USS Argo Starship Library

Design Overview

The latter half of the twenty-fourth centrury was a tumultuous time for the Federation. Despite slow but steady progress in peace negotiations with the Klingons, Starfleet faced border conflicts with the Tholians, the Talarians, the Tzenkethi, and the Cardassians, followed by the Borg incursions and the Dominion War. These events led to a serious re-evaluation of Starfleet's shipbuilding policy, which presently had emphasized larger, multimission ship designs capable of carrying out a wide variety of tasks simultaneously without overhaul. This tendency had led to a gradual drop in the numbers of vessels which could be fielded in any one sector of the Federation; where the Excelsior class numbered well over a hundred, the Ambassadors were limited to a production run of only a few dozen, and the Galaxy class to six, a number which wartime production has increased to twenty-three. While the exploration capacity of these classes is still more than sufficient to meet the tasks demanded of them, the lack of numbers has led to a certain restriction in flexibility. Losses among the Galaxy class further emphasized that the defensive capabilities of such craft, while impressive in terms of firepower, were insufficient to provide suitable protection against an attacking force of multiple smaller craft, such as Jem'hadar attack ships.
The Intrepid class was fielded as part of an initiative to take Starfleet ship design in another direction. The design requirement, issued in 2358, called for a vessel in the 360-meter range with a volume some 15% that of a Galaxy class. Although the limited size meant that the vessel would have much lower overall capabilities than the Galaxy class, this was to be in some part offset by predicted advances in miniaturization technology. Furthermore, the ship was to be fast; the prototype's speed was estimated as being well in excess of Warp 9.9, allowing the ship to cover similiar areas of space to a Galaxy in far less time and offsetting the necessary reduction in time between refits due to its smaller size.
Diplomatic functions would be more problematic - hosting such functions requires the ability to support large numbers of extra personnel, and the Intrepid class simply would not have the room for this. Her diplomatic capabilities are therefore limited to relatively small events, generally involving first-contact situations or Federation negotiations with a single party.
The Intrepid's tactical capacity was also somewhat limited by her size; unable to carry large numbers of torpedoes or high-powered phaser banks, Starfleet settled on a scouting and support mission for the ship. Equipped with type-VIII phaser arrays and single-fire torpedo tubes, the Intrepid would be capable of engaging vessels the size of a Bird of Prey one-on-one. Her high speed and maneuverability combined with the advanced sensor system would also make her a perfect platform to conduct long-range reconnaissance missions ahead of fleet operations. Within major fleet battles, the Intrepid would act in support of larger ships, harrying enemy fleet units and drawing fire.
Development of the intrepid class went relatively smoothly in the early and mid stages; miniaturization advances surfaced as predicted, and the ship's sensor suite was constructed to be approximately 30% as capable as that of a Galaxy class. Furthermore, the ship's computer system pioneered the concept of bio-neural processing, drastically reducing the required size of the core. However, a major problem arose in 2370 with the discovery that the energy emissions of standard warp drives caused considerable cumulative damage to the structure of subspace. Starfleet called for all designs then in progress to be modified to eliminate this effect, and it was decided to use the Intrepid class as a testbed for this technology. After some experimentation it was found that the effect could be drastically reduced by using a warp field with a substantially elongated Z-axis, combined with complex warp field modulation and the utilization of new materials during the manufacture of warp coils. The Intrepid had already incorporated the forward ellipse in the saucer which is now becoming common on Federation designs, and thus proved an exceptional test model. The new warp field configuration did lead to a 15% reduction in the speed of the Intrepid class across all flight regimes, however, bringing the top cruise speed down from Warp 9.99 to Warp 9.975, and the maximum rated speed from Warp 9.992 to Warp 9.985.
The program suffered a serious setback when the USS Voyager, second in the class, was apparently lost on her first mission, disappearing without a trace in the Badlands. Ship construction was suspended on the class while the designs were subjected to intense scrutiny; after a year spent without discovering any flaw in the class design, the Intrepid project was resumed. It was since been discovered that Voyager was in fact displaced to the other side of the Galaxy by an alien entity, and the craft's successful journey home in face made the Intrepid class something of a popular sensation back in the Federation.
One feature unique to the Intrepid class among Federation Starships of this size is the ability to land on a planetary surface. This feature has been incorporated after several incidents in which transporters and shuttlecraft have been unable to operate through exotic environmental conditions during evacuations or other surface-related operations. While the immense weight of the ship naturally prohibits most all non-powered landings, the benefits of this ability have nonetheless been made clear already this early in the Intrepid's service lifetime.

