Somtaaw wrote:munroburton wrote:What I don't get is why the fields can't be reversed - effectively a 180 degree course change without turning the ship. Sure would save on reaction mass from all those turnover maneuvers.
They don't use reaction mass for turnover as long as the wedge is active though.
We saw detailed turnover maneuvers on reaction thrusters twice, First Hancock, and Battle of Cerberus. In both occasions it was because Honor wanted absolute stealth and came in ballistic entirely to attack range before wedges would come up.
Any other time a fleet is conducting turnover, they've been accelerating at whatever KPS^2, and obviously detected by the defenders who are also maneuvering within detection range.
Most references to turnover either states that turnover will happen in XXX minutes, just happened, or was accomplished XXX minutes ago. Doing a search of all books I found 7 examples where the mechanism of turnover happens.
Turnover is not quick, but takes some time to do. Ships definitely have a clearly defined bow and a stern, They are not interchangeable. There is multiple references that all warships physically turn 180 degrees, I can not find a single reference to the wedge reversing aspect.
Quote: "Shadow of Saganimi" Note: pinnaces: The fleet little vessels turned, keeping their noses aligned on Bogey Three, and went to maximum power, decelerating at six hundred gravities. Astern of them, the Nuncian LACs had also made turnover, but their deceleration rate was a hundred gravities lower than the pinnaces', and the range between the allied components of the small attack force opened quickly.
Quote: "A Call to Duty" Phobos was midway into turnover, and Ouvrard was rechecking the figures for their upcoming deceleration profile, when the ship ripped herself apart.
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“Here we go,” Grillo said. “No flare . . . no neutrino burst,” she said slowly, reading the data off her displays. “Looks like the reactor scrammed safely. From the acceleration profile, I’d say she was in turnover when the wedge went down.”
Quote: "A call to Arms" As for the other three ships, they would have to do another turnover if they hoped to do any more running themselves. Any such move would be relatively slow and instantly telegraphed
Quote: "A Short Victorious War" HMS Hotspur decelerated towards the bogies at over 51 KPS2 as her Warshawski sails channeled the grav wave's power. Nineteen minutes later, she flipped end for end, accelerating away from them until their overtake speed had dropped once more to thirty thousand KPS at a range of just under a hundred and fifty-eight million kilometers, and Lieutenant Commander
Quote: "War of Honor" "Understood," Honor said. When the bogeys flipped to begin decelerating towards Sidemore, they'd turn their own kilts directly towards Scotty's shipboard sensors.
Quote: "storm from the Shadows" "Flip us, Sterling," Michelle told Commander Casterlin.
"Aye, aye, Ma'am. Reversing heading now."
The entire task group flipped, putting its sterns towards Byng's battlecruisers and beginning to decelerate. Even with the pods deployed, Michelle's command had an advantage of almost a hundred gravities, and the rate of closure began to slow.
Quote: "Beginnings, Worlds of Honor 6" Travis frowned. “A pitch turn?” he asked quietly. Most turns he’d seen had been of the yaw variety, where the ship rotated along its vertical axis, instead of a pitch flip that sent the ship head over heels and briefly put the stronger but more sensor-opaque stress bands between the ship and the incoming threat.