The Imperial Ministry of Trade and Development (IMTD) is pleased to announce the latest phase in its ongoing Trade Recovery and Extension (TRE) program. The TRE is a set of initiatives aimed at fostering greater trade within the Imperium and its friendly neighboring states. The goal of the program is to foster economic development on promising worlds which, due to vagaries of astrography or other factors, have not thus far fully participated in the economic renaissance accompanying the establishment of the Third Imperium. The new TRE phase now launched has been designated the "Vland-Coreward Trade Initiative" (VCTI).
It is expected -- and will be encouraged -- that these vessels will engage in "speculative" cargo transport. One difficulty currently being faced on the route in question is that rapidly changing needs for equipment, materials, and personnel are not being well served by larger bulk shipping operations. The IMTD feels that smaller, more flexible vessels can fill this gap and have a disproportionate positive impact on economic development in the region.
The vessel must meet the following minimum requirements:
Also, concern for absolute theoretical profit maximization should be balanced with awareness of the ship's planned operational environment. Flexibility is a key asset in this vessel, as is reliability and (to a degree) self-reliance.
All worlds are in the Vland sector:
1919 Khula B-475AAA-C HiPop, Ind 2017 Tahwer C-769A88-8 HiPop 2016 Guuiish C-736344-6 NonInd, LoPop 2 GG 1817 Tauri A-130899-0 NonAg, Poor 1717 Vland B-967A44-B Hi, Capital 1719 Uushiish Uun E-586466-5 Owned:1717 3 GG 1919 (loop)Note that the data for Vland has been corrected from the erroneous version printed in most previous survey data. The ISS continues to investigate this probable act of data sabotage.
Tauri is the key to this loop. During the Long Night, this world lost its technology with particular thoroughness, but retained a stable, successful society despite the rigors of a barely-habitable ecosphere. During the early pre-Imperial period, vast lanthanum orebeds were discovered in Tauri's uninhabited highlands. Rather than permit unchecked offworld exploitation of these ores, the Imperial government has allowed only limited access to offworld interests, holding the ores in trust to Tauri's population. The ISS is coordinating a technology uplift effort aimed at restoring industrial technology to Tauri without disrupting the world's culture. Carrying specialized equipment, trade goods, and personnel to and from Tauri will be a critical aspect of the VCTI. To facilitate this, a class A starport has recently been opened on Tauri.
Uushiish Uun is on the brink of becoming an important agricultural world. Providing a vigorous export market for specialty and gourmet agricultural products (to be sold at Khula or Tahwer) will help boost the world's economic development, and encourage further colonization of this underpopulated world.
From Khula, the vessel would take high-tech goods to Tahwer, and high and medium tech to Guuiish. Raw and processed organics would probaly be welcome on Tauri, which would provide raw materials, locally-produced art, and the like for transport to Vland. Vland is another producer of finished goods, which support the growing colony on Uushiish Uun.
The route works almost as well, but not as profitably, in the other direction. After the huge margin of profit selling from Vland to Tauri, a merchant would face three jumps worth of rising tech levels, and the planet best suited to make use of Tauri's resources lies at the end of the route. The IMTD projects that not more than one in five runs will go clockwise around the circuit.
| Name | Manufacturer | Designer | Design System |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ritestar II Merchantman | Grossport & Arguhk | Richard Fields rfields@actrix.gen.nz | QSDS |
| Caravel class Subsidized Merchant | CAM Interstellar | Walt Smith smithw@hartwick.edu | QSDS |
| Starhopper C1a class Transport | Merlin Enterprises | Michael D. Peters Letterworks@Comten.com | FFS2 |
| Irup Khularan Subsidized Packet | Ketaru Aerospace | Steven Bonneville bonnevil@ima.umn.edu | QSDS, Hulls |
| Gunraa Ushniira class Modular Freighter | Udararuukin | Andrew Akins igor@ames.net | QSDS, Hulls, FFS2 |
| Issaries class merchant | Gridlore Technologies | Douglas Berry dberry@hooked.net | FFS2 |
| Kah Ryn'soo Class Subsidized Merchant | Zusa & Associates | Brian Songy bxs3829@usl.edu | FFS2 |
| Kebra Nagast class frontier liner | Vulkan Werft | Michael Koehne kraehe@bakunin.north.de | FFS1 |
There was one other entry...to use that term loosely...for this competition.
It was submitted by the Sayat Concourse, and beyond being a starship, bore no clear resemblance to the ISBA's specs. Nonetheless, the Board of Governors only narrowly voted to exclude the vessel from competition, and the dissenting members are rumored to be raising funds to buy one of their own!
UPP
Tons 500 Vol 7000 Cost 72MCr
Crew 8 Passengers High/Medium 2/16
or Medium 20
Low nil
Cargo 200 tons Controls Civilian Standard TL 10
8 Size rating 2 Jump rating
0 Fire Control 2 G rating
Laz Battery 2-0-0-0* 2 Power plant rating
Sandcaster (20) 140.6 S R Fuel rating/Scoops/Refine
Sandcaster (20) 0A 2P 0J Sensor rating
Close defence turret* 20 Armour rating 16 Structure
The Merchantman 'Ritestar II' - using a 500ton hull, is a representative
of a class of merchants intended to operate in semicontroled environments.
Designed to meet the needs of a range of clients and crew the 40dt
passenger deck features takedown partition walls to allow reconfigeration
without structural maintenance. There is a range of customisation to other
features that can be undertaken by crews at most starports.
Long Costing Internal Vol Power Cost Area
Mission Subsadised Merchant
Hull 500t slab +469.3 136.0 21.9 +1996
Jump Drive J2 (Fuel) 100
(Drive) 15.0 -- 4.5 5
Maneuver Drive HEPlaR M2 (Fuel) 28.6
(Drive) 2 40 0.0 4
Power Plant 8.875 +250 31.25
250
(non standard size cost 125%)
Controls Civilian Standard 1.3 1 3.2
Weapons
1x Lazer Turret 2-0-0-0 (TL11) 3 22 2.1 10
2x Sandcarters (20) 6 1 1.4 20
1x Close Defence turret with 3 1 1 10
Machinegun,RF Gauss-11
Missile tube, Light-11 (4 reloads)
Misc Equipment :
Sensors Civilian Basic UPP A0 P2 J0 0.3 15.2 9.4 14
Fuel Purification Plant - capacity 5 tons per hour
(non standard size cost 125%) 17 4 0.125
Comms TL10 improved 0.2 1.3 .3 16
Software : 3.9
Gunner/Evade2/Library/Anti Hijack/Return Fire
Auxiliary (Battery) power for light/air/intercom 20 hour duration
1.5 self 0.15
Crew :
1x Pilot
1x Navigator
1x Comms op
1x Steward
1x Gunner/Security
1x Medic
2x Engeneers
Workstations/Bridge:
7 Workstations 3.5 0.0105
Pilot/Nav/Comms/2Eng/3 Gunnery
*The sand casters are slaved to a single workstation.
