Type XT class Express Boat Tender

From Traveller Wiki - Science-Fiction Adventure in the Far future
Jump to navigation Jump to search
Type XT class Express Boat Tender
Xboat-Tender-Keith-Supp7 Pg11-15 13-Jan-2019a.jpg
...the very well known and used "Type XT class Express Boat Tender."
Type: XT Tender
Category [[ACS]]
Size 1,000 Tons
Hull Configuration [[Cylinder Hull]]
Streamlining Unstreamlined Hull
Tech Level TL–10
Engineering
Computer Model/3
Jump J-1
Maneuver 1 G
Armaments
Hardpoints 10
Accommodations
Staterooms 0
Personnel
Crew 6 + 3
    Officers 3
    Enlisted 3
High/Mid Passengers 0
Payload
Cargo 60.0 Tons
Fuel tank 0 Tons
Construction
Origin Third Imperium
End of Service Still in active service.
Price
Cost MCr274.77
Statistics
Quick Ship Profile XT-KU11
Images
Blueprint Yes
Illustration Yes
Source
Also see Tender
Canon Published, fan design
Era 1105
Reference Traders and Gunboats 11-15.
Starships are designed with the Classic Traveller format, using High Guard.

The Type XT class Express Boat Tender is a auxiliary starship.

Description (Specifications)[edit]

Express Boat Tender (Type XT): Constructed using a type 1,000 hull, it is fitted with H model drives, producing jump-1 capability and 1-G acceleration. Fuel tankage is 150 tons; jump requires 100 tons of fuel, but in insystem operation, the ship uses this tankage to refuel express boats instead. The standard bridge is complemented by a Model/3 computer and fire control for three turrets, plus communicator relay facilities. The ship has ten staterooms and twenty low berths. [1]

The crew consists of six: a captain/pilot, navigator/medic, communications specialist, and three engineers. Three gunners may be added to the crew where necessary. Additional slots for the crew are taken up by replacement xboat pilots awaiting missions. There is a sixty-ton cargo bay used for repair parts and replacement equipment. Three weapons turrets arm the ship sufficiently to take care of most situations. The major part of the ship (600 tons) is taken up by a cavernous ship bay. This area can accommodate four express boats or two scout/couriers with little or no problem. [2]

Weaponry: The armament for the ship is unusual in that the types of turrets used are not standard. Forward, two tracked turrets are accessible through iris valves adjacent to the bridge. Once a gunner is inside, the turrets may be moved along tracks on the circumference of the hull. This arrangement allows positioning of the gunnery turrets for the best possible shot. Normally, such arrangements are not necessary, but this type of tender is often occupied with a mission to recover a specific ship or express boat, and cannot maneuver while doing so. Instead, the turrets themselves may maneuver. [3]

Aft, a different arrangement dictates installation of a pop turret. Although the pop turret cannot maneuver, it can retract into an armored citadel in the event of enemy fire, rising above the line of the hull only to deliver its own fire. [4]

Although essentially unstreamlined, the tender is aerodynamic enough to allow fuel skimming from gas giants, thus making acquisition of hydrogen fuel a matter of only minor importance. [5]

Image Repository[edit]

  1. A typical Type XT class Express Boat Tender as represented through a crew sketch.
    Xboat-Tender-Keith-Supp7 Pg11-15 13-Jan-2019a.jpg

Basic Ship Characteristics[edit]

Following the Imperial Navy and IISS Universal Ship Profile and data, additional information is presented in the format shown here. The small craft factor indicates the number of squadrons (of ten craft) carried on the ship. Tonnage on the universal ship profile is shown in kilotons (thousands of tons) where necessary. [6]

