Type P class Corsair

Type P class Corsair
Rearview of corsair with its large cargo area and clamshell doors. This is a Nishemani class Corsair. Canon starship design.
Type: PP Corsair Vessel
Category	ACS
Size	440 Tons
Hull Configuration	Wedge Hull
Streamlining	Streamlined Hull
Tech Level	TL–15
Engineering
Computer	Model/3
Jump	J-2
Maneuver	3 G
Armaments
Hardpoints	4
Accommodations
Staterooms	0
Personnel
Crew	11
Officers	8
Enlisted	3
High/Mid Passengers	0
Payload
Cargo	120.0 Tons
Fuel tank	0 Tons
Construction
Origin	Third Imperium
Year Operational	Unknown
End of Service	Still in active service.
Price
Cost	MCr138.74
Statistics
Quick Ship Profile	PP-DA42
Images
Blueprint	Yes
Illustration	Yes
Source
Also see	Iron Fist class Corsair and Type XT class Express Boat Tender
Canon	Published, fan design
Era	1105
Reference	Traders and Gunboats 15, 30, 44.
Starships are designed with the Classic Traveller format, using High Guard.

The Type P class Corsair is unfortunately one of the most common starships found within Charted Space.

• It is ordinarily a paramilitary ship used by pirates, or corsairs and is classified as a Corsair Vessel.
• It is often a converted and customized starship rather than purpose built.
• While the design is most commonly used for piracy these days, it was originally designed as a gunboat for use as a close escort and privateer.
• Many variant classes exist of this type.

Description (Specifications)

The corsair is an armed ship, most commonly used by pirates or privateers to raid merchant spacecraft.

Patrolling the Starlanes: With high levels of trade between the stars, both the ships and the worlds they call on become vulnerable to a variety of ills. Merchants become the prey of pirates and corsairs. Worlds become the prey of smugglers and raiders. Huge warships built for fleet actions are nearly useless in this sort of situation, and special ships — gunboats — are designed and committed to the everyday patrols of the starlanes.

Unfortunately, sometimes the gunboats and merchants that provide the life blood of interstellar economies, are captured and converted from gun boats, close escorts, tenders, and traders into corsairs and pirates. Almost any commercial or military craft can be converted into a corsair. However, the Type P class Corsair, almost as often encountered as the Nishemani class Corsair, a purpose-built corsair, are as often encountered as converted monstrosities.

Image Repository

1. A typical Nishemani class Corsair viewed from the rear, exposing it's large cargo bay, lying in ambush in an asteroid field.
   
2. The ubiquitous Rrazaaghz class Corsair, common through the Vargr Extents and coreward Imperial Space.
   
3. A typical Nishemani class Corsair viewed from the side, showing off its expansive hull.
   

General Description & Deck Plans

No information yet available.

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	440 tons.
2.	Crew	TOTAL: x11 crew: (Bridge: x3, Engineer: x3, Gunnery: x3, Command: x1, Medical: x1).
3.	Performance	Maneuver-3, Jump-2 & Agility-2. Cruise= 2,135 kph (atmosphere only) Top= 2,850 kph (atmosphere only)
4.	Electronics	x1 Model/3 computer
5.	Hardpoints	x4 hardpoints.
6.	Armament	x4 Beam Lasers.
7.	Defenses	The ship is typically armored, and rarely carries screens. Many equip it with sandcasters.
8.	Craft	A variety of smallcraft can be carried in the cavernous cargo hold of the corsair. Although typically, no more than two or three smallcraft are carried.
9.	Fuel Treatment	Yes. Scoops and fuel treatment equipment.
10.	Cost	MCr138.74
11.	Construction Time	Most shipyards can construct the design in 14 months or less. A few quicker ones can do it in 12 months or less. The very worst yards can do it in 36 months on average if they can do it at all.
12.	Comments	120.0 tons of cargo. x5 emergency low berths. Large numbers of additional crew and boarders are typically carried.

