THUDDD 4: May 1997
Exploratory Trader

Specifications | Winners | Entrants
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Specifications

The vessel to be produced is an exploratory trader. The design is being commissioned by the Imperial government (through the Ministry of Commerce); their intent is that vessels of this class will be purchased and operated by megacorporations and possibly smaller speculative enterprises. Subsidies are under consideration.

The following requirements must be met:

The vessel must be capable of: Defense against relic TL 12+ weaponry should also be considered.

Provision must be made for security of landing parties and the care of wounded crew members.

The purpose of this vessel is exploratory trade, well beyond the Imperial frontier. As such, normal economic analysis based on intra-Imperial trade profitability does not apply well to this vessel. However, as with any trader, a higher percentage of hull volume devoted to cargo implies higher profits -- if the requirements above are also met. The same comments apply to the vessel's price.

Winners

Category Ranking Name Designer Average rating
OVERALL DESIGN 1 Terrapin Exploratory Merchant Cruiser Douglas E. Berry
dberry@hooked.net
2.60
2 Type 1108 - Exploratory Trader Mark Clark
clarkm@OIT.EDU
3.17
3 Ming Class 2000-ton Exploratory Trader Paul Walker
tiger@goldinc.com
4.00
MOST LIKELY TO USE IN A GAME 1 Recollet-class Exploratory Trader Roderick Darroch Elliott
rellio@po-box.mcgill.ca
3.17
2 Anderson class exploratory trader Nick Munn
N.S.Munn@sheffield.ac.uk
3.60
Terrapin Exploratory Merchant Cruiser Douglas E. Berry
dberry@hooked.net
CLOSEST TO DESIGN SPECS 1 Encounter Class Exploratory Trader John Long
jlong@wilmington.net
3.00
2 Type 1108 - Exploratory Trader Mark Clark
clarkm@OIT.EDU
3.50
3 Terrapin Exploratory Merchant Cruiser Douglas E. Berry
dberry@hooked.net
3.60
MOST EFFICIENT DESIGN 1 Terrapin Exploratory Merchant Cruiser Douglas E. Berry
dberry@hooked.net
2.40
2 Type 1108 - Exploratory Trader Mark Clark
clarkm@OIT.EDU
3.17
3 Ming Class 2000-ton Exploratory Trader Paul Walker
tiger@goldinc.com
3.40
MOST UNUSUAL DESIGN 1 Ming Class 2000-ton Exploratory Trader Paul Walker
tiger@goldinc.com
2.40
2 Type 1108 - Exploratory Trader Mark Clark
clarkm@OIT.EDU
3.00
3 Terrapin Exploratory Merchant Cruiser Douglas E. Berry
dberry@hooked.net
3.60

Entrants

NameManufacturerDesignerDesign System
Recollet-class Exploratory Trader Famille Spofulam Yards
Roderick Darroch Elliott
rellio@po-box.mcgill.ca
SSDS Beta .pdf
Encounter Class Exploratory Trader Long Yards
John Long
jlong@wilmington.net
SSDS
Anderson class exploratory trader Imperial Shipping
Nick Munn
N.S.Munn@sheffield.ac.uk
QSDS 1.5
Elisabeth Class Frontier Trader X-TEK
Bill Prankard
BPRANKARD@theiia.org
QSDS 1.5 plus Huge Table of Hulls
Ming Class 2000-ton Exploratory Trader Quiptech, Inc.
Paul Walker
tiger@goldinc.com
QSDS, FFS, Big Hulls
Cristobal Colon Class Exploratory Cruiser, Mercantile Aurelian Industries
Steven T. Charlton
scharlto@ifsna.com
QSDS plus Huge Table of Hulls
Knarr Class Exploratory Trader Sefreth Shipyards Ltd.
Chris Pearsall
crisp@mail1.halcyon.com
SSDS
Nuphraitelle class exploratory merchant Starwerx Orbital Foundry
Jeff Cornish
jeffreyc@sprynet.com
SSDS
Monte Cristo Class Exploratory Merchant Morell Shipyards Corporation LIC
Brian A. Howard
bruadh@southwest.net
SSDS
Terrapin Exploratory Merchant Cruiser Gridlore Technologies
Douglas E. Berry
dberry@hooked.net
SSDS/FFS
Type 1108 - Exploratory Trader Generica Starships Mark Clark
clarkm@OIT.EDU
QSDS 1.5, BBoH

Recollet-class Exploratory Trader

Designer: Roderick Darroch Elliott rellio@po-box.mcgill.ca
Firm: Famille Spofulam Yards
System: SSDS Beta .pdf
Tons: 500 Std (Wedge SL)  Volume: 7,000 m^3              Cost: 226 MCr
Crew: 11 (8)              High/Mid Pass: 8 (11)          Low: 10
Cargo: 102 Std            Controls: TL12 hiauto (Bridge) TL: 12

08 Size                               03 Jump Drive (50 Std/Pc Fuel)
                                      02 Maneuver (T-plate, 250 Mw)
02x 251 Mj laser (04) 1/03-02-01-00   1.5 Power Plant (375 Mw)
                                      158 Fuel (Scoop 200, Refine 50)
                                      01 Sandcasters (TL-12, 30 Cans)
01x Min. Hang. (20 td Launch)         01 Nuclear Damper (30,000 km)
                                      A4 P4 J0 Sensors (0 Stealth/Cloak)
                                      20 Armor, 22 Structure

Crew Detail: 01 Command, 01 Pilot, 01 Astrogator, 01 Sensors, 5 (3)
Gunners, 01 Engineer, 01 (0) Steward.

Famille Spofulam Yards is pleased to announce its entry for this month's THUDDD competition. FSY's philosophy for this ship class is that medium is better; several medium-size ships can cover more territory, visiting more systems, than a single large vessel. Thus, a megacorporation equipped with a fleet of Recollets, rather than a few large vessels, will be able to better explore the new markets on the fringes of the Imperium or beyond. As well, smaller entrepreneurs will be able to afford an extremely capable frontier trader. However, too small a vessel will have severe shortcomings in cargo capacity and defensive punch, not to mention small-craft and repair facilities. Thus, we here at FSY feel that a medium-sized vessel, capable of extended duration, with self-repair and small-craft facilities, good defenses, and fair cargo capacity, is the best approach to commercial exploration beyond the Imperial pale. Hence, the Recollet-class Exploratory Trader.

The Recollet is built into a rock solid 500-ton streamlined wedge-configuration hull, stressed to 10 G's for atmospheric operations, and heavily armoured. The Recollet is equipped with fuel scoops capable of ingesting its full fuel load in slightly over 45 minutes, and refining it in just over three hours. It is also equipped with a 40-ton hangar capable of accomodating a standard 20-ton launch (not included in MSRP) or serving as supplementary cargo or storage space. Other facilities designed to extend the Recollet's duration in the field include an electronics shop and a machine shop, and 2 years fuel storage for its 375 Mw Zhunastu Fusion Systems power plant. Its hold is capable of accomodating 102 tons of cargo, accessed via four large cargo hatches.

The Recollet is capable of accelerations of up to 2Gs, driven by a Famille Spofulam Gravitics Thruster Plate unit, and boasts the longest range (3 parsecs) jump drive currently available.

As it is designed to venture far beyond the protective umbrella of the Imperial Navy, the Recollet packs two 251 megajoule Ling Standard heavy lasers linked by MFD, as well as one nuclear damper and a sandcaster. The Recollet's weapons suite therefore provides significant firepower, and is capable of dealing with either laser or missile-equipped (typical of lower-TL cultures) opponents.

As typical for FSY's civilian craft, accomodations are luxurious; command, sensor, flight deck, senior gunner, and engineering crew sleep in six large staterooms, while the gunners and steward each have a single small stateroom to themselves. Eight small staterooms are provided for middle passengers. Given that the Recollet will often be operated with a lower crew complement of three gunners (with the lasers being fired by the MFD gunner) and no steward, up to 11 middle passengers may be carried. Crew quarters may be shifted into smaller staterooms to accomodate High passengers if necessary. A sickbay is provided, as are 10 low berths.

The result is a highly capable vessel with a surprisingly low price tag of only 226 Mcr (launch not included) which we here at FSY feel will become extremely popular among those venturing beyond the frontiers of the Imperium to seek fortune, adventure, and to increase the glory of the Imperium.

Designer's comments (in no particular order):


Encounter Class Exploratory Trader

Designer: John Long jlong@wilmington.net
Firm: Long Yards
System: SSDS
            
Tons: 2,000 std ( SL Wedge )  Volume: 28,000 m^3               Cost: 1,542.278 MCr ( 1,394.050 MCr )
Crew: 33/49 ( /HighAuto  )    Passengers High/Medium: 10/0     Passengers Low: 0( 8 Emerg. )  
Cargo: 400.0 std              Controls: Survey Std ( /Bridge ) Tech Level: 12  

9   Size Rating                      3   Jump Drive ( 200 std/pc fuel )  
                                     3   Maneuver ( Thruster, 1,500 Mw )  
                                     2   Power Plant Rating ( 4x500Mw 1x75Mw )  
4xLaser Batteries (+4) 1/2-1-0-0   622   Fuel ( /Scoop:1.7 /Refine:6.2 )  
                                     2   Sandcaster ( 30 cans )  
                                     1   Nuclear Damper ( 15Mw )  
                                     5   Meson Screen ( 25 Mw )  
                                     0   Black Globe  
2xMissile Cells (+4) 5/8     A10 P4 J0   Sensors   
 w/ 15 Guided DetLaser 1d6/2 6G12   20   Armor,  28  Structure  
            
1xEngineering Shop ( 6 std )    1xVehicle Shop ( 10 std )    
2xSick Bays ( 8 std ea. )        
1x50 ton recreation area (Buyer to determine interior arrangement and facilities)
2x25 ton missle stoage bays (25std each)
2xMinimal Hangars ( 30 std craft )        
            
Crew Details: 6 cmd, 2 mvr, 3 elc, 9 gun, 4 scr, 6 eng, 1 mtn, 4 crf, 10 trp, 0 sci, 1 stw, 2 brk, 1 med"        

Notes:

Long Yards is proud to announce the launch of its' Encounter Class Trader the Encounter. Answering the Imperium's call for a long long range "Exploratory Trading Vessel" to open up new markets beyond the frontier, we present the Encounter.

The Encounter is a 2000 ton steamlined wedge with state of the art Jump-3, and 3g acceleration (4g with the 1g contra grav system used "close in to worlds"). Since it is expected to operate outside the frontier we have equipped the Encounter with 4 imprved heavey laser turrets, each with its' own MFD and gunner. Add to this the 2 heavey missle turrets with 25 tons of missle storage for each turret, and we feel that the Ecounter can well take care of itself in almost any "hostile situation". On the defensive side of the coin we have heavily armored the hull and installed 2 sandcaster turrets, each with its' own MFD. In addition to the "casters" we have equipped the Encounter with a 30,000 km nuclear damper, and a 25Mw meson screen.

In addition we have installed a 16 bed sickbay, a vehicle shop, and an engineering shop to make the veesel as self sufficient as possible for those long voyages. We have also included 2, 30 ton minimal hangers for the ships auxilaries, (To be determined by the purchaser - not included in vessel price).

