Freedom-class Super Star Destroyer

The **Freedom-class** were a class of Super Star Destroyers built for the Terran Starfleet. The class was built to counter the threat of the Imperial *Executor* class, and took almost 19 years of discussion, planning, and construction before the first vessel, the *Freedom*, was finally completed. At the time the *Freedom* entered service, the class was the largest and most powerful known warship ever constructed. Two more ships entered service over the following years.

## Description

### Physical characteristics

The *Freedom*-class was built on the classic dagger-shape ship concept that had been used for millennia in the Andromeda Galaxy. From a distance, they looked very similar to the *Executor* class. However, the *Freedom* class did not possess the cityscape found on the *Executor* class, and it's bridge lay almost flat against the hull. The bridge was also much more heavily armored than on the *Executor* class.

The *Freedom*-class also possessed a shorter "tail" than the *Executor* class, and the stern sloped down slightly at the end to allow for weapons emplacements to cover the ship's stern.

### Systems and Shields

The designers of the *Freedom* class considered the protection of their various systems and shield generators to be paramount. Therefore, unlike Imperial ships including the *Executor* class, all of the *Freedom*-class' detection systems, including ship detection systems and SIGINT equipment was all kept inside the bridge and forward hull. The ship's shield generators, believed by some to be the most capable shield generators in existence, were kept within the ship and protected by a layer of armor that was thick enough to protect them but thin enough to allow the shield generators to operate properly.

### Complement

The hangar bay aboard the *Freedom* class was larger than a *Venator* class Star Destroyer. Most of the time, the ships carried a reduced capacity of 500 starfighters and 100 bombers. However, when fully loaded, the class could carry 1,800 starfighters and 500 bombers.

The class was also well equipped for ground invasion. The ship often carried up to 60,000 soldiers, with a maximum capacity of 100,000, equivalent to 5 divisions. It was also capable of carrying all of the troops' equipment, including up to 1,000 tanks and walkers.

### Armament

The *Freedom* class had the largest armament of any known warship, with over 10,000 different turbolaser batteries, 600 different ion cannon batteries, 150 cruise missile launchers, 200 point defense missile launchers, 350 CIWS point defense batteries, and 60 railguns. This level of firepower was equivalent to over 150 Imperial class Star Destroyers, and almost twice the amount of firepower of an *Executor* class ship. The *Freedom* class was the first class of Terran warship to be designed from the beginning with railguns in their design, although other classes of ship would later incorporate railguns later on in their production runs.

## History

### Design

The *Freedom* class was first conceived during the Clone Wars in 1992. In their studies of Separatist warship designs, the American company Newport News Shipbuilding began to realize that it would perhaps be centuries before the Terran Alliance could produce warships at a rate quick enough to compete with major intergalactic powers, and began researching the possibility of constructing a ship many times larger than any warship of the time. In a report to the Pentagon, the company included a section about the possibility of constructing a ship 15 kilometers or larger, which they termed a Super Star Destroyer. However, at the time, the leaders at the Pentagon believed that ship designs that would be shared with them by the Republic would be sufficient for their fleet of the future, and that section of the report was disregarded.

Four years later and two years after the Clone Wars, in 1996, Newport News Shipbuilding forwarded the full, original report to the board of directors for Terran Starship Industries, the production company that handled construction of warships for the Terran Starfleet. The board that it was worth looking into, and did additional research and refined the proposal before submitting it to the Terran Joint Command. However, at the time, the idea did not take hold, as the Joint Command and the Admiralty believed the *London* class, supplemented by the planned *Repulse*-class battlecruisers, would be sufficient to handle Imperial ships fairly well. However, when the Terran Alliance learned of the numbers of *Imperial* class Star Destroyers entering service with the Empire, and more powerful Imperial warships, the idea began to gather some support. Several years later, in 1999, word came in of work on Imperial Super Star Destroyers and dreadnoughts, and the Joint Command decided it was time for such a ship to be built for the Starfleet, and construction was given the green light.

Terran Starship Industries began design work on the ship in earnest. Although some preliminary design work had already been done, the company now began devoting much more resources to the work. Design work on the class lasted until late 2007. Several times during the design period, the design had to be revised when new intelligence was received on new Imperial ships. The most significant redesign came after word was received of the *Executor* class, which resulted in a massive increase in size and armament of the design. Finally, by late 2007, the design work had been finished, resulting in the design for a warship similar in appearance to the *Executor* class, but almost 7 kilometers longer and with about 90% more firepower, as well as better shielding and eliminating many of the biggest design flaws of the *Executor* class.

At first, the Alliance decided to pursue only one ship, in order to preserve more resources for the smaller *London* and *Baltimore* class Star Destroyers. The lead ship, the *Freedom*, was laid down at the Terran Star Forge in 2008. After four years of construction at the Star Forge and a year of fitting out and trials outside the Star Forge, she was commissioned on August 1, 2013, just over a month before the start of the Galactic Civil War.

After the end of the Galactic Civil War, the Terran Alliance decided it was time to build a second ship of the class, and ordered a second ship, which was soon named the *TAS Liberty*, and also began heavily considering a third ship. During the construction of the *Liberty*, it was decided to build a third ship. The reason for this was to enable the Alliance one Super Star Destroyer in each galaxy, allowing a third to either be in training, maintenance, or on leave. The third vessel, named the *TAS Vanguard*, began construction, a few months before the *Liberty* was completed in 2025. The *Vanguard* was completed and commissioned in late 2028.

### Service History

The *Freedom* spent the first few years of the war as part of the Home Fleet. She first saw combat during the Battle of Earth, where she helped defeat an Imperial fleet, and was largely responsible for the destruction of the Super Star Destroyer *Annihilator*.

The *Freedom* went on to fight in a number of battles through the last two years of the war, including the Battle of Endor, Battle of Kuat Drive Yards, Battle of Jakku, Battle of Coruscant, Battle of Anaxes, and Battle of Ketaris. She destroyed or participated in the destruction of five Imperial Super Star Destroyers during the war, including the *Annihilator, Executor, Aggressor, Reaper,* and *Ravager*, and assisted in the capture of the *Lusankya* during the battle of Coruscant. Following the Battle of Coruscant, the Galactic Concordance, which made official the Empire's surrender and ended the war, was signed in the *Freedom*'s hangar bay.