Destroyer

The Imperial-class was a mid-sized, mass-produced warship that served as the workhorse of the Galactic Empire and influenced several destroyer and Star Destroyer designs.

Destroyer was a formal designation usually reserved for the medium-sized warships in a fleet, below that of cruiser and battleship.

Characteristics

Often, these vessels were similar to small cruisers and could operate in flotillas or independently. Many classes were highly versatile and were capable of functioning as peacekeeping battleships in localized conflicts, as well as being escorts for larger vessels.

In some navies and eras, the destroyer was one of the largest capital ships in the fleet. Such was the case with the Sith Destroyers which served the Brotherhood of Darkness during the final stages of the New Sith Wars, and the Fel Empire with its Pellaeon-class Star Destroyer.

Besides star-bound destroyers, there were also maritime destroyers.

The term "Star Destroyer", although similar to "destroyer", did not necessarily indicate a destroyer-class ship and was used for a wide variety of warships. Some Imperial documents also listed the Imperial-class Star Destroyer's ship type as "destroyer".

Known destroyer designs

The Aggressor-class was the second-largest warship in the Zann Consortium navy.

Adz-class patrol destroyer

The 150 meter long Adz-class destroyer was a small warship used for picket and patrol duties by the Imperial Remnant.

Aggressor-class Star Destroyer

The Aggressor-class was the second-largest warship in the Zann Consortium forces and based on an Imperial design. It was armed with two large cannons to take out other warships.

Bakura-class destroyer

The Bakura-class was built around the Imperial II-class reactor. Only three were known to have been built and participated in the First Corellian Insurrection conflict, on the side of the New Republic.

Destroyer analog

This was a Yuuzhan Vong warship used as an analog to the destroyers of the New Republic during the Yuuzhan Vong War.

The Bakura-class was the largest combat ship in the Bakuran navy, with a similar size to the Galactic Empire's Imperial-class.

Gladiator-class Star Destroyer

The 500 meters long Gladiator-class was a small Star Destroyer design used to intimidate outlying systems in the Galactic Empire.

Imperial-class Star Destroyer

The 1,600 meter Imperial-class was the signature vessel of the Imperial Navy and was used to intimidate weaker systems into submission with its very presence. It was large enough to command fleets, and fast enough to hunt down blockade runners. Over 25,000 ships were built.

Interdictor-class Sith Destroyer

The 600 m Interdictor-class used by the Sith Empire under Darth Revan was alternatively referred to as a Sith Destroyer.

Lucrehulk-class destroyer

The Lucrehulk-class was a fast warship used to protect merchant fleets in the Trade Federation and chase down blockade runners. It used the Lucrehulk-class Core Ship as a command core, like most other Federation warships and cargo vessels.

A Venator-class Star Destroyer and a Providence-class destroyer/carrier fighting at point-blank range during the Battle of Coruscant.

Multi-kilometer Star Destroyer

This type of Star Destroyer was larger and more powerful than the more well-known Imperial-class. At least one such type was produced by Kuat Drive Yards for decades.

Nebula-class Star Destroyer

The 1,040 meter Nebula-class was an expensive and powerful, compact New Republic design, made to overpower any other Star Destroyer class and even withstand some kinds of Super Star Destroyer. This made the vessels very expensive and consequently few were built, although they aquitted themselves well in the Yuuzhan Vong War.

Pellaeon-class Star Destroyer

The Pellaeon-class was an advanced Star Destroyer that served as one of the most powerful classes in the galaxy around 100 years after the Battle of Endor. It used design elements found in both the Imperial II-class and the Executor-class Star Dreadnought.

Providence-class carrier/destroyer

The Providence-class was both a destroyer and a carrier, with a large central hangar located towards the stern of the vessel. General Grievous modified several vessels to carry even more vehicles and troops, and used one of them as his personal command ship, the Invisible Hand.

Rebel destroyer

The Rebel fleet that attacked the second Death Star had some kind of destroyers in their arsenal.

File:Recusant.jpg

The Recusant-class was a light warship in the CIS Navy that was relatively easy to produce, yet its automatic systems were extremely single-minded.

Recusant-class light destroyer

The Recusant-class was a light destroyer design that was armed with heavy artillery for a ship of its size. They were mostly automated and hunted larger vessels in packs, but were often single-minded in their tasks, which opened them up for assault by enemy vessels.

Rejuvenator-class Star Destroyer

The Rejuvenator-class fought in the Second Battle of Coruscant (Yuuzhan Vong War).

Republic-class Star Destroyer

The Republic-class was a contemporary of the Nebula-class and dispersed through several New Republic task forces.

Republic destroyer

The Republic destroyer was a ship type in service with the Republic several centuries prior to the Great Sith War.

