Massing 425,000 tons, the Edward Saganami-B class warships were the heaviest vessels of their type constructed and operated by the Royal Manticoran Navy until the introduction of their successors, the Edward Saganami-C-class. Like the other modern designs being introduced by the RMN in the latter years of the First Havenite-Manticoran War and the intervening five years of the cease fire before the Second Havenite-Manticoran War, the class made extensive use of automation to reduce manning requirements, making it easier to man large numbers of them instead of the more labor-intensive older designs such as the Star Knight-, Crusader-, and Prince Consort classes. Because of that automation, ships of the Edward Saganami-B class had a complement of 385.