Grand Pathfinder

Overview

The Grand Pathfinder class explorer ship was designed for the Deep Periphery Survey Detachment(DPSD) as their ultra long-range survey ships. Intended to operate for over 5 years at a time without supply, the Great Pathfinders' role is to be the first to explore new systems as part of the DPSD push rimward exploring the Deep Periphery.

Primary duties

• Initial stellar survey to develop basic navigational data
• Deployment and maintenance of automated HPG relay stations

Design

• Highly compartmentalized and reinforced
• Shorter than expected but with a large radius
• Very large emergence signature
• Flexible configurability of many internal and external spaces
  • Designed for future mission types and parameters
• Inspired by the Star League Newgrange YardShip.

Dropships

• 8 Supply/tanker dropships to supplement onboard supplies
  • Supply/Tanker dropships are docked with collars that are oriented parallel to the direction of thrust so they can remain attached while the ship's engines are active.
• 8 Science-specific designs
  • Deep space tracking
  • Telescopes
  • Other specialized scientific equipment
  • Generally have 6 looking "into" current system and the remaining 2 looking "out of" the current system
• 8 Explorer designs
  • Based on Deep Range Recon Patrol(DRRP) Designs to traverse systems.
• 4 docking collars are usually left empty
  • Empty collars tend to be oriented parallel to the direction of thrust

Facilities

• 8 400m grav decks
• Extensive kitchen and recreational facilities
• Large hydroponic bays for fresh vegetables and fruits
• All large 1st class cabins for crew and passengers
  • Operational crew vs. scientific crew (passengers)
  • Rarely makes full use of passenger quarters except to supplement dropship accommodations
• 2 HPG's

Cargo

• Variable-configuration space
  • Supplies
  • Fuel
  • Supplemental small craft/fighter cubicles (can connect to and expand existing facilities)
  • External access for scientific equipment
• Usually a significant store of spare parts for the ship and attendant dropships
• Multiple HPG relays and deployment equipment

Operations

• Ship almost always jumps to the Zenith or Nadir points and remains at station-keeping
• Deployment of exploratory and scientific dropships
  • Exploratory dropships make passes through the system to get basic data on planets and other bodies
• Ship rarely uses its planetary drive
• Ship only makes one jump at a time, thus leaving 2 charges in its Lithium-Fusion batteries at all times.
• Ship can jump to a pirate point if it is deemed prudent for information gathering or to recover dropships
• Missions are not geared toward direct, physical planetary exploration. That is left for follow-up missions
  • Meant to do rapid flybys to gain initial assay data and navigational information

Weapons and Armour

• Very heavy armour is intended to buy time to escape - while very heavy it is not intended to encourage the ship to stand and fight
• Weapons are a defensive measure, both against potential hostile forces but also for asteroid impacts.
  • Naval weaponry consists of 12 Heavy Naval Gauss Rifles with 4800 rounds total supporting 60 Naval Laser-60's
    • Geared to defense
  • Supporting weaponry consist of an array of fighter-scale laser weapons for anti-aircraft and anti-missile duty
  • Laser AMS and Capital-AMS systems create effective screens.

Stats

• Mass: 2,400,000 tons
• Thrust: 1G
• Max Thrust: 1.5G
• Fuel: 250,000 tons
  • 6,325 days worth at 1G
• 5 ,500 Double Heat Sinks (Plus 807 free HS)
• 8 x 400m Grav Decks
• 10 MASH Theaters
• 14 Field Kitchens
• 200 Heavy Battlearmour Cubiclies
• 800 Light Battlearmour Cubicles
• 2 Mobile HPG's
• 36 Aerospace Fighters
• 24 Small Craft
• 12 Fighter/Small Craft Doors
• 28 Docking Collars

Crew

850 First Class Crew Quarters

• 48 Officers
• 130 Crew members
• 140 Gunners
• 40 Aerospace Pilots
• 48 Small craft Pilots
• 120 Aerospace technicians
• 4 HPG technicians
• 44 Field Kitchen personnel
• 16 Doctors
• 60 Nurses
• 200 Marines

1,000 First Class Passenger Quarters

250 Life Boats

250 Escape Pods

Armour/Structure

Structural Integrity: 200 KF Drive Integrity: 43 Jump Sail Integrity: 9 Armour: 9,600 tons

• Fore: 2,260
• Fore Sides: 2,260
• Aft Sides: 2,260
• Aft: 2,260

Cargo

Cargo: 212,617.5 Tons

Weapons

• 12 x Heavy Naval Gauss (with 4800 shots)
• 60 x Naval Laser-60
• 120 x Laser Anti-Missile System
• 120 x Large Pulse Laser
• 60 x Capital Anti-Missile System
• 120 x Medium Pulse Laser
• 120 x ER Large Laser