DDN-1052 Nicole Rosette class Nuclear Destroyer:
The Concord and Charleston class cruisers made a good basis for the
fleet in the middle of the twentieth century, Unfortunately, previous destroyer
classes had not been able to take advantage of the new alloys and composites
and were not as strong as new construction vessels. Some reinforcement
with the materials was done but they still were not as strong as newly
built vessels would be. As a result, the United States Navy requested that
they could construct a new class of destroyers based on the two recent
cruiser classes. They got permission and started development immediately.
There was intense debate on the class. Most senior officers wanted to develop
a slightly smaller hull but there were also many senior officers who wanted
to take the Charleston class missile cruiser and simply use the same radar
as the slightly older Concord class gun cruisers. Their argument was that
the development of a new hull would actually make the smaller ship more
expensive that simply using the already developed hull. The math can be
looked at either way but eventually the majority view prevailed. The first
vessel of the class was laid down before the last several of the Charleston
class cruisers were completed.
Like most smaller combatant vessels, destroyers and frigates, in the
United States Navy, the ships in the class are named after historic officers
and enlisted personnel of the United States Navy and other historically
important individuals such as Secretaries of Defense and friendly Prime
Ministers. Nicole Rosette was the helms-person of a destroyer in which
a hand carried anti-tank missiles was fired by terrorists into the bridge
of the vessel through an open hatchway. She won the Congressional Metal
of Honor for piloting the ship out of harms even though she was mortally
wounded.
The Rosette class destroyers, along with the Concord and Charleston
class cruisers, formed the backbone of the United States surface combatants
during the middle part of the Twenty First Century. The destroyers filled
virtually all roles for surface combatants. In size, most navies would
have considered them to be cruisers not destroyers. They acted as escorts
for the Ranger class carrier, they escorted amphibious groups and helped
to support them, they fired long range cruiser missile strikes on ground
targets, and patrolled many hot spots around the globe. They were considered
excellent ships and the next class of destroyer was designed as a special
purpose vessel with a huge helicopter hanger under the helicopter deck.
Originally, the United States considered adapting the Rosette class instead
of designing a new class but the design could not be adapted for the large
hanger and the Navy wanted a more conventional hull for better sea keeping.
While the sea keeping of the Rosette and similar classes is not bad due
to stabilizers, in high storm conditions, a conventional bow is superior.
The Rosette class served until the coming of the Rifts although supplemented
by Darcey class frigates and there were no plans to decommission the old
destroyers. There were plans for a new class of trimaran destroyers to
supplement the Rosette class but events overtook this possibility. It is
known that some of these vessels were in port in Japan and are now crewed
by people from the Republic of Japan. It is quite likely that due to the
large number of these vessels constructed that at least a few more of these
vessels survived the coming of the Rifts. The special alloys and composites
that the vessels are constructed from makes them virtually immune to attacks
by the elements.
Even though they use a different hull compared to the Charleston and
Concord classes, the hulls of Nicole Rosette class destroyers are very
similar to the two cruisers and is developed from the DD-21 program. The
vessel is very similar to some of the original ideas for the destroyer
design from the turn of Twenty-First Century. The Rosette does use the
same exact superstructure, with only minor internal changes, that is carried
on the Concord class gun cruiser.
While officially considered conventional destroyers and not missile
destroyers, the Rosette class has excellent missile firepower and a highly
capable fire control system. The radar and computer systems are virtually
identical to those carried on the Concord class cruiser. The vessel has
two Strategic Mark 41 vertical missile launching systems with sixty-four
missiles each. In most cases, these vessels carried defensive missiles
and anti-submarine missiles but their carried cruise missiles for use against
ground targets far more often than the Charleston class. Due to having
a narrower hull, the Rosette does not carry medium range missile launchers
on the sides of the superstructure like the Concord and Charleston classes.
It does carry the combination point defense weaponry carried on most vessels
in the United States Navy. The vessel originally carried RAM missile launchers
but they were replaced in later refits on all vessels in the class. The
Rosette was planned for the using in anti-submarine warfare and was armed
with torpedo tubes on either side and was designed with sophisticated sonar
systems. Both a towed array and hull sonar was carried. The destroyers
were designed with systems designed to quiet the vessel as well as decoys
to form a final layer of protection for vessel from attack.
