Venator-class Star Destroyer/Legends

The Venator-class Star Destroyer, also known as a "Republic attack cruiser," was 1,137 meters long and had a crew of 7,400. It was designed and built by Kuat Drive Yards.

"Venator" is Latin for "hunter."

The Venator-class Star Destroyer was born from the success of the Acclamator-class assault transport and the Victory-class Star Destroyer. Powerful engines, a Class 1 hyperdrive, strong deflector shields, a large complement of starfighters and ground assault vehicles, and an armament consisting of 8 heavy turbolaser turrets, 2 medium dual turbolaser cannons, 52 point-defense laser cannons, and 4 heavy proton torpedo tubes made the Venator one of the most versatile medium warships of its time.

The ship's main weapons are its 8 DBY-827 heavy turbolaser turrets, the standard requirement for intense ship-to-ship combat and planetary bombardment. These turbolasers have two tracking modes. In its precise, long-range tracking mode, the DBY-827 can hit a target vessel at a range of 10 light minutes. During close-range fights, the turret can rotate in 3 seconds with its fast-tracking mode. The DBY-827 has 7 different power settings, providing choices between shots that would merely cripple an enemy, to ones that would vaporize them outright. As a true warship, the Venator can divert almost all of its reactor output to its heavy turbolasers when need be.

At the suggestion of Anakin Skywalker, a heavy SPHA-T turbolaser cannon was installed within the ventral hangar bay of some Venator-class ships. These weapons would prove to be a nasty surprise for unsuspecting Separatist warships.

Although it possesses powerful weaponry, the Venator-class was designed with a starfighter carrier role in mind. Its huge hangar bays are far larger than those on the older Victory-class, or even the later Imperator-class. The Venator can support an incredible 420 fighters: 192 V-Wing or V-19 Torrent starfighters, 192 Eta-2 Actis Interceptors, and 36 ARC-170 fighters. In addition to a standard ventral hangar bay, the bow of a Venator can open up to reveal a long dorsal flight deck. This flight deck enabled the Venator-class to rapidly launch hundreds of fighters. However, the slow opening and closing of the armored bow doors can leave the ship extremely vulnerable. Although strong shielding was used to compensate for this weakness, this design flaw would be entirely omitted from later Star Destroyer designs such as the Imperator.

Because of its carrier role, the Venator features a unique dual bridge tower design. The port tower is the starfighter command bridge, while the starboard tower serves as a standard helm and command bridge.

The Venator can also act as a military transport. The ship is capable of entering a planet's atmosphere and landing on its surface. It can carry was 40 LAAT/i gunships and 24 military walkers, and a number of miscellaneous shuttles for ground operations.

Venator-class Star Destroyers were deployed in a number of battles during the Clone Wars, most notably during the Battle of Coruscant when upwards of a thousand of the ships helped protect the capital. As the Galactic Republic transformed into the Galactic Empire, the Venator was phased out in favor of newer, more robust Star Destroyer designs such as the Imperator and Tector.

External Link

 * starwars.com Databank