Realizing that the Encounter would be operating "in the rough" we have installed fuel scoops that can scoop the full fuel load in 1.7 hrs and a purification plant that can have it ready to use in 6.2 hrs.

Don't think for a minute that with all this "hardware" that we've forgotten the "software" that makes the Encounter run, On the contrary we have included 40 small staterooms and 12 large staterooms for the crew. In addition we have reserved a 50 ton area as a Recreation room that can be outfitted per the buyers wishes, to keep the crew happy and fit.

Speaking of the crew in addition to the necessary ships' crew we've included room for 2 brokers, up to 4 small craft pilots and 10 troops/security personnel. Adding the ability to carry 10 high passengers if necessary rounds out the accommodations.

On top of all of these features we've not forgotten the prime mission of the vessel, TRADE. We've included 400 tons of cargo space for the ship that should prove more than adequate for those long exploratory trading voyages.

On top of all these features we continue to provide what we feal is the best warranty in the business. If for any reason (other than normal wear or battle damage) on of our components or ships should fail we will replace it (Either the component or the ship) at no cost to the owner (Original purchasers only).

Annual Financial Information

(Note - some of this information valid only for commercial vessels)

All amounts in credits (Cr). Information assumes 25 trips per year.

      
Down Payment  277,610,000.00
            
Income/Expenses                    Full Load     Standard Load  
Cargo (minus luggage and mail)    19,250,000.00     15,500,000.00   
Passengers                         2,500,000.00      2,000,000.00  
Mail                                 625,000.00        625,000.00   
Subsidy Payment                  (11,187,500.00)    (9,062,500.00)  
Fuel                                       0.00       (311,000.00)  
Life Support                      (2,950,000.00)    (2,850,000.00)  
Maintenance                       (1,394,050.00)    (1,394,050.00)  
Berthing                              (2,500.00)        (3,000.00)  
Salaries                          (1,834,800.00)    (1,834,800.00)  
Profit/Loss                        5,005,950.00      2,669,450.00   
            
Income/Expenses             Maintenance Load    
Cargo (minus luggage and mail)     3,950,000.00     
Passengers                           500,000.00     
Mail                                 625,000.00     
Subsidy Payment                   (2,537,500.00)    
Fuel                              (1,244,000.00)    
Life Support                      (2,550,000.00)    
Maintenance                       (1,394,050.00)    
Berthing                              (4,500.00)    
Salaries                          (1,834,800.00)    
Profit/Loss                       (4,490,050.00)    

SSDS Design Template                          
Ship Name   Encounter                  
Ship Class  Encounter Class
Ship Description  Exploratory Trader                
Ship Designer  "Long Yards,  John Long Chief Architect"  
Design Tech Level  12  
Subsidized design?  Yes                    

Item  Hull   #  Cd  Notes  Mass  Vol  Area  Power  Cost  Mx  En  Gn  El
  Size            20      2000    -28000.00  -6450.0            
  Configuration    3      Wedge                
  Streamlining     2      Streamlined            
  Length          90.0 meters                
  Internal structure    6    414.90  27.66      0.39        
  Armor    20      1383.00  92.20      0.90        
  Required airlocks  20      4.00  60.00  40.0  0.02  0.10        
  Extra airlocks  0      0.00  0.00  0.0  0.00  0.00        
  
Drives    #  Cd    Notes  Mass  Vol  Area  Power  Cost  Mx  En  Gn  El
Jump    1  3    Jump-3  3360.00  1120.00  373.0    336.00  0.24  1.40    
Jump fuel    3      3 Parsecs    8400.00              
Contra-grav  1  1    1-G  266.70  400.00  400.0  133.40  40.00  0.02  0.50    
Thrusters  1  3      3-G  3000.00  1500.00  300.0  1500.00  375.00  0.21  1.88    

Weapons    # / Bt  Mfd  ROF  Notes  Mass  Vol  Area  Power  Cost  Mx  En  Gn  El
Heavy lasers  4 / 4  4  3  (+4) 1/2-1  683.16  438.40  76.0  96.04  112.12  0.07    4.00  
Heavy missile lnhr  2 / 2    2  (+4) 5/8  265.20  410.40  44.0  12.70  102.70  0.04    2.00  

Defences    # / Bt  Mfd    Notes  Mass  Vol  Area  Power  Cost  Mx  En  Gn  El
Sandcasters  2 / 2  2    2 (30 cans)  162.20  135.20  26.0  8.20  52.80  0.02    2.00  
Nuclear dampers  1 / 1      "30,k km"  76.20  83.00  7.5  15.00  2.05  0.01    1.00  
Meson screens  1 / 2      177  380.00  507.00  250.0  25.00  50.70  0.08    4.00  
    
Electronics  #  Cd    Notes  Mass  Vol  Area  Power  Cost  Mx  En  Gn  El
Controls  3          8.40  84.00    2.00  9.00  0.00      
Automation Level    3    High  \                
Electronics Package  1  4    Survey  59.34  76.36  327.8  79.82  53.80  0.00      3.50

Life Support  #  Cd    Notes  Mass  Vol  Area  Power  Cost  Mx  En  Gn  El
Life Support  1  2    Standard  224.00  224.00    5.60  14.00        
Artificial Gravity  1        560.00  280.00    140.00  14.00  0.04      

Equipment  #  Cd  Ex  Notes  Mass  Vol  Area  Power  Cost  Mx  En  Gn  El
Engineering shop  1        40.00  84.00    0.60  1.00        
Machine shop  1        120.00  140.00    1.00  2.00        
Sickbay  2          100.00  224.00    1.60  10.00        
Minimal hangar  2  3    30std craft  336.00  1680.00  170.0    0.52        
Recreation area  1      50 std  200.00  700.00    30.00  5.00
Missle Storage  2      25 std Ea  250.00  700.00    5.00  1.20
Fuel scoops  3      1.7 hours      967.5    0.07        
Fuel purification plant  2  1    6.2 hours  1120.00  560.00    8.40  0.22        

Power Plants  #  Cd  Ex  Notes  Mass  Vol  Area  Power  Cost  Mx  En  Gn  El
Fusion plant  4  8    500  4000.00  1000.00  -2000.00  200.00  0.28  2.34    
Fuel    1.0      1 year    300.00              
Fusion plant  1  5    75  150.00  37.50  -75.00  7.50  0.01  0.09    
Fuel    1.0      1 year    11.25              

Crew    #  Cd  Ex  Notes  Mass  Vol  Area  Power  Cost  Mx  En  Gn  El
Maintenance  1  1                        
Engineering  6  6                        
Electronics    3  3                        
Maneuver    2  2                        
Gunnery    9  9                        
Screens    4  4                        
Small craft    4                          
Troops    10                          
Command    6  6                        
High Passengers  10                          
Stewards    1  1                        
Brokers    2                          
Medical    1  1                        
Total Regular Crew  18  18                        
Total Crew    49                          
Total Personnel  59                          
Crew Stations  #  Cd  Ex  Notes  Mass  Vol  Area  Power  Cost  Mx  En  Gn  El
Workstations  10  6      2.00  70.00      0.02        
Bridge workstations  22  20    Required  4.40  308.00      0.03        

Quarters    #  Cd  Ex  Notes  Mass  Vol  Area  Power  Cost  Mx  En  Gn  El
Small staterooms  40        80.00  1120.00    0.02  1.60        
Large staterooms  12        48.00  672.00    0.01  1.20        
Emer. low berths  2        4.00  56.00    0.00  0.20        

Additional Space  #  Cd  Ex  Notes  Mass  Vol  Area  Power  Cost  Mx  En  Gn  El
Extra fuel    50        0.00  700.00              
Cargo space  400          7000.00              
Large cargo hatch  4  20          80.0    0.08        
Small cargo hatch  4  0          48.0    0.05        
Waste space          0.00    0.00              
Totals            17351.50  -199.03  -3340.3  -10.58  1394.05  1.02  6.20  13.00  3.50

Anderson class exploratory trader

Designer: Nick Munn N.S.Munn@sheffield.ac.uk
Firm: Imperial Shipping
System: QSDS 1.5
Hull details:  Airframe slab, max 4G, length 99 m [from SSDS data]

Tons:  2000  Volume:  28 000 m^3         Cost:  727.0 MCr
Crew:    49  High Pass:  2               Low Pass: 6 (+48)
Cargo:  100  Controls: Std mil., bridge  TL:  12

Size 09                          3 Jump (200 Td fuel/pc)
                                 1 Maneuver (thrusters)
                               + 1 Maneuver (HEPlaR) (2 hr)
                                 3 Powerplant (2570 MW)
1 x Mil. laser (+4) 1/4-4-3-2  650 Fuel (S 400, R 20)
4 x Civ. laser (+0) 1/2-0-0-0    2 Meson Screen (3 MW)
                                 4 Sand [30 ready each]
1 spacious hangar (100 Td)       1 Nuclear Damper (15 MW)
3 airframe grapples for     A10 P4 J10 Sensors
  20t, 30t, 50t                 30 Armour  25 Structure

Crew detail:  7 Engineers, 2 Electronics, 2 Maneuver, 10 Gunnery,
  1 Screens, 12 Auxilliary Craft, 6 Troops, 6 Command crew,
  2 Stewards, 1 Medical

  High passengers often scientists or company officials

Additional details:
  Advanced comm. package
  100 Td collapsible tanks in cargo space
   (leave 5 Td cargo when full)
  Engineering and vehicle shops near hangar
  Sickbay (2 person)
  Lab space (2 people)
  2 x 200 Td collapsible tanks in hangar area
  12 emergency low berths (hence +48 above)
  Crew in 43 small staterooms, command crew in 6 staterooms
    (slightly more space than usual in common areas)
  Concealed storage of 0.4 Td for contraband, firearms etc.

Description:

The Anderson class exploratory trader is a 2000 displacement ton vessel, intended for use in discovering trade goods and markets in unfamiliar space. Its most unusual features are a docking bay for a 100-ton ship, intended for a 100-ton courier but usable by shuttles, and its array of collapsible tanks. One set of 200 Td tanks in the hangar may be used freely, though this restricts work on craft above 50 Td displacement (add one level of difficulty to task). If the hangar is empty and gear stowed - which takes 12 person-hours - the second set of 200 Td tanks may be filled. Standard doctrine also has every small craft fitted with collapsible fuel tanks in their cargo hold, in order to jump to safety in the case of misjump.

It is expected that the cargo hold will contain spare parts, consumables and trade goods. As the voyage progresses, these will be replaced by new trade items. Six low berths allow the transport of animal specimens or reserve crewmembers.

A 1G HEPlaR drive is fitted as backup to the main thrusters, or for emergency acceleration. The powerplants are sufficient to power all components simultaneously, although only three 500 MW units are required for normal operation (no HEPlaR).

Crew assignments vary, with troops sometimes replaced by scientific staff or assigned to small craft. The 12 auxilliary craft crew are four mechanics and eight crew members; in practice, they represent relief personnel for the main crew, and may not be assigned to one craft only.

The price of this ship does not include the J3, 2G courier ship at MCr 50.6, or any small craft. Common small craft selections are

although the commercial availability of fighters is extremely low.

