The Earth Union Fleet wanted to take their training to a higher level and at the same time make sure that new recruits and officers being sent to their first duty postings were as capable, competent, and experienced as possible. After a lengthy study to create some baselines and metrics on what they wanted to accomplish, a RFP was issued for what would eventually become the
Lyceum class training ships.
Several designs were put forth, but the winning design from Aeolus Lines in-house naval architects was chosen as the preferred design. Aeolus Lines leveraged elements from its highly successful
Longstrider class transports with a completely new central hull and the use of the popular
E-class gunstar's engines. The base ship proved to be extremely adaptable and examples being used as cargo transports have been operated by several lines including the Fleet Auxiliary.
The first version introduced to Fleet service was the Block 1.
Lyceum, the name ship of the class, was completed as a spaceborne flight school to shepherd new pilots from basic flight training all the way to advanced space and air based combat, ground attack, and support roles.
The Block 2, of which
College is an example, changed the single deck pods for the new double deck pods that were becoming preferred. While the single deck design trained a lot of pilots, and was quite successful at it, the Fleet wanted the training to reflect the potential duty station as much as possible, and so the twin deck design was introduced to service.
The Block 3, of which
University is an example, added quarters, observation, and classroom decks fore and aft on the flight pods in much the same way the
Flower class transports had them. This minor change provided just enough more internal space that Midshipment and Cadets would often be assigned for their "Summer Cruise" and for their final year at the Academy if they were on the flight track.
The Block 4, of which
Guild Hall is an example, was a modified Block 3 that was configured to train personnel on gunnery and guided weapons as well as the routine flight training. Despite the appearance of a battlestar, with guns, missiles, and defensive weapons, the
Lyceum class, of any block, was not a front line warship and lacked the heavy protective armor that gunstars and battlestars enjoyed.
Only one Block 5 design was completed, and as soon as the improved Block 6's came online it was quickly decommissioned and sold as surplus. The design was an attempt to provide Ziz and other large craft pilots a chance to practice in much the same way their smaller craft pilot comrades did as well as provide personnel being trained for replenishmentstars (ship handlers and boom operators) a platform to practice "booming up" . The top of the hull was reinforced and marked as if it was an assaultstar flight deck, with a large observation complex built off the ship's head so that instructors could watch the students' approaches. The instructors loved it...when they were watching from the observation galleries. However, those instructors and pilots who were making the approach, didn't like flying toward what was, essentially, an immovable object. This disorientation provided the push to develop the Block 6.
The Block 6, of which
Polytechnic is an example, introduced the common assaultstar flight deck "wings" and since they were the same structures used on the Block 3 Carme, they came with a boom so the entire syllabus that the Block 5 was intended to teach was readily converted to the Block 6. This provided a nice bonus in that the wings better simulated where the booms were located on the current crop of replenishmentstars.
The Block 7 was a modified Block 6 and added the two domes that had been present on the Block 1, 2, 3, and 4 ships and hosted 4th year cadets and Midshipmen for their final year of education. Several Block 7s, of which
Semper Discentes operated by Walden University of El Dorado is an example, are charted to various universities under the auspices of the Admiralty and the Department of Education. They are used as research ships and often deploy to one location per semester for in-depth study and analysis.
Edit to add:I added the base frame in case anyone wanted to use the ship and didn't want to go through the hassle of hacking off the parts they didn't want.
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