Entire Fleet
Front Views

Battleship
Lower Perspective

future action image

future action image

CONCEPT

The Humanasol League Fleet project is my take on the traditional "navy in space" concept. The overall shapes of these vessels were inspired by the Imperial Starfleet ships of the "Star Wars" universe and the Colonial ships of the Sci-Fi Channel's "Battlestar Galactica" universe.  The bright hull colors of the Humanasol ships were inspired by those used on the ships of the computer game "Homeworld." The technology level of Humanasol ships is similar to that of Colonial ships on "Battlestar Galactica." Other influences include the "Traveller" role-playing game from the early 1980's, as well as the science fantasy films "Wing Commander," "The Fifth Element," and "Ice Pirates."

As military starships from a conservative-controlled Human culture just a few centuries from the present, the Humanasol League Fleet vessels are smaller and more primitive than most of the ships I have devised for other, more positive futures. They are in the range of ships sizes common among various space-based role-playing games. I have tried to create a group of warships that are well-proportioned and maintain a family resemblance while having enough variety to be interesting.

FLEET ORGANIZATION

The Humanasol League Fleet consists of about 1000 warships.  Of these warships, 10 are battleships, about 75 are heavy cruisers, about 150 are light cruisers, about 300 are destroyers, and about 450 are corvettes. Supporting the warships are hundreds of auxiliary vessels such as fleet tenders, tugs, armed freighters, and hospital ships.

The fleet is divided into nine sector fleets. Each sector fleet patrols a portion of the sphere of interstellar space controlled by the Humanasol League. At the center of this sphere is Sol Sector which itself is sphere shaped.  The other eight sectors surround Sol Sector with each being shaped like an eighth of a sphere.

Each sector fleet consists of about 8 task forces with the exception of Sol Sector which has 13.  Each task force is composed of about 13 warships plus auxiliary vessels.  A typical task force is comprised of 1 heavy cruiser, 2 light cruisers, 4 destroyers, 6 corvettes, and 1 fleet tender.

Of the ten battleships, nine lead their own task forces as flagships each of the nine sector fleets. The tenth battleship, "Upholder of Honor," serves as the flagship for the entire fleet. It transports the Humanasol League Fleet High Command officers among the various sector fleets as needed.

SMALLCRAFT TYPES

There are four common types of smallcraft carried by Humanasol League Fleet warships. Warships usually carry as wide a mix of these craft as they can; only in special cases do they carry just one type of smallcraft. None of these four smallcraft types are capable of faster-than-light travel.

The repair pod is the smallest smallcraft type.  It is a one-person, unarmed craft that mounts thrusters as its only form of propulsion. The repair pod is used to fix damage suffered by warships and other space-borne fleet assets. It is designed for zero-gravity work and not meant to land regularly on plantary surfaces. However, it can be used as a lifeboat. Repair pods are unarmed and unable to travel between planets unassisted.

The launch is used to ferry personnel and small cargo loads to and from warships, usually between planetary orbit and planetary surface. Launches can be used for transport from one planet to another in the same star system depending upon the distance between them. While launches normally are unarmed, they do carry a countermeasures package to defend them against enemy missiles.

The gunboat is the primary fighting smallcraft of the fleet. It mounts enough weaponry to be a threat to smaller warships. When employed in large numbers, gunboats can effectively assault larger warships. While some of the weaponry on gunboats is fixed, the point defense missile launchers can be replaced with two ship-to-ship torpedoes as needed.  All warships carry extensive point-defense weaponry to defend themselves against gunboats. In addition to attack and patrol missions, gunboats also often serve as escorts for other smallcraft engaged in dangerous missions.  Like launches, gunboats can travel between planets within a star system. Gunboats not assigned to warships usually serve in squadrons stationed at orbital bases on or planetary surfaces.

The heavy launch is the largest of the four smallcraft types. It transfers personnel and small cargo loads to and from warships, usually between planetary orbit and planetary surface. Unlike launches, heavy launches are usually armed as they commonly serve as troop transports. Heavy launches can travel between planets within a star system.

WARSHIP TYPES

There are five main types of warships in the Humanasol League Fleet: corvettes, destroyers, light cruisers, heavy cruisers, and battleships.  These warships are supplemented by numerous types of auxiliary ships such as fleet tenders, tugs, hospital ships, and various sizes of armed freighters.

Corvettes are the smallest and most numerous warship type.  They form 45% of the total number of warships in the fleet.  Corvettes serve in a variety of roles such as surveying, scouting, stealth surveillance, search and rescue, and light escort.  Too small to carry their own smallcraft, corvettes are capable of landing on planetary surfaces.  Some corvettes carry two launches in externally mounted racks, especially on scouting and search and rescue missions.  Corvettes are the warship type that most often operates alone.  The "Flame of Fury" class is by far the most common corvette class currently serving in the Humanasol League Fleet.

