Guide:Archer
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| Archer | |
|---|---|
| Class Overview | |
| Category | light scout |
| Operational | 2261 - 2289 |
| Constructed | 40 |
| Dimensions | |
| Length | 45.5 m |
| Beam | 27.2 m |
| Height | 9.0 m |
| Mass | 9,100 mt |
| Performance | |
| Cruise Speed | w 3.0 |
| Max Speed | w 5.1 |
| Endurance | 5 months |
| Complement | |
| Officers | 4 |
| Enlisted | 10
|
| Tactical Systems | |
| Beam Weapons | 2x phaser IV emitters (single) (dorsal primary hull port/stbd) |
| Missile Weapons | 1x light fwd probe tube w/10 probes (dorsal primary hull) |
| Shields |
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| Transporters | 1x GP (1-pad); Mk III |
| Historical | |
| Ships of Note |
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| Canonicity | |
| Design | "Vanguard" novel series (David Mack), Masao Okazaki |
| Name | "Vanguard" novel series (David Mack) |
| History | "Vanguard" novel series (David Mack)
|
Background: Hobbyist's Guide
At the very lower limit of what Star Fleet would acknowledge as ships, the two score tiny Archer class scouts were both a technology demonstration and a potential solution to a pressing operational problem. Due to their compact nature, they are described in the small craft section of this work, the first heralds of the benefits of miniaturization in high performance warp propulsion.
The Sawyer light scouts had been retired at a time when the Federation had its hands full maintaining its existing borders. Half a decade on, expansion was to commence again, spearheaded by fast, far-ranging starships. Simple geometrical concerns dictated diminishing returns from the increased procurement of such expensive assets, though; in addition to spearheads, Star Fleet needed lesser vessels to fill the gaps in between. Project Locust tried to address this concern with massive numbers of small craft configured specifically for exploration, but the Mission and Chameleon units had low endurance and were virtually defenseless in face of military threats. Star Fleet wanted a more survivable light scout of its own, a dual mission design capable of handling both resources scouting and military reconnaissance.
The Prospecting And Reconnaissance Integrated Scoutship would have little in common with her "civilian" counterparts and their blocky construction. Rather, she would resemble a small starship in appearance, with a compact saucer hull, a separate engineering section housing a RMR-600 miniature antimatter reactor, and mounting two large CWD PB-39 engines for warp 5 dash performance and a life support system capable of providing for 14 people for up to five months. The tiny ship would not haul extensive supplies for a survey base or pallets of sensors in a large multipurpose hold, like Mission or Chameleon had done. The sensor payload would be packed into a cluster of combat and navigation instruments in a ventral pod. Survey gear, including an all-terrain vehicle or two, would be carried in a tiny stern hold less than half the size of the Chameleon cargo compartment. Space and resources would be dedicated instead to a probe launcher, a dorsally installed system with a magazine for 10 versatile reconnaissance drones or up to 50 smaller sounding devices.
The layout of the hull grew out of the simple need to pack these systems in as small a space as possible. Crew berthing in the saucer required one deck only, with three-shift hot bunking for twelve in four single cabins, and a small communal space serving as both a mess/galley and a briefing room. Two slightly more private cabins were provided for the commanding and executive officers, although the latter facility was reconfigurable as a miniature sickbay, while the former often did double duty as a laboratory of sorts. The four-person bridge between the officer cabins completed the crew-accessible spaces in the saucer; support systems were packed in a ventral bulge, with slight ventral protrusions for a portside gangway and a starboard escape pod berth, and a ventral stern hatch-ramp for accessing the cargo hold.
Main power generation was compartmentalized into a secondary hull which also extended forward in a continuous spine atop the saucer. This forward part housed a single-pad transporter amidships and the Mk 13P probe launcher at the bow. Single phaser IV turrets flanked the launcher, sharing targeting resources and power loops. Level with the saucer aft rim was the impulse propulsion system; warp power components, including the fully ejectable core and fuel pod, dangled behind the saucer. Ladderways provided access to the transporter alcove and to the engineering spaces, and allowed internal maintenance to be performed on the bow ventral sensor pod as well.
