Inexpugnable-class tactical command ship

Inexpugnable-class tactical command ship

"That's it&mdash;the cordon is complete! Freighters, liners, Mandalorian dreadnaughts&mdash;nobody else is going to Coruscant today without going through Swiftsure and the Republic Navy!"

- Admiral Saul Karath

The Inexpugnable-class tactical command ship was a large warship class used by the Republic Navy. Designed and manufactured by Rendili Hyperworks and Rendili/Vanjervalis Drive Yards, the Inexpugnable was a flagship and command ship used by the Republic during the Mandalorian Wars. Often described as a mobile space station, at 3,100 meters in diameter it was one of the largest Republic spacecraft in use at the time. They saw combat at a number of battles early in the Mandalorian Wars, including the First Battle of Taris and the Battle of Serroco. The Inexpugnable was renowned for its ability to command massive Republic fleets, employing advanced command techniques such as the Vanjervalis Chain to command up to sixty-four Hammerhead-class cruisers simultaneously. Despite its usefulness as a command ship, the Inexpugnable had its weaknesses and flaws. Only six Inexpugnable-class ships were manufactured, two of which, the Courageous and the Reliance, were destroyed in the first few weeks of the Mandalorian Wars. They were replaced as Republic command ships by the Centurion-class battlecruiser before the end of the Mandalorian Wars.

Dimensions


The Inexpugnable-class was disc-shaped, 3,100 meters in diameter, with a hollow center. It had large hangars and a command area located underneath the main superstructure, to the stern. Additional hangar decks were located on the vessel's bow, to allow rapid deployment of fighters from multiple levels. This also made them vulnerable to boarding operations and ramming attacks.

In addition to the fighter decks, there was a cargo bay located adjacent to the ship's brig.

Offensive and defensive systems
Vessels of the Inexpugnable-class were equipped with five double turbolaser batteries, five light turbolaser batteries, two point-defenselaser cannon batteries, and two tractor beam batteries. Three turbolaser batteries were on each side of the main circular superstructure and two were near the bridge of the vessel.



Propulsion systems
The Inexpugnable-class was propelled by four large thrusters powered by engines deep within the circular superstructure. A possible auxiliary thruster was located in between the main four. For faster-than-light travel, it came equipped with a class 2 hyperdrive, with a Class 10 hyperdrive for backup.

Complement
The class could carry 144 Aurek starfighters and 24 S-250 Chela-class starfighters, as well as small transports, like 24 Conductor-class landing craft, and 6 Ministry-class orbital shuttles. Its hangar bays could also carry a number of Republic support ships.

The Inexpugnable-class was operated by a crew of 4,300 Republic officers and enlisted personnel. It also carried a total of 2,000 troops. The class could carry up to 50,000 tons of cargo and enough consumables for optimal ship and crew operations for two years.

Bridge
The bridge was an innovation in design, in which holograms were projected over a transparent deck, providing a merger of electronic and visual data and facilitating command. This bridge design, referred to as the "wishing well" by Republic helmsmen, could produce vertigo.

Role
The Inexpugnable-class was a command ship in the Republic Navy. Rendili Hyperworks and Rendili/Vanjervalis Drive Yards designed it in order to sell more Hammerhead-class cruisers to the Republic. Weapons coordination during the Mandalorian Wars became a major concern for Republic tacticians, as Republic lines were often defended by dozens of Hammerhead-class cruisers. The Inexpugnable-class was designed with an enhanced sensor package and an innovative bridge design, which allowed an Admiral to command a fleet of up to sixty-four Hammerhead-class cruisers at once. These ships commanded Republic fleets throughout the early Mandalorian Wars, including the Battle of Vanquo, the Battle of Serocco, the First Battle of Taris, and in orbit of Coruscant.

