TDI Dauntless Heavy Cruiser

The Workhorse of the TDI Navy

Written by Regulus_Vaikyn

"Never before has there been a vessel so worthy of admiration as the beloved Dauntless. It strikes a wonderfully useful balance between power and speed, as well as possessing a vast array of defenses, capable of shielding itself and others in its fleet. Sure, its not as powerful as a Conqueror, nor as quick and nimble as a Montrose, but if you give the crew of a Dauntless a mission, you'll be damn sure they'll get the job done."

— Fleet Admiral Demauris, of the Tyrralorean Defense Initiative

The Dauntless class of Heavy Cruisers are a type of waterborne vehicle used by the Tyrralorean Defense Initiative for the majority of the Second and Third Eras. It possesses a large amount of firepower for a ship of its size, and its speed and range can easily allow it to accompany larger vessels on cross-national or even cross-globe ventures - albeit with some mid-transit refueling from larger ships. The Dauntless' namesake refers to its vast array of defensive countermeasures, which can allow it to absorb far more enemy fire and attention than it has any business doing. It solidified this through battle as well, as oftentimes a Dauntless could be spotted charging full-speed towards an enemy position, simultaneously drawing and defeating enemy fire, and using its various armaments to rake the decks and superstructures of enemy vessels. However, all of this advanced technology does come with a hefty price tag - especially concerning the armor and various defenses - resulting in a vehicle that is twice, or even three times the cost of a similarly sized ship. But when a single Heavy Cruiser can take on a fleet of smaller ships, or even some heavier and more powerful vessels, that investment can be well worth the additional cost.

Even if its brute force style of combat does begin to show its age in modern engagements, the Dauntless has proven itself - through its many decades and iterations of service - to be an equally versatile and powerful weapon in the arsenal of the Tyrralorean Defense Initiative. "Any mission, any time, anywhere," immortalized in a shell of steel and fire.

Armament

The Dauntless Class of Heavy Cruisers possess the following offensive capabilities:

• Nine, twelve-inch (305mm) main battery P.U.L.S.E. cannons in three, three gun turrets - two fore, and one aft.
• Six, forty-inch (1,000mm) diameter, vertical launch, long-range missile tubes. Typical armament of remote-guidance, high-explosive P.U.L.S.E. warheads, tipped with durable heads.
• Twenty, twenty-inch (500mm) diameter, aft-mounted, underwater torpedo tubes. Typical armament of sonar guided, EMP, high-explosive P.U.L.S.E. warheads.
• Thirty, five-inch (130mm) casemated secondary P.U.L.S.E. cannons, fifteen mounted on both port and starboard sides.
• Sixteen, ten-inch (250mm) diameter, turret mounted, anti-air missiles. Typical armament of heat-seeking guided, high-explosive warheads.

"Forget it - I'm not about to let one damned ship take my entire task force - this operation is far to valuable to let it be taken out so easily! Either get me some additional firepower ASAP, or we are going to need to pull back and delay our landing. Those damn Vaikyns - how the hell can they make a monster like that? How many souls did they need to sacrifice for that kind of knowledge?"

— Belrithian Fleet Admiral, upon sighting an incoming Dauntless.

Power and Propulsion

The Dauntless Class of Heavy Cruisers possess the following propulsion capabilities and power systems:

• A dual-shaft P.U.L.S.E. Engine with adjoined P.U.L.S.E. Generator is the main powerplant of the vessel.
• Two, multi-cell P.U.L.S.E. tank racks, each of which can store up to one-thousand tons (907 tonnes) of compressed P.U.L.S.E Liquid. One rack is dedicated for ship power, offensive ammunition, and propulsion. The second rack is dedicated solely for operating the defensive suites. Both racks can be connected together if necessary.
• Four, Five-meter (16.5 ft.) ship propellers, set in two, dual-vectoring arrays. Provides forwards and lateral propulsion.
• Two, three-meter (10 ft.) turning propellers, accompanied by six, one-meter (3.3 ft.) propellers. Provides the majority of lateral propulsion.
• Ten Water-borne P.U.L.S.E. Jets set within the aft of the ship underwater. Provides the majority of forwards propulsion.
• Twelve, three-meter (10 ft.) propellers positioned across the bottom of the vessel for advanced pitch/roll control and compensation, as well as optional vertical assist. These can also help avert sinking when the ship is under fire.

Defense

The Dauntless Class of Heavy Cruisers, known for their extensive defense suites, possess the following defensive capabilities:

• A Six-barreled P.U.L.S.E. rotary cannon, used as a Close-In-Weapon-System (CIWS), which can shoot down large, physical projectiles such as missiles, bombs, and shells out to a range of 10,000m (32,808 ft.). This weapon can fire continuously so long as it has a direct link to a P.U.L.S.E Liquid tank.
• Sixty-four, ten-inch (250mm) diameter, anti-missile counter-missiles, split into two, thirty-two unit pods - one port and one starboard. These units come within about six-feet (2m) before exploding to cause damage to enemy projectiles.
• One-hundred twenty-eight, ten-inch (250mm) diameter, anti-torpedo counter-torpedoes, split into four, thirty-two unit pods across the underside of the vessel. These units come within about six-feet (2m) before exploding to cause damage to enemy projectiles.
• One, high-powered wireless signal scrambler capable of jamming enemy wireless signals between ships or munitions to a range of 2,000m (6,562 ft.).
• A powerful PLAMS suite capable of shooting down physical munitions and disrupting P.U.L.S.E. projectiles out to a range of 1,000m (3,281 ft.). This system has three connected suites: one on both port and starboard with eight nodes each, and one on the fore, rotating main-mast with another eight.
• Two, forty-inch (1,000mm) radar/sonar decoys mounted amidships/stern-underside. These are capable of drawing the attention of incoming enemy missiles/torpedoes that use radar/sonar guidance. This can cause enemy munitions to miss the vessel entirely. 

