New Coventry Morningstar class modified Scimitar Light Patrol Ship:

Initially the Scimitar class patrol ship design was discarded by New Coventry for service in their navy. With no real long range batteries, the design was considered in effective due to having no effective long range battery. A simple modification to the original design however changed that.

This simple change is the modification which the Consortium Armed Forces called the “Long Bow” configuration. The modification replaces the rail guns with a pair of long range missile batteries and uses the unused internal volume of the design for magazine space for the long range missile batteries. Not really an attack design as such, it is still considered a very effective escort design for battle groups and convoys especially when compared to the original Scimitar patrol ship design.

As a result, New Coventry decided to adopt the patrol ship themselves, allowing them to release many of New Coventry’s modern cruisers for independent duties. There are concerns that the cruisers spent far too much of their time in escort duties. One issue has been that the Hunter class destroyers are not quite as fast as the Invincible class light carriers, previously requiring cruisers to be assigned to them. For escorting convoys in hot regions, it is quite likely the patrol ships will be supplemented by Horatio Nelson class missile cruisers in some cases.

With the long range missile batteries, these patrol ships can almost be considered light cruisers. In fact, the old Human Alliance Chevalier class escort cruiser was armed similarly. Of course the patrol ships are far lighter armored and carry far lighter shields than a modern light cruiser might.

There have been issues already coming up with the adoption of these patrol vessels. One of the main ones is the far larger crew than a Hunter class destroyer. In fact, they require almost four times the crew of the Wolfen destroyer design. In addition, they are far more expensive to operate.

Presently, New Coventry plans to purchase a reasonable number of these patrol ships over the next decade or so. New Coventry has negotiated a quite advantageous deal to purchase a number of Scimitar class patrol vessels. New Coventry military shipyards will refit Scimitar class patrol ships to the “Long Bow” configuration for the Consortium navy for little more than cost of the refit. In return, New Coventry will be allowed to buy a number of older Scimitar class patrol ships at “stripped” cost but still retaining most system. What is planned to be removed are rail guns, both heavy and light mounts, and mini-missile batteries. These are systems which the New Coventry navy would replace anyway.

It is planned that the ship that is to become the HMS Morningstar will arrive in the New Coventry system within two to three months. The refit will likely only take a few months. Still, the plan is to wait six to nine month before upgraded the new patrol ship, allowing for time to work out any problems with the upgrade to the first ship that might crop up.

In many ways the Morningstar design will be similar to the “Long Bow” configuration. The ship’s shields, hulls, and propulsion will remain standard from the original Scimitar class patrol ship. Electronics however will need to be upgraded, especially fire control, with the new weapon systems. As described above, the original heavy rail guns are replaced by a pair of long range missile batteries with a combined magazine of over five hundred long range missiles. The two heavy lasers and the four point defense particle beams are also retained.

Still, the Morningstar is significantly different than the “Long Bow” configuration with point defense greatly upgraded. Probably most important is the replacement of the eight mini-missile batteries with two medium range missile batteries with over six hundred missiles total. Even though the launchers cannot throw as many missiles as the original mini-missile batteries, they can engage at a far greater range. Backing these up for point defense are two GR-1000 rail guns, the same rail gun as is carried on the Scorpion light fighter, and a pair of tachyon scatter beams. The reasons why few other navies have adopted the scatter beams is that they are relatively short ranged and are extremely expensive.

As far as other weapon systems, in the nose of the patrol ship, a capital missile launcher is mounted. The launcher is the same basic design as is carried on the Hunter class destroyer using up virtually all the remaining storage volume. Still, the patrol ship has smaller capital missile magazine than the Hunter with only thirty missiles. Ten of these is normally probe, decoys, and jamming warheads. Even so, the patrol ship still has the fire control upgrades to allow for firing linked volleys of capital missiles.

As with most New Coventry warships, the Morningstar can mount “Pepperbox” capital missile launchers externally. Due to the patrol ship having the ability to carry greater fire control, it can control eight of these launchers instead of the four which the New Coventry upgraded Hunter class can control. Combining the internal launcher with the external tube would allow volleys of approximately forty capital missiles yo be fired as a single volley.

