Ulysses-class Heavy Scout

[Lancer]

ULYSSES-CLASS HEAVY SCOUT

Class and Type: Ulysses-class Heavy Scout
Commissioning Date: 2356

Hull Characteristics
Size: 5 (218m long, 13 decks)
Resistance: 3
Structural Points: 100

Operations Characteristics
Crew/Passengers/Evac: 94/140/520
[5 pwr/round]
Computers: 4
[4 pwr/round]
Transporters: 3 personnel, 2 cargo, 3 emergency
[4 pwr/round]
Tractor Beams: 1 ad, 1 fv
[2/rating used]

Propulsion and Power Characteristics
Warp System: 6.0/9.0/9.4 (12 hours)
[2/warp factor]
Impulse System: .7c/.9c
[7/9 pwr/round]
Power: 155

Sensor Systems (see below)
Long-range Sensors: +1/15 light-years
[6 pwr/round]
Lateral Sensors: +1/1 light-year
[4 pwr/round]
Navigational Sensors: +2
[5 pwr/round]
Sensor Skill: 4

Weapon Systems (see below)
Type VII Phaser
Range: 10/30,000/100,000/300,000
Arc: All (720 degrees)
Accuracy: 5/6/8/11
Damage: 14
Power: [14]
Type II Photon Torpedoes
Number: 80
Launchers: 1 ad, 1 fv
Spread: 6
Arc: Forward or aft, but are self-guided
Range: 15/300,000/1,000,000/3,500,000
Accuracy: 4/5/7/10
Damage: 20
Power: [5]
Weapon Skill: 4

Defensive Systems
Starfleet Deflector Shield
Protection: 50/70
Power: [50]

Mission Specific Modules

Sensor Module
Long-range Sensors: +2/17 light-years
Lateral Sensors: +2/1 light-year
Navigational Sensors: Unchanged (+2)
Sensor Skill: 5

Weapon Module
Add: Type MX-47 Phaser Cannon
Range: 10/25,000/100,000/250,000
Arc: Forward
Accuracy: 4/5/7/10
Damage: 18
Power: [18]

Cargo Module
Can be used for either cargo transport or as quarters (increase Evac capacity to 980).

Hangar Module
Carries either 1 runabout or 2 shuttles with ample repair and resupply facilities or 2 runabouts/4 shuttles with basic repair and resupply facilities.


Description and Notes

Fleet Data: In the early 2350's, during the Cardassian War, Starfleet felt the need to replace its aging Merced class escorts with a more modern design. On the other hand many Rigel class heavy scouts were sceduled for the Merchant Marine refit programm and needed replacements. With the Galaxy and Nebula allready on the drawing boards Starfleet realized that another two new ship classes would put a bit too much strain on its ship-building capacities. What was really needed was a ship that could serve as an escort and a heavy scout equally well.
This proposal sounded a little unrealistic to ship designers of the time, until someone came up with the idea for a downscaled Nebula class. Different modules would be used to adapt this new class to different roles, from escort and combat duties to exploration and scientific missions. Starfleet liked the idea and so was born the Ulysses class.
From the beginning the Ulysses class has been plagued by minor technical problems resulting from a tendency of the designers to use components initially developed for the larger Galaxy and Nebula classes. Many of these problems are centered around the EPS network and make it difficult to increase system output over the standard operation settings. (Increase the difficulty for Systems Engineering or Shipboard Systems test to increase phaser damage or shield power by +2.)
The class has been sceduled for a refit program in the comming years to get rid of the problem and increase the range of its lateral sensors to 2 light-years. With ship-classes of the Perimeter Defense Directive program take over the more combat-heavy tasks from older vessels the Ulysses class will probably be used more and more for scouting and scientific missions in the years ahead.

Noteworthy Vessels: U.S.S. Ulysses, prototype; U.S.S. Orion, destroyed near the Badlands in one of the last engagements of the Cardassian War; U.S.S. Argo, assigned to deep frontier patrol along the rimward borders of the Federation; U.S.S. Galahad, destroyed on a long-range scouting mission in the Eloman-sector.


The USS Galahad (NCC 38304) was our first ship and once we got rid of that pesky EPS problem she was a fine ship. Since then we have move forward to the Akira-class USS Galahad and while the Akira is a good ship in its own right I must admit that its true that your first ship always seems something special.

If I have the time I'll try to come up with Spacedock stats for the class.

[Publius]

Looks like a very solid design Lancer, very nice for a starting group. Kudos.

Did you have an image? I know it says a downscaled Nebula, so I would presume it is either a Nebula like 'study' or something of that nature (since it came out before the Nebula's themselves by the sound of it).

[Lancer]

I always described it as a smaller Nebula since I like the design and it was easier for my players to imagine.

And if it came of the production lines before or after the Nebula: No idea actually. Commissioning date for me only says when the construction contract was signed, but not when the prototype finishes.

[Michael Barratt]

I like this design, and it just warped into my campaign. Very nice.

I ended up here from the "nebula module" thread I started, and you pointed this one out.

As a science ship, it'd be a great little ship, but from a campaign point of view, the flexibility would be a great asset - the ship could be reconfigured for whatever plotline arc you needed... (SF needs firepower? Time for a tactical module... Recon? Sensor module... etc etc).

That was one of the main reasons I chose the Nebula for my campaign, and having this mini-nebula on file is even better - a smaller ship I wish I'd had at the beginning.

All around kudos.

Question related, however: where do you all - in your campaigns - store the modules? I figure they'd be available only at major refitting stations and the like. It's not like they'd fit inside another ships cargo hold...

I also figure they have the equivalent propulsion system of a low-powered shuttle, to aid in the attachment of the things... (and also as a major plot device that popped up my campaign). Depending on the module, it might also be "jettison"able...

The Doc

[Lancer]

Originally posted by Lancer
If I have the time I'll try to come up with Spacedock stats for the class.

For those of you who liked the original Icon-rules design you might want to check out the Spacedock stats I posted a few days ago.
The hangar pod has a lot more room than the Icon design shown above, but all in all I think it is a decent conversion.