The March Harrier is a 400-ton Type R subsidized merchant, operating in the Aramis Trace of Aramis/Spinward Marches, owned by a blind investment trust on Regina.
Description
Subsidized Merchant (Type R): Using a 400-ton hull, the subsidized merchant (often called the ‘fat trader’) is a trading vessel intended to meet the trading needs of clusters of worlds, usually under a subsidy. It has jump drive C, maneuver drive C, and power plant C, giving performance (CT style) of jump-1 and 1-G acceleration in normal space.
5,600 cubic meters in volume, the March Harrier is 46.5 meters long by 10 meters high by 15 meters wide. The delta wing span is 32 meters. There are two decks - the main deck and the cargo deck below it. From the exterior, the March Harrier is a streamlined, somewhat chunky starship witha modified delta swept wing. Huge cargo doors break the lines of the nose, and form the rear tail area. Smaller loading doors are visible on both sides of the ship, and control room windows on the upper surfaces. Riding piggyback on the upper surface of the ship is its 20-ton launch. The ship itself rests on large landing gear pylons which hold the ship at a standard height above the ground. These pylons are capable of “kneeling” to change height and place the cargo deck and bow doors at a better level for cargo loading and unloading.
Fuel tankage for 50 tons supports the fusion power plant and allows one jump-1. Adjacent to the bridge is a model/1. [MT says three model-1’s - probably redundant systems]
There are thirteen staterooms and nine low berths. The ship has two hardpoints and two tons set aside for fire control systems. No weapons were originally mounted on the March Harrier, but over the years the crew have been able to procure weapons for her. She now mounts two turrets, each with dual beam lasers.
There is one ship’s vehicle, a 20-ton launch. Cargo capacity is 200 tons. The ship is streamlined, and can land on worlds with atmospheres, or skim fuel from gas giants (though that gives “free fuel” it is not an easy or necessarily safe operation, and the fuel should be purified onboard (takes time) to reduce the chance of misjump).
The launch can carry eight passengers and a pilot, plus 10 tons of cargo.
Crew
Crew required: five: pilot, navigator, engineer, medic, and steward (according to Imperial regulations). Up to two gunners may be added. The pilot also normally operates the launch. Passengers: up to eight high or middle passengers and nine low (”suspended animation”) passengers.
Statistics
CT/HG Stats
TYPE R SUBSIDIZED MERCHANT (Draft)
R-90298 March Harrier R-4-211111-000000-20002-0 MCr101.62 400 tons
Crew=5 TL=9
Passengers=8. Low=9. Fuel=50. Cargo=200. EP=1.5. Hardpoints=2. Agility=1.20-TON SHUTTLE
R90298.1 Jolly LB-0101101-000000-00000-0 MCr14 20 tons
Crew=1. TL=9. Passengers=8. Cargo=9. Fuel=1. EP=.4. Agility=1 Bridge.
MT Stats
CraftID: Subsidized Merchant, Type R, TL 15, of 400 displacement tons (5400 m3)
Cost: MCr67.50Hull: 400 displacement tons (5400 m3); Damage points = 380 (inactive) / 900 (destroyed), Config = 1SL (Streamlined), Armor = 40G (Factor 40 bonded superdense armor), Unloaded = 2060 metric tons (4,120,000 kg), Loaded = 4840 tons (9,680,000 kg)
Power: TL15 Fusion = 1476Mw, Duration = 30 days continuous/90 days (at 8-hours/day); Damage points = 5/10,
Loco: Maneuver drive (M-1 = 1G acceleration), NOE (nap of earth) = 190kph, Cruise = 750kph, Top = 1,000kph, Agility = 1; Damage Points = 7/10
Loco: Jump drive (J-1 = 1 parsec per jump); Damage Points = 7/14Commo: Radio = System (1,000 AU)
Sensors: PassiveEMS = Interstellar (2 parsecs), ActiveEMS = FarOrbit (500,000 km)
Sensor Tasks: ActiveObjectScan=Routine, ActiveObjectPinpoint=Routine, PassiveEnergyScan=Routine
Off/Def: HardPoints = 4, DefDM = +3, two dual-beam lasers in turrets [need stats]Control: Computer = 3 Type 1-bis computers (triple redundancy), Control Panels = 403 holodynamic panels linked to main computer, Special=Headsup x3, Environ=basic env (heat, lights), basic ls (life support), extend ls (life support: food, waste, recycling), grav plates and inertial compensators
Accomm: Crew = 5, Bridge = 1, Engineer = 2, Steward = 1, Medical = 1, Stateroom = 13, LowBerth = 9, Subcraft = One 20-dTon Launch
Other: Cargo = 200 dTons (2700 kiloliters or m3), Fuel = 50 dTons (675 kiloliters or m3)
Detectability: ObjSize=Average, EM Level = Moderate
History
Identification: Name March Harrier, hull number R-90298
Constructor: Clan Severn's Margesi Merchant Shipyards, Margesi/Rhylanor (3212)
Laid down: 75-1020
Completion: 123-1022 (83 years old in 1105)
Shipped to Aramis: 300-1022
Crew:
| Years | Captain |
|---|---|
| 1022-1032 | Capt. Rafaela Monterroza |
| 1032-1046 | Capt. Quinton Dusel |
| 1046-1047 | Capt. Tame Maarda |
| 1047-1054 | Capt. Jeffri Tazewell |
| 1054-1070 | Capt. Beata Dormaier |
| 1070-1079 | Capt. Gani Ashdeka |
| 1079-1084 | Capt. Eleni Kishigu |
| 1084-1096 | Capt. Eneri Friedrichsen |
| 1096-1105 | Capt. Rhys Palmer, Captain and Navigator |
| 1105- | Capt. Samuol Tigg, Captain and Navigator |
Most recent crew complement:
1100-1105 - Darias Krawchuk, Pilot
1101-1105 - Merril Falin, Engineer
1098-1105 - Eneri Karladki, Medic
1103-____ - Liam Duncan, Gunner
1096-1105 - Ali Markovich, Steward
1104-____ - Josiah Pettibone, Deckhand
Owned and operated by a blind investment trust based on Regina, the Harrier has operated along the Aramis trace for NN years, since being ferried there to start her life from the shipyards at Rhylanor.
