Inquiry class Lab Ship

Inquiry class Lab Ship
Unpublished, non-canon fan design.
Type: L Lab Ship
Size	400 Tons
Hull Configuration	[[{{{hull}}}]]
Tech Level	TL–11
Engineering
Computer	2
Jump	J-2
Maneuver	1 G
Armaments
Hardpoints	2
Accommodations
Staterooms	0
Personnel
Crew	8
Officers	1
Enlisted	7
High/Mid Passengers	0
Payload
Cargo	60 Tons
Fuel tank	0 Tons
Construction
Origin	Nist (world)
Price
Cost	MCr153.914 in quantity MCr123.131
Architect fee	MCrRonald B. Kline, Jr.
Statistics
Images
Blueprint	No
Source
Canon	Unpublished, fan design
Starships are designed with the Classic Traveller format, using High Guard Shipyard v1.13 written by Andrea Vallance.

The Inquiry class Lab Ship was originally an auxiliary warship: it is now more commonly seen as a commercial transport.

• It is a civilian ship and an Auxiliary.
• Please also see: Ships of the Distant Fringe.

Description (Specifications)

The Inquiry class Lab Ship was originally designed as an armored transport for service with the Nist Military Forces and was designed and built at Nist (world). They operate within the Halcyon Sector. The commercial variant has become an infamous asteroid vessel. It is classified as a Laboratory Research Vessel and is constructed to be able to use drop tanks to extend its range. Broadly similar designs of vessel have been in use with belter cultures from the time the Distant Fringe was first settled. The vessel is a TL-11 design.

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

No.	Category	Remarks
1.	Tonnage	The Inquiry class Lab Ship class is constructed using a 400 dTon hull built in a asteroid configuration. The hull is unstreamlined, and is incapable of atmospheric performance. x2 primary airlocks and x2 secondary service airlocks are located around the vessel. The cargo hold is accessed by large doors. The configuration of the hull prevents surface landings.
2.	Crew	x8 personnel: pilot, navigator, (2) engineers, medic, (2) gunners and flight. Accommodations There are 9 staterooms. Single occupancy accommodations are provided for all crew. A single stateroom is available to paying passengers. The cryo section contains 14 Low Berths, primarily used on commercial vessels for transporting livestock. Vessels in military service officially use the cryo section for troop transportation and casualty evacuation. It is rumored that low berths aboard military Inquiry class Lab Ship have been used to store prisoners over extended periods. Such actions contravene the Rissa Accords. Accessible areas of the hull are fitted with grav plates and inertial compensators and have full life support and environmental systems. There are internal monitoring and security systems throughout the vessel. Individual sections of the hull can be sealed off. There are multiple emergency lockers.
3.	Performance	The vessel mounts a Jump-2 drive, a Maneuver-1 drive, and a Power Plant-2, giving performance of Jump-2 and 1G acceleration. The ship has an agility rating of 1 and an emergency agility of 1. The internal fuel tankage is sufficient for a single jump-2 and gives the power plant 4 weeks duration. The engineering section has a main control room. Ladders, gantries and platforms give access to the machinery. The jump drive utilizes a hull grid. The jump drive is fitted with a jump governor.
4.	Electronics	Adjacent to the bridge is an efficient Model/2 computer: no backup computer is installed. There are multiple Workstations. The vessel is fitted with communications equipment, a basic EMS sensor array, and an avionics suite. vessels in military service have advanced sensors and are fitted with backup commo and sensor systems. It has a transponder unit that can be deactivated on command.
5.	Hardpoints	x2 hardpoints. The listed battery groupings are standard configurations for the class. Alternative battery groupings may be designated for specific missions.
6.	Armament	The normal weapons fit-out for this class is: x1 triple Beam Laser turret, typically grouped into a single factor 3 battery.
7.	Defenses	The hull is a thick rock with nickle iron deposits. plated, structurally reinforced, and fitted with secure bulkheads and compartments that give it a High Guard armor rating of 3. x1 triple Sandcaster turrets, typically grouped into a single factor 4 battery.
8.	Craft	Flight Section x1 40 dton Pinnace x1 4 dton Air Raft x1 10 dton ATV
9.	Fuel Treatment	The vessel has internal fuel tankage of 88 dTons. The vessel is equipped with a fuel purification plant that can refine all onboard fuel in a few hours: the plant is operated and maintained by the engineering crew. Droptanks Examples of the class in military service are routinely fitted with Droptanks capable of supporting an additional jump-2 for extended range operations.
10.	Cost	The basic cost of the vessel, complete with a full complement of subcraft, is MCr153.914. The vessel and its subcraft 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 the price per unit to MCr123.131 (including subcraft).
11.	Construction Time	64 weeks individually. Build times can be reduced by mass production and the efficiencies such processes generate, by increased financing, and by allotting additional yard resources and facilities to the construction contract.
12.	Comments	Standard cargo capacity amounts to 60 dTons.

History & Background (Dossier)

Designed and built in the Nist (world) system, the Inquiry class Lab Ship is used for covert military research. Scientists are often issued these vessels upon retirement to carry on their research grants and commercial contracts. They are versatile transports well suited to operations in remote areas. The Inquiry class Lab Ship was originally developed for service with the scientific institutes. It proved versatile and was used in a variety of roles, including private enterprise when the opportunity arose. Their rugged construction and excellent endurance made them incredibly popular with their crews and commercial variants (albeit with downgraded sensor and defensive systems) soon began to be manufactured, both at and other rival shipyards. The Inquiry class Lab Ship class operates throughout the Distant Fringe region. An example of this class the Cryophage, was reported operating in the Tsorva (world) system.

• The military variant of the vessel, considered to be of a superior build quality and with the advantage of improved sensors, continues to be highly sought after by both commercial and private interests.

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, Frank Chadwick, John Harshman. High Guard (Game Designers Workshop, 1980), 20-37. (Design Sequence Used)
• Traveller Wiki Editorial Team
• Author & Contributor: Lord (Marquis), Captain, and Lead Naval Architect Ronald B. Kline, Jr. of the Imperial Navy
• 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