Spacebucket Challenge

[Kiwi Imperialist]

Spacebucket Challenge Extension
The submission period for the Spacebucket Challenge has been extended one week. You now have until 23:59 (UTC-12) on Sunday, March 19th to submit an entry. (Countdown Timer)
Several participants expressed interest in an extension on Shipbucket's Discord server.

[Saryn]

Primeval-class Astral Battlecruiser


SDCN Primeval (BCR-26) depicted as it was in Operation Spring Harvest, 2115 in it's astral camouflage pattern.

The Primeval class Astral Battlecruiser, officially designated as "Large Astral Cruiser" by the Sol Defense Corps Navy, was the next evolution of Human light capital ships during the Labyrinthine War, of which 6 were ordered by the United Nations General Assembly.

The history of astral battlecruisers goes as far back as the First Contact War in the 2090s, where the first generation of astral battlecruisers fought against their Communal Navy counterparts. These first battlecruisers, the Jutland class astral battlecruisers were very different from the battlecruisers of 2115, boasting an exclusively kinetic and missile-based armament and generally being less maneuverable than their modern cousins. The Jutland and later Athena class battlecruisers were considered ineffective at their intended role as principal capital ships by the SDCN's Orbital Warfare Command. However, during the latter stages of the First Contact War, the OWC found that the battlecruisers served as effective heavy escorts to protect carriers from enemy battlegroups and determined that future battlecruisers be designed with the role in mind.

Between the 2090s and 2115, the Centurion class astral battlecruisers served as a test to the envisioned role for astral battlecruisers. While the design by THI was considered to be great, it eventually became plagued with issues resulting from the peacetime policies implemented by the United Nations throughout the early 2100's. What resulted was a battlecruiser with a rather underwhelming armament and defense system that would ultimately be shown to have disastrous consequences in the Labyrinthine War.

During the Labyrinthine War, most of the Centurion class battlecruisers in service with the SDCN were deployed to the frontlines to escort the ever increasingly important fleet carrier strike groups. Due to this, and their underwhelming armaments, most of the battlecruisers were destroyed in the war, leading to a pressing need for new battlecruisers to replace them.

At the time the design and production for new battlecruisers were ordered, astral engineer Cassia A. Claudii, daughter of the famed Angelique Claudii that designed the first operational FTL drive for Humanity, was already gaining notoriety for the designing of the Vindication class astral dreadnoughts. It wasn't long before she was assigned the task for designing the new class of battlecruisers. Like her design for the new astral dreadnoughts, the new battlecruiser design would utilize accelerated particle weaponry, such as megaparticle cannons and particle slipstream cannons. Additionally, the ships would be shielded from similar such weapons utilized by the Dominion. The new ship would also make use of the quantum displacement drive acquired by Triumphant Heavy Industries, greatly enhancing its strategic range when compared to the previous generation of ships.

What would become the Primeval was the Large Cruiser, T6728-BCR, the THI entrant into the 2115 New Model Navy program, designed by Cassia Claudii. Taking after the Vindication, the design featured integrated AN/SPY-9 radar system as well as a pair AN/SSY-4 multi-spectral sensor arrays. Additionally, it includes the AN/SHC-13 LUMICOM array present on the Vindication class. The result is a blocky superstructure reminiscent of AEGIS-equipped American ships from the 20th and 21st century. The most notable similarity between the Primeval and the Vindication is the armament, with the Primeval sporting three pairs of Mark 13 406 mm aperture megaparticle cannons, two pairs of Mark 11 203 mm aperture megaparticle cannons, and a Mark 4 de-rated particle slipstream cannon. The armament is supplemented by a heavy collection of various missile launchers and 50 mm dual-purpose railguns.

The first Primeval class, the SDCN Primeval (BCR-26) was launched on 28 September 2115 and was commissioned the following month on 10 October 2115. It was nicknamed "Cassie" after its designer and was immediately assigned to Battlegroup 42. There, it'd serve alongside its sister ship, the SDCN Ra (BCR-27), as well as other designs made by Cassia Claudii. Eventually, Battlegroup 42 would consolidated into Fleet Carrier Strike Group 22 Bengal and participate in the Battle over Gateway. The Primeval, with the rest of her strike group, participated in the 2115 Fleet Review at SDCSS Constellation.

