View source for Vesuvius-class heavy carrier

{{infobox Ship
|faction = terran
|name = Vesuvius
|type = Heavy [[ship type:=Carrier]]
|manufacturer = [[manufacturer:=Orion Station Shipyards]]
|image = image:sovesuvius1.png
|caption = 
|primary user = [[main user:=Terran Confederation]]
|additional users = 
|introduction = [[introduced:=2673]]
|length = [[length:=1,600]]
|mass = [[mass:=250,000]]
|max velocity = [[max speed:=150]]
|cruise velocity = [[cruise speed:=100]]
|max afterburner velocity = 
|acceleration = good
|max afterburner acceleration = 
|max y/p/r = 6/6/6 dps
|guns = 
|missiles = 
|turrets = [[Dual Mount Anti-matter Gun]]s (16) <br>[[Dual Mount Laser Turret]]s (24) <br>[[Dual Mount Mass Driver Turret]]s (16) <br>[[Torpedo]] Tubes (2)
|fore armor = 4000
|left armor = 4000
|right armor = 4000
|rear armor = 4000
|core = 6000
|shields = Phase
|fighter complement = Four [[Fighter Wing]]s
|decoys = No
|cloak = 
|jump drive = Yes
|crew = [[crew:=7,800]]
|devices = 
}}

[[Image:Wc4vesuvius.png|thumb|240px|right|Vesuvius-Class Heavy Carrier Target Designation, circa 2673.]]
 
The ''Vesuvius''-class of fleet carrier entered service with the Terran Confederation Navy in [[2673]], during the midst of the [[Border Worlds Conflict]]. Designed during the closing decade of the [[Terran-Kilrathi War]] as the ultimate fleet carrier, construction on the vessels began too late for them to see service during the conflict. In the time since its introduction, the class has formed the backbone of a smaller but still capable Confederation Navy, replacing older fleet carriers as they are retired. With its heavy armament, armor and shielding, and a complement of 400 [[Fighter|fighters]], the ''Vesuvius'' is one of the most formidable capital ships currently in service. The class has been witness to many campaigns during its service life, from its genesis during the clash with the Border Worlds to service in the [[Nephilim War|Nephilim war]]. 

==Design and Construction==

The ''Vesuvius''-class is the culmination of forty years of shipbuilding knowledge and technology developed during the Kilrathi war. Many of its design features were Terran takes on concepts originally introduced by the [[Kilrathi]]. These included redundant hangar decks and heavy outer armor, both of which were key design features on the ''[[Hakaga]]'' class of Kilrathi super-carriers which attacked [[Earth Defense Campaign - 2668|Earth]] in [[2668]]. At 1600 meters in length and 250,000 tonnes, ''Vesuvius'' is almost three times as massive as the next largest Confederation capital ship, the [[Confederation-class dreadnought|''Confederation''-class]] dreadnought. With a primary armament of 16 [[Dual Mount Anti-Matter Gun|dual mount anti-matter guns]] and forty point defense turrets, the ''Vesuvius'' class is more than a match for opposing capital ships. 7,800 crew are required to operate the ship and its fighter wings. With deck space and repair facilities to house 400 fighters, the class carries four times the number of fighters of a conventional fleet carrier. Her top speed of 150 kps and maneuverability ratings of 6 dps on all axis also make the ''Vesuvius'' class exceptionally maneuverable for ships of their size. The massive dimensions of these ships prohibit them from using certain jump points which do not have the energy to allow large ships to make a jump transit.

The first two ships of the class, [[TCS Vesuvius|''Vesuvius'']] and [[TCS Mount St. Helens|''Mount St. Helens'']] were constructed at the Confederation Shipbuilding Facility at [[Orion Station]]. Too large for the existing construction yards at the time they were laid down, the carrier's hulls were constructed by massive foundry ships. Once their hulls finished principal construction, the ships were moved to construction docks at [[Terran Confederation Headquarters|Jupiter Station]], where their final fitting out was completed. As larger shipbuilding facilities were completed, the remaining units of the class were constructed in a more conventional environment.