Basic Ship Characteristics [7]
No. Category Remarks
1. Tonnage 1,000 tons.
  • Tonnage: 1,000 tons. 14000 cubic meters. [8]
  • Dimensions: 60m long. 30m wide. 12m high. [9]
2. Crew x6 crew.
3. Performance Propulsion:
  • Jump-1
  • 1-G acceleration
  • Power Plant: Standard
  • Undeclared-EPs
  • Agility: Low
  • Performance: 1-G. Jump-1. Standard power. [11]
4. Electronics Model/3 computer.
5. Hardpoints x10 hardpoints.
6. Armament The normal weapons fit-out for it is:
  • The armament of an express boat tender varies - nearly any type of gun may be placed in the ship's turrets. The turret arrangement, however, is a constant. One pop turret is mounted aft, and can conceal itself in the deck when necessary; two turrets forward are mounted on tracks, and can he moved to whatever part of the ship need protection. [12]|-
7. Defenses Typically, no defenses are equipped.
8. Craft Four express boats or two scout/couriers.
9. Fuel Treatment Fuel skimming and purification.
10. Cost The express boat tender costs MCr274.77 to construct, assuming no architect's fees (the design is standard and any costs have been amortized by the government) and a 10% discount for production in volume. Weapons costs have not been included in this price. [13]
11. Construction Time 20 months to build, 16 months in quantity.
12. Comments Standard cargo capacity amounts to 60.0 tons.
  • Special Features: Unstreamlined. Heavy duty communications banks. Fuel and maintenance facilities for xboats. [14]

Ship Interior Details[edit]

Interior Details: The most striking interior detail for the express boat tender is the ship bay. It measures 40 meters by 28.5 meters by 12 meters; this twelve meter dimension can be expanded to 24 meters through the simple expedient of leaving the ship bay doors open. Any ship or group of ships that can meet this dimensional requirement, up to a total of 600 tons, can be carried by the tender through jump space. Solid frame brackets within the bay are used to secure any ships or cargo to prevent damage while under acceleration. The entire ship bay, with the door closed, can be pressurized to allow access to the exteriors of any ships or boats carried within while avoiding the interfering bulk of vacc suits. [15]

The forward end of the ship bay connects via a large port to the cargo bay of the ship. This cargo bay (of 60 tons capacity) carries consumables for the tender and to replace food and consumables when resupplying express boats. [16]

Low berths for medical cases and spare pilots are situated adjacent to the cargo bay. Also on the cargo level are an electronics repair shop and a machine shop. [17]

The fuel level contains tankage for the ship and for the refuelling of express boats. An external fuel probe allows fast refuelling of express boats without taking them into the ship bay or requiring crew to don vacc suits. A fuel lab on the tankage level monitors fuel quality. The lowest level of the ship is the drive deck with all jump drives, maneuver drives, and the main power plant. An air lock allows access to the exterior from this end of the ship. [18]

Note the two lift shafts which run the length of the ship. The duplication allows faster access when one shaft is already in use, and provides damage control in the event of combat or disaster. [19]

The bridge deck, located extreme forward, contains crew quarters and the controls for the ship. The bridge itself includes a bay window providing visual scanning of the ship bay doors and an overhead view. Surrounding the bridge are individual crew staterooms (capable of double occupancy when necessary). A communal fresher facility (location 12) allows more room in each stateroom, and decreases total costs for the ship. [20]

History & Background (Dossier)[edit]

THE EXPRESS BOAT TENDER: The express boat system would not work without the express boat tender. These tenders, stationed in each system that express boats stop at, serve two purposes. First, they tend express boats, recovering them when they arrive, refueling them and repairing minor problems, and then sending them on their way. Second, they serve as a relay station between the planetary surface based message center and the express boat itself. Messages are forwarded to the tender for transmittal to the xboat just before it leaves for the next star system. [21]

Express boat tenders are encountered anywhere that xboats may be expected. High population, high technology systems will probably have several tenders operating in order to handle the flow of information. Express boat tenders are jump capable, and each may carry up to four xboats in its cavernous ship bay. As a result, the tenders can be found in fringe or off-route systems ferrying extra xboats to areas that need them. They also undertake recovery missions to pick up damaged xboats or boats which have misjumped to off-route systems. [22]

Class Naming Practice/s & Peculiarities[edit]

Peculiarities: The weaponry of express boat tenders varies wildly depending on what particular armament was available at the time of construction. Thus, it is difficult to predict what type of guns or launchers will be encountered on any specific tender. Further, although the tracked turrets are a reasonable idea for the situation they are intended to cope with, they are also poorly equipped to handle many other situations. As a result, any weapons on express boat tenders can be expected to fire at disadvantage much of the time. [23]

Variant Models[edit]

Variants: Three known model variations exist for the express boat tender. Marc Miller. Traders and Gunboats (Game Designers Workshop, 1980), 14.

