Modular Cargo Barge C

ARMAMENT:
None
*Some Owners May retrofit Point Defense systems and light cannons.

COMPLIMENT:
5-15 Depending on model and variant, typically civillian crewed often with high turn over rates. The Crew compartments are usually bunks and billets, very reminiscent of the cramped quarters on merchant fishing and tramp cargo vessels of the 20th century. All crew share lavatory facilities, and shower facilities. Each crewman is alloted enough space for one foot locker of personnel effects and clothing. A single galley serves the vessel, and often doubles as the recreation room when not serving meals. The vessels rarely maintain launches or Shuttles, and are reliant on Hard Dock or Manual EVA for loading and unloading of personnel, supplies, or cargo. A few Construction and Utility A.P.U.s are maintained for in-flight maintenance purposes and some cargo transfer. Facilities and accomodations are limited on these vessels as the intended deployment was for a few days at a time - however it is become almost commonplace for owners and operators to push these barges and the crews relentlessly for weeks at a time, often with only a 24 to 48 hour turnaround for refueling and resopplying between runs. While there are old spacers that may have been with a ship or a captain for years, these long rotations and close living conditions can often be hard on the uninitiated. As a result, cargo barges often have to replace several crew with each port. Fortunately there is no shortage of potential crew who may not otherwise be able to afford the expense of space travel and are willing to trade labor for passage.


HISTORY:
There is no shortage of demand for small cargo transport vessels to ferry supplies of all shapes and sizes between orbitals, planets, or ships in system. Such small cargo vessels come in a large variety of shapes and c;asses, some specialized for specific uses and cargos.The Hercules Shipyards Modular Transports have managed to steadily gain increasing favor among crews, captains, and cargo lines in the market - so much so that they have spawned numerous knock offs and imitators from rival manufacturers. The Hercules Modular Cargo Barges are durable, inexpensive, and easily retrofitted for multiple uses.
The Hercules Shipyards Modular Transport "C" variant is a dedicated freight hauler that has become the standard for inter system transport. The "C" Variant features two hard-docked cargo containers, and six external mounted racks of "no-frills" storage/transport bins (that is to say not pressurized or climate controlled) it also features 2 external mixed-use modules that can either be used for cargo transport or retrofitted for a variety of passenger, crew, laboratory, or workshop modules. The Mixed use modules are most often divided between some simple amenity spaces that there is insufficient space for on the rest of the vessel, such as simple recreational area, as well as additional temporary cargo storage, and bays for EVA operations and suits that might be needed in ship to ship cargo swapping. "C" Type transports are the workhorses of inter-system freight, used to move cargo between stations, orbitals, ships, and low gravity colonies. When "C" variants do operate on a interstellar role, they are always part of a larger convoy and carried by a much larger ship capable of FTL flight.