Clarify turret mass, please

[MorituriMax]

Getting back seriously into old style Traveller and under ship construction you can allocate a turret to a hardpoint (check), assign an additional ton for fire control for the turret (check) and then decide whether it's a single, double, or triple turret (check) any of which takes 1 ton.

Uhh, squeel, brakes on. Are they saying a turret with 3 weapons (triple) takes a ton, and a turret with 1 weapon (single) takes a ton, as well as a turret with 2 weapons (double) ALSO takes a ton of ship space??

Am I right in reading it that way? Even though it seems to go against common sense to say 3 times as many laser or missile etc weapons mass the same?

Help me Obi Wan Kenobi. Just to put my mind at ease.
Thanks

 

[whulorigan]

Getting back seriously into old style Traveller and under ship construction you can allocate a turret to a hardpoint (check), assign an additional ton for fire control for the turret (check) and then decide whether it's a single, double, or triple turret (check) any of which takes 1 ton.

Uhh, squeel, brakes on. Are they saying a turret with 3 weapons (triple) takes a ton, and a turret with 1 weapon (single) takes a ton, as well as a turret with 2 weapons (double) ALSO takes a ton of ship space??

Am I right in reading it that way? Even though it seems to go against common sense to say 3 times as many laser or missile etc weapons mass the same?

Help me Obi Wan Kenobi. Just to put my mind at ease.
Thanks

My understanding is that the turret (mounted on an external hardpoint) and its weapons are small enough that the majority of the weapons and their mechanisms are mounted outside the hull within the turret itself (whether a small single, medium double, or large triple turret). The 1 ton allocation is strictly for the fire control mechanisms located within the hull (i.e. the gunners couch, computer, controls, etc).

 

[MorituriMax]

So basically, yes, a turret with 3 weapons is identical for mass considerations to one with 1, or 2? I'm fine either way, just want to know that I understand what I am looking at.

Thanks for the reply.

 

[Redcap]

I've always taken it to mean that while the majority of the turret is outside the main hull, the one ton inside it includes the gunners chair, controls, and the rotation gears to spin the turret around on its mounting axis, with elevation controls within the turret itself.

 

[MorituriMax]

I've always taken it to mean that while the majority of the turret is outside the main hull, the one ton inside it includes the gunners chair, controls, and the rotation gears to spin the turret around on its mounting axis, with elevation controls within the turret itself.

True, but to me, and physics, you still have to push the mass of the weapon attached to the ship, correct? Pushing 35 triple turrets with 3 weapons each for 105 total must surely be more mass than pushing 35 single turrets with only 35 weapons... otherwise, you'd leave them floating in space behind you, right?

 

[atpollard]

True, but to me, and physics, you still have to push the mass of the weapon attached to the ship, correct? Pushing 35 triple turrets with 3 weapons each for 105 total must surely be more mass than pushing 35 single turrets with only 35 weapons... otherwise, you'd leave them floating in space behind you, right?

If talking Classic Traveller (or most other editions), then it is volume, not mass that counts.

Now look at the mounts for a single .50 cal MG in a WW2 aircraft turret vs a twin .50 turret vs a quad .50 turret. The twin and quad are only a little larger than the single, not double or quadruple the volume. It appears that most of the work is turning the turret, extra weapons just add a little space and a lot of expensive equipment inside that space.

Traveller turrets appear to be similar with a single to triple turret being similar in volume (close enough to ignore in the calculations).

 

[MorituriMax]

If talking Classic Traveller (or most other editions), then it is volume, not mass that counts.

Now look at the mounts for a single .50 cal MG in a WW2 aircraft turret vs a twin .50 turret vs a quad .50 turret. The twin and quad are only a little larger than the single, not double or quadruple the volume. It appears that most of the work is turning the turret, extra weapons just add a little space and a lot of expensive equipment inside that space.

Traveller turrets appear to be similar with a single to triple turret being similar in volume (close enough to ignore in the calculations).

Well put. Thanks for clarifying it, little details like that sometimes get stuck in my brain, and common sense isn't always a viable solution. Have a good one and thanks again.

 

[flykiller]

turret design/deckplan
http://www.travellerrpg.com/CotI/Discuss/showpost.php?p=68486&postcount=23

 

[kilemall]

Well put. Thanks for clarifying it, little details like that sometimes get stuck in my brain, and common sense isn't always a viable solution. Have a good one and thanks again.

The Freelance dton article may help here-

https://www.freelancetraveller.com/features/shipyard/tonnage.html

 

[MorituriMax]

The Freelance dton article may help here-

https://www.freelancetraveller.com/features/shipyard/tonnage.html

Many Thanks! That is a godsend for about as geekery as I want to go for designing ships, heh heh... I have to put my foot down and say, "This far, no farther! I will NOT design the Deice Distributor Hub for the aft and starboard missile sensor fairings! Put the stylus DOWN!"

Thanks again.