Northern Gun PC-100 “Storm” Catamaran Patrol Vessel:


Even though their main facilities are not directly on the water, Northern Gun does produce a number of watercraft designs as well. Much of their supplies and raw materials are transported across the Great Lakes and they have a small port in what had once been Marquette Michigan. They have the ability to built patrol boats but not much larger craft. Presently, the barges operated by Northern Gun are either old Pre-Rifts or made by other companies. Northern Gun does produce their own tugboat designs.


Before the coming of the Rifts, there was a large number of Catamaran vessels operating in the Great Lakes, both high speed and slower vessels. This included high speed ferries but including other designs as well including tugboats. When Northern Gun decided to develop a patrol boat, they decided to use a Catamaran design instead of a more conventional design. The vessel design has several advantage including a large deck area compared to a more conventional design. It also has a much shallower draft which makes it less likely to run aground in shallow waters.


These vessels were first built with the purpose of protecting the supply routes feeding Northern Gun but as time went on, the company decided to begin marketing their water craft designs including the Storm. As will other companies, the Coalition does not seem concerned with smaller vessels such as these but mostly concerned with large ships such as the Sea King which had been produced by Iron Heart Armament. Being relatively expensive, smaller numbers have been sold than those produced by some other companies although they are still quite popular.


These vessels have around the same displacement as the Iron Heart Armament "Triton" class patrol boat but have a much wider hull, a bit more than forty feet compared to less than thirty feet for the Triton. Although actually lighter armored than the Triton, the Storm uses better alloys and composites and can actually withstand more damage. Speed of the Storm is around sixty knots in smooth seas, faster that the Triton. Thrust is provided by a pair of powerful water jets and the vessel's power plant is a powerful fusion reactor.


Standard crew is listed as twelve with a standard embarked troops of around twelve as well. In reality, a total of thirty between crew and passengers can be embarked. Quite often these ships will be operated "light" with a crew of around eight and about four power armors. Although it can be operated by less than eight, performance suffers greatly with a smaller crew and even a crew of eight will often find themselves overworked.


Favorite power armor designs include the Northern Gun's own flying power armor designs, the Flying Titan, and the Triax Terrain Hopper. The Terrain Hopper, even though it can fly, is actually slower than the vessel at its top speed. In some cases, specialized underwater power armors are also embarked. When operating in Coalition controlled areas, caution needs to be used when operating SAMAS power armors due to that government's hostility to anyone else operating them. It should be noted that the crew usually caries small arms including energy rifles and pistols for self defense. The vessel does mount charging equipment for these and can be fired from the sides of the ship when in range. As well, the vessel usually carries a small craft on the fantail.


Vessel systems are similar to those carried on most Robot Vehicles although the patrol craft carries a relative long range radar and a short range hull sonar system standard. Radar system has a range of one hundred miles against air targets and can track up to forty-eight at a single time. There is a small towed array sonar module which can be mounted on the stern. This system does not have the range of more powerful and larger systems with a range of about sixteen miles.


Rail gun weaponry are from a number of common Northern Gun designs. On the bow is mounted the rapid fire NG-H155 howitzer rail gun mount. It is carried on the NG-V7 Hunter Mobile Gun and later adapted to other designs as well. The mount can angle upwards to ninety degrees to be useful against aircraft. On either side of the top of the superstructure is an NG-202 light rail gun identical to the rail gun carried on the Samson Power Armor. Some consideration has been given to replacing these with energy weapons because that would give them effectively unlimited payload.


The rail guns really are not the boat's main weaponry though. The boat mounts a tube style medium range missile launcher on either side of the vessel near the after deck. Each has eight medium range missiles ready to fire with an automatic reloading system. In total, the Storm carried thirty-two medium range missiles. No torpedo tubes are mounted but instead rocket boosted torpedoes are usually carried. This slightly cuts into the missile payload with often eight carried. A pair of short range missile launchers are also mounted with one on either side of the superstructure. Each one has the capacity for twelve short range missiles and has an automatic reload system similar to the medium range missile launchers. A total of forty-eight short range missiles are carried. Often special air defense missiles are carried which have a smaller warhead but also are faster.


Model Type: PC-100 Class Catamaran Patrol Boat
Vehicle Type: Ocean & Waterway, Patrol Boat
Crew: 12; 2 Officers, 2 Petty Officers, and 8 Enlisted (Has a high degree of automation) - Can be operated effective by 8 (reduce performance by -10% to all skill rolls [piloting, sensors, etc] and have -1 to strike and -2 to dodge penalties with a crew less than 8.)
Troops: 12 (Can embark a maximum of 30 between crew and passengers) - sometimes only four are embarked.


Robots, Power Armors, and Vehicles:

12Flying Power Armors (4 Common)


M.D.C. by Location:

Howitzer Rail Gun Turret (Bow):160
[1] Howitzer Rail Gun Barrel (in Turret):80
[1] NG-202 Light Rail Gun Mounts (2, Superstructure):75 each
NG-MRM-8 Medium Range Missile Launchers (2, After Deck):120 each
NG-SRM-12 Short Range Missile Launchers (2, sides)100 each
[1] Spotlight (4):20 each
Bridge / Pilot House:255
[2] Radar System (Superstructure):120
[3] Catamaran Hulls (2)250 each
[4] Main Body:725


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] Missiles mount targeting systems function but system can no longer track and target multiple incoming missiles simultaneously.
[3] Destruction of a Catamaran Hull will cause the vessel to sink although must be targeted underwater or damage is to main body.
[4] Destroying the main body will cause the vessel to collapse and lose structural integrity. There are enough life preservers and inflatable life boats to accommodate everyone on the vessel.


