Guide:Roberts
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| Roberts | |
|---|---|
| Class Overview | |
| Category | security cutter |
| Operational | 2226-2270 |
| Constructed | 37 |
| Dimensions | |
| Length | 145.0 m |
| Beam | 101.0 m |
| Height | 39 m |
| Mass | 180,000 tons |
| Performance | |
| Cruise Speed | w 4.0 |
| Max Speed | w 6.5 |
| Endurance | 16 months |
| Complement | |
| Officers | 10 |
| Enlisted | 39 |
| Troops | 10 |
| Passengers | 141
|
| Tactical Systems | |
| Beam Weapons |
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| Shields |
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| Transporters |
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| Auxiliary Craft | 2x light atmospheric shuttles |
| Historical | |
| Ships of Note |
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| Canonicity | |
| Design | Morgan Smiley |
| Name | Morgan Smiley (presumably) |
| History | game-canon
|
As early members of the Federation, the citizens of Arkaria were very much considered to be residents on the "frontier" of the grand alliance. Their rimward location meant that port visits by Star Fleet's exploration ships were not unheard of, as the planet was a well-established homeworld culture, with the technological and industrial capacity to support the agency's missions.
However, the progressive royal family and their court advisors were quite aware that the emergency response time for a Star Fleet vessel could be counted upon in units of weeks, not hours, and that not only were Arkarian colonies relatively unprotected, but that regional cultures that had sympathies and aspirations in regard to the Federation would not necessarily fall under the protective umbrella of the scant ships that patrolled through the area. Both the Federation Council and Star Fleet were open-minded to the petitions of Arkaria, but there was no simple solution that could overcome the challenges of distance, coverage, and time. At best, a capital ship would show the flag at some of these colonies and regional independents over a few months' period.
Baron of Employment Cyras suggested a solution, of which Monarch Ashassa quickly approved and Minister of Foreign Discussion Misenis presented to the Federation Council: Arkarian shipyards would be granted contracts to produce a short-range vessel, capable of responding to emergent regional issues, but flying the banner of Star Fleet, crewed by veterans. The suggestion sounded a bell within Star Fleet: the region beyond Arkaria was not considered to be under dire threat, like that of worlds light-years deep from the Klingon and Romulan borders, but pirate raids were not uncommon either. These bandits were small enough to blend into general populations on planets and into the same spacelanes as their victims when not caught in the act, and those acts seldom occurred when a capital ship was known to be in the area. Star Fleet, however, could not dedicate a permanent squadron of ships from their existing formations.
Having a series of security cutters built locally would allow for their use much sooner than arranging for production in the core worlds and deploying them--with crews unfamiliar to the region--over that extensive distance. Instead, the natural inclination to explore had proved a steady call upon retiring Star Fleet officers and the relatively safer colonies of the Arkarian region was a common destination for such explorers. Star Fleet recognized it could leverage professional interest in the region by offering these (albeit) smaller commands to captains and commanders considering leaving the service, providing the incentive to patrol their future community and "raise" the next generation of Star Fleet to do the same for them.
The Roberts was the platform to host these future regional experts and protectors. Based upon the UFP Office of Colonization's Hellas craft, the design was promptly updated once funds were set aside for their construction. The most striking feature of the design was the appearance of "full back" propulsion: what appeared to be a secondary hull mated on to the stern of a typical, small saucer was instead the bow of the security cutter. The Hellas, in its role of colony support, would often mate directly to transports and containers to facilitate the rapid transfer of people, freight and foodstuffs. While this type of transfer was not foreseen to be a regular duty of the Roberts, the design did allow for easy adaption to a mission of direct boardings and rescue operations.
A small navigational deflector was installed within a slight indention of the bow structure (right below the bow's hull connection), with two angled pylons, located well aft of the dish, holding the stalwart nacelles. Their forward position, relative to the trailing saucer, only intensified the first presumption of a ship in reverse, until the location of the bussard ramscoops were recognized, though they were just slightly behind that of the bow structure. One bank of Tesla class 1,250 megawatt lasers were installed on the trailing edge of the saucer, on either side of the bow, with a single turret installed on the center sides of the dorsal saucer to provide defensive coverage. Like most lasers, the forward mounted ones could be de-linked, allowing one to initiate an entry point into vessels being approached. Once the seal was acquired between the target vessel and the cutter's bow, handheld equipment would be used to make the final breach. No missile or torpedo launchers were installed.
The regional cutter mission was an unqualified success for the squadron of seven based out of Arkaria. The ships were nearly constantly on patrol, five at any time visiting the colonies and spacelanes unannounced, and the regional independent planets when invited. The well-admired captain-cum-statesman Samuel Aberg was exactly one of the veterans the Arkarians envisioned with their initial suggestion. He likened his role to that of a 1950s-era "beat bobby," entrusted to protect and serve his own neighbors and reach out a hand of support to those in needs, regardless of their relationship to the neighborhood. He postponed retirement after his completed tour in command of USS Ponlok (NCC-L427) to take on the role as the squadron commodore for another 7 years, during which he was bestowed the title "Colonel of Preparation" by the reigning monarch.
Elsewhere in the Federation, the Roberts were hit or miss. Without strong local backing and less relevant interest in regional settlements, the squadrons and single ship detachments either served their purpose with the exact Star Fleet manner that was expected, or earned a reputation of "too little, too late." Star Fleet never quite had the grasp of determining where the best place to employ the Roberts class truly was, unlike the regional expertise provided by the invested Arkarians. Non-Arkarian cutters would be constantly re-deployed to hotspots of piracy and banditry, then pulled into another direction, and as a consequence, the affection and personal ties between a region and the cutters' crews never materialized. As a consequence, the class itself never stood out or made the same type of mark outside the Arkarian area of operations. The lack of public gratitude for the cutters' efforts led Star Fleet to immediately respect the Arkarians' calls for additional support for their squadron. For example, Ponlok herself was lost during one recovery effort, when the victim ship's warp core went unexpectedly critical; Star Fleet was quick to replace her with 2 additional sister ships.
The last of the Roberts was decommissioned in 2270, and maintains honorary station in orbit of Arkarias.
Gallery
Notes
- This vessel had barely any information provided for it from the source. While it is unclear as to the origin of the image, the history is almost completely generated by myself. The present image is far too advanced for 2226, and should be re-made according to the correct era and the various hull descriptions.