Velox Fast Minelayer (Converted Star Cloud Light Clipper):

While the job of minelaying is often performed by standard vessel types, both military and civilian, there are a number of specialized craft with regards to mine laying. Specialized craft are often capable of laying mines much more rapidly than vessels simply pressed into service as minelayers. While some minelayers are purpose built, others are converted into minelayers. Both military and civilian ship designs may be converted into minelayers.

Although there are a number of exceptions such as the Trans-Galactic Empire Sledgehammer class minelayer, usually smaller vessel designs such as destroyers are used as minelayers. Even though larger vessels tend to be better protected, there is something to be said about not putting all of your eggs in one basket. The advantage of using civilian hulls instead of military hulls is that they tend to be far cheaper.

The Star Cloud class clipper is one of the fastest civilian vessel designs and rivals a number of destroyers with regards to both its faster than light and normal space acceleration. Even so, the ship is relatively inexpensive when compared to most warships with similar acceleration and faster than light speed. These ships have been converted to a number of different roles.

It should not be unexpected that a number of Star Cloud class light clippers have been converted into fast minelayers. Unlike slower merchant designs, these vessels have a fairly decent chance of being able to use their own acceleration to keep themselves from being intercepted by the defending forces before they can lay out a mine field. In fact, the class has an equal acceleration to many destroyers. Of course when possible these minelayers are escorted by destroyers or corvettes themselves.

The Velox can be considered reasonably typical for Star Cloud class light clipper converted to the fast minelaying role. It is considered relatively capable with regard to the minelaying role. Clippers converted to minelaying may be modified in a number of different ways. More extensively modified vessels tend to be more expensive but have better ability to protect themselves.

The Velox herself retains the original defensive battery of a standard Star Cloud class light clipper of four point defense lasers and four medium range missile batteries. It does a greater payload with regards to the medium range missiles than is standard for the Star Cloud class however with around two hundred missiles. In addition, the converted clipper mounts a pair of light long range missile batteries although they have relatively small missile magazines however with a total of around fifty long range missiles. Even so, the ship is considered to be able to take care of itself relatively well.

For additional protection, the fast mine layer mounts destroyer class variable force fields in place of the original fixed force field fields. In addition, the Velox mounts miliary class particle and radiation shields, enabling the ship to reach higher maximum velocities in normal space than most merchant vessels although actual acceleration is unchanged. Sensors have also been upgraded to military standards in most cases to improve the ship’s ability to detect and evade enemy vessels.

Of course all of this ignores the purpose behind the vessel. It is a mine layer. In order to perform the job, the ship has a large mine bay door in the rear and the cargo bay is converted to hold mines. The ship can carry almost one hundred mines. Most common mined carried are capital missile platforms with each able to fire off four capital missiles. In order to protect the minefield, decoy and jamming mines can be launched from the long range or medium range missile batteries although they reduce the regular missile payload.

Unlike fighters, mines do not require a large amount of attention normally. There are a number of computer checks that the crew can do but otherwise the mines are just cargo. They simply get deployed when the minelayer performs its mission. As a result, there does not need to be a much larger crew than the standard Star Cloud light clipper. In addition the ship does not embark any fighters or marines.

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: Fast Minesweeper converted SSL-1000 Star Cloud Light Clipper.

Vehicle Type: Fast Minelayer (Modified Fast Freighter.)

Crew: 58 (6 Officers and 52 Enlisted Crew.)

M.D.C. By Location:

	Point Defense Laser Cannon Turrets (4):	250 each.
	Long Range Missile Batteries (2):	500 each.
	Medium Range Missile Batteries (4):	300 each.
	Mine Bay Door:	400.
	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.
	[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 sub light speed is reduced by half.

[3] Depleting the M.D.C. of the main body will put the merchant 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. Ship has had the merchant radiation and particle shields replaced with military shields.

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 month worth of supplies on board for the small crew but normally does not operate for that long without resupply. Can be stretched to nine months in emergency.

Statistical Data:

Length: 680 feet (207.26 meters).

Height: 85 feet (25.91 meters).

Width: 68 feet (20.73 meters).

Mass/Weight: 14,400 Tons (13,065 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 200 tons (181.4 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. items.

Market Cost: 325 Million credits to build and convert. Star Cloud class light clippers cost around 200 million credits and cost to convert vessel is around 150 million credits.

WEAPON SYSTEMS:

Four (4) 2.5 cm Point Defense Laser Batteries: Weapon system is part of the original design and are used as an anti-missile, anti-power armor, and anti-star fighter. Weapons system has no minuses to hit fighters and small targets and can be operated by a gunner or a gunner program (+2 to strike, 3 Attacks per melee). The weapon system cannot be used to engage targets while traveling at faster than light velocities.

Maximum Effective Range: 200 miles (322 km) in space and 4 miles (6.4 km) in an 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) Long Range Missile Batteries: Missiles have a top speed of Mach 20 in an atmosphere and have an acceleration of 8% of light per turn (faster than any starship) in space. Whether missiles can be shot down is calculated from the speed of target, launcher, and missiles. When drive goes dead, missiles 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 missiles, when unpowered, are at -25% to be detected.) Long range missiles do not have penalties to hit small targets, unlike cruise missiles, and are almost always 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), 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: Standard weapon system from a merchant class vessel. Weapon system is used for hitting enemy robots, fighters, and missiles (both cruise and long range missiles.) Missiles have a top speed of Mach 15 in an atmosphere and have an acceleration of 6% of light per turn in space. Weapon system can be used on multiple targets simultaneously.

Maximum Effective Range: Medium Range Missile range is160 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 detailss.)

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 melee attack.

Payload: 48 per battery for a total of 192 medium range missiles. Extra missiles can be carried in the ship’s cargo hold.
One (1) Mine Launcher Bay: In the rear of the vessel is a single to deploy mines. Has the ability to carry a fairly massive number of mines. While a variety of different platforms can be carried, cruise missile type platform are most commonly carried due to having longest range and being in many ways the most dangerous. Weighing about 22 tons, each of these has four cruise missiles combined with fire control systems, small fusion reactor, and a low power station keeping drive. These platforms are considered to have 500 M.D.C. each. Up to six of these platforms can be dropped at one time.

Maximum Effective Range: See Phase World / Three Galaxies Mines for details (Cruise Missiles fired from cruise missile platforms have a range of 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 Phase World / Three Galaxies Mines for details (Cruise Missile Platforms carry four cruise missiles each.)

Rate of Fire: Maximum of six mines every thirty seconds (2 melee rounds).

Payload: Ninety-Six (96) mines.

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Writeup by Kitsune (E-Mail Kitsune).

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