Freelance Traveller

designed by Ken Pick

This article was originally posted to the pre-magazine Freelance Traveller website in 1999, and reprinted in the July/August 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

Before the advent of nuclear dampers and meson guns/screens at TL12, missiles (especially nuclear missiles) remain the primary ship-killing weapon. Because a single nuke can cause catastrophic damage, doctrine up to TL12 is to spread the risk and firepower over many smaller and cheaper hulls.

This is a family of small warships of 1-3 kt designed and built with this fact in mind. They are intended for small TL11-13 navies, but could also be used as general-purpose light escorts 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.

Longsword Destroyer Escort (DE)

The Longsword derives its name from its specs—a stretched, generally more-capable Broadsword, intended to act as a light general-purpose warship. Advantages over the Mercenary Cruiser include streamlining, hull armor, better performance, and two extra turrets, giving the regular navy the edge over Broadsword-equipped mercenaries/privateers.

Longsword-11 DE (TL11). 1000 tons. Armor-3. Jump-2, 6-G. 260 tons fuel. Model/5. 40 staterooms, 40 low berths. 10 triple turrets (6×BBB, 4×MSM). 100-ton capacity shuttle bay, 90 tons cargo. Streamlined. 35 crew, up to 35 Marines.
MCr 594.4; 30 months. Special Rules: Hull Armor.

Using a custom 1000-ton hull, the Longsword-11 is a general-purpose warship used for escort, patrol, or light Marine raiding. It mounts jump drive-K, maneuver drive-X, and power plant-X, giving a performance of Jump-2 and 6-G acceleration. Fuel tankage for 260 tons supports the power plant and allows one jump-2. Adjacent to the bridge is a computer Model/5. There are 40 staterooms and 40 low berths. The ship has ten hardpoints and ten tons allocated for fire control. Ten triple turrets are installed, six with triple beam lasers (BBB) and four with two missile racks and a sandcaster (MSM); 20 tons of magazines holds 18 rounds per missile rack or sandcaster. A dedicated shuttle bay houses up to 100 tons of ship’s vehicles, plus 90 tons is available for cargo and other purposes; the ship is streamlined. The hull is armored to Armor-3.

The Longsword-11 requires a crew of about 35, and can carry a 35-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 80. The ship costs MCr 594.4 at Tech Level 11, and takes 30 months to build.

The TL12 version sacrifices its hull armor for Jump-3 capability, providing an approximation of a Shavian Empire DE.

Longsword-12 DE (TL12). 1000 tons. Jump-3, 6-G. 360 tons fuel. Model/6. 40 staterooms, 40 low berths. 10 triple turrets (6×BBB, 4×MSM). 100-ton capacity shuttlebay, 83 tons cargo. Streamlined. 35 crew, up to 35 Marines.
MCr 583.6; 30 months.

Using a custom 1000-ton hull, the Longsword-12 is a general-purpose warship used for escort, patrol, or light Marine raiding. It mounts jump drive-Q, maneuver drive-X, and power plant-X, giving a performance of Jump-3 and 6-G acceleration. Fuel tankage for 360 tons supports the power plant and allows one jump-3. Adjacent to the bridge is a computer Model/6. There are 40 staterooms and 40 low berths. The ship has ten hardpoints and ten tons allocated for fire control. Ten triple turrets are installed, six with triple beam lasers (BBB) and four with two missile racks and a sandcaster (MSM); 20 tons of magazines holds 18 rounds per missile rack or sandcaster. A dedicated shuttle bay houses up to 100 tons of ship’s vehicles, plus 83 tons is available for cargo and other purposes; the ship is streamlined.

The Longsword-12 requires a crew of about 35, and can carry a 35-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 80. The ship costs MCr 583.6 at Tech Level 12, and takes 30 months to build.

The Tech 13 version stretches the design to the limit, sacrificing ship’s troops capability and half the missile and sandcaster magazines to achieve Jump-4, providing an approximation of the Third Imperium’s Fer-de-lance DE:

Longsword-13 DE (TL13+). 1000 tons. Jump-4, 6-G. 460 tons fuel. Model/7. 30 staterooms, 30 low berths. 10 triple turrets (6×BBB, 4×MSM). 100-ton capacity shuttlebay, 6 tons cargo. Streamlined. 35-40 crew.
MCr 646.8; 30 months.

