All Warships Should Have Drop Tanks

[Theophilus]

There have been several well thought out posts, Probably more than I expected to get when I started this thread. Of course, that's why I started it. The total information about "L-hyd Tanks" is woefully inadequate compared to the possible ramifications of there use, or non-use.

- You assume pulse lasers are not used. THe fact that they make poorer batteries than beam lasers makes one to think so, but never forget about this wonderful -2 to combat damage, that gives you a slighty higher chance to do secondary damage (in the case of pankwells you told about, the chance goes to 2-7, so over 50% chance of doing some minor damage). I also assume that when big ships go to battle, they mostly use nuclear missiles, so the +6 for smaller than 9 factor is offset and they can do secondary damage .

I didn't consider pulse laser's since most ships in Supp9 don't use them. As to missile's in CT, first they must penetrate the Sand/Laser/Energy weapons barrier, Then the Repulsors (which tend to sweep all missiles out of space, then the Nuclear Damper. So most missiles won't hit a Battleship/Dreadnaught. Now a Planwell with armor 10 can be hurt by a missile, with the Maneuver-1 hit on a role of 2.

But they needn't to carry them attached if you have preplanned drop tanks chaches for moving reserve forces (see my second entry on Dec 8th, page 14 this thread).
In the same example you say, your azhanties jump from Rhylanor using drop tanks to Echiste (2313), from there, using internal fuel, to Regina (1910), where the naval base (warned of their arrival by courriers sent before the azhanties leave Rylanor) has ready drop tanks to attach to your azhanties. Using those drop tanks, they jump to 1407 (void hex), from where they jump using again internal fuel to Jewell.
So, the use of presituated drop tanks on your naval bases (only) your 5 jumps have been reduced to 4: a 20% time response reduction.
By the way, for a fast courrier (jump 6) to go from Jewell to Rylanor to ask for those reserves, the route without drop tanks is 4 jump long (e.g. Jewell to Alell (1706), from there to Yurst (2309) or Yori (2110), to Fulacin (1613)and finally to Rylanor. This same message with drop tanks takes 3 jumps: from Jewell (usng drop tanks) to 1709, from there (internal fuel) to Kkirka(2212), GG refueling and to Rhylanor. 33% time saving.
See that your ships only used drop tanks at naval bases, where they are prepositioned, so, should they be reusable (as TL14+ are in MGT), your expense dor using them is nil. If not, your expense I think is affordable if you need those azhanties 'quickly' on Jewell (2 weeks saved from asking to arrival, and even so they take 7 weeks plus time to ready them and refuellings (say one or two days per jump, so another week or two if using drop tanks and some days more if not using them).

By the way, in your example, the drop tanks need to be just the jump fuel (30000 dton), pushing your ship to 90000 dton, so with 3600 dton jump drive, it could do jump 3.

This is an example of what I mean. Here is an excellent use of drop tanks allowing a squadron of Azhanti's to reduce travel time by 20% while using drop tanks only twice. While the counter arguement is made what if your orders are changed. As has been stated, star travel in Traveller is very much like the late 19th century. Before radio allowed instantaneous communication anywhere in the world, changing my orders was difficult at best. So an intercept and change is unlikely.

And a fast courier from Jewel to Rhylanor, using tanks only once and cutting trip time 33%. Never thought of that. What an advantage.

And the cost to fit drop tanks to a ships design: .01Mcr
Sometime I'll have to grab all these post's and collate them into a working "doctrine" for jump tank use.

 

[aramis]

Yes. I hardly have met any Trav players who have played or, are familiar with GT. Maybe, I'm naive.

Hans has repeatedly cited from GT sources, often even arguing they are canon for the OTU.

 

[HG_B]

Hans has repeatedly cited from GT sources, often even arguing they are canon for the OTU.

Cool. I haven't made a study of his posts but I should look them up as I am starting to go through my old, mostly unread GT material.

