Guide:Discovery

Discovery
Class Overview
Category	Assault Transport/Scout
Operational	2124 - 2160
Constructed	23 5 converted from Conestoga colonizers; 18 built in 2124-28;
Dimensions
Length	267.5 m
Beam	108.0 m
Height	36.3 m
Mass	; 202,900 mt (original); 208,200 mt (refit);
Performance
Cruise Speed	; w 1.6 (original); w 3.0 (refit);
Max Speed	; w 2.0 (original); w 5.4 (refit);
Endurance	1 year
Complement
Officers	5
Enlisted	22
Troops	; 200 (cryosleep, original only); 80 (short missions, original only); ;
Tactical Systems
Beam Weapons	; Original 4x 2.0 GW plasma cannon in 2 twin mounts (flanking forward hull); Refit 2153 2x Type B phased particle cannon (125 GJ/200 GW) (flanking forward hull);
Missile Weapons	1x fwd missile tube (w/40 fusion missiles) (dorsal spine) (2153)
Shields	; Electromagnetic shield (10 T); Polarizable hull armor (refit 2136); Gas envelope deflectors (removed in refit);
Laboratories	; 1 planetary sciences (optional, original); 1 signals intelligence (refit);
Auxiliary Craft	2 shuttlepods
Historical
Ships of Note	; USS Discovery (O-100); USS Patton (FL-101/O-101); USS Nebraska (O-103); USS Niagara (O-110);
Canonicity
Design	ST:Legacy computer game
Name	ST:Legacy computer game
History	Timo ;

The original transport configuration, merely re-registered for the long range scouting mission for which the low-performing type was merely the least unsuited of the available vessels.

Background: The Hobbyist's Guide

At the successful conclusion of the third Conestoga colonization mission, Earth’s space exploration and exploitation agencies began to move on. Ships of higher capacity and lesser complexity were preferred for reinforcing the existing colonies. On the other hand, no settlements would be founded on new planets until one managed to find such planets, within acceptable range of Earth, without overlapping claims, and with the right sort of resources to justify the investment. As the result, commercial demand for Conestogas soon dropped to a flat zero.

However, the military arms of the government were still very much interested in a high speed method of delivering a considerable number of personnel and equipment to a planetary surface on a distant star system. The small Siebel transports lacked endurance, not so much in terms of propulsion as of passenger comfort. The obvious solution of suspending the combat teams in cryosleep for transit was dependent on further resources the Siebels were short on, such as secondary power, life support conduitry and trunkage, and sterile internal spaces. Like colonial enterprises, the UEMC thus coveted larger transports – but their definition of large would be perfectly met by the Conestoga.

The five vessels that initially were procured were not pure-bred colonizers, of course. The drive system was the essentially cutting-edge Westinghouse 4W1200, but with larger fuel reserves than in the Emmette destroyers, with a secondary fusion reactor for life support, a smartly streamlined new command section protected with hull polarizing, and two weapons berths. The latter were to house either plasma cannon for space combat or rapid-fire electromagnetic cannon for suppression of surface fire. In practice, the former were invariably installed, whilst a largely theoretical option of a weapons swap in space was written into the manuals. Such an operation would require the help of a Hercules tender, a vessel type that in any case would necessarily accompany Earth’s possible interstellar assault sorties - and drag them down with its cruise speed of warp 1.1, as opposed to the superb 1.6 for the new assault transports.

The operational reality of the vessels was radically different from the original intent. As no openings presented themselves for interstellar troop deployment, the class had to be reassigned. The first five vessels had been rather martially named. This was formally forgotten when both the sixth unit (built from keel up to the military standard) and the entire class were dubbed Discovery, and sent out to scout for resources in nearby uninhabited systems. The twin ventral doors with disembarking ramps and elevators leading straight into vehicle holds were just as practical in planetary survey as in assault operations, although rigging of survey sensors took some work. All the units retained the assault capacity nevertheless, and could quickly be fitted with the cryosleep stations of 200 troops.

In the 2150s, the now 23-strong Discovery class still enjoyed a leading propulsion system in the transport fleet. In more absolute terms, though, it would have been absurd to utilize warp 2 maximum speed vessels for scouting. A massive refitting program was thus initiated, as it promised immediate return for an investment that involved minimal R&D effort. The original fusion reactor was simply replaced by a dilithium-focus annihilation core built to the specs of the F2.2 reactor that awaited refitting into the Enterprise. The large holds of the Discovery also easily accommodated the complex antimatter tankage systems and four plasma rechargers; the latter would only be turned on for short dashes at warp 5.4, as the structure of the ship otherwise wasn’t rated for sustaining high speeds. Troop capacity was lost altogether in this propulsive upgrade – but none was needed, as the UESF aim all along had been the fielding of further deep space combatants at the lowest possible cost.

For this purpose, these vessels were also equipped with two Type B phased particle cannon banks and one stock missile tube liberated from the pathetically performing Djartanna light destroyers. They thus became a real combat asset, extensively utilized in fleet action. Despite their speed, they did not much accompany the high speed raiding flotillas of the later war years, though, preferring to scout out for desperately needed targets for such raids. As opposed to the Mercury and Doppler scouts, they were strategic assets, and sparingly used. Nevertheless, losses were severe, since the Discovery armor was very vulnerable by the standards of the day. Warp dashes saved many a vessel from an ambush – but such maneuvers were less effective deep insystem, leading to losses of no fewer than 14 fast scouts. The type was withdrawn from service on the day of armistice.