U.S. SSGN-21 Kraken class Cruise Missile Submarine:


Originally, the United States Navy planned to start replacing Ohio class ballistic missile submarines starting around Twenty-Thirty. Even though there were some serious tensions, various treaties were still signed and only a relative small number of old Ohio class submarines were retained as a result. It is incredible how long the Ohio class ended up remaining in service, not retired until replaced by the even larger Francis Scott Key class.


Design work had already been virtually complete on the replacement design. It was smaller than the Ohio class and mounted sixteen ballistic missile tubes instead of twenty-four. It was decided to adapt the design to a cruise missile submarine in a similar manner as the older Ohio class had been several decades before. Seven cruise missiles could be fitted in place of a single ballistic missile. One advantage of producing the design is that if events changed, production had already started and could be switched over to producing ballistic missile submarines.


At first it was planned for only four of these cruise missile boats to be built to replace the four retiring Ohio class. Later, two addition boats were ordered which was later increase to four additional boats for a total of eight boats. The first of the class was laid down around the same time as the Tigershark but that class continue to be built even when the more advance Swordfish class entered construction. The Kraken shares many systems with the Tigershark class submarines.


With heating up of the new Cold War, production was finally restarted on ballistic missile submarines. There was some consideration given towards develop a cruise missile submarine using the ballistic missile submarine design but the coming of the Rifts prevented any design work. Still, there was some who argued that the Francis Scott Key class simply were too large for this role. If the world had not been destroyed in an apocalypse, the Kraken class might have been retired around Twenty-One Twenty.


When the world was wrecked by magical energies during the apocalypse, the surface navies of the world were almost LL annihilated. Under the oceans, submarines survived far better than surface vessels. Half of the Kraken class submarines survived to join back up with the New Navy. Out of those four, one was lost since and three still remain in service with the New Navy.


The Kraken shares the same fusion reactor as the Tigershark class but due to being slightly larger, the cruise missile submarine is slightly slower. Top speed underwater is around thirty two knots compared to around thirty-six knots for the Tigershark class. Displacement was around sixteen thousand tons when submerged, making it only slightly smaller than the Ohio class. The boats featured additional automation over the old Ohio class which enabled them to be operated by a smaller crew. As with all submarines, the Kraken class is still quite cramped. A small number of special forces troops can be carried although rarely carried in later United States Navy service with the introduction of the Greyback class troop transport submarine.


The sail is more streamlined than that of older submarines and looks similar to the sail carried on some Russian designs. This sail was first introduced in the Tigershark class. Because these boats were made from the high strength alloys and composites, they were virtually immune to corrosion. They are not quite as quiet as some later designs but the design was more quiet than the Ohio class that they were originally developed to replace. The vessel features an advanced sound absorbing rubber coating to defeat sonar as well as a pump jet instead of a propellor. The towed array and hull sonar are identical to those carried on the Tigershark class.


In addition to carrying over one hundred cruise missiles, these submarines have four torpedo tubes in the bow section with twenty-four torpedoes normally carried. Additional missiles and mines can also be carried but are rarely. More often, rocket propelled torpedoes might be carried although only a handful are usually carried. These boats have a single retractable laser turret in front of the sail. Originally the laser was developed for the Tigershark class. For additional protection against torpedoes, the cruise missile submarine both carries both noise makers and special decoys.


Authors Note: While Rifts: Underseas indicates that the New Navy operates only the USS Ticonderoga, Trident class Submersible Carriers, and Stingray and Sea Dragon class submarines, this writeup (and other new Navy Submarine designs) is designed to give the New Navy a larger variety of submarine classes.


In addition with respect to time line, these designs may or may not reflect our modern time line. The time line of these writeups diverged from our time line starting around 1999. Consider the universe that these designs are created for to be an alternate universe not bound by ours.


Model Type: SSGN-21 Class.

Class: Ocean, Cruise Missile Submarine.

Crew: 98 total; 10 officers, 10 chief petty officers, and 78 enlisted.

Troops: 24 (Special Forces.)


Robots, Power Armors, and Vehicles:

None.


M.D.C. by Location:

 

533 mm (21 inch) Torpedo Tubes (4, sides of submarine):

100 each.

 

Vertical Cruise Missile Launchers (16, behind sail of submarine):

180 each.

