Type P class Corsair

Type P class Cordair
Rearview of corsair with its large cargo area and clamshell doors.
Type: P Corsair
Size	440 Tons
Hull Configuration	[[{{{hull}}}]]
Tech Level	TL–15
Engineering
Computer	Nishemani class Corsair
Jump	J-2
Maneuver	3 G
Armaments
Hardpoints	4
Accommodations
Staterooms	0
Personnel
Crew	11
Officers	8
Enlisted	3
High/Mid Passengers	0
Payload
Cargo	120 Tons
Fuel tank	0 Tons
Construction
Origin	Third Imperium
Price
Cost	MCr138.74
Architect fee	MCrCanon publication design. Author unknown.
Statistics
Source
Also see	Iron Fist class Corsair and Type XT class Express Boat Tender
Canon	Unpublished, fan design
Type P class Cordair. Classic Traveller core ship design.

The Type P class Corsair is unfortunately one of the most common starships found within Charted Space.

• It is ordinarily a paramilitary ship used by pirates, or corsairs and is classified as a Corsair.
• It is often a converted and customized starship rather than purpose built.
• While the design is most commonly used for piracy these days, it was originally designed as a gunboat for use as a close escort and privateer.
• Many variant classes exist of this type.

Description / Specifications

The corsair is an armed ship, most commonly used by pirates or privateers to raid merchant spacecraft.

Patrolling the Starlanes: With high levels of trade between the stars, both the ships and the worlds they call on become vulnerable to a variety of ills. Merchants become the prey of pirates and corsairs. Worlds become the prey of smugglers and raiders. Huge warships built for fleet actions are nearly useless in this sort of situation, and special ships — gunboats — are designed and committed to the everyday patrols of the starlanes.

Unfortunately, sometimes the gunboats and merchants that provide the life blood of interstellar economies, are captured and converted from gun boats, close escorts, tenders, and traders into corsairs and pirates. Almost any commercial or military craft can be converted into a corsair. However, the Type P class Corsair, often encountered as the Nishemani class Corsair, a purpose-built corsair, are as often encountered as converted monstrosities.

Basic Ship Characteristics

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.

Basic Ship Characteristics

#.	Category	Remarks
1.	Tonnage	440 tons.
2.	Crew	x11 crew: (Bridge = 3, Engineer = 3, Gunnery = 3, Command = 1, Medical = 1).
3.	Performance	Maneuver-3, Jump-2 & Agility-2. Cruise= 2,135 kph (atmosphere only) Top= 2,850 kph (atmosphere only)
4.	Electronics	x1 Model/3 computer
5.	Hardpoints	x4 hardpoints.
6.	Armament	x4 Beam Lasers.
7.	Defenses	The ship is typically armored, but rarely carries screens. Many equip it with sandcasters.
8.	Craft	A variety of smallcraft can be carried in the cavernous cargo hold of the corsair. Although typically, no more than two or three smallcraft are carried.
9.	Fuel Treatment	Yes. Scoops and fuel treatment equipment.
10.	Cost	MCr138.74
11.	Construction Time	Most shipyards can construct the design in 14 months or less. A few quicker ones can do it in 12 months or less. The very worst yards can do it in 36 months on average if they can do it at all.
12.	Comments	x5 emergency low berths. Large numbers of additional crew and boarders are usually carried.

History & Background / Dossier

The origins of the Type P class Corsair go back all the way back to the Vilani Imperium and the Ziru Sirka, in which a very similar design was once used by the Vilani as a close escort. Variations of the basic Vilani design have been encountered across Charted Space, for several thousand years. Many modern vessel designs found within the Vargr Extents use some of its better engineering innovations. The Vilani prized it for its easy “roll on / roll off” cargo bay with big accessible clamshell doors, and it ease of maintenance, simple solid engineering, as well as solid performance. The most common of the current models can push 3-G’s make several Jump-2’s, and yet still maintain Agility-2 performance, not bad for a craft with so much cargo capability.

Ships with large, accessible cargo bays make excellent corsairs, especially if upgunned. Typically, cargo ships easily converted to corsairs, 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, such ships such as express boat tenders will come with a scout/courier, a couple of xboats, or several smallcraft, which are then used to make the newly designated corsair 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.

Distress Call Tactic

Distress calls often emanate from corsairs. They may be legitimate, or be decoys to lure a victim ship into a pirate or corsair; corsairs are often produced from common ship types SB, CE, or XT.

Known Manufacturers

1. Individual World-State Shipyards throughout Charted Space
2. General Products
3. Makhidkarun
4. Naasirka
5. Relani & Wong
6. Tukera

Selected Type P Variant Classes

Corsair:

1. Type P class Corsair
   1. Fang class Corsair
   2. Guegha class Corsair
   3. Harmony class Corsair
   4. Iron Fist class Corsair
   5. Kom class Corsair
   6. Nishemani class Corsair
   7. Rrazaaghz class Corsair
   8. Ral Ranta class Corsair

Image Repository

Type P class Corsair

#.	Image	Remarks
1.		A typical Nishemani class Corsair viewed from the side, showing off its expansive hull.

Type P class Corsair

#.	Image	Remarks
2.		A typical Nishemani class Corsair viewed from the rear, exposing it's large cargo bay, lying in ambush in an asteroid field.

Type P class Corsair
Rrazaaghz class Corsair

#.	Image	Remarks
3.		TBD

References & Contributors / Sources

This article has metadata.

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.

• Marc Miller. Traders and Gunboats (Game Designers Workshop, 1980), 15, 30, 44.
• Jim Cunningham. High Passage 2 (FASA, 1981), TBD.
• Marc Miller. Imperial Encyclopedia (Game Designers Workshop, 1987), 85.
• Bryan Steele. Traders and Gunboats (Mongoose Publishing, 2008), TBD.
• EXTERNAL LINK: David's Encyclopedia Page
• Traveller Wiki Editorial Team
• Author & Contributor: FarScout275
• Author & Contributor: Lord (Marquis) and Master of Sophontology Maksim-Smelchak of the Ministry of Science