The March Harrier is an variant model from Ling Standard Products on Rhylanor (capital of the Rhylanor subsector immediately rimward of Aramis, and 8 parsecs away).
Ship's Operating Fund
The March Harrier's income and expenses pass through a fund managed by the owners of the ship (captain, pilot and engineer). All salaries, fuel and maintenance costs, and other expenses are paid from the fund, and all income generated by the ship goes into it.
The fund is managed by a board of three (the owners) - the captain has five shares, the pilot two, and the engineer three. The board votes to decide how money is to be used. Payments to the subsidy holder are the fund's first requirement, followed by other expenses. If there is excess money, the board may vote dividends to the shareholders. ("Booty!")
When the March Harrier comes out of the shipyard from its annual maintenance, the operating fund totals Cr112,816.
The Shadow Fund
The ship's crew has sources of income which do not, strictly speaking, depend on the operation of the March Harrier. The subsidy holder does not receive 50% of the income from these operations, which must therefore be kept separate from the operating fund. This is the shadow fund. Most often, this fund is used to purchase cargos for speculation and to buy cargo space for them on the March Harrier (paying standard rates to the operating fund). When the goods are sold, the income is placed in the shadow fund.
The shadow fund is also run on shares. At the start of this adventure, there are 100 shares, of which the captain has 20, the pilot 40, the engineer 10, the medic 20, and the gunner 10. The fund's total assets are Cr23,660. Any shareholder may sell shares to any crewmember, and the shareholders may vote to issue new shares to anyone in return for cash placed in the fund. Dividends can also be issue by vote. Each share currently has a theoretical value of Cr232.66. The shadow fund has sometimes loaned money to the operating fund.
Operating Economics
The March Harrier operates under a subsidy agreement, held by the blind trust on Regina. The trust will provide a ship to service the worlds of the Aramis Trace in return for payment from the worlds of the Trace - or more accurately the Duke of Rhylanor (the Marquisate of Aramis is part of the Duchy of Rhylanor). It's a way for the Duke to promote interstellar trade in the area. The trust provides the ship and crews it and takes the subsidy payments from the Duchy to make payments on the ship. The crew operates the ship pretty much as they see fit. They don't own it - the subsidy holder does and they must remit 50% of gross revenues (monthly at any Class D+ starport), and they agree to service the Trace for 70% of the year. The trust earns a profit partially from the gross revenues and partially from the rather guaranteed income from the Duchy - a fairly low-risk investment instrument aside from the insurance costs.
Revenue:
Revenue for the fat traders comes from: passengers (high, middle, and low) and cargo.
High Passengers: 10,000 Cr per jump
Middle Passengers: 8,000 Cr per jump
Low Passengers: 1,000 Cr per jump
Cargo: 1,000 Cr per dTon per jump
Capacity:
Eight staterooms are available for passengers and nine low berths.
Cargo hold can hold 200 dTons (50 standard cargo shipping modules (4 dTon) - stacked two high in the 6m cargo deck, 12-13 each side)
Max Income Potential:
Eight staterooms of high passengers: Cr 80,000.
…of middle passengers: Cr 64,000.
Nine low berths: Cr 9,000.
200 dTons of cargo: Cr 200,000.
Total between Cr 273,000 and 289,000 per jump.
Costs:
Fuel: 50 dTons per jump. Refined fuel much preferred for safety (500 Cr/ton). Unrefined (100 Cr/ton) - can be refined by fuel processor, requires several hours.
Ship Payment:
50% of gross income paid to subsidy agent (trust on Regina). Although large - if the crew had to make ship payments to the banks, that would total Cr211,000.
Life Support: (air, food, recycling supplies, common expendables, etc.) Cr 2,000 per person (Cr 100 per low berth).
For a full ship that would amount to Cr 26,900 per trip.
Maintenance: Save for annual maintenance: Cr 4,042 per trip.
Salaries: monthly, standard scale with bonuses based on skill levels (Cr 10,000 to Cr 15,000 per month?)
Berthing costs: approximately Cr 100 per trip.
Profit:
Assuming a full ship (cargo and passengers) income would be Cr 289,000 and costs would be about Cr 215,842, leaving a net profit for the trip of Cr 73,158.
Notes
A note about computers - the computers they are talking about in ship descriptions are “ship control systems” - entire complicated systems dedicated to running and operating a starship, from power plant, engines, life support, sensors, hull integrity, jump drive, navigation, etc., etc. They don’t automate the ship entirely but make it possible to operate with only a few crew. They really are powerful computers (especially to be able to calculate the incredibly complicated math necessary to throw the ship into jumpspace so it arrives at it’s destination a parsec away safe and sound), but they are specialized computers. The rules allow for some variation in the “programs” that can be run on them, but think of them like large dedicated control systems that have some optional (manufacturer-designed) components that can be swapped in and out. Even a model-1 will have a vocal interface, though probably not much of a personality.
Note: tons in Traveller starships usually indicate the volume displacement and one dton (displacement ton) is equal to 13.5 kiloliters which is equivalent to 13.5 cubic meters (or a cube about 2.38 meters a side, or about 7 feet a side) - i.e. about size of an office cubicle (which we are all infinitely familiar with… :-)
