An Offensive Unit was a purpose-built Culture combat spacecraft.
Types
The most capable Offensive Units were classified as General Offensive Units (GOU.) Rapid Offensive Units (ROU) and Limited Offensive Units (LOU)[1] were lesser types.
Demilitarized ships
Offensive Units were converted into personnel and cargo couriers[2] by removing much of their weaponry.[3] Demilitarized ships lost their status as Offensive Units and received new designations.
Initially, demilitarized ships were known collectively as DeMilitarised Vessels (DMV)[3] and identified by the prefix "(Demilitarized)". A demilitarized General Offensive Units became a (Demilitarized) General Offensive Unit ((D)GOU), a demilitarized Rapid Offensive Units became a (Demilitarized) Rapid Offensive Unit ((D)ROU)[4]
From the c. 20th century onward, Demilitarized ships were reclassified - with no change in role - as Pickets.[5] (D)GOUs became Fast Pickets (FP)[6], and (D)ROUs became Very Fast Pickets (VFP.)[7]
Demilitarized ships could be reconverted into Offensive Units simply by re-installing their weapons.[8]
Description
Structure
Earlier classes of OUs had a central physical hull.[9][4][10][11][12]
Control systems
OUs were typically controlled by a single Mind.
History
The Culture built no purpose-built warcraft in the five hundred years leading up to the Idiran-Culture War.[13] Offensive Unit production was extensive during the war, and most were scrapped during post-war demobilization. Within 200 years the Culture had fewer active warships than at the start of the war.[10]
By the 29th century, OUs rarely carried crews[3], and modern LOUs had surpassed previous GOUs.[1]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 The Hydrogen Sonata, chapter 16 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; name "HydrogenSonataCh16" defined multiple times with different content - ↑ Surface Detail, chapter 16
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Hydrogen Sonata, chapter 5
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 The Player of Games, chapter 1
- ↑ Use of Weapons, chapter 1.One
- ↑ Matter, chapter 10
- ↑ Matter, chapter 16
- ↑ Hydrogen Sonata, chapter 9
- ↑ Consider Phlebas, chapter 9
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Excession, chapter 4.5
- ↑ Surface Detail, chapter 12
- ↑ Surface Detail, chapter 9
- ↑ Consider Phlebas, The war, briefly