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Battlecruiser
Historical
Earliest sighting	24th century (original class(es)) 2478 (Behemoth-class) 2502 (Minotaur-class) 2504 (Super-class) 2504 (Gorgon-class)
Latest sighting	2500 (Leviathan-class) 2504 (Behemoth-class)
Physical
Race	Terran
Type	Capital ship
Propulsion	4 engines (most, if not all classes)
Length	560 metres/1,827 feet (Gorgon-class)
Width	82.4 metres/240 feet (Gorgon-class)
Armaments	ATA/ATS laser batteries (Behemoth, Hercules and Minotaur-class) Armageddon cannons (Super-class) J23 ship-to-ship missile launchers (Gorgon-class)[2] Crew serviced batteries (Gorgon-class)[2] Point defense systems (Gorgon-class)[2] Nuclear missiles (Behemoth-class) Yamato cannon (Behemoth Minotaur and Super-class) Plasma torpedoes (Hercules-class) Missile pods (Minotaur and Super-class)
FTL	Yes (warp space)
Political
Role	Aerospace combat Mobile command center Transport
Personnel
Crew	Typically 4000-7000 (no specific class)[1][2] >8,000 (Gorgon-class)

The battlecruiser is a type of terran capital ship employed in the Koprulu Sector. Battlecruisers were employed during the Guild Wars when space engagements were fought by capital ships and medium-sized gunships. The development of anti-capital ship starfighters, such as Wraiths, did not spell the end of battlecruisers. The large warships adapted to carry strike craft which augmented and complemented the combat value of both. Battlecruisers continue to be an integral part of terran space forces as general purpose warships^[3] and command ships during extended campaigns.^[4]

Battlecruisers stem as far back as the early days of the Terran Confederacy in the 24th century and continue to be used in the 26th.^[5] While there are many classes of battlecruisers, all are armed with lasers and protected by neosteel armor.^[6] Gravity accelerators are also found on all battlecruisers.^[7]

Battlecruisers use force fields for protection, but because they consume vast amounts of energy, these are only used when a battlecruiser is vulnerable, such as leaving warp space or entering an atmosphere. Otherwise the battlecruiser relies on its heavy armor for protection.^[8]

Battlecruisers are frequently referred to as "battleships".^[1]

Known Classes

Leviathan-class

The Leviathan-class was uncommon at the start of the 26th century, having largely been supplanted by the Behemoth-class. The Leviathan could travel in warp space. Auxiliary craft docked at hydraulic ports. The ports were perilously close to the bridge, making the class vulnerable to enemy boarding actions.^[9]

Behemoth-class

The Behemoth-class was the most common type during the Great War, representing a noticeable improvement over the Leviathan. It can travel through warp space^[3], operate within atmospheres and land on planetary surfaces.^[10], The Hyperion, a souped-up Behemoth, can make warp jumps from within planetary atmospheres.^[11] Second Great War-era Behemoths had crews of 6000.^[1]

The class is armed with burst laser batteries^[11] and nuclear warheads.^[12] Older ships did not have side firing arcs for the laser batteries.^[7] The batteries were also vulnerable to interceptors.^[13] The warheads were reserved for orbital bombardment rather than for space combat.^[10] The Yamato cannon entered service aboard the Behemoth before the Great War. Battlecruisers received the Colossus reactor to better meet the cannon's enormous energy requirement.^[4]

Brood War-era Terran Dominion Behemoths required access to physics labs to "power up their weapon systems". The loss of these labs could cripple a fleet.^[14]

The Behemoth-class is protected by standard neosteel armor^[4] and energy shields,^[7][15] It is less vulnerable to enemy boarding actions.^[16] A hit from a Yamato cannon can cripple a Behemoth.^[1]

The Behemoth includes force field-enclosed^[17] docking bays.^[18] A strike group can include Wraiths and scoutships.^[3]

A Behemoth can carry hundreds of troops and their equipment.^[7], deployed by dropships and shuttles^[3] carried in the docking bays.

Other equipment includes searchlights.^[19]

The Behemoth has proven be an enduring design and continued to serve into the Second Great War.^[16][1] It received periodic upgrades and its hammerhead design inspired succeeding types.^[6]

Hercules-class

The Hercules-class entered service after the Brood War. The Hercules can be equipped with plasma torpedoes for saturation ground bombardment. Like the Yamato cannon, the plasma torpedo system also had a large enemy requirement.^[6]

Minotaur-class

The Minotaur-class was in service with the Terran Dominion by 2502.^[20][21]

Minotaurs can be upgraded with a variety of tactical systems. This includes the Type-V Yamato cannon^[22], energy shields^[23][24], anti-aerospace missile pods, and a defensive matrix.^[13]

