French Algérie Submarine:
Because the French government had not upgraded much of its military during the first half of the Twenty-First century, the state of their forces dropped to deplorable levels. The majority of their equipment was old, worn-out, and outdated. The resurgence of colonial Britain in 2055 "woke up" the French government and made them realize that they had lost their status as a world power. To make up on lost ground, the French government funded and enormous military build-up program to re-equip its military in all areas. The army, navy, and air force all received funding for projects, especially those dedicated to colonial expansion and enhancing global presence.
However, with the enormous costs of developing and building over a dozen new military designs as well as upgrading many older designs with new weapons, sensors, and MDC protection, funds for new programs were very tight in the 2050's through the 2070's. As a result, the French navy had opted to produce a dedicated fast attack submarine for its fleet with plans to build a new line on multi-mission submarines when sufficient funding was available. The results were a dozen excellent Saphir class attack submarines. However, these boats were not ever intended for littoral combat operations or Special Forces support. They were ill-equipped to handle these missions and were never assigned them. As a result, the French navy lagged behind the other major powers of the world when it came to these sensitive missions for two decades. Funding came available for the development of a new class of littoral combat submarine in the 2080's. Christened the Algérie class, the submarines were to be highly capable boats with intended use in both coastal regions and open seas areas of operation.
Learning from the Saphir, British Upholder, and American Swordfish classes, the Algérie class was large, well armed with significant advancements to reduce maintenance and operating costs and manning requirements. The Algéries were tear-drop shaped like most submarine designs and were only slightly shorter than the British Upholder and US Tigershark classes, making them among the largest fast attack submarines built. Like most advanced submarines, stealth was the most important feature of the vessel. The vessel was fitted with a pump jet propulsion system along with a variety of engine quieting systems to reduce the vessel's noise in the water. To further increase this, the vessel was covered by sound absorbing materials. All weapon systems were designed to either retract or are covered to reduce any drag that they would cause. Sensor systems were some of the most advanced in the world and incorporated both a hull mounted active and passive array, as well as a very sensitive towed sonar array.
Weapon systems are similar to those carried in most late Twenty-First Century submarines. Three torpedo tubes were located along each side of the hull for a total of six tubes. Reloading itself was done by a fully automated magazine. There was no human help needed for that, and in fact the torpedo room was only accessible to humans for the unlikely event that maintenance was needed during deployment. The vessel also carries four cruise missile launchers for use against ground targets and four long range missile launchers against both air targets and ground targets. For self-defense, the vessel had pair of retractable blue-green laser turrets forward of the long-range missile launchers and after of the cruise missile. These mounts are the same laser mount designs that were first mounted in the Saphir class submarines. The submarines also carried torpedo decoys and noisemakers to attempt to trick incoming torpedoes.
The Algéries class was designed for supporting Special Forces operations and was designed to carry 20 troops with Lafayette power armor or 35 troops, in standard body armor types. The troops were launched in a special lock system that allowed them to be launched without any loud noises. The submarine's crew was reduced as much as possible with the use of automation and consisted of seventy-eight enlisted, twelve chief petty officers, and ten officers. Still, the relatively small crew meant for more space per crew member although the boats were still very cramped compared to surface vessels.
Model Type: Algérie class
Class: SSN
Crew: 100; 10 Officers, 12 Chief Petty Officers, and 78 Enlisted
(Has a high degree of automation)
Troop Capacity: 20 (With Lafayette Power Armor) to 35 (Without
power armor)
Robots, Power Armors, and Vehicles:
| 20 | Lafayette Power Armor |
M.D.C. by Location:
| Retractable Laser Cannon Turrets (2): | 200 each | |
| Vertical Long-Range Missile Launchers (12, Bow of Submarine): | 225 each | |
| Cruise Missile Silo Hatches (8, aft of sail): | 275 each | |
| 21 Inch (533 mm) Torpedo Tubes (6, Sides of submarine): | 200 each | |
| [1] Bow Planes (2): | 250 each | |
| [2] Pump Jet Propulsor (1): | 500 | |
| Main Sail: | 800 | |
| [3] Main Body: | 3,400 |
Notes:
[1] Destroying the submarine's bow planes will reduce the submarine's
ability to change depths but will not eliminate it. It also makes it difficult
for the submarine's crew to control the submarine giving a penalty of -25%
to all piloting rolls.
[2] Destroying the submarine's Pump Jet Propulsion causes serious problems.
The submarine will no longer be able to use forward momentum and the bow
planes to keep the submarine level. It is recommended that ballast takes
are immediately blown so submarine comes to surface.
[3] Depleting the M.D.C. of the main body destroys the submarine's
structural integrity, causing it to sink. If the submarine is underwater,
the entire crew will die unless protected by environmental armors that
can withstand the pressure that the submarine is under. If on the surface,
there are enough flotation devices and inflatable life rafts to accommodate
everyone aboard.
Speed:
Water Surface: 33 knots (38 mph/ 61.2 kph)
Underwater: 40 knots (73.6 km/46 mph)
Maximum Depth: 1.9 miles (3.0 km)
Range: Effectively Unlimited due to fusion engines (needs to
refuel every 25 years and requires maintenance as well). Vessel carries
10 months of supplies for crew and troops on board.
Statistical Data:
Height: 66.7 feet (20 meters)
Width: 33.3 feet (10 meters)
Length: 383.3 feet (115 meters)
Displacement: 7,500 tons
Cargo: 50 tons of nonessential equipment and supplies (normally
used for equipment for marines). Each enlisted crew member has a small
locker for personal items and uniforms. Ships officers have more space
for personal items. Most of the ship's spaces are taken up by extra ammo,
armor, weapons, and engines.
Power System: Nuclear; average energy life of 30 years. Normally
refuels every 15 years
Market Cost: Not for sale; many nations and organizations would
pay hundreds of millions of credits for a new and undamaged Saphir class
submarine.
Weapon Systems:
Special Systems:
The submarine has all systems standard on a robot vehicle plus the
following special features:
[Golden Age Weaponsmiths and Triax are trademarks owned by Kevin Siembieda and
Palladium Books Inc. ]
[ Rifts® is a registered trademark owned by Kevin Siembieda and
Palladium Books Inc.]
By Kamikazi (kamikazi_gm@hotmail.com).
Copyright © 2004, Kamikazi. All rights reserved.
