Ship Clasifications

[Captain Trek]

The Star Trek universe also describes the Enterprise as a battlecruiser and heavy cruiser within the same series. I think that goes to show exactly how much it fails at designations.

Actually, Starfleet Command was based on Starfleet Battles, which is a board game that was based on Star Trek, but developed by a completely different group of people...

I personally consider 'dreadnought' and 'battleship' pretty much interchangeable...

[SoberStickman]

I've allways seen frigate as the bridge between cruisers and frigate personally.

You might want to correct that.

Regarding the HMS Dreadnought, it was meant to be a battleship, but due to it's superiority over all other battleships and vessels that the royal navy had. it literally became a ship on a class of its own. Until every other country began to make it.

[The Boz]

I now incorporate the following system, regardless of the current realworld navy designations:

Noncombat - anything from superfreighter through construction vessel to trading ship, has logistical value, but a liability in combat
Attack Craft - incapable of self-sustained space flight, used by larger ships for indirect fire, extremely fragile, effective only in numbers
Gunboat - either firepower or armor almost comparable to a Corvette in a much smaller and more maneuverable package
Corvette - light ship, suited for patroling traderoutes and non-threatened borders, or supporting light fleets of Noncombat ships
Frigate - heavier than corvette, has more weapons, suited for fleet operations and smaller skirmishes
Destroyer - has much stronger offensive weaponry than a frigate, is larger but has roughly the same defensive potential
Cruiser - good balance of offense, defense, size and tactical value
Strike Cruiser - much more maneuverable than a Cruiser, more offensive power greatly sacrificing defense
Support Cruiser - less offensive and defensive power than a Cruiser, useful in areas other than direct head-to-head combat, including logistics, control, carrier and long-range artillery
Battlecruiser - the Cruiser's big brother, everything the Cruiser is, but better, including large carrier ships
Battleship - fleet flagships, massive warships that may incorporate Battlecruiser and Support Cruiser capabilities
Dreadnought - not a standard ship, with armor, armaments, size or all three exceeding Battleship parameters

I used Heavy Cruiser in the past, which was between Cruiser and Battlecruiser specifications, but with the defined detailed list, I no longer plan to use it any more.
Monitor, Ironclad and Dreadnought are not classifications used in modern times, and modern carriers and battleships are larger than dreadnoughts of the beggining of the past century. However, it's a nice name, fitting for the biggest, baddest vessels of a given time, so I use it if I build something really, really, really big.[/quote]

[Squishy]

This is what I can gather about ship classes. Stolen from wikipedia.

A corvette is a small, maneuverable, lightly armed warship. Smaller than a frigate and larger than a border patrol craft. It is usually tasked with patrolling and escort of light flotillas.

Frigates are used to protect other warships and merchant-marine ships, it is an escort vessel that is larger than a corvette, but smaller than a destroyer.

Destroyers are fast and maneuverable yet long-endurance warships intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet or battle group and defend them against smaller, short-range but powerful attackers.

Cruisers were ships that often were tasked with taking down destroyers, frigates or smaller vessels, and were assigned a role largely independent from the fleet.

Battlecruisers are large, fast, powerfully-armed vessels which would be able to hunt down and mop up enemy cruisers and armored cruisers with overwhelming fire superiority when needed. Generally, battlecruisers were similar in layout and armament to battleships but they traded off armour or firepower for higher speed.

A battleship is a large, heavily armored warship with a main battery consisting of the largest calibre of guns. Battleships are larger, better-armed and better-armored than cruisers and destroyers.

Dreadnoughts are all-big gun warships, making battleships obsolete. Despite their great firepower and protection, dreadnoughts remained vulnerable to much smaller, cheaper ordnance and craft. They often took on fire-support roles due to their armaments.

Moniters... sometimes called Juggernauts, Behemoths, Titans, Gargantuas , Colossals and so forth are generally regarded as the next step up from Dreadnoughts as they are to Battleships; superior firepower and armor. There is no clear role for this class of ship.


Then we have outside of this progression carriers, supply ships and other specific-purpose vessels.

[Exethalion]

In response to derekiv's PM:

In descending tonnage order:

Capitol Ship/Mothership
Monitor
Hyperdreadnought
Superdreadnought
Dreadnought
Battleship
Battlecruiser
Cruiser
Destroyer
Frigate
Corvette
Pinnace
Gunboat
Shuttle

In terms of heavy/medium/light variants, these have no effect on the class of a ship generally ie: a heavy frigate is officially of no more 'class' tonnage than a light one, even if in terms of it's dimensions it is.

Variants for a class include:

Superheavy
Heavy
Medium (technically, a ship with both light and heavy elements.)
Light
Assault
Ranged (Missile)
Torpedo
Siege
Shield
Bombard
Artillery
Recon
Stealth
Vanguard
Interceptor
Flak
Command
Defence
Citadel
Minelayer

With the 'carrier' types of ships (emphasis on fighter/small craft capacity), there are four main types:

MTV is a Monitor hull converted to carry internal and external fighter racks
Fleet Carrier is on a Battleship hull
Assault Carrier is on a Battlecruiser hull
Light Carrier is on a Destroyer Hull

Generally, any ship that doesn't conform to the usual cliche ship dimensions (ie: longer than it is deep and wide) is an exceptional case, and should be considered differently.