History
The Republic determined the need for a tactical command ship to coordinate the large fleets of Hammerhead-class ships defending its lines. The proof-of-concept Swiftsure was built at some point prior to the Mandalorian Wars. Under half a dozen Inexpugnable-class prototypes were constructed before the outbreak of the Mandalorian Wars, designed by Rendili Hyperworks and launched from the Rendili/Vanjervalis Drive Yards at Corellia. This new line of command ships, at an estimated cost of seventy million credits, effectively replaced the Republic's older command ships, such as the Reliance I. Among those prototypes were the Courageous and the Reliance; the production line also included the Indefatigable and the Tremendous. They were nicknamed "Inexies" by Republic crewmen.

At the end of 3,964 BBY, the Mandalorian Wars started in force when Mandalorian fleets attacked Vanquo and Taris. Inexpugnable-class vessels served as large command ships and battle group flagships in the Republic Navy during the Mandalorian Wars. The Courageous, commanded by then-Captain Saul Karath, led its battle group against the Mandalorians at the Battle of Vanquo. At the Battle of Serroco, the Courageous was boarded and captured by the Mandalorians; Mandalore the Ultimate claimed that his battle-axe was forged from the remnants of the Courageous. The remnants of the Courageous battle group joined the Tremendous and its battle group, while Admiral Karath transferred his flag to the Swiftsure shortly after the Battle of Omonoth. Meanwhile, the Reliance was lost with all hands, including its commander, Admiral Jimas Veltraa, at the First Battle of Taris.

After the Battle of Serroco, they were equipped with a new sensor package that allowed them to use tactics like the Vanjervalis Chain, which, shortly before the insurrection by the Jedi Covenant, would be used to protect Coruscant from any attack or infiltration. However, Haazen, the secret leader of the Jedi Covenant, was able to control all Republic ships linked to the Vanjervalis chain after he directed the Draay Trust to purchase Vanjervalis Systems and commanded Karath's fleet to attack the Republic strike team threatening his plans. After refitting the Swiftsure with the Vanjervalis sensor package, that ship was used as a basis for the production model. Only six of these ships, including the prototypes, were ever manufactured, with the rest of the production line abandoned and in part replaced by the smaller Centurion-class battlecruiser after problems began cropping up with the design.

Millennia later, the massive freighters-turned-battleships of the Trade Federation would come to resemble the class's design, with Hoersch-Kessel Drive's Lucrehulk-class battleship having a similar, circular superstructure and even incorporating Rendili StarDrive-made engines.

Behind the scenes
The Inexpugnable-class tactical command ship first appeared in issue #8 of the Knights of the Old Republic comic series. Along with other new starship classes in the Republic Navy featured in this issue and in the two arcs Days of Fear and Nights of Anger, the Inexpugnable appeared to be from the same design lineage as the Hammerhead-class cruiser.

The Inexpugnable-class had a slightly different look in issue 31, where the command ship Swiftsure was shown with a more prominent keel and a smaller, rounder primary hull. This different appearance may have been artistic interpretation, or it could be due to the fact that the Swiftsure was a proof-of-concept ship and therefore may have had a slightly different design.

The word "Inexpugnable" means incapable of being taken by force or impossible to overcome.

The names of Inexpugnable-class vessels seem to be mostly derived from Earth naval ships. The Courageous is named after the French ship Courageaux, whose design was used to construct four of Lord Nelson's Leviathan-class ships (a name shared by Admiral Karath's command ship in the Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic game). The Reliance was named for a ship in the British Navy during the Napoleonic era, also of the same class as the Courageaux. The Tremendous was also a British naval vessel during the Napoleonic wars.

Appearances

 * Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic 8: Flashpoint, Part 2
 * Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic 13: Days of Fear, Part 1
 * Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic 15: Days of Fear, Part 3
 * The Admiral's List: Jimas Veltraa Memorial Edition
 * The Admiral's List: Remember Serroco! Edition
 * Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic 17: Nights of Anger, Part 2
 * Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic 18: Nights of Anger, Part 3
 * Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic 19: Daze of Hate, Part 1
 * Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic 20: Daze of Hate, Part 2
 * Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic 30: Exalted, Part 2
 * Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic 31: Turnabout
 * The Adjudicator Special Report: Tools of the Trade
 * The Admiral's List: Karath Home Safely
 * Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic 34: Vindication, Part 3
 * Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic 35: Vindication, Part 4