobile HPG, and 2,268 tons of
lamellor ferro-carbide armor.
==Notable Ships==
*SLS Ark Royal - Lead ship, flagship of the 222nd Fleet during the 2600s. Did not survive the Star League Civil War.
*SLS Ranger - Fought during the Amaris Coup, the ship was scuttled having surviving the war.
*SLS Formidable - Fought survived the Amaris Coup / Star League Civil War, joined Operation Exodus, leaving for the Deep Periphery. 
 
==Record Sheets==
*Download Link for the Record Sheet of the Ark Royal
==Notes==
Designed by Steve Cross for his PDF Book, commissioning the art by Matt Plog. The ship is part of the Zhukov AU
==Also See==
*Delranes Fighting Ships 3061
*Technical Readout: Project Neptune
*Record Sheets: Project Neptune
Category:Large WarShips
Category:Works by Steve Cross
Category:WarShipsCustom
Category:Zhukov AU