Sulust Nomenclature

[Locutus9956]

Just an interesting note. In another thread a while back (cant be bothered to go find it but if anyone knows where Im refering to by all means link it) someone mentioned that the reason they saw the Sulust lacking the escort trait is that it is not an escort destroyer in the sense of a destroyer that escorts stuff but rather it is a ship that 'destroys escorts' (so basically its an escort destroyer as in 'escort killer').

At this point one of the Centauri regulars (I think it was either EP or LD the D) came down on the chap who suggested this like a ton of bricks with 'No its Escort Destroyer its a well known naval classification, blah blah blah'.

Well I just the other day while rereading my fleet book noticed that, sorry I think the original chap got it right! Centauri Naval classifications need not necessarily conform exactly to human ones, and read the fluff for the Sulust in the fleet book. It pretty much expilicitly states that the Sulust job in the fleet is TO DESTROY ESCORTS. So to me that suggests: Escort Destroyer in this case means 'Ship that Destroys Escorts' and hence doesnt have the escort trait.

QED

 

[Lord David the Denied]

Weren't me that jumped on that poor fellow, but it does annoy that B5 misuses naval classifications across the board.

Although that said, it is reasonable enough to re-define the terms for alien races as they may not think like we do. To them an escort destroyer may not be a smaller, lighter ship than a fleet destroyer, but may be exactly what it says on the tin, a destroyer of escorts.

At any rate, it is what it is, and the name means very little. A rose by any other word, and so on...

 

[Burger]

You're right...

But the name shouldn't really be that. Since the name is obviously written in Centauri and translated to human, shouldn't it be a translation of the ship's actual classification rather than a literal translation of the name?

 

[Lord David the Denied]

If whatever Centauri gibberish is attached to it translates as "escort destroyer" why wouldn't earth record that as the classification of the ship?

 

[Burger]

Example: a German phrase is "Er hatte die Stirn, das zu sagen?". Literally translated that means "He had the forehead to say that?". If a translator were translating a section of German and it included that phrase, they would actually translate it as "He had the nerve to say that?".

Hence the difference between a meaningful and a literal translation.

So the Centauri name of the ship should be translated to include the proper human ship classification, not a literal translation of the Centauri name word-for-word. The "Sulust" part is presumably phonetic.

 

[Lord David the Denied]

There is no proper human naval classification for what we're told the Sulust is about. Closest would be calling it a fleet destroyer, but with EarthForce using the destroyer label for what's properly a battleship/carrier hybrid, it muddies the waters a bit.

Then again, a proper fleet destroyer would certainly have the escort trait, as one of a destroyer's primary roles is screening capital units from air attack and in modern times, providing anti-missile defence. So that role is taken by the Maximus. The Sulust is really just another cruiser class for the Centauri fleet.

 

[katadder]

probably comes from its time in AoG when the sullust was an actual escort destroyer in the naval term of the name.

 

[Locutus9956]

Regardless of where it comes from originally, look at the fluff entry in the fleet book:

It explains that many races use small ESCORTS to screen their big ships and the Sulust was designed to DESTROY these escorts so the big ships can punch through.

 

[Lord David the Denied]

The fluff text is also, generally speaking, a load of crap... :wink:

 

[Locutus9956]

No more so than the name though

 

[Lord David the Denied]

Ah, touché, sir...

 

[David Anla Shok']

The Sulust strikes me as being more of a light cruiser... wish I had more than one!
Regards,

 

[Locutus9956]

The Sulust strikes me as being more of a light cruiser... wish I had more than one!
Regards,

Thats kind of the point. It IS. Thats why some of us reckon the term 'escort destroyer' isnt meant in the human naval classification sense, its a 'destroyer of escorts' (and frankly anything that gets in its way if you have enough of them....)

 

[David Anla Shok']

The Sulust strikes me as being more of a light cruiser... wish I had more than one!
Regards,

Thats kind of the point. It IS. Thats why some of us reckon the term 'escort destroyer' isnt meant in the human naval classification sense, its a 'destroyer of escorts' (and frankly anything that gets in its way if you have enough of them....)

Well, naval nomenclature can be subjective... and odd. Who the hell thought of "pocket battleship" for instance? To some races "destroyer" might mean the biggist and baddest ship they have, for others, its just an escort. I suppose that Mongoose could just make up class names but who would want to buy an Adira Class A Fannysmacker anyway? ;>
Regards,

 

[Burger]

who would want to buy an Adira Class A Fannysmacker anyway? ;>

Paint it pink and you could be onto a winner there.

 

[David Anla Shok']

who would want to buy an Adira Class A Fannysmacker anyway? ;>

Paint it pink and you could be onto a winner there.

Hmm, Paddler Beam Rng 25 10 dice beam, double damage

 

[emperorpenguin]

At this point one of the Centauri regulars (I think it was either EP or LD the D) came down on the chap who suggested this like a ton of bricks with 'No its Escort Destroyer its a well known naval classification, blah blah blah'.

this is why you should check your "facts" before posting Locutus

I said

Historically escort destroyers were destroyers which carried out escort duties as opposed to "destroyers of escorts", so I can see why somebody would think it might be a mistake

http://www.mongoosepublishing.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?p=438288&highlight=#438288

not exactly coming down as a ton of bricks now is it :roll: :x

 

[Locutus9956]

Well at the time it struck me as rather a 'ha hes new, and therefore wrong' reply especially when the book basically says hes right....

 

[emperorpenguin]

Well at the time it struck me as rather a 'ha hes new, and therefore wrong' reply especially when the book basically says hes right....

once again

Historically escort destroyers were destroyers which carried out escort duties as opposed to "destroyers of escorts", so I can see why somebody would think it might be a mistake

what in that says the guy is wrong? It says the opposite. You just can't apologise for making baseless accusations I see.... :roll: :evil:

 

[Taran]

In any case...

When reading the title of this thread, I keep thinking first about short aliens with big lips and eyes, one f whom flies with Calrissian aboard the Falcon during the assault on the 2nd Death Star...