RE: Fleet Replenishment tender (SAR/Hospital)

I can see that there will always be a need for salvage, medical response
or emergency response such that a commercial interest would get in on
the act.

For instance, if the salvage fee is 10% of book value, it only requires
a company to salvage a cruiser or a couple of destroyers to make
operating costs for the year and a large battle could make them
Mcr-aires.

Along those lines, SAR/recovery/salvage for lost cruiseliners,
freighters etc. is probably a constant business too, the major cost
being a fast FTL ship with excellent sensors.  A larger, slower
"hospital" or "salvage" ship could then be sent afterwards after the
salvage/recovery crew had already secured the distressed ship.

Another opportunity would be specialized medical treatment for disasters
- not all worlds are going to have the best
radiation/genetic/nanosurgery facilities available - what about a roving
Hospital ship that travels from colony to colony providing top-line
medical care once or twice a year?

Construction companies (especially those involved in installing
powerplants) might hire a hospital ship to be on standby in case of a
construction accident or something horrible happening on power-up.  It
might even be required as part of their contract.

The key economic factors - are there salvage rights, how profitable are
the rights, and the cost of FTL compared to the cost of medical
services.

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Doug Evans [mailto:devans@nebraska.edu]
> Sent: Friday, November 21, 2003 1:15 PM
> To: gzg-l@csua.berkeley.edu
> Subject: Re: Fleet Replenishment tender (SAR/Hospital)
>
> ***
> Of course, if you expect to need a hospital ship, you can 
> hire one instead
> of having it permanently on your payroll.  "Mercenary 
> hospital ship" sounds
> a little odd but Search And Rescue Company (SARCo) certainly 
> qualifies as
> "mercenary" and they have hospital craft as well as salvage 
> tugs and search
> craft available.
> ***
> 
> I always assumed that SARCo's fortunes would be lowest at the 
> extremes:
> peace and few disaters would reduce need for it's activities; 
> full and long
> term warfare would have nations investing in their own resources.
> 
> They'd pay through the nose when things were going sour, of course.
> 
> Still, one would assume that there were always enough 
> developing hot spots
> to keep it in the chips...
> 
> The_Beast
> 
>