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MP Mariners

Page history last edited by Michael 6 years, 2 months ago

back to the Index or the Geography and History page 

 


 

pink shows the shipping routes of the Mariners

 

     The Mariners are sailors in the Great Lakes. Other names for them are Marins, Boatmen, Bateliers, or Lakers. They operate two dozen steamboats over 20 tons displacement, more than a hundred of 10 tons or less, and many sailing craft.


Origin

 

Pre-War


     Their own oral history claims they are descended from sailors in the Great Lakes, but their ancestors were probably just ordinary folk. Very roughly 10,000 persons were employed as sailors or marine firemen and engineers in the Great Lakes at the time of the Atomic War.

 

Post-War


     Blah blah ...

 

What Outsiders Know


     Mariners are vital to the economy of the lakes. Any community adjacent to the Great Lakes has heard of them.

 

The Reality


     Blah blah ...

 

Population


     There are less than 8,000 of them.

 

Territory and Locations

 

  • Calder:  once known as Sturgeon Bay, WI. Population 500. It's on what is now called the Winnebago Island, between Green Bay and Lake Michigan. 5,000 people live on the island and on the Door Peninsula, and Calder is the largest town -- perhaps 2,500 Mariners call the area home. Their skinball team is the Fraxx. Economy:  non-industrial. Technology level E.

  • Grand Island:  the Mariners in Lake Superior are a small group, operating sailing craft only. Less than 500 persons make up their community on Grand Island. Economy:  poor, non-industrial. Technology level E. 

  • North Shore:  formerly Fayette State Park. Population 50 in winter, 500 at the height of the trading season. Another Mariner area, but they draw a lot of trade from overland in the Upper Peninsula. Their skinball team is the Nessies. Economy:  non-industrial, non-agricultural. Technology level D, but most trade is in E-level items.

  • Sentinel - about half of the population of this community are Mariners.

 

     Besides the above populations, there are good numbers of Mariners in all the ports served by their vessels.

 

Organization

 

 

Government, National and Local


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Justice, Social Control, Punishment


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Political Factions, Dissent


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Famous/Infamous Persons

 

     Blah blah ...

 

Relationships with Other Groups


     Blah blah ...

 

Culture

 

Ethnic Groups, Immigration and Emigration

 

     Blah blah ...

 

Social Divisions and Castes


     Blah blah ...

 

Religion, Beliefs and Superstition


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Morality and Values


     Blah blah ...

 

Progress and Failure


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Family, Age, Sexuality and Gender


     Blah blah ...

 

Education and Language


     A well-educated culture, with nearly 90% literacy for persons over age 14.

     Ancient (called English) is their main language, although with a smaller vocabulary than in the 20th Century. Some have an Upper Peninsula accent; others have a slight French accent (if they are from the Arcadian Republic or live among the frontaliers). The Anishinaabe languages are also often known.

 

Environment and Agriculture


     Blah blah ...

 

Food


     Blah blah ...

 

Art and Entertainment, Music, Literature, Recreation


     Blah blah ...

 

Fashion and Appearance


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Urban and Rural Areas, Architecture


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Equipment and Resources

 

Economy


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Science, Medicine and Technology


     The society of the Mariners is Technology Level D ... "late Steam Age", around the end of the 19th Century in North America. They aren't numerous enough to produce everything found in America of 1900, of course; but they have references and a few small but well-equipped factories.

 

Weapons and Military Equipment


     Blah blah ...

 

Communications


     While not produced in the Great Lakes, a number of simple radios -- usually old CB radios -- have been imported from places far west of the Mississippi River. The Mariners could produce a telegraph system, or even simple telephones, but connecting their towns by land (through hostile territory) would be difficult.

     They use the printing services available at Bastion and Sentinel.

 

Vehicles


     Except for some horses and horse-drawn wagons near towns, the Mariners are otherwise entirely nautical.

 

Aircraft


     None

 

Watercraft


      They have rowed vessels, sailing vessels, steam vessels and motor vessels.

      Most of the sailing vessels engaged in commerce are either scow schooners (crew of 3 typically) and the slightly larger and faster topsail schooners (crew of 4 typically). About 200 sailors are employed aboard these craft.

      Smaller sailing craft are employed by Mariners as fishing boats; several hundred sailors act as the crews of these vessels.

      Steam vessels in service, of 100 tons or more displacement:

 

 

     There are several dozen smaller steam vessels, of 20 and 30 tons displacement, and a dozen or so steam or motor tugboats. Most of the tugs are small, 22nd Century vessels, but two large 20th Century tugs survive:

 

    • Edna, steam tug of about 150 tons, 28 meters long, crew of 12

    • Ludington, tug of 480 tons, 35 meters long, crew of 14. The engine is a 1200 HP diesel. 

 

     Total steam vessel crews, about 600.

     The operation of large vessels by the Arcadian Republic is sometimes a sore point with the Mariners.

