Mako Class Prison Barge 1Kt

[shadowcat20]

Ok, here is what I have so far. I still need to figure out how to do the ship picture and have a rough idea of the layout. What do you guys think?

Mako class prison barge.

The Mako class of Transport barges was named for ocean predators of planets in the Solomani sphere. There were over 50 made at the 5 General Dynamics-Caterpillar slips in the Castor/Gemini asteroid belts in the Solomani Rim Sector from 953 to 975. 5 slips were used taking about 26 months per ship to complete. Each ship cost roughly 470 Mcr to build with the cost dropping to 425 Mcr after the first wave of 5 was completed due to standardization of construction.

This transport barge was constructed for the transport of prisoners from one location to the next. Up to 700 prisoners can be transported at once in low sleep chambers to make security easier. Low sleep pods are broken down into 14 different “Cell Blocks” of 50 pods per block. Each block is separated from the others by bulkhead walls and a security door. One safety feature built into the ship is the ability to jettison the pods a block at a time or all at once from the bridge. In case of emergency the officer in charge can arm the control box and pick what blocks he wants. After arming them he just hits the switch and the picked blocks are dropped through a hatch in the bottom of the hull into space. Needless to say the prisoners will not survive the act as all power is cut off to the pods and they are opened to space. This process can only be used in case of riot or possible capture of the ship by unlawful parties. This process also opens that block to space to make sure there are no survivors.

Another use for this ship is for the transport of colonists from one location to another. In this case the control box is disarmed so there will be no accidents causing the loss of innocent colonists. The ship’s crew has a normal compliment of crewmembers with an extra 3 interns to help the ships medical officer. This helps to increase the chances of the sleepers when they awaken. There is also a 20 man security squad on board in case of problems or to help secure the landing site for colonists. Cargo for the ship consists of 110 tons of storage and a 10 ton missile magazine for spare ammo for the ships weapons.

On board weaponry consists of 8 triple missile turrets in 2 batteries of 4 and 2 triple pulse laser turrets in two batteries of one. The ship class uses turrets rather than the normal Solomani fixed weapons mounts as it was not intended to fight in an offensive manner. The turrets allowed it to flee an encounter while still having the ability to fight back. The ship is a flattened sphere and streamlined with scoops and a purification plant on board. This allows it to range further out from more settled worlds without need for support. The ship is also equipped with a 20 ton ships boat and a pressurized airlock for an Air/Raft.

The first 20 produced were as follows,

WT-4751 Mako - Still in service
WT-4752 Barracuda - Still in Service
WT-4753 Pirana – Still in Service
WT-4754 Kracken – Lost in Action*
WT-4755 Tiger Shark – Still In service
WT-4756 Hammerhead – Lost in action
WT-4757 Ann’s Ghost – Missing presumed lost**
WT-4758 White Tip Shark – Still in Service
WT-4759 Snapper – Still in Service
WT-4760 Sturgeon – Lost in action***
WT-4761 Great White Shark – Captured and stripped, hulk retired
WT-4762 Starfish – Still in service
WT-4763 Silverrazor – Still in service
WT-4764 Orca – Still in service
WT-4765 Reaver- Still in service
WT-4766 Trotski’s Blackfish – Lost in action
WT-4767 Gato – Still in Service****
WT-4768 Trigger – Detached duty to Scout Department
WT-4769 Tiger barb – Still in Service
WT-4770 Archer – Still in service
The ship has a jump 2, maneuver drive 2G with 2 agility, and power plant rating of 3.

The USP for it is WT-A122352-000000-30005-0 TL14

The pulse laser and Missile batteries are two of each

Low=700 Cargo=110 Mag=10 Fuel=230 Agility=2 Troops=20

* The Kracken was lost in action during the Solomani Rim war. Its last flight was from Moon base with a full load of atmospheric bombs. It was shot down after using its jettison cells as bomb bays and dropping them on Imperial ground troops. There were no survivors.

** Ann’s Ghost was lost when it was sent on a long distance trip to survey and place a colony on a new world. It never made it and no one knows its fate.

*** The Sturgeon was lost in action when it was used during the Solomani rim war as an assault Lander. The low pods were replaced with drop pods and the cargo bay was loaded with light cavalry vehicles. During the battle for Dingir it was loaded by transports right before the assault. The pods were dropped on the way in and landed close to their planned drop point. It then landed and disembarked the cavalry unit. It then used its missile batteries and lasers to support the attack. The ship was destroyed on the ground and but the attack was a success. A unit citation was awarded to the survivors of the crew after the action was over.

****The Gato was damaged during the final days of the war. It was left sitting on an abandoned base until found in 1097. The Navy refitted the ship and then it was transferred to the Spinward Marches for use during the 5th frontier war. It was used to move captured Zhodani officers to a safe camp where they were interned until the end of the war. The Navy was more comfortable transferring these prisoners in a sleep state for the duration of the trip. She is still serving there today.

EDIT: Renamed everything to avoid more conflict.

EDIT: Far-Trader here, I stumbled on this and changed the thread title for you.

 

[shadowdragon]

**SNIP**

On board weaponry consists of 8 triple missile turrets in 2 batteries of 12 and 2 triple pulse laser turrets in two batteries of three.

IIRC batteries are assigned by turret rather than by individual weapon. So you would have 2 batteries of 4 triple missile turrets and 2 batteries of 1 pulse laser turret, for battery usp's rated by 12 missile launchers and 3 pulse lasers, which in T20 would be 2 missile batteries of usp 5 and 2 pulse laser batteries of usp 3, taking into account TL14 (+1 usp to both).

 

[atpollard]

Andersonville is a terrible name for a prison ship - it would be similar to naming prison ships after WW2 Death Camps.
Is that really the emotional intent?

