Universe : | Prime Timeline |
Affiliation : | Federation |
Class Name : | Danube Class |
Type : | Multirole interstellar craft1 |
Unit Run : |
USS Gander - Destroyed2 plus 1,854 others built in total. 665 have been lost in all. NCC 724523 USS Rio Grande4 - Active NCC 724535 USS Yangtzee Kiang4 - Destroyed6 NCC 724545 USS Ganges4 - Destroyed7 NCC 726175 USS Mekong8 - Destroyed9 NCC 729055 USS Orinoco10 - Destroyed11 NCC 729365 USS Rubicon12 - Active NCC 73024 USS Shenandoah13 - Destroyed14 NCC 731965 USS Volga15 - Active NCC 746025 USS Yukon16 - Destroyed17 NX 72003 USS Danube18 - Active |
Commissioned : | 23651 - present |
Dimensions : | Length : 23.1 m19 Beam : 14 m20 Height : 6 m21 Decks : 122 |
Mass : | 158.718 metric tons |
Crew : | 122, 40 evacuation limit |
Armament : |
623 x Type IV phaser arrays24, total output 750 TeraWatts 2 x Micro photon torpedo tube24 with 24 rounds |
Defence Systems : | Standard shield system, total capacity 56,700 TeraJoules Light Duranium / Tritanium Single hull. Low level Structural Integrity Field |
Warp Speeds (TNG scale) : |
Normal Cruise : 4 Maximum Cruise : 5 Maximum Rated : 5.2 for 12 hours. |
Strength Indices : (Galaxy class = 1,000) |
Beam Firepower : 15 Torpedo Firepower : 20 Weapon Range and Accuracy : 30 Shield Strength : 21 Hull Armour : 3.13 Speed : 127 Combat Manoeuvrability : 16,300 |
Overall Strength Index : | 51 |
Diplomatic Capability : | 2 |
Expected Hull Life : | 60 |
Refit Cycle : | Minor : 0 year Standard : 0 years Major : 10 years |
The Type 10 Runabout proved reasonably successful in service, though the small cabin size limited its operations somewhat. Starfleet has gradually enlarged and improved the Runabout concept over the next twenty years or so, culminating in the Danube class Runabout first requested in 2363. This vehicle was designed to accomplish four main missions; the ability to perform rapid response scientific expedition transportation, the ability to act as an orbital or landed temporary operations base for science missions, the ability to transport intact experiment and cargo modules, and the ability to perform tactical missions such as intelligence gathering, covert insertion/extraction of personnel, and disruption of threat activities where feasible.18
The Danube features a front cabin for the crew of pilot, co-pilot/navigator and two mission specialists. A two person transporter is at the rear of the cabin25, with swappable mission modules aft of this. The modular nature of the Danube allows it to be configured for missions such as personnel transport, cargo transport, scientific research, tactical, medical, etc. Above the main spaces is the warp core, which is fed by an antimatter fuel pod at the aft and its matter equivalent at the fore end. The power transfer conduits run down the bulky nacelle roots, which also contain the impulse drive reactors and various other equipment.
The impulse engines comprise two sets of four fusion reactors, plus space-time drive coils and vectored exhaust directors. The system also includes interstellar or atmospheric intake vents and condenser-separators for fuel distillation. Control and fuel feed connections are essentially identical to any comparable impulse system. When maintenance is required, the entire assembly can be removed as a single unit.
The vehicles twin computer core is located under the cockpit subfloor and measures 2.3 x 2.1 x 1.3 metres. It is a standard isolinear unit, with a total of 186 isolinear banks and 53 command pre-processors and data analysis units. Subnodes distributed throughout the vehicle report to the main computer18 via a standard ODN system.
