Auxiliaries - Tugs

[Vladika]

Again, thoughts are a bit incomplete.

Auxiliary Rules – Tugs

Battle damaged ships, without the ability to move, do not just attach themselves to Tenders by themselves. Tenders, in all probability, couldn’t maneuver as needed to orientate a damaged rider to a cradle for attachment. In this instance a Tug would be an ideal way to accomplish this task.

For refueling, streamlined tugs could carry drop tanks from larger ships to skim, or dip, and return those tanks to the larger ship. This would be particularly useful for un-streamlined ships that otherwise could not refuel. (All fuel tanks could be “Drop Tanks” but designed as part of the basic tonnage of the ship.)

Tugs could retrieve used drop tanks for further operations once refilled.

Tugs could act as Jump Shuttles and transport Ships, Barges, Lighters and Bulk Cargo loads as needed.

Tugs with no jump can move cargo between ships and orbit/surface etc.

Rules for use

A Tug will require a Bridge of a size to control the combined tonnage of both the Tug and the joined Ship, or Total Load, while so joined.

A Tug will require a Computer of a size to control the combined tonnage of both the Tug and the joined Ship, or Total Load, while so joined.

A Tug will require Drives rated at a minimum of factor 1 for the combined tonnage of both the Tug and the joined Ship, or Total Load, while so joined. This applies to maneuver, power plant and jump only if jump is used.

Joining:

Attaching Tugs to Drop Tanks takes one Twenty Minute turn. (Installation time is only a few minutes. -14- TCS) Releasing is instantaneous. (Drop Tanks, however, may be detached just prior to jump to reduce ship tonnage in order to achieve greater performance.) -13- TCS

Attaching a Tug to Ships, or Loads, for maneuver purpose only, will be one twenty minute turn as for drop tanks.

For jump purposes attachment requires 24 turns, or 8 hours. (The primary problem with such connections is that a period of several hours is necessary to connect or disconnect the craft.) -38- Supplement 7Traders and Gunboats This rule applies only to Tugs. For all other Ships this will take one full week. (If the bridge or computer is out, another ship may be linked to it for jump; the linking ship must have a computer and bridge as least as large as that of the damaged ship, and linking takes one week.) -35- TCS

Maneuver is possible for Tugs while linked for jump, but not for ordinary Ships. (…maneuver is impossible while linked {for jump}.) -35- TCS

Break of the link between a Tug and other ships, due to a special nature of Tugs, will not ordinarily be a risk. All other ship will follow TCS rules. (Roll for breakdown of the link after every jump; repair takes another week.) -35- TCS

 

[Condottiere]

Having considered the matter, the bridge only needs to be the size that the operator requires to directly control the connected ship systems.

Which means if you're only pushing or pulling a hull, you only need the minimum sized bridge to control the tug.

 

[Vladika]

Having considered the matter, the bridge only needs to be the size that the operator requires to directly control the connected ship systems.

Which means if you're only pushing or pulling a hull, you only need the minimum sized bridge to control the tug.

That is a good point. The problem might be though that one you give it a good shove the thing just keeps going until it hits something.

Still I like the argument made. Let's see what others think.

 

[McPerth]

IIRC there were some tugs shown in a Challenge (MT designs). I'm not sure now about wich issue (nor even if it was really a Challenge), but I'll try to dig for it...

 

[Vladika]

IIRC there were some tugs shown in a Challenge (MT designs). I'm not sure now about wich issue (nor even if it was really a Challenge), but I'll try to dig for it...

Thanks! That would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Rabbit 3]

That is a good point. The problem might be though that one you give it a good shove the thing just keeps going until it hits something.

Still I like the argument made. Let's see what others think.

It occured to me that perhaps that a lot of big spacecraft in the civilian sector might be built round a few standardised hull designs.

One key ship might be the mobile space station core.
This I invision as a hull built to about 500,000 Dtons or so consisting entirely of a HUGE bridge/Command and Control centre and power plant, and most of the rest of the hull consisting of a enourmously overbuilt life-support system and crew quarters.
Most of the hull exterior would be covered with heavy duty type docking ports equipped to handle very large ships and allow large cargo, com linkages and fuel/fluid transfers.

Another key design might be a standard cargo ship of about 5000 Dtons displacement which in its basic form would be built to the basic minumums with just enough of its internal space given over to basic drives of J1 and M1 capacity plus enough of the additional space given over to bridge, crew and fuel space to operate as a basic starship with its remaining internal space given over to allow cargo,communication and fuel/fluid transfers THROUGH the ship from one end to the other (sideways and up and down as well!) and what remains being left as generic adaptable cargo/Fuel space.
As with the station core it would have multiple docking ports of the heavy duty type, at least one on each face if you assume a square or rectangular hull configuration.
There would be a lot of modifications to this basic design, for example there would be a "space tug" version which used most of the available cargo space to fit much larger maneuver drives with perhaps the jump drive removed and some additional fuel tankage provided to allow the ship to operate at higher V`s for short periods, it would also be designed with the capacity to link together with other ships to act as an additional booster or become part of a station core`s maneuver drive.
Other versions could also be, fuel tankers some streamlined and with fuel purification for fuel skimming, a mobile jump drive version, unmanned fuel or cargo versions without M or J drives and just basic L/s and power (which might also form the basis of a drop tank design) and a lot of more specialist configurations.
The basic idea behind this is that if someone wants to set up some sort of industrial infrastructure in a system and there is nothing there then they first have a core built in a convenient neibouring system then move it by using a combination of tug, jump drive and fuel tankers to the target location.
Once `on site` the core reconfigures itself to its operational form, using some of the `leftover` fuel modules to increase its basic size and additional specialist modules brought in by additional tug/jump drive combinations.

