Pirate Ships Size

[Black Globe Generator]

Originally posted by Liam Devlin:
Knowing where to lay in ambush is half the trick for pirates.

The other half is knowing who to ambush - good intel on ships preparing to leave port with a lucrative cargo is also essential, to avoid intercepting a free trader with eighty-two tons of grain in its hold while the far trader with five tons of gold and three computers in its hold jumps away...

 

[Liam Devlin]

AGreed. A decent network of corrupt officials, SDB skippers, SPA folk, and a few key grey traders go a long way...

speaking of that we're waaaaaaaaayyyy off toppic BGG..

 

[Icosahedron]

Maybe pirates could acquire something like the Atherton (qv). They could pick up a group of filthy rich passengers and spirit them away to slaver central. They'd probably get more in jewellery, personal effects and possibly ransom, than a whole hold full of computers.

 

[Liam Devlin]

An unarmored but armed liner is still a unarmored but armed liner. Unless they've access to a freindly C-class or D-class port world to upgrade her in-system manuever drives, add on more weapons, she's likely in eras or regions of large stellar navies and states to be a financial headache for the pirates.

In the Trav time eras of the MT Rebellion era, or in other time periods in dispersed interstellar state held regions like Gateway, Hinterworlds, Reavers Deep,Vanguard Raeches, Foreven, Trojan Reaches, etc.. then something like this ship would flourish (its still be pain in the wallet to maintain).

This falls us back again, to the individual pirate ship size, and that of "bands" (2+ or more ships).

One could even have as another poster here suggested, a mothership hidden away, say a former J-3/1G 20kton or even a 10kton, or 5kton Imperial bulk freighter, and a pack of smaller ships preying about in a sparse frontier region where its hidden away. Again milieu, region and economics will drive the sustainable ship-size of the pirate.

the 400-600-800dton corsairs, mercenary ships, and purpose-built designed commerce raiders fill the bill admirably.

 

[mbrinkhues]

IMHO there are three types of pirats:

a) Independents

Those decide to turn pirat at some point in their career for whatever reason. They use converted civilian ships in the 200-3000dt ranging from 200dt Far Traders to captured 3000dt Tukera and Oberlindes frighters. Those crafts are mostly used "as is" since yard access is very limited. Small crafts are mainly 30dt boats and 50dt cutters with the rare 10dt fighter operated for as long as it lasts

They may or may not operate in groups and their prey are independent merchants or feeder lines.

b) State sponsored

Privateers look quite similar to the above on first look but having access to a foreign powers yards allows their ships to by enhanced similar to WWI / WWII german Q-ships with additionl pop-up turrets/hidden missiles, enhanced sensors, better M-drives and low-grade shielding. Since they carry better crew and have access to better yards, they are more likely to operate fighters.

c) Former navy

Those are former navy ships that turned rogue. Either because their side lost and they where branded "war criminals" or because they deserted. While the Imperium WILL try to hunt down a warship that goes AWOL, nations like the Sword Worlds or Solomanie Confederation lack the resources (and possibly the will if the 3I is suffering) to do so. And some subsector/local navies might want to "hush up" the fact that one of theirs put up the Jolly Roger.

Again, mostly smaller craft since you need enough crew but I could see pirats running up to 5000dt of destroyer.


+ Ships in general

I'd say pirats go for older (TL12-14) crafts since spare parts are more readily available. The main exceptions are likely sensors and shielding.

Purpose build craft are likely rare unless you count re-builds to Q-ships among them. Any yard building dedicated pirat crafts is likely due a visit by the neighbouring navies very soon unless he has serious national backing (So the Zhos might do that, your average Vagr state won't)

A Nuclear damper might actually be a VERY good investment for a pirat, giving it a chance to survive the nukes the Imperial navy might lob at him long enough to escape.

Pirat hunters will be fast with hv. short range firepower (you need to identify a ship with high accurcy after all) augmented by some long range (missiles/fighters) case armament. High M-rating and decent jumps are a must. If a Navy can spare them, a light cruiser with a Meson spinal and 4-6 destroyers make a decent hunter squad

Using a "fleet train" i.e a slow but huge/high cargo and long-legged mother ship parked in a secure location and fast but small cargo-bayed hunters sounds like an interesting set-up for a pirat gang.