Imperial Center Ship Nomenclature
You will often notice abbreviations in front of ship names. These come in two forms, the first often being a faction designation: RSS (Republic Service Ship), ISS (Imperial Service Ship), NRS (New Republic Ship), ICS (Imperial Center Ship), for example. These vary between factions and are not a consistent, or even often-used designator.
The second abbreviated convention is a ship class designator, or hull classification symbol (HCS). While these too vary between factions, the following system is used by Imperial Center fleet ships. It is also applied to other ships we encounter for classification purposes.
Generically, starships can fall under a variety of the following major function-based designations:
In practice, many warship designations include prefixes which modify the basic designation - "patrol destroyer", "heavy cruiser", "escort carrier", etc.; and it is possible to assemble a complex list of designations based on function and designation rather than size. In alphabetical order, these could include:
- Assault Carrier: A starfighter carrier of moderate size but no heavy weaponry.
- Assault Cruiser: A multipurpose cruiser optimized for planetary-assault missions but capable of meeting the various threats that may be encountered on them.
- Attack Cruiser: A cruiser with heavy beam-weaponry emplacements and a large starfighter compliment.
- Battlecruiser: A large ship with a balance between speed and armament, perhaps prioritizing these features over protection.
- Battleship: A large vessel with a primary purpose of ship-to-ship combat.
- Bulk Cruiser: A basic patrol cruiser for backwater areas, slow and lightly-armed, but sizeable and with reasonable range.
- Corvette: A small vessel with large engines, generally light armament, armor, and fighters. Often has VIP transport quarters, and can serve in that role.
- Cruiser: A ship that strikes a balance between firepower, speed, shielding, and fighters, optimized for self-reliance.
- Destroyer: A large warship, often optimized around attack rather than defensive capability.
- Escort Carrier: A small carrier designed to carry fighters in a fashion optimized for convoy protection or convoy raids.
- Fleet Carrier: A large carrier designed to carry the main fighter complement of a fleet.
- Frigate: A ship capable of killing both fighters and capital ships. Often with a specialized purpose: command, medical, etc.
- Gunship: A very small vessel with very powerful weaponry, designed to take out much larger ships.
- Heavy Cruiser: A ship still in the Cruiser range, but with a greater emphasis on shielding and weapons, and less on speed.
- Interdictor: Any vessel designed to interdict a ship from hyperspace.
- Light Cruiser: A ship still in the Cruiser range, but with a greater emphasis on speed, and sometimes fighters, and less of an emphasis on shielding and weapons.
- Star Cruiser: An all purpose naval vessel, designed for combat at both the ship-to-ship and fighter level. The backbone of many fleets.
- Star Defender: An outsized Star Cruiser, designed as a flagship and a command ship. Only ever built by the New Republic
- Star Destroyer: A mid-sized warship on the galactic scale (or a large warship on a sector scale) with ground troops and the capability to perform a planetary bombardment. Also used as military colloquialism for big Imperial warships in general.
- Super Star Destroyer: military colloquialism for anything larger than a Star Destroyer.
Contents
Warships[edit]
Command Ships[edit]
- BB - Battleship
- BC - Battlecruiser
- CS - Command Ship
- SC - Star Cruiser
- SSD - Super Star Destroyer
Carriers[edit]
- CV - Fleet Carrier
- ESC - Escort Carrier
Fleet Combatant Ships[edit]
- ACR - Armored Cruiser
- AST - Assault Ship
- CC - Cruiser
- CRV - Corvette
- DD - Destroyer
- DE - Destroyer Escort
- FF - Frigate
- GG - Gunship
- M/CC - Missile Cruiser
- M/FF - Missile Frigate
- SD - Star Destroyer
Patrol Ships[edit]
- PB - Patrol Boat
- PF - Patrol Frigate
- PN - Pinnance
Combat Logistics Ships[edit]
- AE: Ammunition Ship
- AF: Fleet Fueler
- AFE: Fast Combat Support Ship
- AFR: Replenishment Fueler
- AFS: Combat Stores Ship
Suppport Ships[edit]
- B/C - Boarding Craft
- CM - Communications Ship
- INT - Interdictor
- L/C - Landing Craft
- SCT - Scout Vessel
- SHT - Shuttle
- SV - Survey Ship
Service Ships[edit]
- CN - Consular Ship
- COR - Courier Ship
- DIP - Diplomatic Barge
- EVC - Evacuation Ship
- FCT - Factory Ship
- LN - Passenger Liner
Support & Service Ships[edit]
Transport and Utility Craft[edit]
- CN - Container
- FRT - Freighter
- SCW - Scow
- TRN - Transport
- TUG - Tug Ship
- YCT - Yacht
Facilities[edit]
- DCK - Deep Dock Facility
- PLT - Platform
- SHPYD - Shipyard
- STN - Imperial Center Station
- REPYD - Repair Yard
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