Acclamator-class assault ship

Acclamator I-class assault ship "Master Sifo-Dyas requested the most powerful army in the galaxy. We have worked with only the best shipbuilders to fulfill that request."

- Lama Su

The Acclamator I-class assault ship, also known as the Republic assault ship, Acclamator I-class Star Destroyer, or Acclamator I-class medium frigate, was a starship created for the Galactic Republic by Rothana Heavy Engineering. It was the predecessor of the Star Destroyer line.

Dimensions
The 752-meter-long Acclamator I-class assault transport carried thousands of Republic clone troopers into battle. The Acclamator I favored a wedge or dagger shaped design, like the Republic warships during the Mandalorian Wars, due to its effectiveness&mdash;it allowed concentration of firepower while minimizing target profile. This basic design was used in a number of larger craft predating it and would define Imperial ships for decades to come.

Offensive and defensive systems
These ships were armed with 4 heavy torpedo launch tubes; 24 point-defense laser cannons, rated at 6 megatons per shot; and 12 quad turbolaser turrets, each rated at a maximum of 200 gigatons per shot. They were also armed with concussion missiles.

Groups of these ships could perform a "Base Delta Zero", an orbital bombardment that would exterminate all life on the planet. The later Acclamator II-class could also serve as star frigates to support their landing groups. In addition to ground landings, Acclamator-class ships were capable of water landings, as displayed at the Battle of Mon Calamari.

The sensor and communications suites were located at the front of the ship's command tower.

The hull armor of Acclamator-class vessels was impregnated with ultra-dispersive neutronium that withstood and spread massive energy blasts. Fusion rockets fired by enemy forces barely made a scratch on the hull as a result.

Complement
Acclamator I-class ships also carried support equipment and vehicles, such as the AT-TE and SPHA-T walkers, used to provide clone troopers with heavy battlefield support.

Each Acclamator I-class ship held 320 speeder bikes, used by clone troopers for fast battlefield reconnaissance and patrol duties. Eighty LAAT gunships were carried to insert personnel, vehicles, and cargo into battle zones in addition to providing close air support.

Gunships were suspended along an overhead circulating rail in the upper hangar for maintenance procedures during travels. A lower, smaller hangar area was used to embark and disembark ground troops and material when landed. The two levels were connected with elevator platforms. Most of the passenger and barrack decks were located on the upper levels of an Acclamator-class ship.

Propulsion systems
The Acclamator-class's main reactor was located in the middle of the vessel, inside the main superstructure, and was preceded at the frontal half of the ship by multiple fuel tanks. The tanks compressed hypermatter to enormous density for storage. The tanks were connected to the main reactor via pipe assemblies. Secondary reactors were located towards the bow of the vessel.



The ship's main thrusters were fitted with eight electromagnetic rudders that deflected the exhaust particle streams and gave boost when turning the ship. The secondary thrusters did not provide as much power, but were useful for maneuvering due to being placed further away from the ship's main axis.

The massive fin at the stern of the Acclamator-class contained both the anti-gravity generator and the ship's hyperdrive generator. When landed, the repulsorlift carried much of the ship's weight, but the landing legs maintained a stable contact with the ground.

Bridge
The bridge was located in the middle of an arrow-shaped command tower module that protruded from the dorsal superstructure. This tower module was a standard design for smaller ships in Kuat Drive Yards's starship catalog, which Rothana supplied vessels to. The main bridge and command center had no windows but relied upon advanced holoscreens shaped like the triangular viewports similar to the ones on other Kuat vessels. The bridge crew usually consisted of fully-armored clone pilots manning the control panels, with most operators being seated in twin crew pits below the command officer's area.

Pre-war origins


The Acclamator-class design was developed by Rothana and Kuat years before the start of the Clone Wars. The design was tested as early as 32 BBY, shortly after the resolution of the Invasion of Naboo, in an important system performing fleet-maneuvers with other capital ships. These vessels had some differences from the ship that would become famous during the Clone Wars, but the similarities were present in this and at least one other ship-design.

