Freelance Traveller

designed by Peter Gray

Overview

The TL-15 version of the earlier Catena Frigate is a standard issue warship for many planetary navies and small reserve contingents of the Regency of Deneb. Originally issued as a standard IDP design, the class was a common patrol vessel of the former Third Imperium. The vessel is most commonly encountered in systems facing the Frontier, usually as a small patrol ship, commerce and customs patroller, or emergency response vessel. Though more aptly a destroyer escort, the name is traditional, and it inspires many owners to deploy her on extended independent operations. The class is not present in the Regency Navy or RQS as a normal frontline unit, though hundreds operate with reserve units that are seconded to national service during national emergencies or wartime deployments.

The Meridian is faster and longer ranged, with 5G acceleration and jump 3 capability. She also carries heavier armament and armor than her mother, with five 420 MJ Laser Barbettes and 7.33 cm of Improved Enhanced Superdense armor making her a bully of the spacelanes. Four sandcasters provide more than adequate protection against incoming missle and laser fire. And in a definite improvement over the older Catena, a 30 ton Ship's Boat and marine/security detachment are provided for boarding/inspection and dirtside operations. The laser barbettes are allocated as three batteries: a portside amidships, starboard amidships, and an aft protector.

General Data

Displacement: 900	Hull Armor: 242
Length: 87m	Volume: 12,600 cu. m.
Price MCr 525.657	Target Size: S
Configuration: Needle AF	Tech Level: F (15)
Mass (L/E): 11,327.342 tons/10,541.004 tons (does not include Ship's Boat)

Engineering

Power Plant: TL-15 3000 MW Fusion (One Year Duration) (300 MW/Hit)
Jump Performance: Jump-3 (840 m3 per parsec, 2520 m3 for J-3)
G-Rating: 5G Heplar (450 MW/G), CG Lifters (Hi-Eff, 90 MW)
G-Turns: 64 (56.25 m3 each), 108.8 using jump fuel
Fuel Tankage: 6120 m3+300 m3 for power plant
Maint: 272

Electronics

Computer: 3xTL-15Fb (1.1 MW)
Commo: 2x1000 AU Radio (20 MW), 4x1000 AU Maser (0.6 MW)
Avionics: Imaging EMS, Grav Inertial Positioning, 190 km NOE
Sensors: PEMS 150,000 km Fixed Array (Range:5, 0.1 MW), 210,000 km Folding Array (Range:7, 0.2 MW), AEMS 3x360,000 km (Range:12, 11 MW)
ECM/ECCM: EMM (12.6 MW)
Workstations: 12 Bridge plus 26 Normal

Armament

Offensive

2500 MJ Parallel NPAW (Loc:1, Arcs:1, -1 DM, 347.2 MW, 1 Crew)
5x420 MJ Remote Laser Barbettes (Loc:20, Arcs: 3,4,5; Loc: 6-9, Arcs:All, 14.2 MW) as three batteries

Weapon Performance

2.5 GJ NPAW 10:250 20:250 40:131 80:66
420 MJ LB 10:1/17-51 20:1/17-51 40:1/17-51 80:1/17-51

Defensive

4xTL-15 Remote Sandcasters (Loc:12-15, Arcs:All; Canisters:50, Atten:2D10x5, 1 MW) allocated as two batteries

Fire Control

3xTL-15 msl/bm MFD (Range:10, -6 DMs, 1 Crew, 0.06 MW)

Accomodations

Life Support: Extended (2.52 MW), AG/GC (6G, 63 MW)
Crew: 40+24 (2 Maneuver, 2 Electronics, 4 Gunnery, 2 Screens, 20
Engineering, 2 Maintenance, 6 Command; +3 Small Craft and 21 Marines)
Crew Accomodations: 6 Small Staterooms (Single Occupancy), 17 Small Staterooms (Double Occupancy), 24 Bunks (Varying Occupancy)
Airlocks: 9
Cargo: 336.938 m3, Large Cargo Hatch
Small Craft and Launch Facilities: Ship's Boat (Docking Ring), Launch Port
Other Fittings: None
Features: Fuel Scoops (10%, 1.2 hours), Fuel Processing Plant (24 hours, 6.4 MW)
115.029 MW Surplus

System Damage Tables

Damage Location Table