Revolver class Modular Liner
| Revolver class Modular Liner | |
|---|---|
| Type: RV Carrier Freighter | |
| Category | ACS |
| Size | 300 Tons |
| Hull Configuration | Close Structure Hull |
| Streamlining | Unstreamlined Hull |
| Tech Level | TL–12 |
| Engineering | |
| Computer | Model 1/bis |
| Jump | J-2 |
| Maneuver | 2 G |
| Fuel Treatment | scoops, purifier |
| Armaments | |
| Hardpoints | 0 |
| Accommodations | |
| Staterooms | 1 |
| Personnel | |
| Crew | 1 |
| High/Mid Passengers | 0 |
| Payload | |
| Cargo | 1 Tons |
| Fuel tank | 58 Tons |
| Carried craft | 6 30t cutter modules |
| Construction | |
| Origin | Third Imperium |
| Manufacturer | Ling-Standard Products |
| Price | |
| Cost | MCr73.795 |
| Maintenance cost | Cr6,150 |
| Statistics | |
| Quick Ship Profile | RK-CC22 |
| Universal Ship Profile | RK-C3822C |
| Images | |
| Blueprint | Yes |
| Illustration | No |
| Source | |
| Also see | Modular Cutter |
| Canon | Unpublished, fan design |
| Designer | Adrian Tymes |
| Design System | Mongoose 2nd |
| Era | 1105 |
| Reference | Fan: Adrian Tymes |
The Revolver class Modular Liner is a TL–11 modular Far Liner.
Description
Named for its similarity to the ammunition chamber of an early iconic firearm recognizable to most sophonts in the Third Imperium, the Revolver class is a specialized small freighter design built around the same 30 ton modules used by modular cutters. It is an attempt to capture economies of scale in lower volume routes that can not sustain a larger ship. In this role it sees some success, shuttling prepared freight modules from highport to highport, only needing a single crew member.
The similarity to a revolver pistol is not just aesthetic: the six modules can rotate around the central 2-deck crew area, accessed through standard iris hatch bulkheads on the front and rear when aligned with them. The top and side module mountings feature quick release caps that hold those modules in place; when released, springs can eject the modules in microgravity. (The bottom modules have landing gear instead, so it is not possible to load or unload all six modules at once. Instead, some modules must be loaded or unloaded, then the modules rotated to move the two that were at the bottom to other positions.) The springs are not strong enough to overcome 0.1 G or above, though they can still eject the side modules, enabling delivery of cargo (that can survive being dropped a few meters) to planetside locations far from port. Alternately, the ship can hover upside down a few meters above the ground then release the "top" modules, dropping them; this is not recommended, but common enough that standard maneuver software for this class includes a mode to handle upside down hovering, with a bomb-bay-like view from dorsal cameras to line up the drop. The primary design intent, and most used method in practice, is to load and unload only whatever is in the top two positions via cargo cranes at a starport, rotating the other modules into place between loading/unloading operations.
The limitation on module release shows up in the rare case when a Revolver is used for ortillery, where the limited sensor capability does not matter. A single module constructed from 12 large CAPTOR mines can fire 72 torpedoes as a single salvo. Only four modules can be ejected at a time; while it is possible to eject four, rotate, eject the other two, then fire all 432 torpedoes at once, it is more common to fire a module immediately after ejection (and for the Revolver to be on the move while doing so, firing different salvos from different locations). Full-Revolver ortillery bombardments typically attack six targets with 72 torpedoes each, three targets with 144 each, or two with 216 each. There have been extremely few cases where 216 torpedoes have been insufficient to cripple a target, and a more dedicated warship was not called for in the first place.
Jump dimming is unquestionably a thing on Revolvers. The power plant can barely handle either normal ship systems plus full maneuver drive, or minimal ship systems plus jump drive. Even the fuel purification plant requires dipping into performance; the usual choice is to limit the maneuver drive to 1.8-G thrust (or to simply not fly) while fuel is being purified.
General Description & Deck Plans
- Deck Plans for this vessel.
Basic Ship Characteristics
Following the Imperial Navy and IISS Universal Ship Profile and data, additional information is presented in the format shown here [1]
| Basic Ship Characteristics [2] | ||
|---|---|---|
| No. | Category | Remarks |
| 1. | Tonnage / Hull | Tonnage: 300 tons (standard). 4,200 cubic meters. Unstreamlined Close Structure Hull.
|
| 2. | Crew | Crew: One pilot/astrogator. This does not include any crew needed for the modules. |
| 3. | Performance | Acceleration: 2-G maneuver drive installed.
