Old Ironsides - 24th century Explorer
I was over at www.treknology.org/starships1.htm a while ago and the USS Arrogant caught my eye. What a horrible name for a beautiful design. For my own amusement, I decided to rename it and I came up with my own background and specifications for it.
"Old Ironsides" Class (Official Starfleet Designation: Santa Maria Class)
Type: Medium Explorer
Commissioning Date: 2348
Hull Systems
Size: 6
Length: 388 meters
Beam: 188 meters
Height: 64 meters
Decks: 20
Mass: 1,680,000 metric tonnes
SU’s Available: 2500
SU’s Used: 2361
Hull Outer <24>
Hull Inner <24>
Resistance Outer Hull: 10 <12>
Resistance Inner Hull: 10 <12>
Structural Integrity Field [1 Power/10 Protection/round]
Main: Class 7 (Protection 100/150) <36>
Primary Backup 1: Class 7 (Protection 100/150) <36>
Secondary Backup 2: Class 7 (Protection 50) <18>
Atmospheric Capability: Saucer section only <2>
Personnel Systems
Crew/Passengers/Evac: 300/60/1500
Crew Quarters
Spartan: None
Basic: 180 <18>
Expanded: 120 <24>
Luxury: 30 <30>
Unusual: 15 <15>
Environmental Systems
Basic Life Support [7 Power/round] <24>
Reserve Life Support [4 power/round] <12>
Emergency Life Support (40 emergency shelters)<12>
Gravity [3 Power/round] <6>
Consumable: 5 years’ worth <30>
Food Replicators [6 Power/round] <6>
Industrial Replicators
Type: Network of small replicators [2 Power/round] <6>
Type: 2 large unit [2 power/replicator/round] <6>
Medical Facilities: 7 (+2) [7 Power/round] <35>
Recreation Facilities: 7 [14 Power/round] <56>
Location & type: 3 main holodecks; 15 personal holodecks; large, pleasant eating facilities; 1 large lounge; 3 small lounges
Personnel Transport: Turbolift, Jeffries Tubes [2 Power/round] <18>
Fire Suppression System [1 Power/round when active] & Redundant Backup System <12>
Cargo Holds: 3,300,000 cubic meters <100>
Locations: 12 main cargo holds, other minor holds throughout the ship, multiple emergency parts storage compartments around all major systems
Escape Pods <13>
Number: 240
Capacity: 8 persons per pod
PROPULSION SYSTEMS
Main Warp Drive Nacelles: Type 6C <100>
Speed: 6.0/9.0/9.2 [1 power/.2 warp speed]
PIS: Type E (8 hours of Maximum warp) <10>
Saucer Warp Drive Nacelles, retractable: Type 4.9 <30>, <3>
Speed: 4.0/6.0/9.0 [1 power/.2 warp speed]
PIS: Type B (5 hours of maximum warp) <4>
Impulse Engine Type: Class 5 (.7c/.9c) [7/9 Power/round] <25>
Location: Engineering Section
Impulse Engine Type: Class 5 (.7c/.9c) [7/9 Power/round] <25>
Location: Saucer section
Reaction Control System and backup (.025c) [2 Power/round when in use] <6> and <3>
POWER SYSTEMS
Warp Engine Type: Class 10/P (generates 500 Power/round) <110>
Location: Engineering section
Warp Engine Type: Class 5H (generates 250 Power/round) <60>
Location: Saucer section
Impulse Engine[s]: 2 class 5 (generates 40 Power/engine/round)
Auxiliary Power: 4 reactors (generates 5 Power/reactor/round) <12>
Emergency Power: Type D (generates 40 Power/round) <50>
EPS: Standard Power flow, +300 Power transfer/round <60>
Standard Usable Power: 580 (+250, see notes)
OPERATIONS SYSTEM
Bridge: Saucer section dorsal <30>
Auxiliary Control Room: Engineering section <18>
Separation System: Saucer Separation [10 Power] <6>
Computers
Core 1: Saucer section, port [5 Power/round] <12>
Core 2: Saucer section, starboard [5 Power/round] <12>
Core 3: Engineering section, fwd [5 Power/round] <12>
Core 4: Engineer section, aft [5 Power/round] <12>
Uprating: Class Alpha (+1) [1 Power/computer/round] <2>
ODN and redundant backup <18> <18>
Navigational Deflector [5 Power/round] <24>
Range: 10/20,000/50,000/150,000
Accuracy: 5/6/8/11
Location: Forward Ventral
Sensor Systems
Long-range Sensors [5 Power/round] <43>
Range Package: Type 6 (Accuracy 3/4/7/10)
High Resolution: 5 Light-year (.5/.6-1.0/1.1-3.7/3.8-5.0)
Low Resolution: 16 light-years (1/1.1-5.0/5.1-12.0/12.1-16)
Strength Package: Class 8 (Strength 8)
Gain Package: Class Alpha (+1)
Coverage: Standard
Lateral Sensor [5 Power/round] <21>
Strength Package: Class 9 (Strength 9)
Gain Package: Class Alpha (+1)
Coverage: Standard
Navigational Sensor [5 Power/round] <18>
Strength Package: Class 8 (Strength 8)
Gain Package: Class Alpha (+1)
Probes: 100 probes of varying types <10>
Flight Control Systems
Autopilot: Shipboard systems (Flight Control) 3, Coordination 3 [1 Power/round in use] <12>
Navigational Computer
Main: Class 2 (+1) [2 Power/round] <2>
