The ships shape was chosen the same as the Valiant class battlecruiser.This shape has proven to be resiliant and it reduces also buildings time.This class also respected the Norcian philosophy of :'' Go big or go home''.
This ship was conceived as a response to the constant threats of pirates,marauders trying to affect the lives of Norcian citizens.The idea behind the design is to deploy enough firepower to an area to overwhelm the enemy.
The baptize of this class was with problems generated by the death cult Light of Thanatos.At the start of the crisis there were a total of 75 cruisers in service.Even with there quick reaction the crews of this ships couldn't save everyone.
The Etna is a very advanced warship ready to take fight.It is also a state of the art warship,having the latest in weapons, sensors, propulsion and power generation.With the 4 medium kinetic guns and 2 particle beam cannons,any target can be snipped,but also the Etna loves a good close quarter battle.
The real test for this class was on the operation Hispalis to destroy this death cult Light of Thanatos.Of the total of 75 cruisers operational,27 were deployed in the operation.The 2 heavy particle cannons have showed there value, when were used to neutralize the defensive fleet operational around Thanatos Realm, the deathcult homeworld.
During the 12 hours to secure the orbit, the cannons were used several times on surface targets as shipyards with great succes.In this time even with a clear element of surprise, the Norcian Star Command has lost 2 corvettes,5 frigate.There were also 6 Etna's damaged,2 Valiant damaged.
Even with the best shields developed by the best Norcian enginners,they collapsed during kamikazi runs.The honeycomb reinforced hull has proven it's worth considering the fact that 2 Etna's had serious exterior hull scaring up to 37%.
One of the Etna's had 5 holes about 22 m in diameter.This NSC cruiser Doubt of Fortitude was very lucky considering that 1 hole needed 5 more meters to detonate auxiliary reactor number 3.
During this operation the Furore T 900 torpedo has ravaged havok.In orbit was used the T 900 Block 40 and 70 and on ground targets T 900 Block 30.
In 3375 a battlegroup comprised from the NSC Valiant class cruiser Madness of Hades,2 Etna class cruisers Etna and Bacchus Headache and 8 Hudson corvettes have escorted a convoy of ships from Ilyrium Corp to Lotus Sovereignty.
The plan was to better enter the Lotus markets and hugely improve the relations between the 2 nations.Also the military ships will give a port call as a sign of friendship
Table of Contents
Namesake
The name was chosen during a contest launched on the national television Norcia Prime.The winner will win the honor to be the person which will christen the first ship of the class.
Thus a lot of people joined the contest,In the end a small child of 10 years old Vessenia Vara won.Considering the name was vulcano with important historical value for the italian founders of Norcia.
Development History
Operational History
After the successful operation Hispalis, the Etna class cruisers became the workhorse of the Norcian Star Command's fleet. These ships were deployed on numerous operations, ranging from escort missions to full-scale battles.One of the most notable missions was Operation Blackout, which aimed to neutralize the power grid of the enemy planet to disable their war machine.
During the operation, the Etna cruisers were tasked with taking out the orbital defense platforms. The ships flew in close formation and fired a barrage of missiles at the platforms, taking them out one by one. The platforms put up a fierce resistance, but the Etnas' advanced sensors and guidance systems allowed them to evade most of the incoming fire.
Also there are a lot of missions at which the Etna's participated are classified to this day.Maybe in the future we will know what this ships have done to protect Norcia and it's citizens.
As Norcia continues to face new threats and challenges, the Etna cruisers will undoubtedly play a vital role in ensuring the safety and security of Norcian citizens.