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U.S.S. Enterprise |
Enterpise was built in 1891, second of the Experiment class of heavy ęther cruisers. Enterprise is 365 feet long, 153 feet wide and measures 3,613 tons. For travel between planets, Enterprise's twin Tesla-Westinghouse Ęther Propellers can drive her at a maximum velocity of 4.5 million miles per day. Electricity to power the Ęther Propeller comes from dynamos driven by two triple-expansion steam engines. Since her coal-fired boilers can't be used in space, steam is provided by a parabolic mirror (collapsible for travel in atmosphere) that concetrates solar energy onto a boiler. When in a planetary atmosphere, her steam engines deliver 6000 horsepower to two sets of counter-rotating air screws. Her large rudder fins provide directional control while in atmosphere and double as radiators to dispose of waste heat while in space. Louver slats of Aramian liftwood in the hull, controlled by a complicated arrangement of trim levers, can lift the ship from the surface of a planet to beyond the atmosphere, where her ęther propeller becomes effective. The Experiments are protected (2nd class) cruisers, which means they are lightly armored with the armor concentrated around the vital sections of the ship. Their main armament consists of four eight-inch guns, mounted in two dual ventral turrets, and four six-inch guns, mounted in single dorsal turrets. All are especially designed to work in the airlessness of space. They also are furnished with two launching tubes to accomodate rocket-powered, wire-guided torpedos capable of delivering a 400 pound dynamite warhead at a range of eight miles. They can also mount a number of smaller guns on fixed pintels on her deck when she is in atmosphere. The normal complement is 192 men.
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Specifications: Experiment class ęther cruiser: built by William Cramp and Sons, Philadelphia, Pa.
Ęther drive: Tesla-Westinghouse tuned ęther propellers, providing a maximum velocity of 4.5 million miles per day
Engines: horizontal triple-expansion engines, 6,064 hp
Length: 324 feet, overall length (including the engine nacelles) is 365 feet 5 inches
Beam: 86 feet 6 inches, overall width (including engine nacelles) is 153 feet
Height: 98 feet (not counting the mast)
Weight: 3,613 tons
Airspeed: 35 knots
Ceiling: n/a
Endurance: 160 days
Armament: four 8"/35 caliber breechloading cannon, four 6"/30 caliber breechloading cannon, two 1 lb rapid fire guns, four 37mm Hotchkiss revolving cannon, two Gatling guns, two 21" torpedo tubes
Crew: 192 (16 officers, 154 enlisted, 22 marines).
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Space:1889 is Frank Chadwick's registered trademark for his game of Victorian Era space-faring. He has granted permission for the use of the background of Space:1889 for the stories presented here. All text, illustrations, photographs and design are © 2000-2007 Dan Thompson, except where otherwise noted.
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