Press Release, Imperial Shipping LIC (founded 009-001)

In search of new markets? Need a fresh supplier of those lucrative extra-imperial goods? Then you need a ship which can get you there before the competition, keep you alive while you skim the cream from the local economies, and be on its way before rival firms are squabbling over the crumbs you've left them. You need Imperial Shipping's Anderson class Exploratory Trader, or you need a new job. Because if your competitors buy and you don't, pretty soon you'll need one.

Let's be honest. It doesn't take an Anderson to jump three parsecs in a week. Wilderness refuelling is pretty common. Most ships carry a small craft or two. So what makes our ship so special? The clean lines of a 99m airframe hull?

How about the way it's built around a massive 400 Td hangar? (It's nearly the size of some of our competitors' ships.)

A hangar that houses a very special scoutship. We can't confirm that it's related to the latest Navy courier. Nor can we deny it. This lightly-armed ship can carry enough fuel for two 3-parsec jumps, using a collapsible fuel tank to maintain cargo capacity. When your trade information won't wait, you don't have to abandon your expensive mission -- just send the Type S3 courier.

A hangar big enough for shuttles to pour trade goods into the ample 100 Td cargo bay. Just the thing when you're receiving goods from civilisations that don't have Fusion Plus(TM) -- yet!

A hangar which can be used as fuel storage, thanks to innovative use of collapsible tanks. (We've put them in the cargo bay, too.)

We're nearly as pleased with our hangar as you'll be. Especially when you need the space for repairs. Or fuel. Or spares. Or an end-of-tour celebration.

Of course, we supply fittings for a number of other small craft. However, we believe you're the best judge of your trading needs, so we don't force you to take some standard package of craft. Our advisers are always ready to help you choose, however, so you've still got all the power of Imperial Shipping's experience behind you.

You've also got the power of our milspec laser battery, in case of trouble. Plus four secondary turrets. Four sandcasters. A nuclear damper, in case your potential trading partners haven't heard about the Imperial ban. A heavily-armoured hull. Even a meson screen. (Recent medical research indicates it reduces radiation exposure for deep space crews like yours.) And with our Navy-issue sensor gear, you'll see trouble coming before it sees you.

If you need to run, you've got a HEPlaR drive to boost you away from trouble. And of course, two separate main drives means never having to say "sundive". Especially when the Anderson has five main 500 MW powerplants, runs on two, and cruises on three. Of course, our fuel purification plant keeps everything clean, but accidents -- and worse -- can happen. That's why we've included engineering and vehicle shops, to help your engineers keep things running smoothly.

Keeping your crew running smoothly is as important as maintaining your drives, so we've included plenty of common space for recreation, as well as individual staterooms for every crewmember. We've left you space for a security detachment, plus a couple of high passengers. Or maybe you want a couple of top scientists to work in the on-board analysis lab? Again, it's your choice, because trading is your business. Designing quality starships is ours.

And because of our key role in establishing standard, modular starship components throughout the Imperium, we're cheaper than you'd think. MCr 727 buys you more quality than the competition can stand. They know that too. Buy first. Buy now. Buy Anderson, from Imperial Shipyards.

There's only one feature of the Anderson we hope you won't use: the emergency low berths. Still, at least you won't be there for the rest of your life, like on most ships. But then, they don't carry a scoutship capable of two 3-parsec jumps. Just high insurance premiums.

Design Worksheet:

Component     Vol/Td    Area/m^2  Pwr/MW   MCr     Crew

Hull           543.1    95.1
Jump-3          80      373       336      1.8
HEPlaR 1G        8      112    1120     1.1      0.3
Thrusters       36      101     504   126      1.2
Mil controls     3.4        0.3     2.5    18.5
Std mil sensor   1.2       44.6    85.2    62.5      0.8
Advanced commo   0.0      203      21.5     2      0.8
Civ lasers (4)   12       40      53.2     5.6      4
Mil laser        20.3       62.1   203.1    34.6      1
4 sandcaster     12       40       4     3.2      4
Meson screen-2   4.3       30       3     6      0.1
Nuc damper-1     6       20      15     2      1
Engnr shop       6         0.6     1
Vehicle shop    10         1     2
Lab [for 2]      8         0.8     5
Sickbay [for 2]  8         0.8     5
Hangar         400   c. 200         1.3
Grapples        30      576         0.4
     45      762         0.6
     75     1129         1.1
Jump fuel  600
Purif. plant   48        10.1     0.3
Collaps. tanks   25           0.7
PP 5 x 500 MW   89.5         250      2
PP 50 + 20    2.5           7      0.1
27 Bridge wstn   27           0.054
8 lge stateroom   32         0.008   0.8
43 sm stateroom   86         0.0215  1.72
12 em. low   24         0.024   1.2
6 low berth    6         0.006   0.3
Cargo    100.4
Fuel     50

Totals: 1855.6 Td, 3693 m^2, 2568.7615 MW, MCr 969.374 before 
discount.

Design notes:

I had to extrapolate a bit to get the 400 ton hangar, so maybe I should add MCr 0.3 to the final (discounted) price for that. The use of collapsible tanks in the hangar is a bit arguable, too, though at least 200 tons should certainly be possible. Other than that, everything is standard QSDS.

I've gone for a real mix of features, on the basis that the ship will be an explorer rather than a trader. The emphasis is therefore on sample goods and knowledge, coupled with sustainability, rather than traditional trade performance. This explains the MCr 7.3 per cargo ton cost (although that doesn't allow for cargo aboard the small craft). The lab is symptomatic of this approach.

The scoutship is key to this design, so I give details below. It's not a Navy Courier (which exists as an SSDS design with EMM and better sensors, etc.) but has identical performance. The ability to send data back to a parent company is invaluable to exploratory trade.

I can't wait to tell a group of PCs "OK, you're crew of the exploratory trader _Harrison_, which has just misjumped badly. There's a single scoutship in which to get help, and you've been selected to fly it. Good luck."

Type S3 Scout/Courier (QSDS 1.5)

Nick Munn

Hull details:  Needle S, max 4G

Tons:  100    Volume:  1 400 m^3      Cost:  50.6 MCr
Crew:  6 (2)  High Pass:  0           Low Pass: 0
Cargo:  29.5  Controls: Std civilian  TL:  12

Size 09                          3 Jump (30 Td fuel/pc)
                                 2 Maneuver (thrusters)
                                 3 Powerplant (135 MW)
1 x Civ. laser (+0) 1/2-0-0-0   31 Fuel (S 20, R 0)
                                 0 Meson Screen (3 MW)
                                 0 Sand [30 ready each]
                                 0 Nuclear Damper (15 MW)
                          A2 P3 J0 Sensors
                                20 Armour  9 Structure

Crew detail:  1 Engineer, 1 Electronics, 2 Maneuver, 1 Gunnery,
              1 Command crew.  (Can be run by 2 people.)

Accomodation:  1 large stateroom, 2 small stateroom, 3 bunks

Other:  30-ton collapsible tank in cargo hold.
        Improved commo package
        Powerplant sizes: 75 MW + three 20 MW.
        PP fuel lasts c. 6 months.

Elisabeth Class Frontier Trader

Designer: Bill Prankard BPRANKARD@theiia.org
Firm: X-TEK
System: QSDS 1.5 plus Huge Table of Hulls
2000Td Cylinder SL  28,000m^3                 Cost:1111.1Mcr
Crew: 44            Passengers(Staterooms): 9 High(Large)/35Mid(Small) Low:8(Emergency)
Cargo: 400Td        Controls: Mil/Fib(Bridge) TL-12

9 Size                     3 Jump (200Td/Pc Fuel)     
                           2 Maneuver (Thrust Plates)
L Bay   (+4) 1/6-6-6-5     3 Power Plant(1x3000Mw, 1x200Mw, 1x50Mw)
L Bat-1 (+4) 1/2-2-0-0     714.7 Fuel (Scoops, Refine 50Td/Hr)
L Bat-2 (+4) 1/2-2-0-0     7 Meson Screen (50Mw)
L Bat-3 (+4) 1/2-2-0-0     4 Sandcaster (120 Cans)
L Bat-4 (+4) 1/2-2-0-0     4 Nuke Damper (240Mw, 60 Mw/each)

Hangar#1 10Td Ships Boat   Sensors: A10 P4 J10
Hangar#2 10Td Ships Boat   20 Armour   28 Structure
Hangar#3 Air Raft
Hangar#4 Air Raft

Extras:                    Crew: Maneuver=2, Engineer=6, Electronic=2, Gunners=13, Screens=2
10 Bed Sickbay                   Troops=10, Command=6, Steward=2, Medical=1
Engineering Shop
Vehicle Shop
Lounge
Exercise Room
The Elizabeth Class Frontier Trader is named after an ancient Solomani queen which ruled during a time when wooden ships plyed the seas in search of gold and trade. During that time rival kingdoms and pirates would prey upon these ships for their goods. The Queen was wise to protect her capital with well defended merchants. We in our new Imperuim see ourselves in a similar situation. A new, rich empire, in which envious pocket empires and pirates would prey upon our ships on the rim, especialy those going to Vland and the unsettled teritories. The Elizabeth takes the best military protection available, while still appearing to be a trading vessel.

The Elisabeth is well defended, most of its armamaents are of a defensive, rather than offensive nature. The single military heave lasers insure that most missiles would be destroyed at a safe range. It has 4 Sandacsters to protect it from laser fire, and 4 Nuclear dampers should the enemy be dispicable enough to use nuclear arms. Its main gun is a 50Td TL-12 Laser Bay. This weapon will make the Elizabeth able to hold her own against capital ships roughly her size. As it is known that some uncontacted worlds may use relic RoM Meson Weapons, a Meson screen was also installed.

There are 2 Ships Boats and 2 Air rafts on board as support and auxilary craft. Engineering and vehicle shops are instaled to provide self sufficency of the ship, as it may not be at a class a port for months at a time. Likewise, for the sake of the crew, comfort has been provided by a lounge and an exercise and recreation room. Medical facilitaies are also present should a crewmember become wounded or contract an ailment. If the crewmember becomes mortaly wounded or sick, emergency low berths are available to store the fallen comrade untill such time that he/she could be recessutated back home in Core.

The Crew compliement mainly consists of security and gunnery, with engineering and command crew second, then the technical crew and finaly the service crew. This ship puts saftey and protection on the highest order, next to trade of course. It is one thing to get the goods from the world, its another to protect that precious cargo, and in the Frontier, there is no navy to protect you, one must be ready for any posible contingency. We believe that the Elizabeth is one of the best fusions of Merchant and Military technology and experience.


