Freelance Traveller
This article was originally posted to the pre-magazine Freelance Traveller website in 2002, and appeared in this form in the September/October 2016 issue.
The stripped hulls, slinking through the gloom,
At gaze and gone again—
The Brides of Death that wait the groom—
The Choosers of the Slain!
—Rudyard Kipling, “The Destroyers”, 1898
Destroyers originated at TL5 as “Torpedo-boat Destroyers”, intended to screen other ships from attack by torpedo-boats. Mounting torpedoes themselves for offensive punch, they soon became large torpedo-boats themselves, larger and more seaworthy, until by TL6 the original torpedo-boat had become extinct.
Torpedo-boats became submarines, submerging to sneak up on their targets; by TL6, destroyers in turn had become anti-submarine and anti-aircraft escorts, their own torpedo attack capability relegated to a secondary role. Through TL7 and TL8, destroyers grew in size and capability with new generations of missile weaponry, until by TL8 “destroyer” had come to mean a relatively-small general-purpose warship, differing from a cruiser only in size. It retains this definition in Traveller navies.
This is a family of 4-5kt destroyers intended for small TL11-13 navies, but could also be used as general-purpose destroyers for any size of fleet. All are general-purpose ships, as small navies must cover a variety of roles with a limited number of ships.
Three variants of each cruiser are provided:
- TL11, Jump-2, 6-G (for “low-tech Traveller”)
- TL12, Jump-3, 6-G (typical of the pre-3I campaigns profiled in Other Roads)
- TL13+, Jump-4, 6-G (typical Third Imperium performance requirements)
To achieve this performance using stock Book 2 engines, these ships are assumed to have multiple engines.
In addition, there is a special “TL11bis”; these are TL11 ships whose easily-replaceable TL11 systems have been upgraded to TL12. This usually takes the form of upgrading computers from Model/5 to Model/6 and installing nuclear dampers. Similarly, “TL12bis” upgrades such ship systems to TL13.
Fram-class Destroyer (DD)
The Fram-class destroyer began as an attempt to approximate a typical Foible Federation destroyer using the CT/Beyond Book 2 design system enhancements. (The miniature used for DDs in that campaign—Valiant Miniatures’ Stardate:3000 “Escort Cruiser”—had two obvious heavy “gun” mounts which translated into laser bays.)
Fram-11 DD (TL11). 4000 tons. Armor-4. Jump-2, 6-G. 920 tons fuel. Twin bridges and Model/5s. 60 staterooms, 60 low berths. Two 10-ton laser bays, one 100-ton missile bay,10 triple turrets (BSB). 200-ton capacity shuttle bay, 1270 tons cargo. Streamlined. 60 crew, 40 Marines.
MCr 1767.6; 35 months. Special Rules: Multiple Engines, Hull Armor, Laser Bay, Missile Bay.
Using a custom 4000-ton hull, the Fram-11 is a general-purpose beam destroyer. It mounts jump drive-Y, twin maneuver drive-Z, and twin power plant-Z, giving a performance of Jump-2 and 6-G acceleration. Fuel tankage for 920 tons supports the power plant and allows one jump-2. The ship has dual bridges (main and backup), each with a Computer Model/5. There are 60 staterooms and 60 low berths. The ship has two 10-ton bays, one 100-ton bay, and 10 hardpoints with fire-control. Two 10-ton laser bays, one 100-ton missile bay, and 10 triple turrets are installed, each with two beam lasers and a sandcaster; 20 tons of sandcaster magazines holds 21 rounds per sandcaster. A dedicated hangar bay holds up to 200 tons of ship’s vehicles. Cargo capacity is 1270 tons; the ship is streamlined. The hull is armored to Armor-4.
The Fram-11 requires a crew of about 60, and can carry a 40-man platoon of ship’s troops/marines for landing/raiding operations (single occupancy for officers, double occupancy for enlisted men); total life-support capacity is 120. The ship costs MCr 1767.6 at TL11, and takes 35 months to build.
