Freelance Traveller - The Shipyard - President-class Holiday Cruiser

President-class Holiday Liner

This ship design was originally posted to the pre-magazine Freelance Traveller website in 2003, and reprinted in the January/February 2014 issue.

Specifications

General Data: Displacement: 4000 tons
Configuration: Slab SL
Tech Level: A (10)
Jump: 1
Maneuver: 4
Fuel Purifier Plant
Construction Costs (approximate): MCr 2600
Accommodations: Crew Cabins: 72
Passenger Cabins: 240 (16 High, 224 Middle)
Cargo: 90 tons displacement
Crew: Officers: 7 or 8 (Captain, XO, Senior Pilot, Chief Engineer, Purser, MAA/Gunnery Officer, Surgeon. An additional unspecified officer may be carried if desired.)
Crew: 56 to 64 (12-16 Engineers, 36-38 Stewards, 4 Gunners, 2 Pilots, 2 Boat Mechanics. An additional 2 unspecified crewmen may be carried if desired.)
Small Craft: 2 Ship’s Boats, 10 Lifeboats
Armaments: 40 Turrets available. Weapons mix is customized for each system, and information on a particular ship’s weaponry is not generally disseminated.

The following material is taken from the Starways Holiday Lines brochure for the Jefferson Davis, a ship considered to be representative of the class. Starways Holiday Lines operates in the Regatta—Pentosa system, where the adventure I.C.E. (also appearing in this issue) is set.

The Ship

The Regatta—Pentosa system is a pair of G-class stars in distant orbit about each other. Regatta, an energetic TL10 industrialized world with one billion people, orbits one star, while Pentosa, an up-and-coming TL6 agricultural world with ten million, orbits the other. Commercial and cultural contact has been taking place for many years via numerous small non-jump-capable vessels, and recently a new corporation, Starways of Regatta, has begun undertaking regular passenger transportation between the two worlds. The Jefferson Davis is Starways’ second liner, and their first luxury vessel. Though not quite up to imperial standards (it would be classed as a Holiday Cruiser) it has attracted great interest in Regatta—Pentosa and is very popular. Many locally famous personalities and businessmen have taken to travel between the two worlds on business and pleasure, and Pentosa’s decision to subsidize half of the finance charges for the Regattan vessel is proving productive to Pentosa’s development.

At maneuver 4, travel time between Regatta and Pentosa varies from five days to ten days. When the journey in normal space will take seven or fewer days, the Jefferson Davis relies on its maneuver drives, but if the journey will take eight or more days under the maneuver drive, the ship uses its jump-1 drive to make the trip in seven. Travel times usually consist of one day to lift off, five to seven days maneuvering or jumping, another day to descend planetside, and three days to debark passengers, clean and restock, and embark new passengers.

The Crew

Ship’s officers wear dashing navy blue dress uniforms. The stewards wear white coats with black pants, and the engineers wear orange utility suits. Other crewmen wear black utility suits. On duty, all have lightweight headset radios to maintain contact with the ship’s communication system—when on-call, these headsets are usually simply worn around the neck, beeping to page a particular crewman. The Master-at-Arms and the gunner’s mates, in their role as ship’s security, are openly armed with 9mm pistols; all other crew members, except Stewards, carry concealed 9mm pistols. Stewards are trained in unarmed combat and in subduing out-of-control passengers. The crew is on standard union hours—8 hours on duty, 8 hours on call, and 8 hours sleep time. Pay, hours, conditions, and benefits are good, and most of the crew are happy with their jobs.

Procedures and Traditions

On boarding, all passengers are interviewed and screened by ship’s security personnel, i.e. the Master-at-Arms and the four gunner’s mates. All projectile weapons must be turned in to the Master-at-Arms, but passengers are allowed to retain knives and swords. Passengers involved in incidents where weapons are drawn will be asked to surrender all weapons pending investigation of the incident by ship’s security, and if it is deemed necessary, will be confined to their cabin and turned over to the authorities at debarkation time. All baggage is screened as well.

Before lift-off, all passengers must assemble for the crew to review emergency equipment and procedures. A certain number of passengers (usually 10 percent) must demonstrate some proficiency in some damage-control activity such as emergency hull patching, firefighting, or first aid. The idea is to show the passengers that they too have a role in getting the ship safely to its destination.

During lift-off, passengers and (off-duty) crew celebrate the journey with a large party. All drinks are free for a few hours, all entertainment facilities are active, and several impromptu contests are held (beauty contests are popular). The captain makes a speech, and officially the journey has begun.