Crew Quarters
1 Large Stateroom 4 0.001 0.1
7 Small Staterooms 14 0.0035 0.28
Passenger Quarters
2 Large Stateroom 8 0.002 0.2
16 Small Staterooms 32 0.008 0.64
Cargo 200
Fuel reserve 12.025
____ ____ ____
Totals (less capacity) 0 +28.12 72MCr
Imperial Security have no comment.
Strong similarity of ships components to Rule of Man disigns have brought the attention of historians and anthropologists. The strong Vargr influence in the style of the token stub wings has brought many spectators to the starport in the last few days.
Crew have shown a news team briefly through the ship. Versatility of moveable partitions in the passenger deck display a flexability within the class of ship. A note of concern made by Starport authorities about the presence of external antipersonnel weapons, Capt Siimes explained that as in Meshan about 15-20% of Hijackings (or Piracy) occur on the ground, by mob assult that this was a prudent measure. He did admit the design is a little limited by size of fuel scoops and lack of small craft.
Tons 500 (S Slab) Volume 7000 Cost MCr 56.112
Crew 11 Passengers: 20 Middle TL: 12
Cargo 205.3 Controls: Civilian Standard
8 Size Rating 2 Jump Rating (15stn)
0 Fire Control Rating 1G Rating/Thruster
L Battery 1 - 1,0,0,0 1 Power Plant Rating (200 Mw)
L Battery 2 - 1,0,0,0 215.4 Fuel Rating/Scoops/Refine 10tn/hr
1 Sandcaster Rating (30)
1A 3P 0J Sensor Rating
20 Armor 16 Structure
Air/Raft in minimal garage
Engineering Shop
2-bed Sickbay
The main Cargo Bay features easy access through clamshell doors forward and a cargo lock to the rear, and all the necessary tie-downs and bracing for any kind of cargo from palletized shipments to large mechanisms. A separate and secure 5-ton Mail Stowage Compartment makes the Caravel even more attractive to Mail Contracts along the route. The outer rim of the upper deck is lined with innovative modular passenger staterooms, each pair designed to convert easily into a high passage suite. With this design, Central Axis Manufacturing makes a successful transition from Orbital Industry to Interstellar Shipbuilding.
It has a crew of eleven: Captain, Astrogator, Helmsman, Electronics Operator, Engineer, two Stewards, Medic and three Gunners. As a second Steward is only needed if ten high passengers are carried, the Purser will usually act as Cargo Master and Broker. The three Gunners are expected to assist with cargo handling and security duties in addition to their ship defense role. An Air/Raft (included in the price of the vessel) is carried for liaison duties and minor errands.
As the necessary passenger and cargo spaces would not fit in a 400-ton hull, a 500-ton hull was settled on. I installed HEPlaR thrusters due to the cost savings over thrust plates, and installed a 200 Mw power plant. Power was a little short, so I replaced the TL-12 laser turrets with reconditioned TL-11 models. The original design had a 20-ton launch on an external grapnel (I've always been partial to lifeboats), but I decided to trade it in for a Sickbay, Engineering Shop and some extra cargo (the Mail Stowage Compartment). An Air/Raft took over the errand duties as a compromise.
I was concerned about the 20-middle-passenger design spec. Analysis of the worlds along the route showed that finding twenty people wealthy enough to travel to the stars but chintzy enough to go economy class on each world was unlikely, and the ability to carry high passengers was needed. It would have been uneconomical to make each passenger stateroom high passage capable, so I envisioned a suite system - each pair of small staterooms could be converted into a two-compartment large stateroom. Middle passengers are much more profitable, but carrying one high passenger makes a lot more credits than shipping two empty middle passage berths.
Expenses: Cr144244.5 Less Finance Payment: Cr27344.48 Gross Profit (fully loaded): Cr325000 Net Government Profit (including monthly finance payment): Cr45600 Net Captain's (or Investment Syndicate's) Profit: Cr135155.5 Break Even Point (Government): Full cargo hold, 5 middle passengers Break Even Point (Captain): 54 tons cargo, no passengers Captain's (or Investment Syndicate's) Initial Investment: Mcr11.2224 Potential Annual Return on Investment: 30.1%
Addendum: The author has made deckplans for this ship available at http://hartwick.edu/~smithw/starship/caravel.htm. This occurred after the THUDDD entry deadline.
Statistics Tons: 1,000std ( SL Sphere Simple ) Volume: 14,000m3 Mass (L/C): 12,072t/7,405t Dimensions: 29.9m diameter Maintenance Points: 1,394 Cost: 329.252 MCr Tech Level: 12 Size: 9 Crew: 10/17 Cargo: 300std (0/1 /Hdl:1x6ton) Passengers High/Med: 20/40 Passengers Low: 0 Electronics Controls: Dynamic, High automation. 1xComp (CM:0.35 CP:2.86). Bridge Communications: 1xRadio (50,000km, 0.02MW). 1xLaser (1,00AU, 0.00MW). Sensors: 1xPas. Scanner (13 [5mkm], 0.00MW). 1xPEMS (13 [5mkm], 0.00MW). 1xLIDAR (13.5 [50kkm], 0.10MW). Survey/Science: ECM: Signatures: Vis:0.5, IR:0.5 (0.0 at 120MW), Act:0.5, Neu:1, Grav:1 Weaponry 1xMaster Fire Directors (0MW 50,000km) 1xLaser (+4) 1/3-2-2-0 [2,100/30-30-25-12] 1xLaser (+4) 1/3-3-3-2 [2,100/30-30-25-12] Performance Jump: 2 (200 std fuel) Maneuver HEPlaR: 1.0G / 1.7G (/HEPlaR:560MW,8.0 G-hrs) Thruster: 1.0G / 1.7G (/Thruster:280MW) CG Lifter: 1.0G / 1.7G (/Contra-grav (190MW) Atmosphere (/Crus:240kph/240kph) Power (/Fusion:1,199MW,1.0) Fuel (/Purif:15,10MW) Accomodations Life Support (/Type:St /FQ:Nm /'Sto) G-Comp 1G ESA Sandcasters ( /AV:3 /Cans:10) Damper Turrets Damper Screen Meson Screen Force Field Gravtics Armor, Structure 18 Features 5xAirlock 2xShip's locker (0.50std ea.) 1xFull Galley (Cap:48) Small Craft 12xJettison Bay (6std craft) Crew Details 2xMnvr. 2xElec. 4xEngr. 2xGunn. 2xCmnd. 5xStew.Gentle Sophonts,
Merlin Enterprises is pleased to present this design as our first submission in response to your call for bids for a small cargo/passenger vessel for the IMTD route here listed...
