The United Nation Defence Forces needed not only spaceships but battle-capable spaceships. It was forced to use old decomissioned ships, modify them to be space-worthy and throw them into space with special rockets. If smaller ships like destroyer or frigates were already a challenge, the UNDF needed much bigger guns and started its most ambitious project so far: the Defender class battleship.
A complete PITA to bring in space, the Defender is however a titanic steel beast, capable of holding the line.
Its 4 turrets with twin massive 12 inch guns, firing 850 pound heavy shells with modern charge that throw them over 3000 ft./s. is delivering a barrage of fire and steel that, if connecting with its target, can be debilitating for any type of spaceships. But if its main firepower come from its venerable gun turrets, it also possess more modern weapons to help diversify the Defender's offensive options. A heavily modified Sea Slugs missile system capable of carrying a nuclear warhead was installed and two Seawolf sextuple launcher used both as anti-ship and anti-missile platform.
Latter versions added 4 twin mounted 40 mm round turrets under the belly as often attackers started to hit from ''under'', realizing the weak spot from its archaic design, these are manned by gunner assisted by AI.
Fitted with much more modern firing systems and radars, capable of tracking in a 3d environment and cutting edge electronics for its new rocket propulsion, the Defender is not however without flaws. Hastily brought into service because of necessity, its superstructure have barely been modified and kept many flaws from its archaic oceanic form. Either from the very exposed stations or the limited room for additional weaponry, it meant that the ship was less then perfect and even less space-worthy then other modified ships. Its new rocket engines were limited in size and power due to lack of internal space and the need to have them protected, meaning that the Defender was much more slower then other ships relative to its size and tonnage.
But despite this, the Defender was able to stand its own and change the course of space warfare thanks to its competent captains who quickly understood that the behemoth's place was in a support position, as a slow, heavily armored, weapon platform capable of covering the more nimbles ships while dishing and enduring most of the damages.
(OOC: This is a project started with my
space-destroyer , a reimagined Space Battleship Yamato setting with
slightly more realistic design. But, of course, its made for fun and yes, I know that it's near improbable/impossible.)