SPACE 1889 Reprinted

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The responsibilities of the U.S. Navy have, for many years, been confined to coastal defence. Most of its ships were coastal defence monitors left over from the Civil War, supplemented by a few old wooden-hulled, ocean-going, steam-assisted sailing vessels. This is now changing, and a number of modern ships are entering service with many more being built. Although the United States is far from being a major naval power, it has at least become an important force in the western hemisphere.

"Cloudships and Gunboats" by Frank Chadwick

Ether Flyers

Ether flyers are typically large spacecraft which can travel through interplanetary space by means of ether propellors. They rely upon liftwood or hydrogen gasbags for atmospheric flight.

U.S.S. Enterprise, Experiment Class Heavy Ether Cruiser

Enterpise was built in 1891, second of the Experiment class of heavy æther cruisers. Enterprise is 365 feet long, 153 feet wide and measures 3,613 tons. For more detailed plans of the Experiment Class Ether Cruiser visit Dan Thompson's website.

For travel between planets, Enterprise's twin Tesla-Westinghouse Æther Propellers can drive her at a maximum velocity of 4.5 million miles per day. Electricity to power the Æther Propeller comes from dynamos driven by two triple-expansion steam engines. Since her coal-fired boilers can't be used in space, steam is provided by a parabolic mirror (collapsible for travel in atmosphere) that concetrates solar energy onto a boiler. When in a planetary atmosphere, her steam engines deliver 6000 horsepower to two sets of counter-rotating air screws. Her large rudder fins provide directional control while in atmosphere and double as radiators to dispose of waste heat while in space. Louver slats of Aramian liftwood in the hull, controlled by a complicated arrangement of trim levers, can lift the ship from the surface of a planet to beyond the atmosphere, where her æther propeller becomes effective.

The Experiments were designed by Dan Thompson and are protected (2nd class) cruisers, which means they are lightly armored with the armor concentrated around the vital sections of the ship. Their main armament consists of four eight-inch guns, mounted in two dual ventral turrets, and four six-inch guns, mounted in single dorsal turrets. All are especially designed to work in the airlessness of space. They also are furnished with two launching tubes to accomodate rocket-powered, wire-guided torpedos capable of delivering a 400 pound dynamite warhead at a range of eight miles. They can also mount a number of smaller guns on fixed pintels on her deck when she is in atmosphere. The normal complement is 192 men.

Specifications:

Experiment class æther cruiser: built by William Cramp and Sons, Philadelphia, Pa.

Æther drive: Tesla-Westinghouse tuned æther propellers, providing a maximum velocity of 4.5 million miles per day

Engines: horizontal triple-expansion engines, 6,064 hp

Length: 324 feet, overall length (including the engine nacelles) is 365 feet 5 inches

Beam: 86 feet 6 inches, overall width (including engine nacelles) is 153 feet

Height: 98 feet (not counting the mast)

Weight: 3,613 tons

Airspeed: 35 knots

Ceiling: n/a

Endurance: 160 days

Crew: 192 (16 officers, 154 enlisted, 22 marines)

Armament of USS Enterprise

• four 8"/35 caliber breechloading cannon
• four 6"/30 caliber breechloading cannon,
• two 1 lb rapid fire guns,
• four 37mm Hotchkiss revolving cannon
• two Gatling guns
• two 21" torpedo tubes

USS Experiment Explosion Moving Pictures

The attached moving pictograph file was made by Cambridge University Space Telescope Imaging Group (CUSTIG) as they observed the American heavy Ether Cruiser USS Experiment riding at anchor in Earth orbit. As the pictograph so vividly shows the USS Experiment suddenly exploded for reasons which at the current time are not know. This shocking pictograph shows the massive explosion taking place.

Aerial Forts

Ether flyers are typically large spacecraft which can travel through interplanetary space by means of ether propellors. They rely upon liftwood or hydrogen gasbags for atmospheric flight.

Fort Courage, Independance Class Aerial Cavalry Fort

One of the biggest problems facing the United States of America is the vast territory that it has to control. Drawing together this huge territory means conquering distance. One of the first steps was the construction of the trans-continetal railway which for the first time allowed a traveller to cross the continent in a week. It also provided a means for the US Army to move forces quickly to remote locations in the American wilderness. Reducing the number of fixed forts that needed to be built and supplied.

The Independance Class Aerial Cavalry Forts further improved the ability of the US Army to react in a more timely manner to events in the hinterland. The Independance Class was designed by Chris Domenech.Equipped with an multiple cannons and able to project strength beyond the fort throughth an Avenger Class Gunship and the new cavalry X-Disks; These forts are formidable weapons platforms.

Aerial Flyers

Aerial flyers, also called aerial gunboats or just flyers, are armed vessels held aloft by liftwood panles. liftwood is a tree native to the Martian highlands with unique anti-gravity properties.

To support the growing U.S. naval force, the Americans have built a number of aerial rocket sloops. These are small vessels heavily loaded with rockets for bombadement of surface naval vessels. They are not intended to fight heavily armed aerial gunboats and would be at a severe disadvantage if called upon to do so. Nevertheless, they are extremely valuable in the aerial scouting role and have a better bombardment ability than ships several times larger.

American Eagle-Class Rocket Sloop

The Eagle is an unusual class of vessel, easily recognisable by its large outrigger-like racks of rocket batteries. Narmally a small vessel of this type would be unable to accomodate more than a quarter of the rockets carried on the Eagle, but the ingenious design enables it to carry an intimidating ordanance load.

The pronciple disadvantage of the design is the likelihood that an explosion will set off a chain reaction of detonating rocket batteries.

Specifications:

Eagle class Rocket Sloop:
Engine: triple expansion steam engine with 500 horsepower
Weight 400 tons
Maximum speed at sea level: 100 knots
Ceiling: 10,500 feet
Range: 1,000 miles
Armament: 1 three-inch gun forward, 1three-inch gun aft, 2 one-pound Hotchkiss rotating cannon in wing mounts, 4 half inch Gatlings broadside, 16 rocket batteries (12 down, 4 up), 2 bomb racks (4 load carried)
Crew: 15 (three officers and twelve enlisted).

Cavalry X-Disk

Designed to provide the US Cavalry with a fast aerial mount the Cavlry X-Disk provides soldiers with a fast means of delivering firepower in the Wild West.

Space: 1889 is Frank Chadwick's registered trademark for his game of Victorian Era Space-faring.