RE: Gamba---> Galli-Yard Shipyards

I disagree with some of Scott 2G Kellogg's logic here.

> When I think about Class A starports, I have a little trouble
> sometimes.  I tend to envision large international airports:
> Dulles, Atlanta, BWI, LAX, Chicago, Heathrow, Newark etc.  Now
> those to me say 'Class A'.  However, not one of those has anything
> to do with manufacturing capacity.

They usually have enough facilities to do major repairs but not
enough to build craft although they could bolt together something 90%
complete from spares.

> Where are the big ship builders/aircraft manufacturers?  Well, most
> of the US aircraft companies are out on the west coast.  Boeing's
> out there in Washington state, Lockheed's in California, the ship
> builders aren't exactly in the large population ports either.  GE
> Boats are out in Conneticut.  Norfolk is a large place, but it's
> not the HUGE place one thinks of when one say's 'Class A' port.
>
> Point being, that the ship building yards may not always mean there
> is a large port or a large amount of traffic going in and out.
>
> So, what do we need for a large ship building yard?  Mainly
> resources.  Those resources are the material to physically make the
> ship, and the technology to make it work.

YES. BUT. What you want is highly processed/refined resources.

> The parallel is steel plants.  Now, most people would imagine that
> steel mills would be ideally located near large deposits of iron
> ore right?  Wrong!  Steel mills are ideally located near large COAL
> deposits.  The process of making steel requires more coal than it
> does iron ore.  (Pittsburgh?)

If you take this "association" to extremes you end up with all
computer manufacturers being located near large silicon deposits and
I don't think that is correct.

> Ok, now with economics still working that way, Ship yards need to
> be located near large mineral deposits and sufficient technlogy
> back there to build it up.

WRONG.  You want to locate yourself close to a steel producer and you
just stated that they are located near COAL reserves and not metal
deposits (OR are you just being generic with "mineral" deposits?).

You locate your business/industry as cost effectively as possible.
If you require more coal than oil or minerals then you position
the factories where you can get the items cost effectively.  This is
one of the reasons a lot of Earth companies are relocating to 3rd world
countries high in cheap labour.

Modern society (and future society) is governed by transportation
networks.  If you don't have good trans nets to your country then
you don't get what you need at reasonable prices.  Thats the case with
a lot of the starving 3rd world nations today.  Its not that there isn't
enough food to go around, its just not economical to ship it there.

What are the large aircraft builders close to?  Given the costs and
volume of material they process it is quite practical for them to
be located anywhere that they can get their staff, electronics and metal
alloys at competitive prices.  They don't have to locate next to a
steel works because they would sub-contract out the various components.

> Galliard is one of the main ship builders of Gamba.  The system has
> a rich asteroid belt with several drydock asteroids.

So what your saying is that all the industry for refining these
asteroids into usable alloys is located in the asteroids as well?

I suppose that the facilities to refine the alloys into electronic
components and refrigerators etc is there as well?  This would
depend upon the cost of labour and other costs so it might be more
practical to drop the processed alloys to planetary surface for
secondary processing.

> The ancient site there is of course highly classified, however,
> rumors indicate that the Galli-Yards, were built over the grounds
> of the site.  This has prompted speculation that the ancient site
> was originally a shipyard, and that the Navy supposedly took
> advantage of the University's excavation/reconstruction of the
> site.  The truth of the matter is unknown, but the University
> students are known to encourage the rumor.

The Ancients were probably located here because it was the biggest
piece of flat ground for miles around and they liked playing lawn
bowls 8^}.

> (Evidence is however that this is simply a group of drunken students)

I didn't think engineers came in any other form. 8^}

> Virtually all the population is employed at the Galli-Yards, and at

Then who does the refining of alloys and building of electronic components
etc  or does your definition of a shipyard encompass all anciliary
manufacturing as well.  In effect having a closed environment?


Bruce....            [email removed]