Name: White Cruiser
Alignment: Zian (Formerly Zoid Battle Commission)
Family: Shark (Great White)
Registration Number: Zi-107
Height: 55 meters (keel to mast)
Length: 173 meters
Weight: 15,000 tons (mean war service)
Top Speed: 45 knots/83 kph
Weapons: Dual AZ155mm Heavy Cannons, Dual 57mm Cannons, Twin Phalanx, Anti-Ship Missiles, Cruise Missiles, Anti-Submarine Missiles.
Special Abilities: Helipad, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, Composite Sensory Unit, Command and Control Center, Multilock, Sailing.
Cost: $325,000
Level: Crewed

Bridge Crew: 8 (Pilot, Co-Pilot, Captain, Executive Officer, Gunnery Sergeant/Tactical Officer, Chief Engineer, Communications Officer, Chief of Operations. Note: The Command and Control Center is also the bridge, so many more men are usually on hand.)
Minimum Crew Requirements: 120
Standard Crew: 360
Maximum Personnel: 500 ((That can be continuously supported and sustained by the White Cruiser.))

During the struggle for control of Zi between the Helic Republic and the Guylos Empire, it could never be denied that the Empire ruled on land, outnumbering and outgunning the Helic Republic. The Republic, in turn, tried its best to dominate in the air and on the high seas. Most of the aquatic Zoids in existence are small, fitting neatly into the modern Zoid Battling classifications of Level 1-5. However, the conflict between the Republic and the Empire began to see the advent of Crewed Ships - ships that could no longer be piloted by a single person. With the exception of a few, most notably the transports, the majority of these crewed vessels could not sink beneath the waves like their smaller breathern, but possessed enormous firepower and widely expanded capabilities, and hence enormous value to each of the two nation's militaries.

The Battle King, as its name implies, may be the monarch of the high seas, but it is by no means the most common ship - or even the most common large, crewed ship - among the factions of Planet Zi. Everyone knows that the Battle King's breathern, the Whale King and the Great Whale King are more common (if only by one or two times), but they are not warships, and they are also not the most common of the large seafaring vessels. Just as neither battleships nor aircraft carriers populated the old terran oceans, Zoids of the whale family does not populate the oceans of Planet Zi. Enter the terran naval concept of the Cruiser.

The Republic and the Empire both used cruisers, destroyers, and frigates in their continual struggles for dominance, but few or none of these venerable ships still grace the waters of Zi. Unlike the massive Battle Kings, which are slow to reproduce and easier to retrofit than retire, the smaller ships were built and then retired in generations. The latest generation of ship, known as the White Cruiser - a Great White Shark-typed Zoid - was designed by the ZBC a little more than five years ago. By the time the war broke out, dozens had rolled off the assembly. Many defected to the Helic Republic - others were captured by or defected to the Eastern Continental Alliance and the Neo Backdraft Group. Some were sold to the Zi International Coalition. (The Blackdust Mercenary Group has, as of yet, not purchased, claimed, or seized any White Cruisers, making it the only faction to have not yet done so.)

Anyway, enough about who has them. What do they do? The White Cruiser is a Guided Missile Cruiser, primarily engaging targets beyond the range of vision. It is equipped with 80 missiles in a Vertical Launch System configuration for two tasks: anti- anti-ground target and anti-submarine warfare, though it is also well equipped for anti-aerial and ship-to-ship warfare if need be. The White Cruiser, being perhaps the heavily armed brother of the Hammer Kaiser, has armor on par with that transport. However, it does not have the flight capability of either its 'Kaiser brother, nor its smaller relative, the Hammerhead. That being said, there are few navies that feel they could operate without the White Cruiser.

Weapons:
Dual AZ155mm Heavy Cannons:
The White Cruisers, as far as ships go, are brank-spanking new. They have a new kind of advanced main batteries - a pair of AZ155mm Heavy Cannons located on the back of the Zoid. Each weapon has its own turret - one fore of the conning and fire control towers and one aft. The turrets can a full 360 degrees in either direction the horizontal axis and 90 degrees up on the vertical. Thanks to this design, they can point both port and starboard, fore and aft (be careful not to hit the ship itself while firing them, though) They are a new design - advanced cannon smainly for close range ship-to-ship combat and ground support, having a whopping maximum range of 100 kilometers. They are AZ155mm heavy cannons, which is survivable by many Zoids, but there's no one who can escape that kind of fire without feeling the burn. They will both shatter armor and burrow in deep, making for a devestating combination of firepower. Each turret is capable of firing one round every six seconds. This makes it hard to engage the White Cruiser with conventional weapons close up - as it most likely has the range advantage on you.