Things would probably work much the same way for military use with the Navy using slightly militarised versions of the same modules to establish forward bases where neccessary and the `mobile drydocks` would probably be built around the standard space station cores.

 

[McPerth]

IIRC there were some tugs shown in a Challenge (MT designs). I'm not sure now about wich issue (nor even if it was really a Challenge), but I'll try to dig for it...

Thanks! That would be greatly appreciated.

Challenge 40, page 31-32.

Article is called hercules Space Tugs, by John Faylo, and two tugs' details are gives, as well as some ideas about how to use them.

 

[Patron Zero]

For the record there was always the 200 Ton Jump Tender that moved the 600 Ton System Defense Boat found in the classic LLB, Traders & Gunboats, that might be a potential 'working' template for ships in similar service.

IMO Traveller Universe, I had taken two (2) separate 400 Ton Type L Lab Ships to be refitted together as a 'single' now 1000 Ton hull recovery and salvage vessel. The additional 200 Tons were for upgrades to maneuver-jump drives, powerplant and fuel needs.

Said ship also carried a mixed compliment of 5-10 Ton special purpose small craft that operated as 'skid loaders', Jeeps and 'work-bees' to assist in repairs, cargo transfer and if needed, rescue operations.

The Gemini Hauler, as such was referred to, was capable of being mated to a refitted 800 Ton Broadsword Class Mercenary Ship that now acted as surface-to-orbit cargo barge. Said barge came in different configurations, the most common being a bulk 'tanker' and 'boxcar' variants, the latter accommodating intermodal (standard) cargo containers.

 

[robject]

For "typical" or "boring duty" tugs, have a few robotic ones handy.

 

[McPerth]

For the record there was always the 200 Ton Jump Tender that moved the 600 Ton System Defense Boat found in the classic LLB, Traders & Gunships, that might be a potential 'working' template for ships in similar service.

When we talk about Tugs, I asume they are for maneovering, not for jumping (I'd call those Jump Frames, Tenders, or other names, not Tugs). IMHO their main misión would be to help sheps with little agility (be it by design or damage) to attach themselves to a Space Station or Tender.

BTW, IIRC the SDB you talk about was 400 dton, 600 dton being the combo SDB/Jump Tender...

 

[Vladika]

When we talk about Tugs, I asume they are for maneovering, not for jumping (I'd call those Jump Frames, Tenders, or other names, not Tugs). IMHO their main misión would be to help sheps with little agility (be it by design or damage) to attach themselves to a Space Station or Tender.

BTW, IIRC the SDB you talk about was 400 dton, 600 dton being the combo SDB/Jump Tender...

Jump Frames are probably the best for long distance recovery. I have designed a few J capable "Fleet Tugs". These are used in the jump mode to recover damaged BRs when the associated Tender is unavailable.

 

[McPerth]

Jump Frames are probably the best for long distance recovery. I have designed a few J capable "Fleet Tugs". These are used in the jump mode to recover damaged BRs when the associated Tender is unavailable.

As I already told in post 53 in this thread, I guess the main recovery ship for jump distances (to separate it from the Tugs for maneover distances) would be the Tenders themselves.

While Tugs would be enterily another matter, I also guess most Tenders will carry also some of them just to help them in the recovery role.

 

[Vladika]

As I already told in post 53 in this thread, I guess the main recovery ship for jump distances (to separate it from the Tugs for maneover distances) would be the Tenders themselves.

While Tugs would be enterily another matter, I also guess most Tenders will carry also some of them just to help them in the recovery role.

I do see your point and accept it. The tradeoff, using HG2 combat rules, is that you slow your fleet down for agility initiative. Even in the reserve you need high agility ships to have a good chance at the initiative roll.

The Fleet Tug can maintain Ag6 alone, allowing a M1 Tender to jump to an adjacent hex or move to the outer system IF NEEDED. I prefer M6 Ag6 Tenders in general. Less capacity but more options.

The Fleet Tug is often the skimmer ship for the Tenders carrying drop tank fuel pods from the Tender (ALL Tender fuel is designed as drop tanks but those tanks are in fact the 40% load-out for fuel. As such a 100,000dt Tender will include 40,000dt drop tanks as part of the 100,000dt ship design.)

I do use minimum drive, config 7 Tenders in the general recovery role though.

 

[Rabbit 3]

For the record there was always the 200 Ton Jump Tender that moved the 600 Ton System Defense Boat found in the classic LLB, Traders & Gunboats, that might be a potential 'working' template for ships in similar service.

A couple of other `canon` examples are the `Jump Ship` from CT`s Supplement 9 Fighting Ships and the `Common Imperial Transport` from MT`s Rebellion Sourcebook, both of which are essentially tug & pod designs.
There was also FASA`s `Leander` deckplan set which, like the Jump Tender could probably be more accurately described as a `pusher` rather than a tug and the `Hayan Rose` from the old Adventure Class Ships supplement from UK`s Games Workshop.