Simple horizontal pylons supported the nacelles so that the 3,000 ton coils in the aft sections enjoyed an unobstructed view of each other, while the ramscoops of slightly larger diameter peeked just above the main hull. The flat, closely spaced configuration gave commendably high speed at the expense of maneuverability. The generously sized scoops in turn boosted deep space endurance, compensating for up to 70% of fuel consumption in ideal cruising circumstances.
Despite being optimized for spatial operations, the PARIS was an adequate atmospheric performer, and was cleared for landings and takeoffs in a variety of Class M environments. Unlike the clumsy Missions, the PARIS had maneuvering power to spare for complex surface support operations. And unlike Chameleon, the craft could perch itself on rough terrain thanks to an ingenious three point, long stroke landing gear arrangement.
In 2260, the project had reached sufficient maturity for Star Fleet to decide that it be split in two. Many of the advanced features created for the program would be superfluous in the prospecting mission. Exploration Command thus procured a parallel low-end craft in a more austere configuration, in turn freeing the high-end design from some compromises inherent in the dual role. In 2261, the PARIS-High was put into production as the Archer class of scouts. Initial plans called for attaching of one Archer unit at every frontier starbase to expand their situational awareness horizons. To this end, twenty scouts were procured by 2264 and shipped to their assignments aboard suitable large transports. Twenty more followed in 2269, differing from the first batch solely in terms of naming practices—the theme of archery masters and hunting gods had been quickly milked dry, and a more diverse range of vaguely militant names was opened up for future needs, beginning with USS Nairobi (NCC-I900). Yet plans for deploying a further batch of forty in support of rimward resource hunts were halted by a cost-efficiency analysis that favored the lighter Karekh (PARIS-Low) craft on one hand, the more capable Garneau derivatives on the other. Despite retaining the ability, Archer was never to assume a prospecting role; the thoroughbred spyship remained an expensive if capable toy of frontier intelligence chiefs.
The scout never quite gained a clear-cut successor, either. While Karekhs were eventually refitted with linear-excitation warp engine technology, and as the result attained propulsive parity with the original Archers, there was no interest in re-engining the military scouts in the same manner, for no tangible gain. In the seventies, Star Fleet Intelligence readily switched over to the improved Karekhs which accommodated slightly larger crews and bigger cargo holds, even if they did omit the handy probe launcher and (as far as is known) the defensive armament. Towards the end of the decade, the Archers began showing signs of their age. Unit after unit was removed from frontline duty, not the least because Klingon aggression was ramping up. By the eighties, Archers no longer dared operate in contested space, enjoying neither the protection of sufficient escape speed nor the cover of adequate stealth.
Yet in the thirty years of active operations, the tiny scouts had proved their worth many times over. Many of their intelligence victories went unannounced, of course, but their role in filling the gaps in exploration in the sixties was widely acclaimed. Some vessels like the Kyūdō (NCC-I889) and Bowman (NCC-I884) even scored combat victories against pirates, earning the gratitude of frontier traders and colonists. In contrast, the Sagittarius (NCC-I894) was involved in the cover-up that exposed the colony of Gamma Tauri IV to alien attack, with fatal consequences.
Currently, some half a dozen Archers are maintained as museum pieces on Star Fleet installations across the Federation. Only one remains spaceworthy, however: the Flidais (formerly NCC-I887) has been fitted with a modern powerplant and continues warp operations for recreational purposes at Hanuman.
Gallery
Other images
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External Sources
- Vintage Starships: "2265 – Archer": includes 3D viewer
Notes
- The Archer class took over the starbase perimeter and scouting roles from the Chasseur class clippers.[1]
- This should be explored, when this article is built; the role maybe be just scouting.
- Even though five years pass between the production runs, the first ship of the second run (USS Nairobi, NCC-I900) is sequentially & immediately after the last ship of the first run.
- The Karekh class intell scouts' registry range will be interspersed with the second-run Archers. Apparently, the funding (and registry assignment) for the second run occurred at the same time.
References