Afterwards, Fleet Carrier Strike Group Bengal was deployed to the Heze system to monitor, and later participate in, Operation Spring Harvest, the mission to stabilize the colony of Avalon and eliminate Dominion remnants in the system, where Primeval is still serving today.

Of the 6 ordered, 4 have been launched and commissioned, Primeval, Ra, Thoth, and Anubis, with two more still under construction at Nowa Warszawa Naval Yard and Mariner Valley Construction Yard (BC405 and BC406 respectively). The class is predominantly named after deities within the various culture groups in the UN, with the exception of the Primeval. The last two ships in the class have yet to be named.

Now for some stats;

DIMENSIONS
Length: 1,288 meters
Width: 322 meters
Height: 208 meters

Weight: 388,193 tonnes
Density: 4.5 kg/m^3

Crew: 866 Crewmembers
Passengers: 2 x SDMC Marine Battalions

Endurance: Can run indefinitely; Provisions & Supplies for 36 months

WEAPON SYSTEMS
12 (6 x 2) x 406-mm Particle Cannon, Mark 13 Minovsky Megaparticle Cannon
12 (4 x 3) x 203-mm Partice Cannon, Mark 11 Minovsky Megaparticle Cannon
1 x Slipstream Cannon, De-Rated, Mark 4 Particle Slipstream Cannon
2 x 32 Cell Missile Launch System, Mark 38 Launch Tubes (Light/Medium)

• SIM-116 Aerial Denial Rocket System (ADRS) Missile Interceptors (CMD)
• SIM-118A (SIM-116B) Gorgon Anti-Strike Craft Missiles (ACT)
• SIM-118B (SIM-116C) Gorgon Heat Anti-Strike Craft Missiles (WAKE)
• SSM-140 Area Denial Launch System 'Cobalt' Mine Deployment Vehicle (CORD)

1 x 12 Cell Missile Launch System, Mark 42 Launch Tubes (Heavy)

• SGM-46 Lancet Anti-Ship Missile, Fragmenting Warhead (CMD/ACT)
• SGM-50 Archer Anti-Ship Missile, Fragmenting Warhead (SACT/WAKE)
• SGM-50B Golden Archer Anti-Ship Missile, Shaped High Explosive Charge (SACT/WAKE)
• SGM-50C Lantern Anti-Ship Missile, Shaped High Explosive Charge (HOJ/ARAD)
• SGM-120 Falcon Anti-Ship Missile, Shaped Nuclear Charge (CMD/SACT)
• SDM-156H False Primeval Active Decoy

46 x Torpedo Launch System, Mark 20 Launch Tubes (Superheavy)

• SGT-100 Falcon Heavy Anti-Ship Torpedo, Shaped Nuclear Charge (CMD/SACT)
• SGT-155 Tlaloc Twin-Stage Stealth Anti-Ship Torpedo, Shaped Nuclear Charge (EO/ACT)
• SET-12 Special Warfare System Electronic Warfare Vehicle (CMD/CORD)
• SST-3 Standard Deployment Vehicle Type-III Guided Deployment Shell (CMD/CORD)

80 (40 x 2) x 50-mm Defense System, Mark 33 Dual-Purpose Railgun

• 50-mm Sandshot, M30
• 50-mm High Explosive, M33
• 50-mm Sabot, M23

PROPULSION
Primary Drive: General Electric FA660-11 Axial-Flow Hydrogen Drive

ELECTRONICS
8 x AN/SPY-9 Multi-Function Radar
2 x AN/SSY-4 Multi-Spectral Sensor
1 x AN/SPR-10 Radar Receiver

4 x AN/SEG-7 Joint Fire Director
5 x AN/SAG-25C Infrared Fire Director
40 x AN/SPG-22E Fire Control Radar

1 x SPQ-13B Radar Jammer

3 x AN/SYX-366 Analysis Computer
4 x AN/SYG-19 Ballistic Firing Computer
6 x AN/SYG-22 Missile Programming Computer

