Iron Heart Bay Raven class Coastal / River Tug:

While there are several classes of large merchant vessels, Tug Boats have become the work horses of many powers in the Rifts world. Much of the trade along the Mississippi river is carried on barges which are towed or pushed by Tug Boats. The cargo carried along the Great Lakes is transported in much the same way. Steel, fuel, lumber, and food are all often carried on barges. Even the militaries will uses barges from time to time for transport. The Coalition transports much of its cargo along the Gulf of Mexico in the same fashion. All said, tug boats are vital in the war torn world of Post Rifts. They are comparative tough vessels and can pull huge numbers of barges making them extremely economical.

Many companies construct tug boat designs. These include the Coalition, Northern Gun, and before its capture by the Coalition, Iron Heart Armament. There are even numbers of Pre-Rifts Tug Boat designs still in service which were built before the coming of the Rifts. In addition to restoring pre-rifts military vehicles, Golden Age Weaponsmiths also restores old Pre-Rifts tugboat designs. While the Coalition manufactures their own designs of tugboats, they have never been able to keep up with their own needs and have instead purchased large numbers of tubs from other manufactures. This includes large numbers from Iron Heart Armament including large numbers of Bay Raven class tugboats.

The Bay Raven can be considered an excellent design and is relatively large at around 108 feet in length. There are larger tug designs and there are much smaller tug-boat designs but the Bay Raven class is of an excellent working size. They are a general purpose tug which can work along deeper rivers, throughout the great lakes, and along coast lines. While quite seaworthy and likely capable of operating in deep waters, most operators prefer to operate the tugs near the coast line. It was produced in large numbers by Iron Heart Armament and the vast majority of these tugs are still operated on the Great Lakes by multiple independent powers. Because it often operates on the Great Lakes, it is outfitted with an icebreaker bow. A number of tugboats have been modified to perform other roles. Unlike some other Iron Heart designs, the Coalition will rarely attack Bay Raven tugboats unless they see them as an obvious threat.

Like many other Iron Heart designs, the Tug Boat is available with a number of different power plants. Nuclear fusion reactors are the most common because they give virtually unlimited range. The design is far more expensive and some purchasers cannot afford the nuclear propulsion. The two other alternative are electrical powered and combustion engine. The combustion engine is a high efficiency gas turbine which can run on a variety of different fuels and more forgiving of low grade fuels than a diesel engine. The electrical system relies on high capacity batteries which are recharged normally by a land station. Range using either batteries power or by a combustion engine is around two thousand miles. Top speed without a barge is around sixteen knots although loaded down with barges is usually limited to ten to twelve knots.

One major change in tugs since the coming of the Rifts has been the need to arm them. The waters have become extremely dangerous. Pirates are one threat but not the only one. There is danger from supernatural creatures, both in the water and flying above. Often the tug boats are towing valuable cargo which need to be protected. Initially the weaponry carried on tugs was fairly jury rigged or the tugs relied on small arms carried by the crew. Eventually most tugboat designs became equipped with heavy weaponry including lasers, rail guns, and missile launchers. In some cases, Tugboats will even be used as patrol boats themselves. Some crews have even experimented with a heavy weapons barge and some valuable cargos still might have a heavy weapon barge attached to offer greater protection.

The Bay Raven class is outfitted in a similar fashion to the Triton patrol boat although payloads are reduced and no torpedoes or depth charges are carried. On the top of the superstructure is mounted a mini-missile launcher which is reloaded when fired. A total of 160 mini-missiles are carried for reloads compared to 320 for the Triton patrol boat. Forward of the superstructure and on the fantail are powerful rail guns which are also identical to those carried on the Triton patrol boat. As with most vessels, the twenty man crew often also carry small arms to help to protect the boat. Sometimes four troops in power armor will also be carried. A few electronic suite is carried on the boat although less extensive than those carried on most combat vessels.

Model Type: IH-CRT-20 Bay Raven Coastal / River Tug
Vehicle Type: Ocean & Waterway, Tugboat
Crew: 20; 2 officers, 2 Chief Petty officers, and 16 enlisted (Has a high degree of automation - can be operated easily by a crew of 8 to 10)
Troops: 4 pilots for Power Armors (Not Always Carried)

Robots, Power Armors, and Vehicles:

Power Armors (Most often SAMAS, Flying Titan, or TRIAX Predator)

M.D.C. by Location:

	[1] Spotlight (4):	20 each
	Mini-Missile Launcher (1, Superstructure):	150
	Rail Gun Turrets (2, Forward & Aft):	150 each
	Bridge / Superstructure:	200
	[2] Main Body:	650

Notes:
[1] These are small and difficult targets to strike, requiring the attacker to make a “called shot,” but even then the attacker is -4 to strike.
[2] Destroying the main body causes the ship to lose structural integrity, causing the ship to sink. There are enough life preservers and inflatable life boats to accommodate everyone on the boat.

Speed:
Surface: Maximum speed is 18.4 mph (16 knots /29.7 kph) with no barges. Typical top speed with barges is 9.2 to 11.5 mph (8 to 10 knots / 14.8 to 18.5 kph)
Range: 2,000 miles (1,740 nautical miles / 3,220 km) with a full tank of fuel (Diesel or other) or via electric motor before needing refueling / recharging; unlimited if nuclear (10 year life). Boat carries six weeks of supplies and consumables on board.

Statistical Data:
Length: 108 feet (32.9 meters)
Draft: 12.5 feet (3.8 meters)
Width: 30 feet (9.1 meters)
Displacement: 440 tons fully loaded.
Cargo: Can carry 8 tons (7.26 metric tons) of nonessential equipment and supplies. Each enlisted crew member has a small locker for personal items and uniforms. Ships officers have more space for personal items. Most of the ship’s spaces are taken up by extra ammo, armor, troops, weapons, and engines. The Tugboat can push barges up to around 40,000 tons in displacement.
Power System: Combustion, electric engine, or nuclear.
Black Market Cost: 60 million with gas turbine engine, 80 million for one with an electric motor, 120 million with nuclear engine (life-time of 10 years).

Weapon Systems:

Long-Range Rail Gun Turrets (2): One turret is located forward of the superstructure while the other is located on the stern of the vessel. The rail guns are heavy artillery pieces designed to knock down missiles and enemy aircraft, as well as to engage other seagoing vessels at a distance. Each turret is manned by one crewman or can be controlled from the bridge
Maximum Effective Range: 11,000 feet (about two miles / 3.2 km).
Mega-Damage: A burst is 40 rounds and inflicts 3D4 x 10 M.D.; can only fire bursts.
Rate of Fire: Equal to gunners had to hand
Payload: 8000 rounds in each turret (200 bursts).
Mini-Missile Launcher: A mini-missile launcher is mounted in the superstructure of the tugboat behind the main bridge. The launcher can rotate 360 degrees and can be raised 60 degrees. It has a huge payload (160 mini-missiles) and is effective against both attacking aircraft and surface targets. The launcher is generally controlled from the bridge of the vessel
Maximum Effective Range: Typically around one mile (1.6 km) (See revised bomb and missile tables for details.)
Mega-Damage: Varies with missile type. Typically armor piercing and plasma (See revised bomb and missile tables for details.)
Rate of Fire: Can fire mini-mssiles one at a time or in volleys of two (2), four (4), or sixteen (16) mini-missiles.
Payload: 160 mini-missiles total.

Special Systems:

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

E.S.M.: The system can detect another radar system at around 125% of the range of the transmitting radar and is usually subject to radar horizon. This includes all active radar guided weapons. Instead it has a short range

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Writeup by Kitsune (E-Mail Kitsune).

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