These upgrades do however exact a price in the design. When they entered service, the Scimitar was considered a quite spacious design. In comparison, the Morningstar is a quite cramped vessel with no real storage space and even space for the crew reduced. There is some additional modification on the New Coventry patrol ship or the crew space would be even further cramped and would have a much larger crew.

In comparison to the Scimitar, the marine compliment is gutted from one hundred to only around fifty. This is not considered as serious as it might be due to the fact that they are all fitted in light power armor. Additional passenger staterooms have been eliminated and passengers can only be carried by displacing marines.

Instead of carrying six light fighters, the Morningstar’s hanger bays embark four medium fighters. This is to allow fighters mounting faster than light drives to be embarked for the use of scouting for the patrol ship. It is planned to embark the new Lightning starfighters. However, initially the Black Eagle or Katana fighters might be substituted for New Coventry’s new medium fighter design.

This starship design uses modified starship speed and weapon range rules. See Revised Starship Rules for Phase World / Three Galaxies for more details.

Model Type: SFFG-20B.

Vehicle Type: Frigate Combat Ship (Destroyer).

Crew: 98 (14 Officers and 84 Enlisted).

Troops: 50 (8 fighter pilots & crew, 10 silverhawk pilots, 32 marines).

Vehicle, Robots, and Power Armors:

Power Armors:

	32	CEPA-0 Combat Environment Power Armors.
	10	SH-CCW100 Silver Hawk Power Armors.

Fighter Compliment:

CSF-6X Lightning Medium Starfighter (Black Eagle and Katana may be substituted initially.)

Special:

NCCM-01-TSL “Pepper Box” Tactical Support Cruise Missile Launcher (External).

M.D.C. By Location:

	12 cm Heavy Laser Cannons (2):	800 each.
	GR-1000 Gravity Point Defense Rail Gun Turrets (2):	200 each.
	Point Defense Particle Beam Cannons (4):	150 each.
	Tachyon Scatter Beams (2):	200 each.
	Cruise Missile Launcher (1, underside):	1,000.
	Long Range Missile Batteries (2):	600 each.
	Medium Range Missile Batteries (2):	500 each.
	Fighter Hanger Bay Door:	500.
	[1] Main Engines (2)	1,200 each.
	[2] Bridge:	2,000.
	[3] Main Body:	5,000.
	[4] Variable Force Field:	1,000 a side (6,000 total).

Notes:

[1] Destroying the main engines means that the ship’s faster than light propulsion systems are destroyed and maximum sublight speed is reduced by half.

[2] In reality this is how much damage needs to be done for a weapon to hit the bridge through the ship’s armor. This ship does not have an auxiliary bridge. Even if the bridge is destroyed, the ship can still be piloted from engineering but ship is -3 to dodge and all weapon systems will be at local control. Weapon hits near the bridge that do not penetrate the ships integrity can injure crew members on or near the bridge.

[3] Depleting the M.D.C. of the main body will put the destroyer out of commission. All internal systems will shut down, including life support and internal gravity. The ship itself will be an unsalvageable floating wreck.

[4] Shields positions can be varied and all could be combined in one shield. Shields regenerate at the rate of 5% (300 M.D.C.) per melee round.

Speed:

Driving on the Ground: Not Possible.

Sublight: Has a special sublight engine that allows the ship to travel up to 60 percent of the speed of light. Star Ship can accelerate/decelerate at the rate of 0.8 percent of light per melee.

Atmospheric Propulsion: Maximum speed is Mach 2.0 (1,522 mph / 2,450 kph), can enter an atmosphere and can leave but is not designed for atmospheric flight.

Stardrive: Uses a Gravitonic Drive system that allows the ship to reach a maximum of 5.0 light years per hour.

Maximum Range: Effectively Unlimited by either drive system. Carries about one year worth of supplies on board and has a small hydroponic section.

Statistical Data:

Length: 500 feet (152 meters).