All worlds are in the Vland sector: 1919 Khula B-475AAA-C HiPop, Ind 2017 Tahwer C-769A88-8 HiPop 2016 Guuiish C-736344-6 NonInd, LoPop 2 GG 1817 Tauri A-130899-0 NonAg, Poor 1717 Vland B-967A44-B Hi, Capital 1719 Uushiish Uun E-586466-5 Owned:1717 3 GG 1919 (loop)As can be seen from the accompanying specifications the Starhopper C1a class vessel meets or exceeds all of your listed requirements.
The Starhopper is not a new design but has been a staple item of our Poitesme Yards Division for several decades! It is a tested design. Referenses can be established by contacting the Mail Service of the Poitesme Postal Union, Landing City, Poitesme.
To highlight some of the features of the Starhopper C1a Class:
Constructed within a patented single piece Vacuumbubble (patent #P1244242FF4) spherical hull of 1cm thick superdense material the Starhopper C1a incorperates 4 drive systems, a primary Reactionless Thruster producing a nominal 1 g accelleration coupled to a CG Lifter also producing a nominal 1 g for planetary landings and lift offs. For additional reliability, and those occational times when operation beyond the Corbinsen Limit is called for a HEPlaR thruster, also capable of 1 g, is retained, with a fuel supply capable of 8 g-hours. Rounding out the drive section is a Rolls Royce/Merlin Jump-2 Drive, with suitable fuel tankage.
Twenty large staterooms are incorperated into the Starhopper C1a design. Each is capable of being converted for use as single/double occupancy, giving the Starhopper C1a the capability of carrying 20 High Passengers or 40 Middle Passenger. Two additional large staterooms are provided for the Captain and Executive officer. The remaining crew accommodations consist of 15 small staterooms. A galley/dining room is capable of accomodating 48 sophonts at one seating (on duty crew eat at station of have the use of the galley on off hours).
The Starhopper C1a contains a single internal cargo bay with a generous 300 tonns capacity.
For passenger safety the Starhopper C1a has 2 laser turrets , each containing twin grav focused Light Lance (tm) lasers capable of 140 MW output. These are linked through beampointes and a Master Fire Control. A single Sand Caster provides additional protection for the ship. 12 single use 6 ton lifeboats are integral hull components, should the need arise.
We here at Merlin Enterprises are pleased to offer this submision to your bid list at a cost of Cr 329,251,887.
Thank you for this oppertunity,C. Maxwell, Executive Programs Director,
Merlin Enterprises
Tons: 500 Std (Cyl. S) Volume: 7000 m^3 Price: MCr 162.55
Crew: 9 Hi/Mid Psg: 0/20 Low: none
Cargo: 200 Controls: Fib. Military TL: 12
8 Size 3 Jump Drive (50 Std/Pc fuel)
1 Maneuver (Thrusters, 126 MW)
2x CivLaser (+0)1/2-0-0-0 1.5 Power Plant (Fusion, 375 MW) 90 day dur.
151 Fuel (Scoop 200, Refine 3)
1x Garage (Grav Truck) A2 P3 J0
Advanced Commo Suite
10 Armor, 14 Structure
Crew Detail: 1 Engineer, 1 Electronics, 2 Maneuver, 2 Gunnery,
1 Command, 1 Medical, 1 Steward/Engineer
Facilities: 1 Large Stateroom, 28 Small Staterooms
Equipped with the most powerful jump drives manufactured today, the Irup Khularan is able to travel three parsecs in a single leap. This gives a shrewd captain-owner a degree of flexibility and freedom in planning the most profitable routes that just isn't available in older ships. In the language of Vland, her name means "Wind of Khula", and she flies as fast and free as the zephyrs of the world we hope will be her new home port.
In conformance with the VCTI, our little "Irupshe" is an armed subsidized packet of 500 displacement tons. Twenty middle passengers are carried in comfort on the upper deck. The lower deck contains two cargo bays. The small forward hold is a secure storage area meant for mail and valuable cargos, and holds four IMoT-standardized "seven seventy-seven" five-ton containers. The main aft cargo bay can hold either forty-five six-meter containers or thirty-six "seven seventy-sevens". Crew accomodations are comfortable. A large cabin is provided for the captain, and the crew are all provided with small private staterooms. The ship comes equipped with a utility grav truck for performing basic errands while in port. As a space-saving measure, the fusion power plant is provided with only ninety days of fuel.
The terms of the VCTI subsidy are closely adhered to. The ship is armed with two civilian-class laser turrets for self-defense in compliance with Sylean postal union regulations. Furthermore, as a government-subsidized vessel, she is subject to mobilization in time of need, and by law all ship's officers of a subsidized vessel must be members of the Imperial Naval Reserve. In this case, this is limited to the ship's captain, who will typically hold a commission as a reserve lieutenant. Two weeks a year are set aside for routine training activities or activation, but in times of emergency the vessel may be pressed into service for a longer period of time.
Based on an analysis of the VCTI route by Tukera Financial, LIC, a jump-3 loop through the six vilani worlds has been devised which we believe is profitable enough to offset the added expense of our design. Our route will complement the jump-2 route well, and is
Khula-Tauri-Vland-Guuiish-Tahwer-Uushiish Uun-KhulaEven though we expect that ships on this route will leave Tauri, Guuiish, and Uushiish Uun virtually empty, this route efficiently delivers goods where they are most needed, and therefore allows the clever captain-owner to maximize the return on investment. As with the jump-2 route, a total of four circuits are completed annually, with two weeks set aside for annual maintenance, and two weeks for military training or activation by the government.
