Duderstadt Class

Duderstadt Class
Affiliation:	Federation Starfleet
Service Period:	24th - 25th Centuries
Dimensions
Length:	578 meters
Width:	265 meters
Height:	98 meters
Mass:	1,200,000 metric tons
Specifications
Decks:	28
Crew:	500 personnel
Speed:	Warp 9.99
Armament:	Phaser Arrays Torpedo Launchers
Defenses:	Multiphasic Shielding
Auxiliary craft:	Starfleet Shuttlecraft

Overview

The Dominion War was devastating to the worlds of the Alpha Quadrant Alliance and decimated the military forces of region. No government was unscathed and the United Federation of Planets was no exception. Facing substantial losses, a lack of resources, and a diminished personnel pool, the Starfleet Corps of Engineers focused future construction on building smaller, specialized designs to replace Starfleet's losses. The ships produced by this new initiative would be fast and tough, relying on on automation to supplement their lower crew complements from previous generations of vessel. Despite the success of the California in performing secondary roles, the design was aging rapidly and the Parliament Class could not keep apace with modern developments. This led Starfleet Command to commission a new vessel to assume a supporting role in Starfleet leading to the new Duderstadt Class quickly being ordered.

With Starfleet shipbuilding diminished following the First Contact Day Massacre, the Advanced Starship Design Bureau was relocated to San Francisco Fleet Yards, Earth, and traditional Earth styling returned to this new generation of vessels. The Duderstadt design was meant to be durable and dependable, featuring redundant subsystems, allowing it to withstand more damage than its contemporaries, and a rugged design that allows ease of access and use for those aboard. Eager to get their newest support ships in place as quickly as possible, Starfleet Command ordered that the first generation Duderstadt Class vessels be available for deployment in the early 2390s.

Capabilities

Borrowing heavily from the Echelon and Sagan Class vessels of the same construction initiative, the Duderstadt Class is an atypical ship when compared to others of Starfleet. Featuring a similar profile to many Starfleet ships, the Duderstadt features a merged primary and secondary hull with the saucer housing crew and scientific systems while an extended engineering section houses the vessel's drive systems and is connected to the Warp Nacelles. Unlike other Federation craft, the Duderstadt has a configurable secondary structure on its underside, which allows it to fulfill its responsibilities as a support vessel.

Based upon the Mission Pod of the Luna, Nebula, and Sutherland Class starships, the mission pod of the Duderstadt was initially intended to follow the same protocols of its predecessors to allow for a rapid reconfiguration based upon mission profile. While the internal components of the Duderstadt's pods are almost identical - with whole sections prefabricated with computer, plumbing, and electrical equipment already fitted - the presence of the vessel's Navigational Deflector Dish within the pod prevents the pod from being easily replaced due to the impact upon sensors and shielding.

Despite its size, the Duderstadt Class is lightly armed with only four Phaser Arrays located on its Saucer Module providing limited weapon's coverage. Starfleet attempted to compensate for these deficits by installing Torpedo Launchers to cover these arcs; however, these deficiencies locked the Duderstadt in its supporting role. The Duderstadt features large and well-supplied Cargo and Shuttlecraft Bays, but its crew accommodations are basic at best.

Refits and Variants

When the Duderstadt Class was designed it was intended to be a support vessel, accepting secondary missions on behalf of Starfleet. Vessels of the class feature hull fittings representing the department color most associated with the responsibility of the ship and an underslung Mission Pod to support that mission. Variants include:

Command Support: This Duderstadt Class vessel, which has red accents, is fitted with additional computer cores, sensors, and subspace relays to allow it to support fleet actions or transport personnel. Engineering Support: This Duderstadt Class vessel, which has gold accents, contains support equipment to complete engineering tasks, including extensive cargo storage bays, machine shops, and industrial replicators. Medical Support: This Duderstadt Class vessel, which has white accents, comprises an independent module containing its own dedicated life support system, medical support equipment, and sickbay wards to care for the sick and injured. Scientific Support: This Duderstadt Class vessel, which has teal accents, features advanced sensors and an aft facing secondary navigational deflector, allowing for high resolution scans in all directions. Strategic Support: This Duderstadt Class vessel, which has black accents, features advanced sensor telescopes (including the aft facing secondary deflector), phaser arrays, and torpedo launchers. These vessels are commonly assigned to Starfleet Intelligence.

Mission Profiles

Crisis and Emergency Response, Logistical/Quartermaster, Scientific and Survey Operations. Duderstadt Class mission profiles are contingent upon the associated mission pod installed into the superstructure of the ship.

Naming Conventions

Ships of the Duderstadt Class are commonly named in honor of cities or historic military vessels.

Notable Starships

U.S.S. Duderstadt, Class Prototype U.S.S. Hornet U.S.S. Intrepid U.S.S. Pittsburgh U.S.S. Warsaw