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A bulk cruiser
- "I've outrun Imperial starships. Not the local bulk cruisers mind you, I'm talking about the big Corellian ships now."
- ―Han Solo
A bulk cruiser was a capital ship design that combined attributes of both warships and cargo haulers. They saw service in both the Sith Empire of the Great Galactic War, as well as the Galactic Empire and Alliance navies of the Galactic Civil War.
Characteristics[]
A heavily damaged bulk cruiser in orbit of a planet
Several different models existed, like the Neutron Star- and Battle Horn-classes, but the overall design was relatively the same, with an armament of thirty quad laser cannons—ten forward, ten to port, and ten to starboard—and two forward tractor beam projectors. The bulk cruiser's large and bulbous forward section contained a medium sized hangar for up to one squadron of starfighters.
History[]
One kind of bulk cruiser was produced by Keizar-Volvec and used by the Sith Empire as a command ship during the Great Galactic War.[2] The more famous designs were produced during the Clone Wars, meant to be second-line Republic ships.[3] Not deployed until after the conflict was over, they became among some of the most common designs seen in space, although most were modified, due to their stock design being prone to breakdowns, slow speed and expensive refueling.[3] The term came to be used to describe a number of ships that fit the general characteristics.[4]
Modifications to the ships to make them more battleworthy were often seen as useless by Alliance commanders. Instead, most were converted into carrier cruisers, with extensive docking bays and repair facilities. The crews were told to stay out of any serious engagements and rely upon their starfighter squadrons as their primary weapons. Bulk cruisers that were converted into carriers were capable of carrying three squadrons of fighters. Other ships were kept as escorts for Alliance convoys.[4]
The Empire[1] and various corporations kept bulk cruisers as patrol vessels, guarding systems where important corporate assets were to be found. In addition, these ships were used to track down Rebel ships and combat pirate-attacks on convoys.[3]
Behind the scenes[]
Han Solo mentioned outrunning bulk cruisers in A New Hope. West End Games took that remark and built an RPG profile on these ships.
Appearances[]
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