Yorktown-class light carrier
The Yorktown-Class Light Carrier is a light carrier that once saw extensive service with the Terran Confederation. A pre-Kilrathi War design, it is now considered obsolete, but nonetheless saw much action during the Terran-Kilrathi War.
The Yorktowns were introduced long before the onset of the Terran-Kilrathi War, having first been designed in the 2500s. Built as light carriers, they were rather small for their class, and only carried half the standard fighter complement of a traditional fleet carrier. Equipped with only about a dozen laser turrets and a single missile launcher, the Yorktowns were considered poorly-defended by the time of the Kilrathi War. Their design bore an unmistakable resemblance to that of the much more modern Concordia-Class Fleet Carrier, but was generally inferior in comparison.
Despite their age, the Yorktowns remained combat-ready for much of the Terran-Kilrathi War. The crippling carrier losses sustained in the 2660s, especially in the aftermath of the Battle of Earth, forced the Confederation to move ageing carriers like the Yorktown to the front lines to compensate for these losses.
By far the most famous Yorktown was the TCS Victory, commanded by long-time crewman Captain William Eisen. In 2669, the Victory was sent to the front lines with famed pilot Colonel Christopher Blair leading its wing. During that year, the Victory took part in numerous operations against the Kilrathi, including a successful incursion into the Ariel System. The Victory was specially chosen to lead the escort mission for the TCS Behemoth, which was to destroy Kilrah before its untimely destruction at the hands of the Kilrathi. Finally, it was the pilots of the Victory who delivered the Temblor Bomb that would finally destroy Kilrah that year, ending the Terran-Kilrathi War.
The Victory was later refurbished as a museum ship and now orbits Jupiter in the Sol System.