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| - According to the standard system of ship-classifications, a frigate was a ship with a crew of between 200 and 1,000 beings, and an approximate size of 200-400m long, defined by the maximum size of smaller system patrol craft and the minimum size of larger cruisers. This was the definition that was officially used by the Old Republic, the Galactic Empire, the Alliance to Restore the Republic, and the New Republic, although formal exceptions were made for ships like the heavily-armed 350m Carrack-class light cruiser, and many other classification systems were used simultaneously throughout the Galaxy.
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| abstract
| - According to the standard system of ship-classifications, a frigate was a ship with a crew of between 200 and 1,000 beings, and an approximate size of 200-400m long, defined by the maximum size of smaller system patrol craft and the minimum size of larger cruisers. This was the definition that was officially used by the Old Republic, the Galactic Empire, the Alliance to Restore the Republic, and the New Republic, although formal exceptions were made for ships like the heavily-armed 350m Carrack-class light cruiser, and many other classification systems were used simultaneously throughout the Galaxy. Frigates were armed to defend themselves effectively against smaller and more maneuverable warships, and with a limited attack capacity against larger capital ships; they could sometimes carry up to three squadrons of starfighters, and were often deployed in small groups to protect larger vessels. Some frigate types, like the anti-starfighter Lancer design, were specifically designed to support larger warships, but others were intended primarily to defend unarmed freighters and transports, including the most famous frigate type of the Galactic Civil War, the Nebulon-B escort frigate. The escort frigate was designed by the Empire to combat Rebel "piracy", with the dual role of protecting Imperial transport ships and hunting down Alliance forces; but captured ships also came to be used extensively by the Rebellion against Imperial Forces during the Galactic Civil War, where they were used as raiders, and as screening vessels within combat squadrons. Escort frigates had a stark, stripped-down hull form, not particularly fast or maneuverable, but carrying a typical frigate armament and two squadrons of TIE Fighters. However, because they were designed to operate independently of larger capital ships, they were also equipped with powerful HoloNet transmitters and impressive command facilities, and this led to them becoming popular as command ships for squadrons containing more powerful warships. On both sides of the war, escort frigates are recorded as the flagships of task forces containing ships as large as 600m heavy cruisers. On one side or the other, escort frigates saw action in countless engagements throughout the Galactic Civil War, and they were still in use during the Yuuzhan Vong War and the Corellian secession crisis. Although primarily designed for a combat role, frigate-sized warships could be adapted to carry out a wide variety of duties. Some types, such as the Imperial Navy's Star Galleon, were purpose-designed as armed cargo ships, while others were modified for cargo duty as military transports. Some Nebulon-B frigates were also known to have been converted into hospital ships, such as the one that Luke Skywalker was treated on after having lost his hand in dueling Darth Vader; these ships were known as Medical Frigates, although this term was also applied to ships that in no way conformed to the standard definition of a combat frigate—a reminder that there were many ships in the Galaxy which were described as frigates even though they fell outside the standard designation.
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![[RDF Data]](/fct/images/sw-rdf-blue.png)