1 x AN/SHC-13 LUMICOM Array

VEHICULAR COMPLEMENT
7 x Lockheed F7L Hornet II space superiority fighter
14 x Lockheed C13L Viking transorbital dropship

MISSILE SEEKER CODE
CMD = Command Guided, guided via ship-based radar
ACT = Active Radar Guided, guided via onboard radar
SACT = Semi-Active Radar Guided, guided via radar illumination
HOJ = Home-On-Jammer, homes in on radar jamming signals
ARAD = Anti-Radiation, homes in on radar emissions
EO = Electro-Optical Guidance, guided via ship silhouette recognition
WAKE = Infrared Wake Guided, guided via infrared signature produced by drives or radiators
CORD = Coordinate Guidance, system can only travel to designated coordinates
X/Y = Primary/Secondary Guidance (ex. EO/WAKE would be Electro-Optical as primary seeker and Infrared Wake as secondary seeker)
---

It was nice to revisit the Primeval, especially at the enlarged scaled and with the chance to redesign the superstructure to make it fit in better with the Vindication. I don't think I'll exactly love it as much as the Vindication but it doesn't hurt to give it the same treatment.

[Sp3ctra_star]

Jovian Imperial Navy Type-5 (Dōdentai) Class Combat/Assault Transport.


Overview: Designed to keep up with fleets of Jovian warships and to provide repairs, resupply and support, the Dōdentai Class was developed to counter a potential logistical nightmare that the Jovians knew was coming.

The first 4 generations all had the same appearance, 3 large pod-like structures, all locked to a centralized hull that housed the main FTL Drive. These pods hold several hundred thousand tons of Cargo each. This cargo can be things such as spare parts, food stores, liquid water, ammunition, and more. Eventually the class ended up serving a secondary role as an Assault ship, able to launch boarding pods at enemy stations or ships. By 2245, it was clear a new design was needed due to long standing issues as the transport couldn’t land on a planet with the 3 pods attached. A new design was brought up for the 5th gen but the pod had been altered in order to accommodate ships on the Dorsal and Ventral side. The new pods allowed for 8 Type-50 class battleships to dock and resupply all at once.

The Dodentai also found life within Civilian service, acting as a large bulk ship able to handle any sort of cargo. Sadly the cargo variant in civilian service is slowly being phased out as newer and more dedicated cargo ships take over. The Class will continue to see service as a 5th generation model. Pictured is a member of first batch of 5th generation of Dōdentai class Transports. The ship is able to supply not only it's assigned fleet, but also supply several entire Divisions of troops and also are able to supply the troops with all of their vehicles. An army of 500 shuttles are assigned to transport all the heavy equipment down to the surface. The new design also has 3 bridges, 2 located on the stardrive section which houses the FTL drives and another larger bridge at the bow. The ship can split into 3 parts with each one having their own independent systems from one another. Often times the bow and stern will detach from the middle pod in order to switch out pods. This is also useful as it can be used to remove a damaged section and a new part comes in to take over. Sometimes more than 1 middle pod are put together between stern and bow to create a larger transport which has been useful due to a shortage new stardrive sections and bow sections.

The ship takes part in planetary invasions, starbase assaults, and boarding actions on other ships. In a standard jovian fleet, 400 of these ships usually take part though they aren't all up to full capacity as they are often carrying spare parts, additional food, water, medicine and other essentials.

Size: 5000 Meters Long. 565 meters wide. 565 meters tall.

Prefix: IVA. Also known as Combat/Assault Transport. This uses my own Hull classification scheme and is not to represent any Real Life hull classification schemes.

Main Armament:
16x Retractable 2 meter Graviton Driver Railguns[8 Port, 8 Starboard]
12x Retractable Graviton Omni Directional Beam Emitters[6 Port, 6 Starboard]
16x Retractable Graviton Pulse laser cannons[8 Port, 8 Starboard]
12x Retractable Ion cannons[6 Port, 6 Starboard]

Secondary Armament: None due to not being a dedicated warship.

