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| {{icons|card|bfc}}{{Specifications | | {{Icons|tech|bfc}} |
| | image = [[Image:HutetClass.jpg|275px]]
| | =Preface= |
| | name = Hutet
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| | affiliation = Cardassian Union
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| | role = Battleship
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| | dateEntered = 2375
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| | expectedLife = 50 Years
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| | expectedRefit = 5 Years
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| | timeResupply = 6 Months
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| | crewComplement = 2,500
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| | emergencyCap = 25,000
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| | length = 550 meters
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| | width = 425 meters
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| | height = 205 meters
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| | decks = 45
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| | propulsionSystem = Matter/Antimatter powered warp drive
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| | cruiseSpeed = Warp 6
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| | maxSpeed = Warp 8.5
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| | emergencySpeed = Warp 9.1 (12 hours)
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| | energyWeapons =*2 Sextuple-Mounted Heavy Phaser Arrays (Forward)
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| *14 Heavy Phaser Emitters
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| | torpLaunchers =*18 Heavy Torpedo Launchers (Six Forward, Six Starboard, Six Port)
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| | torpPayload =*2000 Photon Torpedoes
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| *500 Quantum Torpedoes
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| *160 Heavy Gravimetric Torpedoes
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| | shields =Regenerative Shielding
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| | shuttleBays =1 (Amidships)
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| | shuttles =20
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| | runabouts =6 [[Hideki Class|Hideki-class Patrol Ships]]
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| }}The '''''Hutet''-class battleship''' is a rare Dominion War-era Cardassian warship, which saw service only in the closing months of the war. It is a massively scaled-up version of the same technology in use aboard both the [[Galor Class|''Galor''-class]] destroyer and the [[Keldon Class|''Keldon''-class]] cruiser, and is the largest starship ever built by the Cardassian Military. Slow, unwieldy, and expensive to maintain, this class of ship has two purposes: the defense of important Cardassian worlds and the devastation of important enemy worlds.
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| == Science and Exploration == | |
| With an endurance of only six months without support, the ''Hutet'' is not suited to exploratory missions of any kind. It does have a handful of science labs, but even a ''Galor''-class ship would be a better choice for scientific missions. This class is meant purely for war.
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| == Diplomacy ==
| | The following technology is currently prohibited from research, development and production by Starfleet or other Federation Initiatives by special order of the [[Department of Temporal Investigations]]. |
| The ''Hutet'' has luxurious accommodations for very senior officials and visiting dignitaries, but its chief diplomatic utility is its ability to devastate whatever planet it happens to be orbiting. These monstrous vessels are so resource-intensive, that the Cardassian Union would never send one on a diplomatic mission, except perhaps to secure the surrender of a troublesome word. | |
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| == Engineering == | | =Technology= |
| The ''Hutet'' is the largest starship ever built by the Cardassian Union, and it only vaguely resembles its smaller counterparts. While it maintains the standard ankh-shaped horizontal cross-section common to all Cardassian warships, the ship's forward section is nearly as tall as the wings are wide, providing it with an imposing cross-shaped silhouette from head-on. With 45 decks and more internal volume than even a Federation [[Galaxy Class|''Galaxy''-class starship]] or Romulan [[D'Deridex Class|D'Deridex-class warbird]], the ship has six sets of warp coils in the wings, which still manage to only propel it at a very modest maximum speed of Warp 8.5, with an absolute emergency maximum of Warp 9.1. This low speed was deemed acceptable as the ''Hutet'' was not intended to keep up with the battle fleet, it was meant to either remain in defensive positions around Cardassian worlds or to secure planets after the main fleet had done most of the dirty work in space.
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| It is slow and ungainly at impulse speeds, using two primary impulse engines in the wings and two secondary ones lower on the main hull. This is usually not an issue, though, as the ship is meant to engage planets, stations, and other similarly ungainly large vessels.
| | In the year 2378, Captain Kathryn Janeway, lost in the Delta Quadrant, encountered a visitor from 2404 - herself, far older. This future self gave to her weapons and armor from the twenty-fifth century, defenses of amazing power. |
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| The main reactor module on the stern is heavily shielded and armored but must be oversized relative to the rest of the ship to accommodate the massive heat dissipation systems necessary to keep the ship from frying itself at full power. While recent attempts have been made to increase the power and speed of this design, it has not been a high priority given the lack of widespread conflict in the quadrant. However, the Cardassian Union has quietly commissioned not only a Type-2 ''Hutet'' design since the war, but also a Type-3 and Type-4, using more modern equipment. These upgrades remain at the ready to be integrated into the existing ''Hutet''-class ships, should war erupt.
