Sharlin Class Warcruiser
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| Sharlin class | |
|---|---|
 A Sharlin class warcruiser |
|
| Affiliation | Minbari |
| General Characteristics | |
| Fighters | Nial class fighters |
| Armaments | Neutron cannons & guns Fusion cannons & guns Anti-matter cannon Missiles |
| Defences | Organic self-healing armour Minbari stealth device |
The Sharlin Class Warcruiser is the main starship of the Minbari Federation in the fictional Babylon 5 universe. Also commonly known as the Minbari War Cruiser, the Sharlin class is very large, being 1.6 kilometers long and about 1.9 kilometers tall.
Sharlin class ships use a gravitic drive system, which is used to provide artificial gravity. An artificial singularity and fusion reactors provide power for this type of vessel. The Sharlin class is very well armed, having gravitic neutron and fusion cannons, as well neutron and fusion guns, electro-pulse Guns, a missile launcher, and an antimatter cannon. The ship also makes use of stealth technology which allows it to be come effectively invisible to sensor and targeting systems.
These ships can hold up to 8000 people. In peacetime the Sharlin class ships only have the 190 person regular crew. In combat situations there can be 60 additional combat personnel - such as pilots, gunners, and other support officers, and about 8000 ground troops. The low crew requirement is due to the advanced computer system in place. The Valen'tha - a specially equipped Sharlin class - is home to the Grey Council - the leaders of the Minbari government.
The Sharlin class ships have a special holographic chamber. The chamber provides a complete 360 degree 3D image of the space around the ship. Normally it is used as a command center during battle situations. This chamber allows the commander to view the battlefield. A similar chamber is used by the Grey Council.
Among the younger races of the galaxy, the Sharlin class has no equals. During the Earth-Minbari war only few Sharlin class ships were lost, typically by ramming, while the Sharlin class inflicted heavy casualties on the humans. But the Sharlin class was no match for the more advanced First Ones - the Shadows were able to destroy a number of Sharlin class ships during the course of the war.
[edit] Known Sharlin Class Ships
- Trigati - This ship participated in the Battle of the Line. When the order to surrender came, the ship's captain committed suicide rather than obey. His crew took the ship into hyperspace, and spent the next ten years in exile. In 2259, after John Sheridan took command of Babylon 5, the Trigati appeared and tried to provoke Sheridan into firing on them. When he refused, another Minbari vessel came out of hyperspace and attempted to force the Trigati's surrender. The Trigati's crew committed suicide rather than obey.
- Ingata - This war cruiser came to Babylon 5 in 2258 while carrying the body of the deceased war leader Branmer home.
- Valen'tha - a specialized war cruiser that serves as home to the Grey Council. It was this vessel that was damaged by the humans at the disastrous first contact between the humans and Minbari. The damage resulted in the death of their leader Dukhat, and started the war between Minbar and Earth.
- Dogato - John Sheridan and Delenn commanded the first major battle of the Army of Light against the Shadows in sector 83 from this ship.
- Enfili - This vessel also participated in the first major battle against the Shadows in Sector 83.
During the Earth-Minbari war only the Nova-class dreadnoughts were able to fight with some effectiveness against the Sharlin class, and even these ships never succeeded in destroying a Sharlin in open battle. The Warlock-class heavy destroyer, which entered service in 2261 near the end of the Earth Alliance civil war, was the first human-built ship to equal the Sharlin in combat, thanks to extensive reverse-engineering of Shadow technology.