But why agonize over these questions? Come stop by our offices in Mifa Lanco or our orbital facility in Ton Vorn at Sylea/Core, and talk to one of our sales representatives today! If you don't, the breeze may just pass you by.
Ketaru Aerospace is a wholly-owned subsidary of Tukera Lines, LIC, (Imperial Stock Exchange symbol: "T").
Down Payment: MCr 32.5
Annual Operating Costs (4 complete transits of the VCTI route)
Crew LS: kCr 432 (48 weeks)
Crew Salaries: kCr 414 (12 months, kCr 34.5/month est.)
Unref. Fuel: kCr 240.4 (48 parsecs traversed)
Annual Maint.: kCr 162.6
Berthing: kCr 2.4 (24 planetfalls)
----------
kCr 1251.4
Annual Speculative Purchases (as above)
780 dt "B-C Hi In Cr3200" from Khula: kCr 2496
780 dt "B-B Hi Cr4100" from Vland: kCr 3198
780 dt "C-8 Hi Cr4800" from Tahwer: kCr 3744
---------
kCr 9438
Annual Miscellaneous Expenses (as above)
Broker-4 fee at Tauri: kCr 3088.8 (20%)
Broker-2 fee at Guuish: kCr 842.4 (10%)
Life Support, 240 passengers: kCr 480 (kCr 2/each)
-----------
kCr 4411.2
ANNUAL EXPENSES, pre-payment: kCr 15100.6
Annual Revenue (as above)
780 dt "B-C Hi In Cr3200" to Tauri: kCr 15444 (kCr 19.8/ton)
780 dt "B-B Hi Cr4100" to Guuiish: kCr 8424 (kCr 10.8/ton)
780 dt "C-8 Hi Cr4800" to Uushiish Uun: kCr 5070 (kCr 6.5/ton)
Mail Contract (24 planetfalls): kCr 600 (kCr 25/world)
240 Middle Passengers: kCr 1920 (kCr 8/each)
---------
kCr 31458
Annual Ship Payments (Gov't subsidy): kCr 15729.0 (50% gross revenue)
Annual Ship Payments (Bank loan): kCr 8127.5 (1/20 ship price)
ANNUAL NET PROFIT (Gov't subsidy): kCr 628.4
ANNUAL NET PROFIT (Bank loan): kCr 8229.9
-----------------------------------------------------------------
DESIGN WORKSHEET:
Component Volume Power Cost Area Crew
-----------------------------------------------------------------
TL12 Cyl. S 500t [476.1] 86.7 32.1* [1452] --
Jump 3 20 -- 84.0 93.3 0.7 Eng
30% Jump Fuel 150 -- -- -- --
1G Thrusters 9 126. 31.5 26 0.3 Eng
TL12 Mil Controls 3.4 2.5 18.2 0.3 --
TL12 Imp Sensors 0.3 12.6 7.4 13.0 0.4 Elec
TL12 Adv Commo -- 21.5 2.0 203.0 0.8 Elec
2x Civ Laser Batt 6 53.4 2.8 20.0 2 Gunner
200+100+75 Fusion 13.4 [375] 37.5 -- 0.4 Eng
90 days Fus. fuel 1 -- -- -- --
8 Workstations 4 -- -- -- --
Large SR 4 -- 0.1 -- --
8x Small SR 16 -- 0.32 -- --
20x Small SR 40 -- 0.8 -- --
Mandated Cargo 200 -- -- -- --
TL12 Fuel Purif. 7 1.5 -- -- --
Grav Truck Garage 2 -- 0.0075* -- --
Grav Truck -- -- 0.008* -- --
-----------------------------------------------------------------
TOTAL 0 [72.3] 216.74 [1096.4] n/a
with 25% QSDS discount, price is MCr 162.55
* non-QSDS item price x1.33 to reflect lack of discount
Note: USP below represents a module selection made for the ISBA THUDDD competition. For details on other module types, see the detailed notes.
Tons: 800 (SL Slab) Volume: 11,200m3 Cost: 204.678
Crew: 12 Med Passengers: 20
Low Passengers: 0
Cargo: 280 Controls: Basic Civilian TL: 12
with bridge.
Improved Commo.
Size Rating: 8 2 Jump (80std fuel/parsec)
Fire Control: 0 1 Maneuver (/Thruster 210MW)
L Battery 2-0-0-0 1 Power Plant Rating (430MW Fusion)
L Battery 2-0-0-0 165.5 Fuel Rating (/Refine:55hr)
1 Sandcaster (/Cans:30)
A2 P3 J0 Sensors
20 Armor, 21 Structure
1xLaunch (Docking Slip)
1xOpen Space (13std)
Crew Details: 1xCmd, 2xMan, 1xElc, 2xEng, 2xStw, 1xMed, 3xGun.
Modules Selected for above configuration:
1x80std Jump Fuel
2x80std Cargo
2x60std Cargo
1x50std Middle Passenger
(The above ship was designed using the QSDS system, except for the
hull (drawn from the Big Hull Tables) and the docking slip (taken
from FF&S2). Those two items did not recieve the 75% cost discount).
There are a variety of ways to design a merchant ship. Architects can tweak the design for maximum economic potential for a specific set of worlds. There are as many theories on cargo/passenger ratios as there are ships. Some ships need to be armed, some can be unarmed. Some need jump 1, others jump 2 or even 3. A few insystem merchants require no jump at all.
The Gunraa Ushniira is an attempt to create a ship that can meet any requirement, on the fly. This is achieved through the use of swappable modules that can change the capabilities and the performance of the craft at a moments notice. Thus, a ship can be taylored for a specific use, but can be changed if need be.
The design came from the need to design a craft that met the Taneian M3 directive (Military Mobilization of Merchants). Since the Taneian Navy has very few ships (being rather new), the government has offered large subsidies to merchants for the construction of ships that meet the M3 specification - the ability to be reconfigured into a patrol- class warship in very little time. Thus, in wartime, the full time Patrol Cruisers of the Taneian navy can be shifted to fleet duty, while their commerse patrol and anti-pirate duties are picked up by M3 capable merchantmen that are activated by the government.
The Gunraa Ushniira fits the design perfectly. In less than one day, with a simple module change, the ship can be converted from a decent merchant to a decent patrol cruiser.
