Freelance Traveller

designed by Peter Grey

Overview

Of all of the odd designs created by early Solomani shipbuilders, one the strangest is the Type B Lighter Carrier. Neither a warship nor merchant yet possessing features of both, it was nonetheless employed in large numbers by the Terran Confederation and Rule of Man navies as a major logistical and combat support element. Its strangest element is carriage for two 100 ton lighters, mounted in airframe grapples. Apparently the class was intended as a combat auxiliary to operate in peacetime as a lighter carrier for cargo/passenger shuttles, and in wartime carry armed military ships such as heavy fighters and troop carriers. As if this wasn't strange enough, to provide maximum performance when the lighters were stowed use was made of its carried craft as boosters. Facilities are present for up to sixty troops, which we often used as raiders.

The Lighters are considered to be integral modules of the main hull. During normal spaceflight operations, their engineering functions are subordinated to the main vessel, adding their power and thrust. Without the lighters thrust when they are docked, the Coriolis' thrust drops to 2.4Gs, and a power shortfall of 300 MW develops. To compensate for the additional thrust and for asymmetry when only one of the lighters is aboard, the engineering section relies upon hinged conformal engine nacelles that rearrange their axis of thrust. Without the lighters aboard, the nacelles are arranged into an 'X' configuration; when a lighter is aboard either the dorsal or ventral positions, the nacelles that are normally at that position rise up or drop down towards the horizontal enough for equilibrium. When both lighters are aboard, the nacelles are automatically set for the horizontal position.

Though the class went out of fashion early in the history of the ROM, it was type classified by the Third Imperium as an IDP, and sold to various client states short on jump capable shipping and warships. Many of these vessels survive BTC in the merchant marines of many independent worlds, and the class may have survived in large numbers on the periphery of the former Imperium. The stripped hulls of three of these ships float in orbit over Drayne (Corridor 0910) as static defense and detection stations; rumors persist that the Star Guard maintain about four more in secret hiding places, but this has not been substantiated.

General Data

Engineering

Power Plant

TL-10 1544 MW Fusion (Eight Months Duration) (50 MW/Hit)

Jump Performance

Jump-1 (1400 m3 per parsec at 1000 tons, 1120 m3 at 800 tons)

G-Rating

3G Heplar (400 MW/G), CG Lifters (Improved, 160 MW)

G-Turns

56 (25 m3 each) at 800 tons, 84 using jump fuel, 44.8 (62.5 m3 each) at 1000 tons without boosters, 67.2 using jump fuel

Fuel Tankage

3200 m3+154.4 m3 for power plant

Maint

365

Electronics

Computer

3xTL-10St (0.3 MW)

Commo

2x300,000 km Radio (10 MW), 2x1000 AU Maser (0.6 MW)

Avionics

Imaging EMS, Grav/Inertial Positioning, 140 km NOE

Sensors

PEMS 150,000 km Folding Array (Range:5, 0.3 MW), AEMS 2x240,000 km (Range:8, 115 MW)

ECM/ECCM

EMM (11.2 MW)

Workstations

9 Bridge plus 21 Normal

Armament

Offensive

4x148 MJ Remote Laser Barbettes (Loc: 2x2, 2x3; Arcs: 1,2,3; 4 MW) operated as two batteries, 2xRemote Missle Barbettes (Loc:6,7; Arcs:All; 5 Ready Missles, 0.15 MW)

Weapon Performance

148 MJ LB

1:1/10-30

2:1/10-30

4:1/8-23

8:1/5-11

Fire Control

3xTL-10 msl/bm MFDs (Range:5, -3 DMs, 1 Crew, 0.12 MW)

Accomodations

Life Support

Extended (2.24 MW), AG/GC (1G, 56 MW)

Crew

40 (2 Maneuver, 2 Electronics, 3 Gunnery, 23 Engineering, 4 Maintenance, 6 Command) + 60 Troops/Passengers

Crew Accomodations

2 Small Staterooms (Single Occupancy), 19 Small Staterooms (Double Occupancy), 60 Bunks (Varying Occupancy)

Airlocks

8

Cargo

569.31 m3 plus 20 Missles, 2 Large Cargo Hatches

Small Craft and Launch Facilities

Two Grapples (airframe) for two 1400 m3 craft

Other Fittings

None

Features

Fuel Scoops (2.5%, 3.75 hours), Fuel Processing Plant (48 hours, 4.152 MW)

161.858 MW Shortfall (CG Lifters are not operated with the radio)

System Damage Tables

Damage Location Table