[Temujin]

My Personal list, smallest too largest:

Fighter: 1 man manuverable attack craft. Scouting, missile interception, precision attack.
Shuttle: 2-4 man craft. Boarding.
Gunboat: 5-8 man craft. Used to same as fighter.
Gunship: Used to deliver heavy firepower on a small frame.
Corvette: More balanced then gunship, but larger.
Destroyer (Escort Carrier): Hunts all things smaller than it, screening unit.
Light Cruiser: Uber screening unit.
Frigate (Light Carrier): Kills screening units.
Cruiser: Kills Frigates.
Heavy Cruiser (Carrier): Kills Frigates, Cruisers.
Battlecruiser: Fast, heavily armed, armored. Used to kill all things smaller than it.
Battleship: First ship of the line.
Dreadnought (Fleet Carrier): Main ship of the line, small version.
Superdreadnought: Main ship of the line, large version.
Battlestar: Flagship.
Warstar (Super Carrier): Flagship+
Behemoth: Eats ships of the line.
Leviathan: Eats Bemeoths.
Juggernaught: Eats Leviathans.
RFBS(Really ****ing big ship): Eats everything, stars included.
:twisted:

[Shenaldrac]

Mien empire uses a classification similar to those posted, with some variation:

Fighter:
Light
Medium
Heavy

Frigate/Cruiser:
Light
Heavy

Destroyer

Dreadnaught:
Light
Medium
Heavy

Corvette

Battleship/Battlecruiser
Various sub-classes

Supra-Class Battleship:
Flagships, only one or two of each type in existence at a time.

[Lizzie]

Here is my list of combat-type space worthy Warships.

Corvette = Light Gunship, smallest class of ship. Just right below Frigates. Generally have paper-thin armor but decent firepower and speed for their size.

Frigate = Slightly bigger then a Corvette. Slower, more armor and guns though.

Destroyer = All-purpose warship, same speed as frigates but Even more armor and weapons. Generally have a larger variety of weapons then Frigates too.

Battleship/Battlecrusier/Carrier = Generally the backbone of my fleets. Listed in order:
. Battleship = Slower then destroyers, 10 times more armor and weapons. Normally used as heavy fire support and to shield other ships from damage.
. Battlecrusiers = Ships meant for striking other ships. Faster then Destroyers and more guns but paper-thin armor.
. Carriers = Put in this list because they are the same size as the other two. Generally use most of their space for Demeter carrying capacity, tend to have the same amount direct firepower as a Frigate. LOTS of active PD.

Dreadnoughts/Man-O-War's/Assault Carriers: Generally the heaviest fleet standard warships, listed in order:
. Dreadnoughts: A LOT of BIG guns and A LOT of armor. Normally slow as molasses in winter. Used to kill things and soak up damage. Generally used as heavy fire-support and command operations.
. Man-O-War: Smaller guns but A LOT of them, rows on rows of smaller caliber weapons. Also normally have 2nd grade carrying capacity, about the same amount or 1/2 the amount of Demeter’s a carrier can carry. Same amount of armor as a Dreadnought, generally faster. Used for command operations more then Dreadnoughts.
. Assault Carriers: A carrier the same size or larger then a dreadnought. Better secondary armament then a Carrier. Better armor and PD too.

Monitors/Titans: Largest ships a fleet can support, generally twice the size of Dreadnoughts, serve all kinds of roles. Sometimes loaded with experimental weaponry. Serve as flagships and weapons of last resort.
.Monitors: Large ships with nothing but PURE FIREPOWER, generally the flagships of the fleet. Loaded with experimental weaponry.
.Titans: 2nd rate Monitors, serve as fleet-standard flagships. Generally loaded with more stable weaponry. Most tend to have Assault carrier level Demeter holding capacity as well.

Armageddons: Classified at this time.

[TrashMan]

There is nothing bigger than a battelship. By definition a battleship is the biggest, toughest ship you have that is designed for brutal, front-line combat.

Dreadnought is a trem for the first BB's, so battleship outclass any dreadnought by far.

So it should go something like this:

Battleship
Dreadnought/Battlecruiser/Heavy Cruiser
Cruiser
Light Cruiser
Frigate
Corvette
Destroyer
Gunboat/Patrol boat

Alltough in SF Dreadnought is a term often given to warship build around a single giant superweapon (think a giant gun with engines), while Battleship is for those massive ships with hordes of turrets.

[T-002]

Well, this is the system I tend to use:

Drone*
Fighter/Bomber**
Corvette
Frigate
Cruiser
Battleship
Dreadnaught
Titan

* Drones are tiny, unmanned ships used as a distraction or for precision targeting
** Fighters and bombers don't have any real difference in size, more in speed and weight.

Meh. Might have to do some changes, though.

[The Boz]

I've allways seen frigate as the bridge between cruisers and frigate personally.

ZUH!?

[Himura.Kenshin]

I've allways seen frigate as the bridge between cruisers and frigate personally.

Huh? Cruisers and destroyers?

[Da_Higg]

I've allways seen frigate as the bridge between cruisers and frigate personally.

Huh? Cruisers and destroyers?

Sorry.

Cruisers and Battle ships.

[Lizzie]

There is nothing bigger than a battelship. By definition a battleship is the biggest, toughest ship you have that is designed for brutal, front-line combat.

Dreadnought is a trem for the first BB's, so battleship outclass any dreadnought by far.

I really could care less honestly. It's a game.
If I wanted to, in theory, name my big ship "Mig mc'fuggin rape your ship nao with guns!" class I can.

Ok rant over: anyway. Battleship, technically, is a general term for any kind of big ship.
I just prefer to make it less generalized. And Dreadnought sounds a whole hell lot more scary to me then Battleship. IMO at least.

[T-002]

Only if you say it in a deep, rumbling voice.

Drrreadnauuuuuught

Like that ^^