The ship's versatility, of course, is not limited to wartime conversions. Modules can be attatched and rearranged to provide a variety of cargo and passenger capabilities. The ship can carry three eighty (80) ton modules, two sixty (60) ton modules, and one fifty (50) ton modules. Examples are given below:
Eighty ton modules:
Cargo Module - 80 tons capability.
Drive Module - A thruster unit capable of providing 2Gs of thrust,
along with the power plant to power it and crew quarters and
workstation for the additional engineering crewmember. Upto
two of these modules may be attatched, giving a total of 5G
thrust.
Fuel Module - The ship carries enough fuel internally for jump-1.
If jump-2 (or 3) is desired, additional fuel modules need to
be installed. The mounts are such that the fuel can be directly
used from the modules.
High Passenger Module - 12 large staterooms, 12 tons cargo,
10 ton lounge.
Low Passenger Module - 72 low berths, sickbay/revival area.
Mixed Passenger Module - 8 large staterooms, 10 small staterooms,
18 tons cargo, 10 low berths.
Middle Passenger Module - 30 small staterooms, 15 tons cargo,
5 ton lounge.
Q-Ship Drive Module - A shrouded thruster unit capable of 1G of
thrust, along with the power plant to power it. No additional
crew are needed. This module looks identical to the cargo module
from the exterior - powered shrouds cover the exhaust port when
not in use. This module, along with the Q-ship weapon modules,
can create a "Q-ship"...a vessel that is designed to look like
a cargo vessel but is actually a small warship. While a Q-ship
cannot face a real warship in a straight-up fight, the thought
is that a Q-ship can surprise a pirate corsair that mistakes
the ship for a normal merchantman. Large convoys often have one
or two Q-ships. Three of these modules can be added, giving a
total of 4G thrust.
Sixty ton modules:
Cargo Module - 60 tons capability.
Cutter Module - Carries a 50ton cutter.
High Passenger Module - 10 large staterooms, 10 tons of cargo,
10 ton lounge.
Low Passenger Module - 52 low berths, sickbay/revival area.
Middle Passenger Module - 22 small staterooms, 12 tons cargo,
4 ton lounge.
Mixed Passenger Module - 4 large staterooms, 10 small staterooms,
10 low berths, 5 ton lounge, 9 tons cargo.
Module Storage - While this module seems strangely named, it is
intended to hold two thirty ton cutter modules.
Q-Ship Weapon Module - MFD, workstation, 2 staterooms, power
plant, and a (+4)4-4-3-2 laser battery. This module is externally
identical to a cargo module.
Fifty ton modules:
Cargo Module - 50 tons capability.
High Passenger Module - 8 large staterooms, 8 tons of cargo,
10 ton lounge.
Low Passenger Module - 42 low berths, sickbay/revival area.
Middle Passenger Module - 20 small staterooms, 10 tons cargo.
Q-Ship Weapon Module - 2xMFD, 2xworkstation, 2xstateroom,
2xMissile Launcher (5 missiles ready each) 20 missile
magazine.
The above modules are merely suggestions, more modules are
possible (lab modules).
The ship is built as a long slab, with the 50 ton module mounted in front, the sixty ton and two eighty ton modules mounted on the ventral surface, and the final eighty ton module mounted on the dorsal surface. The modules are specially designed for the ship - the grapples are not universal. Modules can be safely connected in fifteen minutes...disconnecting takes only five.
The ship is designed with a jump drive room capable of handling a drive with jump-1, jump-2, or jump-3 capable. Excess space if a smaller drive is installed is available as "free space". Crews can use this as a lounge, ready room, or cargo space. Note that changing the drive type is not a modular operation - it takes at least a week at a class A starport. The cost of the Jump-1 version is just over 170Mcr. The Jump-3 version is just over 240MCr.
The crew is provided with 12 small staterooms, and a fully equipped bridge. The ship can defend itself with two small point defence lasers mounted on the bow, and a dorsally mounted sand dispenser. The hull is reinforced to withstand 6Gs of thrust, and is armored more than most merchantmen.
The profit level of the ship depends greatly on the drive mounted, as the jump drive is the most expensive part of the ship (in the jump-2 version, it is over 50% of the ship). In the jump-2 and jump-3 versions, profit is only possible through speculative trading or subsidization. The Jump-1 version can be quite profitable.
Critics of the design will quickly point out that a great deal of the potential space in the ship is taken up by grapples (123 tons). They point out that the ship is not an efficient design. They are quite correct. But it is a VERSATILE design, And sometimes, thats what you need.
I designed this as a thought experiment, but I'm rather pleased with the result.
A page for this ship, with images and deckplans, will be available on my website (http://www.ames.net/igor/trav/trav.htm) as soon as I can make them. :)
Statistics
Tons: 750std (AF Med Disc Hyp) Crew: 9/18 Cargo: 250std (2/0)
Volume: 10,500m3 Pass H/M: 10/20 Cost: 222.369 MCr
Mass (L/C): 9,728t/5,998t Pass Low: 20 Maint Points: 238
Dimensions: 40.5m x 40.5m x 8.2m Tech Level: 12
Size: 8 Frozen Watch: 0(0 group)
Electronics
Controls: Dynamic, High automation. 3xComp (CM:0.6 CP:1.67). Terrain following sensors (TF:480, NOE:160). Bridge
Communications: 1xRadio (50,000km, 0.02MW). 1xLaser (1,000AU, 0.00MW)
Sensors: 1xPEMS (12.5 [1.6mkm], 0.00MW). 1xAEMS (10 LP, 0.09MW)
Survey/Science:
ECM:
Signatures: Vis:-0.5, IR:-0.5 (-0.5 at 451MW, -0.5 at 52MW), Act:0.5, Neu:0, Grav:1
Weaponry Performance
4xLt Laser (+0) 1/1-1-1-1(SR) 2 Jump (75std/pc fuel)
1.1/1.8 Maneuver (/Thruster:263MW)
1.1/1.8 Contra-grav (179MW)
1,380kph/2,130kph Atmosphere
1,035kph/1,598kph Cruise
1 Power (/Fus:520MW,1.0)
155.6 Fuel (Scoop:1 /Purif:12,7MW)
0/31/0/20/0 Accomodations
88 Life Sup. (/Ty:St,Ex /'St)
1 G-Comp
10 [30] Armor
11 Structure
Features Small Craft
6xAirlock 1xMinHgr (50std, 1 hatch)
2xDecontamination Airlock
1xDocking Umbilical
1xOrdinary Galley (Cap:24)
Crew Details
2xMnvr. 5xEngr. 4xGunn. 2xFlgt. 2xCmnd. 2xStew. 1xMed.
