Support Ships
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Obviously, any fleet of ships the size of Starfleet requires numerous auxiliary and support vessels to keep it running efficiently. From Cargo Carriers to Medical ships to Research/Laboratory (a.k.a. "Science") vessels, these ships form a vital, if somewhat unglamorous, link in the Starfleet chain.
A complete catalogue of every specialized, support and auxiliary vessel used by Starfleet is beyond the scope of this document. Interested readers are advised to consult Document ASDB-1958573-Beta for complete information on this category of ships.
Fighters
Fighters are small, heavily-armed ships which provide support for larger vessels in combat situations. Typically crewed by no more than one to four persons, they have no real function other than combat. For this reason, Starfleet, unlike the Cardassians, Dominion, or many other species, make relatively little use of them. The best known example of a Starfleet attack fighter is the Peregrine-class. Starfleet currently has no plans for any additional designs.
Class Type
- Peregrine Class
- SFMC FA-150 "Maul"
- SFMC FA-150R "Mongoose"
- SF FA-120 "Falchion"
- SF FS-90 "Ram"
- SF FS-90L "Longbow"
- SF SG-50 "Raptor"
- SF S-25 "Peregrine"
- SF A-25 "Raven"
- SFMC DS-79 "Raider"
- US/Taiwanese Bergmen-Hsang Conglomerate IE-5 "Avenger"
Armoured Transports
This type of vessel, represented by the Iowa and Utah classes, came into it own during the recent Klingon-Federation and Dominion War conflicts after years of being regarded as something of an "ugly stepchild" by many Starfleet pilots. While not a sleek, beautiful ship, it makes up in functionality what it lacks in grace. Protected by ablative armour and heavy shields, Armoured Transports carry key personnel and troops through extremely dangerous areas, such as war zones. Capable of atmospheric flight, they can set down, release a squad or two of troops, and then take off before enemy weapons can track and attack them.
Class Type
- Iowa Class
- Utah Class
- Yorkshire class
Couriers and Surveyors
Couriers and Surveyors are, in essence, highly specialized Scout and Explorer ships. Couriers, of course, are ships designed for high speeds which Starfleet uses to transport important messages and personnel. At present Starfleet fields only two types of Couriers, the Loki- and Mercury-class ships. Except for those vessels designed specifically for ferrying important dignitaries, Couriers tend to be spartan.
Surveyors, on the other hand, come in a variety of designs, including the venerable Oberth-class general science vessel, the Korolev- and Sagan-class Deep Space Surveyors and the smaller Copernicus-class ship. The former are designed for long-term deep survey missions; the latter for astronomic surveys which are quicker or cover a smaller area.
Class Type
- Antares Class (Surveyor)
- Copernicus Class (Surveyor)
- Korolev Class (Surveyor)
- Oberth Class (Surveyor)
- Sagan Class (Surveyor)
Research/Laboratory Vessels
Scientific pursuits remain at the forefront of Starfleet's agenda, and it is justly proud of its Research and Laboratory vessels. Ranging from the smaller Fermi-class "flying laboratory" which conducts experiments in zero-g and other space environments, to the large Nova-class planetary surveyor, they tend to be highly specialized. Many are modular, allowing different laboratory modules to be swapped in and out to reconfigure the ship for a specific mission with relatively little effort.
Class Type
- Fermi Class
- Noble Class
- Nova Class
- Oppenheimer Class
Medical Vessels
Medical vessels, such as the Geneva-, Graceful- and Olympic-class vessels, are much more predictable in their configuration and missions. Dedicated to healing the injured, treating the sick, and pushing back the frontiers of medical knowledge, they have saved uncounted millions of Federation lives. Instead of flying "patrols," they go where ordered by Starfleet Medical or Starfleet Command, or accompany large contingents of ships heading into battle or other dangerous situations (though they carefully remain to the rear and display their medical emblems prominently).
Class Type
- Geneva Class
- Graceful Class
- Olympic Class
Runabouts
Perhaps the most intriguing of the support and service vessels is the runabout, developed as a sort of "expanded" warp shuttle. Better equipped and more heavily armed than a warp shuttle, a runabout is thus able to travel further and undertake a wider variety of missions. The first ship designated as a runabout, the Danube-class, has proven so successful that a second class, the Caspian, has been successfully proposed and is under development.
Class Type
- Danube Class
- Caspian Class
Search and Rescue
Currently, Starfleet has only produce one class of vessel specifically designed for search and rescue missions, the Axis-class. Built with the speed of a courier, the sensors of a scout, the armaments of an Escort, and the medical resources of a Medical vessel, Starfleet rushed the Axis-class into production during the Dominion War, but is waiting to see long term results of this classes performance before determining whether more should be built.
Class Type
Cargo Carriers, Tenders, Transports, and Tugs
In the eyes of many, the foundation of the fleet is not Explorers or Cruisers, but the unglamorous, often ungainly, service vessels - Cargo Carriers, Tenders, Transports, and Tugs. Without these support ships, the larger vessels could not function for extended periods of time, dock for repairs, or the like.
Typically posted to starbases or space stations, or assigned to specific trade routes, these vessels (whose designations indicate their function) come in myriad configurations. The accompanying table lists several of the more common classes belonging to these types.
Class Type
- Andes Class (Tender)
- Deneva Class (Transport/freighter)
- Fiji Class (Cargo Carrier)
- Hogan Class (Tug)
- Lauro Class (Tanker)
- Midway Class (Cargo Carrier)
- Piper Class (Tug)
- Ptolemy Class (Tug)
- Rakota Class (Cargo Carrier)
- Sierra Class (Impulse Tender)
- Sydney Class (Transport/freighter)
- Ural Class (Tender)
- Wei-fa Class (Tanker)
- Yorkshire Class (Transport)