 | High Endurance Cutter. | | |||
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The REF needed a few vessels for maritime law enforcement, search and rescue, etc. The old US Coast Guard's FREEDOM-Class High-Endurance Patrol Cutter fit the bill perfectly; Stable on essentially any seas, very
With the coming of the Invid, several were attacked; Many of them sank, but a most managed to limp into one port or another, or been run hard aground. The survivors of the Red Sky banded together, making their way to Africa (often by way of other continents), where they linked up with surviving RDF and ASC personnel. Those vessels that survived were brought in by hook or crook (and more than a few using blow-up life rafts as additional hull). These formed the core of the anti-Invid resistance, painted in camouflage colors and used, ironically enough for smuggling ASC and GMP forces around the world and harassing Invid-friendly forces wherever possible. The tenacity of the Coasties, in conjunction with other anti-Invid forces, made life Hell for frags around the world, and made the North Atlantic and Mid Pacific Oceans and South China Sea in particular "no-go zones" for anyone even vaguely sympathetic to the Invid. (Most mariners affiliated with the Invid literally had black INK¹ lines on their charts around the South China Sea with an "X" inside of it; "Here There Be Coasties" wrote one rather bluntly.) The FREEDOM-Class not only remains in service, but in fact are still being built, with approximately 5 new hulls being built every year to replace the approximately 5 hulls being decommissioned every year; A total of 200 active hulls are in service at any given time, with a "reserve fleet" of another 50 hulls available for immediate deployment and 50 hulls available for "contingency deployment" (they would require extensive overhauls, but any hull determined to need drydocking for more than 3 days or more than 1 month's total work is considered "totaled" and tagged for scrapping). Newer hulls have been fitted with grav pods, but this isn't getting a lot of support due to the cost of said retrofits versus the VERY MINOR advantages (pretty much the only one being the ability to fly into a shoreside station for repairs, etc.). There are no plans to retrofit older hulls with grav pods, and very few plans to use those already installed operationally, since grav pods push down even as they lift up, and therefore can't be used for the kind of SAR applications that would have made the investment worthwhile. All hulls built after 2182 were built with grav pods installed from the beginning, but are still rarely used due to the lack of perceived necessity. Ships of the class are also given to UGC allied worlds that request them for LE and SAR duties, though the FOLKER-Class Battleships is more commonly requested due to their greater flexibility. Name: FREEDOM-Class Model Type: Trimaran High Endurance patrol Cutter Crew: Ships Officers: 20 officers Ships Crew: 150 Total: 170 Passengers: Another 10 personnel on "special assignments" can be accommodated. MDC by Location: | |||||
| Main Hull- Outrigger Hulls (2)- Superstructure- Bridge- Interior Doors/Hatches/Scuttles- Thrusters (1 aft, 1 forward)- Main Screws (2)- Manuvering Screws (2, 1 in each outrigger hull)- | 15,000 5,000 5,000 3,000 100 each 800 each 1,000 each 700 each | M-16 Gunners Compartment- M-16 Laser Upper Arms (2)- M-16 Laser Cannon Barrels (4)- M-16 M.R.M. Launchers (2)- M-16 Gatling Gun- M-16 Radar Array- Main Mast- Radar Array- | 300 150 each 100 each 150 each 100 100 10,000 1,500 | ||
| Speed & Statistical Data: | |||||
| Speed: 60 knots Range: 7,000 nautical miles or 18 to 20 days continuous steaming. Length: 3,200 feet Beam: 640 feet Height On Dry Land: 120 feet. Draft: Can be lowered to 60 feet safely. Clearance: 60 feet. | Displacement: 1,100 tons. Potable Water Supply: 2,000 gallons Daily Desalinater Output: 300 gallons Construction Cost and Availability: 20M€; Takes 3 months to build, and 2 more to outfit. Operating Cost: 800,000€ per year Black Market Cost and Availability: One COULD in theory be build for about 3B€ or so; Not currently available, but there WOULD be a market for them. | ||||
| Weapons Systems: | |||||
| 1. Model-16 Anti-Aircraft Turret: Each vessel has 05 of these anti-aircraft turrets, one at the bow and one at each corner of the superstructure. The turret is based on the torso of the MKD-401 Mecha Knight Destroid, and has 4 types of weapons: A pair of Laser Cannon "arms," "shoulder" missile launchers, a "belly" 20ᴍᴍ, 5-barreled Gatling guns for anti-missile defense, and a head laser turret. However, the PBC and MRM launcher were not kept due to cost concerns. SPECIAL BONUS: The turret has its own built-in fixed forward radar, giving it +2 to strike. Loss of this radar negates this advantage, but the guns and missiles can still be trained by information from the Combat Information Center. | 4. Series 1 Cruise Missile Launcher (2): Each FREEDOM-Class carries 60 MRCM-83 Ship Launched Cruise Missiles. The launchers are located 3 amidships outer hulls, a deck above the M-16 turrets and fire off roughly at a 45× of the bow, 25× of horizontal before correcting to their attack course. Purpose: Offensive/Anti-Ship/City MD: 2D6×10 Blast Radius: 40 feet Maximum Range: 80 miles Rate of Fire: 2 per launcher per melee. Payload: Varies. 