The Black Mako
The MMS Black Mako is a custom built two-masted airship, based on the Valkyrie class production vessel. It uses magically enchanted sails to achieve lift, a system of rudders and triangular sails to control pitch, yaw, and steering, and six steam-driven turbine propeller engines to provide thrust. It features a bow-mounted keel to provide stability, and measures 180' long by 20' wide. Excluding the keel and masts, it has a height of 50' from the top deck to the bottom of the hull. The wheelhouse and captain's cabin are built onto the top deck, and measure 9' tall. Each of its two masts measure 17' tall- the mainmast has a 3' teletype transmitter mounted at the top. It's typical cruising altitude is 6000 feet, though its mechanical components will continue to function at a maximum of 10000 feet. Standard cruising velocity is 45 knots. If the engines are pushed to absolute maximum output, the MMS Black Mako can reach a top speed of 62 knots, but this speed cannot be maintained for more than five to ten minutes without damaging the engines, sails, or both.
The top deck, like the hull, is plated in ceramic veneers, to cut down on wind resistance. Each mast has two heavy brass rings, each with nine attached safety cables, each at a length of 40' and rated to withstand 600 lbs of force. Each safety cable is spooled directly into specialized compartments inside the mast housing, to minimize slack and prevent trip/tangle hazards. The cable rings are mounted to a bearing assembly, allowing them to rotate freely so that crew attached to the safety line(s) can maneuver easily. The wheelhouse and Captain's Cabin are also located on the top deck. The wheelhouse contains the main ignition cylinder, boiler firing sequencer, engine output gauges, altimeter, pitch/yaw harness, steering yoke, and navigation office. The Captain's Cabin contains the Teletype machine, cash vault, and records vault.
The ship itself has three interior decks, which includes the ballast/steerage section. The first deck is the Hospital Wing, and features Dr. Heart's personal quarters, office, an operating theater, an intensive care theater, a post-operative ward, and a trauma/burn ward, as well as six patient rooms, each with two beds separated by a curtain. Every room on the hospital deck has been plated in a thin layer of stainless steel, and all furniture and surgical implements have a minimum of one point of neodymium magnetizing (substantially more in the furniture) to prevent them from sliding or moving during flight. All surgical implements are sterilized after use, both in an antiseptic chemical bath and in an ultra-high-temperature steam bath. Each room can be sterilized quickly and easily, due to the stainless steel plating. Each room on this deck also features access chutes to both the chem tank and the steam bath tank, so that any implements can be quickly and safely sterilized.
The second deck is the crew deck, and features all crew cabins and bunks, as well as the Galley, Kitchen, and refrigerator/cooler units. The pharmacy is located on this floor, in a repurposed crew cabin. Including the pharmacy, there are sixteen cabins on this deck, each of which can hold a maximum of three ponies in stacked bunks. Each bunk has an access chute to the laundry room, a single spooled safety line measuring 8' and rated at 400lbs and anchored directly into the hull, and a water condenser to provide clean water from the steam return lines. Additionally, there are two access tunnels to the lifeboat/outer hull launch pads on this deck, one each on the port and starboard side, at the bow end.
The bottom deck is steerage and storage, and contains the bathrooms, boilers and boiler partitions, dry goods storage partitions, coal bins, chemical/steam sterilization tanks, ship's laundry, and Diamond Dog quarters. There are six boilers aboard, three each along the port and starboard hull. Each boiler is isolated from the others by an armored partition wall. Both bathrooms are also isolated by partitions, though unarmored. The Diamond Dog quarters are nestled in the bow end of the deck, between boilers #1 and #2. The chem and steam tanks both lie along the port wall, while the laundry tank and bathrooms lie along the starboard wall. Additionally, there are two more partitioned storage areas on each the port and starboard wall- these serve as general storage, and are not typically locked. Extra rigging, safety line, tools, spare parts, dry goods, overflow pharmaceuticals/surgical tools/examination equipment, repair equipment, and miscellany are stored here.
The high capacity boilers provide ultra-high-temperature steam, which powers the ship's engines. the engines, in turn, also supply the ship with electricity, which powers the refrigeration units, oven, teletype, heating, and deck lighting. The wind shear generated by flight provides ventilation for the ship, which can be adjusted for each deck. Each crew cabin also has isolated atmospheric controls, which adjust the ventilation and temperature for the rooms.
The boiler partitions are recessed into the floor of the steerage deck, which creates an inter-deck corridor between the outer hull and steerage. This space is used as an access tunnel to the vital boiler control components and fireboxes. This access tunnel, like the engine access tunnels and the transmission control hatches, are all keyed to a single master key- one is in Steel's possession, one in Dr. Heart's, and one in Pick's. These keys open every room and access hatch/tunnel aboard, but notably do not activate the ignition sequence. Only Steel has an ignition key at this time.
Currently, there are no mounted weapons aboard, though personnel are free to carry their own personal firearms.
NPC Crew members
Pick - Pack Leader of the Diamond Dogs
Honeydew - Diamond Dog, security, deck hand
Mallet - Diamond Dog- Hammer's twin, security, deck hand
Hammer - Diamond Dog- Mallet's twin, security, deck hand
Pooflina - Dragon, ship's nurse
Deck Hooves - Pegasus Pony, midshipman
And a blind, cantankerous old zebra. He's a bit of a curmudgeon, but he has nowhere else to go, and Steel isn't the sort to turn old ponies out on the street... much to his own chagrin.