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I second that.

I always thought the GCS would make a better troop ship for just that reason..........................but by refitting the Olympic class THAT much, would you be coming up with an entirely NEW class?

Probably more of a Sub-Class than an entirely new class. If it were to become a troop transport, it would subject the hospital Olympics to be fired on more than usual...(Assuming the enemy actually had morals against firing on ships of mercy)

I'd call it a completely new class. The interior would have to be completely refitted. Only the exterior would remain similar.

Rochey wrote:I'd call it a completely new class. The interior would have to be completely refitted. Only the exterior would remain similar.

Not so much. The secondary hull could remain completely intact, as could the operational parts of the primary hull. change hospital facilities to quarters and staging areas (and treble the capacity, going from wardrooms to barracks) and Bob's your uncle.

And the bays for landing craft? Armouries? Supplies to assist in the ground assault? Etc, etc, etc. There's a lot of stuff involved.

Rochey wrote:And the bays for landing craft?

There's a bog honking bay on the secondary hull, arguably better-placed than that on any other ship in the fleet; and presumably, there could easily be a bay or two flanking the impulse drives much like other contemporary ships. One would imagine that a hospital ship would be equipped for evac as much as a troop ship for landing.

Rochey wrote:Armouries? Supplies to assist in the ground assault?

I just wrote:change hospital facilities to quarters and staging areas

Replicators mean you need very little space for an actual armory.

Mikey wrote:Replicators mean you need very little space for an actual armory.

You'd still need lots of power and the bulk matter. In any case, the fact that the E-E had an armour suggests that it's either more efficient to carry weapons around with you, or starship replicators can't produce them. Besides which, you certainly wouldn't be able to produce vehicles.

Captain Seafort wrote:the E-E had an armour

Which looked to have a cabinet with about 20 rifles. And at least chemical-propellant weapons, with micro-transporter tech, can be replicated (c.f. TR-116.)

I'm not arguing that space won't be needed. I'm saying that if the Olympic (hypothetically) can hold 1,000 patients/evacuees, that could be translated to probably 3,000-4,000 troops and still have room for all that stuff. I mean, how many grunts could you billet in a hospital room? I don't think saying 4-6 is a stretch.

I would imagine there would be an ass-load of transporters in the Olympic - both hospital ship and troop ship...

I think auxiliary craft is the answer to troop deployment a/o evac - we've seen far too many occasion during which the transporters were useless.

Aye, go with the tried and tested method.

Upon further review, I actually wish the Olympic was slightly bigger. You'd get great internal volume if that ship was 1/3 bigger.

Mikey wrote:I think auxiliary craft is the answer to troop deployment a/o evac - we've seen far too many occasion during which the transporters were useless.

Indeed, frankly I think one would best to design a totally new ship for troop transport and landings. Something with large landing bays that can quickly and easily deploy dropships, the shuttle bays in TNG have always struck me as tiny, or that there shuttles are woefully slow. Almost like their worried about dinging the side of the ship.

Personally I see something like the Saratoga from S:AAB or the Rodger Young from SST as a good inspiration.

Perhaps the Olmpic has landing capability so you can use transporters, shutles or you can land the ship, or a convination. Could be useful for hospital or troop ship.