The Endurance served the New Republic Defense Force in 12 ABY as an Endurance-class fleet carrier. Admiral Areta Bell was in command, and the Endurance was sent to aid General Wedge Antilles and the Lusankya, an Executor-class Star Dreadnought, in their fight against Imperial Admiral Gilad Pellaeon. Pellaeon was attempting to capture the planet Orinda and six other systems along the Entralla Route in the Mid Rim. The Endurance fought with the Lusankya at Obredaan, which resulted in a confrontation at Orinda with Pellaeon's forces, spearheaded by the Reaper, an Executor-class Star Dreadnought.
During the battle, Admiral Bell held back the Endurance's squadrons of E-wing escort starfighters. She waited until the Reaper's defenses were weak enough for her fighters to launch a pinpoint tactical strike. However, Pellaeon had set a trap at Orinda, using six Interdictors and the Star Dreadnought _Dominion_, under the leadership of Admiral Teren Rogriss. Caught between the two Imperial Star Dreadnoughts, the Endurance was quickly destroyed, and all crew members died.
Built by the Republic Engineering Corporation, the Endurance was an Endurance-class fleet carrier. This fleet carrier measured 1,040 meters long and could carry two full wings of starfighters, including squadrons of the latest E-wing escort starfighters. The Endurance was equipped with twelve turbolaser cannons, twenty laser cannons, eight ion cannons, and four tractor beam projectors for retrieval. Although it had shields, they weren't strong enough to withstand the firepower of a Star Dreadnought.
The Endurance had a Class One hyperdrive and a Class Ten backup, allowing it to travel across the galaxy at a top atmospheric speed of 1,000 km/h. Commanded by Admiral Areta Bell, a seasoned officer in the New Republic naval forces, the Endurance could support a crew of 6,795, but could function with a minimum crew of 2,265. The weapons systems required a gunnery crew of seventy-six, and the Endurance could carry 1,600 troops. It had a cargo capacity of 15,000 metric tons and could carry enough supplies to sustain the crew for five months.
In 12 ABY, Galactic Empire Admiral Gilad Pellaeon initiated a campaign to seize the planet Orinda, located in the Irishi sector of the Mid Rim. He successfully captured Orinda and six Coreward systems along the Entralla Route up to Lonnaw, demonstrating Imperial power. Leading his fleet was the Reaper, an Executor-class Star Dreadnought. Orinda was chosen because it had previously served as the Empire's capital from the fall of Coruscant until after Grand Admiral Thrawn's defeat at Bilbringi. Pellaeon sent envoys to the New Republic on Ord Mantell, stating that the Empire had reclaimed a world of cultural importance and secured its borders. He assured them that if the New Republic respected this claim, further offensives would be avoided. Although Pellaeon's intentions were sincere, the New Republic, fearing a renewed Imperial assault on the Core, dispatched a force led by the Lusankya, an Executor-class Star Dreadnought, and including Rogue Squadron, under the command of General Wedge Antilles, to reclaim the lost territory.
Battles erupted throughout the Mid Rim between Antilles' and Pellaeon's forces, with Rogue Squadron engaging in dogfights against Turr Phennir's elite 181st Imperial Fighter Wing. As the media covered these events, the New Republic's Defense Force decided to reinforce Antilles with the Endurance, commanded by Admiral Bell and carrying squadrons of E-wings. Naval Command was skeptical of a campaign dominated by Star Dreadnoughts, as their doctrine emphasized the superiority of starfighters and smaller capital ships. Bell was under pressure to prove that starfighters, especially the new E-wings, remained the dominant force in space warfare. The Endurance was sent from the Drearia system along the Hydian Way, passing through Walin'or and Ord Mantell before joining the Lusankya.
Antilles and Bell pushed Pellaeon back, securing a victory at Obredaan before forcing a confrontation at Orinda. While the Lusankya and Reaper exchanged fire, Antilles requested that Bell launch her fighters to join the battle. However, Bell refused, citing mechanical issues with her squadrons and the E-wings' design for precision attacks rather than engagements with large capital ships. She promised to launch them once the Reaper was vulnerable. Pellaeon, however, had a different plan. On his signal, six Interdictors emerged from hyperspace, trapping the New Republic fleet in the system. They were followed by another Star Dreadnought, the Dominion, commanded by Admiral Teren Rogriss. The New Republic was unaware of the Dominion's existence, which Pellaeon had discovered hidden in the Deep Core alongside the Megador and kept secret. Its arrival shifted the balance at Orinda. Caught between the Reaper and the Dominion, the Lusankya was forced to retreat. The Endurance's shields were quickly overwhelmed by the combined firepower of the two Star Dreadnoughts, and the carrier was destroyed with all hands and fighters remaining in the hangar. Rogue Squadron managed to create a gap in the Imperial Interdictor screen, allowing the Lusankya to escape, leaving Orinda under Imperial control.
The Endurance was under the command of Admiral Bell, a seasoned veteran of the Alliance to Restore the Republic and its successor, the New Republic. She had previously commanded the GR-75 medium transport Dutyfree during the Alliance's evacuation from Hoth, and the Victory II-class Star Destroyer Swift Liberty during the New Republic's campaign against Prince-Admiral Delak Krennel's Ciutric Hegemony.
The Endurance was first mentioned in Michael P. Kube-McDowell's Before the Storm, the first book in The Black Fleet Crisis, published in 1996. An entry for the Endurance appeared in The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia in 2008. This entry incorrectly states that the Endurance was part of the Fifth Fleet, which wasn't established until 16 ABY. Therefore, this article considers that reference an error. The Essential Guide to Warfare identifies Bell as the Endurance's commanding officer, despite a previous reference to the commanding officer of the Endurance as male in Before the Storm.