(covers information from Vanguard universe)
this article was thought of and created by Maximus1925
| Hephaestus-class | |
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| Hephaestus-class Support carrier | |
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Type: |
Support carrier |
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Affiliation: |
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Status: |
Active |
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Yard: |
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Launched: |
2384 |
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Commissioned: |
2385 |
| Dimensions | |
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Length: |
960 meters |
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Beam: |
440 meters |
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Draft: |
125 meters |
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Mass: |
5,750,000 metric tons |
| Specifications | |
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Decks: |
35 |
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Complement: |
600 total: |
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Speed: |
Via enhanced warp drive: |
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Armament: |
Phasers: |
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Defenses: |
- Regenerative and multi-phasic shielding |
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Shuttlecraft: |
Defense: |
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| Top view | |
The Hephaestus-class was a type of Federation starship in service to Starfleet during the late 24th century.
The Hephaestus class Support Carrier.
Overview[]
Hephaestus-class had entered service by the year 2385. The class was a variant of the Mulciber class of ships that were built for the same purpose. Their elliptical saucer section was directly attached to a long, rectangular engineering hull. Spaced along its hull at multiple levels were large bay doors that would ease the passage of any large structures that might require ingress or egress. Two large nacelles emerged from the rear section.
Unlike the Mulciber class, the Hephaestus-class was designed to possess comparable facilities found on a Parliament class Utility Cruiser, a Galen class medical starship, an Akira class Heavy Cruiser in terms of its carrier capacity, a large-scale cargo and supply ship, and the Theophrastus class botanical science starship, all combined in one ship.
As a multi-purpose long-range support ship, the Hephaestus featured several facilities that can be deployed for large-scale and complex operations.
The Hephaestus class Support Carrier
Onboard tactical systems[]
Ships of this class incorporate the latest in Starfleet weaponry and defensive technology.
Offensive capabilities[]
The Hephaestus-class was armed with 10 Type-XII phaser arrays and 5 variable-use torpedo launchers with the capacity to fire quantum torpedoes and transphasic torpedoes. It has a payload of 10 transphasic torpedoes, 65 quantum torpedoes, and 225 high-yield photon torpedoes.
Defensive capabilities[]
The shield system of the Hephaestus-class was equal to that of the Vesta-class Command Cruiser and was therefore among the most powerful found on any Starfleet ship. It was outfitted with regenerative, multiphasic shield systems, and secondary shields. The regenerative features increase effectiveness against both high energy tractor beams and phased anti-muon (polaron) particles, measures clearly aimed at the Borg and Dominion respectively.
Under normal operations, the shield modulation frequencies are controlled by the ship's computer system, which continually evaluates incoming weapons fire and automatically re-modulates the shields to provide the most effective possible defense. It was thought that this system can also prevent beam-through by Borg transporter technology.
The Hephaestus-class boasts of a hull that was made of overlapping and regenerative ablative hull armor that allows it to take many direct hits from enemy fire even with minimal shields. In addition, the class has been equipped with two separate armor generators that can deploy a thick layer made of ablative armor plating along the contours of the entire ship when activated. This can be done through the numerous armor plating emitters that are installed at different points on the ship's hulls. This coating covers the ship's phaser mounts, but torpedo launchers are not affected by it.
This triple redundancy feature of shields and armor on the Hephaestus-class allows it to effectively counter Borg and Dominion firepower. However, due to the huge energy needed to deploy both the shields and the generated armor coating at the same time, the Hephaestus can only use these simultaneously for a maximum of one hour. As a result, the shields and the generated armor coating are used alternately when the ship was in battle.
Standard auxiliary craft complement[]
The Hephaestus-class' Support Carriers had a wide flight deck. They also feature six shuttle bays and at least one sub-bay on deck nine.
The Hephaestus features a complement of 16 primary auxiliary crafts of varying types with support facilities for all, namely:
- 4 Yellowstone-class runabouts
- 4 Flyer-class heavy shuttlecrafts
- 4 Type-11 shuttlecrafts
- 4 Type-9 shuttlecrafts
It also has two full squadrons, or 18 Valkyrie-class advanced tactical flyers embarked, which could exponentially increase the firepower and number of the fleet the ship was assigned to. Pilots and a flight crew from Starfleet Special Operations were aboard to pilot and maintain these.
Engineering features[]
Ships of this class possessed major industrial and engineering capabilities, including 4 replicators large enough to manufacture parts and technology usually reserved to starbases and colony ships. Though possessing a full engineering staff from Starfleet Corps of Engineers, the unique engineering facilities aboard the Hephaestus-class had been designed to make reliance on organic engineering specialists and technicians unnecessary in almost all cases, allowing the ship to operate with a minimum number of organic engineers and a plethora of specialized engineering holograms when needed.
