The Leonidas-class battleship is a class of battleship in service the UN Navy.
Though already decades into its service, the Leonidas-class is one of the newest additions to the UNN fleet, introduced as part of a poorly funded and largely unsuccessful attempt to modernize the fleet, before it fell into complete stagnancy.
Characteristics
Design
At only 270 meters long, the Leonidas-class is small for a battleship, presenting a smaller target for hostile weapons during long-range engagements. However, it is plagued with problems.
Despite its small size, the Leonidas-class suffers from poor acceleration resulting from its low-quality S-250 series Epstein drives, units considered outdated even before the Leonidas entered service. Low-quality targeting suites also affect the efficiency of its torpedoes and point defense cannons (PDCs), requiring more to be added to increase effective point defense and torpedo impact probability in a sort of "spray'n'pray" mentality. This, however, further weighed the ship down and made it even slower. The ship's poor agility and speed earned the class the nicknames "Lead Leos" or "Brick Buckets."
In addition to these problems, its railguns could not be adjusted while underway, forcing the ship to strafe an engagement zone at a drift or even coming to a relative stop once within engagement range.
The ship does have some positive traits; it is practically unreachable by torpedos due to its relatively small size and high concentration of PDCs, and it is considered effective as an assault ship with its modular troop barracks and sizable M-type dropships, allowing it to carry and deploy more UN Marines than even some dedicated assault craft. However, its sluggishness makes it vulnerable to railguns, especially as its own cannons are heavily outranged by most other ships carrying them.
Overall, while still a somewhat reliable warship, the slow, heavy, and poorly planned Leonidas-class stands as a symbol of the UN Navy's dire need for a drastic overhaul.
Role
Minor Command Ship, UNMC Heavy Troop Carrier, Force Projection Vessel.
Utilities
Large Cargo Holds, Onboard UNMC Barracks, Extensive Medical Facilities, Passive and Direct Scanning systems, Fleet-grade communication system.
Armament
The Leonidas is armed with:
- 2 ✕ Dawson-Pattern Medium Railguns (Cannot be articulated under thrust)
- 32 ✕ Single-Fire Torpedo Tubes (Conventional, Plasma, and Nuclear Warheads)
- 25 ✕ Mikazuki Munitions Point Defense Cannons
Auxiliary Craft
- 8 ✕ M-Type Dropship Skiffs
History
Although already decades old, the Leonidas-class is one of the newest additions to the UNN fleet, produced as part of a poorly funded and largely unsuccessful UNN fleet modernization program.
A Leonidas-class vessel served as a troop carrier for the UN Marines under the command of Colonel Fred Johnson who participated in the Anderson Station Massacre, ordering the ship to fire on the station and killing everyone onboard.
Years later, the Leonidas-class battleship UNN Nathan Hale was dispatched to Tycho Station to arrest Fred Johnson on suspicion of being involved with the construction of the stealth ships that destroyed the Canterbury and the MCRN Donnager. However, the ship's orders were ultimately rescinded when Johnson broadcast a message accusing the UN of developing the stealth ships themselves.
After the Eros Incident, the Nathan Hale was ordered to perform a hard burn in order to reach Phoebe before the MCRN Scirocco which prompted the MCRN cruiser to destroy the moon with a barrage of nuclear torpedoes in order to prevent the research station from falling into the UN's control.
Numerous Leonidas-class battleships participated in the chaotic Ganymede incident, primarily relying on their PDCs during the battle given the close proximity of the MCRN and UNN ships in orbit and the ensuing confusion.
Later, a Leonidas-class escorted Chrisjen Avasarala to the Guanshiyin to meet with Jules-Pierre Mao and later attempted to assassinate her under orders from Sadavir Errinwright, ultimately being crippled by the Rocinante in CBQ while giving chase to the Razorback. While not outright confirmed, it seems to bear the hull number of the UNN Nathan Hale.
Several Leonidas-class battleships were a part of the UNN delegation to the Ring, and at least one was part of the fleet to enter the Slow Zone.
Known Ships
| Designation | Appears | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| UNN Nathan Hale | Season 1, Season 2 | The Nathan Hale was dispatched to Tycho Station with orders to arrest Fred Johnson, then diverted to reach Phoebe ahead of the MCRN Scirocco, prompting the Scirocco to destroy the research station. |
| UNN Okavango | Season 2 | |
| Unknown Leonidas-class Battleship | Season 3 | Escorted Chrisjen Avasarala to the Guanshiyin and attempted to eliminate her under orders from Sadavir Errinwright. |
| Unknown Leonidas-class Battleship | Season 3 | Accompanied the UNN Thomas Prince into the Slow Zone. |
| Fred Johnson's Leonidas | Season 1 | Was involved in the massacre at Anderson Station, and under the command of Fred Johnson, fired on the station, damaging it and depressurizing the station, killing the inhabitants |
Notes
- Unlike MCRN ships, and ships of the Truman-class the Leonidas-class uses an universal hull livery for all ships. This makes identifiing individual ships difficult.
- For Season 3 different CGI model was intended to be used for the Escort ship that would chase the Razorback, however this model was instead replace with the already existing Leonidas-class model.
