SS High Rhodes

The High Rhodes is a small privateer operating on Mars, which was one of the centers of the campaign I ran It is a kite, that is, a native sail powered craft. A kite was selected because they are:

Faster than a crank vessel (generally) if one needs to run away.
Much cheaper to operate with a much smaller maneuver crew. Even if one buys marshie slaves as crankers, you still need to feed them, wot? And slaves won't fight for you, and freemen need to be paid...
No need to waste cargo (loot) or supply space for coal.

In my campaign, steam vessels are quite rare on Mars, since the boilers and engines must be shipped from Earth, which makes them triply expensive outside governmental circles. There aren't they many etherflyer hulls, and most of them are carrying men and supplies for the British Army. The same rarity works against the availability of modern equipment and artillery available to British subjects.

The High Rhodes (named for the South African captain's personal hero, Rhodes) is manned by a mixed martian/human crew - the Martians are the topmen (maneuver crew) and the deckhands, while the gunners and marines are human. The Trimsman is an ex-Royal Navy petty officer, one of the few redmen outside the Naval Service with this skill; the Helmsman is Martian.

High Rhodes Specifications

Vessel	Armament	Crew
Hull: 3 (Ram equipped) Armor: 0 Speed: K (Kite) Tonnage: 243 tons Cost: 24,404 English pounds Endurance: 2 months	1 Rod Gun (Fore swivel) 2 Heavy Guns (P&S wing swivels) 2 5-barrel Nordenfelts (P&S broadside) 2 Spike droppers 1 Aerial mine 1 Power grapnel (Aft swivel)	Bridge: Captain, First Officer, Helmsman, Trimsman, Signalman (captain's servant) Maneuver: 3 martian topmen Deck: 4 martian crewmen (1 extra) Gunners: 8 - 7 humans, 1 martian Marines: 9 - 1 officer, 8 marines. Stout-hearted lads all.

The High Rhodes often carried additional personnel: a martian cook, a German scientist studying Mars, a reporter (assigned to cover a promised "Voyage Around Mars"), and a ship's doctor. Additional cabin space was added for this purpose.

For details about the crew and their adventures, see the Space Vermin's SPACE:1889 campaign.
Return to the Sky Galleons of Mars ship design list.