Felixstowe Barge (NX-98870)

TValerius · November 20, 2022, 4:11am

Felixstowe Barge

Felixstowe Barge (NX-98870)

Class: Registry: Owner: Operator: Status:	Felixstowe-Class Portable Drydock NX-98870 United Federation of Planets Starfleet IN SERVICE

The Felixstowe Barge (NX-98870) is a modular drydock, capable of being deployed to forward areas where speed of repairs are essential to maintain operations tempo.

History

During the Terran Empire Incursion into the Doza Sector, 38th Fleet suffered consistently heavy repair times. With Deep Space 13 being their main drydock, which was a sector away, the fleet suffered long maintenance down times as wounded ships travelled back to DS-13 and crowded the drydock within.

The original idea of a portable, barge drydock dates back to early in Earth History with barge-like drydocks being put in use to service many fleets during the 20th Century wars, especially the Pacific Fleet of the US Navy. More modern designs, which included self-mobility, like the Romulan S8 / Klingon H’ban Pav class drydock, had to be dismissed due to time constraints and material requirements. As such, the Felixstowe class is minimalist in design features and requires regular support from other assets, like towing vessels and runabouts. From design to first deployment, the Felixstowe barge was completed in seven (7) standard days.

Named after a port on Earth known only for civilian nautical traffic, the name was intended to be enigmatic as to the purpose of the dock to the Terrans, given its lack of armament and defensive measures, yet critical role to the war effort.

Felixstowe Barge’s first deployment was to Yuhop system, and place in geosynchronous orbit of Talos Junction on Yuhop.

Technical Data

Physical Arrangement & Crew Support

Specifications
Length: Beam: Draft: Mass:	1200 m 475 m 30 m 250,000 mt
Decks: Crew: Capacity.:	2 min. 20; nominal 50; max. 80 50 Metric Tones Stowage
Avg. Cruise: Max Cruise: Maximum Speed:	N/A N/A N/A
Armaments:	NONE
Defenses:	NONE
Shore Power:	200 TW (Class V Fusion)
Auxiliary Craft:	6x CMU Work Bees 1x Shuttle Docking Airlock

Felixstowe Barge is a simple design barge, reminiscent of space stations of old with a structural exoskeleton of duratanium alloy tubing that surrounds gangways and pressurized compartments. The drydock is intended to be modularly assembled at its deployment location.

A single main spar houses: habitation, dock station, barracks, replication, docking and engineering sections. With the main section alone, the Felixstowe is functional for small craft and escort vessels.

Two additional modules add 1 kilometer spans facing forward from a central control room, that include pressurized gangways; actuating, gravimetric docking clamps; and extendable umbilicals to allow docking with up to four escort vessels simultaneously between the booms, or a single Dreadnaught. A single cross brace beam connects both booms together and to the main spar to increase structural rigidity when all modules are installed.

Atypical to Starfleet designs of the time, crew quarters are spartan to minimize the initial construction time. Barracks are provided for all crew, while officers share rooms in a dormitory-style arrangement. There is a single, small galley, and a small physical fitness room. The barge lacks all other forms of amenities.

Mission Profile and Activities

Felixstowe-class drydock barges are designed to be forward-deployed as part of a war-time maintenance need for fleet support. With six CMU Work Bee pods and multiple modes for EVA egress, Felixstowe class can provide maintenance and repair to up to six vessels simultaneously when fully crewed. With industrial replication and teleportation capacity, Felixstowe barges have patterns for the replacement and repair of most ship components.

A Class V fusion reactor supplies 200 TW of shore power for repairs and diagnostics to docked vessels ensuring that even crippled vessels can get required repairs.

While the Felixstowe is a service drydock, it’s small nature and limited replication space mean that severely damaged ships often get enough repairs to successfully make a journey under their own power to a larger starbase of drydock in lieu of complete repairs. Ships missing significant mass, such as saucer section portions or full warp nacelles may get minor repairs to ensure space-worthiness and self-mobility before being redirected to more capable facilities.