Tramp

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Tramp Class JumpShip
Production information
Manufacturer	SelaSys Inc.
Use	Mercantile, Military
Tech Base	Star League
Cost	770,000,000 C-Bills
Introduced	2754
Technical specifications
Mass	250,000 tons
Length	660 meters
Sail Diameter
Fuel
Burn Rate
Top Thrust	0.1 Gs
Sail Integrity
KF Drive Integrity
LF Battery	(only on Clan vessels)
Armament	8 ER Large Lasers, 12 Anti-Missile Systems
Armor	???
DropShip Capacity	3 (4 on Clan vessles)
Crew	21 crew
Grav Decks	1 (140m diameter)
Escape Pods/Life Boats	5 Escape Pods
Heat Sinks	0 + 122
Structural Integrity
BV (1.0)	???

Description

The Tramp class JumpShip is similar in size to the vastly more common Star Lord class, but can only carry half the number of DropShips (three compared to six). Most shipyards chose to build the more popular Star Lord instead. Since it is armed, the Tramp was a success among periphery traders when it was first launched in 2754 but never built in large numbers and eventually phased out, being produced only sporadically throughout the Succession Wars.

Almost three centuries later SelaSys Incorporated, who already produced the Star Lord at Loyalty in the Free Worlds League, chanced on the old design specifications for the Tramp and found that the similarity in size between the two meant drastic savings in tooling up their shipyards to produce the Tramp as well. Their first prototype Tramp was launched in 3046. Production was halted in 3052 when a fault in the drive coils of the first eleven ships built was found and the ships had to be recalled for refit. This damaged the design's reputation. Production resumed in 3055, and by 3057, altogether fourteen craft had been built.

Armament

Designed as traders in the "wilder" parts of the periphery, Tramps are among the most heavily armed civilian JumpShips, mounting eight ER Large Lasers and altogether twelve Anti-Missile Systems with ample ammunition. Still, they should avoid combat since their armor is very thin. They also lack integral fighter support; the vessel's two small craft bays are unsuitable for the majority of fighter designs currently produced.

Cargo

The standard Tramp has two Small Craft bays and can carry 2834 tons of cargo.

Variants

The Clans, most notably Clan Nova Cat, operate Tramp class ships that make use of a Lithium-Fusion Battery and mount a fourth Docking collar, greatly reducing the internal cargo capacity. Since these ships are thought to be Star League-era vessels it could be speculated that this layout was the original version of the Tramp, and that SelaSys only produced a downgraded version.

Notable vessels

• Lucretia - Owned by Interconnectedness Unlimited, this Tramp-class vessel was heavily modified with two permanently attached Mule-class DropShips and (it is implied) a Lithium-Fusion Battery. Effectively a space-borne habitat and working environment for hundreds of scientists, it is thought to have been the first vessel to mount the experimental Super-Jump Drive that IU produced around the year 3000. The Lucretia reportedly met its end in the star of an unnamed system. (Source: Jihad Conspiracies: Interstellar Players 2, pg. 126/127)

• Sanibel - An old vessel from the Star League era (and not from SelaSys' resumed production run since 3046). As of May 3057, the Sanibel was under the command of privateer Captain Anton Kaiman, but he had made a habit of deliberately misleading people into thinking he was working for the space pirate "Red Eye" Laudin. (Source: BattleCorps story Pirates of Penance)

• Ironclad - This is the JumpShip that the protagonists of the Fallout comics used to escape from the Clan attack on Somerset to Star's End in 3050, as depicted in Fallout #1: Last chance on Star's End. The Ironclad was shown to suffer very heavy asteroid damage in the comic and was later reported destroyed with all but one of its DropShips in the Star's End system. (It should be noted that, although they are an official and licensed publication, the canonicity of the Fallout comics is disputed.)

References

• Technical Readout 3057 - pp 104-105