Dual AZ57mm Cannons: In contrast to the massive, AZ155mm main guns on the White Cruiser, the two secondary weapons are a bit less impressive. The White Cruiser has two AZ57mm Cannons as secondary armament, again one fore and one aft of the tower structures in the middle. Both weapons are mounted on rotating turrets: 360 degree rotation on the horizontal and 90 degrees on the vertical. They can point in any direction, but are also capable of hitting the ship itself (careful). They are also elevated above the main guns, so they can fire over the larger cannons. AZ57mm isn't nearly as frightening as AZ155mm, but the cannons can fire a whopping three rounds per second each, for a total of six rounds per second between the two turrets, which many would say is impressive. Unfortunately, they have a range of only 15 kilometers, so the White Cruiser may have to close a little ground (or water) if it wants to hit most targets with it.

Twin Phalanx:
To understand the TWin Phalanx, one must first understand the concept of a Phalanx. A Phalanx is a composite anti-air defense system for ships, originally developed by the Helic Republic based on what they knew about the old Earth concept. Each Phalanx unit has two parts: a 20mm Vulcan and a Surface-to-Air Missile Launcher. Let us first discuss the 20mm weapon. The six-barrelled, air-cooled Vulcan on the Phalanx has one of the highest rates of fires of any modern weapon - more than 100 rounds per second. The purpose for this relatively small caliber but high rate of fire weapon is simple. ECM technology having long outstripped ECCM, preventing effective use of missiles versus other missiles, the 20mm Vulcan has the primary job of shooting down incoming missiles. It has the secondary job of shooting down incoming aircraft or other such targets, and may even be used to attack nearby ships in a pinch. The SAM side of the Phalanx is simple. Though the SAM launcher was traditionally referred to as a separate component, it quickly became clear that both systems were necessary to adequately defend a ship and the term "Phalanx" came to refer to both systems, not just the Vulcan. Anyway, the SAM launcher carries a grand total of 21 AAZ Surface-to-Air missiles, each of which use both IR and passive radar guidance to find their targets. The missiles have the primary function of shooting down incoming aircraft, but may also be used to supplement the anti-cruise missile defense provided by the vulcan. It is important to understand that the Phalanx is integrated into the ship's sensor system and is semiautomated, giving it much-improved accuracy with the vulcan. Similarly, the range of the SAMs, though they are primarily IR guided, have been extended through the synthesis with the ship's sensors to a distance of 7.5 kilometers. Furthermore, thanks to this IR/passive radar guidance, the SAMs locking on will not activate a radar warning receiver (as no active radar is used), and can often achieve the lock in 1/3 the usual time - as little as a single second. To facilitate defending the ship, both the Vulcan and the SAMs are mounted on 360 degree rotating turrets, and can incline up to 80 degrees upwards. Now, understand that the White Cruiser has two of these. This means that the White Cruiser is one of the safer places to be in case of a missile attack - it has good, solid defense against it.

Anti-Ship Missiles:
It's important to understand that by the time Zi was colonized, it was no longer the age of cannon combat on the high seas - not on Zi, not anywhere in all of what was known of humanity. It was already the age of missile combat. Why use your 155mm guns, even if they did have a 100 kilometer range, when your enemy had a missile that would sink your ship from 350 kilometers away? Good question. The White Cruiser carries Anti-Ship missiles that have that 350 kilometer range, because, unfortunately for the main guns, it is really a better way to do things. Now, when I say "Anti-Ship" missiles, I don't mean the kinds of puny missiles that Zoids carry. These have the same yield as a ballistic missile, meaning that they're able to sink many ships in just one hit. They've also armored, meaning that it will take more than a few hits (or another missile) to take them down. Unfortunately, that's with good reason, because these missiles do have a weakness. They only move at around 250 m/s, meaning that they can take several minutes for the missiles to hit their targets. Anyway, they are actively radar-guided and require the usual timeframe to lock on. Then, you can fire an arbitrary number of them. By the way, the White Cruiser has 8 of these Anti-Ship missiles grouped into two armored boxes of four missiles (360 degree rotating and able to incline up to 90 degrees upwards), so it's well-equipped for a prolonged battle.

Cruise Missiles:
Hand in hand with the Anti-Ship Missiles are Cruise Missiles. These weapons are completely unguided, but can a strike a target from essentially halfway across the ocean. You just dial in a location to hit, and the Cruise Missile launches and goes after it. Be it noted that it has a slightly different launching method from the Anti-Ship Missiles: rather than firing from an armored box, these fire from a vertical launch system which resembles a system of minature silos built into the deck of the ship. Anyway, it has all the explosive of an Iron Kong's ballistic missile, and, like the Anti-Ship missile only move at 250 m/s. It also, like the two aforementioned missiles, is armored, allowing it to take a few hits and keep going. Unlike the other two aforementioned missiles, it has a maximum range of 2500 kilometers. The White Cruiser carries 40 of them. Go nuts.