  1. Bulk Ore Carrier: Several examples of the ship were constructed with the large ship bay fitted to carry bulk ore from asteroid belts to surface refinery plants. The model has a limited use, because the system must have both a producing asteroid belt and a refinery plant established on an airless world. [24]
  2. Fuel Tanker: The Imperial Navy has acquired approximately one hundred and forty-four ships with the central bay converted to carry starship fuel. The total capacity of 750 tons of fuel makes the ship an ideal nursemaid to fighters patrolling frontier systems. [25]
  3. Corsair: The third variant of the tender is altogether unofficial. Express boat tenders are a prime target for hijackers. The tenders make excellent corsairs, especially if upgunned. Typically, a tender will be surprised and hijacked by a band of thugs, often feigning shipwreck in order to attract the ship's attention. If they are lucky, the tender will have with it a scout/courier or a couple of xboats, which are then used to make the tender look more realistic when it plies the space lanes. The large ship bay allows most smaller ships to be enveloped and then boarded at the pirate's leisure. [26]

Selected Variant Types & Classes[edit]

Express Boats - Paramilitary Vessels:

Tenders - Paramilitary Vessels:

References & Contributors (Sources)[edit]

This article has metadata.
62px-Information icon.svg.png This article is missing content for one or more detailed sections. Additional details are required to complete the article. You can help the Traveller Wiki by expanding it.
This list of sources was used by the Traveller Wiki Editorial Team and individual contributors to compose this article. Copyrighted material is used under license from Far Future Enterprises or by permission of the author. The page history lists all of the contributions.
  1. ↑ Marc Miller. Traders and Gunboats (Game Designers Workshop, 1980), 11.
  2. ↑ Marc Miller. Traders and Gunboats (Game Designers Workshop, 1980), 11.
  3. ↑ Marc Miller. Traders and Gunboats (Game Designers Workshop, 1980), 14.
  4. ↑ Marc Miller. Traders and Gunboats (Game Designers Workshop, 1980), 14.
  5. ↑ Marc Miller. Traders and Gunboats (Game Designers Workshop, 1980), 14.
  6. ↑ Timothy B. Brown. Fighting Ships (Game Designers Workshop, 1981), 10.
  7. ↑ Timothy B. Brown. Fighting Ships (Game Designers Workshop, 1981), 10.
  8. ↑ Marc Miller. Traders and Gunboats (Game Designers Workshop, 1980), 13.
  9. ↑ Marc Miller. Traders and Gunboats (Game Designers Workshop, 1980), 13.
  10. ↑ Marc Miller. Traders and Gunboats (Game Designers Workshop, 1980), 13.
  11. ↑ Marc Miller. Traders and Gunboats (Game Designers Workshop, 1980), 13.
  12. ↑ Marc Miller. Traders and Gunboats (Game Designers Workshop, 1980), 12.
  13. ↑ Marc Miller. Traders and Gunboats (Game Designers Workshop, 1980), 11.
  14. ↑ Marc Miller. Traders and Gunboats (Game Designers Workshop, 1980), 13.
  15. ↑ Marc Miller. Traders and Gunboats (Game Designers Workshop, 1980), 11.
  16. ↑ Marc Miller. Traders and Gunboats (Game Designers Workshop, 1980), 14.
  17. ↑ Marc Miller. Traders and Gunboats (Game Designers Workshop, 1980), 14.
  18. ↑ Marc Miller. Traders and Gunboats (Game Designers Workshop, 1980), 14.
  19. ↑ Marc Miller. Traders and Gunboats (Game Designers Workshop, 1980), 14.
  20. ↑ Marc Miller. Traders and Gunboats (Game Designers Workshop, 1980), 14.
  21. ↑ Marc Miller. Traders and Gunboats (Game Designers Workshop, 1980), 11.
  22. ↑ Marc Miller. Traders and Gunboats (Game Designers Workshop, 1980), 11.
  23. ↑ Marc Miller. Traders and Gunboats (Game Designers Workshop, 1980), 14.
  24. ↑ Marc Miller. Traders and Gunboats (Game Designers Workshop, 1980), 14.
  25. ↑ Marc Miller. Traders and Gunboats (Game Designers Workshop, 1980), 1415.
  26. ↑ Marc Miller. Traders and Gunboats (Game Designers Workshop, 1980), 15.
Retrieved from "http://wiki.travellerrpg.com/index.php?title=Type_XT_class_Express_Boat_Tender&oldid=722170"