The ship settles into a routine enroute. All entertainments by the crew or the passengers themselves are announced in the elevator well first deck marquee. At the journey’s midpoint the captain makes a simple announcement, and the bar hands out one free drink. Each evening the captain will invite several guests of his choice, or perhaps a contest winner, to dinner in the officer’s lounge. The crew will give tours of the ship’s bridge and engineering spaces to interested passengers. Otherwise, passengers are free to pass the time as they please.

A few hours before set-down the ship will hold another party with a theme of “Auld Lang Syne”.

Deck Plans

The President-class Holiday Cruiser has four decks, generally numbered 1 through 4 from the top of the ship.

On all deck plans, the following notations apply:: e: Emergency Hull Escape Panel
g: Gear Locker
dc: Damage Control Locker
dh: Dishwasher

Clicking on a deckplan will open a new window/tab with a large image of that deck.

Deck 1

Frames 003 - 006: The upper bridge, containing electronics associated with various life support functions and interior communication systems (such as hatch locks, surveillance cameras and recording systems, etc). Port and starboard on the aft bulkhead of the access passage are manual hatches leading to the upper deck crew berthing area, and on the deck are manual hatches leading down to the main bridge and other bridge levels. The “e” at centerline indicates an emergency hull escape panel in the overhead.
Frames 006 - 020: The upper crew deck. Port and starboard on the central athwartships passage at frame 013 are iris valve hatches and ladders going down through the Officer Country Deck and to the crew lounge.
Frames 020 - 025: This space is part of the forward lifeboat bay. There is no access to this space from this deck.
Frames 025 - 044: The forward promenade deck. At frame 025 centerline is a row of chairs and planters with live plants, and also a damage control locker with various shipboard damage control equipment. Outboard of these are emergency manual escape hatches that lead through the lifeboat deck and all the way down to the fuel deck. Outboard of these hatches are life support (LS) modules that carry the majority of the life support load. On the port side beginning at frame 028 is the medical facility with (forward to aft) a low berth room with six low berths, a small surgery theater, an examination and consultation room, and a waiting room with a lavatory module. At frame 028 on the centerline is the ship’s tavern, with ten seats at the bar, four private booths, and a beat-up old piano. The whiskey, scotch, and bourbon are excellent, and not overly expensive. An old wooden plaque of a sleeping lion hangs just outside the entrance. At frame 028 on the starboard side are twenty-one private holograv booths. (To use these one puts on gloves and boots or an entire body suit with gravitic response plates. The booth then uses gravitic fields and holographic projections to provide the user with any number of fully depicted and physically interactive environments. The user may walk along a beach, lift weights, climb a mountain, engage in martial arts competition with computer opponents, hunt holographic animals with holographic weapons, practice disassembling and reassembling machinery, or engage in thousands of other recreational or educational programs available on the ship's computer.) There are enough holograv booths to allow each crewman and passenger over one hour per day. The passageway aft of the booths and immediately forward of frame 044 holds shelves of clean towels and gravitic response boots and gloves, all being washed in the laundry machine on the far starboard side. To use a booth one needs to check in with the attendant, who hands out keys to the doors, loads programs, and collects dirty towels and equipment. The booths are open and attended 24 hours per day.
Frames 044 to 059: The elevator well. Two open cage elevators ride back to back in the middle of a large open area bounded by walkway railings. This gives passengers a feeling of space and helps relieve any feelings of confinement. The overhead is lined with a flatscreen view projector that during day hours displays a scene of a blue sky with continuously changing cloud patterns and during night hours displays a moon in a cloudy night sky. All passageways and entry points to this space both on this deck and other decks are iris valves to allow for automatic air leak isolation if necessary. A pair of cage ladders port and starboard at frame 055 descend to the second deck walkway, and a row of seats and planters with live plants line the aft bulkhead at frame 059.
Frames 059 to 088: The aft promenade deck. Port side at frame 061 is the “kitchen” (No food is actually cooked, rather previously frozen meals are simply flash-thawed here. No food is allowed anywhere else on the ship.), followed aft by restaurant-booth style seating. Usually one steward mans the “kitchen”, while two more continually clean the dining area. A dishwasher is aft of the booths near the attendant’s station, along with a dish cart. The structure just port of centerline at frame 061 holds cleaned dishes, silverware, and other food service items. This dining area is open and attended 24 hours a day. Starboard of centerline beginning at frame 059 are several conference rooms, with and without seating, for private meetings and recreational activities. To use a room one must reserve it on the schedule chart posted on each door. Starboard from frame 059 is the ship’s Hall. This is the most lavishly appointed room on the ship, with superior artwork on the brightly painted artfully molded walls and ornate brass and silver fixtures at all locations. The outboard hull is mirrored to create a sense of a larger space, and an overhead view projector on the ceiling displays an image of an ornate baroque ceiling with a chandelier far above. The wines here are some of the best in the sector, and while they are not free the mark-up is not high. An open area allows dancing if anyone cares to, or live entertainment when it is available. The Hall is open and attended 24 hours per day. Starboard side at frame 076 is the ship’s theater, which is capable of displaying film, tape, disk, and crystal 2-D and 3-D third-person entertainment media (interactive media requires a holo booth). It also has a simple stage for live shows. This station, too, is attended 24 hours per day, with a large selection available on request. Centerline at frame 086 are large reserve air and reserve water tanks, and outboard of these are emergency manual escape hatches that lead through the aft lifeboat deck all the way down to the fuel deck. Outboard of these hatches are two more life support modules, and another damage control locker is on the port side.
Frames 088 - 097: The aft lifeboat bay void, also inaccessible from this deck.
Frame 097 - 116: The Engineering Upper Deck catwalk. The engineering spaces are both open two decks high, with the upper portions of the drive machinery accessible by catwalk. In this catwalk a DC locker and a vacc suit locker with three vacc suits are available, along with lockers filled with spare parts, tools, and other such. The catwalk extends over the roof of the EOS, and four cage ladders lead down to upper level.

