Guide:Master

Master
Class Overview
Category	medium fleet tug / tender
Operational	2226-2282
Constructed	30
Dimensions
Length	145.0 m (standard) 154.7 m (w/ auxiliary deflector pods)
Beam	98.9 m
Height	67.7 m
Mass	182,000 tons
Performance
Cruise Speed	w 4
Tow Speed	w 3
Max Speed	w 5
Endurance	1 year
Complement
Officers	4
Enlisted	16
Tactical Systems
Shields	1-layer conformal forcefield Navigational deflectors (port/stbd bows) Auxiliary navigational deflectors (dorsal bow) (select units)
Transporters	1x GP (3-pad); Mk II
Auxiliary Craft	2-6x work pods
Historical
Ships of Note	USS Chaplain (NCC-3714) USS Coxswain (NCC-3711) USS Ordnanceman (NCC-3722) USS Wiper (NCC-3717)
Canonicity
Design	SFC
Name	SFC
History	SFC

While the Sherman and Ptolemy classes represented a technological breakthrough in cargo operations, the deep space logistics chain of Starfleet was still severely lacking in the early decades of the 23rd century. Operations against Klingon forces put a great strain on theater logistics, and also created the need for recovery and repair that mere quality of the big Ptolemy tenders could not satisfy. For quantity, Starfleet needed dozens of medium tugs with frontline repair capabilities.

Shopping off the commercial shelf was problematic. While many a design was capable of towing loads the size of combat starships, and several could be equipped with an onboard repair facility as a manufacturer option or through minimal modifications, none had the propulsive performance for reaching the deep frontier. In 2225, following the retirement of the last Watt crewed and Boyden automated interstellar tugs, Logistics Command decided to procure a dedicated fleet tug, equipped with specifically designed Pleshun PB-23 series engines for warp four cruising and for warp three under load. The major investment in propulsive systems meant low initial production numbers. Yet the results were so satisfactory that when additional funds were released, there was no need to purchase a further batch to complement the initial order for thirty Master class medium fleet tugs. The Master was Starfleet’s first true Class 2 supercruiser, a direct predecessor to the high speed transports of Independence class. Granted that Master achieved speed through excess power rather than warp-dynamic finesse, the tugship was still potently equipped for high speed, long range navigation in every respect. While the basic model had an integrated bow deflector, it was quite typical for the vessels to haul additional podded, outriggered deflectors, of the type that would also see use with the Independences. Especially useful with outsize tow loads, the pods would often be stowed in the holds ‘just in case’, to be installed as needed.

The holds, accessible through a giant, 30 m high rolling door at lower stern, were capable of accommodating a wide range of other components as well. Most Masters were equipped for carrying, servicing and swapping standard starship impulse reactors. They could also haul ordnance including antimatter pods, a capacity that would be of great significance later in their careers. Antimatter-powered starships were by and large too bulky to be efficiently towed by the medium tugs, but benefited from timely resupply of fuel (even if in small quantities) and outsize spares delivered by the vessels.

Compared with the cargo and repair facilities, crew spaces were spartan and rather cramped. It was customary, even if contrary to regulations, to accommodate part of the 30 crew amidst the machinery. The nooks and crannies in these public spaces typically offered greater privacy and comfort than the dedicated accommodations: what amenities did not exist, the crew could quickly construct out of the available spares. Only the bridge on Deck 1 and the adjoining navigation facilities on Deck 2 were safe from such modifications, and indeed saw little in the way of upgrades during the half a century that the tugs ended up serving.

No Master tugs were ever pressed to general cargo hauling duty, nor did Starfleet see the need to make them compatible with standard containers. While frontline and battlefront operations were the norm, nothing in the way of weaponry or combat sensors was installed. The ability to project strong navigational shields over the objects under tow of course nicely translated to additional self-defense potential. Nevertheless, two Masters succumbed to Klingon fire in the fifties, USS Coxswain (NCC- 3711) in transit to a fleet staging area near Makus, USS Wiper (NCC-3717) while recovering the crippled battle cruiser Zawiya (NCC-1170). Mass retirements began after Organia, reflecting less the change in strategic situation or the introduction of the increased capacity Cle Dan type, and more the thorough state of fatigue that was making the Masters a hazard to operate.

The last Master, USS Ordnanceman (NCC-3722), ceased operations in February, 2282 and was decommissioned two months later. Like most of her sisters, she donated her onboard equipment to further use on starbases and other installations before being towed to a scrapping berth – by another Master, the now commercially-owned former USS Chaplain (ex-NCC-3714).

Gallery

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  Auxiliary deflector pods deployed

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• Appendix A: Of Ship Statistics
• Appendix B: Glossary
• Appendix C: Starfleet Organization - General Outline
• Appendix D: Abbreviations From Outside