The _Mikhail Gorbachev_ class Battlecruiser      

BC-1 Mikhail Gorbachev 
BC-P6357F3-490100-60E09-0 
MCr46,662.7 50,000 tons 	batteries bearing       8  8 1 6  
Crew=395. 			batteries         A  A 1 8  

TL=12. 
Low=137. 
Cargo=644. 
Fuel=18,500. 
EP=3500. 
Agility=5. 
Marines=150 

Notes: All lasers are pulse lasers. Ship has frozen watch, fuel 
scoops,  and purification plant. This is the original design of 
the _Gorbachev_ class. 24 of these ships  were built by the Naval 
Forces of Neubayern, all named for political  leaders of 
twentieth-century Earth. This version of the class saw action  
against Amondiage and Sansterre during the Old Islands War, and 
against  New Colchis during the Topas War. Following the Topas 
War, Alliance  Supreme Commander Sir Isaac Connor described the 
class as being the  "workhorse of the Alliance Fleet." Following 
the war of 5627, the ships of the class underwent the Series A  
upgrade, which equipped the key ships of the NFN with Alliance 
technology. 

BC-1 Series A BC-P6357H3-490300-(ND)000A-0 
MCr42,370.9 50,000 tons 	batteries bearing    	8   12    4 
Crew=370. 			batteries      		A   13    5 

TL=12(14). 
Low=510. 
Cargo=699. 
Fuel=18,500. 
EP=3500. 
Agility=5. 
Marines=650. 

Notes: All lasers are beam lasers. Ship has frozen watch, scoops, 
plant.  The refit cost MCr1,351.24 per ship, and took 14 weeks. The 
Series A _Gorbachev_ was one of the first warships to incorporate 
the  heavy laser technology developed by Sansterre. The letter-code 
bay  weapons and highly efficient spinal mounts made possible by 
this  improvement in laser technology gave Alliance ships a powerful 
punch at  close range. These refitted ships were also among the 
first to carry TL14 letter-code  missile bays. The combination of a 
letter-code bay and nuclear missiles gave the _Gorbachev_, and 
latter Alliance ships, the ability to crack  even the heaviest 
armour. The Series A version of this battlecruiser saw action in 
the Serendip  War. The entire class participated in the Second 
Battle of Neubayern,  when the Serendip Belt tried to depopulate 
Neubayern, and five of them  were lost or damaged beyond repair. 
The surviving 19 ships were among those which fled to Home and 
Sansterre  during the Imperial occupation, where they underwent 
the Series B refit  which incorporated the tremendous advances the 
Alliance had made in  weapons and propulsion. This covers the 
"history" of the _Gorbachev_ class. I've got plans to  write up 
the "current" status of the class (along with the Series B  
version) in the world of the Islands Cluster, but make no promises 
as to  when this will be... I'll post other NFN designs from the 
Alliance in days to come, unless of  course you don't want me to. :-)