The Danube's tactical systems are surprisingly comprehensive for a vehicle of its size. The torpedo launchers fire 14 cm torpedoes which can carry a variety of different loads, including photon or quantum warheads, chemical explosives, gases or biological agents. If required the Danube can also carry four full size torpedoes, while the six phaser arrays located on the cockpit, nacelles and rear compartment provide another weapon option. As on a starship, the shield system is fed by a portion of the warp power output.18
Canon source | Backstage source | Novel source | DITL speculation |
# | Series | Season | Source | Comment |
1 | ||||
2 | DS9 | 7 | Penumbra | |
3 | DS9 | 2 | Paradise | |
4 | DS9 | 1 | Emissary | |
5 | Star Trek Encyclopedia | |||
6 | DS9 | 1 | Battle Lines | |
7 | DS9 | 2 | Armageddon Game | |
8 | DS9 | 2 | Whispers | |
9 | DS9 | 3 | The Die is Cast | |
10 | DS9 | 2 | The Siege | |
11 | DS9 | 4 | Our Man Bashir | |
12 | DS9 | 3 | Family Business | |
13 | DS9 | 6 | Change of Heart | |
14 | DS9 | 6 | Valiant | |
15 | DS9 | 4 | Body Parts | |
16 | DS9 | 4 | The Sons of Mogh | |
17 | DS9 | 5 | By Inferno's Light | |
18 | Star Trek Deep Space Nine Technical Manual | |||
19 | Star Trek Deep Space Nine Technical Manual | Stated on page 140. | ||
20 | DS9 | 2 | Playing God | Dax states the width of the ship |
21 | Production drawing | Scaled assuming a 14 m width as per DS9's "Playing God". | ||
22 | Various Deep Space Nine episodes | |||
23 | Visible on the shooting model | |||
24 | ||||
25 | Various Original Series episodes |
Series : | DS9 Season 7 (Disc 5) |
Episode : | Penumbra |
Series : | DS9 Season 2 (Disc 4) |
Episode : | Paradise |
Series : | DS9 Season 1 (Disc 1) |
Episode : | Emissary |
Book : | Star Trek Encyclopedia |
Series : | DS9 Season 1 (Disc 4) |
Episode : | Battle Lines |
Series : | DS9 Season 2 (Disc 4) |
Episode : | Armageddon Game |
Series : | DS9 Season 2 (Disc 4) |
Episode : | Whispers |
Series : | DS9 Season 3 (Disc 6) |
Episode : | The Die is Cast |
Series : | DS9 Season 2 (Disc 1) |
Episode : | The Siege |
Series : | DS9 Season 4 (Disc 3) |
Episode : | Our Man Bashir |
Series : | DS9 Season 3 (Disc 6) |
Episode : | Family Business |
Series : | DS9 Season 6 (Disc 4) |
Episode : | Change of Heart |
Series : | DS9 Season 6 (Disc 6) |
Episode : | Valiant |
Series : | DS9 Season 4 (Disc 7) |
Episode : | Body Parts |
Series : | DS9 Season 4 (Disc 4) |
Episode : | The Sons of Mogh |
Series : | DS9 Season 5 (Disc 4) |
Episode : | By Inferno's Light |
Book : | Star Trek Deep Space Nine Technical Manual |
Book : | Star Trek Deep Space Nine Technical Manual |
Comment : | Stated on page 140. |
Series : | DS9 Season 2 (Disc 5) |
Episode : | Playing God |
Comment : | Dax states the width of the ship |
Source : | Production drawing |
Comment : | Scaled assuming a 14 m width as per DS9's "Playing God". |
Series : | DS9 Season (Disc ) |
Episode : | Various Deep Space Nine episodes |
Source : | Visible on the shooting model |
Series : | TOS Season (Disc ) |
Episode : | Various Original Series episodes |
Using the nice big scale diagrams in the new Encyclopedia I got a length of under 30 metres; I guess a lot of the stuff in a Runabout must be *very* compact!
In case you didn't know, Sisko names DS9's Runabouts as they arrive at the station. He traditionally picks the names of great rivers for his Runabouts.
December 4th Update :
After prodding from various people, most recently Tommy Tennebo, I have updated the Runabout page to include various details from the DS9 Tech Manual. I still strongly believe that this book can't be fully trusted, and naturally such a source is not canon, hence most of the entry has now gone to green for backstage info. I've kept the phasers as Type IV's rather than the Type VI's that some sources list, simply because the latter seem too high for a ship this size. The speeds I have also kept, and I've extended the life span up to sixty years.
Lengthwise, I found a nit myself for once - the specs page had 27 metres, the size comparison had 23.1. Guess I forgot to update the specs page when I did the size comparison, so that's now fixed.
© Graham & Ian Kennedy | Page views : 68,517 | Last updated : 23 Jul 2009 |