Height: 80 feet (24.4 meters).

Width: 140 feet (42.6 meters).

Mass/Weight: 13,500 tons (12,250 metric tons).

Power System: Anti-Matter with a 50 year life span. The ship normally only goes 10 years between refueling and refitting. Backed up with emergency fusion plants.

Cargo: Tiny cargo hold that can carry up to 30 tons (27.2 metric tons) worth of materials not including standard compliment of supplies and ammunition. Each enlisted crew member has a small locker for personal items and uniforms. Ship’s officers have more space for personal items. Most of the ship’s spaces are taken up by extra ammunition, armor, troops, weapons, engine, and other equipment.

Market Cost: 580 million for a Morningstar with new weapon systems. The Black Market or the Kreeghor would offer several times it's value for an undamaged completely working ship. Cost does not include embarked craft.

WEAPON SYSTEMS:

Two (2) 12 cm Heavy Laser Cannons: The weapon system cannot be used to engage targets while traveling at faster than light velocities. Weapon has standard penalties to hit fighters and small targets. The barrels can be can be rotated 180 degrees in all directions. Up to two may be fired as one volley.

Maximum Effective Range: 16 miles (25.8 km) through atmosphere and 16,000 miles (25,800 km) in space.

Mega Damage: 2D6x100 M.D.C. each. Both laser cannons can be combined for 4D6x100 M.D.C.

Rate of Fire: Maximum of two (2) times per melee each.

Payload: Effectively Unlimited.
Two (2) GR-1000 Heavy Point Defense Rail Guns: Gravity rail guns are in a turret that can rotate 360 and has a 180 arc of fire. The GR-1000 Rail Guns both are more powerful and have more range than the conventional rail guns and is the same rail gun which is carried in the C.A.F. Scorpion Starfighter. Considered extremely effective even compared to other gravity rail guns. Even so, the mounts are not really for use against capital ships but can devastate a fighter quickly. They are also extremely effective against targets which are imperious to energy. Rail gun rounds are fired out of rail gun at a significant fraction of the speed of light. Gravity rail gun fires a 30 mm projectile. The weapon system cannot be used to engage targets while traveling at faster than light velocities.

Maximum Effective Range: 16 miles (26 km) through atmosphere and 1,600 miles (2,575 km) in space.

Mega-Damage: Rail gun inflicts 4D6x10 M.D.C. for a 40 round burst.

Rate of Fire: Equal to the combined hand to hand attacks of the gunner (usually 4 or 5).

Payload: 10,000 Rounds (250 bursts) each cannon.
Four (4) 25 mm Point Defense Particle Beams: These weapons are used for anti-missile, anti-power armor, and anti-star fighter defense. Each particle beam is mounted in a ball turret that can rotate 360 and has a 180 arc of fire. While not as long ranged as the heavy point defense rail guns, they still have excellent range and unlimited payload. The weapon system cannot be used to engage targets while traveling at faster than light velocities.

Maximum Effective Range: 600 miles (960 km) in space and range is 6 miles (9.6 km) in atmosphere.

Mega Damage: 3D6x10 M.D.C. each.

Rate of Fire: Equal to the combined hand to hand attacks of the gunner (usually 4 or 5).

Payload: Effectively Unlimited.
Two (2) Point Defense Tachyon Scatter Beams: Replaces two of the rail gun turrets. The other two are replaced by more powerful rail guns. The main purpose of this system is as an anti-missile point defense. They fire a beam which can potentially destroy an entire volleys of missiles before the strike the ship (Roll once against a volley and unless the missiles roll to dodge greater than strike roll, they are all destroyed.) The stream lasts for significant fraction of a second and missiles tend to run into the stream (Gives +4 bonus vs fast moving targets such as missiles.) This system has an interesting property that the system can actually be used at faster than light speeds because tachyons travel faster than the speed of light. Each tachyon scatter beam mount is in a turret that can rotate 360 and has a 180 arc of fire.