Ming Class 2000-ton Exploratory Trader

Designer: Paul Walker tiger@goldinc.com
Firm: Quiptech, Inc.
System: QSDS, FFS, Big Hulls
Tons: 2000Sdt(Wdg SL)   Volume: 28,000m^3   Cost: (See Below)
Crew: 35                Hi/Mid: 2/5         Low: 2 (32 Emerg Lo)
Cargo: (See Below)      Controls: Std Civ   TL: 12

 9 Size                       3 Jump Drive (250Sdt/Pc Fuel)
                              2G Maueuver (T-Plates, 1260Mw)
 2xMil Laser(+4)1/4-3-2-0     2 Power Plant (1x2000Mw Fus)
 1xMissile Barb(+4)5/4      771.4 Fuel (S800 R20)
  w/5GuidedDetLsr1d6/2 6G12   6 Meson Screen (32 Mw)
                              8 Sandcaster (240 Cans, 2x+4 MFD)
 2x80-t SL Grapple          A10 P4 J10
11x30-t SL Grapple           20 Armor, 28 Structure
 1x10-t SL Grapple           90 Length

 1xEngineering Shop(6Sdt)     2x80-t Grasshopper-class
 1xVehicle Shop(10Sdt)             Modular Support Craft
 1xLaboratory(8Sdt)          11x30-t Cargo/Fuel Module
 1xSick Bay(8Sdt)             1x10-t Q010 Luxury Landing Craft
 1xFitness Room(8Sdt)
 1xEntertainment Room(8Sdt)
 1xGalley/Mess(8Sdt)

Crew: 2 Man, 2 Elec, 6 Eng, 5 Gun, 2 Scrn, 6 Small Craft,
      5 Troops, 4 Cmd, 2 Stwd, 1 Med (Cmd & Med in Lg Stateroom)

Total Price: 1190.49MCr(Discounted); 1523.69MCr(No Discount)
Total Cargo: 793Sdt

Calculations   -----Price(MCr)----
Ship           Original   Discount      Cargo(Sdt)
Ming Class      1395.39    1074.89        361.4

Grasshopper(1)    52.06      46.96          0.0
Cargo/Fuel Mod (Price for two Modules      28.7
Cargo/Fuel Mod  included in Craft above)   28.7

Grasshopper(2)    52.06      46.96          0.0
Cargo/Fuel Mod (Price for two Modules      28.7
Cargo/Fuel Mod  included in Craft above)   28.7

Cargo/Fuel Mod(1)  0.63       0.56         28.7
Cargo/Fuel Mod(2)  0.63       0.56         28.7
Cargo/Fuel Mod(3)  0.63       0.56         28.7
Cargo/Fuel Mod(4)  0.63       0.56         28.7
Cargo/Fuel Mod(5)  0.63       0.56         28.7
Cargo/Fuel Mod(6)  0.63       0.56         28.7
Cargo/Fuel Mod(7)  0.63       0.56         28.7
Cargo/Fuel Mod(8)  0.63       0.56         28.7
Cargo/Fuel Mod(9)  0.63       0.56         28.7
Cargo/Fuel Mod(10) 0.63       0.56         28.7
Cargo/Fuel Mod(11) 0.63       0.56         28.7

Q010 Craft        17.25      15.52          1.1

TOTAL SYSTEM:   1523.69    1190.49        793.0

Notes:

250-ton Collapsible Fuel Bladder (12.5Sdt Storage) included. Advanced Communications, Small Military Sensors. Fitness Room contains latest advanced weight work out system as well as excercise area. Entertainment room contains latest selection of tri-d videos as well as a digital library, and game selection. Galley/Mess is a specialized kitchen/dining area. It is reccommended that the Troops and Stewards carried be crosstrained in firing the sandcasters in the event of the loss of either of the MFD's. The passengers are typically mission leaders and their staff. Power Surplus: 1.04Mw

Quiptech Press Release

Quiptech is pleased to announce its newest ship, the Ming-class Exploratory Trader. Designed to trade opportunities outside of the Imperium, the Ming is fully equipped with many modern features.

Cargo is key to any trading opportunity, and here at Quiptech, we feel that we understand this. The Ming comes equipped with over 350 standard displacement tons of cargo area within itself, as well as over 400 tons of cargo area in specially designed cargo modules. Each module comes equipped with its own Life Suport and AG/IC systems that can be turned on and off individually to preserve power. This also allows the Ming to carry a variety of different cargoes with the least amount of spoilage.

Twin Grasshopper-class Modular Support vessels are included with the Ming to allow for faster loading and unloading of cargo. Each Grasshopper is capable of 5G's of thrust to quickly move cargo from the surface to the Ming. The AF hulls of the Grasshoppers also help speed up the process.

What good is cargo if you can't protect it? That's why the Ming is equipped with a level 6 Meson screen as well as 8 Sandcasters for defense. In addition, the twin laser batteries and the missile launcher will give the attacking craft something to think about while the Ming makes its escape. (Imperial Permits may be required.)

"How?" you ask. The Ming (and all 15 of the Cargo/Fuel Modules) come equipped with Collapsible Fuel Bladders. We reccommend that before the Ming jumps out of system, all of these Bladders that can be are filled with fuel. During the jump, this fuel can be purified and pumped into the Mings fuel tank, giving the Ming the ability to perform an emergency Jump at any time after entering a system.

Of course, your cargo isn't valuable unless you can get it back to port, so, the Ming is equipped with both an Engineering and Vehicle Shop and is more than able to repair most parts while in the field. But being able to fix your ship is not going to help if there is no one to fly it. When you visit new worlds, there is always the chance that a new virus or microbody will be encountered, so the Ming is also equipped with a 2-bed sick bay and laboratory to give the Medical staff an extra edge in finding the cure. But if, Ancients forbid, you are unable to find the cure, the Ming is also equipped with more than enough low berths to preserve the injured or sick crewmember until the cure can be found.

When you are away from home on Exploratory Trading missions, crew morale can play a large part in whether you make a profit or not. It is for this reason that the Ming provides a small stateroom for each crewmember and a large stateroom for the command and medical crew. In addition, there is a specially designed Galley/Mess area allowing the stewards more room to provide for more tasteful and healthier meals. The crew can be treated to a tri-d from a vast tri-d library, or can read a book from the library included in the Entertainment Room. Finally, crew comfort and health will be enhanced in the Fitness Room. A collection of various exercise machinery and work-out areas provide the crew with yet another method for passing the long hours of space travel.

Finally, the Ming comes equipped with a Quiptech Q010 Luxury Landing Craft. During the negotiations and establishment of trade treaties, it is often necessary for the mission leaders to conduct meeting of good-will on the planet's surface. The Q010 allows this to be done and at the same time leave a good impression on the natives. There are times, however, when a stronger show is necessary, and at these times, the Ming itself can descend to the surface of the world to leave a lasting impression with the locals.

No matter what conditions you expect, the Ming gives you the ability to confront it with confidence. In addition, the Ming provides a large cargo area to increase profits and maintain that competitive edge.

Design notes:

The Ming was designed to work with the Grasshopper and the Cargo/Fuel Modules. The total displacement tonnage for all carried craft and the Ming itself is 2500-tons. The Jump Drive and Thruster Plates are designed with this size in mind.

Other Ships:

Grasshopper Class 80-ton Modular Support Craft (SSDS)

Tons: 80Sdt(Disc AF)   Volume: 1120m^3      Cost: 52.06MCr(46.96MCr)
Crew: 2                Hi/Mid: 0/0          Low: 0
Cargo: 0Sdt(1.39m^3)   Controls: Std Auto   TL: 12

 7 Size                     5G Maueuver (T-Plates, 100Mw)
                            3 Power Plant (1x100Mw Fus, 1x25Mw Fus)
 2x30-t Docking Ring        0.67 Fuel (Scoop 80)
 2x30-t Cargo/Fuel Module  A1 P2 J0
 1xEmerg Low Berth         20 Armor, 9 Structure
                           19.8 Length

Crew: 1 Maneuver, 1 Electronics

Notes:

The Modular Support Craft is equipped with three airlocks one for normal entry, plus one per module. The Craft uses the Standard Civilian Electronics Package. The area of the Docking Rings does not include Life Support or Artificial Gravity/Inertial Compensation. It is assumed to be included in the module itself. The Craft carries enough fuelto be used for half a year. The inclusion of an Emergency Low Berth allows the Craft to be used as a lifeboat if necessary. Price listed includes two Cargo/Fuel Modules. Power Surplus: 5.571 Mw

Design notes:

Because I based this design on working with the Cargo/Fuel Module, I opted not to extedn the LS and AG/IC throughout the hull. I had some difficulty within myself using three airlocks rather than a full year's worth of fuel, but I felt the need for the airlocks was justified. I also don't like the lack of cargo space, but I felt the potential of 5G's thrust was too much to be passed up. Of course, the pilot and sensor guy had better be strapped into the seats when they kick in the thrust. :)

Design Sequence:

 Item      Mass       Volume     Power    Area      Cost
Hull IS    39.6000     2.640     0.000     0.0    0.036960
Armor     343.2000    22.880     0.000     0.0    0.320320
3xAirlk     0.6000     9.000     0.003     6.0    0.015000
T-Plate   200.0000   100.000   100.006    20.0   25.000000
Controls    0.1176     1.176     0.840     0.0    0.126000
StdCivElc  10.1000    24.000    13.360     0.0   12.020000
Std LS(20)  2.2400     2.240     0.056    18.0    0.140000
AG/IC(20)   5.6000     2.800     1.000     0.0    0.140000
Scoops      0.0000     0.000     0.000   198.9    0.014918
100Mw     200.0000    50.000     0.000     0.0   10.000000
25Mw       50.0000    12.500     0.000     0.0    2.500000
2xW/S       0.4000    14.000     0.000     0.0    0.003000
2x30t DkRg  0.0000   840.000     0.000   170.0    0.520000
Emerg Low   2.0000    28.000     0.002     0.0    0.100000
Fuel        0.0000     0.000     0.000     0.0    0.000000
2x30-tMod 340.9200     0.000     2.168     0.0    1.120000
Cargo       0.0000     1.389     0.000     0.0    0.000000

TOTALS:  1194.778   1120.000   119.429   412.9   52.056200
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

30-ton Cargo/Fuel Module (SSDS)

Tons: 30Sdt (Box SL)     Volume: 420 m^3     Cost: 0.63MCr (0.56MCr)
Crew: 0                  Hi/Mid: 0/0         Lo: 0
Cargo: 28.7Sdt           Controls: none      TL: 12

 7 Size                       20 Armor  5 Structure
                              11.5 Length

Crew: (0.02 Maintenance for AG/IC)

Notes:

The 30-ton Cargo/Fuel Module is equipped with a 28.5-ton collapsible fuel bladder to allow the module to be used for fuel storage as well as standard cargo. The Standard Life Support and Artificail Gravity/Inertial Compensation Systems allow for storage of any type of cargo, from refrigerated to live, but does require a 2.084Mw power source. (Approximate Dimensions: 11.5m x 5.2m x 7.0m) Fuel Bladder (19.95m^3 Storage Space)

Design Notes:

All of the items on the Cargo/Fuel Module are SSDS items with the exception of the Collapsible Fuel Tank which is QSDS. The grapples needed to use this module on an existing hull require 126m^3 volume and 132.25m^2 surface area. They cost 0.26MCr and mass 132.25 tonnes.

