[Icelander]

In a fantasy setting, my PCs acquired the services of an eccentric character by the name of Spike McGurk and his Flotilla of DEATH*. This consist of three long flush-decked boats/barges crewed by thirty tasloi** each and carrying 20 gooney birds / albatrosses.

It's been established that these are extremely strong giant albatrosses that can, with great difficulty, take off with a running start carrying a load of up to 100 lbs. This, however, makes them clumsy and awkward in flight and landings with that load are flat-out hazardous.

This means either that the albatrosses have ST 13 and can fly at Medium Encumbrance or that they have ST 8 and can fly at Heavy. I think the latter is preferable, but I worry that flying at Heavy encumbrance may be less realistic than super-strong birds.

I'd like to get a better idea of the stats of real albatrosses before statting these fantasy ones more fully.

What is the ST of a real albatross of a given weight and wingspan? Say a big one weighing 25 lbs.?

Can real birds fly at Light encumbrance or heavier?

How smart are albatrosses?

How maneuverable in flight and how do I represent that in GURPS?

*DEATH is always pronounced with maximum emphasis, ideally followed by a dramatic pause.
**Slender, goblin-like beings less than 3' tall and weighing around 30 lbs.