Guide:Ariadne
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| Ariadne | |
|---|---|
| Class Overview | |
| Category | patrol corvette |
| Operational | 2170-2328 |
| Constructed | 104 total
|
| Dimensions | |
| Length | 35.4 m (Ariadne) |
| Beam | 92.5 m (Ariadne) |
| Height | 106.8 m (Ariadne) |
| Mass | 24,200 tons (Ariadne) |
| Performance | |
| Cruise Speed | w 3 |
| Max Speed |
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| Endurance |
|
| Complement | |
| Officers |
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| Enlisted |
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| Tactical Systems | |
| Beam Weapons | Ariadne, original
Standard fit, 2198
Standard fit, 2208
Standard fit, 2245
Standard fit, 2283
|
| Missile Weapons | Standard fit, 2245
|
| Shields | 1-layer globular shield |
| Transporters | |
| Auxiliary Craft | 2x work pods |
| Historical | |
| Ships of Note | USS Anann (NCC-L238) |
| Canonicity | |
| Design | FSRC/aridas sofia & Willy Whitten |
| Name | FSRC/aridas sofia |
| History | FSRC/aridas sofia & own
|
When Vulcan High Command in 2161 began pulling back its deep space patrol fleet, Star Fleet was
largely unconcerned. It was assumed that war surplus or continuation of wartime shipbuilding
programs would quickly fill the ranks. After all, had not the Vulcan fleet at its Potemkine height
consisted of just fifty primary combatants, easily replaced by Terran equivalents, plus no more than
a couple of hundred smaller units?
However, there had been more to the Vulcan control of their half a dozen sectors than simple numerical strength. Each of the capital ships had been capable of warp six peak speed, many of warp seven. While the smaller patrol types had been no faster than their human equivalents, they had possessed superior cruise economy and endurance. In practice, substituting Earth designs for the patrol fleet would reduce its on-station time and thus potency by at least 50%. Earth in the 2160s struggled with the unexpected industrial slump effected by the war, and was in no position to compensate by introducing a greater number of hulls. Instead, Star Fleet representatives entered direct negotiations with ah’Hrak Soyn Voidsystems for acquisition of further Vulcan ring drive systems.
Ah’Hrak Soyn agreed to provide the highly efficient drives of Solak sentry vessels for an initial batch of 25 new patrol corvettes. Their hulls would be built on Earth in the slab-sided shapes of the pathfinding Hippolytas, to dangle at the lower end of the central spoke of the drive ring. The company also sold the engine license to Whitten, which would continue production for fifteen further vessels. The affordable patrollers were designed to be modular in their armament and sensor outfit, not so much in anticipation of widely varying missions but rather to allow just a minimum number of systems to be installed initially. A crew of 34 was to tend to the vessel in the barebones configuration, which featured a spartan sensor array, a laser armament of two 750 MW cannon, and a dual warp drive system. The ring drive would mainly be employed for cruising, especially in regions of high matter density such as the nebulae that pirates frequently exploited for their ambushes. An internal coil system of traditional Earth type was provided for combat dashes and acute maneuvering, however. Common to both was the fusion powerplant with 1:40 antimatter spicing. Flexible power management allowed the drives to be operated in any combination, or excess power to be channeled to the laser cannon pods at the ends of the open propulsion ring.
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The 25-strong first batch was dubbed Ariadne at the 2170 launch of the inaugural vessel. An alliterative theme of Terran mythology was followed through the second batch, known as Abarta, and extended to later batches as well. These would follow the Ariadne lead in the choice of propulsion systems, but would feature modified primary hulls and systems, for a variety of roles. By far the heaviest was the Agni batch of three, with 2,600 ton hulls of inverted T shape and with dual internal coil sets plus torpedo armament; the lightest was the lone Abuk, a scout from the late 2180s with a slim crescent hull of 750 tons. In all, no less than fourteen variants could be discerned in the production run of 104. The differences were often minimal in practice, though, resulting from slightly dissimilar manufacturing practices on the six worlds involved in the production.
The dual-drive corvettes might not have been the most impressive warships ever designed. Yet their elegance and economy achieved what brute force could not: the assorted pirates, briefly emboldened at the end of the war, were driven from UFP core space for the time being. An efficient vigil at outer borders would warn of their return. Holes in the dragnet of still rather primitive sensors would be sewn shut by the significant cruise speed and sailing radius of the patrollers. Often reaching trouble spots well before heavier starship forces, the vessels of Ariadne descent became commonly known as ‘clippers’, a name apparently derived in part from the Ariadne mission class pennant code CP, or ‘corvette, patrol’. The parallel designations ‘corvette, reconnaissance’ and ‘corvette, dispatch’ would soon be superseded by ‘light scout’ and ‘courier’, respectively, and their pennant codes CR and CD appropriated for other use – but ‘clippers’ would persist in Star Fleet records well into the 24th century.
This is not to say that the Ariadnes would have enjoyed particular longevity. There were still half a dozen of the initial vessels in nominal Star Fleet service by the time of Khitomer peace, but these tall ships were respected elders, preserved for reasons of prestige rather than practicability. The same already applied to most of the succeeding subvariants, introduced throughout the 23rd century to provide patrol combatant presence for border space, and especially for the vast nebulae of the rimward patrol sectors. The last of these let go of active commission in 2328, making way for vessels of brute strength and superior overall performance. Yet dozens still persist as training vessels or pleasure yachts across the operational theater of Star Fleet, meticulously maintained and lovingly operated.
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