FYI: A survivor from Andersonville:
[EDIT: snip yucky graphic]

Other than the class name, I like the design.
Is there an advantage to the 1000 dT size? Would two 500 dT ships be cheaper? Would a 2000 dT ship be cheaper per low berth?
I'm just curious about why you chose that size.

Would a single Bay weapon be a less expensive and more effective alternative? (Since a 1000 dT ship can mount a bay).

 

[Meteoric Assault]

Andersonville is a terrible name for a prison ship - it would be similar to naming prison ships after WW2 Death Camps.
Is that really the emotional intent?

FYI: A survivor from Andersonville:

Other than the class name, I like the design.
Is there an advantage to the 1000 dT size? Would two 500 dT ships be cheaper? Would a 2000 dT ship be cheaper per low berth?
I'm just curious about why you chose that size.

Would a single Bay weapon be a less expensive and more effective alternative? (Since a 1000 dT ship can mount a bay).

Yeah I have to agree...
I am a SCV,MOSB member and andersonville sends a chill up my spine.

 

[rancke]

Andersonville is a terrible name for a prison ship - it would be similar to naming prison ships after WW2 Death Camps.

It depends on what the intent is. If it's to freak out the 21st Century players who play the game, then, yes, I agree it's a terrible name. If it's to make the point that 3000 years from now, no one remembers enough about the horrors of Andersonville to care, then it's a perfectly appropriate name.

I've named a ship after a historical Viking king's ship. The Vikings were robbers, rapists, and murderers. Their victims (and their grandchildren) would be appalled if they knew, no doubt, but nowadays Vikings are seen as romantic and I've heard no complaints. I'm pretty sure that if the number of ships of the class became big enough, someone living 3000 years from now would use the names of WWII camps without turning a hair.

Still, maybe the class ship should be one of the made-up prison camps of the future (but several centuries earlier than the Classic Era), and the names that are still emotionally charged to us today be unmentioned?


Hans

 

[shadowcat20]

The ship class was for less than pleasant prisons from different eras. I did not mean to offend anyone (I always seem to though). Camp Elmira was the Union version of the same camp and just as bad. Only 5 of the mentioned names were not real locations from the 17th through 20 century. Funny how only one grabbed attention. The idea was this ship was not a pleasant place to end up. If you run a search on some of the other names there are a few soviet gulags and prison camps just as bad in the names. Maybe changing the class name to something less familier may work. Sometimes bright ideas are not so bright.

I am in the process of tweaking the whole thing a bit so feedback is needed both good and bad.

As for turrets, in HG you group turrets together so I had 4 triple turrets of missiles in each battery I.E 12 racks per battery. Then the lasers were 1 turret per battery I.E. 3 tubes. 12 missile racks are USP 4 and add 1 for TL 13 to make it 5 and 3 pulse lasers are 2 with a TL bump at 13 to 3. So, 2 USP 5 batteries of Missiles and 2 USP 3 batteries for Pulse lasers.

EDIT: As for the size thing, I just like working with ships around 1KT or less. In my TU this would count as a large non Navy ship and 700 prisoners is large enough to make it seem massive without being too large for PC's to play with for adventures or targets.

 

[pendragonman]

When you name an entire class Andersonville, no one notices the rest of the names to any significant extent.

Just as had you named the class Auschwitz, no one would really have paid attention to the name list. Especially if you had mentioned in the write-up that "Arbeit Macht Frei" was welded above the prisoner transfer area.

 

[shadowcat20]

I was NOT going to touch the concentration camps for just this reason. I figured old military camps would be fine though. The problem is if I just created a bunch of names out of nowhere it would not have any meaning to anyone. It would have been better to name them after Torture items or horror movies it seems...sigh

 

[shadowcat20]

At this point after thinking it through, maybe I should just pull the whole project. Maybe rename everything and start over and let these names just fade into the past to be forgotten.

 

[Meteoric Assault]

At this point after thinking it through, maybe I should just pull the whole project. Maybe rename everything and start over and let these names just fade into the past to be forgotten.

All I said is it is chilling.. I have walked the grounds there and Auschwitz.
I don't think anyone is giving you flak ...

 

[shadowcat20]

Point was taken though. I renamed the whole class and edited it. See first post.

 

[atpollard]

First, no offense was taken.
It was a scary name and, from your later comments, that was the intent.

I just wanted to make sure that you realized that the Class was not named after some typical 20th century jail.

If the goal is 'horrifying' names without political/emotional side baggage, what about using terms from the Horror themed stories and movies ... Silence-of-the-Lambs Class: Jason, Iron Mask, Psycho, Vampire Masquerade, Deathly Hollows, etc.

 

[shadowcat20]

In certain areas I have a thicker skin than others so I had no issues with the names. BUT this is a family game, and now that it has been pointed out to me that others may take it differently change may be better. I still have my origiinal draft so it can be used IMTU but this is more acceptable to the genral public.

Fact is though, I never knew about a lot of theose other camps until I researched a bit. Now I know so someone else remembers them now.

 

[navanod]

You could just go with famous prisons - Alcatraz, San Quentin, Leavenworth, Devil's Island, Chateau d'If, Folsum...same idea, unpleasant places to be, with less of the emotion/horror attached to them.

 

[rancke]

The ship class was for less than pleasant prisons from different eras. I did not mean to offend anyone (I always seem to though). Camp Elmira was the Union version of the same camp and just as bad. Only 5 of the mentioned names were not real locations from the 17th through 20 century. Funny how only one grabbed attention. The idea was this ship was not a pleasant place to end up.

Would whoever build these ships chose names that reflected that, though? I could see The Authorities choosing to name them after butterflies or bright flowers.


Hans