Carrack

The Anvil Carrack is a multi-crew explorer that has more than earned its long-standing status as the go-to pathfinder for both military and civilian services. The Carrack comes with two additional craft - Anvil's own specially designed Pisces snub, and an RSI Ursa Rover. It is built as a single, self-sustaining ship that can make long-duration voyages through the roughest areas of space. It's designed specifically for transiting jump points, dealing with extreme conditions in space and getting back home.

Since its time in the UEE Navy, it has been the vanguard of every UEE exploration effort in recent years. Combined with the high-tensile hull armor, the Carrack is one of the safest exploration ships in the galaxy. The Carrack is now declassified and it is available for civilian use.

Features

 * Self-sufficient exploration: On-board accommodations allow for truly self-sufficient flight, including crew medical and repair facilities, and a mapping-oriented sensor suite capable of always charting a route on the go.
 * Extended range: The ship features reinforced fuel tanks for long-duration flight, a highly advanced Tarsus Tunneler jump drive array and a dedicated computer core room that allows it to put the maximum processing power into jump charting operations.
 * Scout crafts: The Carrack houses a Pisces-class scout ship that is able to launch from its hangar, an Ursa rover, and unmanned explorer drone pods.
 * Canopy protection: The Carrack features a beautiful single-pane multi-story cockpit window that offers an unprecedented view alongside a titanium-reinforced blast cover capable of sealing off the ship quickly when danger strikes. When in blast mode, the Carrack relies on its extensive onboard sensors for flight.
 * Bridge: The Carrack's bridge is divided into two levels which features extensive scanning, mapping, charting sensor suites, multiple crew stations and a large unobstructed canopy. The lower level include 3 handing control seats, the center being the pilot seat. The upper level includes 2 crew stations and a commander station which has the ability to pilot the ship. The starboard control station is also able to control the remote turret that is located on the top of the ship.
 * Modules: The Carrack is capable of carrying 3 swappable modules under its belly. These modules are designed to allow the Carrack to adapt to a more specific job. The default modules on the Carrack are cargo modules, capable of carrying 456 total SCU of cargo.

Ship profile
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Series variants

 * Other possible variants: According to lore, military version of Carrack are actively produced and utilized by the UEEN.

Special editions
Carrack Expedition

Gallery
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Lore
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In 2815, the UEEN cruiser Carraway, dispatched to investigate peculiar transmissions within the Tohil System's dense asteroid field, tragically vanished with its entire crew. This incident caused embarrassment for the Admiralty, as they had previously debated the value of utilizing warships for exploratory missions. To mitigate the loss and improve upon the missions previously undertaken by larger warships, a secret no-bid contract was awarded to Anvil Aerospace.

The year 2822 marked a significant turning point when the Anvil Carrack made an unexpected appearance at the MacArthur Naval Base in Kilian. Aerospace enthusiasts were astounded by the ship's impressive design and mystified about its origin. Developing a spacecraft in secrecy is a complex and costly endeavor, typically pursued when it can impact the balance of power. However, the Carrack, as the first corvette-sized, dedicated exploration ship in the Navy's inventory, seemed to have emerged fully formed and ready for service, leaving many perplexed.

The unexpected arrival of the Carrack sparked widespread speculation about its true purpose. Sinister theories circulated, suggesting it might be a disguised electronic warfare vessel or harbored a powerful new type of weapon. However, these conjectures proved to be unfounded. The ship's classification, which was subsequently revoked, was intended to conceal the actual reason behind its development—a need for a dedicated explorer to replace and enhance the missions carried out by larger warships.

Despite the controversies surrounding its creation, the UEEN Carracks embarked on a remarkable journey of expert survey work that spanned more than a century. These military Carracks logged numerous discoveries, meticulously surveying moons, comets, jump points, and asteroid fields. Even to this day, they continue to be actively produced and utilized. Civilianization=

In the early days following the Carrack's launch in UEEN service, its exceptional blend of military durability and appealing design captured the attention of the galaxy. Anvil Aerospace, the ship's manufacturer, received an overwhelming response, with over four thousand requests from organizations and individuals eager to acquire their own Carrack. Anvil sought permission from the military to sell the ship to civilians once the initial 18-month construction contract ended in 2825. However, the military initially declined due to the classified nature of the Carrack's original design process. Despite believing the decision to be wrong, Anvil chose not to contest it, as they didn't want to jeopardize their standing as a prime contractor for other projects like the Hornet. It would take the replacement of the staff officers who classified the destruction of the Carraway and several decades of waiting before the government finally relented.

In 2933, Anvil finally obtained authorization to develop a civilian version of the Carrack. However, the UEEN imposed certain requirements, including a complete overhaul of the sensor software and the prohibition of producing civilian Carracks in the same facilities as the military hulls. Development work commenced promptly but encountered delays. Rewriting the software proved challenging, and teams faced difficulties adapting the ship's standard metrics to civilian equipment, even in seemingly simple aspects like the dimensions of the loading ramp. To secure a slot in the initial production run, prospective captains were encouraged to place a deposit, leading to a "Carrack craze" as people bought and traded planned future hulls. Owners closely followed the progress of the civilian version through the various development delays.

Finally, on February 21st, 2938, the first civilianized Carrack, affectionately named Sonny Boy by its crew, was delivered. This momentous occasion is annually celebrated as an unofficial "Carrack Day" by Carrack user groups. Civilian Carracks and their crews swiftly became a symbol of humanity's finest spacefarers, dedicated to the noble pursuit of exploration rather than commerce or defense. They represented the epitome of human curiosity and the aspiration to venture into the unknown for both knowledge and profit.

Development

 * On 2013-11-23, CIG conducted a poll with the community to decide the role of the ship that was coming next. On 2013-11-25, the exploration role won the poll, and the Carrack was announced. On 2013-11-26, the Carrack officially became promised feature of the $33 million crowdfunding goal.
 * The initial concept of the ship was designed by Gurmukh Bhasin and Omar Aweidah (concept artist). It is also the first large Anvil ship that went into development. The concept art of the ship was first revealed on 2014-11-28. On 2017-10-06, the Carrack went in production on white box phrase, but stopped afterwards due to development priorities. On 2018-11-23, the Carrack resumed into production with a 5-person team from Foundry 42 UK. The ship was scaled back to roughly the original size of the concept.

Trivia

 * Carrack is the favourite ship of Jared Huckaby (Disco Lando). He is forced to like the ship as he is "legally bounded by his obligation to the community to like the ship". It is originated from the ship shape segment on 2018-04-12, he asked the community to vote his favorite ship in the comments, his favourite ship officially became the Carrack on 2018-05-03.
 * Carrack was released with a minigame.
 * The name of the class comes from a three- or four-masted ocean-going sailing ship that was developed in the 14th to 15th centuries in Europe. The origin of the term carraca is unclear, perhaps from Arabic qaraqir "merchant ship", itself of unknown origin (maybe from Latin carricare "to load a car" or Greek καρκαρίς "load of timber") or the Arabic القُرْقُورُ (al-qurqoor) and from thence to the Greek κέρκουρος (kerkouros) meaning approximately "lighter" (barge) literally, "shorn tail", a possible reference to the ship's flat stern).
 * Naval Station of La Carraca, is a naval shipyard and a naval base in San Fernando, Spain. It is a naval base for the construction and repair of ships, and the storage and distribution of arms and ammunition. The first military establishment of its kind to be created in Spain under the naval policy of Felipe V, it was developed by Patiño and the Marquis de la Ensenada. Though work on building the shipyard began in 1720, the formal decree issued by Fernando VI on October 3, 1752, accelerated its construction until it was completed in the late 18th century.