Ship classes
Ships in the T-Space stories are often identified by type or class, instead of or in addition to name. In later stories (after the first expeditions, when interstellar travel has become more routine), ships are identified by both a letter class (eg S-class) and/or a model name (for example, Sapphire or Sandquist). There is no requirement for the model name to have the first letter, and indeed for some classes (eg Y, IP) it makes little sense, but it is a common convention.
Starship Classes
V class
An older class of ship, first after the original ships of the original Alpha Centauri expedition. The original three were the Endeavour, Victoria and Vostok (reference: Alpha Centauri: The Return). These were the first ships capable of landing on and taking off from the surface of a planet without detaching the warp drive systems, thanks to their high-impulse plasma thrusters and compact fusion power supplies.
Y class
A medium-large sized ship, sometimes equipped for passengers or cargo, often built as the equivalent of "luxury yachts", with better accommodations for the owner and guests than a smaller ship.
Example: Carcharodon
C class
Medium sized, similar to Y class. Designed for cargo but smaller than IC or X class.
Example: Cerulean Cloud
Black's ship Mandragore is a modified C class with some of the cargo volume given over to extended range tankage. (ref The Centauri Surprise)
S class
Smaller ships, for extended scouting (with more interior volume given over to fuel) or medium range cargo and passenger runs. Sometimes personal spacecraft.
Sapphire
One of the most common S class vehicles, with a long history. Used by both Jason Curtis and Jackie Roberts. Adaptable and with a good reputation.
Sandquist
Slightly larger than a Sapphire, with a different configuration. Warp pods are mounted on wing tips which pivot downwards in space to provide appropiate spatial configuration for the warp field. Slightly less range than a typical Sapphire.
Example Razgon
Staravelle
(Or is this big enough to be Y class?) Designed around a large central cargo bay with a ventral loading ramp and four telescoping legs. ((Shades of Thunderbird 2))
I Series
The I designation is not used as a standalone, but denotes a common hull and powerplant combination used by both short- and long-haul passenger and cargo ships, larger than Y class. The interior volume is arranged differently for the following sub-classes:
IL class
Interstellar cruise liners intended for shorter range trips (notably, the Earth - Alpha Centauri route, although they could also accommodate Tau Ceti - Epsilon Eridani if traffic warranted). Needing less fuel, much of the interior volume comprises passenger compartments and a common lounge/entertainment area. Could be temporarily modified (e.g. using internal fuel bladders in some of the passenger areas) for longer range ferry.
Example: Southern Sky
IP class
Like cruise liners but with more interior space given over to fuel, and with passenger space largely allocated to hibernation pods, allowing for more passenger capacity. Larger than Y-class but shy of the maximum theoretical volume for a translight warp bubble. Typically 20 to 30 hibernating passengers, several non-hibernating, crew of four (??), and cargo space for the passenger's effects.
IX class
Extended range ships, with characteristics of both IL and IP classes. Liner-like accommodations, but fewer in number than IL class, with the range of IP class but less volume given over to hibernation pods. Variations on this class are used as research ships with a larger crew and lab space.
Example: Arabelle. The Deep Star ships on the Eta Carinae expedition were similar.
IC class
Similar in hull configuration to IL and IP classes, with with most interior volume configured as cargo space rather than for passengers.
X class
Largest configuration. Designed for large cargoes (heavy machinery, construction equipment, etc) best shipped in one piece rather than in parts. Limited range due to fuel/volume tradeoffs. A few military versions (XM) are fitted with anti-matter engines for extra range.
Table
(This is a work in progress.)
