Name: U.S.S. North Star
Ship class: Constellation Class Heavy Cruiser
Registry: NCC-2894
Launched: September 17th, 2293 AD
Decommissioned: October 24th, 2417
Refit: Gone through various refits throughout its life cycle before being mothballed into the reserve fleet in 2360. Reactivated and refitted in 2370. Mothballed again in 2373, reactivated and refitted in 2412.
Assignment: 38th Fleet, Aries Squadron
Length: 310 meters
Width: 175 meters
Height: 86 meters
Hull: Duranium/Tritanium
Number of Decks: 15
Crew Compliment: 535
Maximum Velocity Warp: Warp 7 cruise, Warp 9 maximum
Expected Duration: 150 years
Resupply Interval: 2 years
Refit Interval: 6 years
Armaments: x6 Mk.XII Dual Emitter Phaser Banks, x4 Mk.XII Photon Torpedo Launchers
Shields: Mk. XII Duotronic Shield Array
Auxiliary Craft: x4 Work Bee repair pods, x2 Type 9x Shuttlecraft
Background Information: The USS North Star was one of many Block A Constellation Class Heavy Cruisers constructed in the 2290's, in company with such prestigious vessels as the Gettysburg, Hathaway, and the Stargazer. She served throughout the Federation frontier for several decades and under several different captain, participating in various conflicts and mapping out over a dozen different sectors of space before her first retirement in 2360. By that point the vessel was quite old, but having not suffered any serious damage during her career was in excellent condition. She was moved to the Reserve Fleet at Merak III, where she was mothballed for any potential future use. She would be activated twice during her time in the reserve fleet, first as a patrol vessel during the Dominion War, then for a second time in an emergency recall during the Iconian Wars. The latest recall came with a full refit to modern weaponry, shielding and sensor/countermeasures suites. During the Iconian Wars she participated in the Battle of the Iconian Dyson Sphere, where she survived by virtue of being part of the reserves that were not deployed. She was about to be returned to the reserve fleet but instead was assigned to 38th fleet as a patrol vessel.
Though she served well in the 38th fleet, the North Star exhibited various mechanical issues due to her age. On a routine patrol, microfractures due to prolonged warp stress were found throughout the ship's bulwarks and superstructure. Repair and replacement of the damaged sections would have involved removing the skeletal structure of the starship itself and replacing it. It was deemed easier to decommission the vessel and replace with a new model rather than spend months refitting the vessel. She was returned to the Merak III fleetyard and is slated for scrapping.
Namesake: Taken from the naming convention of the USS Stargazer (astronomy terms and theme). The North Star, known as Polaris, is used for navigation on Earth.
Quote: "Justice is like the north star, which is fixed, and all the rest revolve around it." -Confucius
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Updated to denote decommissioning.