Armor

Armor thickness can range from 10 inches thick on the belt, to 12 or 13 inches around vital components or on the main turret faces. The armor as a whole was designed with heavy exterior and/or interior slopping, which helps to deflect penetrating projectiles, and all but negates HEAT (High-Explosive-Anti-Tank) and HESH (High-Explosive-Squash-Head) based projectiles. The armor is also interlaced with a thin layer of rubber to insulate the vessel against EMP (Electro-Magnetic-Pulse) attacks, and all internal components with delicate electronics are encased with high-energy surge protectors for additional EMP protection.

Alore    Components and Constructions    Vehicles      TDI Dauntless Heavy Cruiser

Profile Views

by Screenshot taken by me in the game: From the Depths

by Screenshot taken by me in the game: From the Depths

by Screenshot taken by me in the game: From the Depths

by Screenshot taken by me in the game: From the Depths

by Screenshot taken by me in the game: From the Depths

Designation

TDIS

Motto

"Any mission, any time, anywhere."

Owning Organization

The Tyrralorean Defense Initiative

Related Technologies

• P.U.L.S.E.

Beam

89ft (27m)

Length

508ft (155m)

Height

125ft (38m), Includes Main-mast

Weight

35,042 Tons (31,790 Metric Tonnes)

Speed

Top Speed: 64 knots (74 mph, 118.5 kph, 33 m/s)
Cruising Speed: 30 knots (34.5 mph, 55.56 kph, 15.4 m/s)

Complement / Crew

110 Total: 1 Ship Captain, 1 Co-Captain, 23 Armament Operators, 15 Sensor Operators, 50 Engineers, 20 Other Crew

Cargo & Passenger Capacity

Cargo space for 5,000 Tons (4,536 Metric Tonnes) of repair materials

Usage in Battle

The Dauntless class of Heavy Cruisers have seen action all across the waters within and surrounding Tyrralore, and some have even ventured as far as the frozen fjords of Frostborne Sea during the Battle of the Frostborne. Several of these ships have been immortalized in memorials for their valor in battle, some of which have been listed below:

• The Dauntless, lead ship of her line, led a valiant charge with her accompanying fleet against a larger fleet of Troyean  warships, including the Battleship, Imperator. Using her various defensive measures to shield the smaller ships accompanying her, the Dauntless drew the majority of enemy fire, allowing the smaller Destroyers and Light Cruisers to pepper the enemy force with their torpedoes and gunfire. The battle ultimately resulted in the total destruction of the enemy fleet, but not without heavy losses - sadly including the Dauntless herself. While the entire crew of the Dauntless was unfortunately lost, the crew and ship as a whole was given top honors posthumously in celebration for their sacrifice in battle.
• The Bravery, fifth ship of the Dauntless class, managed to singlehandedly defend the ports of Vaikous when the normal contingent of defensive vessels was drawn away by an enemy feint. The Bravery, which was coincidentally in port for refueling, immediately set forth to engage the enemy force of two Heavy Cruisers and three Destroyers, with only half of its P.U.L.S.E. tanks filled. Nevertheless, the Bravery - with the help of the shore batteries - managed to hold off the enemy forces long enough for the main fleet to return and mop up the remaining hostile ships. The Bravery was forced to run aground to prevent it from sinking, but thanks to that quick thinking and its proximity to the ports of Vaikous, the ship was able to be fully repaired within six months. The crew of the vessel was awarded several commendations for their initiative and fearlessness in battle.

Other Factors

Dauntless Heavy Cruisers, like all military hardware, come with additional factors of consideration. These shall be listed as follows:

• Dauntless' are very expensive when compared to traditional Heavy Cruiser classes, and their added complexity also results in a longer construction time than its competitors.
• Dauntless' have a maximum range of about 10,000 nautical miles (11,508 miles, 18,520km) while traveling at its cruising speed.
• Dauntless' can manufacture its own missiles and torpedoes within their respective launchers using onboard materials.
• Modernized Dauntless' are capable of self-repairing using onboard materials, albeit at an extremely slow rate.
• Dauntless' possess a highly sophisticated suite of sensors specifically for its defenses, in addition to its standard detection arrays. These detectors include radar, sonar, and visual tracking equipment, which allow the vessel to swiftly acquire range, barring, target velocity, and altitude.
• Modernized Dauntless' are capable of linking their detection equipment with nearby allied vessels, allowing for more accurate targeting data to be shared between ships.
• Dauntless' constructed after the end of the Tyrralorean Civil War also possess P.U.L.S.E. Shields and P.U.L.S.E. Integrity Lacing, further enhancing its already more than competent defensive options.

"Any mission, any time, anywhere."

— Dauntless Motto

by Screenshot taken by me in the game: From the Depths

Pictured above: A Dauntless Heavy Cruiser engaging with an offscreen enemy at the start of a confrontation in a calm section of ocean with clear skies - perfect weather for battle. Nearly all offensive armaments are in use, including the vertical launch missiles and aft-mount torpedos.