 

Retractable Blue-Green Laser Cannon Turret (1, front of sail):

200.

 

Main Sail:

600.

 

[1] Bow Planes (2):

200 each.

 

[2] Pump Jet Propulsor (1):

400.

 

[3] Main Body:

3,000.

Notes:

[1] Destroying the submarine’s bow planes will reduce the submarine’s ability to change depths but will not eliminate it. It also makes it difficult for the submarine’s crew to control the submarine giving a penalty of -25% to all underwater piloting rolls.

[2] Destroying the submarine’s pump jet propulsor causes serious problems. The submarine will no longer be able to use forward momentum and the bow planes to keep the submarine level. It is recommended that ballast tanks are immediately blown so submarine comes to the surface.

[3] Depleting the M.D.C. of the main body destroys the submarine’s structural integrity, causing it to sink. If the submarine is underwater, the entire crew will die unless protected by environmental armors that can withstand the pressure that the submarine is under. If on the surface, there are enough flotation devices and inflatable life rafts to accommodate everyone aboard.


Speed:

Surface: 28.8 mph (25 knots/ 46.3 kph).

Underwater: 36.8 mph (32 knots /59.3 kph).

Maximum Depth: 5,000 feet (1,524 meters).

Range: Effectively Unlimited due to fusion engines (needs to refuel every 20 years and requires maintenance as well). Vessel carries eight months of supplies on board.


Statistical Data:

Height:  54.5 feet (16.61 meters) not including periscopes and antenna.

Width:   44 feet (13.41 meters).

Length:  485 feet (147.83 meters).

Displacement: 14,200 tons surfaced and 15,600 tons submerged.

Cargo: Submarine is very cramped, 20 tons (18.14 metric tons) of nonessential equipment and supplies (normally used for equipment for Marines / Navy Seals.) Each enlisted crew member has a small locker for personal items and uniforms. Boat’s officers have a bit more space for personal items although still extremely cramped. Most of the boat’s spaces are taken up by extra torpedoes, weapons, and engines.

Power System: Nuclear fusion; average energy life of 20 years. Normally refuels every 10 years.

Black Market Price: Not for sale; many nations and organizations would pay hundreds of millions to billion of credits for a new and undamaged Kraken class Submarine.


Weapon Systems:

  1. One (1) Retractable Blue Green Laser Cannon Mounts: This cannon is mounted in front of the main sail and fully retractable under concealing deck plates so that they do not disrupt water flow at high speeds. They are considered useful both underwater and on the surface. As a blue-green laser, they have a greater range underwater than they would otherwise. The weapon system is used mainly as close defense against torpedoes underwater and against aircraft when on the surface.

    Maximum Effective Range: In Atmosphere: 2 miles (3.2 km). Under Water: 1 mile (1.6 km).

    Mega-Damage: Cannon inflicts 2D4x10 M.D.C. per blast.

    Rate of Fire: Four (4) attacks per melee round.

    Payload: Effectively Unlimited.

  2. Four (4) 533 mm Heavy Torpedo Tubes: On the sides of the submarine are four torpedo tubes with two on each side. Tubes are 21 inches (533 mm) wide and torpedoes can be used against both surface ships and submarines. For warheads, heavy torpedoes should be treated as having long range missile warheads. Along with standard torpedoes, the launcher can also fire missiles (long or cruise) in special canisters and rocket boosted ASW torpedoes. Submarine carries twenty reloads for torpedoes (in addition to four torpedoes in the tubes) and can carry up to forty mines in place of torpedoes. Mines and missiles are rarely carried.

    Maximum Effective Range: 40 miles (34.8 nautical miles / 64 km) for torpedoes.

    Mega-Damage: By heavy torpedo warhead type (See revised Rifts torpedoes for details), can theoretically fire missiles (long range or cruise missiles) in special canisters as well (See revised bomb and missile tables for details.)

    Rate of Fire: Can fire heavy torpedoes one at a time or in volleys of two (2), three (3), or four (4) heavy torpedoes. Reloading takes one full melee round.

    Payload: Four (4) heavy torpedoes total [Has twenty (20) additional heavy torpedoes for reloads.]

