Military Vehicles - Submarines

[BP]

... I have no idea what the requirements of a hydrogen fuel processing plant would be. If they get big enough, being surfaced or snorkeling may be required.

For stealth - this might be a good point - diffusing large quantities of Oxygen back into the water might leave a visible 'signature'. A snorkel would probably have the same effect - plus requiring running closer to the surface (undesireable - no?).

Shouldn't be a problem for safety. Of course, the oxygen would probably be used for other things aboard ship - and is readily combined with other elements so it could be disposed of at a later date or in other ways. If only certain H isotopes are used - then the rest would just be combined back into water.

Since there is no 'jump bubble' to support - I would hope MGT was a bit more realistic in the Hydrogen 'fuel' department.

 

[brionl]

So, if I were building a submarine for Traveller, once I had decided to install a nuclear power plant, I would not "require" a snorkle. However, as has been stated several times above, all US nuclear submarines have a diesel backup and do periodically snorkle. So a backup, generator (diesel) would be a "standard" feature of any submarine at least up to TL9.

Even if you don't need to snorkel, it is still standard practice to stick a snorkel up and bring in fresh air periodically, it gets pretty funky down there after a while.

former EM1(SS)

 

[captainjack23]

Now that we've sorted that out, (and lets face it saying snorkle is just good fun), am I correct in that the descriptions for subs don't seem to have operating depths ?

 

[rust]

Now that we've sorted that out, (and lets face it saying snorkle is just good fun), am I correct in that the descriptions for subs don't seem to have operating depths ?

I have only Civilian Vehicles, and the submarines described there indeed
seem to have no specific "crush depth".

Unless someone sees something I have missed, I will have to design my
own formula for it, based upon Hull and Structure - or let player charac-
ters find it out the hard way, by "diving until it creaks and leaks".

 

[BP]

Hissing, sploshing and splashing noises from aft...

 

[Treebore]

Jane's Fighting Ships and other sources give you good ideas of operating depths for submarines. Accurate info is still classified as SECRET. Just realize "typical" subs, even combat subs, do not go to depths of DSRV's, but they can certainly go deep enough.

 

[BP]

Classifying or quantifying by TL might make sense - in addition to just defining a vessel as 'Deep Sea'...

 

[captainjack23]

I've got a pretty good idea what modern and archaic subs can dive to - its the higher tech stuff that I can't look up in Janes or Conway (I have most of them from about 1900 onwards)...unless you've got access to the tech 10 versions.....and have just reveraled yourself to be....a secret time traveller !
(Cue tardis + end of episode sound effect)

I was thinking of the armor as a reference point, but it really isn't fine grained enough. So, obviously, I'll wing it if it comes up, unless anyone else has some helpful ideas ?

 

[Treebore]

I've got a pretty good idea what modern and archaic subs can dive to - its the higher tech stuff that I can't look up in Janes or Conway (I have most of them from about 1900 onwards)...unless you've got access to the tech 10 versions.....and have just reveraled yourself to be....a secret time traveller !
(Cue tardis + end of episode sound effect)

I was thinking of the armor as a reference point, but it really isn't fine grained enough. So, obviously, I'll wing it if it comes up, unless anyone else has some helpful ideas ?

Then it sounds to me like your "worrying too much". As long as you know what can be done now, who the heck is going to say your wrong about your estimates of what a TL 10 sub can do? It isn't like anyone knows what break throughs are going to be made in metallurgy and engineering designs.

So just go by your best judgement, its more than good enough.

 

[rust]

So, obviously, I'll wing it if it comes up, unless anyone else has some helpful ideas ?

Thinking about it, I will most probably go for a simple system instead
of any kind of formula (no more GURPS for me ...), perhaps some-
thing like this:

A research submarine of TL 7 / 8 with a titanium alloy hull usually can
go down to about 6,000 meters, so I think that the invention of crystal-
iron will make 9,000 meters possible for similar submarines, and after
the invention of superdense 12,000 meters should be acceptable.

For "normal" submarines I will probably use 10 % of this as their safe
depth: 600 meters for modern light alloys, 900 meters for crystaliron
and 1,200 meters for superdense.

With something like this as a guideline, it should not be too difficult to
handle specific situations as they may come up during a game.

 

[Rikki Tikki Traveller]

Using the hull material as the basis for the maximum depth is a good idea.

 

[Rikki Tikki Traveller]

"Yeah, it took me a while to remember. I was a "forward of the reactor compartment door" guy, so I rarely went aft, and had forgotten about the plants for electrolysis. I doubt its "classified" though, it isn't like electrolysis is a big secret. The plants themselves may be classified. IE configuration, location, etc...

Electrolysis wasn't the classified part. The What and How of dealing with the hydrogen was classified. At least it was in the late 1980s; not sure now.

 

[Greg Smith]

[(P.S. Alistair MacLean is an excellent author if you an find his books!)

They are on my shelf. Handed down from my grandad, who loved them.

 

[rust]

Handed down from my grandad, who loved them.

Oh no - I must have grown old !!! :shock:

I bought most of those books when they were published ...

 

[BP]

Oh no - I must have grown old !!! :shock:

Ah hum! The proper phrase is, I believe, Classic!

Some of his best were circa the early 60's... now a few of his books did mention submarines - but how did we get here - oh yeah - the link you provided for the Dolphin mentioned that MacLean had a fictional sub/ship named such...

 

[dreamingbadger]

meaning it can replace its operational fuel supply in just one hour of "snorkeling"?

similiar questions on the sub carrier and TL10 frigate at 15k each, I assume that is about 6DTons/day?

when i said snorkeling, i did put it in quotes for a reason, i don't think they would have to come to the surface, but, i do think the process might make a bit of noise... water running through meshes being fliltered etc...