Backup: Class 2 (+1) <2>
Inertial Damping Field
Main <48>
Strength: 9 [3 Power/round}
Number: 4
Backup <12>
Strength: 6 [2 Power/round]
Number: 4
Attitude control and redundant backup [2 power/round] <2> <2>
Manual Steering Columns, saucer and engineering <2>
Communications Systems
Type: Class 8 [2 Power/round] <21>
Strength: 8
Security: -4 (Class Gamma Uprating)
Basic Uprating: Class Alpha (+1)
Emergency Communications: Yes [2 Power/round] <1>
Tractor Beams
Emitter: Class Delta [3 Power/Strength used/round] <12>
Accuracy: 4/5/7/10
Location: Aft ventral
Emitter: Class Gamma [3 Power/Strength used/round] <18>
Accuracy: 4/5/7/10
Location: Forward ventral engineering and forward dorsal saucer
Emitter: Class Alpha [3 power/Strength used/round] <6>
Accuracy: 5/6/8/11
Location: Shuttlebays 1 and 2
Transporters
Type: Personnel [5 Power/use] <64>
Pads: 6
Emitter/Receiver Array: Personnel Type 6 (40,000 km range)
Energizing/Transition coils: Class G (Strength 7)
Number and Locations: two in saucer section, two in engineering section
Type: Emergency [7 power/use] <80>
Pads: 22
Emitter/Receiver Array: Emergency Type 3 (15,000 km range)
Energizing/Transition Coils: Class G (Strength 7)
Number and Location: three in saucer section, two in engineering section
Type: Cargo [4 Power/use] <22>
Pads: 400 kg
Emitter/Receiver Array: Cargo Type 3 (40,000 km range)
Energizing/Transition Coils: Class F (Strength 6)
Number and location: one in saucer section, one in engineering section
Security Systems Rating: 4 <16>
Anti-Intruder System: Yes [1 Power/round] <6>
Internal Force Fields [1 Power/3 Strength] <6>
Science Systems Rating 3 (+2) [3 Power/round] <21>
Specialized Systems: 3 <15>
Laboratories: 20 <4>
TACTICAL SYSTEMS
Type IX Phaser Array <244>
Damage: 180 [18 Power]
Number of Emitters: 200 (up to 5 shots per round)
Auto-Phaser Interlock: Class Beta Accuracy: 4/5/7/10
Range: 10/30,000/100,000/300,000
Location: saucer, dorsal and ventral arrays
Firing Arc: 360 degrees
Firing Modes: Standard, Continuous, Pulse, wide-beam
Type: IX
Damage: 180 [18 Power]
Number of Emitters: 160 (up to 4 shots per round)
Auto-Phaser Interlock: Class Beta Accuracy: 4/5/7/10
Range: 10/30,000/100,000/300,000
Location: engineering, dorsal and ventral arrays
Firing Arc: 360 degrees
Firing Modes: Standard, Continuous, Pulse, wide-beam
Type: IX
Damage: 180 [18 Power]
Number of Emitters: 80 (up to 2 shots per round)
Auto-Phaser Interlock: Class Beta Accuracy: 4/5/7/10
Range: 10/30,000/100,000/300,000
Location: nacelle pylons, port and starboard arrays
Firing Arc: 360 degrees
Firing Modes: Standard, Continuous, Pulse, wide-beam
Two Torpedo Launchers <28>
Standard Load: Type II photon torpedo (200 Damage)
Spread: 5
Range: 15/350,000/1,500,000/3,500,000
Targeting System: Accuracy 4/5/7/10
Power: [20 + 5 per torpedo fired]
Location: nacelle pylons
Firing Arc: F
Torpedoes Carried: 200 <20>
TA/T/TS: Class Beta [2 Power/round] and redundant backup <9> <9>
Strength: 8
Bonus: +1
Shields (Forward, Aft, Port, Starboard) <304>
Shield Generator: Class 5 (Protection 1000) [100 Power/shield/round]
Shield grid: Type C (50 % increase to 1500 Protection)
Subspace Field Distortion Amplifiers: Class Theta (Threshold 333)
Recharging System: Class 1 (45 seconds)
Backup Shield Generators: 8 (2 per shield) <8>
Auto-Destruct System <6>
AUXILIARY SPACECRAFT SYSTEM
Shuttlebay(s): Capacity for 27 size worth of ships <54>
Standard Complement: 12 shuttles, 3 shuttlepods
Location(s): Main shuttlebay (engineering section), one smaller bay (saucer section)
Captain’s Yacht: no
OLD IRONSIDES: ASDB Takes a Giant Leap Backwards
In 2344, the Advanced Starship Design Bureau was utterly enthralled with its plans for the new Galaxy class explorers. All the latest cutting-edge systems were slated to go into this great new ship which would be able to do everything better than anything else ever. But a few conservative old engineers kept pointing out that general purpose do-everything designs usually turn out to have mediocre performance at any specific task, and that if any of the brand-new experimental systems failed Starfleet could be stuck with a stellar lemon. They made such a nuisance of themselves that ASDB management finally shut them up by sticking them all into one big office and telling them to come up with their own design for a back-up ship to fill the role of the Galaxy-class, if that project should fail.
