Resurrecting the Vincent (3070)

[Hellraiser]

I got to thinking about the Vincent after some discussions in another thread & wanted to look at a "Block-II" version for the modern era that kept the same cheap, mass produced, "Patrol Ship" feel of the original while making it a more capable design.


I didn't touch the SI, Fuel, Speed, Batteries, Docking Collars, or Gravdeck to try to keep a similar overall feel for the basic structure.


1.  Armor was upgraded from Standard to Improved-Ferro & Maxed out for the SI.
      Its still not thick but she can take a hit or 2 now.
2.  Single NAC10's are now Double NAC20's to give her a "bite".
3.  The Barracudas were upgraded to AR10's & pair added to cover the aft.
4.  Antifighter weapons were added to every arc to bring total to 20.
5.  Number of SHS was Quadrupled.
6.  Screen launcher added to the Rear.
7.  In the biggest single change, a quintet of NL-45's was added to each Aft/Rear arc to give it some solid
       Bracket/AntiFighter/Orbital Bombardment options.
8.  The ASF/SCC compliment went from 6/4 to 18/6.
9.  Finally quarters for a Jump/Marine company was added & Lifeboats/Escape pods increased from 0/8 to 20/40.


Let me know what you think.

                    AeroTech 2 Vessel Technical Readout
                                  VALIDATED

Class/Model/Name:  Vincent-II   Mk-VL
Tech:              Inner Sphere / 3070
Vessel Type:       WarShip
Rules:             Level 2, Modified design
Rules Set:         AeroTech2

Mass:              420,000 tons
Hull:              Templar X-Plate
K-F Drive System:  KF Mark III-c
Length:            402 meters
Sail Diameter:     1,005 meters
Power Plant:       Howser 2G2 "Hotfires" Standard
Safe Thrust:       4
Maximum Thrust:    6
Armor Type:        Delhi 9800 Improved Ferro-aluminum
Armament:         
    4 Maelstrom AR10 Launcher
   42 Cyclops XII ER Large Laser
   10 Mydron Rotary AC/5
   42 MainFire Point Defense AMS
    8 Armstrong NAC/20
   12 Ingrid Systems LRM 20+ArtIV
   20 Thunderbolt-12 Large Pulse Laser
   15 Magna NL45
    6 Grizzard Gauss Rifle
    1 Mirage Systems Screen Launcher
Communications System:  Belden 405M
Targeting & Tracking System:  Ulsop Eagle-Eye 12
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

==Overview:==
        Like most other corvettes, the Vincent Class WarShip was designed as a
patrol vessel and equipped to outgun most pirate vessels. The Vincent was
launched in 2432 and replaced several older craft, most notably the
Bonaventure and Vigilant. The Vincent remained in service with the SLDF until
the Exodus.
        Delhi Ships produced more than 500 of the Vincent Class vessels during
the 300 years preceding the Amaris Coup. The Vincent's roomy design and "smart
modularity" technology make the vessel particularly easy to modify and
upgrade, which has undoubtedly contributed to the Vincent's longevity.
        The Vincent boasts well-equipped crew quarters, an unusual feature for
a patrol craft, as well as a single 60-meter grav deck. The Vincent is not as
well armed or armored as some of the newer corvette designs, such as the
Federated Commonwealth's Fox, but its maneuverability remains superior by any
standard. The Vincent's ability to maintain 2 Gs of thrust for extended
periods allows it to keep up with most DropShips, and its 3-G burst capability
enables the Vincent to outmaneuver all but the most modern WarShips.


