Guide:Kethkin
.png)
| |
| Kethkin | |
|---|---|
| Class Overview | |
| Category | light fleet tug |
| Operational | 2270-2321 |
| Constructed | 128 (built 2270 - 2275) |
| Dimensions | |
| Length | 126.1 m |
| Beam | 166.0 m |
| Height | 60.2 m |
| Mass | 124,300 mt |
| Performance | |
| Cruise Speed | w 5.0 |
| Tow Speed | w 5.0 |
| Max Speed | w 7.0 |
| Endurance | 1 year |
| Complement | |
| Officers | 4 |
| Enlisted | 30
|
| Cargo |
|
| Tactical Systems | |
| Shields |
|
| Transporters |
|
| Auxiliary Craft |
|
| Historical | |
| Ships of Note |
|
| Canonicity | |
| Design | FASA |
| Name | FASA |
| History | FASA
|
Background: Hobbyist's Guide
Even though Star Fleet engine designers understood that linear excitation technologies would at first be useful in a narrow range of applications only, the operational leadership believed strongly in the overall appeal of the breakthrough. Immediate refit programs were initiated on the escort fleet, for example; even obscure auxiliary types such as buoy tenders were cleared for receiving the LN-61 warp engine. One could thus perhaps have expected Logistics Command to begin refitting its Ohio and Mo'Kal class light tug force as well, at the maximum rate allowed by LN-61 production.
However, here a different choice was made. Realizing the great potential of the new engine in field malleability as well as the usually quoted speed and endurance, Rear Admiral Owen Parkes personally called for the design and construction of a tug capable of handling two containers while only mounting one LN-61 unit. An upgrade from Ohio to Mo’Kal performance (warp five cruising under quarter a million tons of load, albeit with abysmal acceleration and maneuverability) merely called for sufficient input power to the new superengine. And a pair of RMR-220 units would in theory be enough to provide that power, well matching the twofold construction to be applied elsewhere on the vessel.
Creation of the single-nacelle tug started with cutting a Mo’Kal hull in half along the centerline. A potent power and propulsion package was then inserted in the middle, more or less doubling the width as well as height of the vessel. A navigational deflector at the very bow, a ventrally mounted nacelle, and a dorsal impulse section all received their power from the pair of reactors in a horseshoe housing at the very heart of the ship. Primary plasma conduitry ran along a sturdy vertical centerline pylon, while additional supports between the dorsal pod and the reactor bulges offered surface area for intercoolers, and the ends of the horseshoe protruded aft past the main hull to provide clearance for plasma expanders and antimatter vents.
The cargo containers would again be rigged to the ship by articulated docking adapters, this time mounted at the port and starboard extremities of the hull. In addition to optimally positioning one or two fully-loaded containers for towing, the cargo slings could hold a gaggle of three empty containers each, or grip various nonstandard loads up to a total mass of 325,000 tons. For assisting in maneuvering the loads in place, twin hangars on the dorsal pod berthed up to six potent "mule" drones. The system greatly increased the flexibility of the tugs, as well as providing welcome independence from port assets.
Automation was paramount to keeping the tugs economical in other respects as well. Crew size remained at Mo’Kal level, and deep space navigation was made more reliable than before. Also, while there was no hope of bringing the sluggish, unarmed and lightly shielded vessels along for fleet maneuvers, there was at least full compatibility with modern C3I systems, unlike with Ohio units.
Production commenced in 2270 already, and eventually stabilized at 28 units per year to allow the total of 128 hulls to be launched in little over half a decade. Essentially, the new Kethkin class reached the combined numbers of Ohios and Fishers remaining in service, while carrying twice the load. This tripled capacity barely met Star Fleet’s needs at the time, there being major inefficiencies involved in hauling half-empty containers back and forth or securing a pair of fully loaded pods for each Kethkin sortie. Yet the fleet benefited significantly from not having to streamline the logistics of "tare shuffling": as long as the Kethkins provided cheap overcapacity for moving the containers around, Logistics Command could concentrate on optimizing the use of heavy tugs in delivering the actual shipments.
When modern heavy towing assets finally began to glide out of construction docks in the late 2290s, Star Fleet’s theater of operations had grown sufficiently to justify the full Kethkin numbers even under optimal logistical arrangements. Ohio retirement had already turned light tug numbers to a shallow decline after the peak years of the 2280s; there was constant demand for the Kethkins across the turn of the century, and a real need for a successor could be predicted for the 2320s.
However, advances in mercantile and theater logistics were already spelling the end of standard container operations. By the time the issue of Kethkin retirement became acute, flexible commerce and supply across medium and long ranges was already independent of standard containers. Thanks to ship-specific modular holds and advanced logistics AIs, there no longer existed a need to "haul tare" across the Federation. Lacking internal cargo space, tugs of Kethkin design philosophy had no role to play in this new reality, and were retired and scrapped in an orderly fashion by 2321.
.png){kind=small}
.png){kind=small}
.png)