General Information

Category Unit Run Time Between Resupply Time Between Refit Expected Service Lifetime

Light Explorer 47 (35 in service) 2 Terran Years 5 Terran Years 80 Terran Years

Dimensions

Length Beam Depth Mass Crew Capacity

343 m 133 m 66 m 700,000 metric tons 600

Crew Compliment (Standard)

Officers Enlisted Crew Marines Civilians Total

35 115 20 15 185

Armament

Thirteen Type-VIII Phaser Arrays -- maximum output 10,000 TW

Four standard torpedo launchers (2 forward, 2 aft)

+64 torpedoes (30 photon Mk-VI, 20 quantum MK-I, 10 Hellfire Mk-I, 4 tricobalt devices)

Defensive Systems

Standard deflector shield, total capacity 729,000 TJ
Standard Duranium-Tritanium single hull
Standard-level structural integrity field

Warp Systems

Standard Core Output Maximum Core Output Maximum Cruise Speed Maximum Safe Speed Maximum Speed

1.06 x 10⁸ TW (Cruise Mode) 4.22 x 10¹⁶ TW Warp 9.975 Warp 9.980 (36 hrs.) Warp 9.985 (1 hr.)

Impulse Systems

Primary Fusion Output Secondary Fusion Output Impulse Engine Output Impulse Engine Tolerance Maximum Accelleration

