David Scheidt wrote:
On 12/5/05, Onno Meyer <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
Michael replied to me:
Hargrave H-6 Cargo Submarine v1.0 (GURPS Traveller TL5)
The submarine has twin gasoline engines for surface travel, with fuel
for 2,000 nautical miles at 8 knots routine travel speed. Submerged, it
can sustain 2.5 knots for 24 hours or 4.8 knots for 4 hours on battery
power. At routine travel speed, the engines burn 48 gallons of gas per
hour. A full load of fuel is $3,600.
Would such a sub really use gasoline engines? On Earth, some early
20th
Century submarines (such as Holland No. 1) used a gasoline engine for
surface operations, but, by (IIRC) WWI, gasoline engines (requiring
volatile
gasoline, which could lead to fires and vapor explosions while submerged)
were replaced by safer Diesel engines.
WWI is soundly TL6, according to the old TL system. So are diesel
engines. It may be an unfortunate simplification, but for TL5 the
only internal combustion engine is a gas engine.
How do you start a 500+ horsepower gasoline engine without an electric
starter?
Wouldn't a shotgun shell sized (or even larger) gunpowder cartridge
give enough kick and sufficient ignition heat energy to start
a big gasoline engine?
(IRL, some aircraft gasoline engines are started this way.)
I'm pretty sure there never was such a thing at real world TL5.
Agreed.
Then again, at real world TL5 powered submarines weren't around
either.. This is obviously a fictional design for a fictional
setting. In Traveller, low tech worlds are not at all unaware
of higher TL developments, and may well attempt to use different
lower tech means to reach what would usually be considered a higher
tech end - Like a gasoline powered cargo submarine.
Just because it wasn't built in real world history, does not
necessarily mean that it could not have been built in an alternate
timeline..
-Pauli
--
"..The day I joined the military, my father told me: - 'Son,
you're none too bright, and won't be marrying into money either,
but you're human, Earth to Earth and all that.. So show some spine
and come out and stop being a shame on your old man. Mother Earth
needs you today!' .. So I came out and gave the blood sample. Now,
Earth needs me again.."
-Captain Sherrypie of Babel 13,
in 'Star Wreck 6: In the Pirkinning'
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