Rothana destroyer

This was a destroyer design based on the Acclamator-class assault ship, that was conceived right after the opening battle of the Clone Wars.

File:Destroyer Geonosis.JPG

The Sabaoth destroyer was the main fighting ship of the Sabaoth Squadron.

Sabaoth destroyer

The Sabaoth was the largest warship design of the Sabaoth Squadron, a mercenary fleet of warships. It participated in the run-up to the Clone Wars.

Sith Destroyer

The Sith Destroyer was a ship-design used by the Brotherhood of Darkness during the final conflicts of the New Sith Wars. One such vessel, the Nightfall, served as Lord Kaan's flagship. The Interdictor-class cruiser was also referred to as a Sith Destroyer while in service of the Sith Empire of the Jedi Civil War, almost 1,500 years earlier.

Storm Fleet destroyer

The Storm Fleet destroyer was a warship built by KDY for the Separatist cause early in the Clone Wars. They were disguised as freighters to easily travel to their targets, unaligned worlds with resources coveted by the CIS movement. Destroyed by Republic forces, Kuat managed to evade prosecution for the treasonous act of building them.

Tector-class Star Destroyer

The Tector-class was a Star Destroyer design that had no hangars. As such it was more protected than most other classes. Ships of this kind participated in the Clone Wars and Galactic Civil War.

Terminus-class destroyers became a common sight within Imperial fleets during the Cold War and the subsequent Galactic War.

Terminus-class Destroyer

The Terminus-class destroyer was a capital ship used by the Sith Empire and was seen in use by the time of the Cold War.

Venator-class Star Destroyer

The Venator-class gained fame as command ships of Jedi Knights during the Clone Wars. They were primarily fighting ships, but also doubled as carriers, and had a long-running dorsal carrier deck, complete with armored doors. Future designs did away with this cumbersome solution.

Victory-class Star Destroyer

The Victory-class was inspired by the Acclamator-class assault ship but had less carrier facilities than contemporary designs, like the Venator-class. Despite this, the class saw service in multiple governments.

Appearances

• Darth Bane: Path of Destruction
• Star Wars: Battlefront
• Star Wars: Battlefront II
• Star Wars: Jedi Starfighter
• Obsession
• Labyrinth of Evil
• Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith
• Star Wars: Empire at War
• Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope
• Han Solo at Stars' End
• Dark Forces: Soldier for the Empire
• Marvel Star Wars
• Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back
• Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi
• Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi novel
• Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi junior novel
• The Mandalorian Armor
• Star Wars: Empire at War: Forces of Corruption
• Children of the Jedi
• X-wing: The Krytos Trap
• X-wing: The Bacta War
• X-wing: Iron Fist
• X-wing: Solo Command
• X-wing: Isard's Revenge
• Dark Empire
• Empire's End
• Darksaber
• Crimson Empire
• Tyrant's Test
• Ambush at Corellia

File:AdzDestroyer.JPG

The Adz-class was a diminutive ship meant for patrol duty.

• Assault at Selonia
• Showdown at Centerpoint
• Specter of the Past
• The New Jedi Order: Vector Prime
• The New Jedi Order: Dark Tide II: Ruin
• The New Jedi Order: Agents of Chaos II: Jedi Eclipse
• The New Jedi Order: Edge of Victory I: Conquest
• The New Jedi Order: Star by Star
• The New Jedi Order: Force Heretic II: Refugee
• The New Jedi Order: Force Heretic III: Reunion
• The New Jedi Order: The Final Prophecy
• The New Jedi Order: The Unifying Force
• Legacy of the Force: Betrayal

Sources

• Han Solo and the Corporate Sector Sourcebook
• Dark Empire Sourcebook
• The Illustrated Star Wars Universe
• The Rebel Alliance Scrapbook
• The Jedi Academy Sourcebook
• Cracken's Threat Dossier
• Tempest Feud
• The Essential Chronology
• Attack of the Clones: Incredible Cross-Sections
• Roleplaying Game Revised Core Rulebook
• Inside the Worlds of Star Wars Trilogy
• Revenge of the Sith: Incredible Cross-Sections
• Star Wars Chronicles: The Prequels
• Byss and the Deep Core
• The Complete Locations of Star Wars
• The New Essential Chronology
• Star Wars: Legacy 0
• Starships of the Galaxy (Saga Edition)
• Acme Specplate Imperial Star Destroyer blueprint
• The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia
• The Clone Wars Campaign Guide
• Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Praji -- A Hyperspace Exclusive on StarWars.com (content now obsolete; backup link (hyperspace/source/praji/20090205.html) not verified!)

Notes and references

In other languages

• dansk
• español

See also

Destroyer on Wikipedia