 

[McPerth]

While taking part on this thread, another use drop tanks has come to my head which I’d like to put to your disposition just to see if it has some worth or is pure garbage: jump drives equipped battle riders.
Yes, I see it seems an oxymoron, but let me analyze it before fully discarding the idea.
One of the main drawbacks of the BR/Tender system is its lack of flexibility. The whole squadron must operate together or its BR will be stranded on the system they are. This is ok in major fronts of major wars, but too rigid for other operations. Where a CruDron or BB squadron may cover several systems in a secondary front by dispersing and try to avoid the infiltration of commerce raiders (to put an example), a BR/tender squadron may only cover one, so letting more systems open.
By the same reason, replacement BRs are difficult to take to the front, unless you want to dedicate your precious tenders to this task (I assume there will be more BRs losses than tenders’ off course)
Now imagine those same BRs with built in jump drives, but without fuel tanks to make the jump, having them attached when leaved alone on a system. For jump4 capability they need only to allocate 5% tonnage (sadly at MCr 4 per ton), so they still have the 40% saved that could be used by the fuel, that can be used for combat related purposes (armor, better agility, larger weaponry, etc) and still being probably able to win over a jump ship that doubles its tonnage.
Deployment (when detached from the tender) should be in range one another, alone or in pairs and supported by fleet couriers. No more than half squadron should be out of tender’s system at any time, and, usually they have orders to destroy scouts or small intruders they could match and flee to the carrier (or nearby base) in any other encounters, for their tanks will only give them one jump.
They also could move along preplanned lines when in friendly space, thus freeing the tenders for battle operations (to put an example, on FFW a TL 15 BR damaged on the Regina subsector must go to Rhylanor for repairs that cannot be done at Regina (TL 10). To go there it could use drop tanks prepositioned on imperial bases and way stations to go there, and same for returning once repaired.
As you see, I’m insisting here on preplanning (once again, I won’t tire to). When communications are so slow, preplanning is not an option, is a must.

 

[PFVA63]

Hi

...
In the same example you say, your azhanties jump from Rhylanor using drop tanks to Echiste (2313), from there, using internal fuel, to Regina (1910), where the naval base (warned of their arrival by courriers sent before the azhanties leave Rylanor) has ready drop tanks to attach to your azhanties. Using those drop tanks, they jump to 1407 (void hex), from where they jump using again internal fuel to Jewell.

So, the use of presituated drop tanks on your naval bases (only) your 5 jumps have been reduced to 4: a 20% time response reduction.

By the way, for a fast courrier (jump 6) to go from Jewell to Rylanor to ask for those reserves, the route without drop tanks is 4 jump long (e.g. Jewell to Alell (1706), from there to Yurst (2309) or Yori (2110), to Fulacin (1613)and finally to Rylanor. This same message with drop tanks takes 3 jumps: from Jewell (usng drop tanks) to 1709, from there (internal fuel) to Kkirka(2212), GG refueling and to Rhylanor. 33% time saving.

See that your ships only used drop tanks at naval bases, where they are prepositioned, so, should they be reusable (as TL14+ are in MGT), your expense dor using them is nil. If not, your expense I think is affordable if you need those azhanties 'quickly' on Jewell (2 weeks saved from asking to arrival, and even so they take 7 weeks plus time to ready them and refuellings (say one or two days per jump, so another week or two if using drop tanks and some days more if not using them).

By the way, in your example, the drop tanks need to be just the jump fuel (30000 dton), pushing your ship to 90000 dton, so with 3600 dton jump drive, it could do jump 3.

Hi,

You can actually do the sample run in 4 jumps as well without jump tanks if the Imperial Navy is allowed to refuel @ the Red zone system "Grant". Specifically, this course would be Rhylanor to either Macene or Kinorb (or even Pirema), then from there to Yori, to Grant, then onto Jewell.

I assume that the Imperial Navy would have permission to journey trmporary throiugh thr red zone hex of "Grant" as I believe tht it is the Navy's responsibility to maintaining these interdiction zones. As such, I'm not sure that having drop tanks have helped much in this example, and there is no need for fast couriers or pre-positioned tanks.

