Ke-O1-1a "Detachable Outer Container"
About:
Internal cargo bays come with one major problem -- the ship must be at port to be loaded and unloaded. Unlike some aerospace vehicles that utilize all manner of removable containers, starships must wait for loading crews to be done with their work. Depending on the port, starships must also carry their own loading and unloading crews (lumpers, longshoremen, et cetera). This hampers both the ship and the port. For the ship, extended downtime is inefficent, and only certain kinds of cargo can be fit. The port, on the other hand, has to trust the ship won't break down, or its cargo will have to be unloaded onto another starship, which also takes time. On top of this, some ports or distributors might have cargo that cannot fit on or be handled by certain types of ships, and if they cannot find the right one ...
During the development of a new war freighter, Ketsurui Fleet Yards solicited opinions from civilians and Star Army personnel as to whether they would prefer internal bays compared to containers. Both preferred containers, though Star Army officials asked about military-specific containers that could withstand a battle.
Below is what has been drafted.
1. Basic information
Organizations Using This Vessel:
Star Army of Yamatai
Type: Freighter container
Class: Ke-O1-1a
Designer:
Ketsurui Fleet Yards
Star Army of Yamatai
Miscellanious civilian consultants
Manufacturer: Ketsurui Fleet Yards
Production: Upon approval, 12 containers.
Crew: None.
Maximum human capacity: 100- 600 when attached to a starship.
Maximum cargo capacity: Depends on size. The O1-1a has 80,000 cubic meters of internal space (70,000 realistically).
Appearance: In essence, a long, flat rectangle with flat doors on the back and a rounded snubnose on the front (also acting as the front doors).
Length: 100 meters.
Width: 40 meters.
Height: 20 meters.
Decks: One.
Mass: About 15,000 kg.
2. Performance statistics
Speed (STL, FTL, aerial, water): None.
Range (Support): About two years, if installed with a limited Nodal System.
Lifespan: About twenty years.
Refit Cycle: About every two years.
3. Inside the DOC
Essentially, the container is empty. The only things that are inside of it are three Nodal food dispensers, active when a Nodal System is installed or when the container is attached to the ship, and any necessary equipment left on them by longshoremen or by the port that rents it out to other vessels. Tie-down rails, eyehooks and other securing equipment can be changed based on the load, as folding hardpoints are everywhere inside. In the middle, a fold-out control station is available. It has a very, very limited computer system, dedicated to monitoring atmospheric conditions inside of the container. These systems, of course, draw power from the vessel it is attached to. The walls are a brighter grey than those inside of a Star Army warship. Lights are along both the ceiling and floor of the container.
The DOC can attach to a ship one of two ways. Either using the long trio of rails along the top, which rise out of the hull of the DOC, or through the war freighter's unique attachment system, to be detailed in the freighter's specifications.
4. Defensive measures
Armored hull: The Star Army version is made primarily of Xintium, with a Zesuaium coating. While the DOC has no shields of its own, the armored hull was added to ensure it was not dropped by commanders who had to choose between cargo or crew. The civilian version is still in the design phase.