Miliek Salusa
Shipbuilder
PDC-45 Cetacean-class Mining Cruiser
OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION
- Intent: To create a mining ship.
- Image Source: Ryan Dening - Artstation (The Canterbury from The Expanse)
- Canon Link: N/A
- Permissions: N/A
- Primary Source: N/A
- Manufacturer: PhoenixDrive Shipwright Corporation
- Affiliation:
- PhoenixDrive Shipwright Corporation (Manufacturer)
- Various PhoenixDrive Clientele
- Market Status: Open-Market
- Model: PDC-45 Cetacean-class Mining Cruiser
- Production: Minor
- Material:
- Durasteel Hull Plating
- Duralloy Armor Plating
- Reinforced Impervium Armor Plating At Prow
- Duravlex and Dallorian Alloy (Ph-40 Mining Turrets and Internal Structures)
- Transparisteel Viewports
- Various Shipboard Components (Power Distribution Grid, Heat and Electrical Insulation, etc.)
- Classification: Cruiser
- Role: Mining Vessel / Hub
- Crew Complement (PhoenixDrive Standard):
- ~90 Crewmen
- Numerous Integrated Droid Brains
- Central AI Administration Program
- Numerous Maintenance and Other Support Droids
- Length: 1000m
- Width: 460m
- Height: 450m
- Armament: Low
- Forward Collection Bay:
- [6] Ph-40 Mining Laser Turrets. Asteroid Mining Battery
- [1] Tractor Beam Emitter
- Dorsal:
- [2] Spinally Mounted Medium Ion Cannon Turrets. Anti-Capital Ship Battery
- [12] Ph-30 Point Defense Autocannons. Anti-Starfighter/Ordnance Battery. 6 Toward Port, 6 Toward Starboard
- Ventral:
- [2] Spinally Mounted Medium Ion Cannon Turrets. Anti-Capital Ship Battery
- [10] Ph-30 Point Defense Autocannons. Anti-Starfighter/Ordnance Battery. 5 Toward Port, 5 Toward Starboard
- Port and Starboard:
- [12] Ph-30 Point Defense Autocannons. Anti-Starfighter/Ordnance Battery. 6 Port, 6 Starboard
- Forward Collection Bay:
- Defenses: Average
- Durasteel, Duralloy and Impervium Armor Plating
- [34] Ph-30 Point Defense Autocannons
- Civilian-Grade Light Cruiser-Class Deflector Shields
- Hangar Space: Extreme (11)
- Hangar Allocations: 2 Forward Shielded Hangar Bay Entrances (Parallel to Primary Collection Bay)
- Starfighters: 1 squadron
- Support Craft: 10 squadrons
- Maneuverability Rating: Low
- RCS Thrusters
- Speed Rating: Average
- [9] Ion Sublight Drives. 8 Nacelle-Mounted in Packs of 2. 1 Mounted on Central Axis
- Hyperdrive:
- Primary: Class 2.0
- Secondary: Class 14.0
- Internal Systems (Software)
- Standard Avionics Packages (Communications, Helm Control, Navigation, Etc.)
- Standard Targeting Package
- Shipboard Command and Coordination Interface
- Integrated Droid Brains
- Internal Systems (Hardware)
- Class 2.0 and 14.0 Hyperdrives
- Hypermatter Annihilation Reactor
- Shipboard Security Cameras
- Emergency Force Field Emitters
- Collapsible Blast Doors
- Flight Data Recorder
- Escape Pod Launch Chutes
- Tractor Beam Emitter
- External Systems
- Shield Generator Bulbs. Dorsally Mounted
- Communications and Sensor Clusters
- Ph-30 Autocannons
- Ph-40 Mining Turrets
- Ion-Cannon Turrets
- Targeting Laser Emitters
- Industrial Cranes for Material Collection
- 9 Ion Sublight Drives
- RCS Thrusters
- Shipboard Facilities
- Concealed Command Deck
- Engineering Deck
- Sickbay
- Concealed Cargo Bay
- 5 Outward-Mounted Cargo Bays
- Crew Quarters
- Brig Facilities
- Material Collection Bay. Entrance at Prow
- 2 Shielded Main Hangar Bays. Entrances at Prow
- Central AI Administration Program for Increased Automation
- Extensive Onboard Refinery Bays
- Ammunition Manufacturing Facilities
- Decent Defenses: Though seen as a sitting duck due to its poor maneuverability and large targeting profile, the Cetacean carries a complement of point-defense autocannons and ion cannons in order to defend itself from attacking vessels.
- Hangar Space: A happy side effect of its large size, the Cetacean holds enough internal space to accommodate a total of 11 squadrons of support craft.
- Collection Facilities: The Cetacean’s cavernous forward collection bay allows the cruiser to collect, process, and store extreme amounts of raw material at the same time.
- Ammunition Factory: With the raw material it collects, the barge can fabricate new ammunition for its point defense grid, or for other vessels.
- Low Crew Count: Through heavy automation, the Cetacean’s crew complement can be kept to a mere 90 crewmen.
- Sluggish: Though not particularly unwieldy when moving in a straight line, the Cetacean struggles to make any sort of turn and generally lacks in the department of maneuverability.
- Large Target: 1000 meters long, the Cetacean presents a massive silhouette for attacking vessels to target.
- Exposed Engine Nacelles: Self-explanatory.
- Collection Bay: The Cetacean’s main collection bay is entirely unshielded and presents an ample target for enemy bombardment or for strafing strike craft.
- Heavy Automation: Nice computers you have there. Would be a shame if someone were to… hack them.
- Sitting Duck: Due to the power drain faced when its mining lasers are in use, the Cetacean must disable its deflector shielding and various other defense systems (save for its point defense autocannons) to keep the units under effective operation.
A daily sight is that of mining vessels, breaking from the bustling scene of PhoenixDrive’s shipyards and leaving to scour the belt, collecting a fleet’s-worth of alloys to fuel a fleet’s-worth of vessels. Perhaps the most prestigious of these vessels that the company fields is its Cetacean-class Mining Cruiser.
1000 meters from stem to stern, the Cetacean represents a massive undertaking of resources meant to more than pay for itself with a single expedition. In accomplishing such a feat, the cruiser employs a suite of mining laser turrets mounted on the rim of its collection bay, meant to cut asteroids into chunks manageable for the vessel’s internal processing systems. Within the collection bay, a series of drones and industrial arms are employed to carry harvests into a suite of refinery and storage facilities. Overseeing the Cetacean’s complex equipment is a sizable mixture of organic crewmen, droid brains, and industrial droids, the latter two making up the majority of the cruiser's embarked crew. This highly automated operational profile cuts down on the onboard space necessary to accommodate organic crewmembers, meaning most of the Cetacean's mass can be devoted entirely to collecting, processing, and storing the spoils of its mining expeditions.
