Battlecruiser

The battlecruiser is a type of terran capital ship employed in the Koprulu Sector. Battlecruisers were employed during the Guild Wars when space engagements were fought by capital ships and medium-sized gunships. The development of anti-capital ship starfighters, such as Wraiths, did not spell the end of battlecruisers. The large warships adapted to carry strike craft which augmented and complemented the combat value of both. Battlecruisers continue to be an integral part of terran space forces as general purpose warships and command ships during extended campaigns.

While there are many classes of battlecruisers, all are armed with lasers and protected by neosteel armor. Gravity accelerators are also found on all battlecruisers.

Classes
Many battlecruiser classes exist. Known classes include;

Leviathan-class
The Leviathan-class battlecruiser is an uncommon battlecruiser class and although still operating at the dawn of the 26th century, had largely been supplanted by the Behemoth-class variant. The Leviathan-class is capable of traveling through warp space and features ports for transport craft, smaller craft linking into the ship via hydraulics. These ports are located perilously close to the bridge however, making a Leviathan vulnerable to any enemy boarding action.

Behemoth-class
The Behemoth-class battlecruiser was the most common battlecruiser class and represented the "standard" battlecruiser variant during the Great War. The Behemoth variant is greatly advanced from its Leviathan-class predecessor, featuring the ability to operate within planetary atmospheres and even land on planets. It also features a total of four docking bays (as opposed to hydraulic entry points) which are equipped with force fields, allowing easy deployment of fighters without fear of decompression and greater resilience to enemy boarding actions. Like the Leviathan, it is capable of traveling through warp space, even capable of making jumps within a planet's atmosphere.

Behemoth-class armor consists of the standard neosteel, along with force fields, while armament consists of multiple burst laser batteries (at least 8 around the ship's 'hammerhead') and a complement of nuclear warheads. Despite the heavy arsenal, Behemoth armament is slightly constricted in that its laser batteries cannot fire at targets to the side and its warheads are reserved for orbital bombardment rather than space combat. A saving grace for the Behemoth-class exists in the form of the Yamato Cannon. One such use of these weapons is that of carrying out a scorched earth policy.

Fighters are an integral component to battlecruiser deployment and the Behemoth-class conforms to this, capable of deploying Wraiths and scoutships to engage the enemy. It also akin to a terran carrier, capable of housing hundreds of soldiers and hardware and maintaining dropships and shuttles for rapid deployment.

The Behemoth-class battlecruiser's Yamato Gun's primary weakness is its huge energy requirements and while the installation of a colossus reactor allows for increased energy storage, it is not a long term solution. The Terran Dominion's Behemoths required access to physics labs to "power up their weapon systems". Should a fleet commander lose access to these accelerators, an entire Behemoth-class fleet could be crippled.

Despite its shortcomings, the Behemoth-class has proven to be an enduring design, keeping up to date with periodic upgrades while its hammerhead design had provided the basis for future classes. Although more advanced classes of battlecruiser have been developed, the Behemoth-class continues to remain in service.



Hercules- and Minotaur-class
The Hercules-class and Minotaur-class battlecruisers are two recently developed battlecruiser classes, based largely off their Behemoth-class predecessor. Additional laser batteries have been installed on these ships, allowing for a greater rate and amount of fire.

The Yamato Cannon was still an option; the Minotaur-class battlecruiser is equipped with it.

Missile Barrage systems can also be equipped, giving these craft an armament capable of saturating the air with a lethal deluge of fire, ideal for destroying weak spacecraft. Like the Yamato Cannon, these craft need to build up a significant amount of energy before activating this weapon system.

The interior of Minotaur battlecruisers are known to feature personal quarters, a brig and mess hall.

During the Interbellum, Minotaurs were suddenly recalled to Korhal IV. They were ordered to abandon their current assignments, disembark passengers and cargo on nearby habitable worlds, and proceed immediately to the Dominion capital to be refitted for interatmospheric combat.

Starcruiser
The Starcruiser is an advanced battlecruiser prototype sold by Crazy Bob's Bazaar.

StarCraft

 * For StarCraft gameplay information see: Battlecruiser (StarCraft).
 * For StarCraft in-game quotations see: StarCraft I Battlecruiser Quotations.

StarCraft: Ghost


In StarCraft: Ghost, the battlecruiser acted as a support unit for Nova. Through targeting, the player could call down a Yamato Cannon strike that dealt damage to all objects in an area.

StarCraft II

 * For StarCraft gameplay information see: Battlecruiser (StarCraft II).

Leviathan-class

 * Merrimack (converted prison ship)
 * Thunder Child

Behemoth-class

 * Bismarck
 * Gray Tiger
 * Huey Long
 * Hyperion
 * Iron Fist
 * Jackson V
 * Napoleon
 * Ragnorak
 * Theodore G. Bilbo

Norad-series

 * Norad II
 * Norad III

Minotaur-class

 * Emperor's Fury
 * Victory

Other or unknown classes

 * Aleksander
 * Jackson's Revenge
 * The Kimera
 * Kimeran Juggernaut
 * Loki

Known Battlecruiser Commanders

 * Admiral Gerard DuGalle
 * General Edmund Duke
 * General Arcturus Mengsk
 * Captain Bolshev
 * Captain Buzan
 * Captain Robert Mason
 * Captain Jim Raynor
 * Captain Elias Tudbury
 * Captain Alexander Davidoff
 * Commander Hale
 * Commander Haley
 * Major Tom Hawkins
 * Lieutenant Matt Horner
 * El Kang the Quixotic