Storm Fast Escort Carrier - Light (Converted Star Cloud Light Clipper):

Escort carriers generally are carriers based on converted merchant hulls. While most escort carriers are built on medium sized merchant hulls, a small number are based on smaller designs. Many of the weaknesses of merchant designs are shared by most escort carriers. They tend to be lightly armored and tend to also be relatively slow compared to most true warships. In addition, they tend to have relatively small fighter compliments.

There is a class of fast merchant designs known as clippers. They are built in a number of size classes. A few have been converted into fast escort carriers. One relatively well known example named the War Witch converted from a Star Witch class medium clipper. It is considered one of the most effective escort carrier designs in operation, rivaling in many respects purpose built carriers.

Inspired by the War Witch, a group of mercenaries decided to convert a Star Cloud class light clipper in a similar fashion. They were able to acquire one named the Golden Diamond which had been previously been owned by a small merchant line which had gone defunct a few years previously and their assets, including vessels, had been seized and auctioned off. The mercenaries decided to rename the ship the Storm.

Even though smaller merchant conversions normally embark a far smaller fighter compliment, they do have a number of advantages as well. Of course they are cheaper but they are also cheaper to operate. Crew of converted smaller merchants vessels is smaller. Converting them is also quicker and less expensive.

For all carriers, escort or otherwise, the fighter compliment is the most important feature. To maximize the number of embarked fighters, the ship is designed to only carry light fighters. Through careful management, they were able to embark a total of twenty-eight light fighters. Common division is two squadrons of ten fighters and one light squadron of eight fighters.

It was decided that the best available fighter would be embarked with the Ross Aerospace I.C.E. Hyena light fighter chosen. These light fighters are fast, have an auxiliary booster for even greater acceleration, reasonable well armed, have variable force fields, and have four hard points for missiles. Other light fighter types can be embarked if necessary however. The Bearcat would have even been a better choice but was not available. There is only minimal repair and refit facilities for embarked fighters and a heavily damaged fighter might have to remain unrepaired.

Other than the fighter pilots, the Storm does not embark any troops. It was decided that no space power armors would be carried. The crew of the escort carrier is also relatively small with only a little over one hundred in the crew. Still, that is over twice the crew which the ship required as a fast merchant vessel.

As purchased, the ship was unarmed. Of course, as an escort carrier, it would need some self defense weaponry. It was decided to mount no heavy anti-ship weaponry but instead concentrate on self defense. A pair of small long range missile batteries give the vessel the ability to intercept attacks at some range from the escort carrier. In addition, four medium range missile batteries are mounted. These are basically standard merchant missile mounts although payload is doubled. Finally, instead of four laser mounts, the Storm mounts six variable focus particle beams. These are basically the same mounts which are carried on the Consortium assault shuttle and are extremely effective against missiles.

It was decided to strip out the original standard force field and replace it with a military class variable force field. It is only a destroyer class force field which does not give anything like the protection of heavier force fields. Still, it is far more effective than the force field which it replaces. At the same time, particle and radiation shield were also improved to military standards.

The usual escort for the carrier are a pair of Hunter class destroyers. The Hunter class and the fast escort carrier have the same faster than light speed. The destroyers have better normal space acceleration but the Storm is still faster than most escort carriers. Most newer warships do have slightly better acceleration than the escort carrier including most Trans-Galactic Empire warships which they might encounter.

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: Escort Carrier converted SSL-1000 Star Cloud Light Clipper.

Vehicle Type: Fast Escort Carrier - Light (Modified Fast Freighter.)

Crew: 112 (14 Officers and 98 Enlisted Crew.)

Troops: 40 fighter pilots.

Vehicle:

Fighter Compliment:

MSX-128-ICE “I.C.E. Hyena” Light Starfighter (Other light fighters can be embarked.)

M.D.C. By Location:

	Variable Focus Point Defense Particle Beam Cannons (6):	150 each.
	Long Range Missile Batteries (2):	500 each.
	Medium Range Missile Batteries (4):	300 each.
	Outer Hull (40 x 40 ft/ 12.2 m x 12.2 Area):	100.
	Inner Hull (40 x 20 ft/ 12.2 m x 12.2 Area):	75.
	Hanger Doors (6):	500 each.
	[1] Bridge:	1,000.
	[2] Main Engines (2):	2,000 each.
	[3] Main Body:	5,000.
	[4] Variable Force Field:	1,000 a side (6,000 total).

Notes:

[1] In reality this is how much damage needs to be done for a weapon to hit the bridge through the ship’s hull. 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.

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

[3] Depleting the M.D.C. of the main body will put the carrier 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 military class shielding and can reach 60 percent of the speed of light. Star Ship can accelerate / decelerate at the rate of 0.80 percent of light per melee.

Atmospheric Propulsion: Maximum speed is 400 mph (643.7 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 4.5 light years per hour.

Maximum Range: Effectively Unlimited by either drive system. Carries about six months worth of supplies on board (Can be stretched to nine months in an emergency.)

Statistical Data:

Length: 680 feet (207.26 meters).

Height: 85 feet (25.91 meters).

Width: 68 feet (20.73 meters).

Mass/Weight: 15,500 Tons (15,060 metric tons).

Power System: Advanced Fusion with a 20 year life span. The ship normally only goes 5 years between refueling and refitting.

Cargo: Can carry up to 400 tons (362.9 metric tons) of cargo in addition to crew’s supplies. 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, fighter compliment, troops, weapons, engine, and other equipment.

Market Cost: 450 Million credits to build and convert (Does not include standard fighter compliment - Standard compliment costs 686 million credits.)

WEAPON SYSTEMS:

Six (6) Variable Focus Particle Beam Mounts: These particle beams are copied from those carried on the CAF Assault Shuttle and will fire a very powerful narrow beam and can fire a scatter effect that is less powerful but is capable of striking multiple targets. The weapon system is quite useful against missiles although the cone is not as wide as Tachyon cannon sprays are (Gives +2 bonus vs fast moving targets such as missiles.) Weapons are mounted in turrets that can rotate 360 and have a 180 arc of fire. Each mount can be operated by a gunner or a gunner program (+2 to strike, 3 Attacks per melee).

Maximum Effective Range: 300 miles (480 km) in space and 3 miles (4.8 km) in an atmosphere.

Mega Damage: Single Target: 4D6x10 per blast. Wide Beam: 5D6 to all targets within a 5,000 foot (1,524 meter) diameter area. When fired as a wide beam, the cannon cannot be used on targets closer than 5,000 feet (1,524 meters) away.

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

Payload: Effectively Unlimited.
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. Launchers can launch on multiple targets each.

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), four (4), or eight (8) long range missiles per melee attack.

Payload: 48 total, 24 long range missiles per launcher. Extra missiles can be carried in the ship’s cargo hold.
Four (4) Medium Range Missile Batteries: Missile has a top speed of Mach 15 in an atmosphere and in space has an acceleration of 6% of light per turn. Normally used for anti-fighter and point defense. Batteries can launch on multiple targets each at the same time.

Maximum Effective Range: Medium Range Missile range 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), or eight (8) medium range missiles per battery.

Payload: 48 per battery for a total of 192 medium range missiles. Extra missiles can be carried in the ship’s cargo hold.

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Writeup by Kitsune (E-Mail Kitsune).

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