==Notable Vessels & Crews:==
3rd Star League Vessels:
4 Squadrons
Alexandria,  Defiance,  Lion King,  Resurrection
Blackbird,  Endurance,  Adm. Michael Jackson,  River Queen
Coupe de Grace,  Far Sight,  Reckoning,  Storm Strike
Bonfire,  Huntsman,  Sky Drake,  Vincent's Price

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Class/Model/Name:  Vincent-II   Mk-VL
Mass:              420,000 tons

Equipment:                                                            Mass 
Power Plant, Drive & Control:                                      100,800.00
Thrust:  Safe Thrust: 4
      Maximum Thrust: 6
Kearny-Fuchida Hyperdrive:  Compact (Integrity = 10)               190,050.00
Jump Sail (Detachable): (Integrity = 4)                                 51.00
Structural Integrity: 40                                            16,800.00
Total Heat Sinks:    1,972 Single                                    1,479.00
Fuel & Fuel Pumps:                                                   2,040.00
Bridge, Controls, Radar, Computer & Attitude Thrusters:              1,050.00
Fire Control Computers:                                                   .00
Armor Type:  Improved Ferro-aluminum  (226 total armor pts)            336.00
                           Capital Scale Armor Pts
   Location:                            L / R
   Fore:                                 35
   Fore-Left/Right:                   40/40
   Aft-Left/Right:                    40/40
   Aft:                                  31

Cargo:
   Bay 1:  Fighters (18) with 4 doors                                2,700.00
   Bay 2:  Small Craft (6) with 2 doors                              1,200.00
   Bay 3:  Cargo (14) with 1 door                                   58,800.00
           Cargo (1)                                                 3,502.00

Grav Deck #1:  (60-meter diameter)                                      50.00
Life Boats:  20 (7 tons each)                                          140.00
Escape Pods:  40 (7 tons each)                                         280.00

Crew and Passengers:
     40 Officers (34 minimum)                                          400.00
    110 Crew (89 minimum)                                              770.00
     60 Gunners (50 minimum)                                           420.00
     66 Steerage Passengers                                            330.00
     63 Marines                                                        315.00
     66 Bay Personnel                                                     .00
Weapons and Equipment      Loc        SRV    MRV    LRV    ERV  Heat    Mass
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2 AR10 (10 KW, 10 WS, 10 B)Nose         *      *      *      *   40  1,700.00
7 ER Large Laser           Nose     6(56)  6(56)  6(56)     --   84     35.00
2 Rotary AC/5(240 rounds)  Nose     4(40)  4(40)     --     --   12     32.00
9 AMS(216 rounds)          Nose        --     --     --     --    9     22.50
2 NAC/20(200 rounds)       FL/R        40     40     40     --  240 10,160.00
6 LRM 20+ArtIV(180 rounds) FL/R    10(96) 10(96) 10(96)     --   72    192.00
7 ER Large Laser           FL/R     6(56)  6(56)  6(56)     --  168     70.00
5 Large Pulse Laser        FL/R     5(45)  5(45)     --     --  100     70.00
2 NAC/20(200 rounds)       L/RBS       40     40     40     --  240 10,160.00
4 Rotary AC/5(480 rounds)  L/RBS    8(80)  8(80)     --     --   48    128.00
5 Large Pulse Laser        L/RBS    5(45)  5(45)     --     --  100     70.00
9 AMS(216 rounds)          L/RBS       --     --     --     --   18     45.00
5 NL45                     AL/R        23     23     23     23  700  9,000.00
7 ER Large Laser           AL/R     6(56)  6(56)  6(56)     --  168     70.00
3 Gauss Rifle(120 rounds)  AL/R     5(45)  5(45)  5(45)     --    6    120.00
5 AMS(120 rounds)          AL/R        --     --     --     --   10     25.00
2 AR10 (10 KW, 10 WS, 10 B)Aft          *      *      *      *   40  1,700.00
5 NL45                     Aft         23     23     23     23  350  4,500.00
1 Screen Launcher(30 scrns)Aft         --     --     --     --   10    340.00
7 ER Large Laser           Aft      6(56)  6(56)  6(56)     --   84     35.00
5 AMS(120 rounds)          Aft         --     --     --     --    5     12.50
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
TOTALS:                                            Heat: 2,504     420,000.00
Tons Left:                                                                .00

Calculated Factors:
Total Cost:        1,888,156,000 C-Bills
Battle Value:      78,055
Cost per BV:       24,190.07
Weapon Value:      33,599 (Ratio = .43)
Damage Factors:    SRV = 2,581;  MRV = 2,353;  LRV = 1,520;  ERV = 540
Maintenance:       Maintenance Point Value (MPV) = 277,857
                   (40,519 Structure, 140,055 Life Support, 97,283 Weapons)
                   Support Points (SP) = 405,030  (146% of MPV) 

