Traveller, The Rise of Empire: A Naval Design, Procurement and Command Quest

Are we content with the diplomatic courier design? It could be improved by the following means: Aesthetics. Make sure that the diplomatic cruiser is visually different from the standard interstellar cruiser, so claims it is a "diplomatic vessel" hold more weight.
What are our next steps for exploration, diplomacy and war-making? Deep diving and Looking to Hermosa

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Diplomatic Transport
While the original intention behind the Diplomatic Courier being a variant of the Interstellar Cruiser was to maintain security while under escort, it has been pointed out that looking like a warship is not always the ideal position for such a ship. It will instead be redesigned as a streamlined, self-landing ship much like the DSS is capable of, which will lose it the benefit of being a variant of the cruiser but gain the ability to become a functional 'flying embassy' that can set down on any planet.

The first - and currently only - planned ship of this type will be laid down in the third month of the sixth year, as soon as yard space becomes available. The additional construction time is considered a small price to pay to have a notable and recognisable ship of peace.

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Deep Diver Shuttle
While not a priority to some in the Service, there are others that think the future of science will and must include deployments by the Service rather than relying entirely on the activities of the civilian bodies such as the SIS. With the funding and yard-space available to us, it is far simpler for us to simply request and build a shuttle capable of plunging deep into a gas giant or an anomalous world without needing to rely on funding grants or university interests. Thus, the 'Deep Diver' is born.
Capable of plunging deep into a liquid ocean, into the depths of a gas giant or into more hostile and vile environs and allowing her crew of four direct access to studying those situations for up to three days, this shuttle can be carried aboard an Interstellar Surveyor or any other ship capable of carrying the now standard 90-ton shuttle. It will be ready for service in ten months, circa 06y10m00w.

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Diplomatic Overtures
With the noted presence of a distant and dangerous inhabited sector within the local cluster, diplomatic teams are sent to S'Taxu's various notable factions to inform them of the fact. There is brief panic when the Chambrestrong Dynasty is informed and they consider retaking control over the nuclear orbitals from the current shared capability agreement. However, they are reassured of the continued presence of the Interstellar Cruiser in their orbits and that Home will not abandon an ally. They would like a greater warship presence to be stationed in S'Taxu, potentially including a permanent HSWS installation in orbit around one of the uninhabited worlds. They would be willing to offer 1,000Dtons of yards to this endeavour.

The Junta, however, has another suggestion. They would like to begin construction of warships in the local volume, using their yards and crewed by local sailors - a mixture of Junta, Xyphon and Cassalon citizens - but they will be in all other aspects part of the Home Space Warfare Service. The Peoples Military Council is willing to give up 4,000Dtons of shipyard for the combined defence of the systems which will, functionally, become a part of the Home yards, seperated only by distance. If accepted, it would give us a 50% increase in the yard space we have available for construction.

What would the Navy prefer?
[ ] The Dynasts 1,000 tons and a permament station.
[ ] The Junta's 4,000 tons and combined fleet.
[ ] Something else - write-in.
[ ] Nothing, they must fend for themselves!

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Scouting Operations
Two task forces are set up and dispatched to their various operations. The ships Thishtrya, Janus and Sakumo and the HSLS Lakapati will head south, via Staging Point to the sector still currently designated as -01,02 to conduct orbital surveys of the inhabited water world and to land a research team on the anomalous transient world currently called 'Eight'. This is expected to take ten weeks, with a three week operation in -01,02, and will return to Home circa 06y03m00w.

The second task force will conduct a much more low key but still vitally important 'Operation Eastern View'. Using Xyri as a launching point, the HSWS Aditi and the HSWS Culsans, accompanied by the HSWS Apedemak, will conduct long duration surveys from two points in deep space - 02,-01 and 02,00. This will slowly but surely roll back the edges of known space, without putting any of our ships at risk. This is expected to last fifteen weeks before their return to Home, with a due date circa 06y04m03w. The following map displays the sectors we are expecting to recover information about (in light grey).

By the time these two missions return the third Deep Space Surveyor will be complete and so will the Deep Hope Modular Station. We will be able to begin construction of a diplomatic vessel and conduct the refits of the Interstellar Surveyors to bring them up to modern standards.

Please present any votes as a plan. Voting opens at Aug 5, 2024 at 10:00 AM
Easy one today because my pain is bad. Have fun!

A Modest Proposal

...The moral and intellectual case for the contactless surveillance is self-evident enough not to be repeated once more. However, the practical implications of the Deep Diver are too useful to miss.
Submerged in the oceans of the Mystery-7 planet, the Deep Diver could stealthily approach the inhabited isles and observe them via sensors from the far lesser distance than the orbital survey. Keeping it hidden and therefore not interferring with the natural flow of aboriginal life would leave the observation results unspoiled. Vast sociological and anthropological knowledge could and would be extracted this way. The new contactless approaches would doubtlessly improve not only our knowledge of the human socities in general, but also the methodoligies of studying the future cases of abandoned, post-catastrophe or technophobic civilizations. In perfect world, the better stealth explorer shuttle would be be diesigned for those future operations - doubtlessly from the knowledge gained by using the Deep Diver at Mystery-7. While 3 days worth of fuel is hardly sufficient, some of the cargo space could be sacrificed for the extended fuel and and rations supply, increasing the autonomy of the vessel...

Prof. Tran John Blaise, PhD

Addendum

While our hands-off approach at -01,02-7 is not informed by some desire of "unspoiled anthropological observation" that respected Professor keeps praising (and so does his faction in SIS), this letter at least proposes useful approach. The "underwater stealth observer" would be useful in determining if the anomalous tech-less condition on the -01,02-7 is caused by some external actor, and if so, maybe even some information on this potential actor could be gleaned. If there are any "exactor" observation posts in the ocean itself, or any wreckage on the ocean bottom, those would be discovered by the Deep Diver without endangering our ships.

In future missions the refined and improved Deep Diver could be used on more developed planets. Inserted in the ocean out of reach of terrestrial anti-orbital weapons, it can then approach and conduct recon on the planetside installations from closer distances than otherwise approachable.
The larger version of Deep Diver could be fitted with a small missile bay and carry a few nuclear missiles to strike at planetside targets, ones that would be too well protected to conduct the S'Taxu-type orbital strikes against them...

Commodore Sinubulan, HSWS Procurement