Gridlore Technologies is proud to announce the latest addition to our
fleet of starships, the Issaries Class Subsidized Merchant.
The Issaries is designed to meet the Imperium's need for regular, small scale, traffic in areas not fully developed. Built on a 750dton hull, the ship resembles a "flying saucer" out of Solomani mythology. We at GT are quite proud of work, and know that with the help of Issaries, the ancient Anzhanti god of trade, you will be most pleased also.
The heart of any merchant vessel is in the hold. How much can the Issaries carry? A full third of the ship is cargo hold. 250dtons of available space. Further revenue can be gained by carrying passengers. This ship has ten first-class staterooms, accommodations for twenty in Economy, and state-of-the-art Lazurus Low Berths for an additional twenty guests.
The ship is powered by a Walsh Energy Fusion plant. Motive power is provided by a single thruster plate centered on the ship's belly. The decks are perpendicular to the direction of thrust. This allows the internal grav field to be turned off when under thrust, saving wear on the system. Jump is 2 parsecs/week, with refueling required after every jump.
How can a 750dton ship scrape by with a minimum crew of only nine sophonts? We decided to put the dynamic back into Dynamic Interface. All systems on the ship are linked, and can be accessed through any control panel. Captains can install "lock-outs," allowing only specified crew members certain control functions, but if the bridge crew is busy, one of the stewards can act as commo officer from his quarters or even the galley!
Like the Issaries of myth, our Issaries bears four weapons. Illguishi, LIC has provided light lasers, sufficient to discourage most attackers. It must be strongly stated that this is not a warship, and reckless mis-use of the vessel may result in voiding of the Gridlore Technologies warranty!
Not much to say. There was left over space of about 15m^3, which suggests to me 1 dton of hidden "smuggler's holds." I think this ship would make a good ship for a group of characters.
Statistics Tons: 482std (SL Long Box Simple) Crew: 3/8 Volume: 6,748m3 Passengers High/Med: 0/20 Cost: 112.302 MCr Mass (L/C): 5,247t/4,763t Passengers Low: 0 Maint. Points: 235 Dimensions: 37.8m x 19.0m x 9.4m Troops/Trade Team: 0/4 Size: 8 Frozen Watch: 0(0 group) Performance 2 Jump (48std/pc fuel) 1.0/1.1 Maneuver (/Thruster:135MW) 1.0/1.1 Contra-grav (92MW) 320kph/320kph Atmosphere (/Crus:240kph/240kph) 1 Power (/Fus:248MW,1.0) 0/26/0/0/0 Accomodations 52 Life Sup. (/Ty:St,Gd /'St) 1 G-Comp 0 ESA 2 Sandcasters ( /AV:80 /Cans:20) 0 [10] Armor 11 Structure Electronics Controls: Dynamic, High automation. 3xComp (CM:0.35 CP:2.86). Communications: 1xRadio (50,000km, 0.02MW). 1xLaser (1,000AU, 0.00MW). Sensors: 1xPEMS (12.5 [1.6mkm], 0.00MW). 1xAEMS (4, 0.01MW). Survey/Science: none ECM: none Signatures: Vis:0.5, IR:0.0 (0.0 at 247MW, 0.0 at 25MW), Act:0.5, Neu:0, Grav:0 Weaponry 2xEmpty Turret (3std ea.) Cargo 200 std Main Cargo Hold - - Two large cargo hatches - - One custom floor hatch - - 200T Cargo Handling Equipment 1.4285 std Passenger Baggage Hold 0.5715 std Crew Baggage Hold 25 std HazMat Cargo bay - - Armor to AV:120 - - two small cargo doors (one exterior; one connecting to main cargo hold) Features 4xAirlock 1xDecontamination Airlock 1xDocking Umbilical 1xTrade Office (8 std ea.) 1xSickbay (8std ea.) 1xShip's locker (0.24std ea.) 2xPrisoner Capacity (0/0/2) 1xArmory (0.29std ea.) 1xCasino/Lounge/Classroom(4.00std ea.) 1xWaste (set aside for electronics upgrade)(2.36std ea.) 1xOrdinary Galley (Cap:20) Crew Details 2xMnvr. 1xEngr. 1xMed. 4xTrade
In a recent interview, IPA corespondent Jaqui Namsurkii asked Zusa & Accociates CEO, Baron Karl Von Zusa, about this new craft:
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JN: "After ten years of custom yacht production, and the unique,
custom-built 'Drachenjaeger'-class fighter released late last year,
doesn't the
Kah Ryn'soo, if it goes into production, reflect a fundamental shift in
the design philosophies of Zusa & Associates, to the degree
that the companies financial emphasis will change from 'craft'-produced
ships to the more efficiently produced, 'assembly line'
craft?"
KVZ: "No." JN:"..ah..How are you able to deny the profound changes this craft reflects how you will do business?..." KVZ: "Easily." JN: "...hmm..I feel your stonewalling me Mr..." KVZ: "Baron" JN: "..Alright, BARON Zusa. Answer me one final question, if it is generally accepted that it is uneconomical for starships to be profitable carrying freight at the standard rates, and if a starship owner is then driven to speculative markets, and if speculative markets only allow the thinest margin for profit, and if the subsidizing contract calls for fifty percent of gross revenues to be turned over to the sponsoring government thereby reducing profits further, and if there is any fluctuation in the market this would cause the owner to consume his operating budget, not to mention the effects if the ship is attacked by pirates or other hostile forces,...if all of this is true, how can you expect anyone to purchase your ships?" KVZ: "If." |
Out of these examinations, the most/only profitable ship I was able to create was a 10,000 Td craft, that was Jump 2 capable, carried several (the exact number was never settled upon) 1,000 Td cargo pods but had no maneuver drive. I called this "Jump boat"-like craft the Conveyor class.
Its mode of operation would be to jump into a system, release the pods, pick up a new set of pods from a tender, the tender would attach drop tanks to the Conveyor, then it would jump out of system. The tender would transport the pods and drop tanks to the planet, execute sales and purchases, and refill the drop tanks. The tenders would be optimized for one planetary system, and if you had N-1 Conveyors for a N planet route, a new Conveyor would jump into system every week - - just enough time for the tender to do it's buisiness on planet and meet the arriving Conveyor.
