Dreadnaught-Class Heavy Cruiser

This is one of the vehicles from my Star Wars Fanfiction Series: Star Wars: The Shadow Wars. The series is currently between "Seasons."

Note: The information below is from my own universe which is a blend of old and new canon and it not to be considered canon in any other universe but mine.  I should also mention that this ship is canon (at least legacy canon) but its history is significantly different as far as my universe is concerned.

The image was acquired via Star Wars: Empire at War - Forces of Corruption, using the Return of the Clones Mod

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Class: Dreadnaught-Class Heavy Cruiser
Manufacturer: Rendili StarDrive
Affiliations: The 501st Legion, The New Galactic Republic, The Rebel Alliance (Formerly), The Galactic Empire (Formerly), the Old Galactic Republic (Formerly)

"We're still using those old Dreadnaughts? Shouldn't they be retired by now?" "General, you've clearly never served on a Dreadnaught before." - Jedi Knight Kento Marek and Admiral Kasan Moor regarding the Dreadnaughts.

The Dreadnaught-Class Heavy Cruiser has a long history of reliable and dependable service for well over a century. Developed 80 years before the Clone Wars by Rendili StarDrive, the Dreadnaught has the distinction of having served in numerous wars throughout its 130 year history. Prior to the Clone Wars, in 46 BBY, a task force of two hundred Dreadnaughts were deployed under the title of Katana Fleet in an effort to remilitarize the Republic Navy but the fleet was lost on its maiden voyage due to a hive virus that caused the crew to go mad and ultimately perish while the fleet itself made a blind hyperspace jump into parts unknown. By the time of the Clone Wars, the Confederacy of Independent Systems initially assumed that a few fleets of these aging warships would be all the Republic would be able to muster against the droid armies of the Separatists. They were quickly proven wrong at the Battle of Geonosis with the arrival of the Grand Army of the Republic and its clone army, supported by brand new warships. The Dreadnaughts served alongside of the larger Acclamators and Venators, serving primarily as Heavy Cruisers beside Arquitens Light Cruisers.

Even during the Clone Wars, the clone crewmen of the old Dreadnaughts were surprised by how robust the old ships were for their age and most would gladly defend the old warships from anyone who insulted the ships for their age. Many Dreadnaughts would be used by volunteer crews and localized militias during the Clone Wars as well. When the Empire rose to power, the Empire continued to use many of the Dreadnaughts and either converted them for Imperial service or scrapped them altogether. The Empire primarily used the Dreadnaughts in the outer rim territories at first before gradually phasing them out in favor of Vindicator-Class Heavy Cruisers. These Dreadnaughts would eventually be mothballed and sent to Imperial Salvage Yards to be scrapped. The Rebellion would capture quite a few Dreadnaughts early on and put them to effective use against the Empire. Four Rebel Dreadnaughts participated in the Battle of Endor but only two survived the battle. Only one survived the Battle of Jakku the following year.

Under the New Republic, many of the Empire's mothballed Dreadnaughts were restored and reactivated in an effort to replenish the New Republic's fleet strength. However in 6 ABY, the New Republic made an incredible discovery, they found the long lost Katana Fleet, quickly seizing them and bolstering their fleets, something that was desperately needed following the New Republic's formation as at the time, the New Republic was strong on manpower but short on ships. Historians have since considered the New Republic's acquisition of the Katana Fleet to have been a major turning point as, had the Empire reclaimed the Katana Fleet, the warlord that claimed it would've become a formidable power and could potentially unite the then disparate Imperial Remnant factions. The New Republic's control of the Katana Fleet all but helped to guarantee the New Republic's tactical supremacy for the next two decades.

Now at over a century old, the Dreadnaughts have the distinction of being the longest serving active warship class in the galaxy by any military force. Even though newer ship classes have been developed and deployed, the New Republic has been slow to retire the aging Dreadnaughts and continue to use them even into the Shadow Wars. The 501st Legion also uses several Dreadnaughts, painted up in a blue variation of the Dreadnaught's Clone Wars era liveries (seen above), using the ships in both their Avenger and Open Circle Fleet Groups. Since the start of the Shadow Wars in 28 ABY, Rendili StarDrive has even seen renewed interest in producing new Dreadnaughts and the words "New Dreadnaughts" has been mentioned in several high level meetings among New Republic military leadership.