Dear Folks – Mark wrote: > I was cleaning up old sig quote files which caused me to look for a >current link to this classic example of Vilani engineering. > >The TL A Orrimot Logistic Ship I’ve found the original posts from 1995. -------------------- TNE Starships: Orrimot-class Imperial 2500t Logistics Starship TL 12 By: Alvin Plummer <xxxxxx@sheridanc.on.ca> Bruce Johnson <xxxxxx@tonic.pharm.arizona.edu> Mark Urbin <xxxxxx@ultranet.com> Me! (DSS Library) <xxxxxx@babylon5.dss.gov.au > From: xxxxxx@mpgn.com [Digest 508, 510, 512, 513, 548, 551] Dated: Fri, 08 Dec 1995 Subject: TL C Orrimot-class Logistics ship [Alvin's comments, 508] Orrimot-class Imperial 2500t Logistics Starship TL 12 GENERAL DATA Disp: 2500 Hull Armour: 10 Len: 107m Volume: 35,000 Price: MCr 756.483 Target: M Config: Slab SL TL: C Mass: 26,564/15,929 ENGINEERING DATA Power plant: 2 x 1250 MW fusion (89 MW/hit), 1 yr duration (174 MW surplus) Jump: 3 (2333 kl fuel per parsec, 7000 kl total) G-rating: 1 (2000 MW/g), CG lifters G-turns: 30.1 (51.2 w/jfuel, 77.5 w/jfuel, cargo fuel) 332.2 kl of fuel each G-turn Maintenance: 1258 ELECTRONICS Computer: 3 x st TL 12 (.4 MW) Commo: 1000 AU Maser (.6 MW), 1000 AU Laser (.3 MW), 30,000 Radio (1 MW) Avionics: TL A+ Sensors: P-EMS (30,000, .3 MW), A-EMS (3,000 km, 8 MW) Controls: Bridge w/11 wstations, Engineering x 29 ARMAMENT Offensive: 5 x 120 Mj laser turret (4: 1/9-27, 8:1/9-27, 16:1/6-9, 32:1/3-9) (Loc: 10 Arc: all 3.3 MW, 1 Crew ea.) Defensive: 5 x sandcasters (Loc:11 Arc:All 1 MW, 1 Crew ea. 30 Cann., 1D10x5) ACCOMMODATIONS Extended Life Support (4 MW, [rounded]) Crew: 53 (Engineer. 29, Man. 2, Elect. 2, Maint. 3, Gunnery 10, Command 7) Accomo: Sm. stateroom x 30 Facilities: 2 hamster cages (600 kl each) Airlocks: 25 Cargo: 8,728 kl. (Usually used for fuel). Two fuel bladders: each holds 8720 kl. Folded, each takes up 436 kl. One's backup. Sm Craft: 10 docking rings, each with a 5-ton liferaft NOTES Combat move: 153/6 Travel move: 3300/240 DAMAGE TABLES Surface Area 1 1-5 Radio Ant 6 1 Maser Ant 2 Laser 3-4 A-EMS 5 P-EMS Damage Area 1-5 Hold (Cargo or fuel) 6-7 Hold (Fuel) 8-9 1-4 Hold (Fuel) 5-8 Hold (Liferaft) 9-12 Hold (Cargo/Fuel, fuel bladder 1) 13-16 Hold (Cargo/Fuel, fuel bladder 2) 17-20 Hold (Fuel) 10-11 1-2 Wpns (10: Laser, 11: Sandcaster) 3-14 Eng (fuel purifier) 15-18 Eng (CG lifter) 19-20 Hold (Fuel) 12-15 Hold (Fuel) 16-17 1-3 Elect 4-8 Quarters 9-20 Hold (Fuel) 18-19 1-7 Eng (power plant #1 in 18, #2 in 19) 8-20 Eng (jump drive) 20 1-2 Eng (HEPlaR) 3-20 Hold (Fuel) System Damage Elect Maser, Laser, Radio, A-EMS P-EMS (1h) ant (1h) Hold Cargo 88H (if loaded with cargo, rather than fuel) Quarters Sm. Stateroom x 30 (2h) ea. Life Support 15H Emergency L.S. 7H Engineering Jump Drive 35H ea. Power Plant * 2 7H HEPlaR 2H ContraGrav 8H Fuel Processing 38H Weapons Laser x 5 1H ea. Sandcasters x 5 1H ea. HISTORY Every starfleet needs a vast number of these unglamourous ships - although you never seem to see them in "Imperial Stars", "Strike Fleet", or any of the other popular VR entertainment programs in the Imperium. Never mind that: without thousands and thousands of glorified cargo barges like these, the Imperial Navy would swiftly grind to a halt. First built in 138, these flying bricks perfectly reflect the big, bulky and dour design philosophy of the Vilani. They also happen to be quite capable in their work: after all, 1000 years later they still serve in innumerable frontier fleets, as tankers and second-tier naval logistics vessels. In a pinch they can support Marine contingents, but lack the armour to serve in any more hostile environment than your typical bushfire rebellion. They also lack sufficient on-board cargo shuttles, and the Marines get to sleep in the cargo hold - hopefully modified to house them, rather than sleeping on the bare floor. The Orrimot DOES at least have CG lifters, unlike most dedicated space tankers/freighters. So it can lift off, as well as land... These ships are rarely seen in civilian service: the two large hamster cages used to mimic gravity are rather unpopular among merchants, and civilian fuel stations have rendered tanker jumpships a poor economic gamble. Also, most merchants find the additional cost to maintain the inefficient dual fusion plants not worth the greater safety margin. And the 10 lifeboats are SO passe, and an unnecessary expense - although the crews doesn't seem to mind. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -- Alvin Plummer "Preserve what we created, Norris, and remember what we stood for." - Strephon, 179-1126 Subject: RE: Orrimot-class Logistics ship [Bruce's comments, 509] Alvin sez' > Every starfleet needs a vast number of these unglamourous ships... > These ships are rarely seen in civilian service... Actually, since so many thousands (probably millions over the years) of them have been made, I'd suspect that they'd be all over the place, in most cases, modified beyond recognition. Sort of like liberty ships, or LST's after WWII. The tramp frieghters of the spaceways...you know, the ones that leave oil spots in your starport after they leave ;-) Never underestimate what people will latch onto as useful transportation. If they're so unpopular, surplus ones are dirt cheap, probably cheaper than a free trader, maybe even cheaper than a scout, but I doubt it. This is what are turned into banana boats, or copra freighters, or those freighters that ply the truly poor backwaters of the Imperium. I almost got to live in a LST (Landing Ship-Tank) that had been converted to a coastal frieghter that had been converted to an oyster boat that had been converted to a houseboat; but it would have meant living in New York Harbour during the winter....yeeeesh. But that's probably what'll get done to most of these things. Bruce Johnson Information Technology/College of Pharmacy The University of Arizona xxxxxx@tonic.pharm.arizona.edu As if this place HAD any opinions... Subject: Orrimot-class Ligistics ship - reply [Alvin's comments, 510] > Actually, since so many thousands (probably millions over the years) of them have been made, I'd suspect that they'd be all over the place, in most cases, modified beyond recognition. Well, the Orrimot is just the oldest and the most primitive of the vast (an I mean VAST) array of cargo/refuelers that has been built for the Imperial Navy over the centuries. "Ugly, stinky, and full of odd grinding noises" is the usual shorthand description. Cheap, also, for it's purpose: discounts on the price may hit 80%, since the basic model's so well known. Even it's base price is quite reasonable for a tanker of it's type, as it lacks expensive artificial gravity. For the cash-strapped colonial and planetary navies which need a handy jump-3 tanker/cargo ship, this is the way to go. I would feel that it's unpopularity would stem from the hard-to-find part's and supplies it needs, as it was designed before most of the modern Imperial Naval Part's spec's were set. Fortunately, the Orrimot spec's are usually ancient ancestors to today's spec's, and the relationship is close enough so that, even if you can't find exactly what you're looking for, you can jury-rig something fairly easily. Just don't expect to win any popularity contest with the Orrimot. Even the crew of Morraine free traders - who's TL A design isn't exactly cutting edge technology - enjoy sneering at the Orrimot's obvious hamster cages: "Hamster cages? What museum did you rob? Don't tell me: you Solomani/Humans/Imperials STILL don't get artigrav technology, don't you?" ...ample supply of liferafts: "Ten liferafts? Obviously, you don't QUITE trust your pilot - not that I blame you, seeing the sorry excuse of a landing approach you made..." ...and overall cheapness: "Yeah, just look for the Orrimot. You know, the building with the stubby wings slapped on it's sides. Watch out though, the crystaliron (giggleSNORT) hull's a bit rusty, chunks of it might lick your head if you bang on it too hard..." However, Vilani with a sense of history and tradition (ie: all Vilani) will get a kick of crewing a Orrimot, extolling it's solid, no-nonsense stability