The propulsion system onboard ships of this class are state-of-the-art. The class boasts the best navigational sensors and the highest rated top speed of any Starfleet vessel. Main Engineering itself was located on Deck 31 and was an open-plan facility, directly accessible from the corridor. Consisting of three levels, it provided direct access to the vessel's 15-deck warp core and primary engineering support systems. The corridor bulkhead housed the Master Situation Monitor. Inside the main section, the master systems display was the operational focus of the room. Beyond this, heading towards the warp core, the chief engineer's office and several support consoles were located on the left, and the assistant chief engineer's console on the right. These formed part of the bulkhead protecting the main part of engineering from the warp core. Access to the upper level, a circular area surrounding the warp core, was provided by a ladder to the left of the warp core or an elevator on the right. The upper level had access to other warp core maintenance systems.
Impulse drive[]
The impulse drive system of the Hephaestus-class was among the most sophisticated model in production. Its oversized impulse engines are equipped with impulse thrusters that provide superb sub-light maneuvering speed.
Warp drive[]
The Hephaestus’s matter-antimatter reaction assembly warp core was among the most powerful in Starfleet. The warp core spanned 10 decks of the Engineering Section. Its warp drive featured a tri-cyclic input manifold and was designed to operate for up to 5 years before refueling. The ship's warp engines are based on a new concept in warp drive design, one that eliminates the subspace distortion effects inherent to standard warp drives. The reaction chamber was equipped with a compositor, which allowed the recrystallization of dilithium. The deuterium tanks were above the core, while antimatter storage pods surrounded the base of the core.
A secondary class 7 warp core was located aft of the primary warp core and spans 4 decks, and was brought online when the primary warp core was offline. This allows the ship to travel at a cruising speed of warp 6 while the primary warp core was offline.
Equipped with the enhanced warp drive of the Khronnians, the Hephaestus can now easily attain and indefinitely sustain a normal cruise speed of Warp 8.5, a maximum cruise speed of Warp 9.5 and a top speed of Warp 9.95 sustainable for up to twelve (12) hours.
Quantum slipstream drive[]
The ships of this class were installed with the latest quantum slipstream drive. This allows them to travel 300 light years in an hour. The systems installed as part of the slipstream drive included a quantum field focus controller at the front of the ship's main deflector and a chroniton integrator, the latter of which could be used to take sensor readings several seconds into the future when the ship was using its slipstream drive.
Computer systems[]
The Hephaestus-class starship was equipped with some of the most advanced computer systems of the time. The computer system on board the Hephaestus-class was bion-neural based. Computer systems were concentrated in a computer core, which was accessible through a maintenance room. Each Hephaestus-class vessel carried two independent computer cores, one located in the saucer section and one in the engineering section. The main computer processor was capable of simultaneous access to 47 million data channels, transluminal processing at 575 trillion calculations per nanosecond, and operational temperature margins from 10° to 1790° Kelvin. The bio-neural circuitry sped up the computer's data functions and improved overall performance.
Transporter systems[]
Hephaestus-class starships have 32 transporter rooms located throughout the vessel.
Cargo facilities[]
Ships of this class have twelve modular cargo bays, the majority of which have been installed for specific mission purposes. Eight of the large cargo bays were used as medical, science and botanical, engineering, and tactical flyer storage facilities. It also had dedicated wide storage for non-replicatable materiel like benamite crystals and bio-neural circuitry, stored in two of its cargo holds. The remaining two cargo bays were kept open for multiple uses but could hold up to 100,000 metric tons of cargo combined.
Emergency holographic complement[]
The Hephaestus continued the work on Starfleet’s latest holographic technology and was equipped with holo-emitters on every deck to allow emergency holographic programs a higher level of access and free movement around the ship. The ship was outfitted with three fusion reactors and had more than the usual number of emergency backups to its fusion reactor to provide short-term energy supplies, with multiple redundant cells attached to the main grid to supplement the ship’s unusual holographic needs, but to ensure continuous operation of the ship’s holographic crew complement, the hologrid was desegregated and linked to the ship’s main power supplies.
The ship’s computer systems can keep online for indefinite periods of time a full Long-term Holographic Program Package for ship crew functions, composed of:
- Two Long-term Command and Navigation Holograms (LCNHs)
- Two |Long-term Security and Tactical Holograms (LSTHs)
- Two Long-term Engineering Holograms (LEHs)
And an extensive Long-term Holographic Program Package for the ship's varied specialized functions, composed of:
- 20 Long-term Medical Holograms (LMHs) for the ship's medical facility bays.
- 30 Long-term Engineering Holograms (LEHs) for the ship's engineering facility and flight deck bays.
- 20 Long-term Science Holograms (LSHs) for the ship's science facility bays.
Science systems[]
Also designed to go for extensive periods on deep space exploratory duties, the Hephaestus-class was equipped with cutting-edge scientific equipment.
The science module on the Hephaestus-class boasts of three large Astrometrics labs, a Stellar Cartography Department, 20 of the largest and most advanced science labs onboard a Federation starship. The Astrometrics labs and Stellar Cartography Department are not only dedicated to the science and practice of charting space, but could also be used for long-range communications purposes or even, as a workplace for easy access to sensor information. The latter features a holotank which allows a person to gain a 360° panoramic view of an area using holographic technology. There were a series of control panels to manipulate the screen. The area below the screen and in front of the control panels could be used as a stage during presentations. Astrometrics also include 8 additional workstations on the side walls.