Like the Concord and Charleston class cruisers, these destroyers were
originally fitted with gas turbine engines. Due to a narrower hull form,
the Rosette class was actually more efficient than the larger cruisers
but the gas turbine engines put in the hull were less powerful and gave
the vessel a slightly slower speed. The Rosette classes' original to speed
was 32 knots compared to the 33 knots for the other classes. The new engine
design was far more fuel efficient and was designed to extend the range
of the destroyer. The engines were later replaced by the same nuclear turbines
identical to those that replaced the gas turbines on the cruiser classes.
These engines were far powerful and gave the vessel a top speed of 37 knots
compared to 36 knots for the two similar cruiser classes. When the gas
turbine engines were replaced by nuclear engines, the destroyers were changed
in designation from DD to DDN.
To reduce crew manning, these vessels featured large amounts of automation.
Even so, a certain minimum number of crew were retained for smooth operations
and to allow for enough personnel for damage control operations. The crew
is only slightly smaller than what is carried on the Charleston class cruiser.
These ships were designed to carry 20 additional personnel over what was
carried for the helicopter crew. This space was later used for the carrying
of marines with a small marine berthing area being created from part of
deck berthing. The marines often were equipped with flying power armors.
Model Type: DDN-1052 class Destroyer
Vehicle Type: Ocean, General Purpose Destroyer
Crew: Normal of 223; 22 officers, 18 Chief Petty officers, and
182 enlisted (Has a high degree of automation and can be run effectively
by 115 crew members)
Troops: 4 Helicopter Pilots, 6 Pilots for SAMAS, 6 pilots for
Semper Fi Power Armors, and 8 soldiers in body armor that are retained
on board the ship
Robots, Power Armors, and Vehicles:
| 4 | PA-04A SAMAS |
| 4 | Semper Fi Power Armors |
| 2 | Helicopters or other VTOL Aircraft |
M.D.C. by location:
| Bridge: | 650 |
| [1] Phase Array Radar Panels (4, Superstructure): | 200 each |
| 155 mm Cannon Barrels (2): | 100 each |
| 155 mm Cannon Mounts (2, Forward and Aft): | 225 each |
| Combination Anti-Missile Defense System (4, Superstructure): | 200 each |
| Mk 41 64 Cell Vertical Missile Launchers (2, Forward and Aft): | 440 each |
| Mk 41 32 Cell Vertical Missile Launchers (2, Forward and Aft): | 220 each |
| Mk 55 Eight Cell Vertical Medium Range Missile Launchers (2): | 300 each |
| Torpedo Launchers (2, sides): | 40 each |
| Chaff Launcher (2, Superstructure): | 10 each |
| Hanger (Aft): | 400 |
| [2] Main Body: | 3,000 |
Notes:
[1] Destroying Phase Array radar panels will destroy the ship's fire
control systems but guns have backup systems and panels can compensate
for each other.
[2] Destroying the main body causes the ship to lose structural integrity,
causing the ship to sink. There are enough life preservers and inflatable
life boats to accommodate everyone on the ship.
Speed:
Surface: 42.6 mph (37 knots/ 68.6 kph)
Range: Unlimited due to fusion engines (needs to refuel every
20 years and requires maintenance as well). Ship carries six months of
supplies on board.
Statistical Data:
Length: 620 feet (189.0 meters)
Draft: 30.5 feet (9.3 meters) including sonar dome
Width: 68 feet (20.7 meters)
Displacement: 12,220 tons standard and 14,800 tons fully loaded
Cargo: 600 tons of nonessential equipment and supplies. 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, troops, weapons, and engines.
Power System: Nuclear Reactor, average life span is 20 years
Market Cost: Not for sale but if found on the black market would
probably cost 400 million or more credits.
WEAPON SYSTEMS:
- Two (2) Single Barrel 155 mm Naval Guns:
One turret is mounted
in the front of the vessel and the other turret is mounted on the rear.
Based on the gun carried by the DD-21 class destroyer and shared similarities
to army artillery weapons. The weapon is more powerful than the previous
127 mm cannon carried on many destroyers and cruisers. The weapon mount
is heavily automated and is capable against other ships, against ground
targets, and against aircraft. The weapon can use special artillery rounds,
rocket assisted rounds, and can even fire Extended Range Guided Munitions.
The turret can rotate 360 and has a 90 arc of fire.
Maximum Effective Range: 13.7 miles (11.9 nautical miles / 22
km) for standard projectiles, 23.5 miles (20.4 nautical miles /
36.4 km) for rocket propelled rounds, and treat Extended Range
Guided Munitions as medium range missiles (See revised missile table).