 

Rules of the Road for the Great Lakes

 

     A lot of the differences from the 20th Century relate to the much lower tempo of shipping on the Great Lakes in mid-22nd Century:  many of the specialized lights, etc. for odd situations are unknown. Seaplanes, submarines, underwater cables, etc. are unknown, for example.
     Mariners have a skill -- Great Lakes Nautical Lore and Customs, I suppose --  about conditions peculiar to the Lakes:  where the shallow water is, where wrecks are, when the storms appear, fog banks, where pirates are found, places to avoid anchoring, where to get fuel, fares to charge, what cargoes and tows are available when, where to get repairs, how to call for a tug from outside a harbor, acceptable towing/tugboat charges, characteristics and locations of buoys and lighthouses, etc.
     The alphabetic signal flags used in the Great Lakes are the same as in the 20th Century, and known to you via Sail skill. Many of the "combination" flag signals, however, you don't know (for example, VK is "Pirates are about"); they would be learned as part of Great Lakes Nautical Lore and Customs.
    And Sail skill has a lot of information that's the same everywhere around the world:  for example, the effects of vessel length and draft, water depth and mode of propulsion on steering, especially alongside piers.


Rules of the Road for the Great Lakes

(summarized version of a document of 16 pages)

 

  • Four types of vessels:  barges, small craft (rowboats and other open boats, rafts -- including log rafts --, canal boats, flatboats), sail vessels, motor vessels.

  • Vessels are underway when not made fast to the shore, or not at anchor, or are aground -- the usual phrase is "they are underway when not attached to the ground".

  • Lights on vessels will be carried from sunset to sunrise.

  • Where on a vessel the lights are to be carried, what color, how bright (5 miles basically on a dark clear night), how high above water, which arcs visible in. It's a long section, several pages ... all sorts of differences based on where at ("East of Soo" for example), size and type of vessel, etc.

  • Sailing vessels use "flare up" lights when they think a motor vessel is approaching them in the dark.

  • Special lights and signals for use when towing. The sound signal for towing vessels (at night or in bad weather) is the "Modoc whistle" (sort of like a diesel engine exhaust, gives a BRRRAAATTTT noise)

  • Lights when anchored (one or two bright white lights, depending on vessel length -- 150' is the cut-off for one anchor light, and only three vessels qualify).

    • While you might think "Oh, once we have our own lights decided on, the rest isn't important". Well, it is:  when you see the lights of a vessel at night, if you know the Rules, you should be able to tell her type, rough size, course, whether towing anything, and a few other facts

  • Fog (and bad weather) signals -- on shore, on buoy, or by vessels. Horn, whistle, bell, gun, siren (aka "screech"); how often, what interval.

  • Moderate speed in thick weather, or if hazards or uncertainty exist.

  • The most complicated section (almost half of the rules):  when vessels are approaching, crossing, or overtaking, who keeps out of whose way. Wind direction, type of vessel (motor, sail, etc.), curved channels, shore distance, etc. all factor into this.

  • Vessels in narrow channels (rivers and the seaway):  descending vessels generally have the right of way. No passing by motor vessels in narrow channels under 500 feet wide unless the vessel being passed is willing, or is disabled.

  • Signals for distress, danger and precautions to other vessels -- lights, horns, bells, whistles, sirens, flares, rockets, flags, guns, etc.

  • "Due regard shall be had to all the dangers of navigation and collision and to any special circumstances which may render a departure from the rules necessary in order to avoid immediate danger."

  • The Mariners charge a fine of $200 against a sail or motor vessel for violations of the Rules of the Road. This only applies to other Mariners of course ... they have other methods of dealing with flagrant navigational hazards caused by "outsiders".

 


Ratings

 

Trade categories

 

  • AG:  agricultural -- able to export agricultural products

  • NA:  non-agricultural -- must import agricultural products

  • IND:  industrial -- able to export industrial goods

  • NI:  non-industrial -- unable to make industrial goods

  • R:  rich -- relatively well-off

  • P:  poor -- relatively

 

Technology levels

 

Technology Levels

level

name and era

weaponry

A

Atomic Age, 1980+

might even have fusion or laser weaponry.

B

Late Electric Age, ~1955 AD

semi-auto rifles, assault rifles, light machine guns

C

Early Electric Age, ~1920 AD

magazine rifles, hand grenades, simple grenade launchers, semi-auto weapons, machine guns, flamethrowers

D

Late Steam Age, ~1880 AD

early cartridge weapons, including revolvers

E

Early Steam Age, ~1840 AD

muzzle-loading rifles

F

Late Iron Age, ~1770 AD

muzzle-loading smoothbore muskets

G

Early Iron Age, ~700 AD

bows or crossbows

H

Bronze Age, ~00 BC

 

I

Stone Age, ~3000 BC

 

 

     Technology refers to what an encounter group or community possesses, not what they can create. So a Morrow Project team is by default Tech Level A.

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