Ship Cruiser PrideC
| Pride C | |
|---|---|
 Pride C | |
| Type | Battlecruiser |
| Combat role | Cruiser |
| Service | |
| Used by |
United Space Navy Antarean Federated Navy Antarean Imperial Space Navy |
| Wars |
First Antarean War Solesian War Second Antarean War |
| Specifications | |
| Displacement | 130Mt |
| Length | 1800m |
Once considered the mainstay of the USN fleet (prior to the Solesian Conflict) the Pride class were a solid and fierce fighters despite their relatively advanced age. A so-called "second-generation" hull, the first Pride was commissioned just after the first Antarean conflict, and served with distinction for nearly a century, participating in battles up and down the length and breadth of ULP space. Its thick armor, heavy weapons and surprising speed allowed the Pride to remain effective for many years.
However, despite regular maintenance and upgrades, the Pride's history has become more and more riddled with cases of catastrophic failure. This is especially apparent in instances where older technology, used in many parts of the ship's propulsion and sensor systems, simply did not properly interface with newer components installed over the many years of the craft's service. As a result, by the time of the Crusader War, the remaining Pride's were largely relegated to the "backwater" of the 2nd and 6th Protectorate Fleets, with the newer Deimlos class filling its position elsewhere.
When these units later defected to the Antarean Empire, the AISN gained a bulk of the existing hulls. Desperate for ships and men, these craft were quickly pressed back into service with mixed results.
After the truce (following the catastrophes at Orion's Head) the AISN decided against completely scrapping its remaining Prides. The Imperial navy instead embarked on a plan that would see its last Pride BCs refitted to accommodate the more specialized technologies of the navy. As a result these "new" battlecruisers saw their fighter and shuttle births replaced with drone docking-collars and their ECM suites and propulsion systems completely modernized. Despite the fact that the modified Pride (dubbed Pride-C, or or DCV, Drone Carrier Variant) carries fewer drones then the much smaller Maat class BC, its thicker armor allows it to survive in the heat of battle for far longer. Additionally, several missile and torpedo bays were scrapped in favor of berths for a dozen drone-controllers, which effectively boosts the range of the ship's parasite compliment by three-fold.
Ton for ton, the Pride-C is still one of the sturdiest battlecruisers in service. Though its age renders it more vulnerable then it otherwise might be. It is unlikely this design will disappear altogether.
[Note: The USN is currently developing a mark 2 variant of the Pride which may see service in the coming years]
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