Speed:
Surface: 69.1 mph (60 knots/ 111.2 kph)
Range: Effectively Unlimited due to fusion engines (needs to refuel every 20 years and requires maintenance as well). Vessel carries about two months of supplies on board.


Statistical Data:
Length: 155.5 feet (47.40 meters)
Draft: 3.5 feet (1.07 meters)
Width: 42.4 feet (12.92 meters)
Displacement: 260 tons standard and 278 tons fully loaded.
Cargo: Can carry 16 tons (14.51 metric tons) of nonessential equipment and supplies. Each crew member has a small locker for personal items and uniforms. Vessel's officers have more space for personal items. Most of the vessel's spaces are taken up by extra ammo, armor, troops, weapons, and engines.
Power System: Nuclear Reactor, average life span is 20 years
Black Market Cost: 260 million credits. Towed Array sonar system costs an additional 12 million credits


Weapon Systems

  1. Rapid Fire Howitzer Rail Gun (1): Mounted on the bow of the vessel and although an anti-aircraft design, it is also a very effective combat weapon against other boats. The cannon is controlled by the gunner. It is identical to the NG-H155, with the exception of a slightly different turret and external barrel, from the NG-V7 Hunter Mobile Gun. The turret can angle 90 degrees up and 30 degrees down and has 360 degree rotation.
    Maximum Effective Range: 6,000 feet (1,828 meters).
    Mega Damage: Short Burst of 40 rounds: 1D6x10. Long Burst of 80 rounds: 2D6x10.
    Rate of Fire:Equal to the pilots combined hand to hand of gunner (usually 5 or 6).
    Payload: Carries 8000 (200 short burst or 100 long bursts) rounds in a drum magazine. The cargo area has up to four (4) additional drums. Reloading is done inside the vehicle and takes two melee rounds (30 seconds) for two crewmen or passengers and six melees (90 seconds) if only one person is involved or the people aren't trained in the reload procedure.
  2. NG-202 Light Rail Gun Mounts (2): These mounts are on either side of the superstructure on either side of the bridge / pilot house. The weapon is located in the cupola (mini-turret) over the main turret, and has a 360-degree rotation of fire and can elevate 90 degrees so the rail gun can engage aerial targets. Like the cannon on the Samson Power Armor, this cannon has been modified for a higher rate of fire.
    Maximum Effective Range: 4,000 feet ( 1,200 meters)
    Mega-Damage: A burst is 60 rounds and inflicts 1D6x10 M.D. One round does 1D4 M.D.
    Rate of Fire: Equal to number of combined hand to hand attacks (usually 4-6) of the gunner.
    Payload: 12,000 round drum, that's 200 bursts! Up to eight (8) drums can be carried by the vessel. Reloading the drum takes 15 minutes if done by hand, 5 minutes if done with robots and special equipment.
  3. NG-MRM-8 Medium-Range Missile Launchers (2): These mounts are tube style launchers each with a capacity for eight medium range missiles. Mounts are located on the after deck. Both launchers are controlled from the bridge / pilot house by a weapon's officer. They are usually outfitted with High-Explosive, Fragmentary or Plasma missiles. Usually between four and eight missiles are special rocket boosted torpedo types (See revised Rifts torpedoes for details.) The launchers can rotate up or down 180 degrees, allowing them to engage air and ground targets. This vessel uses an automatic loading system and additional missiles for reloads.
    Maximum Effective Range: Varies with missile types, medium range missiles only (See revised bomb and missile tables for details.)
    Mega-Damage: Varies with missile types, medium range missiles only (See revised bomb and missile tables for details.)
    Rate of Fire: Can fire missiles one at a time, or in volleys of two (2), four (4), or eight (8) missiles.
    Payload: Sixteen (16) missiles, Eight (8) in each launcher. The vessel has one set of reloads (16 medium range missiles for a total of 32 medium range missiles) for the launchers which takes one melee to reload launchers. Four (4) to eight (8) are usually rocket boosted torpedoes.
  4. NG-SRM-12 Short-Range Missile Launchers (2): These mounts are tube style launchers each with a capacity for twelve short range missiles. Mounted on the main deck on either side of the superstructure, both launchers are controlled from the bridge / pilot house by a weapon's officer. They are usually outfitted with High-Explosive, Fragmentary or Plasma missiles. High speed SAM style missiles are often fired. The launchers can rotate up or down 180 degrees, allowing them to engage air and ground targets. This vessel uses an automatic loading system and additional missiles for reloads.
    Maximum Effective Range: Varies by short range missile type (See revised bomb and missile tables for details - SAM style missiles normally.)
    Mega-Damage: Varies by short range missile type (Go to revised bomb and missile tables for details - SAM style missiles normally.)
    Rate of Fire: Can fire missiles one at a time, or in volleys of two (2), four (4), six (6), or twelve (12) missiles.
    Payload: Twenty-Four (24) missiles, Twelve (12) in each launcher. The boat has one set of reloads (24 short range missiles for a total of 48 short range missiles) for the launchers which takes one melee to reload launchers.


Special Systems:
The vessel has all systems standard on a robot vehicle plus the following special features:



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Writeup by Kitsune (E-Mail Kitsune).


Copyright © 2010, Kitsune. All rights reserved.


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