Freelance Traveller
This is a family of Tech Level 11, 300-ton warships using a "mini-spinal" mount to pack a 50-ton Heavy Missile Bay, giving them the highest firepower-to-size ratio of any ship in the sky. They are intended to kill medium ships with one salvo or large ships in a "swarm" attack, and form the mainstay of small navies at TL11-12, where missiles are the main ship-killers.
MB Missile Corvette (TL11). 300 tons.
Jump-2, 4-G. 100 tons fuel. Model/5.
8 staterooms, 4 low berths.
1 50-ton missile bay, 2 triple turrets (BSB fit).
25 tons cargo. Streamlined. 10 crew.
MCr 205.8; 16 months.
Special Rules: Missile Bay
Missile Corvette (Type MB) Using a custom 300-ton hull, the Missile Corvette is a pure warship using a "mini-spinal" weapon bay to pack the maximum punch possible in a small hull. It mounts jump-drive D, manuever drive-G, and power plant-G, giving a performance of Jump-2 and 4-G acceleration. Fuel tankage for 100 tons supports the power plant and allows one jump-2. Adjacent to the bridge is a computer Model/5. There are eight staterooms and four low berths (for casualties). There is a 50-ton weapons bay in a "mini-spinal" configuration and two hardpoints; 52 tons are allocated for weapons and fire control. A 50-ton missile bay and two triple turrets are installed; each turret mounts two beam lasers and one sandcaster. Cargo capacity is 25 tons; the ship is streamlined.
The missile corvette requires a crew of 10: pilot, navigator, three engineers, medic, and four gunners (double occupancy for gunners), with a maximum life-support capacity of 16. The ship costs MCr 205.8 at Tech Level 11, and takes 16 months to build.
SDB-M System Defense Boat (TL11). 300 tons. Armor-5.
No Jump, 6-G. 40 tons fuel. Model/5.
8 staterooms, 4 low berths.
1 50-ton missile bay, 2 triple turrets (BSB fit).
26 tons cargo. Streamlined. 10 crew.
MCr 230.4; 16 months.
Special Rules: Missile Bay,
Hull Armor
System Defense Boat -Missile (Type SDB-M) Using a custom 300-ton hull, the SDB-M is a system defense boat variant of the MB Missile Corvette using a "mini-spinal" weapon bay to pack the maximum punch possible in a small hull. It mounts manuever drive-J and power plant-J, giving a performance of 6-G acceleration. Fuel tankage for 40 tons supports the power plant. Adjacent to the bridge is a computer Model/5. There are eight staterooms and four low berths (for casualties). There is a 50-ton weapons bay in a "mini-spinal" configuration and two hardpoints; 52 tons are allocated for weapons and fire control. A 50-ton missile bay and two triple turrets are installed; each turret mounts two beam lasers and one sandcaster. Cargo capacity is 26 tons; the ship is streamlined. The hull is armored to Armor-5.
The SDB-M requires a crew of 10: pilot, navigator, three engineers, medic, and four gunners (double occupancy for gunners), with a maximum life-support capacity of 16. The boat costs MCr 230.4 at Tech Level 11, and takes 16 months to build.
Historical footnote:
"Torpilleur" is French for "Torpedo-boat", which was the basis for their design concept - a small fast hull mounting a large ship-killing weapon. For more background, here is the history of the "wet-navy" torpedo boat:
When the Whitehead Torpedo was introduced at late Tech Level 4, it caused a "torpedo panic" among the world's navies. Able to be launched from small and cheap "torpedo-boats", it was capable of sinking the largest battleship (which at that time was protected only from above-the-waterline shellfire). Expert after expert declared their navy hopelessly obsolete; all that would ever be needed in the future would be a fleet of torpedo-boats, as anything larger would be too vulnerable to this ultimate weapon.
Navies adapted; battleships were built with better compartmentalization and underwater protection to absorb torpedo damage; battle ranges increased beyond the range of a torpedo, forcing improvements in long-range gunnery; anti-torpedo-boat secondary batteries appeared on major warships; and special "torpedo-boat-destroyers" were built to screen the fleet.
Torpedo boats then evolved in three directions:
- They got bigger and longer-ranged, merging with the "torpedo-boat-destroyer" to become the TL5-7 Destroyer.
- They got stealthy and became the submarine, submerging to sneak up on their targets. Destroyers became adapted for anti-submarine work, becoming once more "torpedo-boat-destroyers".
- They got smaller and lighter, becoming the motor torpedo boat (MTB or PT Boat).
Then, at Tech Level 7-8, anti-ship cruise missiles (essentially "flying torpedoes") were introduced, first deployed on small fast MTB hulls or "missile boats". These "flying torpedoes" sank several ships during a minor Anglo-Argentine naval skirmish, causing an "Exocet panic" among the world's navies. Expert after expert declared surface navies hopelessly obsolete; all that would ever be needed in the future would be missiles, missiles, and more missiles, as anything else would be too vulnerable to this ultimate weapon....