BATTLESTAR OLYMPIA BSG-78
"SIC NORROS NOS TOTUS"
CLASS: Columbia
RACE: Colonial
TYPE: Military
FTL PROPULSION: At least 2 FTL drives, 6 x sublight engines, 4 individual engine pods (2 on main hull between engine pods), 40 x maneuvering engines (in 10 clusters of 4 apiece)
ROLE: Carrier/Battleship Hybrid
STATUS: Active
FIGHTERS: A maximum of 8 squadrons of 10 Fighters.
RAPTORS: The number of Raptors available to Columbia-Class battlestars is assumed to have a maximum of thirty Raptors.
Overview
The first twelve battlestars were laid down in the early days of the Cylon War. Each of these twelve battlestars represented one of the Twelve Colonies of Kobol.
The original battlestars were space-going leviathans of some 4,640ft (1,414m) in length, housing at least 4 squadrons of 20 Viper space superiority fighters apiece and nuclear warheads. A fully-armed battlestar is capable of a wide range of offensive actions, while her defensive armaments ensure she is fully capable of both protecting herself from attack and engaging an enemy at close quarters.
Following the end of the war, the original battlestars remained in service and many newer battlestars were built. At the time of the Fall of the Twelve Colonies, the newer Mercury class represented the top of the line. Ships such as these and the Valkyrie type battlestars have nearly completely replaced the original battlestars, making Olympia one of the last of the Columbia class still in its original condition. A few other ships of the class remained in service, although it is likely that these battlestars shared only their external configuration with Olympia, and were upgraded and thus more technologically advanced.
Layout
The design common to Olympia and her sister ships can be broken down into two main sections: the main hull, and the twin flight pods.
Main hull
This comprises the bulk of a battlestar and can itself be divided into three sections:
The "alligator head" contains water storage tanks and the CIC.
The midships area contains the pod retraction mechanisms and crossways linking the hangar decks for the transfer of equipment and personnel.
The stern section contains sublight engines, FTL drives, etc. Four of the sublight engines are in engine pods, and two more are between the pods.
Flight pods
The flight pods are mounted on either side of the hull and contain a battlestar's Vipers and Raptors. During normal operations, they are extended away from the main hull. During FTL jumps, the pods are retracted against the hull, concealing their open ends and making launches and landings impossible. Each pod comprises two main decks for flight operations: the upper landing bay, which extends the full length of the pod, and the lower launch bays, which provide some 40 launch tubes per pod.
Landing approaches are made from the stern. The preferred approach is a slow run into the landing bay, prior to making a vertical landing on a defined landing area. However, in emergencies, combat landings can be made, in which a craft approaches and lands at high speed on its landing skids.
The hangar deck is used for maintenance, repair, refueling, rearming, and launch operations and runs the length of the flight pod.
Dimensions
An appreciation of the size of an original battlestar can be gleaned from a comparison to current Earth craft. A battlestar is over 4 times longer than a Nimitz class nuclear carrier of the US Navy at 1414m. The flight pod of an original battlestar is almost twice the length of Nimitz (at around 660m), is some 150ft (46m) wider, and is approximately as tall as the Nimitz is from its waterline to the top of the tower (aproximately 60m). An original battlestar's "alligator head" is as broad as the flight deck of Nimitz is long. Each of the nacelles of an original battlestar's outer four sublight engines is large enough to contain Nimitz.
Propulsion
Despite their massive size, battlestars are extremely maneuverable and can dock with space stations such as Ragnar Anchorage. Battlestars are not designed for atmospheric flight, although their hulls can manage a tenuous upper atmospheric storm like that surrounding the gas giant Ragnar and can survive a jump and subsequent freefall into the atmosphere of a habitable planet. A battlestar's FTL systems are capable of accurate jumps, able to place them in synchronous orbit above a relatively close planet and of placing them safely in the midst of an asteroid field, a dense fleet of ships, or a planetary atmosphere. However, they are grossly inferior to Cylon systems in terms of safe range.
Endurance
Battlestars are intended to operate for long periods without re-supplying. Their water purification capabilities alone are so efficient that, barring an emergency or unforeseen event, a battlestar can operate "for several years before replenishing". They also appear capable of undertaking large-scale repairs following battle damage. They have ammunition assembly capabilities in the armory and may have small general fabrication facilities. Vegetable stores and canned goods are kept in titanium lockers. Battlestars are capable of continuing combat operations despite suffering massive damage, as evidenced by Olympia's continuing effectiveness.
Computer systems
The original battlestar vessels deliberately avoided the use of networked primary computer systems during the Cylon War, as Cylon forces were adept at infiltrating and subverting such systems.
On Olympia, in the post-Cylon War era, these primary computers remained isolated by practice on order of its last pre-Holocaust commanding officer, Colonel Staples. This no-networks practice saved Olympia from the fate of its sister battlestars in the Fall of the Twelve Colonies as Olympia's no-network order meant that the CNP, installed in almost all Colonial Fleet vessels at the time, could not be used aboard Olympia as the CNP was designed for use with a computer network.
Armament
- 24 large antiship gun turrets (mounting 2 guns apiece)
- These are mounted on the dorsal and ventral surfaces of the main hull and the ventral surface of the bow. The two guns on each turret fire in tandem. They have been shown to be quite effective against targets like basestars. These large guns are able to use both flak ammunition and high-explosive anti-capital ship shells. Additionally, the guns are able to engage in coordinated barrage strategies, such as salvo (and presumably, volley) fire.
- 452 smaller point-defense turrets (mounting 2 guns apiece)
- These are mounted on the flight pods and other surfaces. Each barrel fires explosive rounds in bursts.
- Multiple nuclear warheads
- Deployed from 12 launch tubes mounted in the main hull.
- At least 4 squadrons of 20 Viper space superiority fighters
- Even the latest Mk. VII Vipers remain compatible with this class's launch and recovery facilities.
- Numerous Raptor multi-role vehicles
Crew
Olympia's crew complement prior to the fall of the 12 Colonies was approximately 2,800. Olympia was in the middle of a scheduled crew rotation, which accounts for the low numbers. This figure is almost certainly higher for a fully staffed battlestar.
Life support
Approximately twelve oxygen recirculation units are mounted throughout the ship, which replenish oxygen as well as remove ("scrub") carbon dioxide from the air. These devices work continuously.
All specs are from Battlestar Wiki, and modified to suit our purpose. For original article click HERE. No infringement intended.