Argo (DropShip class)
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- This article is about the DropShip class. For other uses, see Argo.
| |
| Argo | |
| Production information | |
| Manufacturer | Boeing Interstellar[1] |
| Production Year | 2762[1] |
| Use | Mobile base Cargo Carrier |
| Type | Civilian Spheroid[1] |
| Tech Base | Inner Sphere[1] |
| Technical specifications | |
| Mass | 97,000[1] tons |
| Structural Integrity | 40[1] |
| Length | 320[1] meters |
| Width | 215[1] meters |
| Height | 215[1] meters |
| Drive System | ? |
| Safe Thrust | 3[1] |
| Max Thrust | 5[1] |
| Fuel (tons) | 500[1] |
| Fuel (days) | ? |
| Armament |
|
| Armor | ? |
| Crew | 17 officers, 67 enlisted/non-rated, 3 gunners, 66 bay personnel[1] |
| Heat Sinks | 358[1] |
| BV (1.0) | ? |
Contents
Description[edit]
The Argo class of DropShips was an experiment by Boeing Interstellar, conceived to serve as a self-sufficient mobile base to support a flotilla of exploration ships. The idea was for Argo class vessels to follow behind the first wave of explorers into a new system and support surveyor, terraformer and colonizer teams there in the sense of a "shore leave" base and logistical hub. It featured state-of-the-art habitation and an internal cargo conveyor system that could ferry equipment and vehicles between the cargo bays and several docked vessels. As it is unable to land, the Argo cannot deploy ground vehicles (or 'Mechs) itself.[1]
For its long-term mission profile where it would stay in new, unsettled systems for months on end and where the crew would live on the ship for years if not decades at a time, the Argo was fitted with a folding grav-deck design with three habitation pods, one of them reserved for passengers and temporary guests. It features three MASH medical theaters, larger-than-usual quarters and passenger accommodation, recreational areas, fitness centers, and extensive hydroponic gardens. It also features a Multiple Docking Collar System (MDCS).[1]
The Amaris Civil War that began only three years after the first Argo vessel embarked on its shakedown voyage (and was subsequently lost), and the subsequent Succession Wars, made Boeing Interstellar abandon the design and repurpose their Galax shipyards for wartime production.[1]
Armament[edit]
A very large peacetime exploration ship lacking any significant weaponry and featuring only paltry armor, thrust and maneuverability, the (theoretical) main defense of the Argo would be aerospace fighters launched from its six small craft cubicles.[1] It also features twelve BattleMech cubicles.[1]
Cargo[edit]
The Argo has a cargo capacity of 57,039.5 tons to support explorer missions and help establishing new colonies.[1] The aforementioned six small craft cubicles and three MDCS Docking Collars allow the Argo to carry a small fleet of support DropShips and small craft.
Quirks[edit]
- Un-streamlined; the Argo is explicitly described as "too large to land on a planet, much like the similar-sized Behemoth."[1]
- Large DropShip[1]
- Grav Deck; unusually for a DropShip, the Argo features a set of three habitation modules, capable of folding backwards for thrust-gravity, but when deployed, can rotate around the Argo's center axis. This, for all intents and purposes, acts as a DropShip Grav Deck for the Argo. Any critical hits against "Side/Cargo" will result in a cargo critical hit on a d6 roll of 1-3, and a Grav Deck critical hit on a roll of 4-6.[1]
- Multiple Docking Collar System[1]
Named Vessels[edit]
Only two prototype Argo-class vessels existed, and only one of them ever slipped its moorings. This prototype, also named Argo, dropped out of contact during its maiden voyage in the Deep Periphery. The other prototype, Myrmidon, was broken down for parts before being fully completed.[1]
Canonicity[edit]
The Argo was created for the BattleTech video game by Harebrained Schemes LLC, but it has since been properly canonized through its write-up in the (fully canonical) House Arano (The Aurigan Coalition) sourcebook, with some changes (see Notes below).
Notes[edit]
- The canonical Argo class differs slightly from the original design for the computer game. Most importantly, the canonical mass is 97,000 tons instead of 100,000 tons as stated in the computer game.
- The original (apocryphal) write-up clearly stated that the Argo class was built at Boeing Interstellar's Galax shipyards, with the first ship launched in 2762. This seems to be an anachronism, however, as the Galax shipyards were still under construction as of 2765 according to Field Report 2765: AFFS, p. 6: "Infrastructural Integrity." To reconcile this apparently contradicting information it could be assumed that the shipyards under construction were the WarShip yards which were either being built from scratch, or by expanding and refurbishing the yards that had previously been used to build the Argo.
- At the time of its construction, the Argo was one of the largest DropShips ever constructed. At least one functional prototype of the 100,000 ton Behemoth class existed as of 2658, but the design would not be finalized until 2782.
Gallery[edit]
Argo-class DropShip
Argo-class DropShip in orbit
Argo concept art (apocryphal)
Concept animation showing the folding grav deck of the Argo (apocryphal)
Concept animation showing the rotating grav deck of the Argo (apocryphal)
References[edit]
Bibliography[edit]
- BattleTech (Video Game) - apocryphal
- BattleTech Kickstarter update by Harebrained Schemes LLC (8 March 2016) - apocryphal
- House Arano (The Aurigan Coalition)