The TL12 version increases its jump capability to Jump-3 and adds a nuclear damper without sacrificing much in the way of price or interior room:
Fram-12 DD (TL12). 4000 tons. Armor-4.Jump-3, 6-G. 1320 tons fuel. Twin bridges and Model/6s. 60 staterooms, 60 low berths. Two 10-ton laser bays, one 100-ton missile bay,10 triple turrets (BSB). Nuclear damper. 200-ton capacity shuttle bay, 1105 tons cargo. Streamlined. 65 crew, 40 Marines.
MCr 1740.3; 35 months. Special Rules: Multiple Engines, Hull Armor, Laser Bay, Missile Bay, Nuclear Damper.
Using a custom 4000-ton hull, the Fram-12 is a general-purpose beam destroyer. It mounts jump drive-Z, dual maneuver drive-Z, and dual power plant-Z, giving a performance of Jump-3 and 6-G acceleration. Fuel tankage for 1320 tons supports the power plant and allows one jump-3. The ship has dual bridges (main and backup), each with a Computer Model/6. There are 60 staterooms and 60 low berths. The ship has two 10-ton bays, one 100-ton bay, and 10 hardpoints with fire-control. Two 10-ton laser bays, one 100-ton missile bay, and 10 triple turrets are installed, each with two beam lasers and a sandcaster; 20 tons of sandcaster magazines holds 21 rounds per sandcaster. A dedicated hangar bay holds up to 200 tons of ship’s vehicles. Cargo capacity is 1105 tons. The hull is streamlined and armored to Armor-4, and a TL12 nuclear damper is fitted.
The Fram-12 requires a crew of about 65, and can carry a 40-man platoon of ship’s troops/marines for landing/raiding operations (single occupancy for officers, double occupancy for enlisted men); total life-support capacity is 120. The ship costs MCr 1740.3 at TL 12, and takes 35 months to build.
The TL13 version further increases performance to Jump-4 and armor from 4 to 6 at a heavy cost in price and interior room, providing an approximation of a Third Imperium DD:
Fram-13 DD (TL13+). 4000 tons. Armor-6. Jump-4, 6-G. 1720 tons fuel. Dual bridges and Model/7s. 60 staterooms, 60 low berths. Two 10-ton laser bays, one 100-ton missile bay,10 triple turrets (BSB). Nuclear damper. 200-ton capacity shuttle bay, 455 tons cargo. Streamlined. 70 crew, 40 Marines.
MCr 2148.4; 35 months. Special Rules: Multiple Engines, Hull Armor, Laser Bay, Missile Bay, Nuclear Damper.
Using a custom 4000-ton hull, the Fram-13 is a general-purpose beam destroyer. It mounts dual jump drive-Y, dual maneuver drive-Z, and dual power plant-Z, giving a performance of Jump-4 and 6-G acceleration. Fuel tankage for 1720 tons supports the power plant and allows one jump-4. The ship has dual bridges (main and backup), each with a Computer Model/7. There are 60 staterooms and 60 low berths. The ship has two 10-ton bays, one 100-ton bay, and 10 hardpoints with fire-control. Two 10-ton laser bays, a 100-ton missile bay, and 10 triple turrets are installed, each with two beam lasers and a sandcaster; 20 tons of sandcaster magazines holds 21 rounds per sandcaster. A dedicated hangar bay holds up to 200 tons of ship’s vehicles. Cargo capacity is 455 tons. The hull is streamlined and armored to Armor-6, and a TL13 nuclear damper is fitted.
The Fram-13 requires a crew of about 70, and can carry a 40-man platoon of ship’s troops/marines for landing/raiding operations (single occupancy for officers, double occupancy for enlisted men); total life-support capacity is 120. The ship costs MCr 2148.4 at TL13, and takes 35 months to build.
Burke-class Missile Destroyer (DDG)
The Burke-class missile destroyers differ from the Fram-class primarily in armament: Two missile bays and one laser bay. Otherwise, they are identical.