Destroyers, along with corvettes, form the bulk of warship fleet.  30% of the total number of warships in the fleet are destroyers.  Like corvettes, destroyers often perform scouting and search and rescue duties.  However, the primary function of destroyers is to escort larger warship types as part of task forces.  While destroyers are capable of landing on planetary surfaces, in practice they do so much less often than corvettes.  In part, this is due to their ability to carry a handful of smallcraft internally.  The "Diligence of Duty" class is the most common destroyer class currently serving in the Humanasol League Fleet.  In an attempt to increase firepower, a small number of "Diligence of Duty" class vessels have had their lower torpedo tubes, landing engines, and landing gear replaced with a medium rail cannon.  However, the result has been disappointing.  The power demands of the rail cannon often overtax the destroyer's power generation systems, weakening its repulsion screen generators noticeably after firing.

Light cruisers are the most common cruiser type in the fleet, comprising 15% of the total number of warships.  While often employed as escorts for larger warship types, light cruisers are also used as diplomatic couriers and long range exploration vessels.  Exploration task forces usually consist of a light cruiser accompanied by two to four corvettes.  Light cruisers are not capable of landing on planetary surfaces.  They normally carry a total of about ten launches and heavy launches along with a handful of gunboats.  The "Guardian of Gallantry" class is the most common light cruiser class currently serving in the Humanasol League Fleet.  The small number of light cruisers of older classes still in service are those most often assigned to long range exploration duties.

Heavy cruisers are the mainstay of the fleet, comprising about 8% of the total number of warships.  They form the lead ship of most task forces.  A handful of heavy cruisers serve on single ship deep space exploration missions.  Heavy cruisers are not capable of landing on planetary surfaces.  They carry almost twice as many smallcraft as light cruisers.  The "Citadel of Courage" class is the most common heavy cruiser class currently serving in the Humanasol League Fleet with the most famous example being "Defender of Dawn," the most decorated warship in the fleet.  A few "Citadel of Courage" class vessels have been modified to hard-dock a “Flame of Fury” class corvette between their two forward hulls.  One "Citadel of Courage" class vessel has had more extensive modifications.  The "Fortress of Fearlessness" has had the space between its two forward hulls filled in with two dual medium kinetic gun dual turrets added, its smallcraft hangar size increased, and its eight forward-firing torpedo tubes relocated to the main superstructure and substructure.  It has been reclassified as a battle cruiser but is still considered experimental.  Two older heavy cruiser classes are currently in the process of being phased out.

Battleships are the largest and most heavily armed warship type.  Forming only 1% of the total number of warships in the fleet, they serve as flagships for each of the nine sector fleets.  Battleships are not capable of landing on planetary surfaces.  They carry noticeably more smallcraft than heavy cruisers, usually including three entire gunboat squadrons.  The "Upholder of Honor" class is the only battleship class currently serving in the Humanasol League Fleet.  The most famous example is the "Upholder of Honor" which serves as the flagship of the entire fleet.  It is the command and control ship for the High Command staff as they travel among the various sector fleets.  As such, battleship "Upholder of Honor" forms the core of the largest task force in the fleet.  Further battleship development is on hold until testing is complete on the single, experimental "Fortress of Fearlessness" class battle cruiser.

HUMANASOL LEAGUE UNIVERSE

The Humanasol League setting is my most pessimistic fictional environment. It is set in an alternative universe sone centuries in the future where Humanity has been exploring interstellar space for some time. I have used a fictional font for the Human ships in this setting to indicate that I believe that our actual future will be brighter than this. In the Humanasol League history, there have been two waves of interstellar colonization, one from Earth and another from its most successful colonies. The second generation colonies have broken away from Earth and formed the Kruegarian Protectorate which is more expansionist orientated than the Humanasol League. Two star-faring alien sentient species have been encountered during this time; the defensive-minded Ventronians and the expansionist-minded Klolodians. The Ventronian Interstellar Consolidation has become allies of the Kruegarian Protectorate and both need the cooperation of the Humanasol League in holding off the larger Klolodian Empire. All four of the instellar powers use star-faring technology akin to that in the science fiction film Wing Commander.

DIGITAL RESOURCES

Modeling - Rhino 4
Rendering - Rhino 4 Native Rendering Engine
Detailing Parts - Keith Hazelet, Paul F. Hymen, Richard Jeferies, Jeffrey Lynn, David C. Mueller, Simon, and Steve Wilson
Textures - Richard Jeferies and David C. Mueller
Backgrounds - Universe Image Creator and Hubble Space Telescope website
Running Lights - Universe Image Creator
Miscellaneous - CorelDRAW, Corel Photo-Paint and Adobe Photoshop