They agreed among themselves that Starfleet's best ship class ever was the Constitution, and they set out to design a 24th century version of that classic design; hence the project was designated Old Ironsides. The design philosophy was to take proven, reliable systems with lots of redundant backups and put them into a tough hull that was guaranteed to get the crew home, no matter what happened to it along the way. KISS (Keep It Simple, Stupid) was their mantra. That guiding light led them through a remarkably quick design and construction process, and the first of the Old Ironsides, NCC-67700 USS Santa Maria, was launched in 2347 and commissioned in 2348. Her shakedown cruise was the smoothest and most trouble-free of any in the history of Starfleet. And the Galaxy-class team hadn't even come close to finalizing their design yet.
Starfleet's procurement bureau compared the solid performance of the Santa Maria to the on-going delays of the Galaxy project and authorized a limited production run of 5 more Old Ironsides: USS Victoriana, USS Golden Hinde, USS Bonaventure, USS Mayflower, and USS Kalmar Nyckel followed in short order and proved as dependable as their prototype. The supporters of the Old Ironsides program pushed for more, and 6 additional hulls began construction, but the Galaxy had finally begun testing and it performed well enough for Starfleet to mothball the uncompleted Old Ironsides hulls and divert the construction funds to the new Galaxy class.
The Old Ironsides class soldiered on, serving in many capacities that never put them in the limelight. They gained a reputation as dependable workhorses that could complete any mission with no fuss. Captains and crews generally considered them to be a safe but unglamorous assignment. The only thing anyone considered remarkable about the design was the installation of retractable warp nacelles in the saucer section, intended to bring the crew home even in the event of a catastrophe far from safe havens. But the main warp drive was so reliable that there was never any occasion to use that innovation.
When the Dominion instigated the Klingon-Federation conflict in 2372, the Old Ironsides had to prove how tough they were. No matter how badly they were mauled by disruptor fire, they always gave back as good as they got and they always limped home. Their wartime crews boasted that their hulls were carved out of solid chunks of tritanium, and the Klingons believed it. Starfleet rushed to complete the mothballed hulls that had been neglected for years, upgrading tactical systems as they worked.
Upgrading was a simple process; the original designers had left lots of extra space around all the ships' systems so that future modifications would go smoothly. (Ships in service generally used those spaces to store spare parts, which allowed for extremely efficient damage control by the ships' engineers.) The newly completed Old Ironsides were fitted with faster warp nacelles, impulse acceleration upgrades, stronger shields, better targetting systems, more and bigger torpedo tubes, and Type X phasers. Some of the older ships received similar modifications if they had opportunities. Sadly, opportunities were few and far between as the Dominion War stretched Starfleet to its limits.
The long-dormant saucer section warp cores finally proved their worth. Engineering crews would close selected EPS cut-offs to isolate the saucer section phasers and the saucer warp core from the rest of the ships' systems; with all the power from a small warp core dedicated to the primary phaser array, an Old Ironsides could dish out punishment just as well as it could take it.
The 6 newly completed ships - USS Bonhomme Richard, USS Ark Royal, USS San Martin, USS Essex, USS Beagle, and USS Grenville - all saw heavy action in the Dominion War alongside their older sisters. In spite of the best efforts of Klingons, Jem'hadar, Cardassians, and Breen, only one Old Ironsides was ever lost. USS Bonaventure, NCC-67703, sailed into the heart of a Dominion fleet at the Battle of Ricktor Prime and traded broadsides with a Jem'hadar battleship until she was battered to pieces and even her lifepods were blown to bits.
In the post-DW years, the Old Ironsides serve as faithfully as ever. More than one has rightfully earned honorable retirement due to structural damage that will never be made right with anything less than a complete rebuild of the entire spaceframe, but Starfleet lost too many ships in the war. Every ship is still needed desperately as the Federation tries to rebuild and recapture its ideals, so the Old Ironsides soldier on, battered but honored, and they still bring their crews home, no matter what happens along the way.
