old SD uses.

The best use for them - SCRAP!

The Solly ones have already been used for target practice.....

Mike.

SWM wrote:Refurbishing all of these ships with Mycroft controls and DDM launchers will require yard time (which they don't have). Running all these ships will require huge numbers of men. Why not just install a real Mycroft system with system defense missiles? It will be cheaper, faster, and use far fewer men.

No yard time needed.

Mycroft controls can take a page from the Halo upgrades. Making missiles that fit into a tube is so easy to do that even Sollies can do it, without any yard time. Mycroft will eventually replace such ships but Mycroft is not portable and once missiles are countered either through tech or stealth or handwavium. Mycroft is only as good as the back up LAC which can't intercept anything outside the hyper limit.

JohnRoth wrote:I think I came up with the perfect use.

Tow them out somewhere empty, equip several yachts with gigantic pressor beams that take a few minutes to recharge, and use them for a game of 3D space pool.

Wrong universe. You're thinking of the Fifth Imperium, or Piper's Space Viking. These ships aren't round. That would spoil the esthetic.

Perhaps you could orient them perpendicular to the participants assembly area/plane, and get a surplus fortress or two, and do bowling?

dreamrider

Lord Skimper wrote:

SWM wrote:Refurbishing all of these ships with Mycroft controls and DDM launchers will require yard time (which they don't have). Running all these ships will require huge numbers of men. Why not just install a real Mycroft system with system defense missiles? It will be cheaper, faster, and use far fewer men.

No yard time needed.

Mycroft controls can take a page from the Halo upgrades. Making missiles that fit into a tube is so easy to do that even Sollies can do it, without any yard time. Mycroft will eventually replace such ships but Mycroft is not portable and once missiles are countered either through tech or stealth or handwavium. Mycroft is only as good as the back up LAC which can't intercept anything outside the hyper limit.

Skimper, you don't know what you are talking about. It will require yard time. Remember, we aren't talking about designing new missiles to fit a particular tube, we are talking about missiles that are already built for a different size of tube, and which requires a fusion igniter instead of a capacitor loader.

dreamrider wrote:

JohnRoth wrote:I think I came up with the perfect use.

Tow them out somewhere empty, equip several yachts with gigantic pressor beams that take a few minutes to recharge, and use them for a game of 3D space pool.

Wrong universe. You're thinking of the Fifth Imperium, or Piper's Space Viking. These ships aren't round. That would spoil the esthetic.

Perhaps you could orient them perpendicular to the participants assembly area/plane, and get a surplus fortress or two, and do bowling?

dreamrider

On the other hand the tapered spindle shape might make a passable substitute for lincoln logs.

Build a "log" cabin out of SDs?

SWM & Lord Skimper wrote:

SWM wrote:Refurbishing all of these ships with Mycroft controls and DDM launchers will require yard time (which they don't have). Running all these ships will require huge numbers of men. Why not just install a real Mycroft system with system defense missiles? It will be cheaper, faster, and use far fewer men.
No yard time needed.

Mycroft controls can take a page from the Halo upgrades. Making missiles that fit into a tube is so easy to do that even Sollies can do it, without any yard time. Mycroft will eventually replace such ships but Mycroft is not portable and once missiles are countered either through tech or stealth or handwavium. Mycroft is only as good as the back up LAC which can't intercept anything outside the hyper limit.

Skimper, you don't know what you are talking about. It will require yard time. Remember, we aren't talking about designing new missiles to fit a particular tube, we are talking about missiles that are already built for a different size of tube, and which requires a fusion igniter instead of a capacitor loader.

Cataphract like missiles no fusion bottle. ERM and DDM not Mk16's in the tubes. The system missiles will be in pods with some kind of Trojan like support ships, only otherwise unarmed. The Mycroft sensors could even be on the Trojan like fast freighters. With LAC docks and repair rearm functions, although only minor repairs. The Fast Freighter AMC would be well in system. The SD DR or perhaps BC would be on the limit edge.

Technically as a hyper energy based ship they could continue to use their standard missiles. Being able to make a jump on any ships that attack a system in 30 minutes plus less than 10 more, if an attacking force hasn't crossed the hyper limit by then they get pounced on by superior energy forces. If they have that is what the LAC and system pods are for.