and falling in love with it's profoundly ancient control interfaces: "Hey, don't you just LOVE these piloting gauges! I mean, they're practically ANALOG! And I bet the wiring hasn't been changed since the Zhutastu Dynasty!" "Well, I don't know about this software..." "What? WRITTEN CODE?" Shoves doubtful captain aside, looks over code: "Yes! Hold on a minute... maybe it's..." Practically explodes with joy on the bridge "JUMP TAPES! Genuine JUMP TAPES, without any of those cheap modern upgrades!" Captain turns ashen. "You mean we have to buy blindingly expensive jumptapes for every single system we want to visit?" The Vilani engineer - with a delighted gleam in her eye - replies, "Absolutely! Just like in The Good Old Days!" Captain's eyes roll into her head as she crumples to the floor. > Never underestimate what people will latch onto as useful transportation... This is what are turned into banana boats, or copra freighters, or those freighters that ply the truly poor backwaters of the Imperium. And when we say poor, we mean POOR. Actually, until Norris upgraded so many systems, there were several areas within the Spinward Marches where the Orrimot's technology and weaponry was actually superiour to anything locally produced (speaking of civilian ships, of course). Which goes to show why Marchmen were considered the poor and violent hicks of the Third Imperium - any system that can be dominated by an Orrimot is DEFINITELY out of the loop. Overheard in a Gushemege bar, 1109: "The Spinward Marches are so poor, you could conquer half the worlds with nothing but a few Orrimot's and ten FGMP-15's." "The Zho's seem to have a rough time of it..." "No FGMP-15's." > I almost got to live in a LST (Landing Ship-Tank) that had been converted... In the Spinward Marches (pre-Rebellion), there were far more Orrimot's being used as refuellers to support C- and D-level ports then were actually used as cargo ships. (Sometimes, the only difference between them was that if the Orrimot's fuel refining equipment still worked, the port was classified "C": if not, then it was "D") Alvin Plummer "Preserve what we created, Norris, and remember what we stood for." - Strephon, 179-1126 Subject: Orrimot-class [Mark's comments, 512] Thanks Alvin! That was one of the best bits I've read the TML in a while. I needed that chuckle. > Overheard in a Gushemege bar, 1109: > "The Spinward Marches are so poor, you could conquer half the worlds with nothing but a few Orrimot's and ten FGMP-15's." > "The Zho's seem to have a rough time of it..." > "No FGMP-15's." "SNORT!" Colour me 'easily amused'. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- xxxxxx@ultranet.com -- These opinions are mine, no one else wants `em. Driving a Hudson Hornet on the disinformation triple bypass: cruising for burgers & garage sales. Hooks baited, lines entangled, roadkill cooked. http://www.ultranet.com/~eclipse/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Subject: Re: Orrimont [My comments, 513] Dear Folks - > Overheard in a Gushemege bar, 1109: Brilliant, Alvin. I had to apologise for laughing out loud in the library when I read this joke. - Hyphen (David Jaques-Watson) Subject: Orrimot Class Owners [Bruce's comments, 548] Had to get this out before Alvin goes 'poof' again, so he could see it. THESE are the kind of people who pick up those old surplus Orrimot class fleet tenders. Obviously, stuff like this has to take place in the Regency, or some other stable, wealthy area...I suspect that starship collectors don't exist elsewhere ( "you see, in the RC we call 'em Pie-rates, boy!") Bruce Johnson ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------- "The Tender" A quarterly magazine for Antique Starship Enthusiasts Vol 258, No. 3, Pub. 1204/01/12 Glisten, Spinward Marches Contents Editorial 3 'Old friends revisited...The Orrimot special issue' Tech 22 'Main Hub Bearing Rebuilds Done Right' Smokey takes you step by step through this important part of any Orrie rebuild or maintenence. Blueprints are included to machine the hard-to-find outer rim seal sets, and to modify Ensign Industries turret bearings for those of you who can't find original parts. 