CT Only: Post your TL15 HG2 ship designs here

[Amber Chancer]

Just a thought I had - let's gather together the ships that different people have designed at different TLs. A thread for each TL, and a post for each ship. They can then act as a resource for other players / referees, who need to rustle up a few ship encounters with unfamiliar vessel types, but haven't the time to design them from scratch.

 

[Carlobrand]

Armadillo 10dT escort fighter

I put this one up a little over a year ago. Some slight error corrections from then.

Armadillo: 10t Short-range Escort Fighter, TL15
USP QFE-0606G01-F30000-20002-0 MCr 12.88 10 Tons
Bat Bear................1........1.....1 Crew: 2
Bat.......................1........1.....1

Cargo: 0.5dT; Fuel: 1.6dT; EP: 1.6; Agility: 6; Pulse Lasers
Architects Fee: MCr 0.129 Cost in Quantity: MCr 10.304
Computer model/1, no bridge

The Armadillo is a short-range escort fighter designed to operate in conjunction with a very small escort carrier to provide inexpensive armed escort for merchant ships in wartime. Its design emphasizes low cost and very heavy armor, its primary missions to battle pirates and renegade civilian craft or to hold commerce-raiding warships off long enough for help to arrive or for the escorted vessels to escape. All combat hits other than nuclear missiles, pulse lasers and spinal weapons are stopped by armor. Most combat hits from pulse lasers (35/36) and even nuclear missiles (21/36) are stopped by the armor, though there is a small chance in the case of nuclear missiles (1/12) that a hit will take out the fuel tank and leave the fighter disabled.

The heavy armor also negates criticals from batteries of factor 7 or lower. For batteries of Factor 8 to 9, analysis shows almost 2/3 have no significant effect (20/36 no effect, 3/36 computer disabled - the fighter continues to fire weapons at a -1 DM due to the loss of the Model/1). A bit over a third (13/36) are crippling but in 2/3 of those cases, the crew survives (4/36 loss of the drive, 4/36 loss of power plant, 1/36 loss of fire control, 3/36 loss of crew, 1/36 loss of crew and ship).

(Spinal weapons are of course devastating, but if you're swatting flies with spinal weapons, it's not really a contest.)

The Armadillo is an effective platform against pirates and renegade civilian ships; its heavy armor makes it invulnerable to the weapons such ships can carry, and its high-G drive makes it difficult for such opponents to escape. For the same reasons, it can be an effective commerce raider. It's high agility, small size and heavy armor can make it a difficult target even for enemy heavy fighters, though it lacks the ability to respond effectively. Against warships, its electronics suite and weaponry are wholly inadequate, but each little fighter may take several shots before it is put out of action, buying precious time for the escorted vessels to get to safety or for rescue to arrive.

The Armadillo is designed to fit into and be launched from the hold of a converted 400 dT subsidized merchant. During wartime, some subsizied merchants called up into service are modified to hold up to 12 Armadillos in their cargo bays, allowing the merchants to serve as improvised escort carriers. The little fighters can only be launched and recovered one at a time, but this is not generally a significant handicap as half the number are on patrol and guarding the convoy at any given time. The fighters can also be based at starports in hinterland systems that don't have their own defenses, providing some degree of protection against privateers and small commerce raiders in wartime and permitting the Navy's overstretched destroyer escort force to focus on more critical systems and missions.

A variant of the Armadillo is a long range patrol fighter:
Armadillo-L: 10t Long-range Escort Fighter, TL15
USP QFL-0606A01-F00000-00003-0 MCr 11.855 10 Tons
Bat Bear..........................1.....1 Crew: 1
Bat.................................1.....1

Cargo: 0.2dT; Fuel: 1.0dT; EP: 1.0; Agility: 6;
Architects Fee: MCr 0.119 Cost in Quantity: MCr 9.484

The mixed weapons are replaced with a triple missile launcher, the power plant and fuel tank are reduced to minimim size, and the gunner's position is removed. This leaves room for a cabin for the pilot, permitting long-range patrol flights

 

[Carlobrand]

In most instances, a dedicated lifeboat on a ship is wasted space. Most merchants travel along fairly civilized routes with help only hours away. Where that is not the case, a passenger boat can ferry the passengers down to the local starport. Problems only arise when a ship finds itself in trouble in a system with no human population to provide aid or shelter. In most instances even that can be survived, assuming the planet's even remotely habitable, by carrying survival packs a la Marooned. If it's not, slow drug may offer a reprieve for a time.