History & Background (Dossier)

The origins of the Type P class Corsair go back all the way back to the Vilani Imperium and the Ziru Sirka, in which a very similar design was once used by the Vilani as a close escort. Variations of the basic Vilani design have been encountered across Charted Space, for several thousand years. Many modern vessel designs found within the Vargr Extents use some of its better engineering innovations. The Vilani prized it for its easy “roll on / roll off” cargo bay with big accessible clamshell doors, and it ease of maintenance, simple solid engineering, as well as solid performance. The most common of the current models can push 3-G’s make several Jump-2’s, and yet still maintain Agility-2 performance, not bad for a craft with so much cargo capability.

Ships with large, accessible cargo bays make excellent corsairs, especially if upgunned. Typically, cargo ships easily converted to corsairs, will be surprised and hijacked by a band of thugs, often feigning shipwreck in order to attract the ship's attention. If they are lucky, such ships such as express boat tenders will come with a scout/courier, a couple of xboats, or several smallcraft, which are then used to make the newly designated corsair look more realistic when it plies the space lanes. The large ship bay allows most smaller ships to be enveloped and then boarded at the pirate's leisure.

Class Naming Practice/s & Peculiarities

Distress Call Tactic: Distress calls often emanate from corsairs. They may be legitimate, or be decoys to lure a victim ship into a pirate or corsair; corsairs are often produced from common ship types SB, CE, or XT.

Known Manufacturers

1. Individual World-State Shipyards throughout Charted Space
2. General Products
3. Makhidkarun
4. Naasirka
5. Relani & Wong
6. Tukera

Selected Variant Types & Classes

Paramilitary Vessel - Corsair Vessel - Charted Space: Referral-Tree-Type-P-class-Corsair-Vessel

Paramilitary Vessel - Raider Vessels: Paramilitary Vessel - Corsair Vessel - Raider Vessels:

1. Type PR class Raider
   1. Chameleon class Commerce Raider
   2. Habari class Raider
   3. Harrier class Commerce Raider
   4. Kaashik class Raider
   5. Kranz class Raider Escort
   6. K'Thunk class Raider Tender
   7. Shark class Raider
   8. Sokhkhun class Raider Q-Carrier
   9. Spul class Raider
   10. Viper class Scout Raider

Paramilitary Vessel - Corsair Vessel - Vargr Extents: Paramilitary Vessel - Corsair Vessel - Vargr Extents:

1. Type VP class Corsair AKA Type PV class Vargr Corsair
   1. Aeogz class Corsair
   2. Fang class Corsair
   3. Guegha class Corsair
   4. Rrazaghz class Corsair
   5. Sorrgheg class Reaver
   6. Ueknou class Corsair
   7. Veng class Corsair
   8. Vengeance class Commerce Protection Vessel

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. Starships (Game Designers Workshop, 1977), TBD.
• Marc Miller. Citizens of the Imperium (Game Designers Workshop, 1979), TBD.
• Marc Miller. Traders and Gunboats (Game Designers Workshop, 1980), 15, 30, 44.
• Jim Cunningham. High Passage 2 (FASA, 1981), TBD.
• Dave Sering. Corsairs of the Turku Waste (Judges Guild, 1982), TBD.
• Marc Miller. The Spinward Marches Campaign (Game Designers Workshop, 1985), TBD.
• Marc Miller. Imperial Encyclopedia (Game Designers Workshop, 1987), 85.
• Don Perrin. Starships (Imperium Games, 1996), TBD.
• Thomas L. Bont, Robert Prior, Christopher Thrash. Starships (Steve Jackson Games, 2003), TBD.
• Bryan Steele. Traders and Gunboats (Mongoose Publishing, 2008), TBD.
• EXTERNAL LINK: David's Encyclopedia Page
• Traveller Wiki Editorial Team
• Author & Contributor: FarScout275
• Author & Contributor: Lord (Marquis) and Master of Sophontology Maksim-Smelchak of the Ministry of Science