Serpent class Scout/Courier

Serpent class Scout/Courier
The Serpent-class is a prominent STOL starship.
Type: SX Scout/Courier
Category	ACS
Size	100 Tons
Hull Configuration	Cone Hull
Streamlining	Streamlined Hull
Tech Level	TL–11
Engineering
Computer	Model/2 bis
Jump	J-2
Maneuver	2 G
Armaments
Hardpoints	1
Accommodations
Staterooms	0
Personnel
Crew	1
Officers	1
High/Mid Passengers	0
Payload
Cargo	3 Tons
Fuel tank	0 Tons
Construction
Origin	Delta Research
Manufacturer	[[Delta Research Yards]]
Year Operational	Unknown
End of Service	Still in active service.
Price
Cost	MCr34.280
Architect fee	MCrDonald P. Rapp, Paranoia Press 1,981
Statistics
Quick Ship Profile	S-AS22
Images
Blueprint	Yes
Illustration	Yes
Source
Also see	Scout/Courier
Canon	Published, fan design
Era	1105
Reference	"Serpent class Scout Ships." Journal of the Travellers' Aid Society 02 8-9.
Starships are designed with the Classic Traveller format, using High Guard.

The Serpent class Scout/Courier is an exploratory starship.

• It is a paramilitary ship and a Scout/Courier.

Description (Specifications)

The Serpent class Scout/Courier is a small starship produced by Delta Research, a Corporation based in Beyond Sector. The ship has an aerodynamic hull and may perform high speed glides in thin, standard and dense atmospheres.

Image Repository

1. A Serpent class Scout/Courier landed on the surface of a planet.
   

General Description & Deck Plans

1. A Deck Plan schematic for a Serpent class Scout/Courier.
   

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 subcraft) 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 / Hull	The Serpent class is constructed using a 100 Ton hull built in a generally Conical configuration. The hull is fully streamlined and has a vee-tail and variable-sweep wings, giving excellent atmospheric performance that is further enhanced by its onboard gravitic systems. The vessel is fitted with an airlock. The cargo hold is accessed by a large door. The vessel has a sturdy retractable undercarriage, allowing surface landings.
2.	Crew	x1 Crew. x1 Pilot/Navigator (required minimum). Accommodations There are 4 Staterooms. Typically, x1 Stateroom is given over to the crew and x3 Staterooms are available to middle passengers. Many vessels carry x1 Pilot/Commander, x1 Navigator, x1 Gunner/Engineer, and x1 Xenologist as standard. Each crewmember receives their own cabin. Up to 8 individuals may be carried if personnel elect to travel double occupancy. 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 Mannschenn Type R2-53 Jump-2 drive, twin Delta Research TS 1410/V Maneuver-2 drives, and a Quadri-Dynamics J-4700/Mk III Fusion Power Plant-2, giving performance of Jump-2 and 2-G acceleration. The ship has an Agility rating of 2. The internal fuel tankage is sufficient for one Jump-2 and one consecutive Jump-1 and gives the power plant 20 weeks duration. The jump drive utilizes a hull grid. Ladders and catwalks give access to the machinery. The jump drive is fitted with an LSP-produced jump governor. Jump-2 2-G acceleration Power Plant-2 2-EPs Agility-2
4.	Electronics	Adjacent to the bridge is a LHeP(Or) Series 12/136 Model/2bis computer: no backup computer is installed. There are multiple workstations and control points throughout the vessel. The vessel is fitted with communications equipment, an advanced sensor array, and has an Avionics suite. It has a transponder unit that can be deactivated on command.
5.	Hardpoints	x1 dorsal hardpoint. The listed weapons systems are typical for the class. Alternative weaponry may be designated for specific missions.
6.	Armament	The normal weapons fit-out for a Serpent class is: x1 mixed double turret holding a Missile Rack and a Sandcaster.
7.	Defenses	The hull is unarmored. The vessel is not fitted with screens or other passive defensive systems.
8.	Craft	Vehicles x1 4-Ton Air/Raft. The vehicle hangar is fitted with an external hatch. It can be sealed and has a volume of 4.0 Tons. The hanger may be used as an airlock.
9.	Fuel Treatment	The vessel has internal fuel tankage of 40.0 Tons. The hull is not fitted with fuel scoops. The vessel is not equipped with fuel purification equipment.
10.	Cost	The basic cost of the vessel is MCr34.280 Architects Fee: MCr0.343
11.	Construction Time	40 weeks (9 months) as standard. 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 3.0 Tons. The cargo hold can be sealed and has independent life support and environmental systems. Collapsible Fuel Tank Some examples of the class are fitted with a collapsible 2-Ton fuel tank that is contained within the cargo hold. This fuel may not be used directly, but must be first pumped into the ship’s normal fuel tanks. The Collapsible Tank costs MCr0.0028. The stowed empty tank occupies a volume of 0.1 Tons. The additional onboard fuel allows performance of two consecutive jump-2s and gives the power plant 4 weeks duration.

History & Background (Dossier)

The first vessel in the class was laid down in 1090. Over seven hundred Delta Research Scout/Couriers are currently in active service with both the Comsentient Alliance Scout/Exploration Service and the Imperial Interstellar Scout Service, particularly in those Sectors lying "Behind the Claw."

Class Naming Practice/s & Peculiarities

Vessel Peculiarities: No information yet available.

Class Naming Practice/s: Most vessels in this class are named after reptiles or reptillianoid lifeforms. The namesake was the Serpent.

Variant Models

Delta Research produce a civilian version of the Serpent. The sensor array is downgraded (to "standard", or paramilitary grade equipment) and the vessel is supplied unarmed, but the staterooms, fittings and finish are of superior quality. It is also slightly cheaper, costing MCr33.280.

Selected Variant Types & Classes

Paramilitary Vessel - Scout Vessel - Aerodynamic Scout:

1. Type SX class Aerodynamic Scout
   1. Ithilien class Scoutship
   2. Serpent class Scout/Courier
   3. Type SX class Scout/Courier
   4. Wind class Scout/Courier

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.

• Loren Wiseman. "Serpent class Scout Ships." Journal of the Travellers' Aid Society 02 (1979): 8-9.
• Marc Miller, Frank Chadwick, John Harshman. High Guard (Game Designers Workshop, 1980), 20-37. (Design Sequence Used)
• Donald P. Rapp. Scouts & Assassins (Paranoia Press, 1981), 18-19,insert.
• Gareth Hanrahan, Dom Mooney. High Guard (Mongoose Publishing, 2008), 114-115.
• EXTERNAL LINK: ACE DOG MT Serpent stats
• Traveller Wiki Editorial Team
• 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