Mega-Damage: Standard Projectiles: 2D6x10 to a blast
radius of 25 ft (7.7 m) for High Explosive, 3D6x10 to a blast radius of
6 ft (2 m) for High Explosive Armor Piercing, and 4D6x10 to a blast radius
of 25 ft (7.7 m) for Plasma. Rocket projectiles: 2D4x10 to a blast
radius of 20 ft (6.1 m) for High Explosive, 2D6x10 to a blast radius of
4 ft (1.2 m) for High Explosive Armor Piercing, and 3D6x10 to a blast radius
of 20 ft (6.1 m) for Plasma. Extended Range Guided Munitions: Treat
as medium range missiles (Go to Revised
bomb and missile table).
Use the statistics for 155 mm artillery warheads (Go to
Battlefield
Artillery for Rifts for more information - standard or rocket assisted
as appropriate) when using artillery rounds.
Rate of Fire: Normal Projectiles: Up to four single shots
per barrel/cannon per melee (Can up to 8 shots with both turrets). Extended
Range Guided Munitions can be fired at the rate of one shot per barrel/cannon
per melee (Can fire up to 2 shots with both turrets).
Payload: 1,000 rounds total (500 per turret) - Each Extended
Range Guided Munitions round takes up space for 2 normal rounds.
- Four (4) Combination Anti-Missile Defense Systems:
One system
is on the front of the superstructure, one system on the rear of the superstructure,
and one is on either side of the superstructure. This anti-missile defense
system combines both a rapid fire rail gun and a short range missile launcher.
While mounted in one system, both defense systems have separate tracking
systems. The short range missile launchers can target up four targets and
can fire a volley up to twice per melee. The rail gun is capable of destroying
any missile or inflicting serious damage on aircraft. The rail gun can
fire on automatic at up to six targets per melee (Has +3 to strike missile
and +2 to strike aircraft). The rail gun is very similar to those carried
on the Sea King Cruiser and it is likely that the Sea Kings rail guns came
from a prototype of this system. The system also can be used against other
ships and ground targets. The system has a 360 degree rotation and can
elevate up to 90 degrees to fire at targets directly overhead.
Maximum Effective Range: Rail Guns: 11,000 feet (2 miles
/ 3.2 km). Short Range Missiles: As per short range missile type
(Go to Revised
bomb and missile table).
Damage: Rail Guns: 3D4x10 MD per burst of 40 rounds (Can
only fire burst). Short Range Missiles: As per short range missile
type (Go to Revised
bomb and missile table).
Rate of Fire: Rail Guns: 6 attacks per melee. Short
Range Missiles: 2 attacks per melee, can fire one at a time or in volleys
of two or four.
Payload: Rail Guns: 8000 rounds (200 burst) each. Short
Range Missiles: 16 short range missiles each.
- Two (2) Strategic MK 41 Vertical Launch Missile Launchers:
Both
launchers have 64 cells for the provision of missiles due to the forward
part of the ship having more room than on the Burke class destroyer. These
are the longer strategic version of the missile launcher and can carry
the longer cruise missile. From the beginning, the launchers have been
found to be very flexible and adaptable. The launcher was originally design
for the Tomahawk and Standard SM-2 Missile. On Rifts Earth, the launchers
have been adapted to hold one cruise missile, two long range missiles,
or four medium range missiles per cell. Cruise missiles are usually used
against hardened fixed targets, long range missiles are normally used against
aircraft and other large targets, and medium range missiles are normally
used against closer targets such as incoming missiles.
Maximum Effective Range: As per cruise, long range, or medium
range missile type (Go to Revised
bomb and missile table).
Mega Damage: As per cruise, long range, or medium range missile
type (Go to Revised
bomb and missile table).
Rate of fire: One at a time or in volleys of 2, 4, 16, or 32
for both launchers per melee and can be fired at multiple targets at the
same time.
Payload: 64 cells missiles in forward VLS launcher and 64 cells
for missiles in aft VLS launcher (possible total of 256 long range missiles).
One cruise missile, two long range missiles, or four medium range missiles
may be carried per cell. Ship carries no reloads.
- Two (2) Medium Torpedo Launchers:
Mainly design for anti-submarine
warfare but can be used against surface targets. There is one launcher
on each side of the ship with four tubes each. The tubes have an automatic
reloading system and can be fired quickly. The ships carries a total of
80 torpedoes for reloads. Treat warheads as medium range missile warheads.
