Interdictor Cruiser
 Interdictor Cruiser | |
| Production Information | |
|---|---|
| Class |
Cruiser |
| Model | |
| Manufacturer |
Sienar Fleet Systems |
| Technical Specifications | |
| Length |
600 meters |
| Width |
300 meters |
| Height/Depth |
100 meters |
| Maximum Acceleration |
1,210 G |
| Hyperdrive Rating |
|
| Shielding |
Equipped |
| Armament |
|
| Complement |
|
| Crew |
|
| Minimum Crew |
1,500 |
| Passengers |
80 troops |
| Cargo Capacity |
5,500 metric tons |
| Usage | |
| Roles |
|
| Number in Fleet |
3 |
Characteristics[edit]
Interdictor cruisers, like their Vindicator-class cousins, had the appearance of small Star Destroyers. However, their lines were broken by four large globes housing gravity well projectors.
The gravity wells mimicked a large mass in space and thus restricted hyperspace travel. Nearby vessels were automatically prevented from engaging their hyperdrive, and any ship passing through the area via hyperspace were forced into realspace.
As well as gravity wells, the Sienar design was also equipped with 20 quad laser cannons for short range combat against other capital ships and starfighters. The Interdictor's hull was nearly identical to that of the Vindicator-class heavy cruiser and could support several additional weapons depending on mission profile. Such modifications (like those of the Corusca Rainbow, formerly the Black Asp) included the addition of ion cannons used to disable pirates and small craft attempting to flee. Enemy fire was absorbed by a deflector shield created by more than a dozen shield generators.
Role[edit]
The Immobilizer 418 was developed as a counter to the Rebel Alliance’s hyperdrive-equipped starfighters in particular, and hyperdrive equipped vessels in general. This was primarily to counter Alliance hit and run tactics, where a small group of starfighters or light starships would emerge from hyperspace, attack preselected targets, and re-enter hyperspace before sufficient force could be brought to bear on the raiders.
An Immobilizer at the site of attack, or able to access the area with a brief hyperspace jump, would be tasked to power up its gravity well generators in an attempt to prevent the escape of the raiding party. Starfighter and capital ship support were then be used to eliminate the attackers, whose only options were to try to run for the edge of the interdiction field, or to attack the Interdictor and hope to inflict enough damage to disable the cruiser’s influence. Either path would result in significant damage to the Alliance forces. Rebel pilots often mistook it for a miniature Star Destroyer when it was accompanied by Star Destroyers. It was only when they tried to escape into hyperspace that they realized it was an Interdictor.
A secondary duty of this class was to patrol trade routes. Freighters pulled out of hyperspace by an Interdictor would be in a position to have their cargo inspected. Interdictors could also blockade planets or moons, such as Yavin IV.
Grand Admiral Thrawn was especially famous in connection with Interdictors for developing and refining a tactic that would be named after him. The "Thrawn Pincer" positioned the Interdictor's gravity wells along certain vectors. Other vessels (typically Star Destroyers) would be contacted, and would blindly execute a micro-hyperspace jump straight into the Interdictor's gravity wells, yanking them out of hyperspace and near an enemy vessel. Much quicker that subspace movements, the Thrawn pincer allowed reinforcements to be swiftly deployed on the battlefield and afforded a considerable element of surprise.
Weaknesses[edit]
Interdictors also took some moments to activate their projectors after arriving from hyperspace, and once activated, the massive simulated mass they created made the ship very cumbersome to maneuver: there was rarely enough time for an entire fleet to make the jump to hyperspace before a newly-arrived Interdictor activated its projectors, but if a fast ship such as a starfighter could avoid enemy tractor beams, it could often escape to the edge of an active gravity well, and then escape.
The gravity wells were also a major large drain on the ship’s resources. This flaw was used on several occasions. When enemy ships were able to inflict significant damage to the Interdictor, the captain was forced to choose between entrapment of the enemy and his ship’s own protection. This also augmented the Interdictor's shortcomings, as they were poorly protected and armed for their size. Enemy forces could send a smaller starship, such as a Nebulon-B Escort Frigate or Thranta-class War Cruiser to weaken up an Immobilizer's defenses.
Due to their importance and weaknesses, Immobilizer 418 were usually found on the periphery of the battle they were affecting, dependent on better equipped capital ships and starfighters to deliver the necessary damage.
Service History[edit]
The Interdictor cruisers were first manufactured by Sienar Fleet Systems two years before the Battle of Yavin.
Between the Battles of Hoth and Endor, the Immobilizer 418 saw extensive action during the campaigns involving rogue Admirals Harkov and Zaarin and the threatened proliferation of TIE Defender technology. Aside from Thrawn, Zaarin was the only other Imperial officer to make frequent use of the Interdictor cruiser. Zaarin had the Harpago try to stop Darth Vader from warning Emperor Palpatine about the coup, then he deployed Grappler to trap Thrawn at the Rebel platform RS-32. In both instances, Zaarin's Immobilizer 418s were destroyed thanks to the intervention of Maarek Stele.
The Immobilizer 418 was prohibitively expensive, reportedly costing more than an Imperial Star Destroyer, and produced in very limited quantities prior to the Battle of Hoth. By the time of the Battle of Endor, Sienar Fleet Systems had manufactured only a few hundred Interdictors; by comparison the Empire had approximately 25,000 Imperial Star Destroyers.
Source[edit]
- Credit to Wookieepedia for the above information
