Merchant (JumpShip class)

Merchant JS TRO3057r.png
Merchant
Production information
Manufacturer Dover Shipyards[1]

Ioto Galactic Enterprises[2][3]


Kathil Shipworks[4]


Rashpur-Owens Incorporated[2][5]


Stellar Trek[2]

Use Trade
Tech Base Inner Sphere
Cost 400,000,000 C-Bills[6]
Introduced 2503[7]
Technical specifications
Mass 120,000 tons
Length 320 meters
Sail Diameter 950 meters
Fuel 85 tons
Burn Rate 19.75
Top Thrust 0.1 Gs
Sail Integrity 3
KF Drive Integrity 3
LF Battery No
Armament None
Armor 32 tons standard
DropShip Capacity 2
Crew 21[8]
  • 4 Officers
  • 17 Enlisted

(Base Crew Type Requirement)[9][10]

  • 2 Pilots
  • 2 Engineers
  • 4 Secondary Engineers
  • 2 Small Craft pilots[11]

Bay Personnel: 10

Grav Decks 1 x 40 meters diameter
Escape Pods/Life Boats 4/0
Heat Sinks 99 single
Structural Integrity 1
BV (1.0) 496[8][12]

Description[edit]

One of the anchors of interstellar freight shipping, the Merchant class of JumpShips is seen at almost any commercial jump point. The craft is flexible and many are used as military craft.

Due to modifications over the last 550 years since it was introduced, the crew size has shrunk from 40 to 21 and a two[13] or three-station bridge can control the entire vessel. While the initial impression was that the vessel would give more space to the crew, most of the recovered space became cargo storage.[8]

Although the ship is a commonplace design, there seems to be an overall lack of spare parts for the engine power converter,[8][14] and Ioto Galactic Enterprises was unable to produce the class's KF Mark V K-F Drive at their Gibbs site. The ability of the manufacturer to complete the design was theorized to be a converted Star League repair facility and supply depot containing the engines. This dwindling supply of drives was a concern in the mid-3050s.[3] The only JumpShip construction facility in the Capellan Confederation as of 3054, Rashpur-Owens Inc. was able to produce one example of the class every two years.[5] The design is particularly popular in the Lyran Commonwealth, and in the thirty-first century, about 40% of the Inner Sphere's Merchant JumpShips could be found there.[13]

Armament[edit]

The Merchant rarely, if ever, has armaments installed. Equipment described as "anti-meteor systems" could be considered weapons, but due to their inefficiency, they are unable to damage any other vessel.[8]

Cargo[edit]

In contrast to other legacy JumpShip designs that often do not accurately reflect the cargo capacity listed in their text fluff, the figures above can be viewed as being reasonably accurate depending on how much tonnage is relegated to other items such as fuel, food and water, and spare parts.

The class maintains two small craft bays, often a shuttlecraft and a "light fighter."[8]

  • Bay 1: Cargo (330 tons), 1 door
  • Bay 2: Small Craft (2), 2 doors
  • Bay 3: Cargo (327 tons), 1 door

Variants[edit]

The Clans maintain a cache of their own Merchants, though it is not detailed anywhere whether they are new builds, Star League remnants, or indeed if they differ from the Inner Sphere version in any meaningful way.[15][16][17]

There are at least two mentions of Merchant-class vessels featuring three docking hardpoints instead of only two: The Caliban, and one unnamed Merchant that Wolf's Dragoons had rented to carry three Mules DropShips from Robinson to Crossing in 3029.[18] This seems to suggest that a refit, if not a proper variant, exists that increases the Merchant's DropShip carrying capacity from two to three.

It has been noted that because many Merchant-class vessels are privately owned, interior accommodations and equipment vary from ship to ship.[14] A common variation includes a 20-100 ton cargo module to be used as extra lounge space, crew quarters, recreation room, stateroom, or any other pressurized use. A 100-ton module housing 15 additional passengers is explicitly available.[8] The grav deck is also able to be used for crew habitation with modifications.[13]

Named Vessels[edit]

See also: Individual Merchant-class JumpShips

Notes[edit]

  • In German products, the unit's proper name was translated to Händler.

Gallery[edit]

References[edit]

  1. Objectives: Draconis Combine, p. 19, "Manufacturer Profile"
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 DropShips and JumpShips: ComStar Intelligence Summary, p. 15
  3. 3.0 3.1 Objective Raids, p. 81: "Gibbs"
  4. BattleSpace Sourcebook, p. 27: "Ship Construction - JumpShips and WarShips"
  5. 5.0 5.1 Objective Raids, p. 143: "Capella"
  6. Mercenary's Handbook, p. 33: "Cost Table: Merchant"
  7. MUL online date for the Merchant (JumpShip class)
  8. 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 8.5 8.6 Technical Readout: 3057 Revised, p. 94, "Merchant JumpShip Profile"
  9. BattleSpace rulebook, p. 63
  10. DropShips and JumpShips: Operations Manual, p. 41
  11. DropShips and JumpShips: ComStar Intelligence Summary, p. 19
  12. AeroTech 2 Record Sheets, p. 267
  13. 13.0 13.1 13.2 DropShips and JumpShips: ComStar Intelligence Summary, p. 18
  14. 14.0 14.1 Mercenary's Handbook: 3055, p. 23
  15. MUL online date for the Merchant (Clan)
  16. Invading Clans, p. 28: "Clan Ghost Bear: Naval Reserve"
  17. Invading Clans, p. 70: "Clan Smoke Jaguar: Naval Reserve"
  18. NAIS The Fourth Succession War Military Atlas Volume 2, p. 34

Bibliography[edit]