Tristar Class Light Cruiser

(Version 1.00 - Last Modified: 07/20/2005)
Background information inspired by Tristar class Large Cruiser by Pieter Thomassen, with Peter Walker and Rob Morgenstern on the Unofficial Robotech Reference Guide.
Tristar Class Light Cruiser

The Tristar Class Light Cruisers were the smallest fleet command ships ever operated by the REF and the largest units in the Southern Cross' Tactical Space Corps. The RDF designed the class initially as a small recon cruiser, intended to scout out systems for enemy presence. This was very useful for the recon operations that were underway during the first years of the Pioneer Mission. When the Pioneer Mission left, the ships of the class were divided between the Southern Cross and the REF, while series production for the Southern Cross continued in the Space Factory. Their designated task in the REF was to act as heavy escorts and escort commanders for the larger ships, to be capable of leading a detached battle group of destroyers on independent operations, and to give support for the Tokugawa and Ajax classes of landing ships. In the Southern Cross, they were the flagships and main battle line units of the Tactical Space Corps.

For these tasks, the Tristars carried a number of mecha, and a powerful anti-ship missile armament. The Southern Cross vessels replaced their dual-purpose missile launchers with anti-ship missiles, further increasing their capabilities against invading fleets. Yet, to use as few resources and money as possible, the Tristars were made as small as was feasible without compromising their combat efficiency. Because of this, several compromises had to be made: the heavy anti-ship armament was concentrated in the dorsal and forward bow, with only minimal attention to the other arcs, and the ships themselves were considered cramped by their crews. However, the class performed as advertised, and if there are comments on their performance, blame must be laid solely with their design criteria. Consequently, further series production of this vessel at Tirol was suggested but not implemented, the REF switched to the larger and more capable (not to mention more comfortable) Ikazuchi heavy cruisers, which began its design as an enlarged Tristar class, and was quickly completely redesigned. For all its faults, though, the Tristars were fine vessels that were fought gallantly by their crews, no matter the circumstances.

In profile, the Tristar class has almost exactly the same silhouette as the Battle Class Heavy Destroyer. However, there are important differences: the engines are moved out of the sponsons and into the main hull, where they are mounted in a diamond pattern; the sponsons mate to the hull much more gradually, and the overall size is dramatically enlarged. The main mecha hangars, four double level bays, open to the front of the sponsons. The cannon armament is extensive, and is concentrated on the forward dorsal deck. From front to aft are a rail gun turret, one heavy and two medium particle beam mounts, then another rail gun turret after which the command tower rises from the deck. Laser turrets cover all other firing arcs. The missile armament is formidable, with heavy rocket launchers forward and dual-purpose missiles more to the rear. In the Southern Cross ships the SMS-10 Vertical Missile Launchers replaced these multi-purpose missiles, increasing the anti-ship capability even more. However, the weak point of these configurations was the limited point defense capabilities, and the limited firepower that can be brought to bear to the rear and ventral sides.

As the smallest ships capable of independent operations, the Tristar class was equipped with a Fold Drive. However, the original Fold Drive was proven to be somewhat unreliable and maintenance intensive and the REF replaced them in their ships with an improved model. The Southern Cross never used the Fold Drives since the departure of the Pioneer Mission, except when General Emerson used them to capture a fleet of enemy vessels around his ship, transport his ship and them into the center of the sun and transport his own ship back to its original position before the heat and pressure of the sun reached his ship. This maneuver, nicknamed the Orbital Warp Blast, was designed by General Emerson years earlier, but never tested until the 2030 battle. One notable feature lacking on the Tristar ships built by the Southern Cross was a Hyperspace Communications Relay. Standard feature on all REF ships, the Southern Cross felt that there was no need to build this expensive and complex device into their ships. By the time the Robotech Masters arrived in the Sol System, the only operation Hyperspace Communications Relay was on the Factory Satellite and communications between Earth and the Factory Satellite was spotty for most of the Second Robotech War.

Because of the high importance of the Pioneer mission, 22 of the 30 Tristar cruisers built by the date of the SDF-3's departure were assigned to the REF task forces, leaving only eight Tristars as the largest operational ships in the Solar System, until production of additional vessels increased this number. The Southern Cross' allocation of the Tristar class suffered heavier losses than the REF allotment. The class ship, the Tristar, became the flagship of General Emerson, and was destroyed in the latter stages of that war when she was fatally damaged and then hurled by her crew into a mother ship, where she self-destructed. Other Southern Cross ships to be destroyed by the Tirolians were the Triffid, Trireme, Titania, Tigris, Tesla, Terrible, Triumph, Talyho, Townsaver, Texas, and Talent. Eight REF Tristar cruisers had been sent from Tirol on the relief expedition for Earth. Of these eight, the Tenacious, Thebes, Twister, Tisiphone, Trenchant, and Tiger were destroyed in the various Southern Cross offensives against the Tirolian Fleet. The final two, the Thutmosis and Taranis, were destroyed in the Invid Invasion. The remaining REF Tristar, the Thunderbolt, was dispatched to Earth in early 2035 to lead a battle group of the 7th REF Marine Division, consisting of 6000 men and 2000 Veritechs, with the hopes of establishing an advance base on Earth, at a location designated "Point K". The Thunderbolt managed to get a fragmented message off to REF high command, confirming the presence of the Invid, but then fell silent. Point K's troops were decimated by the Invid several months after their landing, and the landing ships Achates and Audace, eight Garfish class destroyers and the Horizonts and Predators and assigned to the Thunderbolt's Task Force were all confirmed destroyed along with the Thunderbolt herself.

The Invid Invasion claimed almost all other Tristars in the Sol System, most before they had even had a chance to open fire. In a matter of a few hours, the Thor, Talon, Thorn, Truculent, Teutates, and Trout were destroyed, most with all hands. The single Southern Cross survivor of this class is the Trident. Damaged in the Second Robotech War, she was undergoing repairs and being prepared for a major refit. The refit was to include new weapons to better operate against the Invid, whose coming was deemed a remote possibility by the Human commanders. Her missile batteries were removed and replaced with six heavy rail guns, and her turret weapons were replaced with four Garfish-type gun turrets. If she had been completed, she would have been an excellent ship for use against the Invid. However, she had not yet completed her refit at the time of the Invid Invasion, and she remained in her Moon Base Copernicus dry dock for the duration of the Invid Occupation. After the war, she was mothballed in the Sea of Tranquility on the Moon.

Names and Disposition:

Ship Information:

Vehicle Complement:

Vehicle Complement: (2018 CE Complement)

Vehicle Complement: (2026 CE Complement)

Vehicle Complement: (2030 CE Complement)

Vehicle Complement: (2031 CE Complement)

Tristar Class Light Cruiser

M.D.C. by location:

Speed:

Statistical Data:

Front view of a Tristar Class Light Cruiser

Weapon Systems:

  1. RG-60 Electromagnetic Rail Gun Turrets (2)
  2. PB-45 Particle Beam Cannon Turret
  3. PB-25 Particle Beam Cannon Turrets (2)
  4. PB-4 Particle Beam Cannons (10)
  5. LT-5 Point Defense Laser Turrets (8)
  6. RG-2 Point Defense Rail Guns (8)
  7. SMS-10 Vertical Missile Launchers (4)
  8. SRS-2 Heavy Missile Launchers (4)

Special Systems:

  1. Electronic Warfare System

Standard Systems:

  1. Life Support System
  2. Communication Systems
  3. Sensor Systems
  4. Targeting Computer System

Combat Summary: