Silverfin

The Silverfin Coastal Cutter was a blue water warship developed at the dawn of the twenty-fourth century as a cutter for policing coastal waters and acting as an escort vessel for large naval vessels. It was also a final effort by Windancer Marine Technologies to stave off their impending bankruptcy. The company bet everything on a new hydrofoil design developed by the eccentric naval architect Tyler Raymonds and partnered with the Tadaki Company of Japan to build a prototype in 2302. The prototype was sent on a much-advertised two-day voyage into a Class 3 Typhoon in the Sea of Japan, and when it returned unharmed it brought back with it new hope for the company.

For the next several centuries Windancer Marine Technologies produced Silverfin cutters for all of the major Great Houses and every water-rich world has had at least one of these ships stationed on it. In all that time the design has remained relatively unchanged, barring periodic electronics updates and the addition of Torpedo launchers in 2423, as its speed and endurance has proven invaluable patrolling important sea lanes and river routes.

Weapons and Equipment
The Silverfin's main weapon is the navalized Magnum-Sperry Class 9 rotary Machine Gun mounted in front of the ship. It also has two Sky Raven short-range two-tube torpedo launchers for anti-submarine warfare placed in its bow turret. Both weapon systems are tied into the ship's Advanced Fire Control system. The ammunition bay located in the ship's hull carries a half ton of machine gun ammo and one ton of SRT-2 ammunition. This weaponry is sufficient for engaging most pirate and smuggler craft and, when used in numbers, can be used to overwhelm better-armored naval vessels and light BattleMechs.

However front-line combat is not the ship's primary role, as it is lightly protected by one ton of Windancer Lightwave armor. This inferior armor is much weaker than modern combat varieties, and significant repairs are required after taking just a single full-powered shot from a Diverse Optics Type 10 laser, however from such a shot it only suffers a 2.3% loss in maneuverability and the vessel's structure will remain sound. The ship's powerful hydrofoil-enhanced propulsion engine allows it to achieve speeds of 120 km/h when engaged in "Hydrofoil mode", increasing the Silverfin's survivability. The foils themselves are uniquely durable thanks to a proprietary polymer blend which prevents warping or snapping from heavy gales.

The Silverfin's seventeen-ton internal combustion engine is fed by three and a half tons of fuel, allowing the vessel to travel over 2,000 km before needing to refuel. Other features include two searchlights, mounted on the turret and bow of the ship, along with a lifeboat. The vessel's HUNTER communication systems also requires an overhaul every fifty years to repair it from the effects of heavy vibrations in hydrofoil mode and salt corrosion.

Cargo
The ship has a one-ton cargo capacity, normally used to hold crew supplies. Access to this cargo bay is via door in the aft of the ship.

Variants

 * Atlaua Coastal Cutter : This vessel is a updated Clan version of the Silverfin. The Atlaua features updated weapons and equipment in comparison to the old Silverfin. Clan Diamond Shark produces the vessel for potential customers, Clan & Inner Sphere.

Related Designs

 * Silverback Coastal Cutter - Lyran Alliance-upgraded Silverfin.