system cruiser

Jonathan_S wrote:

Uroboros wrote:I'd also like to mention, since most ships are bought not built, moving a ship from one system to another without a hyper drive would be an extreme pain in the ass.

Yep. Although we had a recent discussion about the (largely) historical ship class Corvette, which appeared (back in Travis Long's day) to be more or less a non-hyper capable frigate. (Also back when frigates were useful combatants)

The only semi-recent Corvette we've seen appears to have been due to political rules. Specifically Silesia essentially doesn't let planets (or companies) have their own armed hyper-capable ships; so Schiller has a (some?) Corvette(s) as their SDF's heaviest unit.


I guess even at Silesia's tech level a corvette might be more effective against pirates than a pair of LACs. At least it's big enough to mount a reasonable defensive suite; if the designers are willing to buck the tenancy to overgun ships for low end navies.


But it'd be a waste for some capable of building even Cimeterre-class equivalent LACs to build Corvettes or "system cruisers" over the equivalent cost in LACs. The LACs are quicker accelerating, stealthier, collectively more survivable, and mount sufficiently effective lasers and missiles to tangle with anything up to at least a CA or two. And if instead you can build Shrike-class equivalents...

HungryKing wrote:The thing is that LACs evolved from corvettes, without getting very spoilerish, the size of a (16th century PD) corvette was dictated by the minimal spacing of impeller rings. But the kicker is that 'modern' LACs, even the ones used by the Havenites in the First War, were edging into corvette size brackets, so for all we know that 'corvette' retained that designation because it was old. And old generally means less effective per ton.

Sharp Claw wrote:Instead of buildng or improving a shipyard to produce sub-light ships with cruiser level capabilities, it would be much cheaper to buy two or three generations out of date obsolescent warships form first rate navies like Haven or Manticore. You would get a fully hyper Capable warship, with more than enough firepower to deter pirates or even attacks from other single system navies. Thats about all you can expect from a single system navy for a star system that is not economically prosperous and heavily populated like Beowulf. If one of those first rate multi system navies goes after you, you will be toast anyway. You are not going to hold off that kind of attack no matter how many lacs or hacs you have. For a strategic system defense lots of missile pods would be a better solution.

Daryl wrote:

Sharp Claw wrote:Instead of buildng or improving a shipyard to produce sub-light ships with cruiser level capabilities, it would be much cheaper to buy two or three generations out of date obsolescent warships form first rate navies like Haven or Manticore. You would get a fully hyper Capable warship, with more than enough firepower to deter pirates or even attacks from other single system navies. Thats about all you can expect from a single system navy for a star system that is not economically prosperous and heavily populated like Beowulf. If one of those first rate multi system navies goes after you, you will be toast anyway. You are not going to hold off that kind of attack no matter how many lacs or hacs you have. For a strategic system defense lots of missile pods would be a better solution.

Real world example was the Argentinean Belgrano. A WW2 vintage heavy cruiser they had bought that was excellent for projecting power in the third world, but took only one modern torpedo to destroy it.

Lord Skimper wrote:How about having a new Highlander 2nd generation LAC.

Same size as the old one but with the new tech. It could mount twin six missile Mk36 cells per broadside. CA level Lasers like a Shrike Graser only a laser instead, and ferret level Viper CM tubes. Longer duration with shrike compensator and sidewalls bucklers and the like. Might even use the fission piles.

Won't be carried in a standard CLAC but as a System LAC you don't need that.

Mk36 means you can reach out and touch so much more than any other LAC.

For the cost of a CA system Cruiser. You could have dozens of these modernized LAC's.

SWM wrote:So, you are suggesting a "modern" LAC that is half the size of the Shrike?

The problem is that the Shrike was the smallest that ship that Manticoran R&D could fit all that stuff into.

Jonathan_S wrote:

SWM wrote:So, you are suggesting a "modern" LAC that is half the size of the Shrike?

The problem is that the Shrike was the smallest that ship that Manticoran R&D could fit all that stuff into.

Not that I think Skimper's crazy Mk16 LAC makes any sense (For one thing the Mk16 missiles he wants to put in the broadside are longer than the LAC is wide ) but, while the Shrike is twice the mass of the Highlander, it's physically smaller.

Highlander-class Light Attack Craft
Mass: 11,250 tons
Dimensions: 138 × 23 × 21 m
Acceleration: 409.3 G (4.014 kps²)

Shrike-class Light Attack Craft
Mass: 20,250 tons
Dimensions: 71 × 20 × 20 m
Acceleration: 636 G (6.237 kps²)

SWM wrote:

Jonathan_S wrote:Not that I think Skimper's crazy Mk16 LAC makes any sense (For one thing the Mk16 missiles he wants to put in the broadside are longer than the LAC is wide ) but, while the Shrike is twice the mass of the Highlander, it's physically smaller.

Highlander-class Light Attack Craft
Mass: 11,250 tons
Dimensions: 138 × 23 × 21 m
Acceleration: 409.3 G (4.014 kps²)

Shrike-class Light Attack Craft
Mass: 20,250 tons
Dimensions: 71 × 20 × 20 m
Acceleration: 636 G (6.237 kps²)

Hm. Good point. Skimper, are you talking about a new LAC that is half the mass of the Shrike, or twice the length of the Shrike? Half the mass doesn't work. Twice the length could be modernized, but are you just trying to make another variation of HAC? How much will this ship mass?