Design Sequence:

 Item      Mass   Volume  Power Area    Cost   Crew   Source(Disc)
Hull IS    20.70    1.38  0.000   0   0.01932  0.000   SSDS(10%)
Armor     138.00    9.20  0.000   0   0.12880  0.000   SSDS(10%)
Lg Hatch    0.00    0.00  0.000  20   0.02000  0.000   SSDS(10%)
Std LS      3.36    3.36  0.084   0   0.21000  0.000   SSDS(10%)
AG/IC       8.40    4.20  2.000   0   0.21000  0.020   SSDS(10%)
Fuel Blad   0.00    0.00  0.000   0   0.03990  0.000   QSDS(25%)
Cargo       0.00  401.86  0.000   0   0.00000  0.000   SSDS(10%)

TOTALS:   170.46  420.00  2.084  20   0.62802  0.020
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

10-ton Luxury Landing Craft Q010 (SSDS)

Tons: 10Sdt(Cyl AF)   Volume: 140m^3      Cost: 17.25MCr(15.52MCr)
Crew: 2               Hi/Mid: See Below   Low: 0
Cargo:1.1Sdt(16.6m^3) Controls: Std Auto  TL: 12

 7 Size                     4G Maueuver (T-Plates, 10Mw)
                            5 Power Plant (1x25Mw Fus)
 4xRoomy Seats(7Sdt)        0.27 Fuel
 6xAdequate Seats (3.5Sdt) A1 P2 J0
                           10 Armor, 2 Structure
                           14 Length

Crew: 1 Maneuver, 1 Electronics

Notes:
Power Surplus: 0.6Mw 

Design notes:

The seats chosen are from FFS, and everything else is from SSDS. As with all of my SSDS designs, the Q010 is equipped with standard life support rather than just basic.

Design Sequence: (Q010 Landing Craft)

 Item      Mass     Volume   Power    Area      Cost
Hull IS    9.0000    0.600   0.0000    0.0   0.00840
Armor     58.5000    3.900   0.0000    0.0   0.05460
Airlock    0.2000    3.000   0.0010    2.0   0.00500
T-Plate   20.0000   10.000  10.0000    2.0   2.50000
Controls   0.0147    0.147   0.0105    0.0   0.01575
StdCivElc 10.1000   24.000  13.3600   18.0  12.02000
Std LS(10) 1.1200    1.120   0.0280    0.0   0.07000
AG/IC(10)  2.8000    1.400   1.0000    0.0   0.07000
25Mw      50.0000   12.500   0.0000   25.0   2.50000
2xW/S      0.4000   14.000   0.0000    0.0   0.00300
4xRmy Sts  0.0800   28.000   0.0000    0.0   0.00040
6xAdq Sts  0.1200   21.000   0.0000    0.0   0.00060
Fuel       0.0000    3.750   0.0000    0.0   0.00000
Cargo      0.0000   16.583   0.0000    0.0   0.00000

TOTALS:  157.3347  140.000  24.3995  162.0  17.24775
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Design Sequence: (Ming)

 Item        Volume     Power     Area     Cost
Hull          104.7   346.000     0.00    97.200
J-3 Drive     100.0     0.000   420.00   466.700
Jump Fuel     750.0     0.003     0.00     0.000
T-Plate        90.0  1260.000   252.00   315.000
Std Civ Cont    1.7     1.300     0.30     9.200
Adv Comm        0.0    21.500   203.00     2.000
Sml Mil Sensrs  1.2    85.200    44.60    62.500
Missile Barb    6.0     0.200    20.00     0.100
3xMFD(+4)       6.9     9.300     6.30    76.800
2xMil Lsr      28.6   219.600    84.20    62.600
8xSandcaster   24.0     8.000    80.00     6.400
Meson Scrn     45.7    32.000   320.00    64.000
Engineer Shop   6.0     0.600     0.00     1.000
Vehicle Shop   10.0     1.000     0.00     2.000
Laboratory      8.0     0.800     0.00     5.000
Sick Bay        8.0     0.800     0.00     5.000
2x80-t Grpl    48.0     0.000   784.08     1.344
11x30-t Grpl   99.0     0.000  1454.75     2.772
10-t Grpl       3.0     0.000   196.00     0.084
Purif Plant    48.0    10.000     0.00     0.300
Fuel Blad(12.5) 0.0     0.000     0.00     0.350
2000Mw         71.4     0.000     0.00   200.000
PP Fuel        21.4     0.000     0.00     0.000
20xW/S         10.0     0.000     0.00     0.040
14xBridge       7.0     0.000     0.00     0.000
7xLg Strm      28.0     0.007     0.00     0.700
35xSm Strm     70.0     0.035     0.00     1.400
8xEmerg Low    16.0     0.016     0.00     0.800
2xLow Berth     2.0     0.002     0.00     0.100
Fitness Room    8.0     0.500     0.00     2.000
EntertainmentRm 8.0     1.000     0.00     5.000
Galley/Mess     8.0     1.000     0.00     5.000
Cargo         361.4     0.000     0.00     0.000

TOTALS:      2000.0  1998.960  3865.23  1395.390(1074.893)

Cristobal Colon Class Exploratory Cruiser, Mercantile

Designer: Steven T. Charlton scharlto@ifsna.com
Firm: Aurelian Industries
System: QSDS plus Huge Table of Hulls

Aurelia Downport, Sylea (Sylean News Service) - Aurelian Industries, a privately-held shipbuilding concern headquartered in the Wardn barony of Sylea, today unveiled its entry into the current THUDDD competition for a new type-standardized Exploratory Merchant Ship class. The Cristobal Colon class Exploratory Cruiser, Mercantile (ECM) continues the Aurelian Industries tradition of innovative solutions for complex starship problems.

At first glance, the Cristobal appears to be little more than a reworked version of the famous Aurelian Industries Marco Polo class long-range scout ship. While the two ships share many features and components, the two classes are quite different. The Cristobal carries enough room for corporate researchers or troubleshooters, as well as passengers, but still has room for nearly 200 tons of cargo. The potentially-threatening heavy wepaonry of the Marco Polo has been downgraded to a less-intimidating defensive suite, which still gives the Cristobal the firepower it needs to discourage trouble before it happens. The defenses of the Marco Polo are largely retained, and special dispensation has allowed Aurelian Industries to mount a Meson Screen on the Cristobal. While not proof against relic Meson attacks, the screen will allow the ship to quickly remove itself from danger, without adversely impacting the final cost of the vessel.

The interior of the Cristobal is also a far cry from the Marco Polo. While Imperial Navy and Scout Service crews are used to tight quarters, Aurelian Industries realizes that the well-paid professionals of today's merchant marine need a certain level of comfort to be able to perform well and make their companies prosper. For this reason, each crewman is allocated his own stateroom. Additional entertainment facilities, in the form of two 10-ton lounges, have also been added to the ship to maintain morale during long voyages of market discovery.

The realities of these long journeys require that the Cristobal be as self-supporting as possible. For that reason, the vessel is equipped with many additional facilities. A machine shop, equipped with the finest high-tech Imperial tools, can fabricate nearly any part the vessel may need, allowing the ship to perform major repairs (short of an overhaul) without the services of a starport. The human element also needs to be maintained, which is why the Cristobal is equipped with two fully-functional sickbays. There are also 20 low berths on board, which can be used to carry replacement crew or passengers, or reserved for wounded crew whose injuries cannot be tended to with the ship's facilities (an unlikely possibility).

There is also provision for up to 20 Mission Specialists to be carried on the Cristobal; expert economic analysts and trade negotiators who can make the difference between a successful expedition or a failed one. When making followup visits to an already-explored region, these rooms can be used to carry 20 high passengers instead, or even 40 medium passengers. Similarly, accomodations are provided for 12 security specialists to guard against treachery by newly-contacted customers, and to provide internal order during a long voyage. Again, when making followup visits to an already-explored region, these rooms can be used to carry 12 high passengers instead, or even 24 medium passengers.

Like the Marco Polo, the Cristobal has two separate hangars for 30-ton Ship's Boats. These craft can be used for landings, system exploration or even (given enough time) wilderness refueling of the mother ship. The Ship's Boats are not provided, but can be easily obtained from many fine small-craft manufacturers. Any vessel of 30 tons or less can be used, or any combination totalling 30 tons, for each of the two hangars. In addition, with the Ship's Boat away on a mission either of the hangars can be used as impromptu meeting areas for large meetings or other ceremonies, or even for a pickup game of Grav Ball.

While the Marco Polo carries external grapples for six 100-ton Scout Ships, the Cristobal carries three 200-ton grapples. These grapples can be used for any vessel of 200 tons or less, and the ship's drives and fuel loads are optimized to handle the ship's mass (2000 tons) plus the mass of up to 600 tons of carried vessels. Aurelian Industries also provides two complementary auxillary craft to fill these 200-ton holes; the Amerigo Vespucci class Auxilliary Far Trader, and the Santo Domingo class Auxilliary Cargo Carrier.

Based on the same 200-ton streamlined box hull, the Amerigo and the Santo both extend the cargo capacity of the Cristobal, and allow the exploration team leader a wider range of exploration options. With the jump-2 Amerigo, the team leader can widen his exploration area quickly, covering an entire cluster of worlds in one third the time a normal exploratory cruiser would require. With the Santo, the team leader is able to pick up and deliver more cargo to a world's surface, or even refuel his mother ship more quickly. The auxilliary vessels are optional, but provide a set of much more flexible and powerful exploratory options. The auxilliaries can also be easily upgraded with military-quality sensors and even weapons systems, for those regions of space where pirates and other dangers make firepower an important trading tool.

Linus Ishigli
VPMarCom, Aurelian Industries
-------------------------------------------------------
(QSDS 1.5, and the Big Book of Hulls for the Cristobal)
(Prices adjusted appropriately.  Void where Prohibited)
-------------------------------------------------------

Cristobal Colon Class Exploratory Cruiser, Mercantile

Hull : 2000Td Close USL  Volume : 36,400m^^3      Cost: 1108.56Mcr
Crew : 56                Psgrs  : 20             Low : 20
Cargo: 170Td             Control: Mil/Fib(Bdg)   TL  : 12
9 Size                      03 Jump (260Td/Pc Fuel)
                            02 Maneuver (Thrust Plates)
3x 6-lsr bty (+4)1/5-3-3-0  02 Power (3x1000Mw)
4x Missile Barbette (+4)    812.1 Td Fuel (Scoop, Refine 20)
   (20 ready missiles,      2 Meson Screen
    control 16 missiles)    6 Sandcaster (180 cans)
                            3 Nuclear Damper
2x 30-ton Minimal Hangar    Sensors: A10 P4 J10
3x 200-ton Grapples         Armor 20  Structure 28

Special Features:
Engineering Shop
Vehicle Shop
2 Laboratories
2 Sickbays
2 10-ton Lounge facilities

Crew Requirements:
8 Engineering, 2 Electronics, 2 Maneuver, 7 Gunnery, 10 Screens, 2 Flight
Crew, 12 Troops, 8 Command Crew, 3 Stewards, 2 Medics, 20 passengers or
Mission Specialists (all in individual small staterooms, 76 available)

     --------------------------------------------
     
     Amerigo Vespucci Class Auxilliary Far Trader
     
     Hull : 200Td Box SL  Volume : 2,800m^^3      Cost: 60.06475Mcr
     Crew : 3             Psgrs  : 7/14          Low : 5
     Cargo: 94Td          Control: Mil/Fib(Bdg)  TL  : 12

     8 Size                      02 Jump (20Td/Pc Fuel)
                                 02 Maneuver (Thrust Plates)
                                 01 Power (110Mw)
                                 41.2 Td Fuel (Scoop, Refine 5)
                                 0 Meson Screen
                                 0 Sandcaster (0 cans)
                                 0 Nuclear Damper
                                 Sensors: A1 P3 J0
                                 Armor 10  Structure 10

     Crew Requirements:
     1 Engineering, 1 Maneuver/Command, 1 Steward in 3 small staterooms.
     There are 7 additional small staterooms for 14 medium or 7 high
     passengers.
     
