Damon8r351

Draxxa Kireth

Damon8r351


Armed merchant cruisers were combat ships also. I wouldn't take one into the line of battle with me, but they do in the absence of something better. The Germans used them in the world wars as commerce raiders in the absence of more capable dedicated warships. They used the element of surprise because a merchant ship can't stand up in a sustained battle with a real warship. The aux cruiser Kormoran was even able to destroy an Australian light cruiser in a mutually destructive battle. The aux cruiser Pinguin managed to destroy or capture 137,000 tonnes worth of shipping. The British used armed merchant cruisers as anti-submarine warfare ships, and they also converted a number of bulk cargo ships and oil tankers into ad hoc aircraft carriers to support Atlantic materiel convoys.

Being able to spoof


Lol, great, Thank you, Silverback!!...Now we hope to fool the Thargoids

I wonder how cold these ships would be running actually

I made an observation early on, that the Type-10 would be a great Q-ship. Have an installable transmitter that spoofs a Type-9 indentification, when a pirate gets too close out come the big guns. Elite could use a good Q-ship.

Yet another observation I made was that it would make a good merchant aircraft carrier. Give it the ability to launch multiple NPC controlled fighters, especially AX Taipans, and it would make an interesting centerpiece to a wing.

Calteru

Damon8r351

Draxxa Kireth

Damon8r351


Armed merchant cruisers were combat ships also. I wouldn't take one into the line of battle with me, but they do in the absence of something better. The Germans used them in the world wars as commerce raiders in the absence of more capable dedicated warships. They used the element of surprise because a merchant ship can't stand up in a sustained battle with a real warship. The aux cruiser Kormoran was even able to destroy an Australian light cruiser in a mutually destructive battle. The aux cruiser Pinguin managed to destroy or capture 137,000 tonnes worth of shipping. The British used armed merchant cruisers as anti-submarine warfare ships, and they also converted a number of bulk cargo ships and oil tankers into ad hoc aircraft carriers to support Atlantic materiel convoys.

Being able to spoof


Lol, great, Thank you, Silverback!!...Now we hope to fool the Thargoids

I wonder how cold these ships would be running actually

I made an observation early on, that the Type-10 would be a great Q-ship. Have an installable transmitter that spoofs a Type-9 indentification, when a pirate gets too close out come the big guns. Elite could use a good Q-ship.

Yet another observation I made was that it would make a good merchant aircraft carrier. Give it the ability to launch multiple NPC controlled fighters, especially AX Taipans, and it would make an interesting centerpiece to a wing.

I would love a proper carrier ship. I'd keep a mix of NPC and human pilots. Can any ship launch more than one fighter at present? It seems I can only keep one NPC pilot on my Anaconda despite having a double hangar with two fighters in it.

IndigoWyrd
The use of merchant vessels in times of war is a practice nearly as old as war itself. so this really is a natural kind of progression. We've seen our largest warships fall to alien aggression. We've seen stations stand defenseless, so this move makes perfect sense. We need ships, large and strong, but still small enough for our defensive systems to protect to stand against these aliens.

Rebecca Hail

IndigoWyrd
The use of merchant vessels in times of war is a practice nearly as old as war itself. so this really is a natural kind of progression. We've seen our largest warships fall to alien aggression. We've seen stations stand defenseless, so this move makes perfect sense. We need ships, large and strong, but still small enough for our defensive systems to protect to stand against these aliens.

But merchant vessels are usually not strong in a military sense and usually they're not build specifically to use in a battle. There's simply no sense in building a civilian vessel as template to slap some military modifications on later. If you have the capacity to do that, you also have the capacity to build warships.

Rebecca Hail

IndigoWyrd
The use of merchant vessels in times of war is a practice nearly as old as war itself. so this really is a natural kind of progression. We've seen our largest warships fall to alien aggression. We've seen stations stand defenseless, so this move makes perfect sense. We need ships, large and strong, but still small enough for our defensive systems to protect to stand against these aliens.

But merchant vessels are usually not strong in a military sense and usually they're not build specifically to use in a battle. There's simply no sense in building a civilian vessel as template to slap some military modifications on later. If you have the capacity to do that, you also have the capacity to build warships.

IndigoWyrdsnip

IndigoWyrd
It takes much longer to construct an entirely new hull than to refit an existing one.

In the days of wooden sailing ships, merchant ships refit as warships would often have armor bolted over the hull and additional timbers added internally to reinforce the hull. Far more existing ships could be refit this way faster than a single dedicated warship could be constructed, and was often done while warships were being built in the shipyards, to maintain naval strength.

We know there are at least two more ships coming next year - the Chieftan and the Krait. Should we have simply waited? Personally, I love the 'improvised' idea. And remember, the Type-10 is not just a simple refit either - it was simply used as base. "Utilising a reinforced Type-9 chassis as a starting point, Lakon overhauled and geared every aspect of the design for combat, producing a military behemoth that could be produced in volume at short notice."

The most important parts to note here are highlighted red. Also, keep in mind that until this point The Alliance has had no ships - still has no unique ships, their navy consisting of ships from neutral shipyards and defector pilots who brought their own navy craft with them. The Alliance has long been the power of idealists, philosophers and and those seeking an alternative to the more militaristic powers of the Federation and the Empire.

Now they're taking their first real steps towards militarization so they have to start somewhere.

We may yet see other ship manufacturers step up as well - Gutamaya, Core Dynamics, Zorgon Peterson, Falcon-deLacey, even Saud Kruger could potentially enter the fight. Some of these, like Gutamaya, Core Dynamics and Falcon-deLacey will have an easier time, as they have traditionally constructed ships meant to engage in combat. Zorgon and Saud might have a tougher time, as they do not (with the exception of the cooperative venture that is the Fer de Lance).

CalteruIs there a support role in combat here?