Warships face a different challenge. The ship may misjump and find itself marooned in space, or a precipitous retreat may find the ship hiding in deep space in a hostile system with a nonfunctioning jump drive. The warship's need is not simply for a lifeboat, but for a boat that can make its own way across the stars to safe harbor to pass word of the ship's plight.

The 30 dT collapsible jump module is intended to convert the standard 50dT cutter into a 100 dT jump-capable ship. The module uses the cable net jump grid introduced with the Jump Ship of Supplement 9: Fighting Ships.

The cutter module contains:
a 10dT bridge extension to augment the bridge controls to allow jump control,
a 4 dT jump-1 drive,
a Model-1 computer,
a 10 dT fuel tank,
a 2 dT small craft stateroom to provide extended accommodations to the boat's crew,
two 1dT emergency low berths,
and a cable-net jump field grid to fill out to 100 dT volume (there is 1 dT left for storing the grid).

After launch, the boat deploys the jump grid around it, expanding outward on spars until the mesh fills out a 100dT volume. If there is time and the ship is carrying them, exterior demountable fuel tanks can be added to the cutter after the jump grid is erected and fueled from whatever fuel is available in the launching ship's tanks. The demountable fuel tanks occupy the empty zone between the cutter and the jump mesh. This takes two weeks and involves crews going EVA, so it is not something that can be done in the midst of battle or in a crisis. However, up to four 10 dT tanks can be added, allowing the cutter to make up to 5 consecutive 1-parsec jumps to reach help while the launching ship powers down to conserve fuel and wait for help.

The cutter module is rated at TL15 primarily because the ship which introduced the jump mesh in Supplement 9 was TL15.

 

[Dagrill]

Floriani TLF Frigate - large raider

Floriani Frigate Raider 4 ktons Cost
TL15 Tons MCr
4,000 ton = size D cone, streamlined - 70% Bear 0.00 440.00
Jump Drive 4 200.00 800.00
Maneuvre Drive 5 560.00 280.00
Power Plant 6 - - 240 EP 240.00 720.00
Fuel for :- 1 xJ4 & 4 weeks operations - . 1,840.00 0.00
TL15 2,000 ton Fuel Processing Plant 30.00 0.30
Bridge 80.00 20.00
Computer 7 fib G - 20 / 50 - 7 EP . . . 18.00 100.00
Armour - Factor 4 200.00 140.00
2 x TL15 50t Missile Bays - Factor 9 x2 - 0 EP 100.00 25.00
12 x triple Beam Laser turrets - Factor 6 x6 - 36 EP 12.00 36.00
8 x triple Sandcaster turrets - Factor 6 x4 - 0 EP 8.00 6.00
TL14 Nuclear Damper - Factor 4 - 40 EP - 8.00 30.00
TL14 Meson Screen - Factor 4 - 32 EP - . 16.00 40.00
Hanger: 120 tons small craft capacity - 156.00 0.312
2 x 40t Strike Fighter - 0.00 103.00
1 x 40t Pinnace - 0.00 28.00
63 Crew, 20 Marines - 7 Single, 38 Double Staterooms 180.00 22.50
Frozen Watch - 80 Crew/Marines - 40.00 2.00
Cargo Hold space - 312.00 0.00
Cost 2,513.799 MCr in quantity 4,000.00 2,793.11

Department
Command - 11
Engineering - 11
Gunnery - 26
Flight - 7
Marines - 20
Service - 8
Total - 83

Agility 3

 

[Carlobrand]

TL15 Troop Transport

Ship: 50t 3G Troop Transport TL15 - variant
Type: Transport Boat

USP TT-0603301-F30000-00002-0 MCr 29.200, 50 Tons
Bat Bear..............1..............1 Crew: 2, Passengers: 50
Bat.....................1..............1 TL: 15

Cargo: 7; Crew Sections: 1 of 2; Fuel: 1.500; EP: 1.500; Agility: 3; Marines: 50; Fuel Treatment: Fuel Scoops

Architects Fee: MCr 0.292 Cost in Quantity: MCr 23.360


Detailed Description
(High Guard Design)

HULL
50.000 tons standard, 700.000 cubic meters, Flattened Sphere Configuration

CREW
Pilot, Gunner, 50 Marine passengers

ENGINEERING
Jump-0, 3G Manuever, Power plant-3, 1.500 EP, Agility 3

AVIONICS
No Bridge Installed, Model/1 Computer

HARDPOINTS
1 Hardpoint

ARMAMENT
1 Triple Mixed Turret with: 1 Missile Rack (Factor-2).