As far as powerplant fuel, I suppose that you could keep the tankage the same as a standard AHL, but if 3600 dtons is considered enough for one week in jump plus time in system at both ends, plus other contingencies, then I wonder if the Navy would consider that same amount of fuel enough for a total of two weeks in jump (ie two one week jumps) plus time in system at both ends plus time in system in the intermediate hex, plus contingencies.

Anyway, some additional thoughts

Regards

PF

 

[McPerth]

Hi,

You can actually do the sample run in 4 jumps as well without jump tanks if the Imperial Navy is allowed to refuel @ the Red zone system "Grant". Specifically, this course would be Rhylanor to either Macene or Kinorb (or even Pirema), then from there to Yori, to Grant, then onto Jewell.

I assume that the Imperial Navy would have permission to journey trmporary throiugh thr red zone hex of "Grant" as I believe tht it is the Navy's responsibility to maintaining these interdiction zones. As such, I'm not sure that having drop tanks have helped much in this example, and there is no need for fast couriers or pre-positioned tanks.

As far as powerplant fuel, I suppose that you could keep the tankage the same as a standard AHL, but if 3600 dtons is considered enough for one week in jump plus time in system at both ends, plus other contingencies, then I wonder if the Navy would consider that same amount of fuel enough for a total of two weeks in jump (ie two one week jumps) plus time in system at both ends plus time in system in the intermediate hex, plus contingencies.

Anyway, some additional thoughts

Regards

PF

You sure can. How long will it take to GG refuel an azhanti squadron? You can refuel them by direct skimming or with their fuel shuttles.
If you're on a hurry, the azhanties can refuel by themselves, but that's quite dangerous, as they're not steamlined, just partially, and they're not intended to skim directly their fuel. Fuel shuttles are what an azhanti uses normally to skip fuel, but they need several runs. I think to remember every run takes 8 hours on average. Add to this fuel purification time and sure you'll lost three or four days.
I assumed this was an emergency transit, so I still think better to refuel at refined fuel sources (as naval bases at Rhylanor and Regina, the only ones you refueled on my example).
About the fast courriers, they were sent in my exemple from Jewell to Rhylanor to ask for those azhanties to go to Jewell, so I think they're as needed on your exemple as they are in mine, as if they don't carry the messages, the azhanties stay at Rhylanor, not caring about how many jumps can take them to Jewell.

 

[PFVA63]

Hi

Doesn't it also take some time in system to do the calcs and other necessary preps for the next jump even if you ship is already fueled?

Also, with respect to the speed of communications in an "Age of sail" type setting, I've just done a small bit of reading on Trafalgar, and even a very high level skim appears to show that the speed of comms and the fact that there were multiple chains of commands to address and appease had its impact on the build up on preps for the battle. Specifically, I believe one captain and his ship was called away by a board to answer an enquiry on a previous action, and that the French/Spanish Commander may have found himself in a dilemma on the best course to proceed on, which was either finalized (or at least greatly impacted by news of the impending arrival of a new fleet commander.

In a Traveller setting I could potentially see how similar issues could exist. For instance, what if the Commanding Officer @ Jewell is told by his fleet superior that will be sent a squadron of vessels to assist in his plans for the defence and protection of Jewell and neighboring system. Could not the Commander @ Jewel move forward to intercept the approaching fleet and re-assign some to sounding systems, rather than waiting for the fleet to all arrive in Jewell and then redeploy. Both options appear to be within the limits of comms at the time, but one could result in the ships being more quickly deployed (but without their drop tanks) while the other option would require the fleet to divert to wherever the tanks are being staged prior to their final posting.

Anyway, I still trying to sketch up some means of a semi standard type of drop tank for use on a couple different ships to see how it'll workout.

Regards

PF

 

[E.D.Quibell]

Hans has repeatedly cited from GT sources, often even arguing they are canon for the OTU.

Cited and Quoted? Hans is a GT author!

