This is actually a class of starship I invented for a Voyager: Elite Force mod that I hope to put together in the not-to-distant future. It's the ship commanded by the main character, and becomes involved in an incursion from the future to destroy the post-Dominion War Alliance. It's an ideal ship for stranding your players with very little support from NPC crew or Starfleet at large.
Production Data
Origin: Federation
Class: Erie-class Light Scout
Year Launched: 2376
Hull Data
Structure: 15
Size/Decks: 3/3
Length/Height/Beam: 35 m/11 m/23 m
Complement: 6
Operation Data
Atmosphere Capable: Yes
Transporters: 1 standard, 1 emergency
Cargo Units: 30
Shuttlebay: 1
Shuttlecraft: 3 Size 1 shuttlepods
Tractor Beams: 1 FV
Seperation System: No
Sensor System: 4 (E)
Operations System: Class 3 (D)
Life Support: Class 2 (C)
Propulsion Data
Impulse System: Class 4A (.85c) (D)
Warp System: Class 7 (Warp 7/8/9) (C)
Tactical Data
Phaser Banks: Type III (x2)
Penetration: 3/3/2/0/0 (B)
Photon Minitorpedoes: Type I (x1)
Penetration: 3/3/3/3/3 (B)
Deflector Shield: Class 2a (B)
Protection/Threshold: 13/2
Miscellaneous Data
Maneuver Modifiers: -1 C, 2 H, 0 T
Enhanced System: Sensor (x2)(+4 bonus)
Although construction of the prototype for this class began in 2373, the program to commission the Erie-class scout was put on hold soon after the Dominion War began, to divert resources to more combat-capable classes of starship. About three years later, once the war had ended, designers revisited the specifications and revised them to incorporate new sensor innovations and commissioned the completion of the prototype and five more vessels.
The Erie-class scout is essentially an extension on the Danube-class runabout. Like its forerunner, the scout comes equipped with better firepower than might be expected for its size, and only carries a minimal crew. Its mission duration is vastly increased, with private cabins for each crew member and powerful embedded warp engines similar to those utilized in Defiant-class escorts. The most important feature of the Erie-class scout is its impressive sensor array, which is one of the most sophisticated to date.
Despite the reliability of these ships, many Starfleet officers view getting posted to one of these scouts as a damper to their careers. With its tiny crew, spartan living arrangements and the long-term (and often tedious) mission lengths with minimal access to shore leave, quite a few who find themselves assigned to an Erie-class scout become dissatisfied with the posting. Rumors persist that a Starfleet admiral or two have given these assignments to officers they hold grudges against.
(Special thanks to Theko for the Ship Creation page )