United States Space Force


American
Bunker Hill class Destroyer

 

Index

 

History
Current Units

Statistics
Notes

 

Design Date: 2236

Laid Down: 2238

First Example Complete: 2241

Fleets in Service: America (10), Australia (1), Azania (1), Brazil (1), Japan (1)

 

Ship

Pennant

Owning Nation

Disposition

Notes

Marcillio Dias (ex-Savannah)

D-400

Brazil

Reserve Fleet

 

Joseph Mbutuo (ex-Charleston)

DD01

Azania

OQC

 

Lake Champlain

DD-13

USA

3rd Light Division (Reserve) – “Rattlesnakes”

Awaiting sale to Texas

Perth (ex-White Plains)

DD-101

Australia

4th Division flag

 

Trenton

DD-15

USA

3rd Light Division (Reserve) – “Rattlesnakes”

Awaiting sale to Canada

Hirohito (ex-Princeton)

DD-10

Japan

3rd Combined Fleet

 

Ticonderoga

DD-17

USA

12th Light Division “John Wayne”, 2nd Fleet

 

Saratoga

DD-18

USA

5th/ 8th Light Division (Reserve) – “Wild Cards”

 

King's Mountain

DD-19

USA

1st Light Division (Reserve) – “Ad Astra

 

Yorktown

DD-20

USA

1st Light Division (Reserve) – “Ad Astra

 

Cowpens

DD-21

USA

5th/ 8th Light Division (Reserve) – “Wild Cards”

Destroyed at Battle of QAS

Lexington

DD-22

USA

12th Light Division “John Wayne”, 2nd Fleet

 

Valley Forge

DD-23

USA

5th/ 8th Light Division (Reserve) – “Wild Cards”

 

Oriskany

DD-24

USA

Assigned as Survey Ship to AECA

Partially disarmed

 

INDEX

History

 

Originally designated a Cruiser by the USSF, a classification which was weak even then, these ships have since been designated Destroyers and make up the bulk of the USSF medium weight combatant force, along with 4 Fort Knox class Destroyers. The classification was assigned on the fuelled mass of these ships, while the authoritative Jensons has always used unfuelled mass and has rated these ships as Destroyers from the get go.

 

The design is slightly unusual for today in that it uses a large 75MW MHD Turbine. This was quite common in the early years of space forces, but these ships were laid down as the French were starting to build fusion powered ships. Every watt can be used by the ships stutterwarp in an emergency, but only 1/3rd is normally available for the drive when tactical systems are powered up. This feature was debated a lot, as over MLv10 per ship could have been saved by installing a 25MW instead of 75MW drive.

 

The Bunker Hills are not equipped with solar and are only expected to move the turbines up to full military power in a battle situation, or if used as couriers. Normally the Turbines are run at 5MW.

 

The weapons systems and electronics have been substantially updated. A new network of 11 modern fire control computers has been installed and the lasers have been updated to the modern Hyde Dynamics EA-122 with enhanced fire control.

 

Long ranged weapons have also been installed. The first 9 ships off the line were designed as pure gunships, none of which remain in US service (the Azanian Joseph Mbutuo remains a pure gunship in ASDF service, while the Marcillio Dias had an extensive refit which included building full blown missile bays into the design). The subsequent units had missiles added in packs, which are now the SIM-14, carrying 3 missiles each. The Bunker Hill has 4 attachment points, and each can load a SIM-14 packs, while the larger two can instead load a HD-5 drone or even a CIT-III spaceplane or FS-17 starfighter. Due to a lack of communicators to control the drones, and their relative expense, most commanders prefer to carry the missiles instead of the drones. The same problems afflict the carriage of fighters, there are no fighter control or maintenance facilities, and this is generally only for short term carriage (the 5th/ 8th Wildcards were refitted to carry a Marine Fighter Squadron into battle at Beowulf, but had trouble recovering them, they landed on the Columbia).

 

Defences are layered. As an outer layer targets can be intercepted either by carried fighters or missiles. This may well be a waste of resources however, and USSF doctrine is to keep missiles and fighters in the offensive role. The next layer is the ships guns, which can intercept missiles. Currently there is a debate about replacing some of the laser turrets with Grapeshot launchers, or even Big Clips for offensive use. The next layer is the ships screens, state of the art 50 years ago, but now very inefficient. Finally, unlike newer US ships, the Bunker Hill has a reasonable belt of armour.

 

The oldest Bunker Hill listed as serviceable (except for the 3rd Division ships which are due for sale) is the Ticonderoga, which has been in commission since 2267. Due to their design (and the lack of decay inducing nuclear plants) they may well be serviceable for several more decades.

 

INDEX

 

Current Units

 

American Units

 

1st Light Division (Reserve) – “Ad Astra

 

The oldest unit in the USSF and one of only a few able to trace its origins back to the USAF, and back to the American Legion of the Twilight Era British Army. It still maintains a different set of traditions to the rest of the USSF, some of which date back to the Twilight Era (this is almost certainly the only unit to Toast the British Queen at dinner for example).

 

They are currently on active service in the Sol system.

 

Orbat: USS King's Mountain (CQ +1) and USS Yorktown (CQ +1)

 

3rd Light Division (Reserve) – “Rattlesnakes”

 

The 3rd Division is currently in the process of being broken up and America is looking at her two neighbours to purchase them. Texas is relatively keen to have one of these units in light of Mexico’s recent acquisition of the Ypres class light cruiser Aguila Réal. However, Canada is quite dubious on the value of a 60 year old design, which is far less powerful than her current destroyers. However, the Bunker Hill is an economical design and this may persuade the government to foist her on the RCSN.

 

Orbat: USS Lake Champlain and USS Trenton, both have already had much of their reservist crews assigned to other hulls.