Regards,

Ewan

 

[HG_B]

Cited and Quoted? Hans is a GT author!

Regards,

Ewan

What? Wow! I'm going through the books and it is probably the best written Trav treatment I've seen.

 

[Selandia]

when tanks are needed

Doesn't it also take some time in system to do the calcs and other necessary preps for the next jump even if you ship is already fueled?

Guess so, but the enemy picket will also need time to close. If the recon ship is a "real" cruiser the anti-piracy patrol or other picket will need to call for major warship or on a flotilla of SDB before it could intimidate the recon ship

IMHO, a "perfect" case of L-Hyd is:
I need to recon/hit and run a system J-4 away,
with drop tanks attached I cannot jump 4,
I use the fuel and drop tanks to jump 4,
I remain fuelled for jump 4

If the system was J-2 I would not need the drop tanks since I could use 2 X J2
If the system was J-3 I could J-3 in and have J-1 out to a void site where tankers would wait.

Selandia

 

[E.D.Quibell]

What? Wow! I'm going through the books and it is probably the best written Trav treatment I've seen.

Hans co-authored GURPS Traveller: Sword Worlds, and has playtesting credits in loads of the books starting from the main rule book.

Regards,

Ewan

 

[PFVA63]

Hi

Hi,

I like the idea of maybe only having drop tanks normally at Naval Bases, but the more I think about even that, the more I wonder if modest size tankers still wouldn't possibly be a better idea.

For instance, rather than draining fuel from your drop tanks and then jettisoning them immediately prior to jump, couldn't you instead, draw off & burn what you need for your jump from a connected tanker that can detach and maneuver away immediately prior to launch, eliminating the need for a separate vehicle to collect the empty tanks and refuel them (or transport them to a repair facility if needed). This way the jumping ship should still arrive in system at its destination with full tanks just as if it had used drop tanks instead.

In such a setup you could have several of these modest sized tankers on a circuit between the local gas giant, waterworld, or fuel depot. It would also eliminate the need for many different sized drop tanks, as with drop tanks you couldn't use a tank sized for an AHL on a Kinunir, for example, but I'd suppose (?) that either could be fueled by a tanker (unless I've overlooked something?)

Just some additional thoughts

Regards

PF

 

[aramis]

Cited and Quoted? Hans is a GT author!

Regards,

Ewan

I wouldn't know; I don't do GURPS anymore.

 

[Selandia]

Jump Lash

Hi,

I like the idea of maybe only having drop tanks normally at Naval Bases, but the more I think about even that, the more I wonder if modest size tankers still wouldn't possibly be a better idea.

For instance, rather than draining fuel from your drop tanks and then jettisoning them immediately prior to jump, couldn't you instead, draw off & burn what you need for your jump from a connected tanker that can detach and maneuver away immediately prior to launch, eliminating the need for a separate vehicle to collect the empty tanks and refuel them (or transport them to a repair facility if needed). This way the jumping ship should still arrive in system at its destination with full tanks just as if it had used drop tanks instead.

In such a setup you could have several of these modest sized tankers on a circuit between the local gas giant, waterworld, or fuel depot. It would also eliminate the need for many different sized drop tanks, as with drop tanks you couldn't use a tank sized for an AHL on a Kinunir, for example, but I'd suppose (?) that either could be fueled by a tanker (unless I've overlooked something?)

Just some additional thoughts

Regards

PF

Quite right. If you play Trillion Credit Business you will soon hit this as the best route configuration for liner (including military logistic): lighter outbound to jump point where they are loaded on a Jump Tug that will use L-Hyd type Jump Tankers for fuel, said tanker go to refuell after drop, (You may consider Maneuver tugs and non SP lighter -wet a.k.a. dumb barge- rather than Spaceship acting as self propelled lighter -wet a.k.a. swim barge-); after arrival in systems, lighters depart for planet(s) while waiting lighters are loaded, a Jump tanker docked, expandable replenished and crew rotated without need for Jump tug to reach planet.