Alas, after reading the THUDDD 8 requirements I felt that the Conveyor didn't really follow the spirit of the of the requirements. Therefore I set about in a re-examination of the rules. Finally I felt that I found the key to the problem: High Skilled Trade Crew.
High Skilled Crew members, in general, offer possibilities for optimization; One crewmember filling multiple positions can reduce crew costs. But, much more importantly, the additional of a single individual with high "economic" skills (Trader/Broker/Streetwise/Admin), I found, could drastically affect the economics for the entire ship. This concept appealed to me -- the requirement of high economic skills seemed easier to integrate with PCs than the Conveyor concept.
Assuming availability of a team of people with each of the economic skills at 4, it became much easier to build a economically viable craft.
With less concerns about economics, I decided to add several features that increased the usability of the craft (partcularly to PCs). Also, I made a concious choice not to optimize the craft for this particular trade route, again for the sake of flexibility.
Though the per volume cost of Coherent SD may not be the least, the per Armor factor cost was.
Not knowing what the minimum allowable armor for a starcraft was, I set the Armor to 10.
Placing no coatings on the hull results in a significant cost savings; A coating could be added at a later time.
Drives are standard Thrusters, CG and Jump Drive.
Two empty turret sockets are included; Each can accept any small (42m^3) turret. Along with the two SandCasters mounted, they make up the primary armament for the craft. The Sandcasters (20 cans @ AV:80) were sized to provide the primary protection for the ship.
Three of the highest quality computers are provided. Despite their initial cost, the overall savings in crew (and therefore hull volume, PP, etc) made them economical.
The replacement of one computer with a fiber optic model is a resonable upgrade that should be easy to do.
Communications and Sensors are minimal civilian models. Sufficient surface area remains that additiuonal attennas could be added.
I reject adding ECM based upon cost.
1 year of fusion plant fuel was provided to allow refueling to be coincident with yearly maintennce down-time.
Since the entire ship is atmospheric capable, no small craft is provided.
A Laboratory was included to represent the office of the four members of the trade team. A workstation is provided here to allow access to the ships computer. Trade & legal reference works for every world in the trade route could reasonably be stored on one of the three ship's computers.
A sickbay is provided to meet Imperial requirements, but would likely rarely be used.
The ship's locker represents two closets (engineering and bridge) that hold Vacc suits for the entire crew (along with other equipment), and the individual storage compartments in each passenger stateroom that contains a rescue ball.
The two HiSecurity Brigs are actually used as staterooms by the two most junior crewmembers. Locks can be added, bedding replaced with low flamibility variety, etc. with the entire process taking less than two hours. The rooms are spartan, but it is inobvious that they coud serve as brigs.
The ship's armory (located adjacent to the bridge) contains an ACR, a snub pistol, ammunition, and set of Flex/Reflec armor for each of the crew.
The Gym is accessable by both the passengers and crew.
One of the most unique room aboard the ship is generally refered to as "The Casino". During the day and evening, it could be used to entertain passengers, which include top of the line 3D vid games, large format holoprojection device, several gambling devices and a Faro table. Since, though required by the contract, medium class passengers are not particularly profitable, the casino could serve as an additional revenue source. :) During the late night and early mornings, it could be used as classroom for the crew members, allowing for a set aside space for the almost universal practice of correspondence study while in jump space. Additionally, it allows the generation of more crewmembers that are cross-trained or trained to an advance level (particularly economic skills).
For future improvements 42.4m^3 has been reserved next to the electronics locker, to allow for any future upgrades, particularly with sensors or MFD. The cargo area is broken down into four sub areas: Passenger, Crew, HazMat and Main.
Both the crew and passengers are allowed 1m^3 each. If high class passengers are carried, any additional baggage could be placed into the main cargo hold.
The Hazardous Material Bay was created based upon the TNE trade tables; Much of the cargo generated could be very dangerous. The bay is armored on all sides at AV120! One small cargo door allows access out the port side of the ship, and one small cargo door allows connects the HazMat and Main Cargo Holds. During attacks, if the HazMat bay was empty, it could serve as a "citadel" protecting passengers from stray damage. Additionally, the HazMat Bay was actually designed using a 25Td weapons bay; It would be fairly easy to remove the cargo bay and replace it with any standard 25Td bay weapon. The bay remains AV120 even after a replacement. The exterior cargo door would have to be opened to allow the weapon to fire, but the same door would provide a degree of concealment until it was opened. Of the 350m^3, 332.62m^3 is usable.
The Main cargo bay has two large cargo doors (port and starboard). When lowered on a planet surface, they serve as ramps and provide a roll-on roll-off capability. Additionally, a custom door is provided on the bottom of the ship; This cargo door serves as the entire floor of the main cargo hold. After opening this door, the CG drive can be engaged at a low level, allowing the craft to "crab" (i.e. move sideways) at 1 - 2 kph. After positioning the ship over bulky cargo, it can then simply be winched up into the cargo hold, the Ventral Door closed, the bulky object allowed to settle upon the deck and lashed securely. Even a Scout Courier could be loaded by this method! The capability to carry expensive, bulky items has the potential to be very profitable.
A minimum fuel purification plant is included. Economics favor buying unrefined fuel at a starport, then refining it while on the ground and during the outbound journey.
Scooping fuel from Gas Giants is rarely economical (too much travel time to and from the GG), but scoops were included for their increase in flexibility vs. their small cost.
Flight crew consists of three: two maneuver and one engineer. The trade team consists of a trade specialist (Trader), sales representitive (Broker), a para-legal (Admin) and a "cultural specialist" (Streetwise). The medical crewmember (actually an emergency medical technician) would be the least tasked by official duties, and would often serve in a variety of capacities (guard duty, ad-hoc steward, assistant to the engineer, dealing Faro in the Casino, etc.)(JOT). The "Cultural Specialist", during flight, would operate the "Casino"(Gambling). The EMT and members of the trade team would serve as gunners for the sancasters and any turrets added(Gunner).
Both the crew and passengers have single occupancy in small staterooms. If needed, some crewmembers could share rooms allowing for dedicated stewards, gunners, etc. The passenger compartments could be used to carry high passengers, if changes noted previously were taken into consideration.
To accomodate stringent quarintine requirements on some high law worlds, a decon airlock is included.
Food storage area is sufficient for two normal jumps. Emergency rations are included.
The galley is sized to allow two servings for each meal. One for crew and one for passengers.
Each ship of the Kah Ryn'soo class is named for an extinct minor race. The Kah Ryn'soo was a minor race that formerly lived on the planet Tauri. The last of their race is believed to have died over 500,000 years ago.
General Data:
Displacement : 540 dt Tech Level : 12
Length : 48 meters Volume : 7560 m3
Hull : 2235 m2 Armor : 20
Mass : 2282 tons Price : 117 MCr
Engineering Data:
Hull : 33 m3, 2.4 dt, 502 tons
Fusion Plant : 300 MW, 194 m3, 13.9 dt, 603 tons
Jump performance : 2 Parsec (Drive 226 m3, 16.2 dt, Mass 680 tons)
preperation : 26 minutes per parsec - 53 minutes 2 parsec
G-Rating (HEPlaR): 2.4G (Thusters 270 MW, 27 m3, 27 tons)
G-Turns : 30 (136 using jump fuel) 14.3 m3 of fuel each
Contra Graph : 54 MW, 162 m3, 11.6 dt, 108 tons
Fuel scope : 22.6 m3, 12 hours to refine 1950 m3, 139.3 dt
Electronics:
Controll system : Dynamic linked, 3*St Dynamic computers
Avionics : TL 8+
Commo : radio 30,000 km
: maser 1000 AU
Sensor : PEMS 120,000 km
: PEMS fixed antenna
Controlls : 3 bridge workstations 14.0 m3
: engine workstation 14.0 m3
: engineering area 70.0 m3
Armament:
Weapons : turret socket 42.0 m3
: barbett socket 84.0 m3
Accomodations:
Life Support : Ext 0.51 MW, 40.8 m3, 40 tons for 5105 m3
: 6 airlocks
Crew : captain's suite 84.0 m3
: chief's lodge 56.0 m3
: 8 crew staterooms 28.0 m3
: common area 112.0 m3 10.0 tons
Passenger : 16 lower deck staterooms 28.0 m3
: common area 182.0 m3
: 4 upper deck staterooms 42.0 m3
: common area 98.0 m3 10.0 tons
Launch : 2 small hangars 210.0 m3 16.8 tons
: 2 large cargo hatch
Cargo : 2800 m3 200 dt
Crew : (35% compmul, 90 maint) 10 humans, 3 robots
1 command 2 maneuvering 1 electronics 3 engineering
1 maintenance 2 flight 2 stewards 1 medical
Vulkan Werft is proud to announce the Kebra Nagast class frontier liner
under contract of Dover Gabe - Mining and Robotics corporation.
Dover Gabe a Sylean mining corporation is a long time customer of our company, using our solid Wilds Rock'n'Roller on the mains between the glorious Kaneshi empire and the young Sylean trade federation for centuries. A recent request for a Liner assigned for the Vland subsector, enabled them to loosen the Sylean export control, to upgrade parts of our shipyard to TL:12. As Dover Gabe has to deliver mining robots to a belter system, a cargo of extremely high value, and its known that the Vland area is hosting a lot of human and even Vargr pirates, they requested a concept for a secure liner. The Liner had also to fit the request of the Sylean Imperial Ministry of Trade and Development, to allow Dover Gabe to receive the subsidiary.
For us the liner is a small vessel, our first vessel under 1000MW thrust, but as we are known of unusual solutions, I think we have a surprise for the Sylean Navy always investor in subsidy, as they are subject to mobilization as auxiliaries in the event of emergency or hostilities, for a price most others are only able to build traders.
The Kebra Nagast has around 540 displacement tons and an empty weight of 2282 Solomani metric tons. In this configuration its able to accelerate with 2.4G and to jump 2 parsecs with a preparation of 53 minutes. To allow flexibility of the ship owners wish, its not delivered with a pre installed armament, but with an empty barbette and a turret socket. Also only the fixed PEMS-120,000km is installed as a sensor, as its a feature of the hull. Reconfiguration with a AEMS, fire control or even a jammer are always possible. Power supply and data links are already prepared.
As the Kebra Nagast is primary a Liner the accommodation show functionality of Kaneshi's style together with a certain commodiousness. The 16 small staterooms have the full size of 28qm. Unlike other shipyard we add the common area and not subtract them - 182qm for floor, canteen and wet chamber. The first class passengers have their own area of 98qm and each of their 4 staterooms has a size of 42qm, between the lower class and the crews quarters. Each of the 8 crew member has their own full size stateroom, around the bridge and crew area. And while the captain has a suite of 84mq, large enough for catering the first class passengers, the chief has its lodge of 56qm to provide a recreation room for him and the crew. This roominess was achieved by following the advise to add robots for security, engineering, and cargo handling. A captain who dislikes the idea using robots, because of his union affiliation, could of course decide to have the lower crew share rooms. We did not bundle the robots in price to avoid legal snares, but we advise to ask Dover Gabe for their special Kebra Nagast price.
On a first look a cargo bay can be nothing special, if you assume this, we could prove you wrong. As told the Kebra Nagast is primary a Liner, but of course its secondary subject to fleet mobilization. The cargo bay has a length of 40 meter and is divided into two parts. Those are arranged together with the empty turret socket that a 3,6m*40m particle accelerator fits in. The backward part would than contain a second power plant, a missile bay and fire control bridge together with sensors and jammer. As the complete backward bay is a multi mission pod, the reconfiguration is a matter of 30 minutes on any shipyard where graph technology is available. This would reduce the cargo capacity to 148 dt. Two small hangars able to host a ships boat, a gig or a fighter, are arranged with the forward cargo bay so that its possible to store 8 additional fighters in two decks, if you want to be able to maintain and repair them, and still have some room for cargo.
Kebra Nagast is the Indian Book of Death, and as Dover Gabe will run the supplies with high armament, and less cargo, we are waiting for the first Vargr pirate trying to open it. Once the ship has its name of being a difficult prey, Dover Gabe will mix high armed and high cargo ships at random. We would advise the IMTD to finance additional vessels, as this would make the Vland area more secure.
Deck plans in GIF, Postscript and as XFig-CAD source can be downloaded from the Kaneshi pages at http://Traveller.IS-Bremen.De free of charge.
URL: http://www.cinenet.net/users/cberry/thuddd8.html
Last modified: Saturday, 11-Apr-98 18:30:35 PDT
Author: Craig Berry
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