Battlecruiser

"Good day commander."

- Terran Battlecruiser

The Battlecruiser was the premier Terran capital ship that saw widespread use in the Koprulu Sector.

Overview
Battlecruisers were employed as far back as the Guild Wars when, prior to the development of the starfighter, most space engagements were fought between battlecruisers and medium gunships.

Befitting their role as warships, the basic battlecruiser armament consisted of multiple heavy laser cannon capable of engaging all manner of air and ground targets, with thick NeoSteel armor providing protection. Even heavier weaponry, such as the Yamato Gun, could be retrofitted onto ships as resource, time, and will allowed.

The battlecruiser could also act as a carrier, deploying marines planetside with dropships or launching starfighters to support itself in a fleet action.

In times of relative calm the intimidation and deterrant value of battlecruisers helped to keep the peace, while on campaign high-ranking officers found them useful as command ships.

Classes
There have been several classes of the Terran battlecruiser developed and put into service. A few of them are described below:

Leviathan-class
The Leviathan-class was still in service alongside Behemoth-class at the time of the fall of the Confederacy. The Leviathan appeared to be an older type than the Behemoth.

Named ships include:


 * Merrimack - Converted prison ship. Captured by the Sons of Korhal.
 * Thunderchild - Once belonged to the Confederacy but was mutinied upon in the wake of the Zerg invasion of Tarsonis and later fell into the use of Raynor's Raiders. Presumably overrun by the Zerg above Char and destroyed by the Protoss.

Behemoth-class
The Behemoth-class was the most prolific type during the conflict spanning the fall of the Confederacy and the Brood War. This class had eight flightbays in its hammerhead bow and could carry up to a thousand troops and vehicles as large as Goliaths. Many were retrofitted with Yamato Cannon. A Science Facility with an attached Physics Lab was required to allow battlecruisers to power up their weapons.

Known ships include;


 * Aleksander - Flagship of the United Earth Directorate and command center for Admiral Gerard DuGalle. Destroyed by Infested Kerrigan's Zerg while retreating back to Earth.
 * Bismarck: Part of Alpha Squadron. Destroyed by the Protoss above Bhekar Ro.
 * Gray Tiger - Used to transport archaeologists to the world of Nemaka, under the authority of the Terran Dominion.
 * Huey Long: One of the ships sent to Chau Sara after its destruction by the Protoss.
 * Hyperion - Originally a Confederacy Battlecruiser, it crashed on Umoja; was recovered, refitted, and renamed by Arcturus Mengsk; and finally stolen by Jim Raynor during his defection from the Sons of Korhal. Now the command ship and home base for Raynor's Raiders.
 * Jackson V: One of the ships sent to Chau Sara after its destruction by the Protoss.
 * Kimeran Juggernaut - Battlecruiser of the Kimeran Pirates. Destroyed by mercenaries hired by Infested Stukov.
 * Napoleon: Part of Alpha Squadron. Destroyed at Bhekar Ro.
 * Norad II - Flagship of General Edmund Duke. Attacked by Zerg in orbit around Antiga Prime and crashed. Repaired and led a mission against Tarsonis.
 * Norad III - Flagship of General Edmund Duke after the destruction of Norad II. Destroyed by Kerrigan's Zerg after retaking Korhal from the UED.
 * Leviathan - Flagship of Arcturus Mengsk after the theft of the Hyperion.
 * Ragnorak: Commanded by Captain Bolshev
 * Theodore G. Bilbo: Set to take over the Norad II's patrol route before the destruction of Chau Sara

Hercules and Minotaur classes
The Hercules-class and Minotaur-class Battlecruisers succeeded the Behemoth-class following the Brood War. It retained the basic layout of the Behemoth, including the distinctive hammerhead.

StarCraft
The Behemoth-class battlecruiser has a staggering 500 hit points; no other unit tops this margin. The devastating ATA/ATS laser batteries can inflict 25 base points of normal damage to air or ground targets. It is important to note that the Terran Battlecruiser is the only non-hero unit in the game able to withstand a nuclear strike (it will survive with HP equal to its armor rating). It is also notable to state that (in groups) the battlecruiser is practically the only capital ship class unit immune to the zerg scourge (the battlecruiser's base damage can kill a scourge in one shot). With the Yamato Gun, it can one-shot most defenses and units.

There are several effective counters against Battlecruisers: Terran players can utilize massed Goliaths or the Lockdown ability of their Ghost units in order to quickly neutralize a Battlecruiser fleet. Abilities such as Psionic Storm and Plague are also devastating against Battlecruiser fleets, especially those not escorted by Science Vessels capable of casting EMP Shockwave against enemy spell-casters. Zerg Scourge are cheap to build, but rarely effective against large Battlecruiser groups, even en-masse. Protoss Scout fighters can also swarm a Battlecruiser in groups or with support; their missiles stronger than laser batteries of the Battlecruiser. Wraith squads are also capable of wasting Battlecruiser fleets rather quickly due to their heavy damage, especially if cloaked. Devourers are useful counters but are vulnerable to the Yamato Cannon. The slow speed of the battlecruiser also makes it difficult to disengage if a battle makes a turn for the worst, or to extract a damaged ship for repair.

The battlecruiser type depicted in StarCraft is the Behemoth-class.

Abilities

 * Yamato Gun
 * Cost: 100 0 100
 * Researched at: Physics Lab
 * Energy Cost: 150
 * Damage: 260
 * A powerful weapon that focuses a nuclear explosion into a beam using magnetic fields.

Upgrades

 * Ship Weapons
 * Ship Plating
 * Colossus Reactor
 * Cost: 150\150
 * Upgraded at: Physics Lab
 * Increases maximum Battlecruiser energy by 50.

StarCraft: Ghost
While not a playable unit in StarCraft: Ghost battlecruisers allow the player to call down Battlecruiser Yamato Cannon strikes.

StarCraft II
The default weaponry of the battlecruiser is no longer a single powerful attack. Instead it will fire multiple laser bolts, each inflicting 8 damage.

The battlecruiser types depicted in StarCraft II are the Hercules- and Minotaur-class.

Abilities
The battlecruiser will have the choice of being upgraded with either the Yamato Cannon or the Plasma Torpedo attack, but not both. Once one has been chosen, the battlecruiser may not switch. The upgrade will visually change the unit model allowing players to easily determine which upgrade has been chosen.


 * Yamato Cannon
 * Analogous to StarCraft's "Yamato Gun".
 * Adds a large central gun to the bow. The neck 'recoils' when the weapon is fired.


 * Plasma Torpedo
 * An area-of-effect weapon effective against weak swarming units (like Marines and Zerglings).
 * Adds multiple small barrels to the front of the ship's hammerhead.

Trivia
The Yamato Gun is a reference to the title ship of Space Battleship Yamato and its wave motion gun.

=References=
 * "Behemoth-class Battlecruiser", Battle.net StarCraft Compendium