Magellan (JumpShip class)
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Magellan Class JumpShip | |
---|---|
Production information | |
Manufacturer | O'Neil Yards |
Use | Exploration |
Tech Base | Star League |
Cost | (not made available) |
Introduced | 2960 |
Technical specifications | |
Mass | 175,000 tons |
Length | 590 meters |
Sail Diameter | meters |
Fuel | 1,200 tons (6,000) |
Burn Rate | 19.75 |
Top Thrust | 0.1 Gs |
Sail Integrity | 4 |
KF Drive Integrity | 4 |
LF Battery | Yes |
Armament | 4 ER Large Lasers, 4 Large Pulse Lasers, 12 Anti-Missile Systems, 2 LRM-20 with Artemis IV FCS |
Armor | 75 tons |
DropShip Capacity | 1 |
Crew | 20 crew |
Grav Decks | None |
Escape Pods/Life Boats | 8 Life Boats |
Heat Sinks | 110 |
Structural Integrity | 1 |
BV (1.0) | 2,813[1] |
BV (2.0) | ??? |
Description
Produced primarily for ComStar at the O'Neil Yards in the Terran system, the Magellan-class was commissioned by Primus Adrienne Sims for the Explorer Corps, becoming a mainstay of the ComStar JumpShip fleet thanks to its impressive capacity for long-range missions.[2] [3] [4]
Featuring massive fuel tankage for its size, the Magellan can operate for more than 600 days and travel an unprecedented 1200 light years before refueling. However, the lack of a Grav Deck means that gravity must be generated through acceleration, forcing Magellan captains to strike a careful balance between maintaining crew health and the need to curserve fuel. The vessel's cargo hold can hold around 400 tons of food and supplies for crew and passengers. For its role as an explorer, the Magellan is equipped with an advanced medical facility complete with operating theater and isolation ward, containing technology not seen in the Inner Sphere since the fall of the Star League. [2] [3]
The Magellan is also notable as one of the few JumpShips manufactured with a Lithium-Fusion Battery as standard. Per standard Explorer Corps policy the Magellan generally reserves it's second charge for an "escape jump" in case of arrival in hostile space. [2] [3] [4]
Like many ComStar vessels, the Magellan-class carried a sophisticated mobile Hyperpulse Generator allowing it to send messages up to any other HPG within 50 light, be it fully manned HPG station or the automated facilities of the Explorer Corps DRUM network. ComStar meant to protect their technological secrets at all costs, and until the dissemination of HPG technology following the failure of Operation Scorpion, ComStar's First Circuit considered the loss of a Magellan and its crew preferrable over it falling into non-ComStar hands. [2] [3] [4]
Armament
The unassuming Magellan is in fact one of the most heavily armed and armoured civilian JumpShip classes. One ER Large Laser and one Large Pulse Laser each cover the forward and aft firing arc on either side. The bow and stern each mount one LRM-20 launcher slaved to an Artemis IV fire control system. In addition, there are two anti-missile systems in each firing arc. 24 tons of anti-missile ammunition and 4 tons of long range missiles are provided. Even with all this hardware, the Magellan, like all JumpShips, is not a combat vessel and cannot stand up to a prolonged engagement. [2] [3]
Cargo
Designed with long-range exploration in mind, the Magellan received generous amounts of fuel. It is not used for mercantile pursuits, and its 434 tons of cargo space are used to store food, supplies and spare parts for extended missions.[2] [3]
Besides its crew of 20, the vessel accomodates a platoon of marines or explorers in 28 well-equipped staterooms.[2] [3]
Variants
- Magellan MkII - There is one Dark Age era image (wrongly captioned as "Mageallon MkII JumpShip" in earlier editions).[5] It depicts a JumpShip strongly resembling a Magellan, with the Spirit Cats' crest emblazoned on its deployed jump sail; however the jump sail array features six (instead of only four) lines and the jump sail has a distinctly different shape, being perfectly round. Three spheroid shapes are attached to the JumpShip's section marked "grav deck" while a fourth, identical shape is shown as a spacecraft moving away under thrust from what is marked as "docking collar"; the visible arrangement of the shapes suggest a ring of altogether six. It has been officially confirmed[6] that "Mageallon" is a misspelling for Magellan, that no distinct Magellan Mk II class exists, and that it is therefore a (paraphrased) reasonable speculation to assume the Magellan Mk II is a variant of the Magellan, and not an entirely new class unto its own.
Based on the assertion that the Mk II is a variant, it stands to reason that the ship depicted has the same tonnage and dimensions as a regular Magellan. This in turn means it cannot have more than four hardpoints (docking collars). The descriptive text marks only a single hardpoint while marking four of the six jump sail arrays, suggesting the hardpoint capacity was in fact not increased. The speroid vessels do not clearly resemble a particular type of spheroid DropShip and could be K-1 class DropShuttles which are notably capable of docking with hardpoints as well as to Small Craft Bays. This in turn seems to suggest the Magellan Mk II features one hardpoint plus at least five small craft bays (instead of one hardpoint and one small craft bay on a standard Magellan). Its exact configuration remains unknown, however.
Named Vessels
(See Category:Individual Magellan-class JumpShips)
References
- ↑ AeroTech 2 Record Sheets, p. 270
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 Technical Readout: 3057, pp. 100-101 - "JumpShips - Magellan"
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 Technical Readout: 3057 Revised, pp. 98-99 - "JumpShips - Magellan"
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Explorer Corps, p. 17 "The Modern Corps - Vessels and Equipment - JumpShips and DropShips"
- ↑ Technology of Destruction, p. 31
- ↑ Via this thread in the official "Ask the Writers" section on the BattleTech Forum by Ray "Adrian Gideon" Arrastia (Q1: Is "Mageallon" a misspelling for "Magellan"?, A: yes; Q2: Is there a Magellan Mk. II class of JumpShips?, A2: no)
Bibliography
- AeroTech 2 Record Sheets
- Technical Readout 3057, pp. 106-107
- Technical Readout: 3057 Revised, pp. 98-99
- Technology of Destruction