Passive Defense:
6 Feet of Armor.
4 Layers of Energy Shields.

Active Defense:
216 Retractable Custodian Energy Point Defense Turrets.
216 Retractable Flak Array Kinetic Point Defense Turrets.
216 Retractable Air Destroyer Point Defense Missile turrets.

Power:
3x Toshiba Tōden Type-5 Graviton Reactor.
30x Toshima Energy Type-20 Secondary Catalyzed Cold Fusion Reactors.

Computers+Sensors:
10x Kenjiri Technology ''Chūbu'' Computer Cores.
20x Mitax Corporation Type-5 GCC Sensors.
Integrated Lockheed Martin Aegis Combat system[Baseline 25].
1x Tetradyne JINA Type-12 Self Aware Personality Construct.
5x Tetratronic JIVAN Virtual Intelligence Units.

Stealth: None.

Utilities: 400 Tractor Beam Emitters.

Troop Complement: 75,000.

Crew Complement: 25,000.

Auxiliary Craft: 500 Shuttles.

Engines+FTL:
24 Shirada Mk-50 “Sensei” Sublight Engines.
12x Kenbishi Mk-50 Graviton Hyperspace Engines.
6x Kenbishi Mk-50 Jump Engine.

Notes: This is my 2nd time taking part in one of the shipbucket challenges. It is also one of my largest ships as of yet only rivalled by several other incomplete drawings. Those being a mobile shipyard[50km], a Colossus type vessel[25km], and a 40k Space Marine Fortress Monestary type ship[15km]

[Aiseus]

AMERICAN DESTROYER DISPLAYS HEROICS OVER COPERNICA
Caleb Whitham for the New York Daily Times, July 4, 1909

In the face of German barbarism, 71 bold lunar sailors continue to fight for the republic on this important Independence Day.

Copernica State continues to suffer as the German blockade remains in place, and only through the heroics of our Lunar fleets are crucial supplies able to cross the Gossamer Gap to relieve our besieged colonists. Many lives have already been lost to roaming German hunting squadrons searching day and night for any American ship, armed and otherwise, but the CSS Rochester and her brave crew struck back last week to ensure the American flag still waves over Copernica.

More on page 13…

[Themax]

Colbert class escort carrier - FSA Alice de Vaudoirin




Named after the 3rd president of the then newly born Akitean Federal Republic, the FSA Alice de Vaudoirin is the last carrier of the Colbert class, but has seen significant improvements over the first ships of its class. Centered around its spacecraft complement, which can reach up to 12 cutters, it is traditionally seen carrying 2 Aviso and 6 Cutters, and relies on those as well as SMAV long-range anti-spaceship missiles to protect bigger flagships as part of a fleet, while also being capable to defend itself thanks to its 3 CEMAV-120mm light railgun and a full CDCS coverage that include 23 SCDR-32mm and 9 of the bigger SCDR-50mm. It is especially well armed in regard to self defence, provided by over 70 packed missile launch systems that are fitted with 50 SADM missiles and 80 SMPT missiles, the former being an anti-missile munition with a fusion reactor and intended for long range self defence and the later being a quadpacked short-range chemical missile intended as a complement to the CDCS systems.

Benefiting from the latest innovations in propulsion plants, it is the 7th ship of the Colbert class to be fitted with the Adamès SPHAF-NG, a recent development of the SPHAF hybrid drive that combines 3 Fusion reactors and an antimatter reactor. This new generation of hybrid drives helped reduce the size of the radiators even further in an effort to improve the combat-efficiency of the carrier while also allowing for a whooping Δv equal to 0.93 times the speed of light, something that has led the high command of the Akitean Space Force to use this vessel mainly on long-range missions as it performed better than the youngest of its sister ships.

The crew of 398 has a spacious ship at its disposal, with the habitable space equal to the size of a 120m skyscraper and reaching 214m with the massive hangar located amidship, allowing more than 33% of the food to be grown inside using large hydroponic compartments and offering a lot of space for cargo, which mean the Alice de Vaudoirin more often than not serve as a cargo ship at peacetime. Crew facilities include a gym, an indoor swimming pool and various indoor parks intended to improve the crew morale in long duration missions.