Deck 2

Frames 001 - 006: The main bridge. The captain’s chair is centerline, frame 004, and has various control panels adjacent to it. Forward are the pilot and navigator seats, with the usual controls. Outboard of those are the four damage control stations. The two forward seats are the monitoring stations—the port station monitors electronic and automatic indicators of ship’s status in the engineering spaces, while the starboard station monitors similar indications in the remainder of the ship (including life support). These stations also have remote control over various ship’s functions such as life support, hatch and iris valve locks, surveillance cameras, lighting, gravitics, and the like. The aft seats are simply phone talker stations—they receive verbal reports from and pass orders to damage control and other personnel from the engineering spaces (port) and the rest of the ship (starboard). The starboard seat also makes shipwide loudspeaker announcements. Outboard of these are four more chairs, one for each anticipated weapons battery. The two inboard stations are also auxiliary communications stations—the port seat usually deals with navigational authorities such as port traffic control, while the starboard seat deals with ship-to-ship communication. Two guest seats are behind the captain’s chair to allow bridge visitors a view of operations. At least a pilot and a phone talker are always on duty on the bridge, but other seats are usually manned only when needed. The ship’s main computer is here, and can only receive programming from here.
Frames 006 - 020: The ‘officer country’ deck. Immediately aft of the main bridge are the eight senior officer staterooms. To port is the officer’s lounge, while the starboard side is open down to the crew lounge on the third deck. On the starboard hull are various general gear lockers.
Frames 020 - 026: The ship’s boat bays. Passengers or visitors who are flown in or out are received here. A removable hatch in this deck and on the third deck allows access to the ship’s cargo space. Outboard at frame 024 are two airlocks. There are eight airlocks altogether, and any or all are used to receive passengers and/or provide crew access. Other than the cargo hatches on the fourth deck, they are the only normal non-boat access through the ship’s hull. Passengers are restricted from frame 27 forward unless escorted or directed by a crewman, boarding lifeboats, or escaping a damage control situation. The manual hatches aft are never locked, and in fact have no locks.
Frames 026 - 047: 48 middle-passenger staterooms. Each has its own lavatory module. Those cabins that have a chair are single-occupancy only, and their beds lift up for more luggage space underneath. Those cabins without chairs and which have double lockers are double-occupancy if so desired. The forward end of each passageway has a linen closet for storage of typical stateroom supplies, and a laundry machine opposite for passenger laundry.
Frames 047 to 056: The elevator well second deck. The elevators continue through this large open space. The walkway has several seats and planters with live plants. Two cage ladders aft rise up to the first deck, while two cage ladders forward descend to the elevator well third deck. A damage control locker is on the aft walkway.
Frames 056 to 087: More passenger staterooms. The forward eight are the full staterooms, not much larger than a regular stateroom but more richly appointed and more closely attended by the stewards.
Frames 087 - 097: The second deck aft lifeboat deck. Passengers are restricted from frame 87 aft unless escorted or directed by a crewman, boarding lifeboats, or escaping a damage control situation. The manual hatches forward are never locked, and in fact have no locks.
Frame 097 - 116: Engineering Upper Level. The space centerline at frame 097 is known as the Atrium. It allows controlled entry to the engineering spaces during engineering casualties, and also functions as an airlock if necessary. It contains (port to starboard) a life support module and three lockers containing damage control gear, general gear, and three vacc suits. Aft of this is the EOS (Engineering Operating Station) at frame 100, with all necessary local controls to operate engineering. The huge fusion power plant towers and electrical collectors are located port and starboard outboard at frame 101, with a smaller one located centerline at frame 105. The jump drives are located centerline at frame 111, while the maneuver drives are located in the outboard nacelles beginning at frame 100. Portside at frame 097 is electrical load center number 4, which controls all electrical power to Engineering Upper Level. Starboard at frame 097 is another life support module, this one being for the engineering spaces. Outboard of EOS are smaller sets of engineering equipment. Four cage ladders lead up to the catwalk, while at their base are manual hatches leading to Engineering Lower Level.