4.6 EJ/hr 2.2 EJ/hr 8.916 MeV/sec 12.461 MeV/sec 654,000 m/sec^-2

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Design Overview
The latter half of the twenty-fourth centrury was a tumultuous time for the Federation. Despite slow but steady progress in peace negotiations with the Klingons, Starfleet faced border conflicts with the Tholians, the Talarians, the Tzenkethi, and the Cardassians, followed by the Borg incursions and the Dominion War. These events led to a serious re-evaluation of Starfleet's shipbuilding policy, which presently had emphasized larger, multimission ship designs capable of carrying out a wide variety of tasks simultaneously without overhaul. This tendency had led to a gradual drop in the numbers of vessels which could be fielded in any one sector of the Federation; where the Excelsior class numbered well over a hundred, the Ambassadors were limited to a production run of only a few dozen, and the Galaxy class to six, a number which wartime production has increased to twenty-three. While the exploration capacity of these classes is still more than sufficient to meet the tasks demanded of them, the lack of numbers has led to a certain restriction in flexibility. Losses among the Galaxy class further emphasized that the defensive capabilities of such craft, while impressive in terms of firepower, were insufficient to provide suitable protection against an attacking force of multiple smaller craft, such as Jem'hadar attack ships. The Intrepid class was fielded as part of an initiative to take Starfleet ship design in another direction. The design requirement, issued in 2358, called for a vessel in the 360-meter range with a volume some 15% that of a Galaxy class. Although the limited size meant that the vessel would have much lower overall capabilities than the Galaxy class, this was to be in some part offset by predicted advances in miniaturization technology. Furthermore, the ship was to be fast; the prototype's speed was estimated as being well in excess of Warp 9.9, allowing the ship to cover similiar areas of space to a Galaxy in far less time and offsetting the necessary reduction in time between refits due to its smaller size. Diplomatic functions would be more problematic - hosting such functions requires the ability to support large numbers of extra personnel, and the Intrepid class simply would not have the room for this. Her diplomatic capabilities are therefore limited to relatively small events, generally involving first-contact situations or Federation negotiations with a single party. The Intrepid's tactical capacity was also somewhat limited by her size; unable to carry large numbers of torpedoes or high-powered phaser banks, Starfleet settled on a scouting and support mission for the ship. Equipped with type-VIII phaser arrays and single-fire torpedo tubes, the Intrepid would be capable of engaging vessels the size of a Bird of Prey one-on-one. Her high speed and maneuverability combined with the advanced sensor system would also make her a perfect platform to conduct long-range reconnaissance missions ahead of fleet operations. Within major fleet battles, the Intrepid would act in support of larger ships, harrying enemy fleet units and drawing fire. Development of the intrepid class went relatively smoothly in the early and mid stages; miniaturization advances surfaced as predicted, and the ship's sensor suite was constructed to be approximately 30% as capable as that of a Galaxy class. Furthermore, the ship's computer system pioneered the concept of bio-neural processing, drastically reducing the required size of the core. However, a major problem arose in 2370 with the discovery that the energy emissions of standard warp drives caused considerable cumulative damage to the structure of subspace. Starfleet called for all designs then in progress to be modified to eliminate this effect, and it was decided to use the Intrepid class as a testbed for this technology. After some experimentation it was found that the effect could be drastically reduced by using a warp field with a substantially elongated Z-axis, combined with complex warp field modulation and the utilization of new materials during the manufacture of warp coils. The Intrepid had already incorporated the forward ellipse in the saucer which is now becoming common on Federation designs, and thus proved an exceptional test model. The new warp field configuration did lead to a 15% reduction in the speed of the Intrepid class across all flight regimes, however, bringing the top cruise speed down from Warp 9.99 to Warp 9.975, and the maximum rated speed from Warp 9.992 to Warp 9.985. The program suffered a serious setback when the USS Voyager, second in the class, was apparently lost on her first mission, disappearing without a trace in the Badlands. Ship construction was suspended on the class while the designs were subjected to intense scrutiny; after a year spent without discovering any flaw in the class design, the Intrepid project was resumed. It was since been discovered that Voyager was in fact displaced to the other side of the Galaxy by an alien entity, and the craft's successful journey home in face made the Intrepid class something of a popular sensation back in the Federation. One feature unique to the Intrepid class among Federation Starships of this size is the ability to land on a planetary surface. This feature has been incorporated after several incidents in which transporters and shuttlecraft have been unable to operate through exotic environmental conditions during evacuations or other surface-related operations. While the immense weight of the ship naturally prohibits most all non-powered landings, the benefits of this ability have nonetheless been made clear already this early in the Intrepid's service lifetime.



General Information
Category	Unit Run	Time Between Resupply	Time Between Refit	Expected Service Lifetime
Light Explorer	47 (35 in service)	2 Terran Years	5 Terran Years	80 Terran Years

Dimensions
Length	Beam	Depth	Mass	Crew Capacity
343 m	133 m	66 m	700,000 metric tons	600

Crew Compliment (Standard)
Officers	Enlisted Crew	Marines	Civilians	Total
35	115	20	15	185

Armament
Thirteen Type-VIII Phaser Arrays -- maximum output 10,000 TW Four standard torpedo launchers (2 forward, 2 aft) +64 torpedoes (30 photon Mk-VI, 20 quantum MK-I, 10 Hellfire Mk-I, 4 tricobalt devices)

Defensive Systems
Standard deflector shield, total capacity 729,000 TJ Standard Duranium-Tritanium single hull Standard-level structural integrity field

Warp Systems
Standard Core Output	Maximum Core Output	Maximum Cruise Speed	Maximum Safe Speed	Maximum Speed
1.06 x 10⁸ TW (Cruise Mode)	4.22 x 10¹⁶ TW	Warp 9.975	Warp 9.980 (36 hrs.)	Warp 9.985 (1 hr.)

Impulse Systems
Primary Fusion Output	Secondary Fusion Output	Impulse Engine Output	Impulse Engine Tolerance	Maximum Accelleration
4.6 EJ/hr	2.2 EJ/hr	8.916 MeV/sec	12.461 MeV/sec	654,000 m/sec^-2

Intrepid Class Design Specifications