Starships

Starships are space craft capable of travelling between star systems, using mass relays and the mass effect drive.

Large vessels
Larger warships are classified in one of four weights:


 * FRIGATES are small, fast ships used for patrolling and for screening larger vessels. On their own, frigates do not pack much of a punch, but when operating in "wolf-pack flotillas", they can often overwhelm larger vessels. In the human fleet, frigates are named after great battles of human history (Agincourt, Normandy).


 * CRUISERS are middle-weight combatants, faster than dreadnoughts, and more heavily-armed then frigates. Cruisers are the standard patrol unit, and often lead frigate flotillas.  In the human fleet, cruisers are named after Earth cities. (New Delhi, Tokyo)


 * DREADNOUGHTS are kilometer-long capital ships mounting heavy, long-range firepower. They are only deployed for the most vital missions. Treaties stipulate the amount of dreadnoughts a navy may own, with the turian peacekeeping fleet being allowed the most. (For every five turian dreadnoughts, the other Council races are allowed three. For every three Council dreadnoughts, associate races are allowed one. Hence, if the turians have five dreadnoughts, the asari may have three and the humans may have one.) In the Systems Alliance fleet, dreadnoughts are named after mountains of Earth (Kilimanjaro, Everest, McKinley.)


 * CARRIERS are dreadnought-sized vessels which carry a large number of fighters. They are usually kept at a distance from any engagement because they are not manoeuverable enough to survive heavy bombardment. Alliance carriers are named after great humans in history (Einstein).

Small vessels
Smaller vessels are exclusively used in a support role to the warships during combat:


 * FIGHTERS are one-man craft used to perform close-range attacks on enemy ships.


 * INTERCEPTORS are one-man craft optimized for destroying opposing fighters.

Military

 * SSV Normandy
 * SSV Hastings
 * SSV Iwo Jima
 * SSV New Delhi
 * SSV Hyderabad
 * SSV Kilimanjaro
 * SSV Tokyo
 * SSV Fuji
 * SSV Everest
 * SSV Elbrus
 * SSV Tai Shan
 * SSV Shasta
 * SSV Aconcagua (under construction as of 2183)

Merchant

 * MSV Cornucopia
 * MSV Fedele
 * MSV Majesty
 * MSV Ontario
 * MSV Worthington

Asari

 * Destiny Ascension

Other

 * Sovereign