Pasaldo-Class Corvette
| Name: | Pasaldo-Class |
|---|---|
| Type: | Small Patrol / Customs Vessel |
| Builders: | Multiple |
| Operators: | Frontier Reaction Force, URN, Various Planetary Security Forces |
| Completed: | 1234 |
| Lost: | 673 |
| Length: | 126 m |
| Width: | 38 m |
| Height: | 25 m |
| Power Supply: | 1 x Orvieto Heavy Industries Enon Fusion Powerplant |
| Sub - Light Propulsion | 2 x Fulmin Propulsion An-Series Ion Engines |
| Supra-Light Propulsion: | 1 x SSE 16-r supra-luminal drive core |
| Endurance: | Fuel for 16 lightspeed jumps, 3 months of provisions for the crew. |
| Crew: | 24 Officers, 232 contractors (Merchant Marine) |
| Sensors: | 2 x Cianave Systems Lav-6 sensor arrays |
| Armament: | 2 x 2 102 mm rail guns in two double turrets; 12 vertical launch cells with a configurable loadout of up to 120 missiles, depending on mission requirements |
| Armor | 75 mm titanium plate armor |
| Spacecraft Facilities: | None, 2 external docking tubes |
The Pasaldo-class was a model of small warships, or corvettes, which saw extensive service with the Umbrian Republic Navy and the Frontier Reaction Force in the run up to and through the early parts of the Ascomanni War. It featured high endurance and a strong armament for a vessel its size, and would be produced in large numbers, with construction of new hulls continuing even to the present.
The Pasaldo would come to be in the late 31130's, during a period of time when the nature of the Navy's composition and the requirements of future warships were still in doubt. Archus Alessia Bantia argued forcefully against the growth in small craft amongst the URN's fleets. She asserted that the corvettes lacked the heft for fleet engagements, and their utility in times of war would be limited to secondary or even tertiary roles in rear areas.
While she succeeded in pushing forward a number of larger designs, the Naval Architecture Board continued with a tender for the next generation of patrol and customs vessels. An agreement was reached with the Frontier Reaction Force to jointly procure a single design, with the goal of reducing the overall expense of constructing the class.
A dozen different entries were reviewed, but the two organizations finally settled on a boxy design from an unlikely source: Orvieto Heavy Industries. The company had made inroads in its attempts to solidify its place as a producer of heavy equipment for the defense industry, but this was its first attempt at designing a warship.
Despite, or perhaps because of, their lack of experience, they were able to pull together a ship which checked all of the Board's requirements, while also coming in under budget for price per vessel.
Despite OHI's win, there were other challenges to overcome. The company did not have its own organic shipyards to produce the vessels, and several other builders refused to cooperate in a licensing scheme after having their own models rejected.
Eventually, the URN began producing the vessel themselves at their own naval shipyards, while the RF succeeded in pressuring several partners into coming to the table. The experience would succeed in souring OHI from the shipbuilding industry however, and the Pasaldo would remain the company's sole design.
As the first corvettes were received by their crews, initial reaction was positive. They were relatively comfortable and handled easily in both atmosphere and space, and with few threats capable of going toe to toe with their military grade armament, they were more than sufficient to track down smugglers or the odd would-be pirate.
However, Archus Bantia's vision of future threats would prove to be prophetic, and her disdain for smaller warships would come back to haunt the class.
In 31147, the Ascomanni first arrived over the colony world of Battipaglia, starting the Ascomanni War. The RF rushed to support the world, but the Pasaldos were not nearly sufficient to face down the aliens' warships. Loses in the first few encounters numbered over a hundred corvettes: the Archus's concerns had been fully realized.
As the war washed over Battipaglia and spread deeper into the Frontier, the Pasaldos would be destroyed in horrific numbers. They would earn several unflattering nicknames, and moral amongst the remaining vessels' crews would plummet.
Finally, following a pause in Ascomanni activity in 31151, the Pasaldos would be pulled out of frontline service. Instead, they would serve as scouts and escorts for the URN's supply fleets, while also providing a modicum of protection for the transport of important officers to and from the front.
In these roles, the Pasaldos found more success, and the relative ease of their assembly meant they'll continue to serve in this role well into the foreseeable future.