     --------------------------------------------
     
     Santo Domingo Class Auxilliary Cargo Carrier
     
     Hull : 200Td Box SL  Volume : 2,800m^^3      Cost: 40.79725Mcr
     Crew : 2             Psgrs  : 0             Low : 0
     Cargo: 161Td         Control: Mil/Fib(Bdg)  TL  : 12

     8 Size                      00 Jump (0Td/Pc Fuel)
                                 02 Maneuver (Thrust Plates)
                                 01 Power (110Mw)
                                 1.2 Td Fuel (Scoop, Refine 5)
                                 0 Meson Screen
                                 0 Sandcaster (0 cans)
                                 0 Nuclear Damper
                                 Sensors: A1 P3 J0
                                 Armor 10  Structure 10

     Crew Requirements:
     1 Engineering, 1 Maneuver/Command

Knarr Class Exploratory Trader

Designer: Chris Pearsall crisp@mail1.halcyon.com
Firm: Sefreth Shipyards Ltd.
System: SSDS
Tons: 3000 Std (SL Cylinder)  Volume: 42000 m^3                    Cost: 1502.66 MCr  
Crew: 70                      High/Med Pass: 0/10                  Low: 20   
Cargo: 1000 Std               Controls: Exploration/Survey(Bridge) TL: 12  
  
                                                         3 Jump Drive (300 Std/Pc Fuel)  
09 Size                                                  3 Maneuver (1G High Efficiency ContraGravity,199.98MW; 2x1G Thruster Plates,1500MW) 2x 95Mj Light Laser (+4) 1/2-1-1-0    
                                                         1 Power Plant (4x500Mw+ 250Mw)
                                                         3 Meson Screen (10Mw)        
                                                       926 Fuel ( Scoop 46, Refine 45) 
1x Internal Hangar (Spacious) (50-ton Craft)            24 Sandcasters (360)
                                                         1 Nuclear Damper  
                                                 A10 P4 J0 Sensors         
                                                        10 Armour, 26 Structure

Crew Detail:
 5 Maintenance, 6 Eng - Power Plant, 33 Eng - Drives, 4 Electronics, 2
 Maneuvering, 7 Gunnery - Other, 9 Command, 3 Stewards, 1 Medical).

Notes

TL 12 Streamlined Cylinder hull with 30 air locks. Jump Fuel held allows for 3 parsec travel. 1G High Efficiency ContraGravity. 2x1G Thruster Plates. Stndrd auto Dynamic Controls. Installed inertial compensators will compensate for up to 3Gs. The fuel scoops can gather 5% of the total fuel held each hour. The fuel purification plant will refine 3780m^3 of fuel per 6 hours. 4 500MW TL12 Fusion Plant power plants with 1 years fuel. 250MW TL12 Fusion Plant power plant with 1 years fuel. 1 Electronics Shop. 1 Machine Shop. 1 Laboratory. 1 Sick Bay. 20 Low Berths. 5 Large Staterooms. 60 Small Staterooms. Custom Officer's Club. Custom Crew Commons.

Design Details

Spaceship Name: Knarr
Tech Level: 12
Displacement: 3000

Component:  Mass  Volume  Surf Area  Power  Price
3000t SL Cylinder A:20 3G  1551.6  -41807  -6212  0.03  1.34168
Cargo  3500  14000  0  0  0
3 parsec Jump Drive  5040  1680  560  0  504
1G High Efficiency ContraGravity  399.99  600  600  199.98  60
1G Thruster Plates  1500  750  150  750  187.5
1G Thruster Plates  1500  750  150  750  187.5
95Mj Light Laser (x3)  207.11  151.6  33  11.02  29.89
95Mj Light Laser (x3)  207.11  151.6  33  11.02  29.89
TL 12 Sandcaster Turret (x4)  231.1  193.6  43  7.1  28.8
TL 12 Sandcaster Turret (x4)  231.1  193.6  43  7.1  28.8
TL 12 Sandcaster Turret (x4)  231.1  193.6  43  7.1  28.8
TL 12 Nuclear Damper Bay  76.2  83  7.5  15  2.05
TL 12 Meson Screen Bay  155  207  100  10  20.7
Stndrd auto Dynamic Controls  4.41  44.1  0  3.15  4.725
TL 12 Exploration/Survey  51.6  66.4  285  69.41  46.78
Standard Life Sup  336  336  0  8.4  21
Artificial Gravity  840  420  0  210  21
Internal Hangar (Spacious) 50t  560  2800  125.44  0  0.68544
Large Cargo Hatch (x3)  0  0  60  0  0.06
Fuel Scoops (x5)  0  0  78.4  0  0.00588
Fuel Purification Plant (x3780)  3024  1512  0  22.68  0.6048
500MW TL12 Fusion Plant (x4)  4000  1000  0  -2000  200
Bridge WorkStation (x8)  1.6  112  0  0  0.012
Regular WorkStation (x3)  0.6  21  0  0  0.0045
Electronics Shop  40  84  0  0.6  1
Machine Shop  120  140  0  1  2
Laboratory  50  112  0  0.8  5
Sick Bay  50  112  0  0.8  5
Low Berth (x20)  20  280  0  0.02  1
Large Stateroom (x5)  20  280  0  0.005  0.5
Small Stateroom (x60)  120  1680  0  0.03  2.4
Officer's Club  40  84  0  0.6  1
Crew Commons  200  446  0  3.2  5
TL 12 Minimal  8.7  26  6  9.43  13.11
Basic Life Sup  210  210  0  4.2  12.6
500MW TL12 Fusion Plant  1000  250  0  -500  50
Fuel  908.25  12975  0  0  0
Total  25935.5M; -1.42629m^3; -3894.66m^2;  -142.926Mw; 1477.664MCr Num
Low psngrs: 20 Num Middle psngrs: 10 Num High psngrs: 0

Num Maintenance crew: 5
Num Eng - Power Plant crew: 6
Num Eng - Drives crew: 33
Num Electronics crew: 4
Num Maneuvering crew: 2
Num Gunnery - Other crew: 7
Num Command crew: 9
Num Stewards crew: 3
Num Medical crew: 1
Total crew: 70

Ship Notes:

All Power Plants operate only during combat. When cruising, 3 500Mw plants running, when landing/refueling all 4 500Mw plants running. Stanard Crew alotment calls for 15 marines and 10 scientists and/or merchants. Two extra stewards represent crew dedicated to entertainment and moral, one for officers and one for crew. All crew double up except captain, officers in large staterooms, crew in small. Standard loadout calls for 50dT of cargo to be set aside for spare parts.

This Traveler spaceship was created using SSDSCalc 1.01, written by James Dempsey. Traveler is a registered trademark of Farfuture Enterprises. All rights reserved.

********Press Release********Press Release*********

Sefreth Shipyards Ltd. of Sylea is proud to announce the release of its latest ship design. In response to the Imperial THUDD ship design competition we now unveil the Knarr class Exploratory Trader. This ship follows in the tradition of cutting edge design, excellence in production, and premium service that you have come to expect from Sefreth Shipyards over the last 70 years. In the Knarr we have created the penultimate blend of high yield merchant ship, sturdy secure trader, and intrepid explorer scout. With just one of these ships you will have the tools to speculate in the vast trade opportunities beyond the imperial frontier. With a fleet of these you could corner vast foreign markets long before your competition knew what they were looking for. The Knarr is thedefinitive ship for finding and tapping the vast reaches of space beyond our borders. The first thing that separates the Knarr from the competition is its cargo space. What other premium Exploratory Trader can claim to have one third of its volume devoted to cargo. The Knarr has 1000 dT of cargo space. That's less than 1.5 MCr. per ton! That figure alone shows the overall value of the Knarr. On top of all that cargo space are ten staterooms set aside for any passengers, and there is ample space on board to make room for more passengers. And the cream on top of all this profitability is the Knarr's ability to transport exotic or dangerous goods. Twenty low births make transport of live specimens or less wealthy travelers a profitable sideline, and the Siiradka Systems Inc. Nuclear Damper allows for the transport of even the most dangerous nuclear materials without a worry. Of course the Knarr is more than an oversized far trader. It's mission is to explore as well as to trade, and for that it is equally well endowed.

The Knarr has a state-of-the-art HammLine Inc. jump-drive capable of 3 parsec jumps, so it can reach the farthest reaches of space as fast as any ship in the Imperium. The Knarr's sensor suit is also designed with exploration in mind. A full Siiradka Systems Inc. Exploration/Survey sensor package allows the Knarr to explore and survey space just as well, if not better, than the top-of-the-line Imperial Scouts. The Knarr also contains a 50 ton internal hangar with enough room to make repairs or modifications simple. Perfect for carrying any auxiliary craft needed to complete a mission. Finally, we at Sefreth Shipyards know that long duration missions can be tough on even the finest crew, so the Knarr has been designed with crew comforts in mind. The Knarr is designed to have two officers to each large stateroom, and two crew to each small stateroom, and the Captain in his own cabin. Factor out the ten passenger staterooms, and there is still ample living space to support up to forty more personnel, be they scientists on board for a specific mission, or marines for those high risk missions. At first glance, two to a small state room may seem a bit cramped, but the Knarr has something special, something that will make serving aboard it a joy for officer and crew alike, 532m^3 devoted solely to the comfort and entertainment of those aboard. Both the 84m^3 officers club and the huge 448m^3 crew commons are state of the art entertainment centers. They are filled with the best technology money can buy. Everything from kitchens, so the crew can enjoy some real home cookin', to interactive games such as a virtual Grav-Ball simulator and a simulated target range, fitness equipment, a multitude of smaller entertainment items and a miniature theater able to seat forty people at a time. To top everything off, each recreation center has its own steward who is able to dedicate all his time to the entertainment and comfort of those he serves with. Truly a paradise in space. It must be realized that space is dangerous, especially when one is exploring places he knows nothing about. That is why the Knarr is built tough.

What we at Sefreth Shipyards have achieved with the Knarr is the construction of a comprehensive, state-of-the-art defensive system that takes nothing away from the Knarr's primary mission as a merchant and explorer. Between the three batteries of four mil-spec sandcasters, the twin 95Mj laser batteries, the high quality nuclear damper, and finally the meson screen, nothing will be able to get through to the Knarr. Furthermore, all of the Knarr's defensive systems are built by Sirradka Systems, so you know that your getting quality. And if, by some fluke, something does get through, the Knarr can take it. With armor equal to the Imperial navy's Large Armed Freighter the Knarr can take quite a licking before you need to worry. And finally, if all hell breaks loose, and the Knarr suffers serious damage, you need not fear. The Knarr is built with redundancy in mind. Two separate 1G Thrust Plate systems instead of one 2G, four 500MW and one 250 MW Fusion plants, backup life support and sensor systems reassure you that you'll never be up a creek without a paddle. This is the Knarr class Exploratory Trader. It is simply the best Exploratory Trader on the market today, bar none. We at Sefreth Shipyards are proud to present this ship to you, and we hope that you will be proud to add it to your fleet of ships. So, on behalf of all of us at Sefreth Shipyards, I would like to thank you for your time.