The Alice de Vaudoirin would serve the Akitean Space Force for 20 years, seeing combat as part of the Akitean-Spesan war and would gain immense recognition for its successful support of the Akitean Planetary Assault on Earth and for destroying the Spesan Dreadnought Kamehameha before being decommissioned in 3381 as brand new ships entered service, and used as part of a test campaign for novel weapon systems for the Akitean Space Force which was desperate for equipments to wind the war. The ship would eventually be teared apart by an anti-gluon beam test, slicing through the hangar and cutting the ship in two, it would then be sent to an Akitean Space Force Scrapyard for recycling and today, some parts of the Alice de Vaudoirin can still be found in ships of the Akitean Navy commissioned afterward.

[JCSTCap]

CPA Moonage Daydream, LGS-105

Builders - Curtin Orbital Yards
Operator - Carthage, as member of the Confederacy of Sovereign Worlds
Commission - 2339
Commanding Officer - Commande Fourth Class Robert Hillary Sheppard
Crew - 36

Power -
2x independent operation A2C micro nuclear reactor

Armament -
1x500mm Thyssenkrupp-Bregenzer spinal railgun

• 6x nuclear rod projectiles
  52x solid shot

3x30mm Purpose Dynamic rotary close in weapons system
2x rib torpedo platforms

• 32x SEPLAN Archer anti-slip missile
  18x SEPLAN Space Shepherd anti-slip missile

Vehicles -
1x Purpose Dynamic C-110 Auk spaceplane

The gun slip is a common sight in the astraries of the interstellar powers. These aggressive looking spacecraft serve a role closer to that of the terrestrial tank destroyer than that of any wet navy vessel, but are no less important than the great carriers and slips of the line they fight in the shadow of. These craft are in essence guns with slips built around them, and are in most cases the smallest slipspace-capable vessels in any given planet's astrary. They are ambush predators, incapable of long term brawling in favour of firing massive metal rods through the battle bridges and nuclear reactors of the enemy from outside cruising sensor range or from a clandestine position among space debris. The practice of waiting to score one precise killing shot on an enemy's reactor or hotmag is known as "coring" to slip crews, and landing a perfect coring carries considerable bragging rights.

The vessel's bulbous nose contains a sensor array and micro-optic suite that both creates the battle bridge's virtual helm and allows for the microscopic pinpoint accuracy required to land a perfect core kill at beyond visual range. Above this, flanked by communications antennae, is the barrel of the TK-B railgun that is the spacecraft's backbone. Moving backwards we come to the lifeboat bays under the forward maneuvering thruster, and behind them the slip's heavily armoured UNREP/EVA doors and the two forward PD guns.

In the center, radiator ribs and torpedo platforms surround and protect the battle bridge, communications bunker, and essentially all crew quarters. This area contains the slip's only artificial gravity chamber, a broom-closet sized recreation room that allows crewmembers a brief respite from the madness-inducing life in zero gravity. Both docking ports are here as well. The top port is for space stations and space elevators. The bottom is for other slips, but is almost always carrying the vessel's Skua shuttle. The Skua is designed for use in hangars, and as a result this adapted docking arrangement means boarding is a tight squeeze through a service hatch between the atmosphere propulsion engines. This arrangement was unique to the early days of Type 19 LGS, which was designed before adoption of the Skua by the Confederate Planets.

Moving rearward we come to the vessel's slipspace whiskers. These essential antennae continuously test and repel the edge of the wormhole during slipspace travel. Though 'traversing the slip' is generally a matter of seconds and no more than minutes, the failure of the whiskers could result in a no-space collapse. These catastrophic slipspace accidents result in total annihilation of the vessel from physical space. It is said among slip crews that when the bulkheads start shaking in a retreat-under-fire, you pray to the whiskers first and God second.