5. Series 4 Torpedo Launcher (7; 2 forward, 1 aft, 4 amidships): Normally a submarine weapon, the FREEDOM-Class has been equipped with this weapon below the waterline for more efficient use. The initial launch is by a pressurized air system, which takes it about 5 feet from the boat. The on board hydro-cell motor then takes over. The launchers are arranged 2 bow, 1 aft, and 2 each side of the main hull roughly amidships. Purpose: Offensive/Anti-Ship MD: 4D6×10 per torpedo Blast Radius: 40 feet Maximum Range: 80 miles Minimum Range: 5 miles Rate of Fire: Each tube can launch 3 torpedoes per melee with training. Even novice crews can get 1 per melee off. Payload: 70. 6. Small Boats: The FREEDOM-Class carry 2 ACL's and 1 ACM for ASW purposes. 7. Power Armored Troopers: Each FREEDOM-Class carries about 150 power armored troopers. 125 Cyclones 25 TBP-Z1 8. Aircraft: Each FREEDOM-Class carries about 10 aircraft: 2 Supra Hornets 1 Specter Attack Helicopter 4 Jayhawk Helicopters 3 Dolphin Helicopters.  | ||||
| A) Laser Cannons (4): This is the main weapon of the turret. NOTE: These guns fire in tandem, like pom-pom guns. If one barrel is damaged, reduce the damage and rate of fire FOR THAT ARM by a Third. Each gun must be targeting the same object as the other (can not be independently targeted). Purpose: Anti-Aircraft/Ship MD: 2D10 short burst, 4D10 medium burst, or 6D10 long burst. Rate of Fire: 8 short, 4 medium, or 2 long bursts per arm per melee per gunner's attacks per melee. Range: 10 miles payload: Unlimited B) MRM Launcher Shoulders (2): A pair of MRM launchers mounted at the approximate position as the shoulders. Purpose: Anti-Ship/Aircraft Missile Type: Medium Range Rate of Fire: Volleys of 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 12 or all 24 per gunners attacks per melee. Payload: 24 per launcher (48 total); Reloading takes about 5 minutes for a full reload (10 missiles take about 1 melee). C) 20ᴍᴍ Vulcan Gatling Gun: This gun is actually automated. The gunner activates the weapon by flipping a red switch under a cover on the control panel. The gun can NOT tell friend from foe, only whether an object is closing with the ship and how fast it is moving. If it meets certain criteria, the gun fires, throwing a wall of lead that either shreds the missile OR causes it to prematurely detonate. Purpose: Anti-Missile Defense. MD: 5D6 per 10 round blast. Rate of Fire: Up to 6 per melee. Range: 6,000 feet payload: 6,000 rounds (600 bursts). Reloading takes 20 minutes. | D) Defensive Head Lasers (5): The same as the VF-1 Zulu Head Assembly; Though the Zulu would not be used on the final VF-1 design, it was used in the M-16 AA Turret as it provide a little more power to target. Purpose: Anti-Aircraft/Missile MD: 1D6 per barrel; A total of 5 barrels are available. Rate of Fire: per gunner's attacks per melee. Range: 200 feet payload: Unlimited E) Head Lasers: The M16 AA Turret uses the Zulu head used on the Mecha Knight, a five-barrel variant of the RDF VF-1 series head. Purpose: Defense MD: 1D6 MD per barrel used; 1, 2, 4, or all 5. Rate of Fire: per pilot's attacks per melee. Range: 200 feet payload: Unlimited. Cost: 50,000€ each. Availability: Rarely available.  | ||||
| 2. Model-18 Rail Launcher Turret: 4 MRM Rail Launchers in a normal, vaguely tank-shaped turret, positioned on either outrigger hull. Purpose: Offensive/Anti-Ship/Fortress MD: 4D6×10 Blast Radius: 60 feet Maximum Range: 80 miles Rate of Fire: 3 per launcher per melee Payload: 200 MRMs Bonus: Using Helicopter, fighter, or ships targeting system the missile is +3 to strike. Using a combination of 2, it gains a +5 (only 2 can be combined). 3. Type M-19 Depth Charge Dropper: An automatic depth charge dropper used to assist in corralling incurring submarines. The depth charge is the Type M-17 Standard Depth Charge. The depth charge is brought into position by a chain system, and then dropped out a pair of chutes, located ¾ of the way aft along the main hull just under the cross-deck. Purpose: Anti-Submarine MD: 1D6 Rate of Fire: 3 M-17 can be dropped per launcher per melee Diving Range: From 10 feet to 150 feet. Payload: 20 per launcher. An additional 40 are carried on board and can be manually loaded into the rack (takes 2 melee actions per drum). | |||||
| Features: | |||||
| Sailors "rarely" mark charts with ink, since this makes a permanent change on the chart. To take the effort therefore to mark whole oceans and seas in ink shows the gravitas these ships' captains gave to the dangers of the areas; They meant NEVER to enter those areas again. | |||||
