Movie Era Light Corvette

[Bryan Moore]

*This is not my own but I wanted to show this

http://www.shipschematics.net/startrek/ ... jester.jpg

I've seen similar before. I like the idea weapons pods on an oberth space frame. It would be easy to produce and with a little added armor, would make nice fast little escort vessels.

Opinions?

[shran]

You seem to be missing the basic point of existence of starfleet. They are not a defense force, they are a scientific and exploratory fleet with some defensive capabilities, especially as of TMP era. this would never have popped in there heads, sijmply because there ws no need to. Kirk hand;ed everything in his old lady, the excelsior was the strongest thing in known space and the Klingons are fairly calm. So it might have been a nice idea, but only if there was a need to.

[Bryan Moore]

But it's incredibly naive to believe there was no need for something like that. Even as a simple system defense craft. You're telling me there was no problems with pirates, border disputes, civil unrest, etc. Christ, at the price/speed something like this could be slapped together, it seems immensely intelligent to have.

[Enkidu]

I like this one. Indeed, I downloaded a fan built model of it and used it in the computer game Starfleet Command 2 about 6 years ago. It seems a logical thing to do in the Dominion War, with a desperate shortage of ships and hundreds of Oberths, which appear to be useless in combat. Rather like Bristol Blenheim light bombers been fitted with MG trays mounted in the bomb bay to use as emergency fighters in the darkest days of 1940.

[Captain Seafort]

I like it. It doesn't come accross as the usual canon-design-plus-stupid-add-on nonsense, and could be used to develop the Oberth into a sort of 23rd century Nebula class, with a standard main hull with the bridge and warp drive, and various alternative configurations for the lower hull - science pod like the ones in the canon, or torpedoes like this one. It wouldn't have many reloads, but it could be a useful patrol/picket ship.

[Bryan Moore]

I like it. It doesn't come accross as the usual canon-design-plus-stupid-add-on nonsense, and could be used to develop the Oberth into a sort of 23rd century Nebula class, with a standard main hull with the bridge and warp drive, and various alternative configurations for the lower hull - science pod like the ones in the canon, or torpedoes like this one. It wouldn't have many reloads, but it could be a useful patrol/picket ship.

Yes, my thoughts exactly. Small ship yards could pump basic Oberth space frames out without great effort, and I'd imagine that the resources that would be required to build a dozen Oberth space frames wouldn't build a Galaxy saucer.

Here's how I see it:

So lets say these are basic patrol ships/picket ships that have a maximum speed of Warp 5, and aren't meant to leave their system or a neighboring system. Take out the science tube, throw on a torpedo platform below it.

Man it with 36 crew members: Thats 3 shifts of 12 working week-round, OR 14, 14, 8 (night shift) OR :insert other combo:

1 Captain (Could be in title only)
1 First Officer
1 Security chief/tactical chief
10 Various security/weapons/tactical systems personel
10 Various ops/con personel
6 Engineering crew
1 Medic (+EMH)
3 Science crew
2 Trainees (24th C trainees, gaining general experience)
1 Cook/Morale Officer

There's your 36 easy enough. With, in theory, a commanding officer/3-4 tactical/3-4 ops/2 engineers/1 science crewman minimum on every shift.

Spartan, but for patrol craft, it makes sense.

Lets say we put as many as ten of these in our colonies. Thats 360 crewmen. Thats nothing compared to the size of the fleet. Moreover, of those 360 crew per system, you'd probably need no more than 60 of those to be academy trained officers! Lets leave another 100 in reserve on the colony world that these ships are protecting, so that 10 crew memebers could be rotated every month or two to planet duty for a change of pace/stretch of the legs. And another 40 support personel that are dedicated to coordinating these ships on their patrols.

So with a liberal 500 crew per system (Even assuming the average population of one of these colonies is only ten thousand inhabitants, which I highly doubt is the case), you have 10 ships to patrol that solar system in case of attack by space pirates, various hostiles, etc.

Not the strongest force, but enough to be a serious deterrant to anyone who isn't extremely serious about an attack, as well as standard border patrol, etc. The Coast Guard, if you will, of Starfleet.

And for those who would argue its not in Starfleets mission profile: Okay, we make the bottom pod interchangeable so that we can use a few for science, as intended. Or as cargo haulers with another attachment.

Flexibility!

