M-Drives as a weapon

[aramis]

If we want to imagine what turrets, barbettes and bays look like wouldn't we be better looking at warplanes? :CoW:

The best bet is to look at what's already been defined in canon. In canon (to wit, CT:S7 T&G, & TNE:FF&S), as in WWII, barbettes are large turrets. (In TNE, they aren't limited to just PAW.)

TNE:FF&S specifies they are a can with a turret head sticking up just a bit, comprising 70kL of weapon. The Turret is a smaller can with a smaller turret head.

CT shows us a 1Td (or just shy) can and a small extension of turret head past the hull.

Based upon the CT difficulties of field replace, and the TNE ones, they seem to be essentially the same kind of construction.

Note that Bays are just much bigger cans, based upon FF&S; in CT, AHL shows us that they're great big turrets.

 

[Carlobrand]

...Note that Bays are just much bigger cans, based upon FF&S; in CT, AHL shows us that they're great big turrets.

If we're using AHL as a guide, I'm seeing maybe 10 dT in uber-turret and then the rest in supporting machinery within the hull.

 

[Reban]

Ah just to be clear I wasn't proposing redefining the cannon turret and barbette, rather I was thinking that if you want to envisage how they actually look and move aircraft turrets (all be it armoured to starship hull levels) seem a better fit than warship armaments.

Also how canon are the details in published deckplans?

If the AHL bays are depicted as topped by turrets does that mean every bay has to look similar?

There are so many good examples of real world direct energy weapons emerging today that both look cooler and put an element of science in science-fiction.

 

[aramis]

Ah just to be clear I wasn't proposing redefining the cannon turret and barbette, rather I was thinking that if you want to envisage how they actually look and move aircraft turrets (all be it armoured to starship hull levels) seem a better fit than warship armaments.

Also how canon are the details in published deckplans?

If the AHL bays are depicted as topped by turrets does that mean every bay has to look similar?

There are so many good examples of real world direct energy weapons emerging today that both look cooler and put an element of science in science-fiction.

The AHL is Marc's personal design work. So, about as cannon as it gets.

 

[Reban]

The AHL is Marc's personal design work. So, about as cannon as it gets.

:smirk: Well that's different then.

 

[Patron Zero]

I've often thought of the physical turret, in regards to those fitted with energy weapons, as more the 'exposed' housings for the mechanisms that direct said weapons, not the actual emitters themselves.

IMTU in particular the lasers were in a sort of inboard 'silo' orientated to a vertical axis, up and out, fitted over such were the actual focusing-directional 'lenses' in the turrets proper.

Given such, a weapon could still be fired in a 'fixed' or restricted arc by maneuvering the ship to bring said 'turret' to action with a given penalty of achieving a successful hit.

Another 'benefit' of burying the emitters in the hull was better concealment of the actual 'turret' as such could be of a deployable design, easily if not craftily blended as to be unobtrusive to casual observation.

I had also done such for reasons of damage control in the sense of less-complicated repairs and potential to salvage bits from one turret or beam emitter to another. I guess such could be viewed as that configuration being as a micro-bay in regards to installation and placement aboard a ship.

 

[sabredog]

The best bet is to look at what's already been defined in canon. In canon (to wit, CT:S7 T&G, & TNE:FF&S), as in WWII, barbettes are large turrets. (In TNE, they aren't limited to just PAW.)

CT shows us a 1Td (or just shy) can and a small extension of turret head past the hull.

Per JTAS 4, when they first show up and are illustrated on the Gazelle, both in deck plans and the pics, the barbettes are a lot larger than a turret. Same with Traders and Gunboats (Sup. 7). Both instance they are 5 tons outside the hull, including the gunner position inside the barbette itself.

 

[Travellerspud]

...Note that Bays are just much bigger cans, based upon FF&S; in CT, AHL shows us that they're great big turrets.

How does this jibe with the description of bays as being able to also store boats and cargo (when not used to house weapons)? It would seem that the "can" would be in the way...unless removing it is fairly easy (all "cans" being the same dimensions, same power fittings, etc?)

Mind you, I much prefer the vision of "one big turret on top of a can" over "lots of standard turrets inside one bay"....

 

[aramis]

How does this jibe with the description of bays as being able to also store boats and cargo (when not used to house weapons)? It would seem that the "can" would be in the way...unless removing it is fairly easy (all "cans" being the same dimensions, same power fittings, etc?)

Mind you, I much prefer the vision of "one big turret on top of a can" over "lots of standard turrets inside one bay"....

Everything but the traverse mechanism, and the power and data connections is in the can. Pull the can, it's a 10/25/50 Td hole.

 

[Carlobrand]

Everything but the traverse mechanism, and the power and data connections is in the can. Pull the can, it's a 10/25/50 Td hole.

10/25?

 

[aramis]

10/25?

I left off /100

10Td bays are in Bk5-79 HG 1E.
25Td bays are an extrapolation. (Tho' I swear I've seen them somewhere besides my house rules.)

 

[sabredog]

Didn't the AHL have 25 ton bays before some kind of rewrite? I know I saw that size somewhere official, too.

 

[sabredog]

...never mind...the AHL description has 10-ton bays. Somewhere else maybe, or else a 25-ton bay is just such common sense that we assume it was official.