Sword-class Frigate

The Sword-class Frigate is an iconic Imperial Escort ship. A staple design amongst the various fleets of the Imperial Navy, Sword-class Frigates have a reputation of being solid, dependent ships, earned over their ten millenia of service.

History
Escort class ships are designed to support heavier vessels during patrols, cruises and engagement, protecting the larger and often much slower and ponderous ships' vulnerable flanks from opportunistic strikes. It is exceptionally rare to see an Imperial Battleship or Cruiser without at least two, if not more, Sword-class Frigates by its sides. The Sword-class is a very old design, who has seen service since the earliest days of the Imperium. A staple design upon which many variants have been based, all its components have been tried, tested, refined and if necessary redesigned over innumerable engagements, resulting in a surprisingly efficient ship.

Being an escort, the Sword-class Frigate is expected to come under fire, and was designed with this in mind. Its bulkheads are thicker than would be expected, and the beams and supports that hold the ship together have redundant copies nearby, that will take the load if the primary beam or support fails. Its banks of Void Shields are also strong and sturdy, designed to offer maximal protection. Due to this, the Sword-class Frigate can take more punishment than would be expected for a ship of its diminutive size. Its laser-based weapons batteries provide equivalent fire power to those of the less reliable plasma-based alternatives, and are able to fire to both sides, or forward with full strength. Its engines are powerful, yet simple enough to be maintained by a freshly ordained Magos. They are regarded as reliable even in extreme conditions.

The Sword-class frigate does suffer from one dangerous drawback however: while potent, its laser-batteries are by void warfare standards short-ranged, and a Sword-class Frigate captain must always be wary of biting off more than he can chew. While his strong shields and superior structural integrity allows a Sword-class Frigate to go head-to-head with even an Iconoclast-class Destroyer and emerge battered but victorious, its lack of long range armament can prove detrimental in larger engagements if it finds itself without any heavy support. This flaw was perfectly illustrated during the battle for Belatis, when the duo of Sword-class Frigates Pegasus and Achilles came under surprise attack from the Murder-class Cruiser Charybdis and its escorting Infidel-class Raiders. Caught too far away from the Cruiser they escorted to withdraw back to it in time, both ships boldly decided to bring the battle to the enemy rather than to flee, but the Pegasus was destroyed by a concentrated torpedo volley from the Infidels before it could get into firing range. The Achilles fared slightly better, crippling one of the Infidels before powering onward towards the Charybdis; but again, was obliterated by its much larger opponent's broadside before being able to manoeuvre itself into firing range.

Sword-class Frigates are so well-liked and efficient that many Space Marine Chapter fleets include them in support of their Battle Barges and Strike Cruisers whenever they can. Because of their excellent performances, they are also valued by Rogue Traders, who usually convert them in order to have their merchant needs suited. Pirate fleets are known to operate captured Sword-class Frigates as well.

Technical Specifications

 * Dimensions: Approx. 1.6 km long, 0.3 km abeam at fins


 * Mass: Approx. 6 megatonnes


 * Crew: Approx. 26,000 crew


 * Acceleration: 4.5 gravities max sustainable acceleration.

Notable Ships and Squadrons

 * Pegasus - The Pegasus fought during the Gothic War. It participated in the battle for Helia IV and the evacuation of the planet Belatis. During the latter battle, the Pegasus and its sister ship the Achilles were ambushed by the Murder-class Cruiser Charybdis and its escorting Infidel-class Raiders. Unable to retreat to the cover of the Gothic-class Cruiser Drachenfels, the Pegasus opted to go down fighting and moved to intercept, but was destroyed by a massed volley of torpedoes before getting in range of the Chaos armada.


 * Achilles - The Achilles fought during the Gothic War. It participated in the battle for Helia IV and the evacuation of the planet Belatis. During the latter battle, the Achilles and its sister ship the Pegasus were ambushed by the Murder-class Cruiser Charybdis and its escorting Infidel-class Raiders. Unable to retreat to the cover of the Gothic-class Cruiser Drachenfels, the Achilles opted to go down fighting, boldly trying to outflank the Chaos formation. The Achilles managed to cripple one of the Infidels, and powerded through their protective screen in order to strike at the Charybdis, but the much larger Cruiser contemptuously exposed its flank and obliterated the Achilles with a massed broadside volley before it could get into firing range.