marginaleye
SOC-12
Thanks to "Supplement 9: Fighting Ships" we have a pretty good idea what destroyer escorts (e.g. the Fer-de-Lance and Chrysanthemum-classes) look like. Is there any canonical information, however, about the other side of the coin? While I've always assumed that licensed privateers, driven by the desire for prize money, shoulder at least part of the burden of wartime commerce raiding, presumably the Imperium also builds small fast warships, specifically intended to get deep behind the enemy's lines, and just cause confusion and trouble (something considerably smaller, and thus more "disposable" than cruiser-sized "fleet intruders" like the Azhanti High Lightning).
I'm envisioning a ~1000 dton escort-sized ship, capable of making long six-parsec jumps, but of only making 2 (or perhaps 3) Gs of acceleration. Just fast enough in normal space to intercept poorly-guarded convoys, but with enough strategic mobility to outrun (or at least to keep pace with) any courier vessels dispatched to alert other star systems of its presence. In practice, very large fuel tanks would also make "hit and run" raiding (without stopping to refuel) practical. The hull would be fully streamlined, to allow the broadest range of frontier refueling options, and to eliminate dependence on bulky ship's boats. I'm envisioning a couple of sandcaster turrets, a couple of laser turrets (mostly defensive), and one really big battery of six single particle accelerator turrets (keeping the total number of batteries down reduces the need for gunners, and thus space-consuming staterooms, and a "high-factor" battery could inflict critical hits on small unarmored merchant ships). No ship's boats, no troops, no staterooms or low berths set aside for captives or prize crews -- a vessel like this would be designed strictly for destroying enemy merchants and then moving briskly on, not for seizing prizes (since it would be operating deep in enemy space, prizes would have a lot of trouble getting back to the Imperium, anyway).
Does this sound like the basics of a sensible design? Any suggestions for improvements?
I'm envisioning a ~1000 dton escort-sized ship, capable of making long six-parsec jumps, but of only making 2 (or perhaps 3) Gs of acceleration. Just fast enough in normal space to intercept poorly-guarded convoys, but with enough strategic mobility to outrun (or at least to keep pace with) any courier vessels dispatched to alert other star systems of its presence. In practice, very large fuel tanks would also make "hit and run" raiding (without stopping to refuel) practical. The hull would be fully streamlined, to allow the broadest range of frontier refueling options, and to eliminate dependence on bulky ship's boats. I'm envisioning a couple of sandcaster turrets, a couple of laser turrets (mostly defensive), and one really big battery of six single particle accelerator turrets (keeping the total number of batteries down reduces the need for gunners, and thus space-consuming staterooms, and a "high-factor" battery could inflict critical hits on small unarmored merchant ships). No ship's boats, no troops, no staterooms or low berths set aside for captives or prize crews -- a vessel like this would be designed strictly for destroying enemy merchants and then moving briskly on, not for seizing prizes (since it would be operating deep in enemy space, prizes would have a lot of trouble getting back to the Imperium, anyway).
Does this sound like the basics of a sensible design? Any suggestions for improvements?