Sincerely
Ronin Sefreth Jr.
CEO Sefreth Shipyards Ltd.

Nuphraitelle class exploratory merchant

Designer: Jeff Cornish jeffreyc@sprynet.com
Firm: Starwerx Orbital Foundry
System: SSDS
Tons: 3000td (SL Wedge)  Vol: 42,000 m3                 Cost: 1,162MCr (1,046MCr)
Crew: 22/31 (/HiAuto)    Pass. High/Medium: 2/10        Pass. Low: 10  ( 4 Emerg. )
Cargo: 1,300 std         Controls: Survey Std(/Bridge)  TL 12
( 700 std w/ full collapsible tanks )

9 Size Rating                               2 Jump Drive (300 std/pc fuel )  
                                            1 Maneuver ( Thruster, 750 Mw )  
2xLaser Emitters (+4) 1 /3-2-2-0            1 Power Plant Rating (3x500Mw, 1x25Mw)
                                          616 Fuel ( /Scoop:1.0 /Refine:4.1)
                                         1216 Fuel /w full collapsible tanks
                                            4  Sandcaster ( 30 cans )
                                            1 Nuclear Damper ( 30Mw )
                                            3 Meson Screen (10Mw)
                                            0 Black Globe
                                    A10 P4 J0 Sensors
                                           20 Armor, 23 Structure  

1 x Engineering Shop ( 6 std )      1 x Vehicle Shop ( 10 std )
1 x Laboratory ( 8 std )            1 x Sick Bay ( 8 std )

1 x Minimal Hangar ( 20 std craft ) 2 x Spacious Hangers ( 50 std craft )

Crew Details: 3 cmd, 2 mvr, 3 elc, 4 gun, 1 scr, 5 eng, 5 crf,  2 trp, 
              1 sci, 2 stw, 1 brk, 2 med

NOTE:

I don't know how legal the "100 ton" shuttle bay is, and I haven't been able to work in the extra cost of the collapsible tankage (it's only about 1 MCr or so), but here is my design, sans shuttle.

Starwerx Orbital Foundry is proud to present its first entry in the latest ISBA competition, the Nuphraitelle. A based on a medium-heavy streamlined wedge hull, the Nuphraitelle is outfitted with a 2 parsec jump-drive and fuel for 4 parsec's travel--2 in standard tankage and 2 in a pair of collapsible fuel bladders stowed in the middle cargo bay.

(An interesting variant here would be a J-2x3 ship-add another pair of collapsible tanks, 300 dt fuel each, of course, in the cargo bay. It'd reduce the available cargo space by 32 dt, and there would only be ~100 std of cargo when the ship was fully tanked, but you'd get another 2 parsecs out of the ship without refueling.)

The philosophy with the Nuphraitelle is Opportunity, Capability, and Survival.

The Nuphraitelle's main sensor array, a Cassini Mk72 Survey package, is the standard among medium-sized Imperial Interstellar Scout Service vessels and gives the capability to survey uncharted or under-charted star systems. The onboard laboratory lets the crew support a geophysical, xenobiological or astrophysical specialist to provide detailed analysis of the sensor data.

(I chose the Survey sensor package because it _wasn't_ military, something I wanted to avoid was the possibility of giving anyone who managed to capture this ship an Imperial Naval class jammer. The survey package has equal range, is nearly half the cost and price. The only losing points are the larger volume and power requirements. Also, if the mission requires more Scientists, they should get the High Passage cabins)

Nearly half of the Nuphraitelle's volume is taken up by the three main cargo bays, each with a capacity of over 6000 cubic meters of storage, letting the Nuphraitelle haul impressive amounts of goods from the worlds it visits.

Quarters for the crew, 10 middle passengers and 2 high passengers are standard, as are 10 low berths, suitable for passengers or livestock. The Captain, of course, receives his own large stateroom.

The standard crew's complement, beyond the bridge crew and officers, includes 5 pilots/flight crew for the small craft, 2 ship's troops for defense and security, a Science Officer, and a Broker/trader specialist to aid the crew in matters of speculative trading. 2 Medical specialists and 2 Stewards round out the complement.

(If more troops are required, they get the Middle Passage cabins. The Broker is going to be the ship's 'Scout' who will know all relevant information on culture and commerce at the places the ship will land. I suppose this could be done by the Captain and 1st Officer if the ship were smaller)

Although the Nuphraitelle's thrusters are only capable of 1-gee acceleration, the structure of the ship has been designed to withstand twice that stress. 1-gee of contragravity and streamlining make atmospheric interface and flight safe on any world, terrestrial or gas-giant. The Nuphraitelle's redundant wilderness fueling capability can scoop and purify a jump's worth of fuel in less than 8 hours.

(The combined 2-gee acceleration from the thrusters and contragrav should get this whale... er, a Newfy off most planets. The if one of the 'redundant' fuel purifiers fails it takes 12.3 hours to process the scooped fuel.)

Spacious hangers for two 50 ton shuttles have been provided, as well as more modest facilities for a 20 ton ship's boat. The adjoining shuttle bays, with minor modifications, are capable being connected and berthing a 100 ton J-2 scout. The extra mission flexibility provided to the ship's crew in transporting cargo, passengers or handling emergency situations should prove invaluable.

(Right now I'm working on the deckplans for the Nephraitelle and I am leaning towards an 'under-and-over' 50 std bay arrangement. The deckplates between deck 3 and 4 would be removed and the bays connected that way. Comments anyone?)

The Nuphraitelle is the first of Starwerx line of spacecraft and starships to feature "Mk3 systems automation," reducing the workload on the crew, but as with all Starwerx starships, redundant life-support and control systems are standard. A Starwerx Mk8 'Rambler' class self defense package is included: 2 triple laser cannon, 2 sandcaster batteries, nuclear damper and meson screen.

(I'm going to run some scenarios; a Newfy vs. some small, laser-armed vessels (pirates? Fighters? Laser defensats?) and see how it performs. I'm pretty sure the only thing that will save her is her sandcasters. I admit that the laser batts are a little weak, but this ship should be able to detect her foe and stay out of harms way before she should have to use them. (BTW, if her batteries are combined, they're a respectable (+4) 1/5-3-3-0 at a ROF of 100))

As the Nuphraitelle's mission profile includes long duration missions away from Class A and B starports, a machine shop, engineering shop and sickbay are present (including an emergency low berth for critically injured crew or passengers) . If it should become necessary the shuttles and small craft should be capable of evacuating the entire ship's complement.

(I hope this last point is never needed . It would be horrible to have to abandon ship over some lost world with a thousand tons of cargo that you couldn't take with you (evil grin).)

As for the crewing, the jump drive, the thrusters/contragrav and the reactors take 5 engineers each (a senior/junior arrangement on each system with one chief pulling double duty?). The Survey sensor suite requires 3 electronics technicians. The ship's compliment has 8 in engineering/technical, 5 in gunnery/defense, 2 flight officers, and 3 in command. Quarters for 5 small craft pilots and flight crew are included, but more may be needed depending on the types of shuttles/ship's boats you use.


Monte Cristo Class Exploratory Merchant

Designer: Brian A. Howard bruadh@southwest.net
Firm: Morell Shipyards Corporation LIC
System: SSDS
Tons: 2,000 std ( SL Cylinder )  Volume: 28,000 m^3               Cost: 1,002.300 MCr ( 902.070 MCr )
Crew: 29/40 ( /HighAuto )        Passengers High/Medium: 0/0      Passengers Low: 0 
Cargo: 433.0 std                 Controls: Survey Std ( /Bridge ) Tech Level: 12
        
9 Size Rating                      3 Jump Drive ( 200 std/pc fuel )
                                   2 Maneuver ( Thruster, 1,000 Mw )
4xLaser Emitters (+0) 1/2-0-0-0    2 Power Plant Rating ( 3x500Mw 1x50Mw )
                                 617 Fuel ( /Scoop:5.0 /Refine:6.2 )
                                   6 Sandcaster ( 30 cans )
                                   2 Nuclear Damper ( 30Mw )
                                   0 Meson Screen
                                   0 Black Globe
                           A10 P4 J0 Sensors 
                                  20 Armor,  28 Structure
        
1xEngineering Shop ( 6 std )  
1xVehicle Shop ( 10 std )  
1xSick Bay ( 8 std )      
2xSpacious Hangars ( 50 std craft )
4xDocking Rings ( 10 std craft )
        
Crew Details: 5 cmd, 2 mvr, 3 elc, 12 gun, 0 scr, 5 eng, 0 mtn, 2 crf, 
              8 trp, 0 sci, 1 stw, 1 brk, 1 med
The Monte Cristo incorporates plenty of facilities for long range exploration into a jump 3 hull and still devote nearly a quarter of its hull to cargo. This vessel sports multiple repair shops including an engineering shop, a vehicle shop, and has a full sickbay to provide modern medical attention for a crew that could spend months away from home. A standard Survey sensor suite is included for a complete analysis of planetary resources. Wilderness refuelling in afforded with a streamlined hull and a fuel purification plant that can refuel and crack a full LHyd load in just over eleven hours.

Should the Monte Cristo prove a tempting target, the ship is built on a strong non-standard 2000 ton hull with plenty of teeth to keep pirates at bay long enough to affect an escape to jump space. Heavily armored for a commercial ship the hull is braced for 6g, and weaponry is built around a defensive posture. Four over-powered light laser turrets are intended for missile defense. Six sandcaster turrets protect the ship from enemy lasers, and two nuc-dampers are included in case a particularly disreputable pirate carries a few extra surprises. Internal security is affected by two full fire teams equipped to top rated military standards.

Crew Accommodations are perhaps the one weak feature of the craft's design. Unlike other entries the Monte Cristo does not spare hull volume for such extravagances as extra lounges or recreational facilities this is a working ship after all. However, no double berthing or hot-bunking is necessary. The command crew have individual large staterooms and the junior crew berth in small staterooms while the gunners and ship's troops make do with bunks.

Six small craft support the ship's function. Two modular cutters are provided spacious hangers for ease of loading and repair. While extra modules are not included in the basic design the hangers are arranged directly over the cargo bays, and mountings are provided for enterprising captain to add a few extra modules at the expense of cargo space. In the case the crew has to abandon ship the Morell Corporation introduces the Mk 20 Escape pod snuggled into four custom docking rings.

Mk 20 Escape Pod ( SSDS )  Designed by: Brian A. Howard
        
Tons: 10 std ( SL Cylinder )  Volume: 140 m^3              Cost: 18.067 MCr (16.260 MCr)
Crew: 1/1 ( /LowAuto )        Passengers High/Medium: 0/0  Passengers Low: 12( 12 Emerg. )
Cargo: 0.0 std                Controls: Civilian Min       Tech Level: 12
        
7 Size Rating      0 Jump Drive 
                   1 Maneuver ( HEPlaR, 5 Mw )
                   4 Power Plant Rating ( 2x10Mw )
                   0 Fuel 
                   0 Sandcaster 
                   0 Nuclear Damper
                   0 Meson Screen
                   0 Black Globe
            A0 P0 J0 Sensors 
                   0 Armor,  1 Structure

Crew Details:  1 mvr   
The Mk 20 escape pod is Morell Corporation answer to 'the worst case scenario.' Built on a small, light, streamilined, ten ton, cylindical hull, the pod utilizes a small but reliable HePlar engine.