| | ==Transphasic Torpedo== |
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| The ''Hutet'' has a large hanger bay that runs through the center of the ship, from port to starboard. It carries 30 shuttles, as well as 6 [[Hideki Class|Hideki-class patrol ships]], which serve in a point-defense capacity and as air support during planetary invasions. Fully-loaded, the ''Hutet'' can support 10,000 troops. | | The exact method by which the transphasic torpedo achieves its immense destructive power is unknown. It appears to use a matter-antimatter warhead similar to that of the photon torpedo, and its shields draw it partially out of phase with normal matter in a way similar to the operation of a phased cloak, permitting it to bypass certain designs of shields - most notably, those of the Borg Collective's warships - with ease, though it has not been tested against the defenses more commonly encountered by the Federation. |
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| == Tactical ==
| | What study has been done of the weapon has indicated that much of its explosive yield comes from this same technology - the powerful matter-antimatter explosion of the warhead occurs over a wide phase variance, the phased shielding of the casing failing as the warhead detonates. This appears to create a multiplicative effect on its damage-dealing potential, rendering it one of the most devastating weapons the Federation has yet encountered. However, should this theory be accurate, the weapon would have the potential to do damage to subspace, rendering it a last-resort weapon even if not for its temporal concerns. |
| The sheer size of the ''Hutet'' allows her to mount some of the largest space-borne weapons ever developed by the Cardassian Union. The most distinctive feature of this class is two sextuple heavy phaser mounts on the bow, which are interconnected with the twin primary deflectors. The output of these weapons is equivalent to the most advanced weapons used by other Alpha and Beta Quadrant powers, though keeping nimble ships in its firing arcs is a chore for the clumsy battleship. All-around coverage is provided by fourteen heavy phaser emitters, which are over three times as powerful as the smaller ones found aboard lesser ships.
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| Despite the prominence of the main phasers, the ''Hutet'''s signature weapons are its eighteen heavy torpedo tubes. These tubes were designed to handle munitions of many different sizes, with electromagnetic launching systems that can expand to handle heavy planetary bombardment weapons or mines or contract to handle standard torpedoes. As part of its standard ordnance, the ''Hutet'' carries gravimetric torpedoes, which are designed to devastate planetary ecologies both through the power of their explosions and through the devastation caused to the planet's crust and core by manipulating gravity. These heavy torpedoes are armored to survive atmospheric penetration and are larger than standard torpedoes. ''Hutet'' captains must choose carefully when to load these weapons, though, as it can take up to thirty seconds to reconfigure the launch tubes back to handling standard torpedoes, and that's enough time for a clever enemy to take advantage of the momentary vulnerability.
| | ==Ablative Generator== |
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| Twelve of the torpedo launchers on the ''Hutet'' fire directly port and starboard. This can both be used to launch weapons on firing trajectories that allow them to circle back towards targets directly fore or aft, or to fight opponents on all sides during pitched battles. ''Hutet''-class ships have enormous standard torpedo magazines as well, which allow them to lob weapons from behind screens of smaller ships to assault enemy capital ships, as well as to wear down even the most hardened defenses.
| | The other piece of technology granted by Admiral Janeway to the Voyager was the ablative armor generator. This was a purely defensive item, using a combination of highly advanced ablative armor design and replicator technology to create a layer of powerful armor that could be created and dismissed at will. It is known that this armor can withstand sustained assault from Borg weapons capable of devastating modern shields in seconds and prevent transport. The need to cover the whole of the ship's hull with the armor prevents phasers and shuttlebay doors from operating. For all intents, when facing any race less advanced than the Borg, a ship with this armor deployed is indestructible. |
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| ''Hutet''-clas shields are nearly impenetrable, with multiple redundant generators located all around the ship. Combined with all-around weapons coverage forward, starboard, and port, the only chance an enemy would have to damage or destroy such a battleship would be to avoid its main weapons and get behind it to have a chance at hitting the reactor--though on a ''Hutet''-class ship, its rear shields are actually the strongest, for this very reason.