Maximum Effective Range: 20 miles (32 km)
Mega Damage: By Medium torpedo warhead type (See Revised Rifts Torpedoes).
Rate of fire: One at a time or in volleys of 2 or 4 per side,
launcher can fire a maximum of two volleys per melee each launcher
Payload: Has 80 torpedoes for reloads.
- Chaff Launcher (2):
Located on the superstructure of the
ship, they are designed to confuse incoming missiles. Both launchers must
be operated or effects will be reduced. Reduce effects of launchers by
50% per launcher not used. Rifts Earth decoy systems are assumed to not
operate on Phase World missiles due to technological difference. Reduce
effects by 20% against smart missiles (Add +20% to rolls for smart missiles.)
Range: Around Ship
Mega Damage: None
01-35 Missile or Missile volley detonates in chaff
36-60 Missile or Missile volley loses track of target, may lock onto
another target
61-00 No Effect; Missile Still on target
Payload: 24 each for a total of 48
- Advanced Towed Decoys (4):
The vessel carries four advanced
towed decoy drones. They are each a small automated vehicle that creates
a false sonar image designed to mimic the vessels. The decoy is dragged
behind the destroyer using a cable. If decoys are not destroyed, they can
be recovered and repaired. Rifts Earth decoy systems are assumed to not
operate against Phase World weapons due to technological difference.
M.D.C.: 20
Effects: The decoy has an 80% chance of fooling ordinary non
military sonars and non smart guided torpedoes, the decoy has a 50% chance
of fooling military level sonars (like those of the Coalition), and the
decoy has a 25% chance of fooling advanced military sonars (Like those
of the New Navy and Triax) and smart torpedoes.
Range: Not Applicable
Rate of fire: One can be deployed at a time and requires 2 minutes
to deploy (Reel Out) another decoy
Payload: 4 Decoys.
Special Systems:
The ship has all systems standard on a robot vehicle plus the following
special features:
- SPY-3H Three Dimensional Search Radar System: While not as powerful
as those systems design for true missile cruisers, the system is still
quite effective. The system is a powerful and flexible phased array radar
system that is comprised of four panels that each emit radar waves. If
allowed by the horizon, the system can track out to 250 miles (402.3 km)
and can simultaneously track and identify up to 512 targets at one time.
The system controls missile launched from the long range missile launchers
and the system track and guide each individual missile to an individual
target for up to 128 targets. If a target is eliminated, missiles are automatically
guided to a new target. The system can also control missiles launched from
other linked vessels as well and can also act as fire control for gun mounts.
The system gives a +10% to read sensory rolls, +2 on initiative, and +1
to strike.
- Advanced Hull Sonar: Mounted under the bow of the ship. Range of
25 miles (21.7 nm / 40.2 km). This hull sonar system has both a passive
and active system built in. Sonar system can track up to 32 targets at
one time
- Advanced Towed Array Sonar System: The system is basically a long
and very sensitive sonar system carried behind the ship on a long cable.
Range of 100 miles (86.9 nm / 160.9 km). This towed array sonar system
has both a passive and active system built in. Sonar system can track up
to 64 targets at one time.
- Sonar Masking System: The Ship uses water bubbles to form a barrier
against sonar as well as a shrouded propellor and sound absorbing materials.
Gives a -20% penalty to any Read Sensory Instrument rolls to detect this
ship using sonar.
- Radar Defeating Profile & Radar Absorbing Materials: The ship
superstructure is designed so that the radar profile of the ship is reduced
and the ship is covered with radar absorbing materials. Because of this,
attempts to detect the ship using radar are made with a -20% penalty to
read sensor rolls when attempting to detect this ship. Go to
General Detection
Penalties for more information on penalties and bonuses to use with stealth.
- Combination Radar Detectors and Active Jamming System: Combination
of radar detection system (ESM) and an active jamming system. The system
can detect another radar system at 125% of the range of the transmitting
radar. In jamming mode, causes -25% to detection but when it is active,
other vehicles/ bases can detect that it is jamming, and some missiles
will home in on jamming signals. Jamming also causes a -4 penalty to all
radar guided weapons.
[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.]
Image drawn and copyrighted by Kitsune (E-Mail Kitsune ) & Mischa (E-Mail Mischa). Click on line drawing for a better view.
By Kitsune (E-Mail Kitsune ).
Copyright 2002 Kitsune. All rights reserved.
