Ok I'm just curious about which SW stories involve lone carriers stalling the enemy for time? The only lone carrier stories I remember off the top of my head are Night Caller (Which was on an undercover intel mission and was not a front line ship in the fleet it originally belonged to and was part of a fleet the few times we see it sent sent to the front.) and Sungrass which was supposed to be a pirate carrier not a military carrier.
Well there's the
Rejuvenator for one, and the Battle of Helska. The
Ralroost on multiple occasions, for another. The
Indomitable, for a third, at the Battle of ILC-905. The
Flurry comes to mind as the best example, as that was a true carrier, lost with all hands at the Battle of Bakura.
(Respectivly, the ships above are a Star Destroyer, Bothan Assault Cruiser, Majestic-class, and a Quasar Fire-class.)
One could argue that the
Mon Remonda served in this capacity, though again the arguability of it being a true 'carrier' in the WC sense of the word comes into play here. But it was frequently going toe to toe with Imperial vessels - including once I believe in a solo engagement with the Iron Fist (SSD). There's also the
Lusankya during the Battle of Borleias. That one was quite epic, in fact, despite the fact that it was a Super Star Destroyer.
And let's not forget the
Errant Venture on numerous occasions, or the
Freedom before that, at the battle of Thyferra, as the only 'true' capital ship deployed by the Rebel Forces in the fight, unless you count the
Valiant which alone again as a capital ship distinguished itself in the Battle of the Graveyard. The
Allegience as well, in the Battle of Adumar.
The last one I would list is the
Quenfis (A Nebulon-B Frigate). Though that ship is not a carrier in the Expanded Universe it is most often used as such, especially in the X-Wing series of games.
The issue as I see it is that the Star Wars universe does not use Carriers as the Wing Commander universe does. Rather, all ships are carriers to one degree or another, with dedicated carriers being rare, and by necessity, some what unnecessary. Why carry around 300 fighters for a fleet when every ship is capable of carrying around three dozen of it's own? The Majestic-class cruiser for example is able to field an entire squadron of K-Wings supported by something like three squadrons of X-Wings. A carrier is a bit redundant at that point.
Possibly the only Star Wars use of a dedicated carrier in fleet combat that we see is probably in the Battle of Bakura, with the
Flurry, the situation from Star Wars that best fits the circumstances mentioned above. I do think that Star Destroyers should be considered carriers, though. They carry six squadrons (an Imperial Wing, at 12 fighters per squadron) to the Mon Calamari Cruiser's 3 Squadrons, and frequently operate with their fighters primarily. Nebulon-B frigates are escort-type carriers, for sure. That's the role that they were designed to operate in.
There are things like the
Endurance-class Fleet Carrier, but they are so rarely seen and deployed.
One of my biggest complaints about the Star Wars universe is the random reinvention of new capital ships in EVERY novel that fulfill the same role as a new reinvented capital ship from the previous book.
As much as people disagree over some of the continuity of the WC universe and how little we know, it's remarkable how much better it all fits together then something like Star Wars, which allegedly has an entire company devoted to nothing but making sure licensed products fit within the established universe. WC had none of that, and I think, turned our fairly well.