Starships

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

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

Frigates
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. Geth dropships are classed as frigates. Systems Alliance frigates are named after great battles of human history (Agincourt, Normandy).

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

Carriers
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 maneuverable enough to survive heavy bombardment. Alliance carriers are named after great humans in history (Einstein).

Commander Shepard describes carriers as an example of humanity demonstrating its ability to "think outside the box", which suggests that the Systems Alliance was the first to field these vessels.

Dreadnoughts
Dreadnoughts are kilometer-long capital ships mounting heavy, long-range firepower. They are only deployed for the most vital missions. A dreadnought's power lies in the length of its main gun. Dreadnoughts range from 800 meters to one kilometer long, with a main gun of commensurate length. An 800-meter class accelerator is capable of accelerating one 2 kg. slug to a velocity of 283 km/s every two seconds.(*) Each slug has the kinetic energy of 38 kilotons1 of TNT, three times the energy released by the fission weapon that destroyed Hiroshima.

The Treaty of Farixen stipulates 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.) Currently, the turians have 37 dreadnoughts, while the asari have 21, the salarians have 16 and the Alliance has 6. Asari dreadnoughts seem to be larger than those of other species, and of a unique design. Alliance dreadnoughts are named after mountains of Earth (Everest, Kilimanjaro).


 * (*) The spreadsheet used to calculate these figures contained two formula errors. The corrected version reads: "An 800-meter mass accelerator is capable of accelerating one 20 kg. slug to a velocity of 4025 km/s (1.3% of light speed) every two seconds." While the acceleration strains plausibility, it was necessary to retain the 38kt damage mark. Without this level of damage, there is no need for the Citadel Conventions or Treaty of Farixen, which implicitly recognize dreadnoughts as weapons of mass destruction.

Small military 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 giving carriers a strike fighter complement.


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

Starship Attributes

 * Disruptor torpedoes
 * GARDIAN
 * Javelin mounts
 * Heat dispersal systems
 * Ablative armour
 * Kinetic barriers
 * Sensors
 * Mass accelerator weapons

Military

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

Survey Vessels

 * Kupe
 * Ibn Battuta

Merchant

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

Asari

 * Destiny Ascension

Quarian

 * The Liveships
 * Rayya
 * Idenna
 * Tesleya
 * Usela

Reaper

 * Sovereign

Geth

 * Geth Dropship