Tech level vs. time line

[Jak Nazryth]

There is a pretty good time line in the Mongoose version of the Third Emperium as part of the Spinward Marches supplement. Does anyone know however if there is a time line / tech level matrix? For instance, what was the average TL during 990 at the start of the Solomani Rim war?
I can give examples to my players with our modern history... WWI is TL 5ish, WWII-vietnam is TL 6ish, today is 7.5ish... etc...
But in the sci-fi/fantasy setting that is Traveller, it's a bit harder to grasp. How much time goes by between TL 11 and TL 12 ships for instance?
I know the average TL is 12, but how old is a ship if it is TL 11 or even 10?
Are we talking tens of years, or hundreds of years between TL 11 and 12 etc...?

The reason I'm asking is because one upcoming plot hook involves a derelict/abandoned/lost ship from around the time of the Solomani-Rim wars, which places it about 110 years old.
Should it be TL 11 or an early TL 12 design?
Any thoughts? Any existing examples of a Timeline/techlevel matrix?

 

[Easterner]

In INVASION: EARTH the Sollies were TL11-14 and Imperium TL12-14.

Ships last centuries. Some designs like Beowolf (IIRC) date back dozens of centuries some have higher tech added, others are built at lower TL worlds so TL9-14 would have been available in theory.

Note no E in IMPERIUM's first letter.

 

[RichardP]

The imperium started at about TL12. Can't remember when TL13 arrived. TL14 was 700ish. TL15 was from just after the Sol Rim War. So Imperial navy vessels are a solid TL14 during the sol rim war. Auxiliaries and 2nd line warships will be TL12-13 with some dredges at TL11.

The Solomani sphere was part of the 3I until 700s when it became autonomous. The navy as 50% TL13 and 50% TL14 during the war.

As for merchants, these designs could be hundreds of years old. Typical far traders are TL12 or TL15, the Type M liners are TL12 or 15, Typr R is TL10 /TL12 / TL14 and same for the A1 free trader. Most merchants will be TL11 to TL13 primary based on their jump drives. small merchants, small craft etc can be anything above TL9 to the max TL depending on their mission.

What type of ship were you considering?

 

[phavoc]

Depending on how you are designing the rest of the campaign, you could have the ship be anywhere from TL10-12. At TL10 it was an older ship that disappeared. At TL11 it was a modern ship, and TL12 it was a state-of-the art advanced design ship that incorporated tech that at the time was cutting edge, but today is standard tech.

As long as you incorporate the backstory into the ship you can place it at any TL. You could even have it as a TL9 ship, maybe it was designed as a 'retro' antique ship from the beginning. Kind of like how some places today have created sailing ships using a lot of the same techniques and equipment from the 1800s, but also have added in some 20th century tech as well.