==Service History==

The class' entry into service was turbulent. ''Vesuvius'' was commissioned and launched in 2673, right as the conflict in the [[Union of Border Worlds]] was intensifying. [[Admiral]] [[Geoffrey Tolwyn]], under the guise of his position as head of the [[Strategic Readiness Agency]], commandeered ''Vesuvius'' for his own personal use immediately after her launch. ''Vesuvius'' was used by [[Black Lance]] forces as a mobile base during their attempt to incite war with the newly formed [[Union of Border Worlds]]. The class leader was destroyed within a month of her launching by a combined force from [[BWS Intrepid|BWS ''Intrepid'']] and her own sister ship ''St. Helens'' under the command of [[Captain]] [[William Eisen]], which had been rushed out of the dock early to assist ''Intrepid''.  ''St. Helens'' took heavy damage in the engagement and had to return to dock for repairs before she could properly enter service.

Despite its ignoble entry into service, the ''Vesuvius''-class distinguished itself during the [[Nephilim War|Nephilim Conflict]]. The TCS ''Eisen'' transferred her squadrons of [[F-109 Vampire|Vampires]] and [[TB-80 Devastator|Devastators]] to [[TCS Midway|TCS ''Midway'']] during the opening stages of conflict, and then proceeded to perform her own series of operations as the [[Nephilim]] continued to move ships into the [[Kilrah Sector]]. The Vesuvius-class carrier [[TCS McKinley|TCS ''McKinley'']] was present during ''Midway'''s return to the [[Sol System]] after the first Nephilim engagements in Kilrah Sector, and ''St. Helens'' was destroyed in a surprise Nephilim attack shortly after the second Nephilim wormhole gate in [[Proxima]] was discovered. As more [[Midway-Class Heavy Carrier|''Midway''-class]] carriers came into service, the ''Vesuvius''-class continued to occupy the heavy strike role, complementing the multi-functional, but less powerful, ''Midway'' class vessels. Late in the Nephilim War, [[TCS Krakatoa|TCS ''Krakatoa'']] was instrumental in the defense of the [[Corsair|Corsair system]], helping to defend the [[Firekkan]]s and rescuing the crew of the scuttled ''Midway''-class [[TCS Port Broughton|TCS ''Port Broughton'']] in 2694.

==Specifications==

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! 
! WC4 (Vesuvius)
! WC4 (Mount St. Helens)
! WCSO
! Lore
|-
! Length
| 1,600 meters
| 1,600 meters
| 1,600 meters
| 1,600 meters
|-
! Mass
| 250,000 tonnes
| 250,000 tonnes
| 250,000 tonnes
| 250,000 tonnes
|-
! Class
| Heavy Carrier
| Heavy Carrier
| Heavy Carrier
| Heavy Carrier
|-
! Shield Recharge
| 1000 cm/sec
| 1000 cm/sec
| 
| 
|-
! Maximum Speed
| 150 kps
| 140 kps
| 
| 150 kps
|-
! Cruise Speed
|
|
|
| 
|-
! Acceleration Rate
| 10 k/s^2
| 10 k/s^2
| 10 k/s^2
| 10 k/s^2
|-
! Yaw Rate
| 5 dps
| 5 dps
| 5 dps
| 5 dps
|-
! Pitch Rate
| 5 dps
| 5 dps
| 5 dps
| 5 dps
|-
! Roll Rate
| 5 dps
| 5 dps
| 5 dps
| 5 dps
|-
! Guns
|
| 
|
|-
! Missiles
| 
| 
| 
|-
! Torpedoes
| 
| 
| 
|-
!Turret
| Dual Mount Heavy Laser Turret (13)
| Dual Mount Heavy Laser Turret (13)
| 
| Dual Mount Heavy Laser Turret (13)
|-
! Front Shield
| 1,000 cm
| 1,000 cm
| 
| 
|-
! Rear Shield
| 1,000 cm
| 1,000 cm
| 
| 
|-
! Front Armor
| 500 cm
| 500 cm
| 
| 
|-
! Rear Armor
| 500 cm
| 500 cm
| 
| 
|-
! Left Armor
| 500 cm
| 500 cm
| 
| 
|-
! Right Armor
| 500 cm
| 500 cm
| 
| 
|-
! Core
| 1,953.128906 cm
| 58.593750 cm
|
| 
|-
! Jump Capable
| Yes
| Yes
| Yes
| Yes
|}

