Space ship size and design

--------- Begin forwarded message ----------
From: "Wilson, Glenn M." <WilsonG@nima.mil>
<snip>
Date: Fri, 18 Jul 2003 21:49:26 -0400
Message-ID:
<0C4D238598729A408908411FAD90FB78056DBEF5@clustl01.gold.rtgold.nima.mil>

Okay, the Brigade people are on vacation but I have a question about
some
ships and maybe you guys/gals can answer them.

I am looking at the concept of modular weapons (like the OUDF stuff  but
slightly different tack.)

I see Brigade has some ships that scream "Modular Weapon Bays" to me.

Light Container Ship
SFS-5003 small ship two medium looking bays 

Light Freighter
SFS-5009 Medium ship four small looking bays 

Medium Container Ship
SFS-5005 (picture looks 'closer' than first two)
	  Medium ? Ship 4 Medium bays

Modular Container Ship
SFS-5000 Medium to large ship (?) with 6 medium bays 

Does anyone have these? How do they compare to Brigade/GZG/etc. ships
(Corvettes/frigates/DDs/cruisers?  Would these 'bays' work as  (smaller)
mass 3 or 4 modules?  The medium bays  as mass 6 or 9  modules?  Anyone
can say what the approximate size of the 'bays' might be?  

Does any of the GZG ships (where is that pdf printout?!) have similar
'modular bays' on them?

Gracias in advance.

Rambling follows:

I was thinking ships with masses ranging from 20 to 100 using weak  (for
the
20 to 50 ships as variants) or average hulls with Modular  weapons bays
of 3
(4 maybe) or 6 or 9  mass in size with 2 to 6  weapons bays per ship (or
mass 10 if you wanted 'broadside modules'  for a capital ship consisting
of
B4/2 arcs or paired B3/2's or paired  PT/2s or a PT/2 and a B3/2.)

For example (without checking the math) a size 30 mass of average hull
integrity ship with FTL, 2 FCS's, and a Main drive rated 4 might have  a
'main frame' weaponry of B3/1 and 2 small (3 mass) modular bays  which
might
have one of the following

1 B2/6 paired with 3 PDSs (or 1 B2/3 and a B1)on the other side for 
patrol
missions

PDS/ADAF/B1 [paired with 3 PDSs on the other side] for close escort of 
a
convoy in a fighter or missile heavy threat area.

A pair of MTM/B1 modules for a strike mission against a target convoy.

For a 'capture the ship/person' mission two modules with NB/1 and B1  in
each.

For a pair of mass 4 modules (this variant would drop to B2/3 for the 
main
frame weapon) there could be a B3/1 and a PT/1 for long range  sniping
to
support the heavies (well mediums probably for these  forces.)

A heavier ship of this system might be a mass 70 Cruiser with no main 
frame
weapons and (depending on variant) either 6 mass 6 bays or 4  mass 9
bays.
Or 4 mass 6 modules and a 'main frame' weapon of PT/3 on  an average
mass
80
hull.

At the opposite end of the scale (unique flag ship type) you could  have
a
mass 180 SDN and a core of B3/3 plus something light and 6  modules with
the
two fore modules having mass 9 with one B4/1 and 9  PDSs and/or B1s plus
two
midship mass 10 modules (just to be extreme)  having 'broadside guns' of
B4/2 on each side and the aft modules could  be a Fighter Bay and 2
B2/3's
and 5 PDSs.  Not that is a good design	necesarily just 'different'.

Other cool looking miniatures but not directly applicable for this 
question
were: 
SFS-5008 Heavy Merchant Freighter Fighter Carrier
SFS-5007 Heavy Merchant Cruiser
SFS-5006 Heavy Freighter
SFS-5001 Modular Merchant Fighter Carrier (reminds me of the launch
'system' for Traveller's design (not circular, clyinder,  yada-yada-yada
but
'dispersed' - i.e., don't even think about  approaching atmosphere with
this
baby - but it let you launch all your  fighters in one phase because
they
were attached to the outer hull of  the ship.)
SFS-5002 Modular Armed Merchant Cruiser
SFS-5004 Light Armed Merchantman

Gracias,
Glenn

--------- End forwarded message ----------

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