Watercraft
A Watercraft is a kind of vehicle or technological device, intended to convey sophonts or cargo from one location to another on or under the water.
- It is a type of vehicle.
Description (Specifications)[edit]
The earliest watercraft powered by Wind Power, Dray Beasts or Sophonts are described under Primitive Craft.
Once the power source used to drive the craft is something more sophisticated than these two power sources, this category, Watercraft, applies. Similarly, if the technology level required to drive the Watercraft is above TL–3, this category applies.
Surface Vessel[edit]
Displacement Hull[edit]
Monohull[edit]
These are single hulls that are constructed to keep water out and thus provide buoyancy and stability. These may be constructed from natural materials (e.g. Wood for up to 100dTons displacement) or manufactured materials (e.g. Metal, Composite Resins, etc). These are generally discovered by Sophonts using Primitive Watercraft.
Multihull[edit]
These are vessels that are constructed from more than one hull where each is constructed to keep water out and thus provide buoyancy. Stability can be provided by the spacing of the hulls. These may be constructed from natural materials (e.g. Wood for up to 100dTons displacement) or manufactured materials (e.g. Metal, Composite Resins, etc). These are also generally discovered by Sophonts using Primitive Watercraft.
Hydroplane[edit]
These hulls are much faster than the displacement hull, but require some means of propulsion that allows the hull to reliably exceed the speed of the bow-wave in water. Thus Primitive Watercraft are not able to use this form of hull effectively.
Hydrofoil[edit]
These vessels use foils to lift the hull clear of the water thus reducing drag and allowing faster speeds for a given power.
SWATH[edit]
Small Waterplane Area Twin Hull uses combinations of multihull and hydrofoil technologies to produce a fast and relatively large vessel.
Submarine[edit]
Submersible[edit]
This is an intermediate stage during which land or air based Sophonts start to tackle the wish to proceed underwater. Submersibles must return to the surface because of one (or both) of two limitations:
- Because the crew are reliant on air-supplies that are not renewed or regenerated
- Because the vessel is using stored power that cannot be regenerated underwater because (for instance) internal-combustion engines are used for power generation.
Submarine[edit]
Once life-support systems are able to support long-term closed environments (which may be irrelevant for water based Sophonts) and power-supply does not require exposure to air for combustion, true submersibles become possible.
Not Watercraft[edit]
Hovercraft and Ekranoplane are forms of Aircraft.
Examples of Watercraft[edit]
7 Watercraft items[edit]
Item | Type | Mode | TL | Mass | Cost |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Coracle | Personal Vehicle | Water (Rowed) | 0 | 15kg | Cr300 |
Galley (watercraft) | Maritime Warship | Water (Rowed) | 1 | 30 dTons | 6000 work-days |
H-6 class Submersible | Commercial Vehicle | Water (Submersible) | 5 | 28 dTons | Cr 500,000 |
Hunterfoil class Hydrofoil | Maritime Warship | Water (Hydrofoil/Submarine) | TBD | TBD | TBD |
Jacent Deluxe class Amphibious Scout Car | Reconnaissance Vehicle | Ground (Wheeled) | 10 | 0.86 dton | 37,024.05 |
Light Patrol Vehicle | All Terrain Vehicle | Ground (Wheeled) | 9 | 8.5 Tons | Cr61,250 |
M150 Colossus class Brigade Transport | Armored Personnel Carrier | Ground (Wheeled)/Water | 9 | ~3,903 dton | Cr75,785,382 |
History & Background (Dossier)[edit]
No information yet available.
Technological Overview of Watercraft[edit]
Expected Technological Progression of Vehicles See Transportation Technologies of Charted Space
See also[edit]
Vehicles[edit]
- Vehicle
- Primitive Craft - Craft of all types TL–1 to TL–3 powered by Wind or Animal power
- Aerospace Vessel
- Watercraft
- Land Vehicle
- Exotic Craft
- Multi-Environment Vehicle
- Vehicle Usage
- Vehicle Roles
- Personal Vehicle
- Consumer Vehicle
- Ground Car
- Air/Raft (Passenger, Small)
- G-Carrier (Small)
- Mass Transit Vehicle
- Rail Vehicle (Passenger)
- Bus
- G-Carrier
- Industrial Vehicle
- Commercial Vehicle
- Combat Vehicle
- Combat Support Vehicle
- Security Vehicle
Related:
The line between Spaceplane and Spaceship is blurred.If the design is described as a Vehicle then its a Spaceplane;
if it is described as a Ship its a Spaceship.
References & Contributors (Sources)[edit]
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- Traveller Wiki Editorial Team
- Author & Contributor: Lord (Marquis) and Master of Sophontology Maksim-Smelchak of the Ministry of Science