  3. Sixteen (16) Vertical Launch Cruise Missile Launchers: Mounted behind the main sail of the submarine, the Kraken class has sixteen cruise missile tubes which each with seven missiles per tube. Replace ballistic missile launchers in the original design. Missiles are launched in special canisters that enable the missiles to be used in depths down to around 150 feet (45.7 meters.) Most missiles normally carried are fusion (Also smart missiles). The launchers were originally designed to carry Tomahawk missiles but were modified to fire all standard cruise range missiles.

    Maximum Effective Range: As per cruise missile type (See revised bomb and missile tables for details.)

    Mega-Damage: As per cruise missile type (See revised bomb and missile tables for details.)

    Rate of Fire: Can fire cruise missiles one at a time or in volleys of two (2), four (4), eight (8), or sixteen (16) cruise missiles and can be fired at multiple target at the same time.

    Payload: Each launcher houses seven (7) cruise missiles for one hundred and twelve (112) cruise missiles total. Submarine carries no reloads

  4. Eight (8) Advanced Decoy Drones: The submarine carries eight advance decoys drones. They are a small automated vehicles that creates a false sonar image designed to mimic the submarine’s sonar signature. It has a small propulsion system that can simulate movement [has a maximum speed of 23.0 mph (20 knots / 37.0 kph)] and maneuvers. In addition to be able to be used to decoy torpedoes, they can sometimes be used to trick another vessel while the submarine moves into position. If decoys are not destroyed, they can usually be recovered and repaired if they can be retrieved. Rifts Earth decoys systems are assumed to not be effective against Phase World / Three Galaxies guidance and targeting systems due to technological differences.

    M.D.C.: 20.

    Range: Not applicable. Decoys do however have a duration of 30 minutes (120 melee rounds) once launched.

    Effects: The decoy has an 80% chance of fooling ordinary non military sonars and non smart guided torpedoes, the decoy has a 50% chance of fooling military level sonars (like those of the Coalition) and non “smart” torpedoes, and the decoy has a 25% chance of fooling advanced military sonars (Like those of the New Navy and Triax) and “smart” torpedoes.

    Rate of Fire: Boat can launch one decoy drone per melee round.

    Payload: Eight (8) decoy drones.

  5. Noisemakers: The submarine carries noisemakers in order to decoy torpedoes. They are most effective against normal torpedoes and less effective against “smart” torpedoes. Considered in many ways to be the last line of defense against incoming torpedoes and similar systems are carried on most submarines. The noisemakers are launched from the middle of the submarine.

    Effects: 50% of decoying normal torpedoes and 20% of decoying smart torpedoes.

    Rate of Fire: Two (2) noisemakers at a time (Can be reloaded in one melee round).

    Payload: Twenty (20) noisemakers.

Special Systems:

The submarine has all systems standard on a robot vehicle plus the following special features:


[ Altarain TM, Bandito Arms TM, Brodkil TM, Chipwell Armaments TM, Coalition States TM, Cyber-Knight TM, Federation of Magic TM, Free Quebec TM, Golden Age Weaponsmiths TM, Horune TM, Iron Heart Armaments TM, Kankoran TM, Kittani TM, Kydian TM, Larsen’s Brigade TM, M.D.C. TM, Mechanoids TM, Mega-Damage TM, Megaversal Legion TM, Millennium Tree TM, Mutants in Orbit TM, Naruni Enterprises TM, Naut’Yll, New Navy TM, New Sovietskiy TM, NGR TM, Nog Heng TM, Northern Gun TM, Phase World TM, Psyscape TM, Rifter TM, SAMAS TM, S.D.C. TM, Shemarrian TM, Splugorth TM, Stormspire TM, Sunaj TM, Tolkeen TM, Triax TM, Wellington Industries TM, Wilk’s Laser Technologies TM, Xiticix TM, and Zaayr TM are trademarks owned by Kevin Siembieda and Palladium Books Inc. ]

[ Beyond the Supernatural®, Heroes Unlimited®, Nightbane®, Ninjas & Superspies®, Palladium Fantasy®, and Rifts® are registered trademarks owned by Kevin Siembieda and Palladium Books Inc. ]


Writeup by Kitsune (E-Mail Kitsune).


Copyright © 2011 & 2017, Kitsune. All rights reserved.


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