The rear of the slip bulges out to contain the redundant two reactors, which cup the wormhole engine between them, and the drive engines along with the majority of the vessel's maneuver thrusters. Other than maintenance tunnels, service chambers, and the reactor team's station, this area is mostly automated or semi-automated machinery. Located beneath the 'floor' tiles of the reactor team's station is the onboard super computer. Though this is primarily controlled by the navigation officers, it is located rearward in order to shelter vulnerable crew spaces behind the radiator ribs as additional armour. Though unseen from this angle, the reactor crew have their own lifeboat, which is located in a recess seen behind the lower slipspace whiskers.

a quick glossary
- astrary, astraries: the equivalent to army or navy for outer-space. replaced "space navy" in the 22nd century
- slip: from "slipspace ship." language has shifted towards calling all spacecraft slips, even when not equipped with wormhole engines
- slipspace: the travel through wormholes, generated by a wormhole engine, that allows for seemingly faster than light travel
- wormhole engine: a breakthrough development of the artificial gravity generator that allows for the opening of wormholes in certain positions in deep space
- no-space: the atom annihilating absence of space left behind by the collapse of a wormhole engine's artificial wormhole
- virtual helm: a neural-imaging recreation of an exposed bridge, allowing a protected battle bridge to simulate a position at the front of a spacecraft
- hotmag: from "hot magazine." the armoured magazine of a slip armed with nuclear weapons. a prized coring target.
- the Confederate Planets: another name for the Confederacy of Sovereign Worlds, an alliance of planets outside the Sol system that oppose the UN
- Commande: a title equivalent to the naval captain that denotes a slipspace vessel commander
- Commande Fourth Class: a rank in the Confederate Planets Astrary at which one commands a smaller vessel
- Carthage: an arid but habitable world of the Confederacy that was used as a terraforming model for Mars

[Charguizard]

The 137th Frigate Squadron (137o Squadrone di Fregate) is a formation composed of Frigates (multirole Destroyers, large warships with powerful endurance and integral strike craft, lack the command facilities and ground component of cruisers), their leader (Caccia Conduttori) and their command ship/tender (Appoggio Fregate), the CAPPADOCIA. The Frigates belong to the GREAT COMMANDER (GRANDI COMANDANTI) class. The individual members are:
Tender:
AF71 Cappadocia
Leader:
CF144 Venetia Dimitriades
Frigates:
F91 Antonio Rivarelli
F97 Enzo Garibaldi
F98 Renata Kazan
F100 Sargis Adosidis
F95 Fiorella di Trento
F104 Vincenzo Lope

The formation acts as a vanguard scout and space denial unit which moves to different sectors and operates in unison or splits into divisions. The CAPPADOCIA is perfectly able to defend herself but the whole unit would lose endurance to a fraction of its nominal amount if she was lost or forced back to dock.

Missions:
MASINT
ELINT
Reconnaissance in force
Shadowing
Installation raiding
Light strike
Fleet screen
Convoy escort




CF144 Venetia Dimitriades, Amerigo Imbruglia (Ammiragli Stellari)-class
The Caccia Conduttoris are similar to Light Cruisers save that they have no ground complement and marginally less endurance. The Imbruglia-class were built during the same program as the Grandi Comandanti-class, and are meant to provide command facilities and extra strike craft to Frigate squadrons, so as to liberate Light Cruisers to perform station duties and screening. 20 ships were ordered but only 12 were built in 2 batches, one of 9 ships and one of 3 ships. The vessels are 335m long and have a compliment of 19 officers and 203 enlisted, including one strike wing officer and five warrant officers. The class is named after Admirals that have served the current Neo-Hattusa Empire and have not qualified for other distinctions that warrant being in other groups. The ships are built around a central hangar for 8 Fanti Mobili (though the normal compliment is 6) and two launch bays, one on each side. The bays are hollow, possess a catapult and can either launch or receive a Fante Mobile, meaning the ship can launch and recover at the same time by using both bays. The front of the central hull holds 12 torpedo launchers and 64 missile launchers. The armament is rounded up by 7 turreted mass drivers and 20 twin rapid fire laser cannon. The ship’s sublight drives place it at a swift Class 5 and its hyperdrive is a respectable Category 2, which combined with two months worth of stores and fuel giving the ships a much needed tactical and strategic speed advantage over other types of warship.

