USS Citadel

The USS Citadel is a starship that served during the Dominion War as part of the. Her saucer underwent an extensive refit in 2372 to expand the shuttle bay into a full hangar capable of repairing and launching fighters.

Service History
Construction of the Citadel began in 2363 after the USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-D)|USS Enterprise-D]] and USS Yamato were launched, and was placed under the supervision of Admiral. Construction ended in 2369, and the newly commissioned Citadel was placed under the command of Captain Haltina Seldun, and was assigned to survey a planet near the that was claimed to be an outpost for the.

In 2370, Captain Seldun was relieved of command after inadvertently shelling Ferengi territory during an impromptu gunnery exercise, and was subsequently replaced by Cüneyt Akşit.

Refit as a Carrier
Following the appearance of the Maquis in the Federation-Cardassian, Utopia Planitia Fleet Yards began the Carrier Tactics Development Program to experiment with mass production and use of fighters for space combat, and in late 2372, the Citadel, along with the Abraham Lincoln and the El Dorado, was chosen to be one of three ships to undergo an experimental refit into a carrier for the new  fighters.

The main shuttlebay in the saucer section was expanded forwards and outwards, and additional s for fabrication of fighter parts were installed. The number of crew accommodations were also increased. This required the removal of much of the Citadel's civilian-oriented accoutrements such as the nursery and schoolrooms, but by this point Starfleet was moving away from allowing officers' families aboard frontline vessels anyway, following the disaster at Wolf 359. One of the holodecks also had to be removed, and the enlisted quarters converted to four-crewman rooms.

The refit was completed in early 2373 and the Citadel was soon deployed as part of a task force to intercept a Klingon squadron near.

Later that year the Citadel was assigned to the and would see action during the Battle of Sector 001.

Dominion War
The Citadel remained with the Third Fleet throughout the Dominion War, remaining in the Sol System.

In 2375, the Breen, resulting in the destruction of Starfleet headquarters and massive blow to the Federation Alliance. The ''Citadel took many casualties and more than a third of the Peregrines destroyed.

Post-war
In 2379, the Citadel was sent on a humanitarian mission to Romulus after the death of Shinzon.