==Interior==

===Bridge===

<gallery mode="nolines">
Image:Vesuvius_Bridge_14.png|Above
Image:Vesuvius_Bridge_04.png|Above
Image:Vesuvius_Bridge_16.png|Above
Image:Vesuvius_Bridge_09.png|Facing Forward
Image:Vesuvius_Bridge_13.png|Facing Forward
Image:Vesuvius_Bridge_19.png|Facing Forward
Image:Vesuvius_Bridge_02.png|Facing Forward Left
Image:Vesuvius_Bridge_05.png|Facing Left
Image:Vesuvius_Bridge_06.png|Facing Rear
Image:Vesuvius_Bridge_08.png|Facing Rear
Image:Vesuvius_Bridge_10.png|Facing Rear
Image:Vesuvius_Bridge_12.png|Facing Rear
Image:Vesuvius_Bridge_11.png|Facing Rear
Image:Vesuvius_Bridge_15.png|Facing Rear
Image:Vesuvius_Bridge_17.png|Facing Rear
Image:Vesuvius_Bridge_18.png|Facing Rear
Image:Vesuvius_Bridge_25.png|Facing Rear
Image:Vesuvius_Bridge_26.png|Facing Rear
Image:BRIDGE.png|Facing Rear (rendered background)
Image:Vesuvius_Bridge_03.png|Facing Rear Right
Image:Vesuvius_Bridge_01.png|Facing Left
Image:Vesuvius_Bridge_07.png|Comm. Officer's Station
Image:Vesuvius_Bridge_24.png|Forward Stations
Image:Vesuvius_Bridge_20.png|Communications Hologram
Image:Vesuvius_Bridge_21.png|Communications Hologram
Image:Vesuvius_Bridge_22.png|Communications Hologram
Image:Vesuvius_Bridge_23.png|Communications Hologram
</gallery>

==Known Ships==

* [[TCS Vesuvius|TCS ''Vesuvius'']] (CV-70) - Destroyed
* [[TCS Mount St. Helens|TCS ''Mount St. Helens'']] (CV-71) - Destroyed
* [[TCS William Eisen|TCS ''William Eisen'' (CV-74)]]
* [[TCS McKinley|TCS ''McKinley'']]
* [[TCS Krakatoa|TCS ''Krakatoa'']]

== Possible Construction ==

* TCS ''Fuji''
* TCS ''Kilauea''
* TCS ''Rainier''

== Behind the Screens ==

==Gallery==
<gallery>
Image:wc4vesuvius-vdu.gif|''Vesuvius''-class target identification circa 2673.
Image:wcsovesuvius-vdu.gif|''Vesuvius''-class target identification circa 2681.

Image:Vesuviusbridge.jpg|The command bridge of the ''TCS Vesuvius''.
Image:Wc4vesuviusinflight.png|Gun camera footage from the fighter of Colonel Blair during an engagement between TCS ''Vesuvius'' and BWS ''Intrepid'' in 2673
image:Wc4supercarrier.jpg|Vesuvius-class carrier circa 2673.
</gallery>

==References==
* [[Wing Commander IV: The Price of Freedom]]
* [[Wing Commander: The Price of Freedom|Wing Commander IV Novelization]]
* [[Wing Commander: Secret Ops]]
* [[Star*Soldier]]

[[Category:Confederation Capital Ship Class Names]]
[[category:Confederation Carriers]]