Base ship

The term base ship, interchangeably known as a space dock, mothership, and operations ship, referred to a classification of capital ship which reached the the height of its popularity in the 2160s. With a rapid period of colonisation which saw undeveloped habitats being set up around the Sol system, many armed forces found themselves stretched incredibly thin on expeditionary operations away from Earth. As a result, base ships were developed to act as a step between transports and auxiliary support ships, and became the hub of logistics wherever they were deployed. Once deployed at a fixed position, they acted like a port in which starships could be resupplied and repaired, a transport to replace depleted arsenals of drones and vehicles, a command centre to coordinate the local theatres without the delay from taking direct orders from their headquarters, and a medical facility to heal wounded servicemen from nearby conflicts. This wide variety of roles meant that base ships were the largest warship available at the time, and often boasted defences which provided enhanced security over permanent space installations at the time. While designed to be used independently of the fleet, base ships were best used in squadrons of two-to-three ships, with a second vessel bolstering the facilities of the first and/or one located far away from the troublespot to handle shipping, personnel transfers, and emergency supplies if needed.

Due to their multi-mission setup and their necessity as the hub of logistics, base ships were long suspected as being incredibly vulnerable. As a result, most militaries sponsored the creation of spaceports and stations, leaving them as a redundant option. While widespread before the conflict, base ships were at their most numerous during the Interplanetary War, when self-proclaimed states seized and destroyed permanent installations to deny the United Nations Space Command a place to operate from. While their success was sapped by the introduction of true carriers and other more specialised vehicles, base ships were still used as late as 2361. However, the enlargement of carriers saw their niche and role becoming more and more limited until finally the difference between the two became so negligible that they became a single classification.

List of Base Ships

 * Australia-class base ship
 * HMAS Australia