Capital ship

"At Bliss, it took a single capital ship to break through our orbital defences. An unidentified dreadnought-class vessel. Unless new countermeasures are employed, the admiralty can expect a very short war."

- Classified ONI communiqué

A capital ship is a broad title which is applied to the very heaviest warships fielded by any navy, generally acknowledged as the most single-most important combat vessels in a given fleet unit. Although no formal definition has been accepted, capital ships are expected to have the independence to achieve their own objectives in a battle scenario without support. As the backbone of all higher-level fleet units, they are responsible for coordinating smaller escorts and inflicting the most damage in most combat situations. They can range from just under ten million tonnes in mass in the case of the smallest cruisers, to several billion on the other end of the scale with dreadnoughts and supercarriers.

It should be noted that despite their popularity in such a role, not all capital ships are spatial combatants, with some being relegated for support or even carrier and transport operations.

Characteristics
"If the capital ships are beaten, the navy is beaten. But if the rest of the navy is beaten, the capital ships can still operate."

- William S. Lind's description of a capital ship's role.

Although the many classifications which bear the title often vary widely in durability, raw firepower, and carrying capabilities, they all share some common characteristics which bind them together. All capital ships, by virtue of their size, are inherently powerful and durable in some way. Their thick armour and dozens of armaments allows a single member of this supergroup to routinely fend off entire squadrons of smaller escorts while suffering only minimal visible injuries. Even carriers that lack adequate weapons are still considered powerful because their firepower is instead focused within their on-board complement of space fighters. Thanks to their ability to store vast amounts of consumables, they are able to hold down important strategic areas single-handedly, making them useful hubs for force projection.

Capital ships are expected to take on command and coordination roles when necessary at any time. Their ability to be devoted to long deployments, their protective qualities, and space to accommodate the facilities for flag officers makes them uniquely qualified, as smaller ships must be purpose-built for this task. Because of all this, they are intrinsically tied to a navy's warfighting capabilities and morale. An armada can continue to coordinate and fight effectively against a better-equipped force even if they lose a significant number of smaller craft; however, the destruction of a single capital ship and their senior crews is sometimes enough to completely break cohesion until the chain-of-command is reestablished.

It should be noted that "command variants" of smaller escorts, such as prowlers and destroyer leaders, are not considered capital ships because they cannot commit themselves to their missions. Because they do not have the adequate armaments or defences alone, they must rely on subordinate vessels to carry out their orders. Similar, patrol ships fail the definitions because in battle they must be organised into squadrons to have the necessary capabilities to, for example, assault a larger starbase.