These battlecruisers have personnel quarters, a brig, a mess hall^[20] and a bridge.^[23]

In 2503,^[25] Dominion Minotaurs were suddenly withdrawn to be refitted for interatmospheric combat at Korhal IV. The battlecruisers were ordered to abandon their current assignments, disembark passengers and cargo on nearby habitable worlds, and proceed immediately to the Dominion capital.^[26]

Gorgon-class

Main article: Gorgon

The Gorgon- class is larger than the Behemoth-class.^[1] The interior included a bridge.^[24] Gorgons can withstand multiple Yamato cannon hits.^[1]

Bucephalus, a Gorgon outfitted as a flagship in 2503, is 560 meters long and 82.4 meters wide, with a crew of approximately 8000.^[24]

Other Classes

The Starcruiser was an advanced battlecruiser prototype sold by Crazy Bob's Bazaar.^[27]

By 2504, the Dominion prototype Loki was undergoing testing at Valhalla.^[28] It was deemed a "super-battlecruiser."^[29]

The Pride of Augustgrad-class battlecruiser was used in the defense of Augustgrad.^[30]

Game Unit

StarCraft

For StarCraft gameplay information see: Battlecruiser (StarCraft).

For StarCraft in-game quotations see: StarCraft Battlecruiser Quotations.

StarCraft: Ghost

	This article or section contains information about StarCraft: Ghost, which has been declared non-canon. Elements may be taken as 'flavor lore' however. The content may be significantly out of date. Please do not add speculation to this article, and remember to cite a published source for details.

In StarCraft: Ghost, the battlecruiser acted as a support unit for Nova. Through targeting, the player could call down a Yamato Cannon strike that dealt damage to all objects in an area.^[31]

StarCraft II

For StarCraft II gameplay information see: Battlecruiser (StarCraft II).

For StarCraft II in-game quotations see: StarCraft II Battlecruiser Quotations.

Known Battlecruisers

Main article: List of battlecruisers

Leviathan-class

• Merrimack (converted prison ship)
• Thunder Child

Behemoth-class

• Bismarck
• Gray Tiger
• Hephaestus
• Huey Long
• Hyperion
• Iron Fist
• Jackson V
• Napoleon
• Ragnorak
• Theodore G. Bilbo

Norad-series

• Norad II
• Norad III

Minotaur-class

• Emperor's Fury
• Helios
• Victory

Gorgon-class

• Bucephalus
• White Star

Other or unknown classes

• Aeneas
• Aleksander (UED flagship)
• Amphitirite
• Antigone
• Eos
• Herakles
• Hurricane
• Iron Justice
• Jackson's Revenge
• The Kimera
• Kimeran Juggernaut
• Loki (Super-class)
• Meleager
• Metis
• Palatine
• Patroclues
• Tahoe

Known Battlecruiser Commanders

• Admiral Gerard DuGalle
• General Edmund Duke
• General Arcturus Mengsk
• General Horace Warfield
• Commodore Georg Darabont
• Captain Bolshev
• Captain Buzan
• Captain Alexander Davidoff
• Captain Robert Mason
• Captain Roger Merriman
• Captain Jim Raynor
• Captain Rourke
• Captain Elias Tudbury
• Captain Everett Vaughan
• Colonel Jackson Hauler
• Commander Hale
• Commander Haley
• Major Tom Hawkins
• Major Spaulding
• Lieutenant Matt Horner
• El Kang the Quixotic

Notes

• Most battlecruiser classes share their designations from various mythologies—the Leviathan and Behemoth are of the Bible, while Hercules. the Minotaur and the Gorgon stem from Greek mythology.

• A Behemoth-class battlecruiser was stated as being two "leagues" long in StarCraft: Uprising.^[7] Most league measurements would have put the battlecruiser as over 9 km in length. However, the Bucephalus, a Gorgon model, measured 560 meters long, a significantly shorter measurement.^[24] In addition, the Bucephalus is explicitly stated as being larger than the Hyperion in other media.^[1] There is no indication that Gorgon battlecruisers are significantly different in size than Behemoths, so this article treats the league measurement as an error.

• Mega Bloks plans to make 3,000 battlecruiser models as part of its StarCraft toyline. A poll has been opened as to which model(s) fans would like to see them represent.^[32]

• "Super-battlecruisers" are designated as such, without the "class" designation.^[29] This may be indicative of an different type of ship altogether. However, it has been listed on this page to avoid a stub article.

• The Gorgon-class battlecruiser's appearence differs between Wings of Liberty and Heart of the Swarm. In the former, it is represented by the Bucephalus, which appears identical to the Minotaur class (and was only confirmed as being of the Gorgon-class in Flashpoint. In Heart of the Swarm, Gorgons appear identical to super battlecruisers, albeit much larger.

References