This is the traveller kinda equivalent to wet trader LASH (Lighter Aboard SHip)

You may use large tanker as fuel base rather than using jump tanker to run along the lighters to and fro the planet. In the last case, the Jump Tanker may also serve for supply and crew rotation. Otherwise replenishment shuttles have to be used.

BTW In MTU this Lash-Jump system is called the Jumping Flash Jack System

Selandia

THE JUMPING FLASH JACK SYSTEM

“You want to know Sir why is it that the Lash-Jump system have been nicknamed the Jumping FLash Jack system? Well, amongst the stories I heard, the story that makes the most sense, is that Chief Engineer Jack ran the acceptance trials of the first ship with F jump drives and became obsessed with their potential. He worked hard to create the first F-Lash-Jump commercial service. The jump shuttle was using F drive, allowing a 200 tons Jumper to carries 600 tons of lighters over J-1. Forever afterward he was called Flash Jack. The one that make the least sense is one about an archeotech with a song by a strange aliens race: the Living Stones.”

“Yes sir, I am quite sure the gentlemen from the Scout did not said the Flint Stone. By the way, a literature professor from Regina University told me that the Flint Stones are a fictional mineral life form that appears in a book by a guy called Darwin.”

(Extract from: BULL Réginald: Starships and Starfools, (My life as highport steward)

 

[Starviking]

For instance, rather than draining fuel from your drop tanks and then jettisoning them immediately prior to jump, couldn't you instead, draw off & burn what you need for your jump from a connected tanker that can detach and maneuver away immediately prior to launch, eliminating the need for a separate vehicle to collect the empty tanks and refuel them (or transport them to a repair facility if needed). This way the jumping ship should still arrive in system at its destination with full tanks just as if it had used drop tanks instead.

I think that was mentioned earlier in the thread, but my misgiving is the need to put enough distance between the Jump Tanker and the fuelled vessel before the jump occurs - so the tanker's 100 diameter limit doesn't threaten a misjump.

 

[McPerth]

Hi,

I like the idea of maybe only having drop tanks normally at Naval Bases, but the more I think about even that, the more I wonder if modest size tankers still wouldn't possibly be a better idea.

For instance, rather than draining fuel from your drop tanks and then jettisoning them immediately prior to jump, couldn't you instead, draw off & burn what you need for your jump from a connected tanker that can detach and maneuver away immediately prior to launch, eliminating the need for a separate vehicle to collect the empty tanks and refuel them (or transport them to a repair facility if needed). This way the jumping ship should still arrive in system at its destination with full tanks just as if it had used drop tanks instead.

In such a setup you could have several of these modest sized tankers on a circuit between the local gas giant, waterworld, or fuel depot. It would also eliminate the need for many different sized drop tanks, as with drop tanks you couldn't use a tank sized for an AHL on a Kinunir, for example, but I'd suppose (?) that either could be fueled by a tanker (unless I've overlooked something?)

Just some additional thoughts

Regards

PF

Truly a nice idea, if feasible on traveller engineery (I don't know).
I suppose it could be possible by using a logn pile to join the tanker with the ship's fuel system, and just detaching the pipe before the jump (as you whould do with drop tanks) so maintaining hth right distance as not to interfere with the jump (it can need quite a lot of coordination, but too much more than mooring the space shuttle to the space station, and we can do that at TL7-8).
Whorth thinking about...

 

[Selandia]

Jump Tankers

The way jump tankers work in MTU:
(GurpT make it explicitely possible and CT OTU, inc HG & A5 make it plausible)

First: Since the Jump tanker is designed purposefully to work with a specific Jumper class, every "fudge factor" are "fudged out" and every "if-then-but" is carefully computed. This allow the L-Hyd process to exist while been rare and deliberate enough to restrain it to liner service and maintaining the economic balance of CT OTU ACS and making sense with HG for it require minimum fuel tankage for jumpers (OTU have to my knowledge never included ship with J drive but no J-fuel)

The Jump tug is having enough integral fuel tankage to J-1 loaded.
The Jump tanker backfill the intrinsic tankage as it is drained by the powerplant at the same speed as it is drained. When the jump tanker is empty, the Jumper still have its tank to load, the jump tanker "drop" and accelerate away.

