German Stahlhammer class Überraschungsangriff Raumschiff (Frigate in the Invasion Orbat)
(literally "sneak attack spaceship")

Notes

This is based upon Karl Bergman's article in Challenge 40. The ship itself is totally rewritten to be a U-boat analogue. The history didn't reflect the established history of the WoGR, which was essentially a revolution that overthrew the Federal Republic (with an uninterrupted history back to 1949, although the capital moved to Munich during the Twilight War - see here). Remember 2300AD isn't kind to the new DDR and it's probably swept away soon after Beowulf...

History

By mid-2292 the new German Democratic Nation (Deutsch Demokratischen Reich, DDR) had committed all its resources to the struggle with the Federal Republic of Germany (Bundesrepublik Deutschland, BRD) and their allies of the French Union (Union Française, UF or "France") on Earth and along the French Arm. German hit-and-run and seizure raids using the new Hamburg and Helmut Korell class warships were unexpectedly unsuccessful with no colonies other than Hochbaden defecting to the DDR. The German high command decided to issue a specification for a stealthy
vessel to compromise the Bundesrepublick's supply of troops and food from their colonies. Foremost among DDR concerns was the prospect of the Bundesrepublik and French fleets gaining time and respite to dig in and reinforce its positions beyond Alpha Centauri.

The prestigious firm of Luftstahl Industries, A.G. at Hochbaden was commissioned to develop a prototype for a stealthy, survivable, heavily-armed ship, with projected delivery to active units no later than early 2293. Of course it was impossible to build any warships at Earth due to the blockade by Bundesrepublick forces and their French allies.

Faced with a virtually impossible production schedule, Luftstahl Industries engineers hastily modified a number of light freighters used in trade along the Aurore finger, adding combat electronics, missile launchers, and a drastically improved heat exchanger. The first armed conversion (christened the Stahlhammer or "Steel Hammer") flew successfully on 7th March, 2293, just in time for the allied offensive into the Hochbaden system. It was the Stahlhammer that ambushed the French courier Marathon in one of the decisive events of the Battle of Sturmwelt when the surviving DSKM ships made their last stand against the might of the Raumwaffe's Weltraum-Flotte (minus detachments guarding the newly liberated Dunkelheim). What should have been a trap for the DSKM failed when the message to the French 4e Flotte out of Aurore (powered down just outside the Hochbaden system) failed to arrive.

For the rest of the year the Stahlhammer and her sisters ranged forward more, ambushing French and Federal German ships at Aurore and especially around Dunkelheim where the DSKM was able to effectively blockade the colony. Linking up with the besieged defenders of Halbinsel on Joi raiders spread throughout the French arm. Whereas the Manchurians had only given up cruiser rules reluctantly, the DSKM never even gave lip-service to such rules, nuking any vessel that came into their sights and completely destroying trade along the French arm.

In December a Franco-German armistice was signed and de-facto acceptance of the occupation of southern Germany was offered. Formal world recognition of a reunited Germany of course was a different matter, and even today most governments maintain their embassy with "Germany" on Tirane, and thread a delicate path a la China and Taiwan (or pre-unification Vietnam, or Korea).


Due to peacetime cutbacks in staff and funding, the DSKM was somewhat reluctant in accepting more Stahlhammers. Although German crews found the ship unpleasant to fly, and unusually slow and unmaneuverable for a transport, the DSKM had 12 of the original 14 Stahlhammers survived the war and are employed both for escort and light patrol duties, now that their raison d'être is not a current staff requirement.

Meanwhile, Luftstahl lndustries was convinced that it had an excellent design on its hands (as well as one that had not yet fully paid for its own development costs, as the new DDR government simply expropriated the vessels). Accordingly, Luftstahl began aggressively hawking the Stahlhammers design on the international market. After touchy contract negotiations, the Manchurians began producing the design under license, adding armour and additional weapons systems and renaming it the Chien Tsu as a cheaper alternative to Tunghu. The Brazilians also purchased a license to build
the design, outfitting their version as intelligence-gathering and raiding platforms and christening the variant class Almirante Montoya.

Basic hulls are currently being produced by Luftstahl lndustries at Hochbaden and Beta Canum Venaticorum, and by the Pu Lien Li and Rotanova shipyards off Terra. While private interest in the design is limited, many orders from the naval sector concerns ensure that the Stahlhammer
and its variants will remain in production for many years to come.

Design

The ship is essentially a small ore freighter common on the Hochbaden-Aurore run converted to an ersatz warship. The hull is LP synthetic and 5x 9m sections, with 3 forming the "shaft" and two (crosswide) the hammerhead. The major conversion was replacing the majority of the cargo area with a fuel tank and adding additional heat exchangers (hull masking) aft. Forward the major change was the addition of a large active array (which can't be powered up at the same time as the stutterwarp) and passive search array and fitting a missile launcher with magazine space for 10 small (4 m) missiles.

Operationally these ships sat off gas giants and other discharge points and when a merchant ship or lone warship appeared fired off a single missile at it when discharging. A hit from a "contact nuke" is invariably fatal, even to a grande frégate like a Suffren, Lion or Richelieu. The difficulty with a major warship is of course landing the hit through their defenses.


The Kafer War

The Stahlhammer comprised 2/3rds of the DSKMs light ships during the Kafer war and did not have a happy war. The DSKM attempted to do with these ships to the Kafers what they'd done in the last war. None survived - Kafer transports were so well protected that the attacking DSKM U-Schiffs simply got killed. Another nail in the short and sad life of the DDR.

Performance

 

Warp efficiency: 1.22 (fully fuelled and armed, and loaded with provisions) upto 2.14 (unfuelled, unloaded and unarmed)

Power Plant: 1 MW MHD Turbine and 1 MW folding solar array

Fuel: 1,200 tons (12 weeks full power)

Range: 7.7 light years

Endurance: six months life support

Mass: 1,618 tons unloaded but fully fuelled and armed (310 tons bare)

Cargo Capacity: 250 cubic meters (ca. six months provisions for crew of 20)

Crew: 20 (10 Bridge, 3 TAC, 6 Engineering, 1 medical); Passengers:nil

Comfort: -2;

Emergency Power: 10 days

Total Life Support: 20 for 180 days

Cost: MLv6.52 (excluding launched weapons etc.)

Ship Status Sheet

Move: 2-4, typically 3

Screens:nil

Radiated Signature:-2(1)

Radial Reflected: 4

Lateral Reflected:5

Target Computer: 0;

Radial Profile: -1

Lateral Profile:0

Armour:0

Hull hits:10/2

Power Plant Hits:4/1

Active: 5, no backup

Passive: 10, no backup

Other:

Weapons

nil

 

Ordnance Load

1 missile bay with 10 magazine slots for SR-9 or 10 missiles

Sensors and Electronics:

Active-5

 Passive-10
Navigation Radar
DSS
Gravitational

Crew Hits:
Bridge: Captain, Navigator, Helm, Communications, Computer
TAC: Remote Pilot, Active Operator, Passive Operator

 

Damage Control: 3 (1 team)