| Name | 1st Referenced | Owner | Owner/Captain | Class | Range ly | Crew/Pax | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Robert A. Heinlein | First Landing | US | Franklin Drake | Heinlein | 5 | ||
| Xing Hua | First Landing | China | Lee Shing | Xing Hua | 5 | ||
| Chandrasekhar | First Landing | India | Anderson | 5 | 5 | ||
| Krechet | First Landing | Russia | Dmitri Tsibliev | Anderson | 5 | 5 | |
| Poul Anderson | First Landing | US | Anderson | 5 | 5 | ||
| Jules Verne | First Landing | Europe | Anderson | 5 (mod to 10?) | 5 | ||
| Xinglong Hua | First Landing - Epilog | China | Lee Shing | Longzi (Dragon) | > 10.5 | First to land on E Eridani II | |
| Tianlong Hua | First Landing - Epilog | China | Longzi (Dragon) | > 10.5 | |||
| Endeavour | The Return | CentPharm | Franklin Drake | V prototype | |||
| Victoria | The Return | US | V-class | ||||
| Vostok | The Return | Russia | V-class | ||||
| Starfire | Into the Fire | Private | Jason Curtis | Sapphire | 20 | 6 | |
| Chandrasekhar* | Chara Talisman | Drake Univ. | Gupta | Sapphire | 20 | 6 | Not the First Landing ship of same name |
| Sophie | Chara Talisman | Private | Jackie Roberts | Sapphire | 20 | 6 | Formerly Surprise. Modifed after Chara |
| Rockhopper | Chara Talisman | Pet | |||||
| Hawk | Chara Talisman | Private | Hopkins | ||||
| Star Wind | Chara Talisman | Velkaryan | Maynard | ||||
| Charcharodon | Reticuli Deception | Velkaryan | Vaughan | Y-class | |||
| Razgon | Eridani Convergence | Taprobane | Sandquist | ||||
| Grande Hermine | A Rising Tide | US/UDT | V-class ? | “long range ship” - Discovers Taprobane | |||
| Celestial Princess | Chara Talisman | Spaceline | IL-class | ||||
| Southern Sky | Reticuli Deception | Spaceline | IL-class | ||||
| Dragonfly | Reticuli Deception | Charter | S-class ? | ||||
| Valiant | A Rising Tide | Spaceline | V-class | ||||
| Southern Cross | A Rising Tide | Spaceline | |||||
| Vanguard | A Rising Tide | US/UDT | Vukovich? | V-class (mod) | Modified for extended range (V+) | ||
| Deep Star 1-4 | Renee | UDT | IX-class | ||||
| Cerulean Cloud | Eridani Convergence | Private | Andrei Sarsfield | Andrei is Jackie’s old co-pilot. Ship co-owned with his partner Ben | |||
| Mayflower | Eridani Convergence | Spaceline | IP-class | immigration ship | |||
| Speedwell | Eridani Convergence | Spaceline | IP-class | immigration ship | |||
| Hopewell | Spaceline | immigration ship | |||||
| Arabella | Raven’s Rift | Spaceline | Roberts is XO | IX-class | |||
| Mandragore | Centauri Surprise | UDT/DHS | Black (not pilot) | C-class (mod) | |||
| Seraphim* | Pavonis Insurgence | fake name | Jackie Roberts | Fictitious name for covert op. | |||
| Confirmation Bias | Survey | S-class | |||||
| Facts to Fit the Theory | Survey | S-class | |||||
| Talon | Centauri Surprise | Space Force | |||||
| Warlock | Centauri Surprise | Space Force | |||||
| Vigilant | Centauri Surprise | Space Force | |||||
| Vulcain | Centauri Surprise | Space Force | |||||
| Scorpion | Centauri Surprise | Space Force | |||||
| Antares | Centauri Surprise | Space Force | |||||
| Sirius | Centauri Surprise | Space Force | |||||
| Tonnant | Centauri Surprise | Space Force | |||||
| Viper | Centauri Surprise | Space Force | |||||
| Velociraptor | Centauri Surprise | Space Force | |||||
| Ophion | Centauri Surprise | Spaceguard | misnamed? Ophion is not a Nereid, but a serpent, mate of Eurynome | ||||
| Phorcys | Centauri Surprise | Spaceguard | (aquatic deity) | misnamed? Phorcys is uncle to the Nereids | |||
| Thetis | Centauri Surprise | Spaceguard | Nereid | ||||
| Dynamene | Centauri Surprise | Spaceguard | Nereid | ||||
| Cymodoce | Centauri Surprise | Spaceguard | Nereid | ||||
| Galene | Centauri Surprise | Spaceguard | Nereid | ||||
| Pherusa | Centauri Surprise | Spaceguard | Nereid | ||||
| Glaucus | Centauri Surprise | Spaceguard | (aquatic deity) | misnamed? Nereids are Gluace or Glauconoma | |||
| Amphitrite | Centauri Surprise | Spaceguard | Nereid | ||||
| Utahraptor | Pavonis Insurgence | Velkaryan | Raptor | ||||
| Dakotaraptor | Pavonis Insurgence | Velkaryan | Raptor | ||||
| Velociraptor* | Pavonis Insurgence | Velkaryan | Raptor | Not the same as the Space Force ship. | |||
| Atrociraptor | Pavonis Insurgence | Velkaryan | Raptor | ||||
| Surprise* | Chara Talisman | Private | before Jackie | Renamed to Sophie when Roberts acquired it. | |||
| unknown | Renee | unknown | unknown | Staravelle | Terrorist’s ship, not named in story | ||
| unknown | Pavonis Insurgence | unknown | unknown | Staravelle | Found abandoned at Gliese 832 |