Using a custom 1000-ton hull, the Longsword-13 is a general-purpose warship used for escort, patrol, or scouting. It mounts jump drive-V, maneuver drive-X, and power plant-X, giving a performance of Jump-4 and 6-G acceleration. Fuel tankage for 460 tons supports the power plant and allows one jump-4. Adjacent to the bridge is a computer Model/7. There are 30 staterooms and 30 low berths. The ship has ten hardpoints and ten tons allocated for fire control. Ten triple turrets are installed, six with triple beam lasers (BBB) and four with two missile racks and a sandcaster (MSM); 12 tons of magazines holds 12 rounds per missile rack or sandcaster. A dedicated shuttle bay houses up to 100 tons of ship’s vehicles, plus 6 tons is available for cargo and other purposes; the ship is streamlined.

The Longsword-13 requires a crew of about 35-40 (single occupancy for officers, double occupancy for enlisted men); total life-support capacity is 60. The ship costs MCr 646.8 at Tech Level 13, and takes 30 months to build.

Kanin Missile DE (DEG)

The Kanin DEG is a “stretch” version of the Longsword DE, with a heavy missile bay in the additional tonnage. A “Q-ship” variant is built on the hull of the Type TI Frontier Transport to provide “undercover” convoy escort, and is indistinguishable from the merchie until the shooting starts.

Kanin-11 DEG (TL11). 2000 tons. Armor-4. Jump-2. 6-G. 460 tons fuel. Model/5. 50 staterooms, 50 low berths. 100-ton missile bay, 10 triple turrets (6×BBB, 4×SSS). 100-ton capacity shuttlebay. 100-ton capacity shuttlebay, 445 tons user-definable. Streamlined. 45 crew, 40 Marines.
MCr 1043; 32 months. Special rules: Hull Armor, Missile Bay.

Using a custom 2000-ton hull, the Kanin-11 is a general-purpose warship used for escort, patrol, or light Marine raiding. It mounts jump drive-V, maneuver drive-Z, and power plant-Z, giving a performance of Jump-2 and 6-G acceleration. Fuel tankage for 460 tons supports the power plant and allows one jump-2. Adjacent to the bridge is a computer Model/5. There are 50 staterooms and 50 low berths. The ship has one 100-ton bay, ten hardpoints and ten tons allocated for fire control. One 100-ton missile bay and ten triple turrets are installed, six with triple beam lasers (BBB) and four with triple sandcasters (SSS); 20 tons of magazines holds 18 rounds per sandcaster. A dedicated shuttle bay holds 100 tons of ship’s vehicles, plus 445 tons is available for cargo and other purposes; the ship is streamlined. The hull is armored to Armor-4.

The Kanin-11 requires a crew of about 45, 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 100. The ship costs MCr 1043 at Tech Level 11, and takes 32 months to build.

The TL12 version incorporates Jump-3 performance plus a computer upgrade and nuclear damper without any sacrifice to other systems, mostly due to the more compact TL12 armor and the large user-definable tonnage. The only change is adding a four-man nuclear damper crew.

Kanin-12 DEG (TL12). 2000 tons. Armor-4. Jump-3. 6-G. 660 tons fuel. Model/6. 50 staterooms, 50 low berths. 100-ton missile bay, 10 triple turrets (6×BBB, 4×SSS). Nuclear damper. 100-ton capacity shuttlebay, 323 tons user-definable. Streamlined. 50 crew, 40 Marines.
MCr 1003.4; 32 months. Special rules: Hull Armor, Missile Bay, Nuclear Damper.