Deck 3

Frames 001 - 006: The sensor bridge. Most of the active and passive sensor projection systems such as radar, IR, and UV, along with their controlling electronics, are located here. The ship’s computer is here.
Frames 006 - 020: The main crew deck. Forward are crew staterooms. Aft are the crew dining area (port of centerline) and the crew lounge (starboard of centerline). The lounge is open up to the second deck to create a feeling of space. Port of the dining area is the secure locker, with ten shotguns and ten pistols with appropriate ammo, along with electronics and other equipment that require secure storage. Two suits of combat armor and two gauss rifles are located in the inner weapons locker. The secure locker can be opened by the main bridge or by entering a key code using an adjacent control panel. The weapons locker can only be opened from the main bridge, or with a security card and a key code using an adjacent control panel. Forward of the secure locker is another life support module. Starboard of the crew lounge is a general locker containing, among other things, three vacc suits. Forward of this locker is electrical load center number 1, containing circuit breakers and overload protection equipment. This load center controls electrical power to everything between on decks 1 to 3 forward of frame 025, including the bridge, sensors, remote control circuitry, exterior lighting, and interior and exterior communications equipment.
Frames 020 - 026: The forward lifeboat bays. Passengers are restricted from frame 26 forward unless escorted or directed by a crewman, boarding lifeboats, or escaping a damage control situation. The manual hatches aft are never locked, and in fact have no locks.
Frames 026 - 047: Passenger staterooms, identical to those on the second deck between frames 026 - 047.
Frames 047 to 056: The bottom of the elevator well. This is the semi-safe area where parents can take their children to run and play. Against the forward and aft bulkheads are sturdy plastic climbing toys for tots, and outboard are seats for parents. A damage control locker is here, as is a general equipment locker (half of which is devoted to toys). Port aft is load center number 3, which provides control and circuit breakers for all electrical systems in the passenger areas. Starboard aft is another life support module. Outboard forward are two cage ladders leading up to the elevator well second deck.
Frames 056 to 087: Passenger staterooms, identical to those on the second deck between frames 056 - 087.
Frames 087 - 097: The third deck aft lifeboat deck. Passengers are restricted from frame 87 aft unless escorted or directed by a crewman, boarding lifeboats, or escaping a damage control situation. The manual hatches forward are never locked, and in fact have no locks.
Frame 097 - 116: The Engineering Lower Level catwalk. Similar to the Engineering Upper Level catwalk. Large banks of reserve air and water are located forward port and starboard.

Deck 4

Frames 003 - 006: The lower bridge. This contains primarily exterior communications equipment, backup systems (including the backup computer), and navigation signal systems.
Frames 006 - 015: The lower crew deck.
Frames 015 - 025: The ship’s cargo space. This vessel travels exclusively between highly civilized areas with major starports, so it doesn’t need much in the way of cargo and spare parts. If it ever does then this cargo space will be available. In the meantime it is used mostly to store passenger excess luggage, and to carry mail.
Frames 025 - 097: Fuel tankage. Walkways allow access to all fuel tankage indicators, pumps, and equipment. The crew usually accesses engineering by these walkways. Load center number 2 supplies electrical power to all equipment on this deck except for the engineering space.
Frame 097 - 116: Engineering Lower Level. Similar to Engineering Upper Level, except that instead of an Atrium or EOS there is a fuel purifier system. Load center number 5 controls power to Engineering Lower Level. Large banks of reserve air and water are located forward port and starboard.