Here we see the CNS Samuel Eliot Morrison, an Alfred Thayer Mahan-class Heavy Destroyer, approaching the gas giant Pioltello in the Bicocca system (Dawn 0404). The Cascadian Navy occasionally sends elements of the fleet into the Dawn Subsector (which they refer to as the Lancaster Subsector).
The Alfred Thayer Mahan-class is covered in Wendy's Guide to the Fleets of Cascadia Subsector which will be released in PDF on March 17. Art seen here by Ian Stead.
Eschewing the traditional ship classifications has long been a hallmark of the Cascadian Naval Service so it is no surprise that the heaviest warships of the fleet are classified as heavy destroyers rather than a light cruiser.
The Alfred Thayer Mahan-class design departs somewhat from the light cruiser role of providing a heavy hitting anchor to the destroyers that form the squadron it is flagship to. Early design specifications released to this organization and to the general public generated spirited discussion in regards to why the Cascadian Navy, normally focused on lighter and more tactically flexible warships, had embarked on a program to construct larger warships.
The Alfred Thayer Mahan has a one thousand eight hundred displacement tonne standard hull, which though not designed for planetary landings, can do so if required. Fuel scoops and fuel purifiers are included to allow for scooping fuel from gas giants, though again it is unlikely this would ever be a routine operation.
The heavy destroyer’s dorsal and ventral mounted main armament consists of six fifty tonne fusion gun bays and two fifty tonne railgun bays divided evenly. Each of the bay turrets can retract into their bay under an armored cover.