Allegiant Class Carrier

Allegiant Class Carriers are the main carriers of the Merindian Empire. They are massive airships, nearly the size of the mighty Endurance class dreadnought, but outfitted to deploy airplanes while in flight.

Design

Allegiant Class Carriers are 1,100 feet (335.28 meters) long, and brimming with machine guns and small cannons. On it's keel, there are 7 hangars for airplanes, each being able to carry 4 planes, with a total of 28 planes.

Structure

Allegiant Classes are constructed with 15 heavy steel rings that keep its round shape, which is all held together by thick steel girders that run lengthwise down the ship. The skin of the Allegiant class is formed from strong durnium metal, which protects it from all machine guns and many cannons. This mighty structure contains within it 14 drakkeon gas cells, which keep the airship's heavy structure aloft.

Cabin and Gondolas

Allegiant Class carriers have relatively small cabin areas compared to the rest of the airships of the world, and much of the cabin is contained within the ship's envelope. There is the control gondola on the front of the ship, as well as a secondary control room in the bottom rudder fin. Within the ship's envelope, there are the hangars, which are surrounded by rooms which house materials for repairing damaged planes, as well as control rooms. Above the hangars is the main cabin. This cabin contains crew quarters, the kitchen, a radio room, armouries, a large mess hall, a mapping/charting room, and bathrooms. Along the keep corridor, there are water tanks, fuel tanks, waste storage tanks, several cargo rooms, and access to the engines.

Hangars

The 7 hangars of the Allegiant Class are all stationed along the bottom of the airship. Each hangar works by opening a door in the bottom of a ship, and extending out an arm that airplanes can hook onto. This arm then retracts, and then the plane can be shunted to one of four side tracks, that each can store a plane, and the pilot can safely exit their plane. While in the hangar, airplanes can be safely re-armed repaired, and refueled. This process can be done very quickly with experienced pilots and hangar operators, and Allegiant Class Carriers can deploy planes surprisingly fast.

Armaments

The Allegiant Class is armed with anti-air guns, and a few small autocannons for attacking ground targets. There are large clusters of anti-air guns on the front, back, top, bottom, and sides of the airships. These guns all are mostly made of glass and metal, and provide a large amount of visibility and speed. There are two walkways along the sides of the ship that give access to the side anti-air guns, as well as two rooms at the top of the ship, which are accessed by elevator.

Operational History

The Allegiant Class has been an active member of the Merindian navy since they first flew in 865. The Merindian Empire pioneered the concept of airships carrying airplanes. These airships have been crucial for reconnaissance, as well as being valuable for deploying deadly attack planes where the enemy least expected them.
These airships have been useful for keeping the Merindian Empire intact, with them being able to patrol huge areas. 14 of these airships servered the Merindian Empire in the Panagon War (870-874), and were extremely valuable for their reconnaissance and fighter deployment. Currently, 46 of these ships serve in the Merindian navy.

Manufacturer

Merindian Empire

Owning Organization

Merindian Empire