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Class: Registry: Owner: Operator: Status: |
Lexington NCC-93887-A United Federation of Planets Starfleet 38th Fleet Active |
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U.S.S. Dragon
The U.S.S. Dragon (NCC-93887-A) is a Lexington Class Dreadnought, operated by the Federation Starfleet, 38th Fleet.
It is a primarily tactical upgrade to the Block II Yorktown design, itself an upgrade based upon the Odyssey Class. In addition to the standard armaments, it includes a phaser-lance cannon, and a tactical mission-pod fitted slightly above and behind the primary hull (attached to the secondary), providing additional tactical sensors, and a greatly increased torpedo load and launching capability.
The class retains all the functionality from the previous Yorktown-Class design, including facilities aboard for science, engineering, and support roles, meaning it is well-suited for either deep-space exploratory missions, tactical patrols, fleet or taskforce command/communication/coordination. The facilities are certainly available to support diplomatic efforts as well, where the upgraded armaments would not be considered a hinderance to those missions.
Service History
At the time of writing, this ship is new to service, and the 38th Fleet, having very recently launched from the Fleet yards. It replaces the Buran Class U.S.S. Dragon (NCC-93887), which was lost in action while providing an escape for her crew from multiple enemy ships.
Captain Drake Tungsten, also the captain of the previous U.S.S. Dragon, was assigned command shortly before the launch of this Lexington-Class U.S.S. Dragon, and remains in command at the time of this entry.
Immediately upon receiving the all-clear to depart the Fleet Yards on her maiden voyage, this new U.S.S. Dragon received a distress call from fellow 38th fleet ship, the U.S.S. Artemis. Other ships were en-route from Starbase 114, but Starfleet Command and Earth Space Dock gave the OK to use the Sol Transwarp gateway to provide faster assistance, meaning this ship was seeing combat mere minutes from leaving its construction berth. The U.S.S. Artemis, already mounting a valiant defense against superior numbers, was able to help end the conflict with U.S.S. Dragon’s timely assistance.
Technical Data
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Length: Beam: Draft: Mass: |
1041.5 Meters 385.32 Meters 175.62 Meters 7,105,362 Metric Tons |
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Habitable Decks: Crew Complement: Emergency Cap.: |
43 1,500 15,700 (Evac. Limit) |
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Avg. Cruising Spd: Max. Cruising Spd: Maximum Spd: |
Warp 8 Warp 9 Warp 9.995 (Non-Slipstream) |
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Armaments: |
22 Mk. XV Phaser Arrays 4 Pulse Phaser Cannons 1 Phaser-Lance Cannon 4 Forward Launch Tubes 2 Aft Launch Tubes 6 Launch Tubes (Mission Pod) |
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Defenses: |
Neutronium Alloy Hull Armor with Ablative Duranium Layer 10 Yoyodyne 1080-D Unified Deflector Field Emitter Arrays |
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Auxiliary Craft: |
36 Valkyrie Fighters 25 CMU Workbees 5 Type 9 Shuttlecraft 2 Yellowstone Class Runabouts 2 Delta Class Shuttles 1 Aquarius Class Escort Corvette |
Based upon the Yorktown-Class design, itself a Block II refit of the Odyssey Class, the Lexington-class uses the same basic arrangement common to most Starfleet ships. The vessel is composed of two main hull sections: an oval, domed primary hull, and a detachable secondary hull. The forward section of the stardrive hull extended under most of the saucer, retaining most of its length during saucer-separation. Like many designs before it, the two hulls of the Lexington-class could reattach without returning to spacedock. This ability provided for great variety in meeting mission needs and in tactical scenarios. The main difference from the Yorktown-class is the addition of a mission pod to the aft-dorsal secondary hull, and a phaser-lance cannon to the foreward-ventral secondary hull. (Giving the appearance of being on the ventral primary hull, barring saucer-separation, or close visual inspection.)
The Lexington-Class has received minor system and equipment upgrades that are also being refit into Yorktown-Class vessels as necessary and/or convenient.
External Layouts
Lexington Class external views.Internal Layouts
Yorktown Class Master Systems Display (Lexington unavailable at time of entry.)Propulsion systems
Vessels of the Lexington-class were equipped with one Yoyodyne 47B Matter-Antimatter Reaction Assembly and two Keenser/Pegg Heavy Impulse engines. The primary hull also sported two Inline Flux Secondary Impulse engines for use during saucer separation.
Carrying over from the Odyssey-class design, the Lexington-class also included an advanced quantum slipstream propulsion system (QSPS). The slipstream tunneling projector was located forward of the navigational deflector on the ventral hull. The system allowed for Lexington vessels to travel at slipstream speeds exceeding 300 light years per hour for 15 seconds before needing a 2 hour recovery downtime. The dual-neck design connecting the primary and secondary hulls served as waveform attenuators, affording the cruisers improved stability under slipstream.
An Ithra IT-7 Subspace Conduit Access Coil was the core element to the class’ subspace conduit propulsion system (SCPS). This device allowed Lexington-class starships to connect to the Federation Transwarp Network and jump to gateways within the network at speeds of 360,000 light years per hour. The system had massive power needs, even more than the quantum slipstream drive. To power the coil, starships had to divert energy from weapon and shield systems. Due to strains on the IT-7 coil, it could only be used once every 20 hours.
