Sea Skimmer
Sarna News
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| Sea Skimmer Hydrofoil | |
| Production information | |
| Manufacturer | Skye Pleasure Craft Limited |
| Mission | Littoral Combat Ship / Patrol Ship |
| Type | Hydrofoil Naval |
| Cost | 626,667 C-bills |
| Technical specifications | |
| Mass | 25 tons |
| Armor | Glasgow Limited Standard |
| Engine | 150 Skye Engines Naval I.C.E |
| Speed | 194.4 km/h |
| Crew | 4 |
| Armament |
|
| BV (1.0) | 195[1] |
| BV (2.0) | 281[1][2] 288[3] |
Description
The Sea Skimmer has a very specific combat role: on planets whose surfaces contains large bodies of water, counter-insurgency operations and civilian shipping protection is often required. Normally local forces would use land-based hovercraft or armed civilian ships, as these are quite inexpensive in comparison to designing and building a dedicated water craft. With very few wet navy ships around, it was surprising to see a new design emerge on the planet Skye in 2687, the result of bored young rich men wishing to wear fancy uniforms and avoid being drafted into the LCAF. Members of the New Glasgow Yachting Club, they contracted Skye Pleasure Craft Ltd. to build twelve Sea Skimmers and convinced the LCAF, thanks in part to some of their "social general" fathers, to create the 348th Reserve Detachment of the Skye Militia. When the Draconis Combine invaded Skye in 2895, despite expectations the 348th and their Sea Skimmer vessels acquitted themselves well. Still, the last two operational Sea Skimmers were lost in a suicide mission to defend the city Inverness from a DCMS breakthrough by using one-kiloton nuclear demolition charges to destroy a dam and flood the Mantty River Delta. The design would continue to be used afterward, including a number of official and unofficial variants.[1]
The Sea Skimmer is a typical hydrofoil craft, using a standard displacement hull with three mounted wings, or foils, on the bow, port and starboard sides of the vessel. Retracted when operating a low speeds, the foils are lowered to lift the hull up out of the water and allow the ship to travel at high speed in excess of 190 kph.[4][1][2]
Armament
Designed to quickly close with pirates and operate in a counter-insurgency role, the Sea Skimmer's turret-mounted Coventry 4 Tube Missile System allows a 360 degree field of fire. To provide protection against infantry the Sea Skimmer mounts Sperry Browning Machine Guns on the port and starboard sides as well as the stern.[4][1][2]
Variants
- Sea Skimmer (SRM) - This unofficial modification removes the Sperry Browning Machine Guns and replaces them with an SRM-2. Also, the turret-mounted Coventry 4 Tube Missile System SRM-4 is downgraded to an SRM-2 to save room and share ammunition. BV (2.0)= 363 (SRM-2)[5], BV (2.0)= 321 (SRM-6)[6]
- "Sniper" Sea Skimmer - This prototype carries a single Extended LRM-5 in the turret. To make room for the launcher, the "Sniper" removes all of the close-in weaponry, trades the ICE engine for a Fusion Engine, and reduces the armor protection to two tons of Heavy Ferro-Fibrous armor. Though it retains the high speed of the original Sea Skimmer, the Sniper's paper thin armor and lack of close range weaponry relegates it to shore bombardment duties. BV (2.0) = 322[7]
- Sea Skimmer (ELRM) - This version of the Sea Skimmer uses a Fusion engine, but reduces the top speed to 150km/h. Three tons of Heavy Ferro-Fibrous armor provides protection. The hydrofoil's only weapon is a single Extended LRM-10, fed from a two ton ammunition bay. This may limit its role to fire support, but it's still a valuable unit. BV (2.0) = 556[8]
Gallery
Sea Skimmer (TRO3039)
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Technical Readout: 3026 Revised, pp. 28-29, "Sea Skimmer Profile"
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Technical Readout: 3039, pp. 36-37, "Sea Skimmer Profile"
- ↑ Record Sheets: 3039, p. 18
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Technical Readout: 3026, pp. 24-25, "Sea Skimmer Profile"
- ↑ Record Sheets: 3039, p. 18
- ↑ Record Sheets: 3039, p. 18
- ↑ Experimental Technical Readout: Corporations, p. 10
- ↑ Technical Readout: Prototypes, p. 35