Suluru class Mercantile Carrier

Fringian Mercantile Carrier
Type: TB Commercial Mercantile Ships
Size	20,000 Tons
Hull Configuration	[[{{{hull}}}]]
Tech Level	TL–9
Engineering
Computer
Jump	J-1
Maneuver	1 G
Armaments
Hardpoints	200
Accommodations
Staterooms	0
Personnel
Crew	99
High/Mid Passengers	0
Payload
Cargo	14,000 Tons
Fuel tank	0 Tons
Construction
Origin	Distant Fringe
Price
Cost	MCr6,064.175 (base) MCr4,851.340 (discounted)
Source
Canon	Unpublished, fan design

TBD

Description (Specifications)

A generic class of civilian vessel, the Mercantile Carrier is a large commercial transport commonly encountered operating within clusters of stars within the Distant Fringe region. It is classified as a Bulk Cargo Carrier and is constructed as a conventional design. Similar designs have been in use from the time the Distant Fringe was first settled.

• The vessel is a TL 9 design.

Image Repository

A blocky Suluru class Mercantile Carrier.

Hull

The Mercantile Carrier is constructed using a 20,000 dTon hull built in a close structure configuration. The hull is sufficiently streamlined to allow gas giant refuelling: the ship is equipped with fuel scoops.

• Individual sections of the ship are divided by bulkhead walls. Sections of the ship can be isolated in the event of an emergency.
• The hull includes internal grav plates and inertial compensators. All accessible sections of the hull have life support.

Engineering

The vessel mounts a DeVoss-type jump-1 drive, a maneuver-1 drive, and a power plant 1, giving performance of jump-1 and 1G acceleration. The ship has an agility rating of 0 and an emergency agility of 1. There is fuel tankage of 2200 dTons, sufficient for one jump-1 and giving the power plant four weeks duration. The vessel is fitted with a fuel purification plant.

• The engineering section has a main control room.
• The jump drive utilises a lanthanum hull grid.
• The jump drive is fitted with a jump governor.

Main Section

Adjacent to the bridge is a computer model/4: the vessel carries an additional backup computer model/4. The vessel has a secure locker with a capacity of 2 dTons. There are 70 staterooms and 100 low berths, primarily used to transport livestock. Double occupancy accommodations are required for all except the command crew. There are sufficient accommodations for 13 passengers. Cargo capacity amounts to 14000 dTons.

• The vessel is fitted with communications equipment and a sensor suite.

Crew

The Mercantile Carrier requires 99 crew: 11x command, 14x engineering, 14x gunnery, and 60x service, of which 19 double up as flight crew for the subcraft as required. In addition, the vessel carries 2 passenger stewards and a medic.

Weapons

The ship is fitted with 100 turrets. These are grouped into:

• four sandcaster batteries, each consisting of 10 linked triple turrets
• three beam laser batteries, each consisting of 10 linked triple turrets
• three missile batteries, each consisting of 10 linked triple turrets

There are 100 unused hardpoints and 100 tons of space is set aside for fire control.

Subcraft

The ship carries three 400 dTon Interface Landers and a 40 dTon Ship's Boat, each housed in a dedicated hanger.

Cost

The basic cost of the vessel, complete with its complement of subcraft, is MCr6064.175.

• All the craft are standard designs. Detailed architectural plans are widely available and no design fee is chargeable.
• If multiple examples of the design are ordered all of the ships in the production run qualify for a 20% discount, which reduces their price to MCr4851.340.

History / Background

The Mercantile Carrier is considered underpowered and suffers performance issues in a high gravity environment. The design is representative and a large number of variants exist, particularly with regard to the allotted weapons systems, onboard electronics, and the fit out of internal spaces.

See also: Ships of the Distant Fringe

References & Contributors / Sources

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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.

• Author & Contributor: Lord (Marquis) and Master Scout Emeritus Adie Alegoric Stewart of the IISS
• Author & Contributor: Lord (Marquis) and Master of Sophontology Maksim-Smelchak of the Ministry of Science