INS Diamondback Heavy Cruiser

[The Hinterworlds Rambler]

Diamondback Class Heavy Cruiser

Ship: INS Diamondback 55-600
Class: Diamondback
Type: Heavy Cruiser
Architect: Sidur Haski Design Consortium
Tech Level: 15

USP Q-Q236AJ3-899900-999R9-0 MCr 65,529.575
Bat Bear 4 44818
Bat 5 55A1A
80KTons

Crew: 650

Cargo: 430.700 Frozen Watch Fuel: 28,800 EP: 16,000 Agility: 6
Shipboard Security Detail: 80
Fuel Treatment: Fuel Scoops and On Board Fuel Purification
Backups: 1 x Model/9fib Computer 2 x Bridges

Architects Fee: MCr 655.296 Cost in Quantity: MCr 52,423.660

Detailed Description (T20 Design)

HULL
80,000 tons standard,
1,120,000 cubic meters,
Cone Configuration,
500 Structure Points

CREW
60 Officers, 590 Ratings

ENGINEERING
Jump-3, 6G Maneuver, 8,000 Ton Power Plant, 16,000EP, Agility 6

AVIONICS
Bridge, Model/9fib Computer,
Model/9 Flight Avionics, Model/9 Sensors, Model/9 Communications
2 Backup Bridges, 1 Model/9fib Backup Computer, 1 Model/9 Backup Flight Avionics,
1 Model/9 Backup Sensors, 1 Model/9 Backup Communications

HARDPOINTS
Spinal Mount, 25 100-ton bays, 500 Hardpoints

ARMAMENT
Meson Gun Spinal Mount (Factor-R),
10 100-ton Particle Accelerator Bays (Factor-9),
10 100-ton Missile Bays (Factor-9),
200 Triple Beam Laser Turrets organized into 5 Batteries (Factor-9),
100 Dual Fusion Gun Turrets organized into 5 Batteries (Factor-9)
5 100-ton Empty Bays
500 Tons of Missile Magazines (holding 10000 missiles)

DEFENCES
200 Triple Sandcaster Turrets organized into 5 Batteries (Factor-9),
Nuclear Damper (Factor-9),
Meson Screen (Factor-9),
Armored Hull (Factor-8)

CRAFT
None, but 430-ton cargo bay and 5 empty 100-ton bays are provided for mission specific craft and vehicles.

FUEL
28,800 Tons Fuel (3 parsecs jump and 28 days endurance)
On Board Fuel Scoops, On Board Fuel Purification Plant

MISCELLANEOUS
330 Staterooms,
325 Low Berths,
2 Engineering Shops,
10 Sick Bays (combined into two medical centers),
10 Autodocs,
5 Additional Airlocks,

430.700 Tons Cargo

USER DEFINED COMPONENTS
None

COST
MCr 66,184.871 Singly (incl. Architects fees of MCr 655.296),
MCr 52,423.660 in Quantity (Hardpoints and Turrets charged)

CONSTRUCTION TIME
196 Weeks Singly, 157 Weeks in Quantity

COMMENTS
The Diamondback Class Heavy Cruiser is first of a series of military contracts submitted to the Imperial Navy by the Sidur Haski Design Consortium. The design is intended for export manufacture in systems containing class A shipyards. The first three vessels (Diamondback 55-600, Coachwhip 55-601, and Copperhead 55-602) were constructed in 1098 under Imperial subsidy at the Saano Shipyards at Sidur Haski for Line Trials with the Gushemege Arm of the Imperial Navy. The design proved very effective with its high agility, hard defenses, and fearsome array of armaments. The Class was commissioned in 1101, to the delight of the Marquis Sidur Haski, architect of the contract.
Numbers 55-603 to 55-620 were delegated three per construction yard in the following years.
The Diamondbacks are typically deployed as effective first line ships in most cases, and its customizable mission profile serves it in good stead in this role. The INS was enthusiastic about finding a formidable replacement for its aging Atlantic class cruisers.
The first twenty ships of the class have proved well their usefulness, and provisions for the next sixty are under assessment.
The Diamondback represents a departure in naval design somewhat, as its vertical conical profile denotes. A more modular approach to ship facilities is seen in this distinctive warship, making the replacement of damaged features a quick affair, enabling the vessel to return to duty in due course.
The Diamondback class warships are named after various forms of terran snakes, mostly those of a venomous type.

Series A Diamondback Class
Heavy Cruiser Designations

Ship Number
Coachwhip 55-601
Copperhead 55-602
Coral Snake 55-603
Corn Snake 55-604
Cottonmouth 55-605
Diamondback* 55-600
King Snake 55-606
Lyre Snake 55-607
Massasauga 55-608
Racer 55-609
Rat Snake 55-610
Rattler 55-611
Rattlesnake 55-612
Ring Snake 55-613
Ringneck 55-614
Rock Rattler 55-615
Sidewinder 55-616
Thornscrub 55-617
Tiger Rattler 55-618
Twin Spotted Rattler 55-619
Whip Snake 55-620

*Class Ship

 

[Liam Devlin]

baron S--
In a word: Formidable.
good idea on replacing the Atlantic-class CA's too!

 

[Jame]

Hey Baron, I'd like to commission a couple of lower-tech versions for my family's holding on Falkenberg. Since we're in Trojan Reach, and outside the Imperium, pickup may be a problem, but I think a double-skeleton crew can be brought over...

 

[The Oz]

Baron S:

I don't know the T20 ship design system, only High Guard, but this vessel looks oddly armed to me. The use of only 100-ton weapons bays is hard to understand unless there's only 100-ton bays available in T20. 50-ton bays are more efficient for everything except particle accelerators and meson guns, especially at TL-15. Fusion gun bays are actually better than FG turrets when you take the size of powerplant needed into account. I don't see any repulsors at all; has T20 dropped them? Repulsors are the best defense against missiles in HG.

Mostly there just aren't enough weapons (in HG terms). This ship can carry (in HG) up to 80 batteries of weapons. The R-meson gun counts for 5, but you only have 25 more (plus the 5 empty 100-ton bays). Where's the rest? I notice in the Miscellaneous category that you list a lot of things not mentioned in HG but I assume required in T20 ship design. Did these take up so much space that you couldn't fit all the weapons this vessel could carry? Or has T20 changed the maximum weapons fit of this size vessel.

Here's an equivalent HG design I ran up using the wonderful High Guard Shipyard software by Andrew Moffet-Vallance.

Ship: Minidrag
Class: Reptile
Type: Heavy Cruiser
Architect: Osmanski

USP
CR-Q236BJ3-899900-999R9-0 MCr 66,366.420 80 KTons
Bat Bear F 8881F Crew: 665
Bat L AAA1L TL: 15

Cargo: 671.000 Fuel: 32,800.000 EP: 8,800.000 Agility: 6 Marines: 40
Fuel Treatment: Fuel Scoops and On Board Fuel Purification
Backups: 1 x Model/9fib Computer 1 x Bridge 1 x Factor 9 Nuclear Damper 1 x Factor 9 Meson Screen

Architects Fee: MCr 663.664 Cost in Quantity: MCr 53,093.136

This ship has the same basic capability as yours (J-3, 6-G) but carries 20 missile batteries and 20 repulsor batteries. I did delete one of the backup bridges you put in since I feel a ship rarely will survive losing more than one bridge. Only specialized flagships need more than one bridge, I think.

 

[Ganidirsii O'Flynn]

Baron S:
Dibs on the battle history and legacy of the INS Sidewinder which will be in Domain of Deneb/Regency service. I'll need the delivery date of the vessel and her date of commission, if you please.

One other thing...if the design is to replace the Atlantic class, it does not seem to have the versatility that class is known for. There ought be, I should think, a couple hundred tons for "user-defined components" especially in light of the modular construction technique. Those 200 tons could then be devoted to diplomatic quarters, scientific labs/quarters, flag quarters, etc., depending on mission. Looking at Diamondback as a by-design multi-mission cruiser, this would seem needful.

By the by, all capital ships IMTU have an auxiliary bridge. It's like keeping a full sized spare tire in the back of your car. You never need it, till you need it REAL BAD!

 

[The Hinterworlds Rambler]

Lord Jame, if you wish, we would be happy to design a ship suited to your needs... could you send the UPP of your world?

Lord OZ, the turrets were omitted for the sake of preserving the agility of the ship. I also use the HG shipyard program for the sake of design speed. 50 ton bays are good indeed, but the 100s have a factor 9 attached to them. The repulsors can be added aftermarket, as the situation requires... There are a few differences between t20 craft and straight on High Guard, but they are slight.

Lord Flynn,
The Sidewinder was christened in 1103 along with the Thornscrub and the Tiger Rattler, and as odds would have it they were constructed in the shipyards of Atadl (B2109C7F) in your sector. Atadl has a B port, but we sent along all the necessary tooling to complete the vessels. As to the variable configuration, Is not 920 tons enough? the uses for the 5, 100 ton bays and 420 ton cargo deck are up to the user completely, and needent be used for auxilliary vehicles solely... will that be cash or credit?

 

[The Oz]

Baron S.'s design is more flexible than mine, and his comment about the 100-ton bays does set me to wondering....

What else might go into a standard bay (50 or 100-ton version)? We know about the weapons, and we know about using them for cargo, or small craft, or for planetary bombardment ordnance, but what else could go in there?

Living quarters, lab space, prison cells, miniature fabrication plants, greenhouses; who knows what?

Assuming the bays have the power leads to allow installation of any weapon, you could put something into a 100-ton bay that used up to 200 energy points, assuming the ship has 200 EP to spare; that's 50,000 megawatts of power. A lot of juice to play with.

Any ideas?

 

[The Hinterworlds Rambler]

Completely modular Sickbay/hospital unit Triage center for heavy combat situations?

Sensor or communication equipment of an expanded nature (much like a radio telescope) ?

A 200 Low Berth Passenger Module?

A modular "home"?

Robotic construction/repair module?

A boarding/forced entry airlock device?

A Towing setup to haul other ships?

the possibilities are endless, milord...

 

[Jame]

As you no doubt know, Baron, Falkenberg's UWP is in the post of the same name. The salient points are a population of 950 million, an A-class starport and a tech level of D. So primarily tl-13 versions of your SHDC designs.