Quick question regarding launch tubes

[AndrewW]

Form fitting are the standard hangar that is the same size as the craft carried. Full hangar's are +30%.

 

[Annatar Giftbringer]

Form fitting are the standard hangar that is the same size as the craft carried. Full hangar's are +30%.

Are you sure? High Guard p. 46 mentions form-fitting enclosures, and this can be seen on the Police Cutter in the main rulebook, with no extra cost or space compared to the craft carried. The same page speaks of full-scale hangars (+30% displacement, 0,2 Mcr/dton).

High Guard p. 66 has storage hangars and Standard hangars. Storage requires +10% space and costs 0,2 Mcr/dton, standard is the same as on p. 46. The errata then says that Standard Hangar should be renamed full hangar, and standard hangar is the form-fitting enclosure from p. 46.

Sounds like three versions to me? Standard, storage and full. (Unless standard and storage are meant to be the same, but it doesn't sound that way to me..)

And then there's of course external carriage, which in the Mainbook costs and adds nothing, but in e.g. the Zhodani book they add a docking clamp for each external craft.

 

[phavoc]

Space stations introduces another hangar, the docking bay. A docking bay requires 300% of the maximum tonnage for the ship to dock in. So a 100ton scout ship requires a 300ton docking bay, a 600 ton liner needs 1800ton docking bay, etc.

Hangars are just for ships evidently.

 

[GypsyComet]

Note that even +30% isn't much.

There is absolutely nothing stopping you from giving subcraft more space. A fully open "walk around and comment on the carbon scoring" bay is at least four times the volume of the craft in it. Airframe hulls need a LOT more than even that for full walk-around.

 

[Annatar Giftbringer]

Note that even +30% isn't much.

There is absolutely nothing stopping you from giving subcraft more space. A fully open "walk around and comment on the carbon scoring" bay is at least four times the volume of the craft in it. Airframe hulls need a LOT more than even that for full walk-around.

Indeed, 30% extra is what, a one square-wide path around a boat? Not much, and as you say nothing's stopping me (or anyone) from paying for a much larger hangar.

In fact, that's one of the (many) details I love about the Zhodani Patrol carrier from "Bastards of Foreven book 3: Frontier Ships". Its main hangar is 195 dton, 2 1/2 decks tall, and the standard load is 2x 30 dton patrol fighters. Lots of space to walk around - or change loadout for special occasions.

I have abandoned the idea of a launch tube for this current project of mine. Even without the needed hangars it takes too much space, as I'm aiming for a large but non-capital ship, and I need space for more toys

 

[phavoc]

Your hangar should make sense for it's purpose. So if you feel doubling the space gives it the right feel, that should be fine. There is also the idea that hangars can be both packed and generously empty. A carrier with a clear deck has a jam-packed hangar below. So you could potentially store your small craft in a cramped hangar, but at some point you remove them to work/load on the others. The small craft could then be in use, or even just flying alongside their carrier craft to free up the space. You could even add external docking cradles if you wanted.

 

[Annatar Giftbringer]

One final thing on launch tubes... They are only used for rapid launching, not recovering craft, right? Separate hangars and airlock are needed to get them back in?

 

[AndrewW]

One final thing on launch tubes... They are only used for rapid launching, not recovering craft, right? Separate hangars and airlock are needed to get them back in?

Launch tubes allow small craft to be launched and recovered rapidly from a ship.

 

[Annatar Giftbringer]

One final thing on launch tubes... They are only used for rapid launching, not recovering craft, right? Separate hangars and airlock are needed to get them back in?

Launch tubes allow small craft to be launched and recovered rapidly from a ship.

You know... I've read that passage... several times... I... Well, this isn't embarrasing, not at all... Massive brainfart, reading comprehension fail... I'm just gonna go hide in the corner for a while..

 

[Condottiere]

1. Launch tubes is an abstract calculation, since what happens when you have smallcraft of the same tonnage but radically different configurations? It would be like passing a kidney stone.

2. I'm not sure if it's covered anywhere, possibly GURPS, form fitting hull enclosures would probably require 5% leeway, and external maintenance, unless the outer hatch was opened, is likely impossible, and then only from the exposed side.

3. You're not likely to need a quick reaction alert fighter sitting in a carrier launch tube, since there's likely a CAP.

4. However, if you're space station, and someone tries to leave or land on the planet without permission, instant slingshot in their general direction might be beneficial.

5. What you could do, is add more tonnage for a separate mini hangar that has the machinery to slide the interceptor rapidly into the launch tube, thereby not blocking it's use by other craft.