Approved Starship Buy'ce-Class Frigate; Mandalorian Hammerhead

[Gilamar Skirata]

Spoiler

OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION

• Intent: To create an old warship for use by criminal organizations, pirates, smugglers, and other non-official groups who need ships to fill out their navies
• Image Source: Gundam Info
• Canon Link: N/A
• Primary Source:
  Mandalorian Resource Wars

PRODUCTION INFORMATION

• Manufacturer: MandalMotors
• Affiliation: Open-Market
• Model: Buy'ce-Class Frigate
• 
  Production: Minor
  
• Material:
  ​Standard Starship Materials

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

• Classification: Bulwark
• Length: 380 Meters
• Width: 80 Meters ; [Hammerhead Bow - 200 Meters]
• Height: 90 Meters
• Armament: Moderate
  ​Flex-Tube Ordinance Launcher
  Proton Torpedoes
• Concussion Missiles
• Hibridium Cedar Chaff

[*]Quad Laser Cannons [5]
[*]Forward Fixed Long Range Heavy Turbolaser Batteries [6 - On the wedge]
[*]Turreted Turbolaser Batteries [4]
[*]Jerry Rigged Railgun [1 - Forward or broadside only]

[*]Defenses: High

• ​Heavily Armored Bow
• Redundand Deflector Shield Generators
• Anti-Missile Chaff
• Hibridium Cedar Chaff

[*]Fighter Hangar: Average: 1
[*]Support Craft Hangar: 0
[*]Maneuverability Rating: Low
[*]Speed Rating: Low
[*]Hyperdrive Class: Average: 3
STANDARD FEATURES

• All standard warship functionality, sensors, and systems

ADVANCED SYSTEMS

• None

Strengths:

• Heavily Defended: Tough forward facing armor and redundant shields made the Buy'ce a tough vessel to whittle down
• Forward Fixed Weaponry: While not extremely heavily armed, the concentrated fire of the Buy'ce-class made it a terrifying foe for vessels of similar weight classes and even more so in large groups.
• Surprise Railgun: Originally designed as a droid catapult the old launch mechanism has been modified into a forward facing and broadside weapon. Not as powerful as true railguns. Also located port side.

Weaknesses:

• One Fighter at a Time: Because of the hangar design and size constraints only one fighter at a time could be launched.
• Exposed Bridge: While the bridge gave a wide view of the battlefield, its position at the highest point on the vessel made it an easy target for strike craft and ordinance.
• Engine blind spot: Located directly behind the large wedge or hammerhead of the vessel were its two main ion engines. These were in one of the blind spots on the vessel.

Description: Designed by MandalMotors at some point during the Mandalorian Resource Wars' second civil war, the Buy'ce-class Frigate was a moderately powerful frigate in use by the pre-Gulag era Mandalorians. Meant to be used in a formation where its powerful forward facing weaponry could create overlapping fields of fire, they naturally had incredibly durable forward facing armor as well. The wide armored wedge that sat perpendicular to the rest of the vessel provided the bulk of the frigate's defense with the rest of the vessel mostly relying on redundant shield generators and lighter armor. Missile tubes lined the underside of the massive wedge and could be loaded with a variety of ordinance, though during its earliest days as an ambush vessel they would often be loaded with Hibridium Cedar Chaff missiles to disorient and cut the communications of the target of the Mandalorian assault.

Originally meant to hold and launch the iconic bes'uliik war droids, the hangars of these vessels have been heavily modified to now accommodate strike craft. In its original iteration, in order to give beast riders the advantage when fighting against starfighters they were launched through a catapult system of magnetic rails. Modern retrofits saw the catapult system weaponized, though they had a limited firing arc. The hangars themselves typically were only large enough to fly fighters out one at a time and a complex system of garages and lifts stored other fighters. This made fielding the strike craft difficult and made resource management an important skill for pilots on these vessels. A rear flight deck allowed for multiple fighters to be received at one time however which made refueling and rearming a much easier process than launching.

While inelegant in design, a fleet of Buy'ce-class frigates was a formidable foe in its hayday. Modern weapons systems and turbolasers have allowed it to stay in service among local governments, denizens, and fringe groups but its time in the fleets of Mandalore was long gone by 835 ABY. Instead these vessels roam the space-lanes across the Galaxy, the prized possession of lucky pirate groups. Easy to maintain and cheap to purchase their niche in the market is one not soon to be filled.

 

[Gir Quee]

Approved.