Burke-11 DDG (TL11). 4000 tons. Armor-4. Jump-2, 6-G. 920 tons fuel. Twin bridges and Model/5s. 60 staterooms, 60 low berths. One 10-ton laser bay, two 100-ton missile bays,10 triple turrets (BSB). 200-ton capacity shuttle bay, 1180 tons cargo. Streamlined. 60 crew, 40 Marines.
MCr 1758.6; 35 months. Special Rules: Multiple Engines, Hull Armor, Laser Bay, Missile Bay.
Using a custom 4000-ton hull, the Burke-11 is a general-purpose destroyer with missile-heavy armament. It mounts jump drive-Y, twin maneuver drive-Z, and twin power plant-Z, giving a performance of Jump-2 and 6-G acceleration. Fuel tankage for 920 tons supports the power plant and allows one jump-2. The ship has dual bridges (main and backup), each with a Computer Model/5. There are 60 staterooms and 60 low berths. The ship has one 10-ton bay, two 100-tonbays, and 10 hardpoints with fire-control. One 10-ton laser bay, two 100-ton missile bays, and 10 triple turrets are installed, each with two beam lasers and a sandcaster; 20 tons of sandcaster magazines holds 21 rounds per sandcaster. A dedicated hangar bay holds up to 200 tons of ship’s vehicles. Cargo capacity is 1180 tons. The hull is streamlined and armored to Armor-4.
The Burke-11 requires a crew of about 60, and can carry a 40-man platoon of ship’s troops/marines for landing/raiding operations (single occupancy for officers, double occupancy for enlisted men); total life-support capacity is 120. The ship costs MCr 1758.6 at TL11,and takes 35 months to build.
Burke-12 DDG (TL12). 4000 tons. Armor-4. Jump-3, 6-G. 1320 tons fuel. Twin bridges and Model/6s. 60 staterooms, 60 low berths. One 10-ton laser bay, two 100-ton missile bays,10 triple turrets (BSB). Nuclear damper. 200-ton capacity shuttle bay, 915 tons cargo. Streamlined. 65 crew, 40 Marines.
MCr 1731.3; 35 months. Special Rules: Multiple Engines, Hull Armor, Laser Bay, Missile Bay, Nuclear Damper.
Using a custom 4000-ton hull, the Burke-12 is a general-purpose destroyer with missile-heavy armament. It mounts jump drive-Z, dual maneuver drive-Z, and dual power plant-Z, giving a performance of Jump-3 and 6-G acceleration. Fuel tankage for 1320 tons supports the power plant and allows one jump-3. The ship has dual bridges (main and backup), each with a Computer Model/6. There are 60 staterooms and 60 low berths. The ship has one 10-ton bay, two 100-ton bays, and 10 hardpoints with fire-control. One 10-ton laser bay, two 100-ton missile bays, and 10 triple turrets are installed, each with two beam lasers and a sandcaster; 20 tons of sandcaster magazines holds 21 rounds per sandcaster. A dedicated hangar bay holds up to 200 tons of ship’s vehicles. Cargo capacity is 915 tons. The hull is streamlined and armored to Armor-4, and a TL12 nuclear damper is fitted.
The Burke-12 requires a crew of about 65, and can carry a 40-man platoon of ship’s troops/marines for landing/raiding operations (single occupancy for officers, double occupancy for enlisted men); total life-support capacity is 120. The ship costs MCr 1731.3 at TL 12, and takes 35 months to build.
Burke-13 DDG (TL13+). 4000 tons. Armor-6. Jump-4, 6-G. 1720 tons fuel. Dual bridges and Model/7s. 60 staterooms, 60 low berths. One 10-ton laser bay, two 100-ton missile bays,10 triple turrets (BSB). Nuclear damper. 200-ton capacity shuttle bay, 365 tons cargo. Streamlined. 70 crew, 40 Marines.
MCr 2139.4; 35 months. Special Rules: Multiple Engines, Hull Armor, Laser Bay, Missile Bay, Nuclear Damper.