Maximum Effective Range: 99.4 miles (160 km) with a width of 12.4 miles (20 km), range and width is one sixteenth in an atmosphere.

Mega Damage: 2D4x10 M.D.C. each.

Rate of Fire: Maximum of four (4) times per melee each.

Payload: Effectively Unlimited.
One (1) Cruise Missile Launcher: Missile has a top speed of Mach 25 in an atmosphere and in space has an acceleration of 10% of light per turn (far faster than any starship.) Whether weapons can be shot down is calculated from the speed of target, launcher, and missile. When drive goes dead, missile will continue to travel in a straight line unless set to self destruct but has very low odds of hitting star ships (Great for hitting bases and planets because target does not move and missile, when unpowered, is at -25% to be detected.) Cruise missiles have penalties to hit small targets but are all considered smart missiles. While missile are only launched at the rate of one at a time, the ships computer has special software that allows all the missile to hit a target at the same time for the purpose to make point defense of a target more easily overwhelmed. This is done by slowing down the acceleration of missile and by setting some for delayed activation and target must be a least 30 seconds away. Missile are then considered to only have an acceleration of 5% of light for the first turn. These launchers can also be combined with pepper box launchers.

Maximum Effective Range: Cruise Missile range is 8,000 miles (12,875 km) in an atmosphere and 4,000,000 miles (6,437,376 km/ 21.5 light seconds) in space.

Mega-Damage & Properties: See revised Phase World / Three Galaxies missile tables for details (Anti-Matter multi-warheads inflict 5D6x100 M.D.C. each.)

Rate of Fire: Can fire one cruise missile per melee attack (special software allows 4 to 8 cruise missiles to be launched as one volley depending on gunners hand to hand attacks).

Payload: 30 cruise missiles total (usually 10 are a combination of decoy, probe, and jamming warheads). The ship will also normally carry eight (8) Pepperbox launchers outside of the hull.
Two (2) Long Range Missile Batteries: Missile has a top speed of Mach 20 in an atmosphere and in space has an acceleration of 8% of light per turn (faster than any starship.) Whether weapons can be shot down is calculated from the speed of target, launcher, and missile. When drive goes dead, missile will continue to travel in a straight line unless set to self destruct but has very low odds of hitting star ships (Great for hitting bases and planets because target does not move and missile, when unpowered, is at -25% to be detected.) Long range missiles do not have penalties to hit small targets, unlike cruise missiles, and are all considered smart missiles. Batteries can launch on multiple targets each at the same time.

Maximum Effective Range: Long Range Missile range is 3,400 miles (5,470 km) in an atmosphere and 1,800,000 miles (2,897,000 km/9.7 light seconds) in space.

Mega-Damage & Properties: See revised Phase World / Three Galaxies missile tables for details (Fusion warheads inflict 2D4x100 M.D.C. each.)

Rate of Fire: Can fire long range missiles one at a time or in volleys of two (2), eight (8), sixteen (16), or thirty-two (32) long range missiles per battery, per melee attack.

Payload: 512 total, 256 long range missiles per battery.
Two (2) Medium Range Missile Batteries: Weapon system is used for hitting enemy robots, fighters, and against incoming cruise missiles. Like other Phase world systems, weapon system range and speed has been greatly increased compared to Rifts Earth systems. Missile has a top speed of Mach 15 in an atmosphere and in space has an acceleration of 6% of light per turn. Batteries can launch on multiple targets each at the same time.

Maximum Effective Range: Medium Range Missile range is 160 miles (257.5 km) in an atmosphere and 80,000 miles (128,750 km/0.43 light seconds) in space.

Mega-Damage: Varies with medium range missile type (Multi-warhead heavy warheads inflict 5D6x10 M.D.C. each - See revised Phase World / Three Galaxies missile tables for details.)

Rate of Fire: Can fire medium range missiles one at a time or in volleys of two (2), four (4), eight (8), or sixteen (16) medium range missiles per battery.

Payload: 320 per launcher for a total of 640 medium range missiles.

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Writeup by Kitsune (E-Mail Kitsune).

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