The Chaucer-class water hauler is a type of transport spacecraft utilised for harvesting and transporting ice between the worlds of the Sol system. These vessels are enormous behemoths, dwarfing most other ships in size (including dedicated warships), only outclassed by vessels such as Nauvoo. They are used for transporting ice harvested in the outer system (especially Saturn's rings) to ports in the Asteroid Belt, a critical lifeline for maintaining human life in space.[1]
Overview[]
Design details[]
Chaucer-class ships are behemoth vessels fitted with three enormous Epstein Drives, with a crew habitation module at the top of the ship. The crew habitat module has 27 decks with ops, command, officer, crew, gym, galley, and medical facilities for the ship's 14-55 personnel aboard. They are fitted with hangars capable of storing shuttles, skiffs, and drones including a salvage drone, a towing drone, and a repair & resupply drone.[1]
The ships are unarmed, save for a pair of grapplers used for ice harvesting operations, and oftentimes rely on a military escort during dangerous times.[1]
Usage[]
The Chaucer-class began their lives as colony ships intended to transport people and supplies to the outer planets for establishing bases in the outer system. Most are around a century old, and were later sold to companies like Pur'n'Kleen and Krystal Kleer for repurposing as ice freighters. The vast passenger bays and cargo quarters that were a hallmark of their original functions were ripped out and replaced with ice bays and water storage tanks. Most water shipped is generally in solid form, but the ships do have facilities for melting down and storing liquid water for clients who prefer their water in that form.[1]
The sheer age of these ships mean that they are prone to mechanical faults and breakdowns, requiring the engineers and officers onboard the ships to continuously invent new creative ways to keep things running - especially as the cost-cutting measures of their parent companies mean official support is rare.[1]
Ships of the line[]
- Canterbury - owned and operated by the Pur'N'Keen corporation.[Note 1]
Notes[]
- ↑ While not explicitly identified in the text of Ships of the Expanse, the vessel's provided details and name are an obvious homage to Canterbury; Geoffrey Chaucer was the poet who wrote The Canterbury Tales for which the vessel was named after.