Gigerdi Mk.III class heavy cruiser

A production schematic of the Gigerdi Mk. III class

Max. Crew: 580 crewmembers
Min. Crew: 120 crewmembers
Atmospheric Flight Capability: No
Length: 1707 meters
Cargo Capacity: 5000 metric tons
Fighters: 5 squadrons

Shields:

• Old modulation: Heavy Energy Shields
  
• New Modulation: Standard Anti-Matter Shields
  

Weapons:

• 4 Plasma Torpedo Launchers
  
• 8 Plasma Point Defence Cannons
  
• 4 Pulse Cannons in the front
  
• 2 Tractor Beam Projectors (optional)
  
• 2 Heavy Particle Disruptor Cannons
  
• Interceptor Grid
  

The Mk.III Heavy Cruiser was the backbone of the Gigerdi Alliance military fleets from the few years preceding the Third Bacterian War up to the end of the Lightness War. The Mk. III was a natural evolution from the two earlier designs, as was designed shortly after the creation of the GA. The idea behind the design was to create a vessel capable of firstly fighting against other starships on its' own for as long as possible, and also to carry a standard compliment of fighters to assist it in patrolling duties and also in combat. It was thought for a long time, that the Mk.III Cruiser would be the last of the Gigerdi-class Cruiser designs, and many were sure that the Valencia Mk. II class would replace it as the backbone of the fleets, but still a small but stubborn group of traditional Gigerdian ship designers pushed for the creation of the Mk.IV cruiser.

In terms of contents, the Mk.III has bigger living quarters and more recreational areas for the crew than in the last cruisers, and the weaponry has been significantly improved. Like its previous incarnations, it also carries a standard squadron of fighters, and is powered by a fusion reactor located in the back of the ship. The original Mk.III Heavy Cruiser was a well-received design among the Captains of the fleet, since it managed to pack a punch and enough of these ships were also constructed, so that an increasing amount of commanding officers could get commissions aboard the ships.

This design received its' baptism of fire during the Third Bacterian War, where over 50% of the GA's fleets consisted of these Cruisers, which quickly received a status of a durable and effective workhorse against the Bacterians. The next time this design met a new opponent, was during the Lightness War, in which the design did sadly begin to show signs of age and general wear&tear. Following the Lightness War, the GA decided that the Mk.III would have to updated somehow, and thus it was decided to implement upgraded shields, weapons (i.e. Particle Disruptors) and the new IHPWTS drive along with other modernization to the design. This was a costly and lengthy operation, and many in the Gigerdian Senate believed that it would be better to just leave the design as it was than to squander away resources in fairly meaningless modernization projects.

A small amount of updated Mk.III's saw duty after the modernization process, but it become clear that no matter what anyone decided or did, the Mk.III was still outdated when compared to the newer models. At this time the GA high command decided to mothball a small amount of the updated cruisers, and then gave the unmodernazed vessels to the GACDF. Still, a few Mk.III do remain in service, but they have been downgraded to patrolling duties only.