Republic use
As the Jedi Master Yoda arrived on Kamino to gather an invasion force, dozens of Acclamator Is had already been built and readied for the soldiers they were designed to carry. In their first engagement at the Battle of Geonosis, the class proved pivotal in the Republic victory, delivering legions of clone troopers to the battlefield while a large Republic fleet engaged the Separatist fleet in orbit. After delivering their troops, the Acclamators pulled back to provide orbital support, with only a portion of the ships ending up damaged in the battle.



Just after the battle had concluded, the Republic ordered 1,000 more Acclamators based on their success as primary ground force delivery vehicles. At least as of 21 BBY, all Acclamators were completely crewed by clones, though they would also count regular Republic officers among their crews, as the war ground on. Apart from this, the Acclamators and larger warships were generally off-limits to most regular defense force personnel. During the height of the war, some Acclamators had the paint markings of the Open Circle Fleet like the Venators.

Several different variations were used during the war, with the Acclamator II-class assault ship being the most numerous alternate model. The subclasses saw many battles in both the Clone Wars and the Galactic Civil War. Other Kuati designs complemented and supplanted the Acclamator-class, but the design was popular enough to continue service for decades.

Later service


Several variants of the Acclamator design appeared to be dedicated for space combat rather than planetary assault. Its design was also influential on the development of several other warships. One example was the Class II Frigate, represented by Rand Ecliptic, which had a more narrow hullform and two docking bays with port and starboard openings. There was no large downward-facing hangar bay as seen on some of the early Acclamator-class ships, but there were large retractable loading ramps in order for the clone troopers to board.

In addition to being a warship and a military transport serving forces in backwater areas, some Imperial Acclamators were used as slave ships, transporting large quantities of enslaved people to various Imperial penal colonies during the Galactic Civil War. Although they were initially not considered "Star Destroyers", the Acclamator-class was sometimes referred to as such during the reign of the Empire.

Some fell into the hands of criminal groups such as the Zann Consortium. The Empire continued to use them as of Operation Shadow Hand, and they were even used well into the Yuuzhan Vong War.

Behind the scenes


The word "Acclamator" means "one who acclaims" or "conqueror".

The Star Wars: The Ultimate Visual Guide mentions that the starships and vehicles used by the Republic during the Clone Wars, such as the Acclamator and AT-TE, were "retired" shortly after the end of the conflict. This is inconsistent with what is shown in the post-Revenge of the Sith era, such as Star Wars: Empire at War and the Star Wars: Empire comic series, where they're shown to be in continued use, albeit on the Empire's more remote worlds. In the case of the Acclamator, some are specifically mentioned as "slave ships" by Darth Vader in the In the Shadows of Their Fathers story arc). Starships of the Galaxy (Saga Edition) clarified that Acclamators were used by forces in backwater areas.

In the game Star Wars: Empire at War and Star Wars: Battlefront II, the Acclamators present seem geared towards ship-combat rather than carrying ground forces, and are designated as frigates (while on the lower ship-scale, they are correctly designated cruisers). This might mean that these ships are Acclamator IIs instead.

Starships of the Galaxy (2007 edition) states a crew of 20,141 and a hyperdrive rating of 0.75 for both Acclamator I and II classes contradicting the earlier number of 700 and 0.6 given by Attack of the Clones: Incredible Cross-Sections and Star Wars: Complete Cross-Sections.

As shown in Star Wars: Empire at War and the expansion Forces of Corruption, the Acclamator also has a concussion missile launcher.

In The Unifying Force, a ship labeled as a "Rothana transport" takes part in the liberation of Coruscant. It is unknown whether this is, literally, an Acclamator-class vessel or merely a variant. The descriptions of the vessel, however, seem to identify the craft as an Acclamator.

Notes and references
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