|
| 4. | Electronics | Model/3/bis ship computer. |
| 5. | Hardpoints | 3 hardpoints, unused. |
| 6. | Armament | None, aside from any in the modules. Due to the ship's configuration, any weapons mounts on the modules can not be used while the modules are docked; they must be ejected prior to use. |
| 7. | Defenses | None, aside from any in the modules. Due to the ship's configuration, any weapons mounts (including point defense) on the modules can not be used while the modules are docked; they must be ejected prior to use. |
| 8. | Craft | None. Crew's vacc suit allows EVA (extra-vehicle activity). Rescue Balls for crew escape usually not carried, relying on vacc suit or a pressurized module instead. |
| 9. | Fuel Treatment | It is typically equipped with a fuel purification plant and fuel scoops. |
| 10. | Cost | MCr73.795 standard (architect's fees have long since been amortized). MCr66.4155 in quantity. |
| 11. | Construction Time | 2.5 months standard. 1.5 months in quantity. Does not include construction of modules. |
| 12. | Remarks | A liner dedicated to carrying cargo modules. |
History & Background
The Revolver class was conceived of during the First Civil War, as military logistics saw a surge in standardized cargo containers. This drove widespread use of the modular cutter, suggesting a need for a dedicated jump-capable carrier of these same modules. However, by the time the Revolver came into production, the war had just ended. Ling-Standard Products' public relations quickly spun it as an attempt to reassure the public, citing legends from pre-spaceflight Terra of "the gun that made all men tall".
Once constructed, the space lanes find their own uses for a ship, and the Revolver has been no exception. Prefabricated bases, small invasion forces (often riding in said prefabricated bases), automated planetary survey satellites (left in orbit for years to thoroughly survey a planet), missile drones (typically a 3-pack of 10-ton system defense drones, each with a missile rack and extra ammunition), small manufacturing plants (a few megacredits of factory, often used as a starting point to set up local industry - especially if the factory is of higher technology than the world it will operate on, as part of an effort to increase the local TL), large clusters of torpedoes and missiles (more often to resupply than to attack, given the Revolver's less-than-military-standard sensors), and in at least one case an entire D class downport (the Dee Six class Downport, spread among all six modules) have been shipped from system to system this way. The design has also proven to work well enough for speculative trade, especially if it can get cargo lots with a cargo module instead of carrying it loose.
Some offices of the IISS employ Revolvers as couriers, to weed out those who can not handle the strain before entrusting them with longer duration scouting missions.
In 992 the Revolver was officially superseded by the LSP Modular Starship, but by then the designs had been in use for almost four centuries and were generally available. Officially, the Revolver had been designed to obsolete versions of the new standard for 30 ton modules. Unofficially, a multitude of adaptors and fittings had been made to allow Revolvers to handle the new dimensions, and LSP shipyards happily provided these for any Revolver owner willing to pay for them. (The blueprints on this article reflect the Revolver at its original dimensions as originally designed, without such adaptations.) Likewise, anyone who knew of the cheaper Revolver design and commissioned one (with adjustments for modern standards) was usually quietly accommodated: their megacredits spent as well as anyone's, and a happy customer giving little press that might distract from the more expensive LSP Modular Starship was better than a displeased customer telling people to buy from someone else.
Class Naming Practice/s
Ship Interior Details: As the ship is normally designed for only a single crew member, the stateroom does not have the normal privacy measures. The bed (or bunk, if carrying two) is out in the open off to the side, though the fresher is at least walled off as usual. The bridge is also the primary engineering space (including open space to work on any system component that needs to be pulled out and fixed; most of the ship's systems are designed to be serviced this way), as the maneuver drive, power plant, and central node of the jump drive are all designed to be accessed via removable panels separating them from the deck above. Interdeck access is via four shafts connecting the entry points to the top and bottom modules, linking to short corridors to the side modules' entry points, and linking to the two systems decks.
Revolvers sport the usual array of methods to cope with being alone in jumpspace for a week, with slightly spacious fittings for a single person. If a second person is carried, they are usually an apprentice or companion. While the corporation funding the ship rarely pays a second salary, they usually pay for the ship's full life support as doing so is cheaper than accounting for the passenger's portion. Double occupancy is sometimes claimed to be less stressful than being all alone, though this varies heavily by individual. A Revolver's life support can easily be switched between one person and two, up to four in an emergency (best done with supplies to extend life support, such as oxygen candles).
The first several Revolvers were named after guns and gunmakers from the TL–4 period of many homeworlds. Eventually, shipyards near Vland and spinward began naming their Revolvers after galleons and other treasure transport vehicles of that period, though ones closer to Terra still named theirs after guns and gunmakers.
Selected Variant Types & Classes
28 Representative Carrier Freighter (RV) Classes
A
B
C
D
E
G
H
I
K
L
M
N
O
P
R
S
References
| This article has metadata. |
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This ship was designed using Mongoose 2nd ship design rules.
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- Author: Adrian Tymes
- ↑ Timothy B. Brown. Fighting Ships (Game Designers Workshop, 1981), 10.
- ↑ Timothy B. Brown. Fighting Ships (Game Designers Workshop, 1981), 10.