[Giovanni Blasini]

I like the added firepower: she's got more guns, but not obnoxiously so, and though I probably wouldn't have gone with so many secondary weapons, the eight large lasers of the original form a precedent (I generally prefer to swap from 8 LLs to 8 NL45s).  The aft-quarters and aft weapons are handy for orbital bombardment, allowing it to hover to a degree, by turning its engines straight down and applying thrust to counter gravity after cutting its orbital velocity, which is nice.  Steerage quarters for the bay personnel is also handy.

[marauder648]

I like the re-working and i'd say the huge glut of small guns makes sense.  After all she's a patrol ship/escort/pirate hunter and most Pirates would at best have a few dropships and some ASFs, so in this case the Mech scale weapons make her a fearsome killer of fighters and allow her to act as a heavy escort for something bigger.

you might be interested in this thread too Hellraiser - http://bg.battletech.com/forums/index.php?topic=57525.0

[Daryk]

As a patrol vessel, I would have more heavily biased the armament toward energy weapons: instead of paired NAC/20s, triple HNPCCs; Laser AMS vice AMS; ER PPCs instead of RAC/5s; etc.

[marauder648]

I dunno, something tells me energy weapons are more maintenance intensive than a projectile weapon and i'd guess more expensive to produce, so a simple NAC makes more sense to me.

[Daryk]

Ammunition handling is much more of a headache than weapon maintenance, at least from what I've seen.

[marauder648]

I guess it depends on the weapon. I'll use the oft cited reference to how absurdly reliable the AK is, but then you look at the British army's SA-80 and think that who ever designed such a gun clearly hated the men who would have to use it. :p 

I'd still say though that a projectile weapon would be more reliable than an energy one, and sure you've got the issue of carrying ammo but that's not really an issue with the cargo space onboard.
And I'm just guessing that energy weapons would be more expensive to produce, and as the Vincent was built to be mass produced, if folks can save money by installing a cheaper system they probably will. 

[Daryk]

I'd buy that if NACs weren't absurdly complicated as fluffed.  Containing a thermonuclear explosion to propel a shell doesn't strike me as simpler than a Naval Laser or PPC.

[Giovanni Blasini]

I'd buy that if NACs weren't absurdly complicated as fluffed.  Containing a thermonuclear explosion to propel a shell doesn't strike me as simpler than a Naval Laser or PPC.

From the sound of it, NACs are easy to build, comparatively, but high maintenance, up to and including needing the barrels swapped out due to the pounding they take firing their shells.  Since that may well be an appreciable mass of the NAC, having to carry a few spare NACs in your cargo hold could explain the need for big cargo holds, too.

[Hellraiser]

you might be interested in this thread too Hellraiser - http://bg.battletech.com/forums/index.php?topic=57525.0

I've seen it & been commenting in there.

[Hellraiser]

As a patrol vessel, I would have more heavily biased the armament toward energy weapons: instead of paired NAC/20s, triple HNPCCs; Laser AMS vice AMS; ER PPCs instead of RAC/5s; etc.

I dunno, something tells me energy weapons are more maintenance intensive than a projectile weapon and i'd guess more expensive to produce, so a simple NAC makes more sense to me.

While I can see both sides of this debate, the simple fact is, this wasn't a ground up redesign or brand new build.

It was an upgrade trying to keep as much of the feel of the original as possible while still being, an UPGRADE.

As such, the old weaponry was a Single NAC10, so I went with Paired 20's v/s changing it over to NPPCs that were never on the design to begin with.

As for endurance,  I always give my NAC's 100 Rounds each in the Magazine.
   Sooooo, yeah, I don't see that ever running out in 1 or even several battles, LOL.

One of the reasons I went with NL's over NPPCs in the aft arcs was because NL's are small slits in the side of the ship v/s NPPCs that require large turrets w/ barrels much like NAC/NGR do.
So just another way of trying to keep the ship "close" to the original in look as well as feel.