45 'Never Buy Jump Tapes Again' We install the Strange Trip Industries workstation interface. Can a dropout computer genius really run a starship off a desktop? They call it a kit, but we find that lots of homebrewing is necessary...this ain't a weekend project, folks. 62 'Why Spin?' Lots of people consider it heresy, but face it...CG is a lot more convenient sometimes. We evaluate the 'New Grav' CG adapter system for use on that custom 'mot you have in your stable. Features 69 Interview/Ship Profile. Furthr TT talks, in depth, to Dunstan Englebart, architect of the STI workstation interface. How a renowned programmer/engineer dropped out of a high profile career with Starpoint Systems, found peace and happiness in a starfaring commune, and happened to free antique shipowners from the jump tapes forever. The Furthr is more than the wildly painted home of a odd bunch of interstellar vagabonds...from the city bus sign riveted to it's nose, to the garden taking up the starboard hamster cage, to the sound system running throughout the ship, to the extended airfoils on the tail, the Furthr is a monument to the flexibility and modifiability of the basic Orrie design. We talk to Angus McCorran, Dunstan Englebart and Viroshuggzh Agrizzh, the ship's master, syestem's engineer, and chief engineer, respectively about life on the Furthr, and homebuilding starcraft. 83 Interview/Ship Profile Ramshalassan Vulkuri has won numerous concours d'exellance awards with his meticulously restored Salmoras. Here he tells TT of his long infatuation with Vilani-designed ships, a brief tour of his collection, and details of his restoration of the Salmoras. Gleaming like the day she was launched, the Salmoras stands as an outstanding example of the restorer's craft. First launched in the very earliest days of the Imperium, in 238, she served the fledgling Imperial fleet for 70 years. Ramshalassan Vulkuri found her languishing in a Spinward Marches junkyard, and bought her for next to nothing. That began a 15 year odyssey to find, rebuild or recreate the parts necessary to bring it back to the pristine condition it is in today. Ramshalassan roamed throughout the subsector poking around in junkyards, antique shops and surplus depots in that time. The original Vland to Ershur jump tape set, he says, was his greatest find. It was in a dingy old thrift shop on Gram... Regular Features 5 Mail to the editors Readers sound off on early Scout/Courier history, the Type Y debate...single class or artificial distinction?, Early Tukera insignia. 8 Ask Smokey Smokey answers your tough tech questions. 17 Brill's Rambles Brill covers a tough subject...finding the ROOM for those things in your yard. 91 Bit's 'n Pieces New stuff for the Starship enthusiast 98 Market place Buy sell, or just horsetrade. 107 End Page Sir Movrol N'garsett on the new Regency Salvage Code Subject: Re: TRAVELLER digest 548 [Alvin's comments, 551] > Had to get this out before Alvin goes 'poof' again, so he could see it. Finally got to see it. Wow! > TT talks, in depth, to Dunstan Englebart, architect of the STI workstation interface. How a renowned programmer/engineer dropped out of a high profile career with Starpoint Systems, found peace and happiness in a starfaring commune, and happened to free antique shipowners from the jump tapes forever. A True Hero! > Regular Features: > 5 Mail to the editors: Readers sound off on early Scout/Courier history, the Type Y debate...single class or artificial distinction? Sound's like certain legendary TML debates... [What's Wrong With Traveller comments snipped] Alvin Plummer "Preserve what we created, Norris, and remember what we stood for." - Strephon, 179-1126 -------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------------------- David "Hyphen" Jaques-Watson ..at.. Beowulf Down (Tavonni/Vilis/SM 1520) http://www.tip.net.au/~davidjw xxxxxx@pcug.org.au "I file things in historical order, with a hashing algorithm of gravity"