Using a custom 2000-ton hull, the Kanin-12 is a general-purpose warship used for escort, patrol, or light Marine raiding. It mounts jump drive-X, maneuver drive-Z, and power plant-Z, giving a performance of Jump-3 and 6-G acceleration. Fuel tankage for 660 tons supports the power plant and allows one jump-3. Adjacent to the bridge is a computer Model/6. There are 50 staterooms and 50 low berths. The ship has one 100-ton bay, ten hardpoints and ten tons allocated for fire control. One 100-ton missile bay and ten triple turrets are installed, six with triple beam lasers (BBB) and four with triple sandcasters (SSS); 20 tons of magazines holds 18 rounds per sandcaster. A dedicated shuttle bay holds 100 tons of ship’s vehicles, plus 323 tons is available for cargo and other purposes; the ship is streamlined. The hull is armored to Armor-4, and a TL12 nuclear damper is fitted.

The Kanin-12 requires a crew of about 50, 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 100. The ship costs MCr 1003.4 at Tech Level 12, and takes 32 months to build.

The TL13 version further increases performance to Jump-4 at the expense of user-definable tonnage.

Kanin-13 DEG (TL13+). 2000 tons. Armor-4, Jump-4. 6-G. 860 tons fuel. Model/7. 50 staterooms, 50 low berths. 100-ton missile bay, 10 triple turrets (6×BBB, 4×SSS). Nuclear damper. 100-ton capacity shuttle bay, 147 tons user-definable. Streamlined. 50 crew, 40 Marines.
MCr 1018.2; 32 months. Special rules: Hull Armor, Missile Bay, Nuclear Damper.

Using a custom 2000-ton hull, the Kanin-13 is a general-purpose warship used for escort, patrol, or light Marine raiding. It mounts jump drive-Y, maneuver drive-Z, and power plant-Z, giving a performance of Jump-4 and 6-G acceleration. Fuel tankage for 860 tons supports the power plant and allows one jump-4. Adjacent to the bridge is a computer Model/7. There are 50 staterooms and 50 low berths. The ship has one 100-ton bay, ten hardpoints and ten tons allocated for fire control. One 100-ton missile bay and ten triple turrets are installed, six with triple beam lasers (BBB) and four with triple sandcasters (SSS); 20 tons of magazines holds 18 rounds per sandcaster. A dedicated shuttle bay holds 100 tons of ship's vehicles, plus 147 tons is available for cargo and other purposes; the ship is streamlined. The hull is armored to Armor-4, and a TL13 nuclear damper is fitted.

The Kanin-13 requires a crew of about 50, 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 100. The ship costs MCr 1018.2 at Tech Level 13, and takes 32 months to build.

Krupny Armored Missile Destroyer (DDG)

Basically an enlarged Kanin with an additional missile bay and armor, the Krupny DDG is a heavily armored, missile-armed combat ship for small TL11 navies, useable as a straight missile-combat ship, convoy escort, or ortillery/assault transport in landing operations/raids. The large user-definable space can be used for extra small craft, Marine barracks, flagship/staff accommodations, or extra missile ammunition.

Krupny-11 DDG (TL11). 3000 tons. Armor-8. Jump-2. 4-G. 640 tons fuel. Twin bridges & Model/5s. 60 staterooms, 60 low berths. Two 100-ton missile bays, 10 triple turrets (8×BBB, 2×SSS). 200-ton capacity shuttle bay, 415 tons user-definable. Streamlined. 50 crew.
MCr 1855.3; 34 months. Special rules: Hull Armor, Missile Bays.

Using a custom 3000-ton hull, the Krupny-11 is a heavily-armored, missile-armed warship. It mounts jump drive-X, maneuver drive-Z, and power plant-Z, giving a performance of Jump-2 and 4-G acceleration. Fuel tankage for 640 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 100-ton bays, ten hardpoints and ten tons allocated for fire control. Two 100-ton heavy missile bays and ten triple turrets are installed, eight with triple beam lasers (BBB) and two with triple sandcasters (SSS); 10 tons of sandcaster magazines holds 18 rounds per sandcaster. A dedicated shuttlebay houses up to 200 tons of ship’s vehicles, plus 415 tons is available for cargo and other purposes; the ship is streamlined. The hull is armored to Armor-8.

The Krupny-11 requires a crew of about 50, and in the above baseline configuration can carry a 50-man reinforced platoon of ship’s troops/marines (single occupancy for officers, double occupancy for enlisted men); total life-support capacity is 120. The ship costs MCr 1855.3 at Tech Level 11, and takes 34 months to build.