Terrapin Exploratory Merchant Cruiser

Designer: Douglas E. Berry dberry@hooked.net
Firm: Gridlore Technologies
System: SSDS/FFS
Tons: 2400 (Cylinder SL)   Volume: 33600 m3       Cost: 912.8974 MCr
Crew: 49                   High/Mid Pass: 10      Low Pass: 30
Cargo: 852 tons            Controls: Std(Bridge)  TL: 12

9 Size                          3 Jump Drive (240 tons/Pc Fuel)
4 Fire Control                  1G Maneuver (Thruster plate, 462 MW)
4x Laser Batteries (3x 95 Mj)   0.9 Power Plant (1057 MW)
(+1) 2-0-0-0                    731.3 Fuel (Scoop 1920, Refine 6)
                                2 Meson Screen (2 MW) 
                                6 Sandcasters (180 cans)
1x spacious hangar (90-ton)     1 Nuclear Damper (15 MW)
2x Sick Bay                     10A 5P 4J Sensors
Machine/Electronic Shops        20 Armor, 16 Structure
Laboratory

Crew: 2 Maneuver, 3 Electronics, 4 Engineer, 10 Gunnery, 5 Maintenance,
      12 Ship's Troops, 3 Flight, 1 Medic, 4 Command, 5 Science

Accom: 34 small staterooms, 30 low berths

1x 90 ton "Terrapin Transit" 90t shuttle.
Inspired by Sir Arameth Gridlore's own legendary travels beyond Sylean space, and drawing heavily on his experiences, Gridlore Technologies and Trans-C Naval Architects are proud to introduce the -Terrapin- Class Exploratory Trader.

The -Terrapin- is an 80m cylinder, flared slightly at the aft for better control when wilderness refueling. The ship devotes over a third of its gross displacement to cargo storage, enough to prove profitable on any run. But there is more to the -Terrapin- than carrying freight!

The -Terrapin- is equipped with powerful Quinn-Arturo "Phase III" jump drives, allowing jump 3. Standard thrusters grant constant acceleration of 1g, and can be overdriven for brief periods if necessary. Power is provided by a custom-designed X-tek Fusion plant, and is fueled for one year's operation at full load.

The electronics suite has been designed with the idea that most places the -Terrapin- travels will not have local travel control. Active EMS sensors are accurate out to 10 LS, passive sensors to 5. This allows early detection of any threat, to allow the maximum decision time for the Captain. Communications are routed through either a .3 Mw maser array, or broadcast by the 1 Mw radio system. Defensive EMS systems include a standard EMS jammer (120k km radius) and a strong area jammer (90k km radius.)

If the worst comes, this turtle has teeth! Mounting twelve Isher Artifact L-1013 95 Mj laser turrets, organized into four batteries by Navy standard FDC-11A2 master fire direction centers, the ship can bring effective fire on its enemies. (Note: no allowance has been made for direct turret control. All weapons are operated from the MFC.) While these powerful beams slice at your foe, you can feel secure, guarded by thick armor, 6 sand casters, a *15 Mw* nuclear damper, and a 2 Mw meson screen. It isn't a warship, but the -Terrapin- can certainly hold her own in a fight.

Interface operations will normally be carried out be the -Terrapin Transit- shuttle, included in the purchase price.

Terrapin Transit Shuttle
-
Tons: 90 (Wedge AF)       Volume: 1260 m3        Cost: 28.45 MCr
Crew: 2                   High/Mid Pass: 0       Low Pass: 0
Cargo: 67 tons            Controls: Std          TL: 12

7 Size0                        No Jump drive
0 Fire Control                 3 Maneuver (Thruster plate, 51.975 MW)
                               1.6 Power Plant (74 MW) 
                               0.8 Fuel (Scoop 36) 
                               0 Meson Screen (0 MW) 
                               0 Sandcasters (0 cans) 
                               0 Nuclear Damper
                               2A 1P 0J Sensors
                               10 Armor, 7 Structure

Crew: 1 Maneuver, 1 Electronics
Accom: Seats Adequate x 55
The ship has a crew of 49, including a full squad of security personnel and berths for a five person research/science section. The science section is intended to include such personnel as linguistic sophontologists, historians, and others to assist in making contact with worlds that may not have seen a Starship since Twilight. -Terrapins- have ten small staterooms for passengers. When no passengers are boarded, the spare rooms are designed to be used for extra berthing space to relieve stress, or as crew recreation facilities. Also standard are thirty low passage berths. Workshops are provided, capable of fabricating any but the largest, most complex parts. Technical specifications are provided in both computer and hard format to aid repairs, and most systems having self-diagnostic/repair aid programs. A general purpose laboratory can be found on "C" deck. This small facility is not designed for in-depth research, but will suffice for most inquiries. The ship's sick bay can accommodate up to 16 patients in a pinch, though 10 is standard.

A word about cost. Many designers prefer to work with modular components, accepting "close enough" as a substitute for workmanship, and then claim that the savings in cost justifies the act. Don't be fooled. When you are 50pc from the nearest help, close enough isn't good enough. Trans-C goes to the trouble of designing to the most exacting tolerances because we feel your life is worth it. Don't you agree?

Design Notes:

I have tried to balance merchant and exploratory missions with the Terrapin, and feel that it works well in both roles. The fairly large cargo capacity, along with the passenger complement, means that the ship is profitable; while the strong sensors and on-board labs make the ship a reasonable scout cruiser.

This design used the excellent spreadsheet "ss-v2.xls" I can't remember where I found it, but my hat is off to the author, this is very easy to use.

This is a ship for adventures. This is the reason behind the large cast of scientists and soldiers. You can boldly go where no one has gone before (or, at least for 2000 years...) and play a variety of adventures; not just merchant, but military, diplomatic, deep space fighting..

Hope you enjoy! as always, comments and questions welcome.


Type 1108 - Exploratory Trader

Designer: Mark Clark clarkm@OIT.EDU
Firm: Generica Starships
System: QSDS 1.5, BBoH
Tons: 3000 Std (Cylinder Airframe)               Cost: 1093.1 MCr 
Crew: 72                 High/Mid Pass:  10/10   Low: 16 (Emergency) 
Cargo: 1000 Std          Controls: Military      TL: 12

Size: 26                      3 Jump (900 Std fuel)
                              2 Manuever (Thrust plate, 1500 MW)
2x Civ Laser (0)1/2-0-0-0  2500 MW Fusion (2x1000, 1x500)
2x Civ Missile Turret       927 Fuel (Scoop 1200, Refine 10)
                              6 Meson Screen
                             20 Sandcaster
1x 30T Spacious Hanger       10 Nuclear Damper
2x 30T Docking Ring         A10 P4 J10 Sensors
1x 10T Spacious Hanger       20 Armor, 28 Structure

Crew: 7 Engineers, 2 Electronics, 2 Manuever, 34 Gunners, 1 Screens
      6 Small Craft, 6 Troops, 10 Command, 2 Stewards, 2 Medical
The Type 1108 is designed as mobile exhibition platform for the development of trade in relatively unknown regions, following routes just surveyed by the IISS. Designed to exhibit the best Imperial industry has to offer for trade, the ship is a mobile sales office for the aggresive megacorporation.

The primary mission of an exploratory trader is to exhibit imperial technology to new markets. The large cargo capacity of 1000 tons standard is available as a single large bay, allowing a wide variety of goods to be carried, regardless of bulk. Power, life support, and gravity are supplied in the bay to allow product exhibits to mounted aboard. Since many products need sales personel to show them off to best advantage, 10 large and 10 smaller cabins are provided for company representatives. The ship's exterior is equiped with a graphics overlay (originally developed for military applications), which allows display of advertising material while the Type 1108 is in port.

Crew security is highly important in non-Imperial areas. The Type 1108 mounts a large defensive weaponry system consisting of 20 sandcasters, 10 nuclear dampers, and a meson screen (proper Imperial permits required). Although 2G drives are fitted, the hull is stressed to 6G to allow for agressive atmospheric manuevering using the airframe controls. The weapons systems are designed to be defensive in nature, with only limited offensive weaponry - standard practice is for the Type 1108 to jump at less than full capacity, allowing rapid re-jump if needed. A collapsable tank holding 300 tons of fuel is provided as standard equipment, allowing the regular tanks to be filled in jump if desired.

For interaction with planetary population, the Type 1108 allows several options. The ship itself can land (the prefered method of operation), with the large gunnery contigent and dedicated ship's security force providing security. They are aided by 20 TL-12 security robots of the latest type (price included), linked to the ship's security system and anti-hijack program. If a direct landing is not desired, one of the three 30T fast boats can land from orbit, limiting crew exposure. Finally, in highly uncertain situations, the crew can make use of one of four onboard Companion-type robots, which can operate either independantly as negociators or as virtual-reality linked contact scouts. When not used in a contact role, the Companions are programmed to function as stewards, using protocols developed for Generica passenger liners. Price of the Companion robots is included in the ship price.

For long-term operation support, an engineering shop and a vehicle shop are fitted. Depending on operational profile, standard components can be carried in the cargo compartment, to be fabbed for final use by the universal machining rig in the engineering shop. The spacious hanger allows full maintenance to be carried out on the ship's boats, up to and including full overhaul. A fuel purification system is carried to allow operations in wilderness areas.

To ensure crew health, a four bed sickbay is fitted, along with an emergency low berth with 16 person capacity. A laboratory is fitted as well, to allow both medical analysis and the testing of trade goods aquired during trading trips.

The ship price includes three 30T fast boats (one in hanger, two in docking rings), two Rolen Politesse luxury grav cars for crew use on planet, and four grav trucks (in the smaller hanger). Other mixes of vehicles are avalible on request. All boats and vehicles use Fusion+ powerplants, allowing demonstration of its advantages to customers.

The crew is housed in small staterooms, with large staterooms for the command staff. These generous space allocations are reflected in the fine appointments that allow for crew comfort and relaxation (supported by the Companion stewards, who care for the crews needs in every way). additional space is provided by the 300T demountable tank that makes up one third of the standard cargo space. Disassembled in jump, it provides 225T free space with full life support for recreation. This space can also be used for additional cargo, though it limits jump to 2 in that case.

Overall, the Type 1108 provides relatively inexpensive cargo carrying on a per ton basis with good defensive and security capabilities and long-term endurance. We hope it meets your needs.

Comments:

Can't add much to the comments above. Large size allows lots of cargo carried with plenty of room for defensive weapons. I rejected military grade laser weapons as provocative in a trader. The use of robots reflects a desire to provide more service with less cargo demand. I see this ship as more of a mobile store than a cargo freighter.

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Last modified: Thursday, 01-Jan-98 19:12:44 PST
Author: Craig Berry

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