Operating a starship under water

[SpaceBadger]

and as for "function normally", ocean ops present many difficulties besides pressure. galvanic corrosion will ruin sensors, weapons, and fittings not specially (and expensively) designed to deal with it. vast hordes of sea life will attach themselves to the hull. sensors designed to operate in a vacuum will be useless underwater (and vice versa). airlocks designed to cycle between vacuum and air will not be able to cycle between air and water. etc.

underwater ops will require vessels designed for it.

But if we follow that line of reasoning, your typical starship should also not be able to land on a world w high-pressure surface atmosphere (ala Venus), nor some exotic atmospheres, nor any corrosive atmospheres. Yet in Traveller, they do.

I think this would make an OK bit of "color" for an ATU if you decide that you want to limit such landings to purpose-built craft w the right surface coatings and pressure fittings and internal bracing and whatnot, and require that ordinary starships dock in orbit and rent a special craft to journey to the surface... but that isn't the OTU.

According to the rules, OTU spacecraft can not only land on all of these exotic and corrosive planets, but can also function as submarines.


EDIT: Ugh, got suckered into replying to a zombie thread! :frankie: