Richelieu
using Mongoose Traveller 2300AD Aerospace Engineer’s Handbook
Preamble
In GDW
2300AD, the Richelieu and successors were the largest, most powerful warships
humanity possessed. Unfortunately there was a typo on the Ship Status Sheet
that led to their armour value of 10 being written as 0. This is a variant of
the classic GDW “missed or added a zero” typo which cropped up occasionally.
The
Richelieu was notable for having a 415 MW power plant. In GDW 2k3, power plants
consumed much of the mass of a warship, and were the major defining factor in
how powerful it was. The Germans and the Americans also wanted “battleships”,
but they would only build diminutives with 150 MW and 180 MW plants respectively.
The situation was much like the US build Nimitz supercarriers, and the British
building Invincible CVS’s – still carriers but much less powerful.
With this
in mind, I set out to build the Richelieu using the AEH. There are some points
to note:
1. As a Traveller based system, it is
volume that matters rather than mass. The volume of the ship was set at the
estimated volume of the GDW ship, or 14,000 dTons. This is technically off the
end of the scale, but we are talking about the largest warships in existance.
2. MgT 2k3 livres are not GDW 2k3
livres. There has apparently been some inflation. I budgeted 10 billion livres
for the ship, including her two embarked fighter wings and her missiles.
3. Colin Dunn has stated that, contrary
to GDW 2k3, in MgT 2k3 tantalum is not a limiting factor. Hence I’m free to
treat missiles like any ammunition, rather than worrying about the lost
opportunity cost (every 2-3 missiles built is a merchant transport not built in
GDW 2k3).
4. Oh, and I thank the author for
Mongoose canonising my ideas about Ta-180m.
To be
clear, this is the smallest and weakest of France’s battleships, but she’s 3
times the size of a German, American or Manchurian battleship. Only the British
battleships match her, perhaps. The follow-ons in French service are even more
powerful. The next two (Tallyrand and Sainte Jeanne d’Arc) are basically
improved versions of this, and following that the BB’s get even bigger and
better. One French BB has been lost prior to 2300AD; the Sainte Jeanne d’Arc narrowly
lost a fight against six Kafer BB’s and was destroyed. In 2301 the Tallyrand
would again narrowly lose a fight against an entire Kafer battlefleet when the Germans
cut and ran.
Hull
The GDW
ship is ca. 14,000 dTons. I will keep this value constant. If I try to scale
armour to the Beta example (10/7 * 11 = 16), I find I’m beyond the maximum
allowed. Ergo I’ll go with the maximum allowed armour, which is either 12 or 13
depending on which page you read. I’ll pick 13. The hull is advanced composite
with no modifications, but I think I get tough for free.
The armour
consumes 910 dTons, and the hull and armour cost MLv1,239. This is already more
than the cost of the ship in GDW livres. It has the traits advanced, heavy and
tough.
It was
unclear what “radiation shielding” would do that LaFarge shields and a meter
thick armoured hull wouldn’t do.
Reaction
Drives
Not a thing
in GDW, because GDW ships could use their drives in the dead zone, just at
dramatically reduced efficiency, but combined with slingshot orbits they didn’t
need to make orbital burns to discharge etc. For this design, I’ll install a
nuclear OMS. I don’t care about power usage, because it’s far below the
stutterwarp usage and I’ll never be using both simultaneously. A calculate I
need 0.105 dTons of fuel per burn. I suspect this is a typo, and the book is
two orders of magnitude out (caused by the % sign). Thus I’ll have 400 burns,
knowing this may be reduced to 4. Even at 10.5 dTons per burn, I can have scores
of burns in the cargo hold (see later).
The nuclear
OMS costs 280 dTons and MLv280. I could almost buy 2 GDW Kennedy’s for the cost
of this system alone. There are 42 dTons of reaction mass (400 burns).
Stutterwarp
and Power Plant
For the
size of the power plant, I’m going to take the size of the original as correct.
At 16,500 m3, it’s 1,179 dTons, which I’ll round to 1,200 dTons. An advanced
fusion reactor of that size is not at the point of being too large and dividing
in two. As an advanced fusion reactor, it produces 1.8 GW (1.5 MW per dTon).
If I’d have
used mass fraction of the GDW design, I’d have around 5.25 GW or perhaps 10.5
GW depending on interpretation. All I could have done with that power, since I’m
hardpoint limited, is install a bigger stutterwarp.
Speaking of
stutterwarp, I keep the same fraction of power dedicated to the stutterwarp; 1,800
MW * 300/415 = 1,310 MW (to the nearest ten MW). I can now calculate speed.
The formula
is very different. In GDW 2k3, the power to speed relationship was cubic – to double
speed 8 times the power was needed. In MgT it is square – to double speed 4
times the power is needed. Given this, very different results can be expected.
I have a 1,310
MW stutterwarp pushing 14,000 dTons. The hull is both heavy and advanced. The
drive is TL-12. My final warp efficiency is 5.7.
To be
clear, whilst this is much faster than GDW, MgT 2k3 is a very different
universe. Ships are simply faster, if well designed. Had the Kennedy kept the
same reactor size as GDW, it would be warp efficiency 15.3.
For advanced
radiators, I need 900 dTons (18,000 * 0.05) etc. I will add stutterwarp vanes,
ignoring the power requirement because they won’t be being used at the same
time as the stutterwarp.
The fusion
reactor and stutterwarp, with the vanes and radiators, uses 2,479.835 dTons and
costs MLv2,217.175.
Bridge,
Computers etc.
I install
two full bridges, with the large, protected and neural linked traits. This take
360 dTons and costs MLv420.
For
computers, I have two Core/100 fib units, both linked to share data with the
targeting trait added. This costs MLv318.15. For software, I take everything
listed at the highest available level at TL-12. This takes 89 bandwidth (so I
have a lot of slack) and the software would cost MLv132.6, except the MSIF (“missive”
the French Space Navy of the GDW 2k3 universe) would own the software and just
install it for free.
Sensors
She has
very advanced military sensors with the extended range, enhanced signals processing
and redundant systems traits. Additionally was has a grav scanner, military
countermeasures, DSS, 3 telescopes, advanced survey sensors and 10 long range
laser communicators.
This use
80.233 dTons and cost MLv160.9675
Weapons,
Screens, Hangars and TAC
She has the
maximum modern screens system, with 100 reloads.
Her
installed weapons are 46 heavy laser barbettes with UTES equipped HLC-72 (or
probably a modern improved version) and 48 turrets with PDC-29. There are 8
missile controllers capable of directing 16 missiles. There are 16 Ritage-2 launchers, each with a
magazine of 16 missiles for a total of 256 nuclear weapons.
Here I
should note that the Ritage-2 of MgT 2k3 is different to that of GDW 2k3. The
GDW missile was the fastest, most advanced missile available to humanity with
the largest warhead. It has swapped in MgT for the less powerful SIM-14. The
number of missiles is based upon missiles now just being ammunition. I am
capable of controlling 16 missiles, thus I’ll have 16 launchers. The GDW
Richelieu only carried 16 missiles (controlling 8), and was really a gunship.
If tantalum no longer matters, why restrict oneself? There is a maintenance bay
for the nukes.
The GDW Richelieu
had 21 small craft berths, 9 platoon landers and upto 12 fighters with
expansive hangars capable of being doubled up when crowded. Generally she
carried fewer fighters, because there weren’t that many fighters around. Herein
we keep the 9 landers (LC-10) but the number of fighters was based around the
available space and the budget. I found 36 Martels (2 full wings of 18
fighters) to be about right.