Using a custom 4000-ton hull, the Burke-13 is a general-purpose destroyer with missile-heavy armament. It mounts dual jump drive-Y, dual maneuver drive-Z, and dual power plant-Z, giving a performance of Jump-4 and 6-G acceleration. Fuel tankage for 1720 tons supports the power plant and allows one jump-4. The ship has dual bridges (main and backup), each with a Computer Model/7. There are 60 staterooms and 60 low berths. The ship has one 10-ton bay, two 100-ton bays, and 10 hardpoints with fire-control. A 10-ton laser bay, two 100-ton missile bays, and 10 triple turrets are installed, each with two beam lasers and a sandcaster; 20 tons of sandcaster magazines holds 21 rounds per sandcaster. A dedicated hangar bay holds up to 200 tons of ship’s vehicles. Cargo capacity is 365 tons. The hull is streamlined and armored to Armor-6, and a TL13 nuclear damper is fitted.
The Burke-13 requires a crew of about 70, and can carry a 40-man platoon of ship’s troops/marines for landing/raiding operations (single occupancy for officers, double occupancy for enlisted men); total life-support capacity is 120. The ship costs MCr 2139.4 at TL 13, and takes 35 months to build.
Foible-class Destroyer (DD)
The Foible-class destroyer is an enlarged Fram with an additional missile bay, giving a balanced missile/beam main battery.
Foible-11 DD (TL11). 5000 tons. Armor-4. Jump-2, 6-G. 1180 tons fuel. Twin bridges and Model/5s. 70 staterooms, 70 low berths. Two 10-ton laser bays, two 100-ton missile bays,10 triple turrets (BSB). 200-ton capacity shuttle bay, 1550 tons cargo. Streamlined. 65 crew, 40 Marines.
MCr 2358; 36 months. Special Rules: Multiple Engines, Hull Armor, Laser Bay, Missile Bay.
Using a custom 5000-ton hull, the Foible-11 is a general-purpose destroyer. It mounts jump drive-Z, triple maneuver drive-Z, and triple power plant-Z, giving a performance of Jump-2 and 6-G acceleration. Fuel tankage for 1180 tons supports the power plant and allows one jump-2. The ship has dual bridges (main and backup), each with a Computer Model/5. There are 70 staterooms and 70 low berths. The ship has two 10-ton bays, two 100-ton bays, and 10 hardpoints with fire-control. Two 10-ton laser bays, two 100-ton missile bays, and 10 triple turrets are installed, each with two beam lasers and a sandcaster; 20 tons of sandcaster magazines holds 21 rounds per sandcaster. A dedicated hangar bay holds up to 200 tons of ship’s vehicles. Cargo capacity is 1550 tons. The hull is streamlined and armored to Armor-4.
The Foible-11 requires a crew of about 65, and can carry a 40-man platoon of ship’s troops/marines for landing/raiding operations (single occupancy for officers, double occupancy for enlisted men); total life-support capacity is 140. The ship costs MCr 2358 at TL11, and takes 36 months to build.
Foible-13 DD (TL13+). 5000 tons. Armor-6. Jump-4, 6-G. 2180 tons fuel. Dual bridges and Model/7s. 70 staterooms, 70 low berths. Two 10-ton laser bays, two 100-ton missile bays,10 triple turrets (BSB). Nuclear damper. 200-ton capacity shuttle bay, 457 tons cargo. Streamlined. 75 crew, 40 Marines.
MCr 2467; 36 months. Special Rules: Multiple Engines, Hull Armor, Laser Bay, Missile Bay, Nuclear Damper.
Using a custom 5000-ton hull, the Foible-13 is a general-purpose destroyer. It mounts dual jump drive-Z, triple maneuver drive-Z, and triple power plant-Z, giving a performance of Jump-4 and 6-G acceleration. Fuel tankage for 2180 tons supports the power plant and allows one jump-4. The ship has dual bridges (main and backup), each with a Computer Model/7. There are 70 staterooms and 70 low berths. The ship has two 10-ton bays, two 100-ton bays, and 10 hardpoints with fire-control. Two 10-ton laser bays, two 100-ton missile bays, and 10 triple turrets are installed, each with two beam lasers and a sandcaster; 20 tons of sandcaster magazines holds 21 rounds per sandcaster. A dedicated hangar bay holds up to 200 tons of ship’s vehicles. Cargo capacity is 457 tons. The hull is streamlined and armored to Armor-6, and a TL13 nuclear damper is fitted.
