Thinking outside the box, what if a small power had a small carrier designed
for escorting Convoy formations (during periods of raids and pirate activity,
for high value cargo, VIP escort, other odd jobs.) For the purposes of my
question i am going to assume something with a hull integrity of 2 (a
converted merchantman design perhaps) since it's not
going to be going toe to toe with the pirates/raiders but using it's
fighters and, possibly some of the traditional Convoy Escorts (Frigate,
Corvettes and 'light' escorts) to defend the convoy.
Assumptions:
Cargo ships have drive 2. The Carrier has drive 4 (fast enough to move around
the convoy if necessary.) The other "Escorts" have drive 4 to 6 and number
from 2 to 4 with 2 being the most common except in times of active war. The
"ACVE" has no less then 2 and no more then 4 fighter groups. The ACVE has very
few self defense weapons (PDS, Beam 1, nothing bigger then 2 mass each.) Size
should not exceed 90 and preferably would be not less then 60.
What size would you suggest would be optimum for this role? What would your
design look like in design terms?
What fighter types would be your mix if the ship carried three fighter groups?
Four? Two?
What if the raiders occasionally but not always had a small 'soap bubble'
type carrier with 1 to 2 fighter groups - how would you change the mix
on your ACVE?
Gracias,
> --- Glenn M Wilson <triphibious@juno.com> wrote:
> What size would you suggest would be optimum for
Antioch class Escort Carrier Displacement: 10600 tonnes (Mass factor 106) Hull
Type: Weak (Hull Integrity 21) Crew: 15 officers, 91 ratings (Crew Factor 6)
plus flight crew Armament: 2xClass 1 Battery, 1xClass 2 Battery (FH) Sensors:
Standard sensors, 1xFire Control Defenses: 4xPDS, Armor rating 3, Level 1
Shields Drive Systems: Main Drive rating 4, FTL Drive Procurement cost: 3690
Million Noumisma, plus fighters Hanger Bays: 4 bays each holding 6 fighters
Usual Loadout is 4xStandard flights. 72 points
If you want something smaller I can try and slim it down. I'd suggest that
less than 4 fighter groups makes it of very limited effectiveness.
> What fighter types would be your mix if the ship
Standard. Possibly heavy--that's a budget
consideration. Assuming you'll only have 1 carrier per convoy, your threat is
too varied and your margin of error is too small to specialize.
Raptor ACVE
Hull Mass 60
Hull Integrity 2 (weak) 3/3/3/3 (Converted Merchant)
Main Drive 4 FTL Standard FCS 1 Beam 1, 6 arc PDS 1 Armor none 3 Fighter Bays.
NPV 211 + fighter costs.
As an escort this ACVE would remain separate from the convoy.
Three fighter groups is the minimum needed to provide 24 hour escort (Crew
rest dictates no more than 8 hours flight time per day with at least 10
hours off between 8 hour sorties - waived during actual combat but
during escort the fighter accident rate goes way up when the crews do not get
adequate rest).
I would have the ready fighters located with the convoy and the carrier
somewhere else but close enough to launch the other 2 groups to provide
support.
Minimum protection (Basically none <G>) for the ACVE itself. Argument can be
made for keeping the ACVE with the merchants. If it is under attack at least
they can be somewhat of a missile soak.
Minimalist design. If you need this level of escort you need to make as many
as you can.
Bob Makowsky
[quoted original message omitted]
> Glenn M Wilson wrote:
For
> the purposes of my question i am going to assume something with a hull
If you're looking for an anti raider ship, say a Qship, you could use a
converted freighter that had figher bay modules added instead of cargo
modules.
Mass = 103 Cost = 382 Thrust = 2 FTL = Normal Hull = Fragile, Military
CrewFactors = 6 DP = 10
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