Draco-class Dreadnaught

Draco class dreadnaughts were ships used by the galactic empire during and after the Imperial-Alliance war. The name 'Draco' comes from the former Imperial Knight, Antares Draco. This class of ship was primarily built in the shipyards over Lianna, by the Imperial supporting Lianni Shipyards. A Draco-class dreadnought sacrificed speed for shielding and firepower.

Characteristics
The bow of a Draco-class dreadnought is shaped as a wedge, with sharp angles, The bridge was positioned close to

the bow, and also shaped in an angular position, and low, close to the hull. From bow to stern, the ship was 800 metres long. Starboard to Port, it was about 400 metres. Compared to other ships on a galactic scale, the dreadnought was rated a medium cruiser. Draco-class dreadnoughts had two hangar bays, parallell, and on oppossite sides of the ship. The hangar bays could hold up to two squadrons of starfighters each. The stern of the ship, just before the engine section, was a large cargo bay, which could keep the crew fed for one point five standard years. The main reactor was stationed in the central area of the ship, with the secondary reactor just ahead of the cargo area.

Offensive and Defensive systems
Draco class dreadnoughts were equipped with eight quad turbolaser turrets, guarding the bridge from attack, twenty five light laser cannons, and sixteen turbolaser batteries. This gave the dreadnought a very heavy punch, allowing it to fight a larger ship to a standstill, and even destroy it. Placement consisted of the light laser cannons being scattered over the hull, as anti fighter and light frigate defence.

The turbolasers were positioned eight starboard, and eight port, with laser cannons interspersed between them. The quad turbolasers were placed in an oval around the bridge, facing outwards,to thwart any large scale assaults by the enemy. Draco's lacked both ion cannons and missile launchers, but made up for it with superb firepower.

The dreadnought utilized four shield generators, the first of which was placed just under the the bridge. The generators were capable of withstanding most, if not all attacks by ships in its class. It was possible for two generators to be on, and two off, saving power for the ship.

Propulsion
Draco class dreadnoughts had four large ion engines in a closely clustered, square formation. Despite the large size of the engines, the dreadnought was slow to manuever, leaving it vulnerable to attack. However, the hyperdrive was fairly efficient, meaning the ship could move through hyperspace at average speeds. Sublight speeds were much poorer, and despite the Draco's weaponry, many smaller ships could easily evade it. The accepted strategy for taking down a Draco-class dreadnought was to punch through its shields, and destroy the engines.

Crew complement
Draco class dreadnoughts reqcuired a large amount of crew, for a ship of its' size. The large amount of crew recquired to man and supply a dreadnought gave more than one quartermaster a headache. However, this did mean that dreadnoughts ran at top efficiency with a full crew. Minor systems, along with some weapons, could be slaved to the ships computer, when the Draco was running at half its' crew, 9,000 beings.

Hangar complement
Although not intended to carry starfighters, like larger ships of the Imperial navy, it could carry up to two squadrons of TIE Seekers in each hangar bay. This gave the dreadnought an added advantage in battle, as TIE's were often deployed to protect the ships' flanks and engines as it maneuvered.

Main Bridge
The main bridge of a Draco class dreadnought was situated a hundred meters from the bow of the ship. It was also fairly close to the hull of the ship, making it a smaller target and made it safer for the officers on the bridge. It was protected by no less than eight quad turbolaser turrets.