Science and remote sensing systems
Twelve DYN-90 Multi-band Linear Sensor Suites, four Omniwave Passive Sensor Matrices, and a JAWS Active Directional Sensor Array were the initial standard equipment for the class. The JAWS array was located on the ventral hull behind the phaser-lance cannon.
Tactical systems
Like its parent classes, the Lexington-class iss heavily armed and incredibly resilient under enemy fire. The hull was a neutronium alloy reinforced with micro-ablative generators. Based upon technology brought back from the Delta Quadrant by the USS Voyager, these generators helped to dissipate energy across the hull and to regenerate damaged portions of the ablative hull coating.
When developing the Yorktown-class, designers updated the deflector shield systems to the new Yoyodyne 960-B unified field emitter deflector shield arrays. The three equipped arrays projected unimatrix shields with regenerative, multi-spectrum, covariant, and metaphasic properties around the vessels. Nexus Defense Screens, that protected the crew from the effects of the Nexus and similar phenomena, were also integrated into the shield systems. These are carried forward to the Lexington-Class.
Vessels of the class mounted 22 Type-XV Annular Confinement Beam-jacketed phaser arrays and a single Phaser-Lance Cannon. The stardrive carried the Phaser-Lance, and 14 of the arrays, two of which were only usable during saucer separation, with the remaining 8 on the primary hull. Four Type-XII pulse phaser cannons were mounted along the forward edge of the saucer. A total of six Mk 110 variable-payload fixed-mount launch tubes are fitted to the stardrive section. Four of the launchers faced forward, while the remaining two faced aft. Quantum torpedoes were carried as standard ordnance, but the class also carried a complement of tricobalt devices for the bombardment of heavy targets. This already impressive armament of torpedo launchers is augmented by the tactical mission-pod’s additional launchers.
Auxiliary systems
Including the transporter pad on Deck 1, the Lexington-class features 11 transporter facilities at strategic locations throughout the ship.
Located aft of the bridge were six compartments for the class’ Modular Rapid Deployment System. Each compartment could be used to quickly deploy probes, mines, and other equipment.
Auxiliary craft systems
Berths
The class carried one specialized berth. This is for an Aquarius-class corvette and is located at the aft of the secondary hull. This berth is designed to allow crews to easily service and refuel the craft.
Missing from the Lexington-Class, but present on the Odyssey and other variants, is a berth for the Captain’s Yacht, an auxiliary craft larger than most standard shuttles, but serving a similar purpose. The normal location for this berth is overtaken by the Phaser-Lance Cannon. As such, the Aquarius-Class vessel at the aft of the ship or other embarked shuttles and runabouts suffice in the role.
Shuttlebay
The sole shuttlebay of the Lexington-Class is situated on the aft rim of the saucer section between the primary impulse engines. The entrance is segmented into three distinct shutters for structural integrity and to allow for streamlined control of craft traffic. Docking control sits above the shuttlebay in a facility that runs most of the width of Deck 3. With the pylons of the mission pod in front of the shuttlebay doors, it is a more challenging ingress and egress, but the pylons align with the dividers between the three doors, making this better than it could have been.
A small afterdeck outside the shuttlebay doors could also serve as a landing platform for additional craft, although access to them would require using a transporter or environmental suit.
Auxiliary craft
The initial standard complement of the U.S.S. Dragon was an Aquarius-class corvette, 36 Peregrine Class fighters, and other auxiliary craft, including 25 workpods, 7 shuttlecraft, and 2 runabouts. Actual numbers of craft would vary depending on a starship’s assignment and mission requirements. In November of 2421, the Peregrine fighters were rotated to other ships and stations in core Federation territory, and the Dragon was finally stocked with 36 Valkyrie fighters, for which a requisition was entered months prior. The Starfleet Valkyrie fighters were designed after the Dominion War to replace the aging, but dependable, Peregrines. Faster and more maneuverable, with a similar armament, they also have a slightly smaller overall footprint, making the Valkyrie an even nicer choice for a ship that isn’t a dedicated carrier, like the Jupiter or Seneca classes.
Valkyrie Class Fighter (Artist's Rendering)
Evacuation pods
The Lexington continues to use the same evacuation pods used in the Odyssey design. The cruisers carry 448 of the Type A Mark IX Autonomous Survival and Recovery Vehicles (ASRV) and 24 of the Type C Mark XII models, for its cetacean crew. Forty-two of the Type A pods are located in the separation plane between the saucer and secondary hull and can only be launched during saucer separation.
Medical facilities
The Lexington-class contains 6 sickbay wards, four of which were housed on Deck 7 with the office of the chief medical officer. The main sickbay is Class G and the other three on Deck 7 are Class E. The two sickbay wards on Deck 27 in the stardrive section are both Class D.
Holographic projection system
Holographic projectors are equipped throughout Lexington-class vessels. These allow for emergency holograms to be quickly activated at any location in a time of need. As such, the starship’s computer stores the programs for six Emergency Medical Holograms, six Emergency Engineering Holograms, eighteen Emergency Security Holograms, and an Emergency Command Hologram.
Personnel
References