Guide:Roanoke

Roanoke (or J Class)
Class Overview
Category	Transport
Operational	2101 - 2279
Constructed	74 total: 34 Roanoke (FJ-100) 12 Gemini (FJ-200) 23 Homa Bay (FJ-500) 5 Indian River (FJ-750)
Dimensions
Length	76.2 m (tug only) 114.1 m (1 container) 172.2 m (2 containers) 230.3 m (3 containers) 288.4 m (4 containers, FJ-500, 750 only) 346.5 m (5 containers, FJ-750 only)
Beam	58.8 m
Height	32.1 m
Mass	19,400 mt (FJ-100) 19,500 mt (FJ-200) 20,300 mt (FJ-500) 22,000 mt (FJ-750)
Performance
Cruise Speed	w 1.1 (FJ-100, 200) w 2 (FJ-500, 750)
Max Speed	w 1.7 (FJ-100) w 1.8 (FJ-200) w 2.2 (FJ-500, 750)
Endurance	6 years
Complement
Officers	2
Enlisted	17
Cargo	27,500 mt (FJ-100) 1x-3x Type III containers 5,000 mt internal 30,000 mt (FJ-200) 1x-3x Type III containers 7,500 mt internal 38,000 mt (FJ-500) 1x-4x Type III containers 8,000 mt internal 45,000 mt (FJ-750) 1x-5x Type III containers 7,000 mt internal
Tactical Systems
Beam Weapons	FJ-100, FJ-200 (original): none FJ-200 (refit): 2x TDM-8 plasma cannons, nacelles FJ-500, FJ-750: 2x TDM-13 plasma cannon, nacelles 2x TDM-8 plasma cannons, ventral spine
Shields	All: navigational deflector on bow electromagnetic shields (max. 16 T) FJ-500 training vessels (refit 2198): 1-layer graviton forcefields FJ-500 training vessels (refit 2241): 1-layer conformal shields
Auxiliary Craft	1x atmospheric shuttle work pods (optional)
Canonicity
Design	ENT
Name	own
History	ENT

Background: Hobbyist's Guide

The first successes in Earth’s colonization program created an increased demand for transport vessels—not only for spacelanes between the hearthworld and the colonies, but for the trade routes branching off the colonies towards previously unreachable commerce partners. Many Boomer captains chose to sail out in hunt of profits, depleting the inner routes. Tellarite merchants were quick to take advantage. The Arcturus route was soon all but lost to foreign operators. Ships of higher capacity would have to be made available for the primary ore routes or else the combined loss of profits and key resources could shut Earth off deep space for good.

The featherweight Dinyan-Yoyodyne colonizers hauling cargo for fledgling mining colonies at the time were not competitive in the long run. The more capacious but agonizingly slow Assist, Fortune, and Protector series warp tugs were a dead end as well, quickly approaching both financial non-viability and technological obsolescence. In search of alternatives, even the massive refineries crawling back and forth in the Sol asteroid belt were harnessed to bulk transport use, several being launched on interstellar resource hunts. On a more practical vein, Class G and Y container transports, initially intended for high credit to kilogram ratio goods, now found it commercially advantageous to take on bulk cargo.

None of this met the definite and increasingly pressing demand for a dedicated modular ore transport. In 2099, Type III cargo modules were introduced for use in the mining industry and construction of several fast tug types initiated. Of these, the flexible and surprisingly nimble class J soon proved the most competitive design.

The uppermost level of the class J tug consisted of a flight control center, a communications and general utility assembly, and a reaction control system that, put together and fitted between transverse docking/airlock sections, comprised a detachable orbit-to-surface craft. While this section could in a cinch provide life support for the total crew of nineteen, the next two levels down were the main habitat section. In addition, they held main deflector machinery and sensors at the bow, an accessway to the containers at Deck 2 stern, and the main computing and environmental systems on Deck 3. Space was at a premium compared with class Y or G vessels, especially because there was no habitable space in the spinal structure of the ship. For journeys taking longer than six months, a typical Boomer crew of twenty to thirty would have to convert part of the forwardmost ore container for habitation. For shorter hauls, the need to maximize cargo volume meant cramped conditions indeed.