The Foible-13 requires a crew of about 75, and can carry a 40-man platoon of ship’s troops/marines for landing/raiding operations (single occupancy for officers, double occupancy for enlisted men); total life-support capacity is 140. The ship costs MCr 2467 at TL13, and takes 36 months to build.
Variant: Destroyer/Minelayer (DM)
Mines are basically modified “delayed-action” missiles which can be “laid” from any missile bay or turret. In a Destroyer/Minelayer, the “cargo” capacity is used for mine magazines, feeding into the missile bay(s) which are used to “launch” the mines into their minefield positions. At one ton per heavy mine, a DM can lay an extensive field.
Usually DMs are converted from older, second-line destroyers (such as the TL11 versions of the above in a TL12+ navy), as their lower Jump performance frees up interior room for mine magazines.
Variant: Destroyer/Transport (DT)
In a Destroyer/Transport, the “cargo” capacity is used to carry Marines and their landing craft, providing a fast, well-armed platform for commando raids. Like DMs, DTs are usually older, second-line destroyers, as their lower Jump performance frees up interior space for additional barracks, heavy equipment, and shuttle bays.
Design Notes
All the above ships are inspired by TL6-9 “Wet Navy” designs.
The basic Fram-class DD is named after a US Navy acronym of TL7: Fleet Refit And Modernization. At TL7 during the early Cold War, the US Navy found themselves with a lot of TL6 ships (built round-the-clock in the Second World War), which were all becoming obsolete at once. FRAM was a refit/rebuilding to stretch the service life of these older DDs by modernizing them into anti-submarine screening ships. All weapons except two main gun mounts (127mm twins) were stripped from the old DDs and a “pepperbox” anti-submarine missile launcher was mounted in place of the torpedo tubes; electronics and sensors were brought up to state-of-the-art TL7. Though not as effective as new construction would have been, they provided a cheap augmentation to purpose-built ships. The Traveller version is scaled from the armament: laser bays for the main gun mounts and missile bay for the missile launcher; ten turrets were added for close-in and anti-fighter defense.
The Burke-class DDGs are based on the US Navy TL9 class of the same name, which carried two missile launch arrays (similar to Traveller missile bays) and a single automatic gun mount. In like fashion, the Traveller Burkes pack a single laser bay and two missile bays.
An enlarged Fram, the Foible-class most resembles the US Navy’s TL8 Spruance-class DDs. These were a large hull (more cruiser-sized than destroyer) designed for a long service life, with a lot of interior room to accommodate weapons and electronics refits over time, preventing obsolescence. Four large “bays” of hull (two forward, two aft) were reserved for weapons systems (usually two 127mm autocannon mounts and two missile launchers) and their magazines, with plenty of “waste space” for future expansion. Though initially denounced as expensive and under-armed, the concept worked in the long run: the Spruances served for decades as the medium-sized “workhorses” of the US Navy well into TL9, with constant refits continually upgrading their capabilities and Tech Level. The Foible packs two missile bays and two laser bays, in the same combination as the Spruance.
Destroyer/Minelayers are based on the TL6 US Navy’s DMs. These were older destroyers modified by adding mine rails for up to 100 mines along the main deck; the torpedo tubes were removed to compensate for the increased weight. The result was a high-speed tactical minelayer to sow offensive minefields in enemy shipping lanes or ports in a hit-and-run raid or lay fields across the path of enemy fleets.
Destroyer Transports are based on the TL6 US Navy’s APDs (“High Speed Transports”). These were converted from old or small destroyers by replacing the torpedo tubes and some of the gun armament with Marine accommodations and two to four landing craft. Carrying up to a reinforced company of Marines, these fast transports were intended for hit-and-run commando raids on Pacific islands.