imported>Pserratv at 08:19, 10 December 2024

2024-12-10T08:19:14Z

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{{infoBoxIndividualSpacecraft
| image =
| vesselname = Storm Cat
| prevname = Fred T. Berry
| type = [[WarShip]]
| class = [[Lola III]]
| prevclass =
| servicesince =
| serviceuntil =
}}

==History==
===Star League===
The WarShip was originally named '''''Fred T. Berry'''''. Named after a captain of one of the first military airships, who died with the loss of his craft, the destroyer was laid down on [[2694]] and was a lone wolf in the [[Periphery]] for decades until the beginning of the [[Amaris Civil War]]. It then rejoined [[Aleksandr Kerensky]]'s SLDF forces and saw action freeing Terra from Amaris' occupation. After intense fighting around [[Mars (planet)|Mars]], it joined [[Operation EXODUS]].<ref>''Mercenary Entertainment Network Digest: December 3151'' in ''Shrapnel 12'', p. 107</ref>

===The Golden Century===
The ''[[Lola III]]''-class destroyer '''''Storm Cat'''''<ref name="TDRp26"/> was a [[WarShip]] active as the CSJ ''Storm Cat'' in the [[Clan Smoke Jaguar]] [[Clan Smoke Jaguar Touman|''touman'']]. The ''Storm Cat'' played a decisive part in the Smoke Jaguar [[Trial of Absorption|Absorption]] of [[Clan Mongoose]] in the second half of the twenty-ninth century; the ''Storm Cat'' was involved in the naval clash between Smoke Jaguar and Mongoose fleets above [[Circe]] that marked the largest naval engagement in [[Clan]] history up to that point in time. With almost thirty WarShips involved in the battle, the Smoke Jaguar flagship, the ''[[McKenna (WarShip class)|McKenna]]''-class [[Obsidian|CSJ ''Obsidian'']], was crippled by the ''[[Quicksilver Mongoose]]''; the Mongoose flagship literally shattered the ''Obsidian's'' spine, and that victory seemed likely to turn the battle in favor of the Mongoose forces. The momentum the Mongoose forces had built up was quickly stymied when the ''Storm Cat'' engaged and subsequently crippled the ''Quicksilver Mongoose'', leaving the battleship venting atmosphere and unable to maneuver. The Smoke Jaguars still lost half their fleet but carried the day, with the last four surviving Mongoose WarShips forced to surrender.<ref name="ED:GCp8">''Era Digest: Golden Century'', p. 8: "Warriors Above Politicians"</ref>

===Clan Invasion Era===
When a multinational task force from the [[Second Star League]] arrived to attack [[Luzerne]] in late June [[3059]] as a part of [[Operation BULLDOG]] the ''Storm Cat'' and a sister Smoke Jaguar WarShip, the ''[[Congress]]''-class destroyer [[Snow Leopard|CSJ ''Snow Leopard'']] were in the system acting in support of the recently arrived [[Kappa Galaxy (Clan Smoke Jaguar)|Kappa Galaxy]].<ref name="HTP:Lp6"/> The Star League forces called for ''[[safcon]]'' to the surface of Luzerne, but the Smoke Jaguars refused the call, leading the [[Com Guards|Com Guard]] ''[[Sovetskii Soyuz]]''-class heavy cruiser [[Harmonious Thought|CSV ''Harmonious Thought'']] and supporting combat [[DropShip]]s to try and push through the defending Smoke Jaguar forces.<ref name="TDRp26">''The Dragon Roars'', p. 26: "Situation"</ref>

The ''Harmonious Thought'' and an accompanying ''[[Titan (DropShip class)|Titan]]''-class DropShip, the [[Terra's Shield|CSV ''Terra's Shield'']], deployed a grand total of six [[Level II]]s of [[aerospace fighter]]s—[[Vigilant Wings II-Pi]], [[Blake's Redoubt II-Pi]] and [[Steadfast Will II-Pi]] from the ''Harmonious Thought'' and [[Wisdom Through Devotion II-Pi]], [[Swift Justice II-Pi]] and [[Faith's Messengers II-Pi]] from the ''Terra's Shield''—and moved alongside the ''[[Claymore (DropShip class)|Claymore]]''-class DropShip [[Claymore (Individual Claymore-class DropShip)|FCS ''Claymore'']] and the ''[[Avenger]]''-class DropShip [[Alacrity (Individual Avenger-class DropShip)|FCS ''Alacrity'']] to intercept the Smoke Jaguar WarShips.<ref name="TDRp26+">''The Dragon Roars'', pp. 26–27: "Attack Flotilla"</ref>

The Smoke Jaguars' defense hinged around the ''Smoke Leopard'' and the ''Storm Cat'', each accompanied by a [[Star]] of Clan [[OmniFighter]]s, as well as four assorted DropShips: an ''[[Overlord-C]]'', a ''[[Sassanid]]'', a ''[[Lion]]'', and a ''[[Carrier]]'' which added another Star of OmniFighters to the mix.<ref name="TDRp27">''The Dragon Roars'', p. 27: "Defender"</ref> The Smoke Jaguars deliberately targeted the various transport DropShips carrying the Star League forces and managed to destroy half of them despite the efforts of the ''Harmonious Thought'' and the other escort vessels. The ''Harmonious Thought'' was also destroyed after an admirable fight that saw the ''Storm Cat'' destroyed and the ''Snow Leopard'' crippled, with the remainder of the transport flotilla getting enough time to complete their combat drops.<ref name="HTP:Lp6">''Historical Turning Points: Luzerne'', p. 6: "The Battle of Luzerne"</ref>

Despite this, the Luzerne action was considered a disaster for the BULLDOG forces; the Star League forces were scattered across the planet and soon discovered that they were facing not just the anticipated garrison forces but also front line forces<ref name="TDRp28">''The Dragon Roars'', p. 28: "Aftermath"</ref> from [[Epsilon Galaxy (Clan Smoke Jaguar)|Epsilon Galaxy]].<ref name="HTP:Lp6"/>

==Fighter Complement==
'''Pouncer Star''' - regular<ref name="TDRp27"/>
* 4x ''[[Turk]]'' [[OmniFighter]]s
* 4x ''[[Visigoth]]'' OmniFighters
* 2x ''[[Batu]]'' OmniFighters

==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:Clan Warships MW5 1.jpeg|The ''Storm Cat'' (left), alongside the ''Korat'' and ''Simas Osis'', from [[MechWarrior 5: Clans]]
</gallery>

==References==
<references />

==Bibliography==
* ''[[The Dragon Roars]]''
* ''[[Era Digest: Golden Century]]''
* ''[[Historical Turning Points: Luzerne]]''
* [[Shrapnel #12|''Shrapnel'', issue #12]]

[[Category: Individual WarShips]]
[[Category: Individual Destroyers]]
[[Category: Individual Lola III-class WarShips]]

Storm Cat - Revision history

imported>Pserratv at 08:19, 10 December 2024