DEFENCES
1 Sandcaster in the Mixed Turret, organized into 1 Battery (Factor-3), Armored Hull (Factor-15)

CRAFT
None

FUEL
1.500 Tons Fuel (0 parsecs jump and 28 days endurance)
On Board Fuel Scoops, No Fuel Purification Plant

MISCELLANEOUS
52 Acceleration Couches, 7 Tons Cargo

USER DEFINED COMPONENTS
None

COST
MCr 29.492 Singly (incl. Architects fees of MCr 0.292), MCr 23.360 in Quantity

CONSTRUCTION TIME
24 Weeks Singly, 19 Weeks in Quantity

COMMENTS
A variation on the Supplement 9 Imperial 50-ton troop transport. The bridge is replaced with a Model/1 computer and two crash couches for the crew, increasing base cost by MCr1.8 but freeing 8dT for other uses. This variant applies that to armor. The transport carries a crew of 2 and 50 passengers, with 7 dTons (94.5 metric tons) remaining for cargo.

With an agility of 3 and no more than a basic computer, the transport is very vulnerable to naval weapons and to planetary defense fire. However, the factor 15 armor provides protection from all weapons of factor 7 or less except spinals, nuclear missiles, and pulse lasers. It remains vulnerable to critical hits from any weapon of factor 8 or greater; about 2/3 of criticals will not affect the craft's performance, but 14/36 will destroy it or leave it without drives - an unhappy event during a re-entry maneuver. For regular damage results, pulse lasers have a 1 in 36 chance of damaging weapons, otherwise no effect, and nuclear missiles have a 3 in 36 chance of obtaining a fuel hit and a 12 in 36 chance of damaging weapons, otherwise no effect. As a result, the craft stands a very good chance of getting from ship to atmosphere in the teeth of heavy hostile fire.

The Factor-15 armored hull provides a Striker armor rating of 65 on all faces, sufficient to stop heavy weapons up to the Plasma C as well as infantry portable antiarmor weapons. Size DM is +16, making it a very easy target when not evading. However, an agility of 3 translates to power for a cruise speed of 2138 KPH (Mach 1.7, 1780 cm/t) and top speed of 2850 KPH (Mach 2.3, 2375 cm/t) in standard atmosphere. Craft are assumed to have computer controls but no maneuver enhancement for an agility rating (in High mode at Cruise or slower when evading) of 37 (2850/100+3+6), making this large target impossible to hit when evading except by high-performance missiles.

(Cruise speed: must be in Terrain Follow mode - 10 meters above the ground beneath it - and may make up to 8 turns of 45 degrees or less, each consuming 10% of movement rating.)

(Top speed: must be in High mode - 10 meters above the highest local terrain feature - and may not change course or evade.)

The computer and sensors for this craft provide function analogous to a battle computer and battle map, provides light amplification, thermal image and image enhancement, as well as (I think, can't find a reference) TL15 Direct Fire Control (E=10 km, L=20 km, X=40 km) and TL9 Point Defense Fire Control (E=2.5 km, L=3.5 km, X=5 km; no movement penalty; 4D6 inbound IF rounds per phase destroyed). The craft is presumed to have commo gear including a system-range (5000+) radio and a far orbit range (1000+) maser comm, sensors equivalent to a planetary-range (5000+) all-weather target acquisition radar and ladar, a radio direction finder, a radar direction finder, a laser sensor (TL14+, 2+ to spot unit using ladar or targeting laser on craft), and countermeasures equivalent to extensive ECM (detected by TA radar/ladar on 10+, +/- relative TL modifier; invisible to passive IR/thermal imaging; -4 to homing missile to hit roll, +relative TL modifier (up to 4) if missile higher TL than craft). Turret weapons have TL10+ weapon stabilization (no movement DMs). NOE speed is 190 KPH.