| | =Reactions From the Homefront= |
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| The most common assignment for ''Hutet''-class battleships is to serve as monitors, heavily armed but slow warships used for planetary defense. They rival many starbases in their sheer firepower and their low endurance makes them suited for little else. They are never found alone, and always have a fleet of at least twelve ''Galor''-class destroyers and six ''Keldon''-class cruisers escorting them, because the only real danger a ''Hutet''-class vessel would be in is if it were swarmed by many smaller ships, wearing down its defenses from all angles.
| | ==Temporal Concerns== |
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| When used for invasion scenarios, the ''Hutet'' can embark 10,000 troops. It has many large-scale transporters and can take over a planet's capital within hours. Given that it is also always accompanied by other ships, it would be the centerpiece of an invasion of 50,000 or more troops, serving as the command ship for a very senior legate and multiple legions.
| | After the arrival of Voyager on Earth, Spacedock scientists leapt on the ship to study this new technology. However, within a week, the Department of Temporal Investigations seized the weapons and armor, as well as all records of the research, citing the Temporal Prime Directive and other temporal law - these laws were quite clear in saying that the use and study of temporally displaced technology was illegal. |
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| == Shipboard Life ==
| | The Whalesong Exception would permit Temporal Investigations to release the technology in the face of an existential threat to the Federation; however, it would require a full Borg invasion or other event of similar significance to prompt this. |
| As with smaller ships, ''Hutet''-class ships have accommodations segregated by rank. It has an exceptionally large crew of 2,500 to keep all of its weapons operating and to provide security. It is not a particularly comfortable assignment compared to other large vessels of other powers, because of how much of its internal volume is devoted to troop accommodations and weapons. Because they don't generally stray far from home, the trade-off for this is more frequent opportunities for shore leave.
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| These massive ships have palatial suites for their commanding officers, who enjoy a standard of luxury far beyond that found on other Cardassian ships, given that command of these ships is only ever given to the most senior guls. Most of the existing ''Hutets'' also serve as the flagships for entire Cardassian Orders, and so have an even grander space for their legate.
| | ==Political Concerns== |
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| Troop accommodations are very spartan, but the ''Hutet'' does not embark ground troops during its defensive missions.
| | Even as Temporal Investigations was assembling the warrants to seize the technology from Starfleet, there were other worries about its development expressed - concerns about a potential arms race. The idea of Starfleet holding indestructible starships and Borg-destroying weapons for use in exploration and defense may be appealing to an officer of Starfleet or a citizen of the Federation; however, if Starfleet were to develop these technologies, it would prompt the other major powers to seek ways to match or exceed them, leading to the quadrant becoming, on the whole, far more dangerous than it already was. |
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| == Class History ==
| | Thus, there is no official, focused effort at recreating these technologies, in spite of their being proven effective. |
| As the Dominion War raged, it was clear that Cardassian shipbuilding lagged far behind that of its neighbors, as the burden for heavy firepower support was put almost entirely on Dominion forces. The Cardassian preference for medium-sized, medium-capability ships was failing to stand up to the Klingon preference for smaller, high-firepower designs, the Romulan preference for larger, highly-advanced designs, and the Federation's relentless ingenuity. As such, the ''Hutet''-class design was rapidly developed as the ultimate Cardassian war machine, which would be the centerpiece of any Cardassian fleet. The Cardassian Military intended to build twelve massive starships to serve as the flagships of all of the individual Orders, vessels that would be able to coordinate massive planetary invasions and serve as impregnable bulwarks over Cardassian worlds.
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| The design that was developed was incredibly lopsided in capabilities. Cardassians lacked experience building large ships, even with Dominion assistance, and so the engine technology left the ship with a paltry top speed. They also cost more than thirty ''Galor''-class destroyers to build and had massive crews. Only three vessels were completed by the time of the Battle of Cardassia Prime, being too late to have any impact on the war's ultimate conclusion. In practice, there were also teething problems with her advanced weapons, especially the torpedo launchers, which had a tendency to jam while being reconfigured to handle different munition sizes.
| | =In Play= |
| | | * The Transphasic Torpedo and Ablative Armor Generator are among a short list of banned technology in Bravo Fleet. Both items are not to be used in any form aboard any member simulation. |
| Following the war, the three existing vessels were used to transport refugees around the Union, their primary purpose gone. The remaining 9 space frames lingered in the shipyards, with six of them broken down within several years after the war to build non-combat vessels and to comply with arms limitations. Eventually, the remaining three were completed during the early 2380s, when it was feared that the Romulan situation would spiral across the quadrant.