[Kiwi Imperialist]

The Gayen Goblin was a product of the exploration boom which followed the First Interstellar War. It was an affordable option for families escaping the war-torn landscapes of the Solar System, Proxima Centauri, and Tau Ceti. 98 million were produced by Gayen Astrolite in the Association of Liberal Polities between 2258 and 2319, with millions more produced under licence in the Independent Solar States and illicitly in the Rump. Many could still be found plodding about the Outer Colonies a century after production ceased, though reactor leaks and antigravity failures became a common problem as time went on.

[Kiwi Imperialist]

Polls Now Open
The submission period for the Spacebucket Challenge has ended. I am pleased to see that several additional entries appeared following the extension. To everyone who used the extra time to finish their works, and those who completed an entry before the initial deadline, thank you. The community poll is now open and you can rate each entry here. Those who favour democracy will be pleased to learn that five options are once again available for the next challenge. Hold onto your bustles because they are focused on the nineteenth century. All are Shipbucket scale. You can vote for your favourite here. Both polls will run until March 23, ending at 23:59 (UTC-12). Countdown timer.


Options for the Next Challenge
Steam Battleship Challenge

1. Your submission must depict a fictional ship-of-the-line laid down between 1845 and 1860.
2. The ship should carry at least 90 guns.
3. Steam propulsion must supplement the ship's sails.

Ram Challenge

1. Your submission must depict a fictional warship with a ram bow.
2. The ship should be designed in response to the Battle of Lissa, or an equivalent in-universe battle, which emphasises ramming.
3. It should be commissioned within 10 years of the Battle of Lissa (i.e. between 1866 and 1876).

Victorian State Yacht Challenge

1. Your submission must depict a fictional yacht used by a country's head of state or government.
2. The yacht should be commissioned during the Victorian era.
3. It cannot be a ship used principally for other purposes (e.g. a battleship with royal state rooms).

19th Century Torpedo Boat Challenge

1. You submission must depict a fictional 19th century torpedo boat.
2. The boat may be armed with spar or self-propelled torpedoes.

First Submarine Challenge

1. Your submission must depict a fictional submarine.
2. The submarine should be the first submarine built or operated by its respective country.
3. It must be completed before 1900.

[Rob2012]

Polls Now Open
The submission period for the Spacebucket Challenge has ended. I am pleased to see that several additional entries appeared following the extension. To everyone who used the extra time to finish their works, and those who completed an entry before the initial deadline, thank you. The community poll is now open and you can rate each entry here. Those who favour democracy will be pleased to learn that five options are once again available for the next challenge. Hold onto your bustles because they are focused on the nineteenth century. All are Shipbucket scale. You can vote for your favourite here. Both polls will run until March 23, ending at 23:59 (UTC-12). Countdown timer.


Options for the Next Challenge
Steam Battleship Challenge

1. Your submission must depict a fictional ship-of-the-line laid down between 1845 and 1860.
2. The ship should carry at least 90 guns.
3. Steam propulsion must supplement the ship's sails.

Ram Challenge

1. Your submission must depict a fictional warship with a ram bow.
2. The ship should be designed in response to the Battle of Lissa, or an equivalent in-universe battle, which emphasises ramming.
3. It should be commissioned within 10 years of the Battle of Lissa (i.e. between 1866 and 1876).

Victorian State Yacht Challenge

1. Your submission must depict a fictional yacht used by a country's head of state or government.
2. The yacht should be commissioned during the Victorian era.
3. It cannot be a ship used principally for other purposes (e.g. a battleship with royal state rooms).

19th Century Torpedo Boat Challenge

1. You submission must depict a fictional 19th century torpedo boat.
2. The boat may be armed with spar or self-propelled torpedoes.

First Submarine Challenge

1. Your submission must depict a fictional submarine.
2. The submarine should be the first submarine built or operated by its respective country.
3. It must be completed before 1900.

I like the ideas for the steam battleship challenge and the Ram challenge myself. Would the C.S.S. North Carolina and C.S.S. Mississippi be fictional even they would become the Scorpion class ironclad in the Royal Navy?