Modular barracks with integral life-support and an enlarged shuttlebay can house and land a reinforced company of 200 men with full supports; the hull can be armored to Armor-10 at an additional cost of 180 tons and MCr 396.

The TL13 version maxes out the engines for a performance of Jump-4 and 4-G, sacrificing its user-definable space in the process.

Krupny-13 DDG (TL13). 3000 tons. Armor-8. Jump-4. 4-G. 1240 tons fuel. Twin bridges & Model/7s. 60 staterooms, 60 low berths. Two 100-ton missile bays, 10 triple turrets (8×BBB, 2×SSS). 200-ton capacity shuttlebay, 67 tons user-definable. Streamlined. 50 crew.
MCr 1722.6; 34 months. Special rules: Hull Armor, Missile Bays, Nuclear Damper.

Using a custom 3000-ton hull, the Krupny-13 is a heavily-armored, missile-armed warship. It mounts jump drive-Z, maneuver drive-Z, and power plant-Z, giving a performance of Jump-4 and 4-G acceleration. Fuel tankage for 1240 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 100-ton bays, ten hardpoints and ten tons allocated for fire control. Two 100-ton heavy missile bays and ten triple turrets are installed, eight with triple beam lasers (BBB) and two with triple sandcasters (SSS); 10 tons of sandcaster magazines holds 18 rounds per sandcaster. A dedicated shuttle bay houses up to 200 tons of ship’s vehicles, plus 67 tons is available for cargo; the ship is streamlined. The hull is armored to Armor-8.

The Krupny-13 requires a crew of about 55, and in the above baseline configuration can carry a 40-man platoon of ship’s troops/marines (single occupancy for officers, double occupancy for enlisted men); total life-support capacity is 120. The ship costs MCr 1722.6 at Tech Level 13, and takes 34 months to build.

Design Notes

All the above ships are inspired by TL7 “Wet Navy” designs.

The Longsword DE is based on the Italian Alpini-class escorts; the Longsword’s six triple laser turrets represent the Alpini’s six 76mm autocannon mounts, and the cargo/shuttle bay the Alpini’s helicopter hangar/flight deck. Intermediate between a Broadsword and a Kinunir; a very tight design, especially the TL12+ versions.

The Kanin DEG is based on the Russian “Project 57A” light missile destroyer (an air-defense/escort rebuild of the “57bis”), with the addition of armor, ship’s troops, and shuttle bay. The missile bay represents the 57A’s bulky missile launcher, the triple laser turrets the 57A’s quad 47mm autocannon, and the sandcasters the 57A’s antisubmarine MRLs. The additional tonnage “loosens” the design considerably from the Longsword, with a dedicated shuttle bay and lots of internal room, allowing easy expansion through TL13+.

The Krupny DDG is based on the Russian “Project 57bis” missile destroyers. The first ships intended for anti-ship missile combat, the 57bis was a modification of the previous “Project 57” destroyer with bulky fore-and-aft missile turrets replacing the 57’s gun turrets. The Krupny’s missile bays represent the 57bis’s missile turrets, the triple laser turrets the 57bis’s quad 47mm autocannon, and the sandcasters the 57bis’s antisubmarine MRLs. Armor, shuttle bay, and ship’s troops accommodations were added for consistency with the other designs and to use up internal volume. A very powerful ship for its size, with ship-killing missile bays, heavy armor, and (at least at TL11) lots of internal room.

The standard ten-turret armament of all three ships suggests a standard “primary hull” used standalone for the 1000t DE and “stretched” by attached “secondary hulls” for the 2-3kt ships, in the manner of classic Star Trek “lollipop” destroyers. The 1kt ship is probably just a wedge-shaped primary hull like an enlarged Type S Scout; the 2kt ship a “lollipop” configuration with a secondary hull housing the missile bay, engines, and fuel; and the 3kt ship similar to the 2kt but with a wider and more massive secondary hull with twin missile bays. Coincidentally, the six laser turrets plus missile mounts also echoes the “six phasers + 2-4 photon torpedo” arrangement of the Star Trek starship archetype.