100955.1
LCDR Zital, Serris
NARRATIVE Starfleet has launched three of the six Caelian-class spaceframes commissioned at Utopia Planitia in 2423. Over the last year, the chief engineers of the U.S.S. Caelian, U.S.S. Janiculan, and U.S.S. Mariner have identified a mission critical design flaw in the power system integration networking the MIDAS sensor pallets and the Mark XV phaser systems. This report will outline the nature of this flaw and how it impacts mission readiness, as well as recommended remediation to address it.
On Stardate 100416.8, the U.S.S. Mariner participated in the first live combat operation of a Caelian-class starship. Over the course of the Battle of Cero, an abnormality was identified in the sensor array, in which sensor resolution declined by 68% whenever the vessel’s phaser arrays and phaser cannons were powered, preventing the vessel from adequately tracking cloaked targets with its weapons array fully armed. Following this discovery, Mariner, Caelian, and Janiculan executed a coordinated test on Stardate 100418.6, and each vessel successfully reproduced the problem under identical conditions. Deeper exploration of potential solutions began in earnest by Stardate 100438.1, though it wasn’t until Stardate 100953.8 that all engineering teams involved were able to identify the cause.
The Mark XV phaser arrays and phaser cannons fitted to the Caelian-class utilize a new method of energy induction in which the arrays are fed power directly from the primary electro-plasma conduit to energize nadion particle emitters on the surface of the array. This design was meant to improve radiative heat dissipation and energy transfer efficiency. However, this primary electro-plasma conduit that runs the length of the fuselage is also connected directly to the MIDAS sensor pallets, another high-power system. When both systems are engaged simultaneously, the particle flux probes become susceptible to a loss of resolution caused by power drain and the abundance of nadion particles radiating from the phasers at idle.
RECOMMENDATION A fleet-wide readiness directive should be issued to remit Caelian-class vessels in service to drydock for power grid retrofit. Correcting the deficiencies in the primary plasma feed will require decks 10 through 16 to be partially dismantled in order to add the necessary splits and new feeding lines from the warp core and fusion generators. Once completed, these adjustments should ensure adequate energy flow to both systems. Estimated time to completion is 90-120 days, accounting for any undue system wear since the Romulan conflict. Construction on incomplete Caelian-class spaceframes should be halted to implement recommended corrections.
RECOGNITION Lieutenant Commander Thy’shon ch’Vreiss of the U.S.S. Caelian, Lieutenant Commander Erica Stroud of the U.S.S. Janiculan, and Lieutenant Commander Serris Zital of the U.S.S. Mariner contributed to the findings of this report.
//ATTACHMENT// revised_energy_grid_schematics.cad
OOC New toys are shiny. But sometimes, someone at the factory does something stupid and we have to do recalls, make changes, and add warning labels.