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| Presently, the six ''Hutet''-class ships are something of an albatross: they are theoretically very capable battleships, but their utility is limited in the absence of all-out war that would threaten either Cardassian worlds or allow the Cardassians to threaten enemy worlds. Still, they are a symbol of Cardassian pride and serve as the flagships of six of the twelve orders, while watching over important Cardassian worlds. It is not expected that more will be built, unless a war were to errupt.
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| The ''Hutet'' has been superseded in every way other than pure firepower by the [[Damar Class|''Damar''-class dreadnought]], which is faster, more advanced, and capable of long-duration independent missions that the ''Hutet'' could never dream of.
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| == ''Hutet''-class In-Play ==
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| * This ship is a monster. It's huge. It's also slow and hard to maneuver. Once it gets you in its sights, you're toast. It excels at hitting stationary targets like planets and starbases. | |
| * You're not going to see one of these unless you're in the core of the Cardassian Union. There are only six of them and they're restricted to defensive duties.
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| * This is unlikely to be an exciting assignment because they stay close to home. You might go a whole tour on a ''Hutet'' with the ship never having gone to warp!
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| * Think of the ''Hutet'' as essentially a mobile defense platform or planetary bombardment weapon, rather than a tip-of-the-spear fast battleship.
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| == Gallery ==
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| [[File:HutetOrtho.png]]
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| [[Category:Cardassian Starships]]
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Preface
The following technology is currently prohibited from research, development and production by Starfleet or other Federation Initiatives by special order of the Department of Temporal Investigations.
Technology
In the year 2378, Captain Kathryn Janeway, lost in the Delta Quadrant, encountered a visitor from 2404 - herself, far older. This future self gave to her weapons and armor from the twenty-fifth century, defenses of amazing power.
Transphasic Torpedo
The exact method by which the transphasic torpedo achieves its immense destructive power is unknown. It appears to use a matter-antimatter warhead similar to that of the photon torpedo, and its shields draw it partially out of phase with normal matter in a way similar to the operation of a phased cloak, permitting it to bypass certain designs of shields - most notably, those of the Borg Collective's warships - with ease, though it has not been tested against the defenses more commonly encountered by the Federation.
What study has been done of the weapon has indicated that much of its explosive yield comes from this same technology - the powerful matter-antimatter explosion of the warhead occurs over a wide phase variance, the phased shielding of the casing failing as the warhead detonates. This appears to create a multiplicative effect on its damage-dealing potential, rendering it one of the most devastating weapons the Federation has yet encountered. However, should this theory be accurate, the weapon would have the potential to do damage to subspace, rendering it a last-resort weapon even if not for its temporal concerns.
Ablative Generator
The other piece of technology granted by Admiral Janeway to the Voyager was the ablative armor generator. This was a purely defensive item, using a combination of highly advanced ablative armor design and replicator technology to create a layer of powerful armor that could be created and dismissed at will. It is known that this armor can withstand sustained assault from Borg weapons capable of devastating modern shields in seconds and prevent transport. The need to cover the whole of the ship's hull with the armor prevents phasers and shuttlebay doors from operating. For all intents, when facing any race less advanced than the Borg, a ship with this armor deployed is indestructible.
Reactions From the Homefront
Temporal Concerns
After the arrival of Voyager on Earth, Spacedock scientists leapt on the ship to study this new technology. However, within a week, the Department of Temporal Investigations seized the weapons and armor, as well as all records of the research, citing the Temporal Prime Directive and other temporal law - these laws were quite clear in saying that the use and study of temporally displaced technology was illegal.
The Whalesong Exception would permit Temporal Investigations to release the technology in the face of an existential threat to the Federation; however, it would require a full Borg invasion or other event of similar significance to prompt this.
Political Concerns
Even as Temporal Investigations was assembling the warrants to seize the technology from Starfleet, there were other worries about its development expressed - concerns about a potential arms race. The idea of Starfleet holding indestructible starships and Borg-destroying weapons for use in exploration and defense may be appealing to an officer of Starfleet or a citizen of the Federation; however, if Starfleet were to develop these technologies, it would prompt the other major powers to seek ways to match or exceed them, leading to the quadrant becoming, on the whole, far more dangerous than it already was.
Thus, there is no official, focused effort at recreating these technologies, in spite of their being proven effective.
In Play
- The Transphasic Torpedo and Ablative Armor Generator are among a short list of banned technology in Bravo Fleet. Both items are not to be used in any form aboard any member simulation.
