The Virginia-class was designed in 2244 by Chesapeake Bay Space Industries as a small, multi-purpose interstellar transport. The ship's cylindrical hull is constructed of metallics and measurers 60 meters long by 9 meters in diameter. The hull's interior is divided lengthwise into two decks. The bridge, main airlock and crew's/passenger's quarters are located on the upper deck while the lower deck is given over to cargo and engineering. Fuel tankage is located above the upper deck and below the lower deck. Two large cargo bay doors are located at the bow below the bridge viewports. Although individual staterooms are provided for the crew and passengers, no spin habitat is installed.  A total of 212 Virginia-class Schooners were produced by the time production of the vessel ended in 2271. Though now obsolete by most standards, the schooner's attributes have made it popular among independent shippers. One such example is pictured above and below. This particular ship has been extensively modified to allow self-refueling operations in the comet belt. Two large solar cell arrays with light-concentrating mirrors have been added to provide supplemental electric power when the MHD turbine is not running. A steerable high-gain antenna (visible on the upper hull) has been installed to enhance radio-navigation and communication over interplanetary distances. Fuel cracking/refining machinery has been installed in the cargo bay to allow refueling using water ice. Passengers: 10. Crew: Bridge: 10; Engineering: 4; Medical: 1; Steward: 1. PERFORMANCE CHARACTERISTICS  All photographs of the Virginia-class Schooner model featured on this page were taken by Free Trader using a Nikon F2 Photomic SLR in natural outdoor light. The 1/288 scale model was constructed of painted cardboard and scrap plastic based on drawings and plans featured in S.S. Virginia published by Seeker Games. The information on the Virginia-class Schooner provided above was also taken from S.S. Virginia published by Seeker Games. |