The Artemis Class Light Battlestar was the primary command ship deployed by the Colonial
Fleet during the earliest years of the First Cylon War, the vessel was known as a ‘pocket
battlestar’ in much the same way as the later Orion Class, and though the ships carried
less armor than Jupiter or Valkyrie Class Battlestars, they still boasted an impressive
amount of firepower, and played a crucial role in the colonial war machine.
1080 meters in length and 400 meters across, the Artemis class is one of the earliest Battlestar
designs to feature fixed and un-retractable flight pods without impeding the ship’s
jump-capability.
The frame of the Artemis serves as the progenitor for all future battlestar designs, featuring
a wedged forward section housing the ship’s CIC, a narrow central body sporting most of
the battlestar’s weapon emplacements, and a broad aft section to support the vessel’s
six huge drive clusters.
The production cost of a single Artemis is lower than its large frame would suggest,
and this proved to be a significant advantage during the first cylon war, as Tylium and
other resources became increasingly scarce.
Across its bow and dorsal spine, the Artemis boasts an extensive array of heavy gun batteries,
each offering an almost 180 degree firing arc, and allowing the ship to lay down powerful
fields of fire at medium range.
The vessel’s underside features numerous missile launch tubes, as well as heavy KEW’s
for use against lighter warships, but the battlestar is equally well protected against
strike craft, thanks to the grids of point defence guns built into both flight pods.
Beneath its thick armor, the Artemis carries a crew of 3,200, as well as 150 Colonial Marines
trained and equipped to fight Cylon Centurions.
The standard air group of an Artemis Class Battlestar includes two full wings of Mark
1 Vipers, as well as a number of Raptors for marine assault and force recon operations.
The Vipers are launched from 32 magnetic accelerator tubes, distributed along the outer surface
of each flight pod, and the battlestar’s wide flight decks allow fighters to be rapidly
recalled for an emergency jump, as well as providing a launching platform for Raptors
and other support craft.
The combined strength of its powerful weapons and large air wing make the Artemis Class
into a dominating presence on the Battlefield, able to absorb substantial enemy fire to protect
smaller vessels, or scramble its fighters to reinforce weakening points in a larger
formation.
Artemis Class Battlestars were deployed in huge numbers in the early years of the first
cylon war, with their extensive tactical facilities often earning them positions as command vessels
for colonial battlegroups.
The vessels did possess one significant shortcoming however, they were notoriously difficult to
retrofit with new technology, a disadvantage which drastically shortened their service
history, and though the battlestars were invaluable in the earliest campaigns against the Cylons,
they quickly began to disappear from use once newer battlestar models were developed.
Serving as the inspiration for all future Battlestar designs, and boasting a short but
highly successful history of service, the Artemis Class Battlestar is undoubtedly one
of the most significant designs in the lineage of the Colonial Fleet, and though larger and
more powerful battlestars continued to be developed long after the vessels were decommissioned,
no design could challenge the impressive cost-to-effectiveness ratio of the Artemis Class.