What meaning is "T" of the patrol cruiser?

[aramis]

It is one of many Con-Lang (Constructed Language) projects in existence. As far as well developed conlangs, it's quite wel established. (Esperanto, Slav, Tengwar, and Klingon have far more established followings)

ConLang is to linguistics as geofiction and worldbuilding are to the environmental sciences: taking the well known principles and applying them in new ways.

Me, I get kind of lost in the details of Bilandin. However, I try to follow along out of linguistic interest. I've studied several languges: English (native), Spanish, Russian, Latin, Japanese, Klingon, Heraldry, and Arabic, plus several programming languages: BASIC, C/C++, Python, and NewtonScript; I've only developed useful vocabulary in English, Spanish and Russian, and BASIC and C++. (Yes, heraldry has its own language, a bizarre hybrid of french, latin and english vocabulary and its own syntax.)

From the standpoint of being a real language: yes, it is sufficiently developed to be spoken conversationally. No, it's not a common one.

 

[Hal]

Dumb question?
In real life history, the United States had submarines that had outright "class names" such as the Gato and the Baleo class submarines. Prior to that however, the US had type S submarines, type R submarines, type U submarines, and even type O submarines. Why were the Type S submarines called Type S?

Might it not be possible that the Type T patrol cruiser was simply a "class" name? Might it not also be possible that the Type T patrol cruiser had to meet certain specifications in order to be classed as a "Type T" patrol cruiser? Might there not have been (at least in the original author's mind's eye) the possibility of a Type R patrol cruiser, a Type U Patrol Cruiser, etc such that the Author never created such "classes" for use in the Traveller Universe?

That's my take on what was provided for in book 2 Starships regarding the Type T patrol cruiser. It simply lists it as "Patrol cruiser (type T)". I'm sure that there were other Free Trader hulls out there, so much so that there may very well be a Type B Free Trader hull floating about. Just as likely, you may find that there are some FarTraveller class merchant hulls floating about, or Empress Marava class hulls navigating space, etc and so on. Equally possible is the fact that there may be some Patrol Cruisers out there that are Type S, or Type R, or even Type O's

 

[Blue Ghost]

Hal; that was pretty much my thinking. See my post one archive up.

 

[Hal]

Hal; that was pretty much my thinking. See my post one archive up.

Sorry Blue Ghost I didn't see it before posting. Consider my post as a seconding of your post

 

[Eamon]

During WW2 the British used letters for the class names of subs. The Germans used letters as the class names for some of their DDs. Before WW2 the letters A,B,C... were used to describe various US Navy sub classes. The modern British Navy describes their Frigates as a Type 22 or Type 21.
This may have been the author's intent that this is the T class of cruiser.

 

[jawillroy]

Thinking in terms of MTU, I've been thinking of applying the letter classes to ship in a broad way to refer to similar ships from a wide variety of shipbuilding societies (IMTU, there are lots of small empires) So "T" would refer to any 400 ton armed vessel within a certain range of drive performance; one empire's "T" might differ from another.

I haven't gone so far as to fill out a taxonomy or anything yet, though, and making it make sense with LBB2 letter codes might not work so hot.

 

[far-trader]

Thinking in terms of MTU, I've been thinking of applying the letter classes to ship in a broad way to refer to similar ships from a wide variety of shipbuilding societies (IMTU, there are lots of small empires) So "T" would refer to any 400 ton armed vessel within a certain range of drive performance; one empire's "T" might differ from another.

That's an interesting idea, and could work pretty easily (within limits) for Book 2 designs. Just use the (highest?) Drive letter and add the hull number.

A Free-Trader would be a type A2 (and we have that but not meaning the same, exactly, but the A fits )

Hmm, so the standard Book 2 designs would be:

type OLD     Ship Name/Description     type NEW

 type A       Free Trader 200t          type A2
 type S       Scout/Courier 100t        type A1
 type R       Sub Merchant 400t         type C4
 type M       Subsidized Liner 600t     type J6
 type Y       Yacht 200t                type A2
 type C       Merc Cruiser 800t         type M8
 type T       Patrol Cruiser 400t       type H4

Well, it's simple at least

I like how "bigger" ships have "bigger" type designators.

 

[jawillroy]

That's an interesting idea, and could work pretty easily (within limits) for Book 2 designs. Just use the (highest?) Drive letter and add the hull number.I like how "bigger" ships have "bigger" type designators.

I like that.
REF: "Hokay, you've got a blip way out there. From its size and acceleration, it could be a C4."
NAV: "A subbie?"
REF: "Something like, but it doesn't match the config in library."
NAV "Um. Can I get any more - an energy read or something?"
REF: "Roll intelligence, and subtract your nav skill... Yeah. She's kinda hot, given how slow she's going."
NAV: (To Captain) "Could be a C4, sir. But she could be an H4 with her plant banked down. She could be anything, out here."
CAP: "Alter course; let's give her a nice wide berth. It'll put us a little behind schedule, but I'd as soon stay outside targeting range. If she corrects, we'll know something's up."

 

[Eamon]

The US Maritime Service had a classification system for civilian merchant ships. Their system looked at type of cargo,power system,length of ship. This would give the Shipping Board and Port Master the information needed to dock,unload/reload,and refuel the ship.
Maybe the information could be similar for a starship.
powerplant fusion or antimatter
cargo Bulk, Intermodal, Special, Passenger
mass of ship
length of ship
landing capability
self loading or unloading capability

 

[GypsyComet]

Might it not be possible that the Type T patrol cruiser was simply a "class" name? Might it not also be possible that the Type T patrol cruiser had to meet certain specifications in order to be classed as a "Type T" patrol cruiser?

IMTU, the "Type" classes are specs, not deckplans. So the Type T as described isn't always a Lurushaar (the actual class name of the Type T we all recognize, per FASA's Adventure Class Ships). GDW also made clear late in the MT era and into TNE that there were different class names associated with the "Type" classes at each TL break, in at least some cases. Possibly this is a result of the age of a particular Type. The Type A, for example, is an ancient Vilani design which was an early victim of Vilani-to-English translation goofs (per GT Interstellar Wars). The A2 has at least three TL-related class names on record in various publications, and IIRC the Type M has two.

So IMTU, you look at the Book 2/Supp 4 written spec for the various Types. Any ship at any TL that fits the spec is that "Type", regardless of class name.