Warship Build 3 — Lola III Destroyer

As I delve into the lore behind BattleTech’s warship class naming I find myself contemplating what they are supposed to mean and why. This is in itself quite an interesting discussion topic, which we’ll have a bit later on. Today, though, I bring you one of the prime examples of the destroyer class — the classic Lola III.

In this setting, Warships are set apart from the more common Jumpships by their weapons and armor. Both types of vessels are equipped with Kearny-Fushida drives in their cores (a cylindrical mechanism visible in some vessels, but hidden in most) and docking rings for dropships to latch onto. However, the vessels with “war” in their classification are meant to engage in direct combat, while the others are essentially civilian vehicles.

There was a time in which Warships ruled over all other weapons systems. Their ability to provide overwhelming firepower and orbital bombardment on-demand laid waste to entire worlds, leading to the outlawing of their mass use. Apocalyptic conflicts, later on, curbed their numbers while slowly giving way to a new age of ground combat and the ascension of the BattleMech.

As far as I understand it, the lighter vessels, corvettes mainly, serve as long-range scouts and harassers due to their speed and range.

Destroyers, on the other hand, are made for direct combat and sport respectable firepower. This class is mostly meant for escort duties and pitched battles. Frigates are slightly larger than destroyers and usually ditch some firepower and armor for sheer versatility.

Cruisers are long-range heavy vessels, bristling with weapons and capable of extended engagements or long patrols away from their bases. Above them stand only the Battleships — heavy cruisers on steroids, weighting one million tons and above. These behemoths are true ships of the line, capable of laying waste to fleets of smaller vessels and carrying entire armies to invade any world in their path.

This is as far and I understand it, using also some of the concepts behind modern naval warships to try to make sense of these classifications. If I got it wrong, just let me know.

The Lola Block III was a development of older destroyers of the same name. It was meant to be simple to produce and resilient enough for extended tours of duty. This in-built survivability guaranteed that it would remain in service even after the fall of the Star League that produced it, serving with both the Clans and the ComStar.

It is a classic destroyer, all things considered. Heavy batteries of naval lasers and missiles guarantee that it can punch way above its weight, while the layered armor is able to withstand a lot of punishment. It is meant to destroy things.

This model is in ComStar colors and takes 60 parts to make, plus the base. True to its namesake, it is relatively easy to make, even if some parts may not be easy to find.

Let me know your thoughts and welcome to Warship Wednesdays.