The sandcaster serves for point defense or short-range antipersonnel fire (E: 500m(20)/- +8; L: 1000m(10)/- +6; X: 2000m(5)/- +4; 2d6 plus effective range modifier to hit incoming DF round, 1 round destroyed on 8+, +1 round destroyed per 2 over 8) with 3 canisters loaded and 6 stored. With naval missiles slowed by air resistance, the sandcaster's odds of intercepting an inbound missile improve from less than 50:50 (15/36) to to better than 100%; in fact one canister could potentially hit up to 7 missiles, assuming they're within the canister's danger space (40 m at effective range, 80 m at long range,120 m at extreme range).

The single missile launcher provides offensive capability with 3 ready missiles and 6 missile reloads (15cm: HEAP=49; 0.1kt nuke(g/a)=30/50m primary (kill/60, all vegetation ignited), 100/150m secondary (20), 200/300m tertiary (5 on 6+, -2 if under cover); drone - +5 to hit (3+), may hit face of choice with a -2 to roll; 6G=4200 KPH (Mach 3.4, 3500 cm/t) high performance +48).

A 250 Mw 3-pulse laser is an option (E: 166,667m(81)/- +1; L: 333,333m(72)/- 0; X: 1,666,667m(66)/- 0) but radically reduces the craft's top speed and evasion: cruise speed becomes 900 KPH (Mach 0.75, 750 cm/t) and top speed of 1200 KPH (Mach 1, 1000 cm/t) in standard atmosphere. This reduces evasion to 21, which with its 16 size DM can make it vulnerable to high-rate rapid-fire air defense weapons like the RP-A, though armor will stop most such attacks. Though not intended to loiter in a combat zone with heavy weapons, its heavy armor can allow it to do so against certain opponents, in which case the laser can be installed for that mission.

 

[Carlobrand]

Naval cutter

Ship: 50t Naval Cutter
Type: Modular Cutter
Tech Level: 15

USP YY-0206601-030000-00002-0 MCr 23.150, 50 Tons
Bat Bear..............1..............1 Crew: 2
Bat.....................1..............1 TL: 15

Cargo: 0.500; Crew Sections: 1 of 2; Fuel: 3; EP: 3; Agility: 6
Fuel Treatment: Fuel Scoops

Architects Fee: MCr 0.232 Cost in Quantity: MCr 18.520


Detailed Description
(High Guard Design)

HULL
50.000 tons standard, 700.000 cubic meters, Cone Configuration

CREW
Pilot, Relief Pilot/Gunner

ENGINEERING
Jump-0, 6G Manuever, Power plant-6, 3.000 EP, Agility 6

AVIONICS
No Bridge Installed, Model/1 Computer

HARDPOINTS
1 Hardpoint

ARMAMENT
1 Triple Mixed Turret with: 1 Missile Rack (Factor-2).

DEFENCES
1 Sandcaster in the Mixed Turret, organised into 1 Battery (Factor-3)

CRAFT
None

FUEL
3 Tons Fuel (0 parsecs jump and 28 days endurance)
On Board Fuel Scoops, No Fuel Purification Plant

MISCELLANEOUS
1 Small Craft Stateroom, 2 Acceleration Couches, 0.500 Ton Cargo

USER DEFINED COMPONENTS
1 Multipurpose module: 12 seats, 15 dT cargo, 9 dT fuel (30.000 tons, Crew 0, Cost MCr 1.300)

COST
MCr 23.381 Singly (incl. Architects fees of MCr 0.232), MCr 18.520 in Quantity

CONSTRUCTION TIME
24 Weeks Singly, 19 Weeks in Quantity

COMMENTS
Similar to the Modular Cutter, the Naval Cutter is a somewhat more expensive military variant that replaces the bridge with a Model-1 computer and two crew couches, using the extra space to provide faster drives, a cabin for extended operations, and weapons. The cutter has 1.5 dTons cargo storage internal to the bridge section in addition to whatever is carried in the module.

Unlike the Modular cutter, which nestles the module between the bridge and the drives, the Naval Cutter is a "puller," towing the module behind the cutter. The bridge section is similar to a civilian cutter forward section, but the drives are mounted outboard of the bridge, to either side of the bridge section and slightly up. The module mounts directly aft of the bridge section. This simplifies the cargo loading process. Each cargo bay is designed to fit one module: the cutter backs up to the open bay door, docks with the module and pulls it out, then another cutter approaches with a module, backs it into the cargo bay, undocks and leaves the module in the bay. This allows cargo to be transferred from one ship to another, or from port to ship, in no more time than it takes to fly a cutter from one point to the other.

Naval ships will have several, sometimes most or all, of their cargo bays as 30 dT module bays, allowing the ship's cargo bays to be rapidly loaded and unloaded in port by pulling out and replacing modules, so the ship can be ready to leave more quickly. In-space replenishment is faster, as cargo modules loaded with missiles and other stores can simply be backed into the ship and empties taken away to a waiting freighter. Small ships may rely on the cutter itself for cargo storage, drawing on stores kept in their cutter's cargo module and then sending the cutter out for more when those stores are exhausted. The arrangement adds versatility: naval ships needing to carry passengers for a trip can have the cutters bring in stateroom modules or low berth modules to replace the cargo modules; naval transports can double as tankers or passenger transports by replacing cargo modules with fuel modules or stateroom/low berth modules.

The docking arrangement allows the cutter to tow more than one module at a time by docking a second module behind the first, a third behind the second, and so forth. This arrangement cannot be used for atmospheric flight, nor can the cutter land on an airless world or dock with a ship while pulling a train of modules; it must detach the modules and land or dock them one at a time. However, the arrangement does allow for more tonnage to be transported over long distances per unit of time. Up to 9 modules can be towed through space in this fashion, with the cutter's acceleration reduced accordingly: a total of 2 modules towed slows the cutter to 3 G, 3 to 4 towed slows the cutter to 2G, 5 to 9 towed slows the cutter to 1G. The cutter's agility is reduced to 0 for any number of modules greater than 1 to prevent a whiplash failure of the docking structures. The cutter has controls to conduct a module separation in flight, but this leaves the modules adrift on whatever internal power they might have, if any, until they are docked again to the cutter; the technique has been used to insert certain specialty modules into specific desired trajectories, most often for scientific research.

The docking arrangement means the cutter cannot accept civilian cutter modules, as the supports and sockets needed to hold the module in that position are not present on civilian modules. Niether can civilian cutters accept a naval module. For this reason, many Navy ships carry their own cutters, and the Navy makes arrangements for Imperial ports to have naval cargo modules ready and loaded in advance of a ship's arrival, the modules transported up to the ship by the ship's own cutter and the ship's empty modules brought down to replace them.

The cutter's nose is also reinforced so that it can double as a 20-dTon tug, docking at an external hardpoint on another ship and using its own drives to maneuver the ship. In that role, the cutter can push up to 280 dT to 1g or larger masses to lower velocities. The cutter can also dock modules from the nose to move them between ships, but it cannot take modules into atmosphere from this position - it is effectively unstreamlined while a module or other object is docked at the nose - and the nose clamp does not include a way for persons to move between the cutter and docked modules, so it is not recommended for long space flights.

The standard module is the multi-purpose module with 12 seats, a 15 ton cargo bay and a 9 dTon fuel compartment, serving the needs of smaller ships by allowing the craft to scoop fuel without needing to offload cargo. A 30-ton cargo/fueler module contains a collapsible fuel bladder that allows the module to serve for either cargo or fuel: in combination with the cutter's own 3 tons of fuel, it permit the cutter to deliver 32 tons of fuel for each 3 hour fueling trip through a gas giant (1792/week, half that when refueling from an ocean or planet-based port.). A 50-passenger troop transport module provides seating for 50 with cargo space for 5 tons of cargo, or 1.35 m^3 per passenger. Other modules include the 15-person "sleeper" cabin module, the 15-person stateroom module, and the 60-passenger low-berth transport module.

 

[Carlobrand]

Ship: 1,000,000t J1 Rift Tanker
Type: Rift Tanker

USP BT-Y71119Z-000900-00000-0 MCr 197,531.932 1 MTons
Bat Bear............................... Crew: 4041
Bat...................................... TL: 15

Cargo: 805,403 Crew Sections: 1000 of 5 Fuel: 110,000 EP: 10,000 Agility: 0 Shipboard Security Detail: 1000
Craft: 3 x 1000T Large Ketches, 3 x 50T Naval Cutters
Fuel Treatment: On Board Fuel Purification
Substitutions: Z = 1000

Architects Fee: MCr 1,962.097 Cost in Quantity: MCr 158,289.992


Detailed Description
(High Guard Design)

HULL
1,000,000.000 tons standard, 14,000,000.000 cubic meters, Dispersed Structure Configuration

CREW
308 Officers, 3733 Ratings

Book 5 Crew Breakdown
Command section: 50 officers and 450 ratings; Engineering section: 50 officers and 450 ratings; Gunnery section: 1 officers and 4 ratings; Flight section: 1 officers and 6 ratings; Service section: 200 officers and 1800 ratings, 1000 security troopers; Medical Section: 6 officers and 11 ratings

ENGINEERING
Jump-1, 1G Manuever, Power plant-1, 10,000.000 EP, Agility 0

AVIONICS
Bridge, Model/9 Computer

HARDPOINTS
None

ARMAMENT
None

DEFENCES
Nuclear Damper (Factor-9)

CRAFT
3 1,000.000 ton Rift Ketches (Crew of 0, Cost of MCr 422.224), 3 50.000 ton Naval Cutters (Crew of 0, Cost of MCr 18.520)

FUEL
110,000 Tons Fuel (1 parsecs jump and 28 days endurance)
No Fuel Scoops, On Board Fuel Purification Plant

MISCELLANEOUS
2,023.5 Staterooms, 805,403 Tons Cargo

USER DEFINED COMPONENTS
1 Lounge/Bar, 50-occupancy (15.000 tons, Crew 3, Cost MCr 0.000), 1 Exercise gym, 40-person, 12m x 15m (40.000 tons, Crew 3, Cost MCr 0.000), 1 Pool, 50m x 25m (in 60x30 space) (400.000 tons, Crew 3, Cost MCr 0.000), 1 Rec. park, 90m x 45m x 9m (2,700.000 tons, Crew 3, Cost MCr 0.000)

COST
MCr 198,171.797 Singly (incl. Architects fees of MCr 1,962.097), MCr 156,967.760 in Quantity, plus MCr 1,322.232 of Carried Craft

CONSTRUCTION TIME
240 Weeks Singly, 192 Weeks in Quantity

COMMENTS
The Rift Tanker is intended to help bridge a rift by providing a deep space fuel source at midpoint. By positioning tankers in deep space 4 to 6 parsecs from a supporting world on either side of a rift, the tankers can be used to bridge a rift as large as 12 to 18 parsecs.

One or more Rift Tankers are assigned to a specific deep space coordinate, depending on the level of traffic intended to be supported by the link. Where possible, the coordinates will be those of a brown dwarf, orphan planet or other deep space mass to provide a gravitational point to assist navigation; more often the need to place a station in a specific region requires a deep space location and there will be no nearby masses. The tanker approaches the assigned post in a series of 1-parsec hops, then spends most of a year in deep space, crews rotating in and out and supplies being delivered by other supply ships while scouts and light craft use it as a deep space fueling and supply station, before it is relieved by another tanker and makes its way back to port for annual maintenance.

The Rift Tanker is intended to operate in deep space far from hostile forces - opposing naval forces are not expected to intrude that deeply into Imperial space, and most ships that jumped to deep space would find themselves stranded but for the tanker's fuel. There is however a slight risk of mischief by enemies using civilian freighters or tankers, so it does carry a nuclear damper and has a protective force consisting typically of a light cruiser and a few destroyer escorts or corvettes to guard it.

The Rift Tanker is unusual in that most of its fuel is carried as water. The ship has a 110,000 dT hydrogen fuel tank to serve its jump needs, but the remainder of the fuel space is water tanks. Water offers advantages over hydrogen storage in that it is a denser storage medium for hydrogen, can be maintained without special insulation, does not leak as easily as hydrogen, and does not pose a fire or explosion risk. Liquid water is 14 times denser than liquid hydrogen. Only 1/9 of that water mass is hydrogen, but that still provides 56% more hydrogen per volume than H2 storage. The Rift Tanker's 800,000 dTon fuel tank can therefore store 1,250,000 dTons of hydrogen; the water can be cracked and the hydrogen purified by the ship's purification plants as it is delivered to waiting ships, with the oxygen typically vented to space. A Rift Tanker can refuel a squadron of 200 kt dreadnoughts, if needed. In addition, the tanker carries 5400 dTons of other cargo for its own supply needs and the supply needs of refueling ships.

In addition to the usual crew provisions, the tanker carries recreational facilities for visiting crew including a pool, gymnasium, bar/lounge, and a 1-acre 9-meter height recreational park.

Note: alternate fuels including ammonia were considered. However, water offered the advantage of being plentiful, easily handled, and being usable as an emergency source of oxygen and drinking water. (Another advantage for you Rebellion fans is that if the ship gets destroyed at some point during the conflict, the water may still be there and available to your players - with a bit of work.)

 

[Carlobrand]

Ship: 200t J6 Base Courier
Type: Courier

USP TL-2661661-000000-00000-0 MCr 171.490 200 Tons
Bat Bear............................... Crew: 3
Bat...................................... TL: 15

Cargo: 0 Crew Sections: 1 of 3 Fuel: 132 EP: 12 Agility: 1
Fuel Treatment: Fuel Scoops and On Board Fuel Purification

Architects Fee: MCr 1.715 Cost in Quantity: MCr 137.192

With Drop Tanks
USP TL-2630161-000000-00000-0 MCr 171.490 320 Tons
Bat Bear...............................
Bat......................................
Drop Tanks Cost: MCr 0.120


Detailed Description
(High Guard Design)

HULL
200.000 tons standard, 2,800.000 cubic meters, Flattened Sphere Configuration

CREW
Pilot, Engineer, Medic

ENGINEERING
Jump-6, 1G Manuever, Power plant-6, 12.000 EP, Agility 1

AVIONICS
Bridge, Model/6 Computer

HARDPOINTS
None

ARMAMENT
None

DEFENCES
None

CRAFT
None

FUEL
132 Tons Fuel (6 parsecs jump and 28 days endurance)
On Board Fuel Scoops, On Board Fuel Purification Plant, 120.000 ton drop tanks

MISCELLANEOUS
2 Staterooms, 0 Ton Cargo

USER DEFINED COMPONENTS
1 120t Drop Tank (0.000 ton, Crew 0, Cost MCr 0.120)

COST
MCr 173.205 Singly (incl. Architects fees of MCr 1.715), MCr 137.192 in Quantity

CONSTRUCTION TIME
57 Weeks Singly, 46 Weeks in Quantity

COMMENTS
The 200t Base Courier serves as a jump-communication link between Imperial naval bases, using its jump-6 capability to quickly deliver orders, messages and information. The unit is three times the cost of the 100t X-boat but has a longer range and its own drives, eliminating the need for a tender. It is unarmed but its mission profile calls for it to jump from one Imperial naval base to another; short of inadvertently jumping into the middle of some battle, it can usually count on a peaceful run or at least quick help when needed.

With two double occupancy staterooms, the Base Courier carries a crew of 3 (pilot, engineer, medic) and can carry a fourth person as passenger. The courier has room for 3 dTons of high-priority cargo.

With a 120 dT drop tank at the start, the courier can achieve two consecutive 6-parsec jumps, covering 12 parsecs in two weeks. Naval and scout bases are generally close enough to be well served by a J6 courier network without resort to drop tanks and, like the X-boat network, the Courier network functions by transferring information ship-to-ship so that even as one Courier is coming in, other Couriers are launching for other bases along the chain (and one is launching back to replace the ship at the base it left). However, the drop tanks can expedite communications to distant frontiers by allowing a Courier to jump 6 parsecs to deep space and then out to a naval base up to 6 parsecs farther along, increasing average jump distance to allow a critical message to reach a distant point a week or more sooner than otherwise. It can also help the ship bridge rifts of up to 12 parsecs or facilitate communication with besieged bases: the ship uses drop tanks to jump in at a safe distance from the besieged world, sends and receives any required communications by laser, then uses its onboard fuel supply to immediately jump back or jump onward to the next destination before besieging forces can react to its presence.

Note that with drop tanks attached, the base courier is reduced to fractional G's, and jump range is halved. The Courier does not travel with drop tanks; they are only mounted immediately before a mission requiring them.

Structurally, the base courier looks like a scout-courier with a large section added to the back, and in fact the base courier design is based on the scout-courier hull, with rear compartments replaced with fuel storage, the staterooms reduced to two and a 100dT extension containing drives and additional fuel tanks at the rear.

Each naval base has enough base couriers available to ensure effective base-to-base long-range communications, while maintaining J2 to J4 couriers to transmit orders and intelligence to nearer bases and system defenses.