Garfish Class Destroyer

(Version 1.00 - Last Modified: 01/15/2006)
Background information inspired by Garfish class Super Dimensional Scout Cruiser by Pieter Thomassen and Peter Walker on the Unofficial Robotech Reference Guide.
Garfish Class Destroyer

If a single vessel came to symbolize the struggle of the REF against the Invid outposts that littered the Galaxy after the fall of the Robotech Masters and their Zentraedi armada, it was the Garfish destroyer. As the Battle Class Heavy Destroyers were lost to war, relief missions to Earth, and the ravages of age, a new vessel was designed to replace them. The Garfish design was to see fewer cannons, but in their place a single large turret was installed, with the punch needed to reliably dispatch an Invid troop ship quickly. Because the Spacelord missiles were of limited utility against the Invid, these weapons were deleted in favor of a less heavy forward-firing torpedo battery.

The first vessels of this class were built at Tirol, the Garfish being commissioned in January of 2028. Production was interrupted after 33 units (SDE-01 to SDE-33) because of the destruction of the Tirolian orbital shipyards in late 2030, as the Sentinels put down Edwards' abortive coup. Production was then moved to Kaberra, with the Shillelagh, the 34th Garfish class vessel, being commissioned in January 2031. This class was then constructed at a rate of ten per year and 81 (SDE-34 to SDE- 114) were built before the departure of the Jupiter and Saturn Groups for Earth in 2038. In 2036, destroyer production began in the rebuilt Tirol Orbital Shipyards and twelve ships (SDE-115 to SDE-126) were built before the fleets left for Earth in 2038. Ships of the first series of Tirolian construction were given names of aquatic animals, usually aggressive or carnivorous species. Ships of the second series of Kaberran manufacture were given the names of ancient and medieval weapons. The third series of ships, from the Tirol shipyards, were given the names of carnivorous, and sometimes venomous, reptiles.

The Garfish destroyer, named for its main hull shape, is the REF's follow-up to the Battle Class Heavy Destroyer. Consequently, the Garfish's weaponry is more optimized for fighting the Regent's Invid. The two designs served in similar roles in most actions the two saw. The Garfish class' smaller size causes a smaller mecha and troop complement on less hangar space, but this was part of a deliberate decision to modify the role of the destroyer, as the REF's emphasis had moved from the smaller destroyers to the larger cruisers and battle fortresses which became the home to most mecha. Additionally, the Garfish could be built faster and in larger numbers than the far more complex and heavier Battle destroyers.

The Garfish has a fish-like main hull with a six-sided section in the middle that houses the internal mecha bays. The three larger engines are mounted side by side in the back. A large, two level hangar with three bay doors and the smaller thrusters is suspended from the section that houses the internal bays. The main particle cannon is suspended from the main hull keel, fore of the hangar. Like the Ikazuchi Class Heavy Cruiser, the Garfish Class Destroyer was underpowered in the area of AAA (anti-aircraft artillery). Though the missiles and turret were more than enough to destroy any single attacking mecha, there were just not enough point defense weapons to repel a deluge by suicide runners. Again, to correct this problem after the Third Robotech War, the survivors of the Garfish class incorporated extensive suits of dedicated point defense systems.

With a small complement of fighters, and a battalion sized Cyclone Marine Infantry unit, camaraderie aboard ship was the standard, and as a whole, the cohesion of these crews gave soldiers stationed aboard these vessels the highest average kill ratio of all the ships the REF has ever put into service. A typical patrol duty would involve the insertion into a stellar system of three Garfish. If the system turned out to be inhabited by a single Invid outpost (small hive), the three Cyclone units would be delivered to the planet. The troops would dig in, and launch an offensive against the Invid outpost, while the Garfish's cannon and missiles would suppress any Invid launch into space, and also wear down the Invid hive's energy barrier. However, if a larger Invid presence was detected the troops would remain onboard. Insertion on such a plant would be suicide, even in a defensive stance. A cruiser would be called in with the hyperspace transmitter, while the Garfish would make hit and run raids against Invid orbital installations. The detachment could use the ship's great speed to escape any Invid pursuers. In a pitched fleet battle, the Garfish class destroyers' main duty would be to seek-out and destroy the Invid troop carriers before they could release their mecha into the battle, a task which, owing to the agility and speed of this vessel, they were uniquely adapted.

Six of these vessels were sent back to Earth with the Marcus Antonius in 2030, to aid the Southern Cross in defending Earth. Another eight were dispatched to Earth in the Advance Group, accompanied by the light cruiser Thunderbolt and 50 Horizont shutles, in 2035. These vessels were responsible for carrying the 7th Marine Division, which established the landing zone at Point K in South America. Unfortunately, the sheer numbers of Invid on Earth exceeded the expectations of all the military planners, and through little fault of their own, except perhaps insufficient AAA, these vessels were unable to carry the day for the Mars Group attack on Invid-occupied Earth, and were hard-pressed during the Jupiter and Saturn Division attacks even when equipped with shadow devices. The Invid destroyed many of Saturn Group's destroyers as they fled Earth, in an attempt to prevent the Neutron-S bombardment of Earth. Though some of these vessels were lost during the Sentinels' war and the mop-up of the Regent's forces, the Invid destroyed most over Earth.

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Weapon Systems:

  1. PB-30 Particle Beam Cannon Turret
  2. LT-5 Point Defense lsaer Turrets (4)
  3. SLS-25 Vertical Missile Launcher

Special Systems:

  1. Electronic Warfare System
  2. SF-X Shadow Cloaking Device (after 2037 CE only)

Standard Systems:

  1. Life Support System
  2. Communication Systems
  3. Sensor Systems
  4. Targeting Computer System
  • Sensor Class: Class III

    Combat Summary: