Forcing an entry to a starship

[l_c_jackson]

Suppose you find a small common starship (Scout, Free Trader etc) with all the airlocks closed, what are the safest, easiest and quickest ways of forcing your way in? Assume that man-portable plasma/fusion weapons are not available! Can you get in through a hardpoint, where a turret could have been fitted? Can you override or hotwire the electronic lock on an airlock? (Let's ignore psychological options like bluff as too easy.)

Having a military/law enforcement master key might be one option, particularly for Scout vessels where improvisation seems to be a key feature of the service. A very large shaped charge might work, but using explosives in a vaccuum must be very hazardous (also "fateful" in MT terminology).

Now, let's make it more interesting and assume that the target ship is derelict and all power is off, leaving any external hatch mechanisms frozen shut. Would they tend to have a manual opening mechanism for rescue in emergencies? That would allow the crew to lock hatches if they have power onboard and even if they don't. the crew would get plenty of warning while boarders crank the hatch open laboriously.

Your thoughts would be appreciated.

Kind regards, Lindsay Jackson.

 

[aramis]

Supp 7 implies that all iris valves have manual overrides. Expect to take about half an hour to an hour to open one.

 

[CosmicGamer]

Don't know if this is accurate or not but I'm basing it on my experience with ships where the hull is thinner than a hatch. The numerous latching mechanisms are on the inside so it would be hard to just "blow the hinges" too. I would think hatches, turrets, and other locations on the ship that move would be some of the sturdiest when "locked down". Perhaps it is easier to cut or blow ones way through the hull.

I too believe that there would be some form of manual controls for opening; probably not all entries but at least two. Off the top of my head, I'm thinking one set of manual controls would be accessible from the outside and another from the inside. The outside access may have some kind of access plate that is manually locked or maybe sealed with explosive bolts. The outside manual control access port could be automatically opened or unlocked by certain ship alarms so that access would be easier for outside emergency crews; such as in the case of "All hands to the low berths". There should be a manual backup for opening access to the manual backup! Some way to open access to the exterior manual controls via a manual control inside. Guess it depends on how paranoid you want the regulation and safety folks to be IYTU.

A crew could also disable the manual controls; possibly to the detriment of their own safety. Such modifications would fail any spot inspection - especially if it is a passenger carrying vessel.

 

[Xerxeskingofking]

as others have said, most starships would be built with fail-safe emergency manual locks that would allow entry and exit even in a case of power failure. such systems would be standardised to as great a degree as the imperium can manage.

Assume that man-portable plasma/fusion weapons are not available!

I'd say that most ships lockers would have cutting tools suitable for cutting though the hull, for repairs and such. ergo, most free traders would have the tools to force entry, given several hours of time to cut the hole.

Can you get in through a hardpoint, where a turret could have been fitted?

it would be no easier to cut in at a hardpoint than at any other point. however, by doing so, you could be sure that when you cut though, you'll be entering crew spaces (or an internal hatch leading to crew spaces, not the large fuel tanks that take up so much of a starships internal volume.

Can you override or hotwire the electronic lock on an airlock?

with the right tools, training, and time, almost certainly. unless the airlocks were specifically designed in such a way as to prevent access to the motors form outside, then it should be possible to hotwire them. I can see military craft being built like that, but not run of the mill free traders.

 

[Spinward Scout]

I would think that any professional 57th century lock-picking kit would include an external power supply to energize the airlock controls. Sophisticated entry cards/tools would probably be commonplace since nobody really wants to deal with a ship with a blown airlock.

But then, you're also dealing with interstellar banking institutions or Megacorps that don't want to lose money on a loan or investment, so that means that a ship on a loan or owned by a large company will probably be required to be very hard to steal. Which is why I always thought that any ship on a loan should be required to have a mounted weapon if there's a hardpoint for it. It's like being forced to have car insurance.

 

[DaveChase]

It could be easier to open the iris values if the pressure is equal on both sides.

Though it would seem easier to open a hatch with a higher pressure on the closing side (ie the side that the hatch opens into would be of lower pressure). But the problem with this is if the pressure is to high then you have the hatch mechanical lock being forced against it self which will cause resistance to its movement and make it slightly more difficult to open the hatch.

Dave Chase

 

[aramis]

It could be easier to open the iris values if the pressure is equal on both sides.

Though it would seem easier to open a hatch with a higher pressure on the closing side (ie the side that the hatch opens into would be of lower pressure). But the problem with this is if the pressure is to high then you have the hatch mechanical lock being forced against it self which will cause resistance to its movement and make it slightly more difficult to open the hatch.

Dave Chase

once you get the first couple mm, you simply hang on and wait for depressurization of the airlock. It gets consistently easier as the pressure drops...

 

[Icosahedron]

Various considerations: What does the GM want to happen? Are either of the ships in question military? To what extent are you worried about collateral damage? Is the entry opposed? Is there a time constraint? Have you tried breaking into a MBT?

 

[Xerxeskingofking]

It could be easier to open the iris values if the pressure is equal on both sides.

Though it would seem easier to open a hatch with a higher pressure on the closing side (ie the side that the hatch opens into would be of lower pressure). But the problem with this is if the pressure is to high then you have the hatch mechanical lock being forced against it self which will cause resistance to its movement and make it slightly more difficult to open the hatch.

Dave Chase

i was assuming the breach attempt was being made via the boarding tube that links airlocks, if trying to breach a airlock. after all, we know it's possible for two starships to dock in space, and for crew to transfar without going EVA, so logically, they must have a boarding tube to cover the gap between hulls.

so, the pressure would be equal.

besides, Iris valves open outwards, into the frame, not forewards or backwards form the users point of view.

 

[shield]

Several supplements have mentioned a portable air lock designed to clamp onto an airlock and then be pressurised to allow opening of the airlock wthout depressurising the ship. I imagine its some sort of collapsable framework structure with a rip-resistant plastic / fabric covering similar to vacc suit material.

Cheers
Richard

 

[Blue Ghost]

Don't know if this is accurate or not but I'm basing it on my experience with ships where the hull is thinner than a hatch. The numerous latching mechanisms are on the inside so it would be hard to just "blow the hinges" too. I would think hatches, turrets, and other locations on the ship that move would be some of the sturdiest when "locked down". Perhaps it is easier to cut or blow ones way through the hull.

I too believe that there would be some form of manual controls for opening; probably not all entries but at least two. Off the top of my head, I'm thinking one set of manual controls would be accessible from the outside and another from the inside. The outside access may have some kind of access plate that is manually locked or maybe sealed with explosive bolts. The outside manual control access port could be automatically opened or unlocked by certain ship alarms so that access would be easier for outside emergency crews; such as in the case of "All hands to the low berths". There should be a manual backup for opening access to the manual backup! Some way to open access to the exterior manual controls via a manual control inside. Guess it depends on how paranoid you want the regulation and safety folks to be IYTU.

A crew could also disable the manual controls; possibly to the detriment of their own safety. Such modifications would fail any spot inspection - especially if it is a passenger carrying vessel.

All diagrams, floor plans and other references say that a bulkhead is beefier than the doors to an airlock.

 

[CosmicGamer]

All diagrams, floor plans and other references say that a bulkhead is beefier than the doors to an airlock.

All? Maybe all the ones you've seen. Please provide details; is it info from a single version of Traveller, a specific publication? For me, no floor plans I just went and looked at provide this detail nor do I recall reading any detail about it in the past. Correct or incorrect, I tried to apply my limited real life knowledge and logic. I'd be more than happy to get pointed to actual specific information.

 

[Blue Ghost]

All? Maybe all the ones you've seen. Please provide details; is it info from a single version of Traveller, a specific publication? For me, no floor plans I just went and looked at provide this detail nor do I recall reading any detail about it in the past. Correct or incorrect, I tried to apply my limited real life knowledge and logic. I'd be more than happy to get pointed to actual specific information.

Well, I guess it's more or less a visual association I've made since Snapshot days. I think both Snapshot and Azhanti rules state something like it takes 1000pts of energy weapon fire to breach a starship's exterior bulkhead, verse 100pts of general damage to break through an interior wall. Every map I've seen shows a a relative thickness that, to me anyway, seems to indicate what that the bulkhead is thusly more thick than the interior walls. It's actually written in the Snapshot rules.

 

[BlackBat242]

Well, I guess it's more or less a visual association I've made since Snapshot days. I think both Snapshot and Azhanti rules state something like it takes 1000pts of energy weapon fire to breach a starship's exterior bulkhead, verse 100pts of general damage to break through an interior wall. Every map I've seen shows a a relative thickness that, to me anyway, seems to indicate what that the bulkhead is thusly more thick than the interior walls. It's actually written in the Snapshot rules.

But your statement that he was questioning was

All diagrams, floor plans and other references say that a bulkhead is beefier than the doors to an airlock.

... not that they were thicker than interior walls.

Since the outer airlock door is exposed to enemy weapons fire, as far as I am concerned they are built and/or armored to the same standard as the rest of the ship's hull... and the inner door needs to be pretty strong as well.

I cannot believe that any responsible ship designer has the outer door of an airlock as weak as interior walls... or the walls, floor, ceiling, or inner door of the airlock itself for that matter.

They would all be rated much stronger than interior walls!

 

[Jame]

Supp 7 implies that all iris valves have manual overrides. Expect to take about half an hour to an hour to open one.

As Xerxes says, there should be electronic access points too, just in case of this situation. I'd expect that any engineer worth his salt would have his hand computer loaded with a few specialized programs just in case.

 

[aramis]

As Xerxes says, there should be electronic access points too, just in case of this situation. I'd expect that any engineer worth his salt would have his hand computer loaded with a few specialized programs just in case.

I doubt there would be external ones for the electrical. Simply to reduce the odds of being boarded.

As in, Kill the power to the lock, and know you've got at least 5 minutes if they have their power-drill's door cranking attachent, and 20 if doing it by hand.

I expect there to be an external mechanical access port. IMTU, it's the same key as a non-secure maintenance hatch... IMTU, a variant Torx T-50 with a tri-wing center pin. Typical "Maintenance Hatch Keys" IMTU are fold-down T-handles.

 

[Zutroi]

One thing you'll notice on modern aircraft, trains, and buses - areas of the 'hull' marked off with 4 'L' marks at the corners.

Rescuers know they can 'cut here' in an emergenct and not hit fuel lines, high voltage power, etc...

I'd imagine starships would have something similar. "Apply thermite strips HERE for rescue"

 

[l_c_jackson]

Would that work on a starship hull?

Thanks for that interesting explanation. The MegaTraveller box has a small warship on it with a hatch surrounded by black and yellow hatching, but I suspect that this is an escape hatch intended to be blown from the inside.

I wonder whether the future equivalent of thermite strips would actually work on a hull which has to be proof against meteorites? The nearest equivalent in the 21st century might be a submarine. How would you make an emergency entry through a hull like that, if at all?

Regards, Lindsay Jackson.

 

[Redcap]

reference: 1: "2010: The Year We Make Contact"

On boarding Odessey from the Leonov, the boarding team use an automated winder to wind up the emergency access port door.

It is not unreasonable to assume that similar kit is available in a ships locker, as mentioned above.

For the manual release of Iris hatches, one might find that something like a crossed wheel nut wrench might be supplied, or maybe another electrical external winder.

However, the first thoughts going through the minds of any potential boarding party should be...
- why is the place locked up?
- what can we see through the windows?
- what's in there that could be a threat - is there a CBRN threat inside?

Let's face it - the last thing you want is a Chemical eating through your P-Suit, and exposing you to hard vacuum, a chemical threat, or a bio-infestation of the Venusian Crotch Rot, for example :devil:

 

[Zutroi]

LJ - I'd figured the strips would mark an intentionally weaker area of the hull, strictly as a 'last chance' effort to allow rescue. The area marked would probably be aft on the vessel to reduce the chance of impact.

Redcap - This might be in the 'ship's locker' section somewhere... it sure sounds familiar!