Other option: Lets give them slightly stronger warp drive and more power, add another couple of crew memebers, and use them as escorts. Obviously the Dominion War proved that Mirandas/Fighters as escorts was suicide, but thats testing reasonable logic, the size of those fleets. Lets put an imaginary convoy together of a Soverign, 4 Excellsiors, 2 Akiras, and 10 cargo ships. Throw in ten of these Corvettes for escort duty. It would take a large massed fleat to destroy. Once again: Flexible deterrance!

[Captain Seafort]

I'd disagree with your convoy escort pattern - you don't want to waste capital ships herding transports about. I'd a good convoy should be an Excelsior or two, 3 or 4 Mirandas, and fill it out with 10 or a dozen mixed combat-Oberths and Centaurs. Other than the Excelsior none of those are up to a fleet action, so you're not draining th major fleets. If there's a serious threat a few of these convoys could be given a covering force - say a Galaxy or Nebula, an Akira, and a few Excelsiors.

[shran]

forgot another point in re-reading tis topic. most systems used their own fleets as local defense forces. Can't find where I read it though. And concerning the claiming of new colonies, I suppose some ships of the member's fleet could come along.

[Aaron]

36 crew? You'd have a Lt. in command of that in a modern navy or maybe a Lt Commander if it was a Commonwealth country, given that it's basically just a patrol boat. And the crew is basically a platoon. Seeing as it's tied to a system you'd presumably always be within reach of higher authority so you could have a junior officer in charge without to much worry that he'd cock things up, after all advice and orders would be just a com signal away.

[Bryan Moore]

36 crew? You'd have a Lt. in command of that in a modern navy or maybe a Lt Commander if it was a Commonwealth country, given that it's basically just a patrol boat. And the crew is basically a platoon. Seeing as it's tied to a system you'd presumably always be within reach of higher authority so you could have a junior officer in charge without to much worry that he'd cock things up, after all advice and orders would be just a com signal away.

Good call. At what size ship, though, would we start seeing "real" captains?

[Aaron]

Good call. At what size ship, though, would we start seeing "real" captains?

In TOS, likely the Constitution level. The Miranda would probably rate a Commander. TNG is a little harder thanks to the plethora of designs out there but I'd go with the Nebula/Ambassador level, I really can't see an Excelsior or the left overs from the Miranda class rating much more than a Lt. Commander/Commander given that their basically disposable by that time.

I've always had a hard time with the GCS having an 0-6 (yeah I know SF isn't directly comparable to the RL Navy), seems like she should rate a Commodore or a Rear Admiral when in a fleet action (and have the actual Captain in command of the ship) and would carry an ambassador to let the Captain run the ship when poking in dark corners.

[Bryan Moore]

Good call. At what size ship, though, would we start seeing "real" captains?

In TOS, likely the Constitution level. The Miranda would probably rate a Commander. TNG is a little harder thanks to the plethora of designs out there but I'd go with the Nebula/Ambassador level, I really can't see an Excelsior or the left overs from the Miranda class rating much more than a Lt. Commander/Commander given that their basically disposable by that time.

I've always had a hard time with the GCS having an 0-6 (yeah I know SF isn't directly comparable to the RL Navy), seems like she should rate a Commodore or a Rear Admiral when in a fleet action (and have the actual Captain in command of the ship) and would carry an ambassador to let the Captain run the ship when poking in dark corners.

The TNG part makes sense, and by DS9 we know there are so many damn ships, that I'd think there'd be a lot of war time commissions, etc. I mean 1000+ ships in a fleet or wahtever the number makes for a LOT of crew.

[Lazar]

I like the idea of the ship, but would an Oberth work without a secondary hull? I've always imagined (based on the MSD and conjectural cross sections) that the warp core and deflector would be down there - and it's conceivable that they might store their fuel in there as well, considering the available volume.

[Bryan Moore]

I like the idea of the ship, but would an Oberth work without a secondary hull? I've always imagined (based on the MSD and conjectural cross sections) that the warp core and deflector would be down there - and it's conceivable that they might store their fuel in there as well, considering the available volume.

This is true. I guess if it was a system patrol craft you could make some modifications.

[Mikey]

Limit it to low warp; remove some of the science sensor pallets of the typical Oberth, use that space for a teenly little warp-shuttle sized core, and Bob's your uncle. Of course, don't ask to go anywhere quickly.