The hangar
is insanely expensive. At MLv0.3 per ton, the hangar comes out as MLv1,512 (about
10 GDW Kennedy’s). I suspect there is a typo and a full hangar should be
MLv0.03 per ton, as an extension of the birth at MLv0.01 per ton. I will place
a note on the final price.
The TAC has
119 people, mostly gunners (94 of them).
In total these
take 6,206.2 dTons and costs MLv2,101.432. 72% of the price of the tactical
systems is the hangar. If there is an “extra zero” typo in the hangars then
these cost MLv740.632.
Crew
etc.
It was
estimated that the ships crew, with an embarked power-armour infantry battalion
of 100 men, would be around 800 men. Originally I had every man having their
own full 4 dTon stateroom, but after I had to add briefing rooms, individual
toilets etc., I had to start doubling up. In Traveller, the assumption was that
some of the stateroom area went to kitchens, toilets etc., and nobody cared
about where the toilets were.
I ended up
with 796 men with the infantry embarked. This included enough stewards to treat
everyone like an “officer”, and the enlisted men on starships is largely
inverse snobbery from former servicemen who weren’t officers. It is assumed that
everyone is roughly equal when it comes to food etc. like aboard a submarine.
What’s good enough for the captain is good enough for the youngest aspirant
manning a gunner post.
I had to
add a bunch of stuff that was handily covered by accommodations and by
workstations in GDW Star Cruiser. I added:
·
4
Medical bays, each with an operating theatre, 4 man recovery room and 10
automeds
·
80
man galley
·
40
safety lockers
·
1
ships locker
·
10
workshops
·
27
armouries
·
A
briefing room for 88 people (176 dTons! Costs the same as a starfighter!)
·
40
extra toilets
With 360
staterooms, all under spin, this all totalled 2,205.7 dTons and cost MLv382.835.
The spin
gravity is 1 G.
Cargo
and Airlocks
The GDW
ship had a large cargo bay of 21,728 cubic meters (1,552 dTons). A 1,350 dTon
cargo bay was installed with 4 large cargo airlocks. 8 Normal airlocks were
also installed.
I have
22.03 dTons of displacement unutilised.
Production
The whole
ship costs MLv7,120.039 or MLv5,759.239 if there was a mistake in the hangar
formula.
The time of
production is bizarre. Time doesn’t scale to price – pouring a ton of cheap
concrete takes the same time as pouring a ton of expensive concrete. The Richelieu
herself in GDW took about 8 years to complete with a commando raid damaging her
and working being stopped for several years afterwards.
The MgT
rule of thumb is one day per MCr. A GDW Livre is 3 Credits, but a MgT Livre is worth
significantly less than a GDW Livre. Still, High Guard rules allow for upto a
90% construction time for large ships if constructed modularly, and follow-ons
cost 90% of the first. This could bring the time down to 3 years. Seven are in
service in (January) 2300, after losing Ste. Jeanne d’Arc. We’ll say that the
early ones were delayed, hence taking 8 years each, but the follow-ons took
around 3 years each, thus:
Richelieu:
LD 2285, in service 2293
Tallyrand:
LD 2286, in service 2294, to be lost in 2301
Ste. Jeanne
d’Arc: LD 2287, in service 2295 and destroyed early 2297
Charlemagne:
LD 2293, in service 2296
Charles
Martel: LD 2294, in service 2297
Clemenceau:
LD 2295, in service 2298
Mirabeau:
LD 2296, in service 2299
De Gaulle:
LD 2297, in service 2300
--- 7 in
service, 8 built, one lost ---
(2298
elections, Ruffin re-elected and made elected Emperor by plebiscite, 13th
Republic becomes 3rd Empire)
Napoleon:
LD 2298, in service 2301 (the newest BB as of mid-2301 in GDW Invasion)
Mazarin: LD
2299, in service 2302
Trochu: LD
2300, in service 2303
TBC
The length
etc. is quite different, but below is the output from AEH.
French
Battleship Richelieu
·
Nations:
France
·
First
Example Laid Down: 2284
·
Manufacturer:
Initially Rouchard-Ligget Military Yard, Tirane plus two others at Earth/
·
Production
Status: Derivatives still in production, 1 at Tirane and 2 at Earth (new
construction commenced immediately upon the slip being cleared)
·
Production
Time: 3 years each using modular construction, although originals were heavily
delayed
·
Service
Status: In service
·
Fleets
in service: France
·
Number
in service: 7 as of 2300 (Richelieu, Tallyrand, Charlemagne, Charles Martel,
Clemenceau, Mirabeau and De Gaulle) with one destroyed (Sainte Jeanne d’Arc)
and 3 under construction (Napoleon, Mazarin and Trochu). Named for great French
statesmen and leaders (not admirals etc.)
·
Length:
80 m
·
Width:
40 m
·
Displacement:
14,000 dTons
·
Power
Planet: 1.8 GW advanced fusion
·
Reaction
Drive: Nuclear OMS, 400 burns
·
Stutterwarp:
1,310 MW TL-12 stutterwarp
·
Purchase
Cost: ca. MLv5,183.315 ongoing (prototype cost more, assumes typo in hangar
stats)
·
Maintenance
Cost: MLv0.432 per month, exclusive of embarked vessels
By the middle years of the Central Asian
War, the French Navy was solidly committed to the so-called "big ship" concept pioneered by the Suffren-class
missile cruisers. Having proven themselves time and again as valuable independent units or as the core of a task force, large powerful ships
were what the line admirals demanded more than anything else. Considerable war losses also necessitated a renewed building
program which mostly concentrated on proven designs. However, a naval requirement was also issued for a truly massive ship
capable of carrying out deep raids into enemy territory.
The basis of the requirement was for a
vessel superior to the Suffren class in its ability to operate for
extended periods away from friendly maintenance and able to take on a wider variety of combat missions by itself. The requirement
to operate away from friendly repair yards meant that the vessel would either have to be able to absorb and repair considerable
amounts of battle damage or avoid suffering damage in the first place. Since its expanded combat capability by necessity required a
larger ship, simple speed and stealth characteristics were not considered an adequate solution.
Armor and shields fulfilled part of the
requirement, but the principal solution adopted was to concentrate much of the ship's offensive power in 36 fighter craft which,
while valuable in their own right, could theoretically keep a superior enemy at bay and preserve the mother ship from crippling
damage. In addition to
its considerable fighter complement, the vessel carried nine small armed troop landers, each capable of transporting two squads of infantry or one armored
personnel carrier. For armament the ship included 46 heavy laser
barbettes and 48 PDC’s. The missile armament was originally Ritage-1, but
Ritage-2 launchers have been installed in place of them.
When the Central Asian War ended in 2287
the Richelieu, as it was by then named, remained incomplete in orbit over Tirane, and had been extensively damaged by a
successful Manchurian commando-style raid in 2286. During the post-war European recession, work on the Richelieu was
repeatedly delayed by budgetary constraints and some of the money appropriated was apparently diverted to other projects by
the Rouchard-Ligget Cartel responsible for its construction. When the War of German Reunification broke out in 2292, the
French navy was caught poorly prepared and short of serviceable ships, and a panic crash construction program was instituted. As equal priority
was given to all ships
currently under construction, few new vessels were actually commissioned prior to the cessation of
hostilities in mid-2293, and
the Richelieu remained incomplete. However, it was now sufficiently close to completion
that work continued and the Richelieu joined the fleet shortly before Christmas.
For all of the care lavished on the
vessel, the design was quickly found to be deficient in a number of areas. The defensive armament of the ship was considered inadequate and
the armed landers, designed by
the now-defunct Rouchard-Ligget Cartel, had many troublesome teething problems which have never been completely overcome. A second vessel of the Richelieu
class had been laid down in 2287, and a third in 2288, but little progress had been made on either. These two vessels were now
christened, Ste. Jeanne D'Arc and Tallyrand, but
were completed with considerable modifications and are considered a separate class of vessel. The hangar
decks have been redesigned to accept six large standard landers, the same type as used by the
Suffren-class cruisers,
in place of the nine smaller vessels
carried by the Richelieu.
