Liz Zhorka class Light Trader

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Liz Zhorka class Light Trader
Distant Fringe Logo.gif
Type: R Freighter
Category ACS
Size 100 Tons
Hull Configuration Flattened Sphere Hull
Streamlining Airframe Hull
Tech Level TL–9
Engineering
Computer Model/1
Jump J-1
Maneuver 2 G
Armaments
Hardpoints 1
Accommodations
Staterooms 2
Personnel
Crew 3
    Officers 1
    Enlisted 2
High/Mid Passengers
Payload
Cargo 40 Tons
Fuel tank 12 Tons
Carried craft 1 4t Air/Raft
Construction
Construction Time 10 Months
Origin Distant Fringe
Price
Cost MCr37.888
Statistics
Quick Ship Profile R-AA21
Universal Ship Profile R–1612210–020000–20000-0
Images
Blueprint No
Illustration Yes
Source
Also see Distant Fringe
Canon Unpublished, fan design
Designer Adie Alegoric Stewart
Design System High Guard
Era 1105
Starships are designed with the Classic Traveller format, using High Guard Shipyard v1.13 written by Andrea Vallance.

The Liz Zhorka class Light Trader is a TL–9 Free Freighter and Light Trader.

Description

The Liz Zhorka class Light Trader is a civilian vessel. It is a commercial transport typically encountered operating within clusters of stars within the Distant Fringe region. It is classified as a merchant vessel and is constructed as an X-Range design. Similar designs have been in use from the time the Distant Fringe was first settled.

Image Repository

  1. The Liz Zhorka class Light Trader, which is a near identical variant of the Tachyon class Light Trader design.
    J-1 100dT Liz Zhorka class Light Trader.jpg

General Description & Deck Plans

The Liz Zhorka class is an airframe flattened sphere with a mean diameter of 21 meters and a mean height of 5.5 meters, with paired lateral drive housings slightly increasing the overall length and the width of the stern (with their position indicated by a shaded area on the diagram below). The slightly irregular shape of the hull increases the overall internal space, giving the ship a total enclosed volume of approximately 1,350 cubic meters. There are two decks. The machinery and fuel tanks are located aft and operations are run from a small engineering control room. The lower deck is given over to the cargo hold: an area towards the rear of the hold, positioned below the accommodations section, is set aside as a vehicle hangar. The majority of available space on the upper deck is given over to Staterooms and the turret mountings, while the bridge, computer and electronics are located forward.

J-1 100dT Liz Zhorka class Light Trader Plan.jpg

Basic Ship Characteristics

The Liz Zhorka class is constructed using a 100-Ton hull built in a fattened sphere configuration. The hull is an airframe shape, giving good atmospheric performance that is further enhanced by airfoil surfaces and the vessels onboard gravitic systems. The craft has an airlock located forward, adjacent to the bridge. The cargo hold is accessed by large lateral hatches and a bow door and ramp. The vessel has a sturdy retractable wheeled undercarriage, allowing surface landings.

Total Crew Complement of three consists of 1 Command officer, 1 Engineering, 1 Gunnery. Two Staterooms are given over to crew quarters. The captain has his own cabin: the engineer and gunner travel double occupancy.

The vessel mounts a DeVoss-type Jump-1 drive, a Maneuver-2 drive and a Power Plant-2, giving performance of Jump-1 and 2-G acceleration and producing 2 Energy Points. The ship has an agility rating of 0 and an emergency agility of 2. The dedicated internal fuel tankage is sufficient for one jump-1 and gives the power plant 4 weeks duration.

Adjacent to the bridge is a Model/1 Computer: the ship does not have a backup computer.

The ship has one hardpoint, usually equipped with triple turret mounting two beam lasers and a sandcaster.

The ship carries one 4-dTon Air/Raft. The hangar is a dedicated vehicle garage and forms part of the cargo hold. It is divided off by partition walls and also serves as a machine shop. The hanger has a total volume of 54 cubic meters.

The vessel has internal fuel tankage of 12 dTons. The ship carries a collapsible fuel tank with a capacity of 20 dTons: while stowed it uses 1 dTon of cargo space.

Standard cargo capacity amounts to 40 dTons.

History & Background

The Liz Zhorka class is a small merchant designed to carry incidental consignments of cargo. 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. The current design dates to the Golden Age, but many elements are reused and aspects of the layout and construction indicate that the vessel has Vilani origins.

Liz Zhorka class Traders are sometimes referred to as "puffers", a reference to small coastal watercraft serving isolated communities on pre-spaceflight Terra. The name has romantic connotations, implying personal freedom and a simpler way of life, but also reflects the rather claustrophobic conditions aboard those ancient trading vessels. The interior of the vessel is relatively cramped and the class are known for the substandard quality of their life support and environmental systems.

Class Naming Practice/s & Peculiarities

A number of companies manufacture ships equivalent to the Liz Zhorka class. They vary in hull shape and internal layout but all share the same basic design and all have very similar capabilities and performance characteristics.

Each variant class is named by the company that produces it: these organizations generally draw on traditional naming protocols. It is not uncommon for a historical class name to be reused.

Individual vessels within a class are issued specific serial numbers and transponder codes but traditionally are named by their owners. This is considered a serious affair and a ship with a frivolous name is considered "unlucky".

Legend has it that the class were named after a murderous ship's engineer from the days of the Terran Confederation, whose crimes are remembered to this day in the form of a children's rhyme:

"Lizzie Zhorka had an ax
She gave the pilot twenty whacks
When she saw what she had done
She gave the gunner twenty-one"

According to official records, the class was in fact named for the daughter of a wealthy agriculturalist.

Selected Variant Types & Classes

51 Representative Freighter (R) Classes

§ == ( Please refer to the following AAB Library Data for more information: ) == §

Civilian Ship - Freighter - Type R Freighter


References

This article has metadata.
Classic Traveller This ship was originally designed using one of the Classic Traveller ship design rules:
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.
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