The Francis Granger is the standard heavy combat vehicle of the late Ramsay Empire, as well as its many current successor states, all native to the mid periphery world of Ramsay. Named for a famous general from the Empire's almost entirely fictional history, the Francis Granger is a clear symbol of how much value the old Empire placed on appearances over substance. Though it looks impressive to peasants out on the parade ground with a fresh coat of paint, or rolling through a dissenter's house spraying gunfire in every direction, or firing shells roughly the size of a wolf at targets of the Empire's displeasure, the Francis Granger is, from a practical standpoint, a bad vehicle in every concievable way. Poorly thought out, poorly made, and poorly employed by generals chosen for their lineage and connections rather than any practical skill.
The problem starts with the powerplant, a hybrid methanol/gasoline engine that provides poor performance and acceleration, is prone to catching fire, and has been definitively linked to instances of blindness, organ failure, and death among vehicle crews (the asbestos lining of the engine compartment is also linked to cases of asbestosis and cancer among those same crews). On the other hand, fuel is cheap and plentiful, and the powerplant is surprisingly reliable in Ramsay's arctic and subarctic environmment, at least once it is running. Operating manuals recommend starting a small fire at the bottom of the engine compartment to warm up fuel lines and other components prior to activation if the vehicle has not been started in some time. They also helpfully suggest a thorough inspection of the compartment first to ensure none of the fuel or coolant (also methanol based) lines have degraded and begun leaking, for the sake of preventing further damage to military hardware. Historically, Generals have heavily punished both those crews who burn fuel "unnecessarily" by leaving their tanks idling outside of combat, as well as those unable to bring their vehicles to full operation quickly. From the perspective of the Generals, the nightmarish bureacracy of the old empire made it much easier to requisition a replacement for a tank destroyed by an engine fire than to justify "excessive" fuel expenditures.
The main gun doesn't help. Though reasonably powerful and extremely intimidating, the large bore gun and its autoloader occupy an extremely small turret, the top hatch of which provides the only means of ingress and egress. When loading, the autoloader swings into place into the back half of the turret, actually blocking the hatch completely. As often as not, the crew of a damaged or disabled vehicle will find themselves trapped inside until they can be freed by either cutting through or completely removing the turret, and commanders who wish a clearer view of the field of the battlefield might find it necessary to ride out an entire engagement exposed, as hunkering too far down in the hatch or ducking back into the vehicle between shots is an excellent way to find themselves being autoloaded with the next round. Compared to the problems with the main gun, the three secondary heavy machine guns are practically a dream to operate.
Through a casual disregard for practically every safe labor practice, the Ramsay Empire managed to assemble thousands of Francis Granger tanks, organized into divisions composed of ninety tanks and two thousand conscript infantrymen. The ongoing civil war has resulted in the destruction of most of these vehicles, however several factories on Ramsay continue production, fueling the continuing fighting. The Francis Granger is not found anywhere else in known space. A common "space story" suggests that Quickcell briefly considered liscensing the vehicle, but found it failed to meet their quality control requirements, though even this is more likely a myth.
The sole variant of the Francis Granger gives up half its main gun ammunition to make room for a compartment theoretically capable of transporting up to ten men. Passengers describe the experience of riding in one of these transports as "hellish". Troopers are packed arm to arm with no room to sit or move, heat and fumes are often overwhelming, and the compartment places them directly facing the remainder of the main gun ammunition and the automatic feed system, meaning any serious failure is often fatal. Loose shells can crush a soldier, a misplaced hand or arm could be torn off by the autoloader, and of course an explosion means instant death. The only saving grace is, unlike the crew, the aft hatch (widended from the one originally used to load ammunition) is readily accessible.
Design Quirks: Poor Workmanship, Poor Performance, Fragile Fuel Tank
Francis Granger Battle Tank
IS experimental
25 tons
BV: 338
Cost: 279,688 C-bills
Movement: 3/5 (Tracked)
Engine: 75 ICE
Internal: 15
Armor: 64
Internal Armor
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Front 3 18
Right 3 12
Left 3 12
Rear 3 10
Turret 3 12
Weapon Loc Heat
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Heavy Rifle TU 4
Machine Gun FR 0
Machine Gun RS 0
Machine Gun LS 0
Ammo Loc Shots
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Heavy Rifle Ammo BD 6
Heavy Rifle Ammo BD 6
Half Machine Gun Ammo BD 100
