Hammer-class Heavy Corvette Classification and cost Category Strike Craft Class Corvette Cost 240 RUs Technical specifications Mass 750 tons Length 31.2 metres Max. acceleration 160 m/s2 Max. speed 520 m/s Armament 2 x Medium projectile cannon turret Usage Role Anti-Strike Craft Era(s) Homeworld Era Cataclysm Era Affiliation Kushan Hiigaran

The Hammer-class Heavy Corvette is an obvious evolution from the original corvette and was not originally intended for wide use but rather as a more expensive backup for the lighter Cavalier-class Light Corvette. As such the sacrifice they made for their two frontal projectile cannon turrets was immense.

HistoryEdit

Nicknamed "coffins" by their small three-man crews the Hammers sacrifice almost all crew space to make room for the extra armor and weaponry of the Heavy Corvette that is essentially stuffed into the cramped chassis leaving only enough room for a moderately fast engine (about half the speed of the Arrow) and the crew space. The crew space is in the form of three cockpit "cocoons" which require a technician's help to enter. The only way for a Hammer crew member to exit without the help of a technician is to eject the cocoon.

Fortunately for the crew it is a fair payoff. The Hammer is the best armored and armed strike craft in the entire Mothership Fleet and its projectile cannon turrets (piloted by one gunner each) have enough coverage to promise death to any enemy strike craft within range that doesn't have the most extraordinary engine power (such as the rather unusual Kadeshi Swarmer that the Tempest was invented to counter) as well as, in the right numbers, any slow-moving capital ship. In addition the projectile cannons are capable of unleashing explosive projectiles known as "burst fire" that can prove deadly to either a single unprepared frigate or a surprised interceptor wing.

As such, the Hammer's operational limits are more often measured in crew endurance than damage, fuel loss, or ammunition. Unfortunately, Hammers do prove ineffective unless moving quickly and in groups of five or more against capital ships equipped with anti-strike craft weaponry. In these cases the preferred strike craft is often the Thunderbolt.

Because of the large area of space that has been converted from crew space to weapon space leaving a vast gap of area unexploited, the Hammer has often been remodeled for diplomatic purposes. What is done is simply a cutting out of all the unneeded weaponry and armor, leaving a vast amount of space for an ambassadorial entourage. One of these modified Hammers was used during the Homeworld War as the diplomatic shuttle for the ambassador who dealt with new alien lifeforms, most notably the Bentusi and Kadeshi.

AppearancesEdit

• Homeworld
• Homeworld: Cataclysm

SourcesEdit

• Homeworld Shipyards
• Just how big are the ships of homeworld?

External linksEdit

• Homeworld Shipyards - A database of all canonical vessels in the Homeworld universe
• Original Wikipedia article