Timeline: 2219

2219

SHIPYARDS COMPLETE IN SECTOR 12; NEW SHIPS TO AID COLONIZATION EFFORT

SECTOR 12, League of Old Earth Democracies - The League Shipyards were officially completed earlier today in the resource-rich Sector 12, in a ribbon-cutting ceremony presided over by League President Gerald Rucker and League Starship Production Corporation chairman Tamara Kinser. The shipyards are expected to increase production of ships by several hundred degrees and provide many jobs for the still-recovering alliance.

The need for a massive shipyard was foreseen by League Secretary of Colonization, Jonah Oppenheimer, at the beginning of the League's massive colonization push. "We have insufficient transportation resources for the job at hand," he was quoted as saying, "hopefully, the construction of a ship-building facility will fill this void and give us some side benefits."

The construction of the facility took several years, beginning in late 2215, suspended for a year in 2217, and then resumed, to finish this year. The facility consists of six large space stations/production facilities, each housing construction of a different class of ship.

"The first ships to come off of the production line will be late this year," said Kinser. "We hope to have a fleet of at least thirty new ships ready to assist the colonization effort by May of next year.

The massive colony vessels use large quantities of raw steel and more exotic materials, which a separate department of the LSPC mines from asteroid belts and colony planets. The new ships will not only send people and materials to the colonies; it will also bring them back.

"Only good things can come from this," commented Rucker.

(Excerpted from: Intersector News Corp, Vol LXV, No. 23)