Of the 20 science labs, 12 are non-specific labs and are easily modified for various scientific endeavors including Bio/Chem, and Physics tests and/or experiments. 8 are specific labs on Planetary Development, Geologic Studies, Languages/Archaeology, XT (extra-terrestrial) analysis, Eugenics, Biologics Laboratories, Atmospheric Physics experiments, and High-Energy Physics. There are also five smaller labs which can be configured for additionaly astrophysics/astrometrics and stellar cartography studies. Science Department crews rotate often among these laboratories. Also part of the science module was a large aerophonics bay and one large hydrophonics bay.
Medical facilities[]
Hephaestus-class boasted of extensive medical facilities and research labs dedicated to biological research and culture development that are comparable to a Galen class starship. Though fully staffed with medical and medical science personnel from Starfleet Medical, the unique medical facilities aboard the Hephaestus had been designed to make reliance on other organic medics or doctors unnecessary in almost all cases, allowing the ship to be staffed with a minimum number of organic doctors and a plethora of specialized medical holograms, if necessary. Patients admitted onboard were monitored constantly by a uniquely modified medical computer – a sister to the standard processor that was the heart of all starships – that reports a patient’s vital signed continuously, immediately responding to medical emergencies when they occur.
Accommodations[]
Bridge and crew quarters were standard issue onboard this class. This class does not have families or non-Starfleet personnel aboard. Most crew quarters located in the ship's saucer section. However, the Engineering Hull also contained crew quarters, generally containing engineering personnel.
As was common on Starfleet vessels, the living accommodations for senior officers and VIPs were larger than standard crew quarters and lined the edge of the saucer section. They were generally reserved for lieutenant commanders and above. Captain's quarters were similar to the officers' quarters but were slightly larger. The captain had a large desk area and work terminal. VIP and diplomatic guest quarters shared the same layout.
Officers' quarters usually included a living area in the center of the dwelling, which held a personal workstation, couch, replicator, and a small dining area. Connected to this was a bedroom that featured a double-sized bed and room for personal belongings. The bedroom would be connected by a half-bathroom with wash basin, mirror, toilet, several drawers, and a sonic shower.
Junior officers' quarters were small-unit quarters located on the interior of the ship and lacked windows. They were comprised of a living area, a bedroom, and a bathroom. Crew members of lieutenant junior grade were given their own quarters; ensigns and non-commissioned officers were required to share quarters. The living area contained a replicator terminal and was customizable with a variety of furniture and decorations.
Mess lounges[]
There are 4 large mess halls and 2 smaller mess lounges onboard that are equipped with full bar and kitchen facilities each managed by a Mess officer, with a private captain's dining room just behind the mess lounge, all served by windows that offered a spectacular view of space outside. Eating accommodations are provided by a slew of tables and chairs. The larger mess halls can occupy 50 diners at a time, while the mess lounges can occupy 25 diners at a time. Each mess area has a very relaxed and congenial air about it. At the head of the hall were open slots that served as dispensers for the replicators. The mass-use replicators are able to produce other food and non-alcoholic beverages with an extensive recipe listing from over two hundred worlds for the crew to enjoy in this relaxed social setting. The most notable accessory to the lounge was a modest-sized bar area, offering a wide selection of synthetic and alcoholic. To conserve replicator rations, the mess halls’ menu was supplemented with food stocks of vegetables cooked by the mess officers from the aeroponics bay and hydroponics bay, along with food obtained from trading and scouting missions. In addition, the mess lounges can double as large meeting areas that could be used to conduct crew briefings and mission profiles. A tall screen panel located on one of the walls can be used as a visual aid to display graphics.
Recreational facilities[]
The Hephaestus-class featured 20 holodecks scattered all over the ship; half are large enough for use by the engineering and science personnel onboard, while the rest were used for recreational purposes. The ship’s two gyms contained a variety of recreational equipment for a variety of sports. They are not overly spacious, but they are well outfitted. The facilities include variable-weight machines, isometric machines, calisthenic machines, and a sparring ring configured for Anbo-Jytsu but easily modified and/or expanded for other practices. All equipment was equipped with the ability to vary gravity for those species that are physically biased toward higher or lower than standard gravity.
Command and senior staff[]
Hephaestus-class starships have Commanding Officers that hold the rank of Captain, while Executive Officers and Second Officers hold the rank of Commander.
Vanguard Command[]
There was only one Hephaestus-class Support Carrier assigned to the Vanguard Fleet, the USS Hephaestus. It was assigned to Task Force Perseverance, which was attached to Task Force Dauntless of Abraxis Command in the Gamma Quadrant. It serves as the task force's overall support ship, providing the needed resources and extra manpower to surmount complex challenges encountered in the fields of science, engineering, and defense while deployed to the farthest parts of unknown space.
Related links[]
| Hephaestus-class starships |
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| Federation: |
| Alternate reality: |
| Vanguard universe: USS Hephaestus • USS Orpheus |