There's no evidence to suggest that TF star ships were built to survive de-orbiting intact, and some reason to think they weren't. To whit: if they could have brought Hamilcar down, they probably would have [just think how impressive _that_ would have been to the locals], and if there was any way that the Peis could lose a small warship in a deep trench they _certainly_ would have - and trotted it out years earlier when it became clear that a mutiny was justified.
Michael Everett wrote:Random thought.
We know that the archangels had a Manufactory Ship (whose name I've forgotten! Aargh!) that they used and that it is no longer in orbit.
How far down did they dig for the Temple?
Could the Temple be perched on the nose (or possibly the dorsal ridge) of the ship?
It could explain the launching-bay-sized door and tunnel... it leads down to the ship's boat bay...
Alternatively, the Lake would provide a wonderful way of hiding the ship if it were deep enough. Just sink the ship to the bottom, set up a couple of tunnels to the shore and then dump some mud and rocks to cover the upper hull.
Please, someone tell me I'm wrong and the Church doesn't have a full-scale Manufactory waiting to be discovered...