As for numbers of crew 200 SD or SD, DR, & BC combined arms fleets can be manned by an on the job training force from Silesia. Rotate through Silesia, being in several systems simultaneously and then move on to another system at a moments notice. As for the 1.8-3.5 million crew, this is 50-100,000 crew from each Silesian system.

Assuming you use the Captured Sollie forces and the mothballed Manty forces plus any Mothballed Grayson and Captured Haven forces. Should yield 900+ Ships. 200-250 BC, 150 or so DR, 500 SD. This will give enough ships to make a set of 4-5 fleets, perhaps up to 8 or 9. This would give any system in Silesia, any other system would already have a Mycroft or SD(P) force in system. Add in the 100+ fast freighters and any Trojans and Agamemnon's Left over for in system mobile Mycroft.

Although the notion of a Frigate or DD keyhole ship could also bring in pod command capability. When ever they get built.

One would also start to build the system yards in each Silesian system and start building the next Super Battle Cruisers. Modern day SD. With all the advances and capable of doing anything the Nike and SD can do. Only better. And with much less crew than the SD. Within a decade 34 Silesian systems can build a 100 SBC each, crew them, have a developed strategy for deployment, even against SD(P) strike forces, a successful counter of the super missile, and their own internal tube super missiles. Won't kill the missile once the ships cross the hyper limit nor any defenses in the limit.

A new Keyhole based Roland can carry a full keyhole broadside with the mk16 chase and offer Mycroft pod control. This will allow for a super defense craft. Full pod control Apollo links and full mobile system defense.

Once 3400 SBC are available and 600 keyhole / Roland. Any and even all Sollie worlds will be take able and hold able add 600-1200 FF-AMC and suddenly any and all captured Sollie world can be held until Mycroft LAC bases are established. Might take 10-20 more years but with additional forces plus everything else in the GA the Greater SEM will be taken and be able to be held assume 500 systems in the Greater SEM when all is told and done. Additional Keyhole / Roland and Mycroft systems. Leave 500 for the Andie's and Haven to each conquer/save. A couple hundred including Earth and the core Worlds for Rozak to "Save". Give or take.

Peace might come to the Honorverse in 30 or so years and a semblance of normality, well guarded normality. Will the Alignment still exist? Maybe, will old rivalry's return? Of course.

Skimper, there is no Star Nation in the Honorverse that can or wants to implement such a wasteful and ineffective scheme.

Skimper, if you are talking about capacitor missiles, then you are talking about Manticore creating and building an entirely new design of missile. Current ERM and DDM missiles are fusion-powered. It would take just as long to design and build these new missiles as to rebuild the ships to work with the current missiles.

It is still easier, faster, and cheaper to simply install real Mycroft systems, which are already being built.

SWM wrote:Skimper, if you are talking about capacitor missiles, then you are talking about Manticore creating and building an entirely new design of missile. Current ERM and DDM missiles are fusion-powered. It would take just as long to design and build these new missiles as to rebuild the ships to work with the current missiles.

It is still easier, faster, and cheaper to simply install real Mycroft systems, which are already being built.

ERMs are still capacitor missiles - remember the smallest missile fusion reactor is larger than 1 missile capacitor stack, but smaller than 2.

Theemile wrote:

SWM wrote:Skimper, if you are talking about capacitor missiles, then you are talking about Manticore creating and building an entirely new design of missile. Current ERM and DDM missiles are fusion-powered. It would take just as long to design and build these new missiles as to rebuild the ships to work with the current missiles.

It is still easier, faster, and cheaper to simply install real Mycroft systems, which are already being built.

ERMs are still capacitor missiles - remember the smallest missile fusion reactor is larger than 1 missile capacitor stack, but smaller than 2.

Presumably the microfusion reactor (and fuel) is actually bigger than 1.5 missile capacitor stacks.

After all an ERM seems to have 50% more runtime so it should need 50% more power; which (baring any tech breakthroughs) requires 50% more capacitors. And yet, as you said, they're still capacitor powered.


But they are definitely bigger that SDMs. As an aside I guess it's not impossible that a CA weight ERM (the Mark 14) could be small enough to easily be modified to work in an unmodified capital ship's magazines, loading hardware, and launchers; but we've seen no direct evidence that it can be. And it would certainly be a reduction in warhead power compared to SDM capital ship missiles. But I can't see anyone with real MDM tech bothering; better to focus on ships that will be useful in the longer term.