Young Writers Society

This is more of a casual question than anything. It came to mind when I was writing a new "Hundred Suns" story.

Assuming it doesn't need to be aerodynamic, what's the most efficient design for a cargo craft?

What medium is the cargo travelling over? Is it modern day, historic or futuristic? What type of cargo is it primarily? Is it a solid cargo, or a liquid one? Is it sensitive to any particular materials?

There is no general "cargo". While there are some standard practices, those vary wildly depending on the time period, transportation method, and type of cargo.

Umm... Let's see...

A craft tailored to carrying cargo means you'll want lots of space to put stuff so you can best economise.

Simple mechanics will be useful because the more complex it is the more crew you'll need, and that takes up an increasing amount of space to keep them and their living supplies in.

A cargo craft will have very small living quarters. Usually the crew will all sleep in bunks in a single room. Food will be prepared on the same table it was going to be eaten from since there isn't space for luxuries like work surfaces.

Most of the Hull (if it's a boat or aircraft) will be open space, sometimes split into compartments, and this is where most of the cargo will be stowed. However other parts of the craft will be specially utilised to be able to carry extra cargo, depending on what kind of craft it is.

Depending on how much you want to take physics into account, you might need to note that having a top-heavy craft is really dangerous, so storage is preferable on the lower decks. Also if your craft is designed to carry heavy weights then it will be unstable when it's empty, so you'll need something to counter balance that, or to stock it up with junk when you've nothing to carry.

You'll need stuff to move your stuff in and out of the craft, and this depends on what you've got. Ideally you want something that you can use to help lifting things from ground level, and you want easy access to the lower decks where a lot of stuff will be stowed.

Being organised and being economical are two very different things. On one hand you can have shelves and belts and all that stuff to keep everything safe and in its place, but that takes time and effort and space. The other option is to pile it all in wherever it goes.

Things need to be repaired. Wings, sails, engines. Since your cargo won't be needed until you're safely docked then anything related to repair and upkeep will be on a higher deck, and separate from the cargo. Unless you value your life more than your supplies.

I hope this helps somewhat.

@Rosey Unicorn:

It's traveling through space- that's why I stated that the ship doesn't need to be aerodynamic.

@Ten-pen:

Yes, that helps a whole lot. I would guess that ships like the Millennium Falcon aren't really all that viable...

Does it stay in space indefinitely, or does it have to blast off from any one area? If it has to blast off, it does need to be aerodynamic. It takes a lot of fuel for stuff bound to space to get off the ground, and making that job as easy as possible is important.