 

5th/ 8th Light Division (Reserve) – “Wild Cards”

 

The 5th/ 8th Light Division (Reserve) was formed by the amalgamation of the 5th Light Division (Reserve) and the 8th Light Division “Angry Angels”, and carries the traditions of both (although the 5ths name). It is generally called “Five Eight” in conversation.

 

The 8th LD (R) was a high readiness reserve unit from King, and was entirely made up of DNAMs. Being high readiness, when the 2nd invasion broke out, the US government realised that their rather depleted 1st Fleet, the elite regulars of the USSF, was hardly enough. On 17th October 2301 the President signed the order to mobilise all units of the USSF Reserve, and the 8th, on receipt of the order, was underway on only 10 days notice.

 

On arrival at Earth it was decided to assign the USS Oriskany to the American Exploration and Colonisation Agency as an armed survey ship for the French Arm. The remaining USS Valley Forge could hardly constitute a Division on its own.

 

The 5th LD (R) had been in extremely poor state, and had just made a trawl through the USMC reserves for suitably qualified personnel to reinforce it, and had found that several new recruits were former merchant spacers. They had been drafted into the USSF.

 

It fell to Captain Ross, commanding the Saratoga to try and make a unit out of a bunch of ill trained spacers, many of whom were happier in the mud, and some fairly rebellious DNAMs. Fortunately the former commander of the 8th Commander TC McQueen was excellent and provided much backup.

 

After 6 months training in Sol, the 5/8 deployed to Beowulf. They did not take part in ENTENTE, but were present at the Battle of Queen Alice’s Star. They were part of the American Battlegroup, kept in reserve. They took part in the Battlegroups flanking manoeuvre and were badly mauled along with the rest of the Battlegroup, the Cowpens being completely destroyed. However, they were repaired and acted as armed troop transports for the remainder of the war, transporting Marine Rifle companies around the French Arm.

 

Orbat: USS Saratoga (CQ +2), USS Cowpens (Destroyed at the Battle of Queen Alice’s Star), USS Valley Forge (CQ +2)

 

12th Light Division “John Wayne”

 

The 12th is a regular unit assigned to garrison and anti-piracy duties in the King system. The name comes from a great folk hero soldier from the pre-Twilight days who seems to have fought in every single American war.

 

Orbat: USS Ticonderoga (CQ +2) and Lexington (CQ +2)

 

Non-American Units

 

4th Division, Royal Australian Space Navy

 

The RASN is divided into 4 squadrons, called “Divisions”, although unlike other nations Divisions these are not homogeneous groupings within squadrons but rather squadrons themselves.

 

HMAS Perth is the current flagship of the 4th Division, with responsibility for the Australian finger. She has 2 Canberra (Aconit) class frigates under her command.

 

Reserve Fleet, Brazil

 

Like America, the Brazilians have a large reserve fleet, in this case consisting of their older ships (while some modern US ships are in the reserve while older ships are active).

 

The Marcillio Dias was bought a short time before the 3rd Rio Plata war broke out for home defence purposes. She was commissioned shortly after the declaration of war and spent her entire active career in the vicinity of Earth. She was decommissioned post-war and may no longer be spaceworthy.

 

Azanian Space Defence Force

 

The Azanian Space Defence Force is rather small and it was decided to purchase a Bunker Hill from the Americans entirely for OQC and home defence purposes. The Joseph Mbutuo has spent the majority of her career in OQC.

 

2nd Combined Fleet, Japan

 

The Hirohito is assigned to the Tirane based 2nd Combined Fleet, a home defence formation which has recently took over responsibility for the defence of Earth, with the 1st Combined Fleet at Earth moving up the French Arm.

 

INDEX

 

Statistics

Performance

Warp efficiency:

 

Weight/ Power

5MW (Cruise)

25MW (Tactical)

75MW (Maximum)

Unfuelled (5,558t)

1.55

2.65

3.82

Unloaded (16,808t)

1.07

1.83

2.64

Loaded (17,703t)

1.05

1.80

2.60

 

Power Plant: 75 MW MHD Turbine

Fuel: 11,250 tons (10.5 days full power, 22.5 weeks cruising at 5MW)

Range: 7.7 light years

Mass: 5,558 tons standard (16,798 tons with fuel)

Cargo Capacity: 4842 cubic meters

Crew: 160 (16 Bridge, 15 TAC, 21 Engineering/ DC, 100 troops (normally only 10 embarked), 2 stewards, 6 medical); Passengers: none

Comfort: 0;

Emergency Power: 1 week

Total Life Support: 160 for 180 days

Cost: MLv143.019 without ordnance 

Ship Status Sheet

Move: 4

Screens: 4

Radiated Signature: 5(6)

Radial Reflected: 7

Lateral Reflected: 10

Target Computer: +2;

Radial Profile: 0

Lateral Profile: +2

Armour: 4

Hull hits: 110/55/23

Power Plant Hits: 200/40

Active: 15

Passive: 10

Other:

Weapons

11 x1+1 lasers in jack turrets with UTES (1x 4567, 3x 1678, 1x 3456, 3x 1234, 1x 5678, 1x 2345, 1x 1238)

Ordnance Load

Either:

6 SIM-14 missiles in 2 packs and 2 HD-5 drones

or

12 SIM-14 missiles in 4 packs

Sensors and Electronics:

Phased Active-15
Spherical Passive-10
Navigation Radar
DSS
Gravitational
Screen-4 system

Crew Hits:
Bridge: Captain, Navigator, Helm, Engineer, 2 Communications, 2 Computer
TAC: 11 Fire Control (Laser Turrets), 2 Remote Pilots, Active Operator, Passive Operator

Damage Control: 15 plus spares

INDEX 

Notes

Very little design change here. Only really the dropping of 1 point of armour to make the hull mass right.

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