The engineering parameters needed are:
-The docking collar of the jump tanker could be fitted with the quick releases equivalent to those of a drop tank
-The jump fuel could be burned at a rate that allows the G-1 tanker to get away // alternate-complementary// the jump capacitor could be kept loaded long enough to allow the tanker to get away.

Selandia

 

[whartung]

On the one hand you can visualize tankers as simply drop tanks with M-Drives and a bridge. The tanker hard docks to the ship, and the ship starts taking fuel.

As the ship consumes the necessary amount of fuel from the tanker, they separate and accelerate away from each other.

Whatever window of time is required for the two ships to separate properly is handled by having buffer tankage on the jumping ship. Simply, the ship doesn't consume ALL of the fuel for the jump from the tanker, but it gets MOST of it from the tanker, and the rest is taken from the ships internal tanks to handle the final phase of charging the jump drive.

Now, in theory, a jump take 40 minutes (2 turns) to execute. In that time, especially for long jumps on large ships, a LOT of fuel is consumed. For large ships, I can only think that a hard dock of the tanker is the only viable configuration. The plumbing required is simply enormous (like 6 foot diameter pipes enormous). Hard to imagine a 6 foot diameter "hose". Maybe it's practical, but I don't know. Can't get my head around something that large.

But you can see that there is likely a rather small window in the final stages when the tanker(s) must detach and withdraw from the main ship. I would think they would like to be separated and accelerating away from each other at the 5 minute mark. Just human reaction times to get the ships disconnected, the drives firing, and verification that everything is "GO" before the button is pressed.

That would imply that you need 12-13% of the jump fuel to be on the ship itself during the final minutes of jump.

The other issue with tankers is that for a large fleet, the tanker is a choke point. Basically you need a tanker for each ship so that the fleet can jump at the same time. A jump takes 168 hrs +/- 10%. I assume that when a fleet jumps, they have some coordinated plan that gives them control over that +/- 10% window. Sort of a "we don't know exactly how long it will take, but we know that it will take all of us the same time to get there". Otherwise fleet operations would just be a disaster of ships randomly appearing in system over a 16 (32?) hr window.

The other question is whether a ship that jumps 1 hr later simply arrives 1 hr later, or is the arrival window based on the exact time of jump, and the greater the time difference between two ships jumping, the wider the window of arrival time. So there is an assumption that a fleet that wants to stay together must jump together. Which means they all must fuel and jump simultaneously, and therefore you need to have enough tankers to pull that off.

Obviously this doesn't matter for ships that don't care if they show up a day late, like for simple transport vs an attacking fleet where coordinated arrival times matter.

Just some more considerations for the tanker question. I personally feel the tankers are more viable for commercial operations on large bulk freighters.

 

[McPerth]

On the one hand you can visualize tankers as simply drop tanks with M-Drives and a bridge. The tanker hard docks to the ship, and the ship starts taking fuel.

As the ship consumes the necessary amount of fuel from the tanker, they separate and accelerate away from each other.

Whatever window of time is required for the two ships to separate properly is handled by having buffer tankage on the jumping ship. Simply, the ship doesn't consume ALL of the fuel for the jump from the tanker, but it gets MOST of it from the tanker, and the rest is taken from the ships internal tanks to handle the final phase of charging the jump drive.

Now, in theory, a jump take 40 minutes (2 turns) to execute. In that time, especially for long jumps on large ships, a LOT of fuel is consumed. For large ships, I can only think that a hard dock of the tanker is the only viable configuration. The plumbing required is simply enormous (like 6 foot diameter pipes enormous). Hard to imagine a 6 foot diameter "hose". Maybe it's practical, but I don't know. Can't get my head around something that large.