Pylons angled down from Deck 2, along the sides of the tug, to the two GSC-1400 nacelles, which fed from a primary fusion powerplant on Deck 4. Despite their compact dimensions, the nacelles also housed main reaction engines, feeding directly from primary-loop plasma. While these fired safely beneath the train of cargo containers, they were still carefully shielded by field guide petals. Further field guides jutted down from nacelle centerpoint and also contained plasma purge vents and heat exchangers. The variable geometry extensions could bias the warp field over one to five containers, although three was the maximum load of the original J-100 and J-200 models. Secondary reaction drive modules would be installed on the aftmost container. Additional fuel was carried in a spine element that could span the full length of three modules for maximum range, but was usually only one third of that. Ramscoops at nacelle forward ends were an efficient range multiplier, if the captain was willing to chase after dense clouds of interstellar hydrogen.

The orbital loading platform above Earth Colony Four at Vega pours the last few tons of uranium ore into a Roanoke in Starfleet colors, as an ECS vessel waits on a lower pier. Fissionables were still a critical commodity for military applications in the early 22nd century and the difficulties in developing deep-mining techniques made interstellar transport of semi-refined ore an economically competitive means of acquisition.

Almost as soon as the first J class ships glided off the construction docks, the United Earth Stellar Navy purchased five and placed an order for twenty-nine more. Dubbed the Roanoke class in UESF service, the transports began hauling material to Earth’s outer holdings and helping fortify them against raiders of all kinds. The transports themselves were highly vulnerable to attacks, though, and the improved Gemini subclass based on J-200 was in 2112 fitted with multidirectional plasma cannon on both nacelles. ECS vessels began mounting similar weapons soon enough, despite the illegality of the act.

By 2120, work on advanced warp drives was producing dividends for transports and starliners, as well as for high-profile military and exploration starships. The J class grew with two high capacity models, both of which suited the Stellar Navy's needs. The J-500 and J-750 became the Homa Bay and Indian River subclasses, respectively. Both were armed to the hilt and equipped with the latest in subspace radio technology—which wasn’t saying much, in galactic terms, but did give the UESN some confidence in the survivability of the vessels. At least some of the raiders could be kept at an arm’s length, and direct contact across some three lightyears maintained without booster relays. Both classes could also haul four full containers, or 38,000 tons’ worth of cargo; the FJ-750 could take on an extra 7,000 tons and one more container. Both types could maintain warp 2 for extended periods of time.

The grand total of 74 J class vessels transferred into UESF service survived the fighting of the 2150s remarkably well, being mostly deployed in deep space and remaining in transit throughout the conflicts. By the founding of the UFP Star Fleet, 51 of the transports still remained. The last were withdrawn from active Star Fleet freight service in the 2190s, yet ten FJ-500s were maintained as navigation training vessels well into the 2260s. They received modern shields and comm systems, but otherwise maintained their original configuration and meticulous finish. When the last FJ-500, USS Frost Ridge (still registered NCC-F23) was retired in 2279 and her reactors driven down, dismantling crews were happy to confirm a piece of folklore. Equipped with 23rd century radiation protection gear, they cut off, decontaminated, and polished for display a section of the inner reactor casing personally signed by Zephram Cochrane himself.

Gallery

• 
  FJ-100/200 starboard
• 
  FJ-500 starboard
• 
  FJ-750 starboard
• 
  FJ-750 bow
• 
  FJ-750 dorsal
• 
  FJ-750 starboard bow
• 
  FJ-750 stern
• 
  FJ-750 ventral

Alternate Images

• 
  FJ-200
• 
  FJ-500
• 
  FJ-750
• 
  Gemini
• 
  Homa Bay
• 
  Indian River

Alt Sources

• Starship Handbook (Combined)

Notes

• In order to make the Type III containers a bit better than the concurrent Type II, they are designated as rated for 7,500 metric tons. Ship variants' cargo capacity have been altered to accommodate.

• It appears the NCCs the freighters received had the numerals preceded by "F" (for "freighter").

• When applied, the NCC-F registries were assigned as each ship reached its latest port-of-call, post-Federation Day. Therefore, the four subclasses are intermingled throughout the range of "F14" through "F64".

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• Back to "The Incredible Expansion"
• Appendix A: Of Ship Statistics
• Appendix B: Glossary
• Appendix C: Star Fleet Organization - General Outline
• Appendix D: Abbreviations From Outside