Anti-Submarine Missiles:
Another interesting piece of weaponry present on the White Cruiser, the Anti-Submarine Missiles, are in many ways similar to the missiles found on the Hammer Kaiser. You see, the White Cruiser has sonar capabilities far beyond the range of conventional torpedos (though sonar isn't a guarenteed, sure-shot to detect your enemies at range). The point is, the White Cruiser can engage submarines in a different way: anti-submarine missiles. What I mean is, when the White Cruiser detects a submarine, it can fire an anti-submarine missile at it (instantly, to the general GPS coordinates. It will update its destination while in flight, but this is not a precise operation.) Generally, because the submarine can't see what's happening above water, it is none the wiser. The missile moves at 250 meters per second to the target coordinates until it reaches said coordinates and hits the water. When it does, the rocket booster splits off and the turbine activates, and the anti-submarine missile becomes a torpedo and will use active radar to track down the nearest submerged target that doesn't respond to IFF until it hits said target. Then, the torpedo explodes with the force of a ballistic missile, which will sink any non-crewed, non-transport submersible with ease. Like Cruise Missiles, the White Cruiser carries 40 of them in a vertical launching system. So, beware, all ye submarines.

Special Abilities:

Helipad:
The White Cruiser isn't an aircraft carrier or a transport like the Whale King, but it does have a Helipad towards the aft of the ship. This Helipad can house and transport up to two aircraft, but both aircraft must be capable of VTOL (vertical takeoff and landing). Generally, this is limited to lighter magnesser aircraft like the Redler and non-fixed wing aircraft like the Dragonfly Stinger. Note that while the Helipad is designed to transport the craft and provide a launching platform for them, or even rearm them, it does provide repair bay facilities. Self repair is possible, but difficult on board the cruiser, doubtless moving through the high seas. Remember that the aircraft there housed are there to support the cruiser, not the other way round.

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles:
Traditionally speaking, warships are limited to shooting at what they're in visual range of. This has changed over the eons, with the advent of useful devices such as active radar and the like back on old earth. On Zi, the principle was carried over and the White Cruiser is fully capable of engaging targets beyond the limits of sight. However, sight is still nice. So, to that end, the White Cruiser has three small Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, or UAVs, which is uses as scouts and as spotters for the guns and cruise missiles. These UAVs are less than a meter tall and, thanks to their size, are difficult to detect on radar or shoot down with associated missiles. Since they are propeller planes with very little heat emission, IR is also of only limited use against them. Each UAV is equipped with an Active Radar System, and can trasmit data back to the White Cruiser or any friendly units in the area. They do have their limitations, though: they have only 5 hours of fuel aboard, have a maximum range of 200 kilometers, and have a top speed of about 60 m/s. They're difficult to launch during combat, but if launched before, they can be quite handy.

Composite Sensory Unit:
The White Cruiser is equipped with a Composite Sensory Unit, giving it an active radar, sub-surface sonar, and IR sensor insight into everything happening around it. Though some components of this system have localized hubs (like the radar dish on the conning tower), the system has secondary, tertiary, and quaternary backups, allowing it to continue functioning even through the worst of damage. Many systems, such as the Dual Phalanx, depend on the Composite Sensory Unit for their functionality.

Command and Control Center:
The heart of the White Cruiser, the Command and Control Center , is often the center of a small battle group. The White Cruiser is constantly fed information about its battle group, nearby ships of all sides, enemy and allied formations, and just about everything else it could possibly ask for. The C&C is also the White Cruiser’s bridge- the Composite Sensory Unit feeds its data here, and a number of communications systems monitor every known comm. frequency in use, as well as keeping battle group’s frequencies open, helping to keep clear of tapping and jamming. All of the data can be transmitted to allies, both nearby and around the globe, via satellite. (Yep - they've got a satellite uplink on ship.)

Turret System:
Like the Ultrasaurus and the Battle King, the White Cruiser mounts a large number of guns, far too many for any one man to control. Also like the Ultrasaurus, the White Cruiser has a crew of gunners to operate its guns- every turret is manned. The most significant effects of this is that the White Cruiser’s guns can keep firing even if the C&C Center takes a direct hit (not that that’s likely to happen), and that the White Cruiser never suffers from multitasking issues. Each turret and battery gunner also gets the full benefit of the White Cruiser’s sensors, and has the ability to share targeting solutions- useful for coordinating firepower, especially for the Phalanxes.

Multilock:
The White Cruiser is ridiculously well-armed for a vessel that was only designed to fight one opponent at a time. That’s because it wasn’t. The White Cruiser has a unique system that allows each of its missile launcher systems to lock onto multiple targets at once, with a designated number of missiles locking onto a single target. (IE: 2 anti-ship missiles on one opponent, 3 on the other. A single missile cannot lock onto two or more opponents.) This gives it some very real and relevant defenses, and helps it against swarm attacks. Note that this doesn't apply to torpedoes - they lock onto the first thing they see without a friendly IFF signature. That's just a downside of no lock-on time for torpedoes.

Sailing:
Understand that the White Cruiser is a sailing ship, not a swimming one. That is, it moves along the surface, but cannot submerge itself. That being said, the White Cruiser's locomotion in the water is not its strong point. It can move at a relatively slow 45 knots and probably has a less desirable rate of turn - taking it about four seconds at best rate of turn to pivot 180 degrees. Furthermore, the White Cruiser doesn't exactly have admirable handling, but it tops the Battle King. The armament, not the movement, is the strong point of the White Cruiser.