But you can see that there is likely a rather small window in the final stages when the tanker(s) must detach and withdraw from the main ship. I would think they would like to be separated and accelerating away from each other at the 5 minute mark. Just human reaction times to get the ships disconnected, the drives firing, and verification that everything is "GO" before the button is pressed.

That would imply that you need 12-13% of the jump fuel to be on the ship itself during the final minutes of jump.

The other issue with tankers is that for a large fleet, the tanker is a choke point. Basically you need a tanker for each ship so that the fleet can jump at the same time. A jump takes 168 hrs +/- 10%. I assume that when a fleet jumps, they have some coordinated plan that gives them control over that +/- 10% window. Sort of a "we don't know exactly how long it will take, but we know that it will take all of us the same time to get there". Otherwise fleet operations would just be a disaster of ships randomly appearing in system over a 16 (32?) hr window.

The other question is whether a ship that jumps 1 hr later simply arrives 1 hr later, or is the arrival window based on the exact time of jump, and the greater the time difference between two ships jumping, the wider the window of arrival time. So there is an assumption that a fleet that wants to stay together must jump together. Which means they all must fuel and jump simultaneously, and therefore you need to have enough tankers to pull that off.

Obviously this doesn't matter for ships that don't care if they show up a day late, like for simple transport vs an attacking fleet where coordinated arrival times matter.

Just some more considerations for the tanker question. I personally feel the tankers are more viable for commercial operations on large bulk freighters.

What about a telescoping pipe to transfer fuel, perhaps in team with telescoping hooks to keep ships in the same relative position? Ships can disengage more easily when jump is initiated (I don't know how long can capacitatots hold the energy before releazing it and begining the jump).

About fleet opperations, there was a question in the official Q&A on a MT journal (I'm affraid I don't remember which one and I have not it on hand now). I remember it said that they had to mantain close radio or beam contact and initiate the jump at once, and they arried with a few minutes difference, instead of 36-48 hours.

But this is only important (as you say) in opperations where conflict is expected (and I assume they try it on many jumps just to practice this sinchronization too). Most of the uses I talked about wher for redeploying fleets and moving through friendly (or assumed so) space.

 

[PFVA63]

Hi

...

Now lets see some designs:

1. A 100 kton jump-4 battleship with four 10kton drop tanks(dropped for jump, not carried from system to system), compared to a standard bb of the same tonnage.

2. A 30 kton jump-3 cruiser with one 10kton drop tank allowing Jump three (3000 tons per jump/10,000 ton tank)

3. A 10kton drop tank for both.

Hi,

Here's a rough sketch that I've started to put together with my ideas. I decide to try something a little smaller for starters. Specifically, looking through Mongoose's "Traders & Gunboats" I see a design for a 600dton Escort Frigate that (I think) requires about 240 dtons of jump fuel (if I am understanding correctly), as well as two ~1000 dton Destroyer Escort designs, which appear to require about 400 dtons of jump fuel each, and a 1200 dton Colonial Cruiser, which appears to require about 480 dtons of jump fuel.

As such, it looks like maybe if you had a standard 80 dton drop tank you could use three for the 600 dton ship to combine for enough jump fuel, five for the ~1000 dton ships, or six for the 1200 dton ship.

After messing around with a couple different ideas for shape I decided to go with a cylindrical shape with hemispherical ends for now. Below is a rough sketch showing the outline of this type tank overlain on top of the outlines of the 1200 dton ship and one of the ~1000 dton ships, for reference to give an idea of the size of the tanks. Later, if I get a chance I may try and add the outlines for the other two ships and/or add a rough profile or even a very rough 3d shape to better help show their sizes.

Right now the tank outlines only show the outlines of the required fuel, and don't show any structure of fittings (for piping or connector, etc). As such, I have allowed for about 1.5 m (or ~ 5ft/ one typical deck plan square) between the tanks for this kind of stuff.

As shown in the figures above, it kind of appears (to me at least) that these tanks can be fairly big in comparison to the ship carrying them.

Anyway, just wanted to provide what I have to add to the discussion.

Regards

PF