Since their completion the two ships of
the Ste. Jeanne D'Arc class have seen
considerable action against the Kafers (the Ste. Jeanne D'Arc was lost with all
hands at the First Battle of Tithonus), but the Richelieu has yet to see action. It is currently
stationed at Beta Canum
Venaticorum and flies the flag of Vice Admiral Jean Baptiste d'Aumont, commander of the Third
French Fleet. It is rumored that
it is currently having its drives overhauled and is having additional missile bays installed. In the
mean time it is serving
as a tender for a variety of fighter craft tasked with defending the Beta Canum system.
Power
Requirements
·
Reactor
Produces 18,000 power (1.8 GW)
·
Basic
Ship req.: 140 (14 MW)
·
Reaction
drive: nil (14,000 or 1.4 GW when engaged, never engaged with stutterwarp,
drone controllers etc.)
·
Stutterwarp:
13,100 (1.31 GW)
·
Vanes:
nil (3,275 or 327.5 MW when engaged, never engaged with stutterwarp)
·
Sensors
and Long Range Comms: upto 165 (16.5 MW, of which 10 MW is the comms)
·
Drone
Controllers: 160 (16 MW)
·
Weapons:
4,110 (411 MW)
·
Sum:
17,675 power typically used (1.6555 GW), leaving 32.5 MW unused.
Richelieu
Type TL-12 Battleship, 14,000 dTons
·
Hull:
14,000 dTon advanced composite spaceframe
·
Reaction
Drive: Nuclear OMS, 400 burns (or 4)
·
Stutterwarp:
5.7 ly/day, Tac Speed: 6, Insystem Speed: 3.68 AU/day. Has discharge vanes.
·
Power
Plant: 18,000 Power (1.8 GW)
·
Radiators:
AHDR, 18,000 capacity
·
Bridge:
Large, hardened, neural link, laser comms (x10)
·
Computer:
Two link core/100 fib
·
Weapons:
46 HLC-76 barbettes w/UTES, 48 PDC-29 turrets, screens-6 with 100 reloads
·
Targeting:
+8 (+1 for UTES, +5 for targeting computer and +3 for software)
·
Ordnance:
16 Ritage-2 launchers, each with a magazine of 16 missiles (256 missiles total)
·
Controllers:
8 controllers (can control 16 missiles)
·
TAC:
6 flight controllers (for upto 60 embarked craft), 94 gunners, 16 missiles and
3 sensors
·
Systems:
under spin:
o
27
armouries
o
40
automeds
o
88
man briefing room
o
80
man galley
o
4
medbays, each with an additional operating theatre and 4 recovery beds
o
40
safety lockers
o
ships
locker
o
40
simple freshers
o
10
workshops, plus nuclear weapons workshop for the > 1,000 nuclear warheads
aboard
·
Drones
and remotes: various carried in cargo for if needed and launched from the
hangar deck
·
Hangar
decks: Full hangars for 36 Martel fighters and 10 LC-10 landers
·
Airlocks:
4 large cargo and 8 normal airlocks
·
Accommodations:
360 full sized staterooms, most double occupied, all under spin
·
Artificial
gravity: extendible spin capsules, 1 G.
·
Software:
o
Archive
o
Auto
Repair/ 2
o
Fire
Control/ 3
o
Intellect
o
Maneouvre
o
Stutterwarp
o
Battle/
2
o
Advanced
Robotics
o
Electronic
Warfare/2
o
Neural
Interface
o
Security/3
·
Life
Support Consumables: carried in cargo, typically > 1 years stores
·
Cargo:
1,350 dTons
