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"Supernova"-class Battlecruiser "Admiral Masorin"

"Admiral Masorin" is a battleship of the Russo-Chinese Fleet, initially a second (both to be laid down and launched) "Supernova"-class battlecruiser.

Commissioned in 2053. Participated in the First Space War, the Martian War for Independence and the Global Commercial War.

"Admiral Masorin" was laid down at the Russo-Chinese shipyard “Zeleny rog” in 2049. The class leader, "Admiral Zheng He", had been launched prior to her.

This class of ships was intended to compete against Western "Geneva"-class cruisers, which had proven themselves during the skirmishes in Mars orbit back in 2047. However, the success of ponderous dreadnaughts was not faultless. The actual combat had highlighted both the strengths and weaknesses of those space leviathans. However, the West could not rebuild its fleet quickly, and a refit of existing vessels would have merely played to the hands of the Russians and the Chinese. As a result, the considerable weaknesses and vulnerabilities of the three Genevas were glossed over, and the dreadnoughts joined the fray only one year into the First Space War (2053-2055).

The Chinese and Russian engineers scrupulously analysed the available intelligence to determine the reasons why the ships of their – at the time only likely – opponents sustained damage from early-model torpedo bombers and medium strike fighters, which at the time were available to some of the larger industrial corporations. Four years later this lengthy and tedious work bore fruit in the form of the second "Supernova"-class ship christened "Admiral Masorin", whereas the class leader was commissioned with serious design flaws, and the space arms race allowed neither the time nor resources to eliminate them. The second battlecruiser was launched, commissioned and assigned to the First Space Fleet in a single day. The ship was armed with 10 anti-fighter missile turrets and 43 automated defence guns, as well as a main battery of 36 220 mm “space-to-space” missile banks, 18 per side. This allowed her to decimate all known vessels of the First Space War at near-point-blank range.

The very first weeks of the war took the Second Fleet’s flagship, "Admiral Zheng He". The “raw” battlecruiser was destroyed as she was defending a convoy of metal mining ships "en route" from Titan to Moon.

After this tragedy, Fleet Command deployed the First Fleet at the Asteroid Belt. The force was spearheaded by one of the earliest space warships, the frigate "Lazarus". The bulk of the fleet was formed of a squadron of "Deft"-class light destroyers, and the newly-commissioned "Admiral Masorin" served as a rear guard. However, within a little more than an hour from commencement of combat, "Masorin" had managed to disable more than a third of hostile ships, but at the cost of severe damage due to her own light armour plating. Nine of her main weapon systems were knocked out, the main power plant was partially destroyed, and the hull received a total of 57 breaches. After this trial by fire "Admiral Masorin" was brought back to “Zeleny rog” for extensive repairs that took 14 months, after which she resumed combat duty. The ship participated in a total of four large and more than two dozen minor engagements.

After the war the Fleet’s chief engineer ordered an extensive modernization. Tetrus Space Machines won the tender, and carried out the work in its “Herc” over the course of two years and three months. The ship received heavy armour, new main thrusters, and a complete overhaul of all ancillary systems. Admiral Masorin was recomissioned as a full-fledged battleship in 2075, and has remained in active service ever since.

Blueprint:

Supernova

За перевод огромное спасибо dennis.danilov