Now operating as flagship in the Keli Ga Protection Force, the Caroline was first in a small series of gunships specially commissioned for the civilian market but constructed, well beyond the current borders of the Imperium, to standard IN ship design specifications. An Imperial starship of this type would have been classified as a "Close Escort." However, because the Imperial Naval Registrar's Office had updated its classifications, this type now carried the designation "Sloop," as it was constructed for non-military use and carried no armament.

Some time later, the Caroline was retrofitted with laser turrets and PA weapon barbettes for operation in the Frontier Worlds. Its official Imperial classification was changed to "Gunned Sloop" (Type-GS).