Ross Class
History
- 2 rear, below central impulse
- 1 burst fire located under saucer
- 1 burst fire located at far stern
Sensor Dampening Systems
Danube Class: 2
Arrow Class: 1
Following the defeat of the Dominion the United Federation of Planets found itself in the position of having to deescalate from a war economy and position Starfleet back to being a peacekeeping and exploration force. One unique problem that the war economy had generated for Starfleet was the large number of Galaxy class vessels that it had rapidly produced to act as the capital ships of the fleet. Galaxy class starships had featured extensively across the frontlines, providing heavy fire support, troop carriers, fighter launch and retrieval, as well as more supporting roles as hospital ships and Consultation, Command and Control (aka C3) functions. A large number of these vessels were fit to a minimal standard, often not having a full internal fit-out to enable them to perform the typical functions of the Galaxy at peacetime. The Advanced Starship Design Bureau, in conjunction with the Chiefs of the various Fleets, concluded that it would be inefficient to maintain such a volume of capital ships and sought to repurpose them wherever possible.
Through various initiatives and retooling, a large volume of the parts found their way into second line ships such as the California and Parliament class starships which formed the backbone of the post-war fleet. Others were simply mothballed and placed into reserves, waiting to be called into service again or stripped down for spare parts as other Galaxy's came in for refit.
The disaster of 2385 and Project Uplift
In 2385, the destruction of the Utopia Planitia shipyards removed roughly 30% of the United Federation of Planets shipbuilding capacity in a single attack. Along with the destruction of the shipyards came the loss of a significant number of ship hulls that were in various stages of completion including newer Odyssey and Excalibur class ships and the majority of the Lamarr and Vesta class ships that were in production. Faced with a large production and resource deficit, Starfleet initiated Project Uplift to mitigate the effects of the disaster and restore the Federation's shipbuilding capacity to a level commensurate with its needs.
The mothballed Galaxy hulls would come to the rescue.
Redesigning an Icon
Starting with the improvements made to the USS Enterprise-D and various strategic reviews throughout and after the war, the starship design teams in Project Uplift had a fair idea of the weaknesses of the Galaxy class and where they could make potential improvements. Learning the lesson of the original USS Odyssey in the opening days of the Dominion conflict, the surface area of the main deflector was reduced, utilizing improvements made in the design of the Sovereign Class. Switching from an oval-shaped deflector to a circular model resulted in a sharp tapering of the secondary hull under the midline. This proved to be a controversial design choice, with many amongst Project Uplift feeling this "spoiled" the look of the Galaxy. However, the designers stuck to their principles and pointed out that the improved rake allowed them to cover the lower sides of the secondary hull with the ventral phaser arrays, increasing weapon coverage and addressing the poor coverage exploited by the Dominion during the Odyssey's destruction.
To offset the reduction in usable space below the midline, the decision was taken to alter the shape of the famed "neck" of the Galaxy class by widening it at the rear and transitioning it into a more spinal arrangement, like the flattened spinal designs used by the Sovereign and Odyssey which terminates at the rear-facing torpedo launcher. This new layout increased the amount of usable space in the secondary hull as well as a significant capacity increase for Shuttlebays 2 and 3, removing the dependency on the saucer module shuttlebay in the event of an extended saucer separation and improve the carrier capability of the vessel.
The most controversial choice made by the designers was to include a secondary warp core in the saucer section. Following the destruction of the USS Enterprise-D, the board of inquiry noted that if the saucer had been able to go to warp, the ship would not have been a total loss, and a replacement secondary hull could have enabled the Enterprise to go back into service. Although viewed as a pipe dream by many, the design team borrowed many of the principles behind the compact nacelles on the Defiant class, and enhanced warp field governors on the newer vessels coming into service to enable a small set of warp field emitters to be embedded into lower saucer section in front of the main impulse engines. To accommodate this, a compact, secondary warp core was installed in the area where the Captains Yacht and docking mechanisms were installed on the Galaxy class. Although this would only enable speeds of up to warp 6 cruising, warp 8 in emergency mode, the designers felt this concession was one worth making to allow some flexibility in mission modes and in the event of a catastrophic failure of the primary core.
The net effect of these changes results in something which looks like a Galaxy class but incorporates numerous improvements from later designs.
The USS Ross, named for the famed engineer Mary Golda Ross, entered service in late 2388, just three years after the idea was conceived.
Deck Listing
| Deck | Locations |
|---|---|
| 1 | Main Bridge, Captain's Ready Room, Executive Officer’s Office, Observation/Briefing Lounge, Combat Information Center |
| 2 | Officer's Mess, Senior Officer’s Lounge, Shuttle Operations |
| 3 | Upper Main Shuttle Bay, Officer’s Quarters, Upper Computer Core Level 1 |
| 4 | Upper Main Shuttlebay, Officer's Quarters, Upper Computer Core Level 2, Main Armory |
| 5 | Main Shuttlebay, Senior Officer’s Quarters, Primary Sensor Array, Upper Computer Core Level 3 |
| 6 | Crew Quarters, Shuttle Maintenance Upper Level, Upper Computer Core Level 4 |
| 7 | Upper Computer Core Level 5, Shuttle Maintenance Mid Level, Crew Quarters, Promenade Crew Lounge |
| 8 | Security Station, Brig, Pilot Briefing Room, Pilot Quarters, Upper Computer Core Access, Recreation Centers |
| 9 | Crew Quarters, Saucer Warp Engine Access |
| 10 | Saucer Impulse Engines, Holodecks 1-8 Hi-Bay, Arboretum Hi-Bay, VIP Quarters, VIP Lounge, Conference Rooms |
| 11 | Holodecks 1-8, Transporter Support Systems, Crew Quarters, Arboretum |
| 12 | Main Sickbay, Surgery Bay, Transporter Rooms 1-8, Medical/Science Staff Quarters, Auxiliary Control Center |
| 13 | Cetacean Lab, Transporter Support Systems, Science Labs, Science Officer Quarters |
| 14 | Saucer Section Main Engineering, Cetacean Labs Lower Tanks, Cargo Bays 5-6, Science Staff Quarters |
| 15 | Science Labs, Antimatter Storage Tanks |
| 16 | Saucer Section Navigational Deflector |
| 17 | Planetary Sensor Array |
| 9 | Battle Bridge, Briefing Room, Captain's Office, Backup Senior Staff Quarters |
| 10 | Docking Latch Systems, Engineering Support |
| 11 | Auxiliary Control System, Aft Phaser Arrays 1 & 2, Escape Pods, Docking Clamps |
| 12 | Tactical Plot, Combat Information Center, Auxiliary Forward Phaser Array, Docking Clamps |
| 13 | Shuttle Bays 2 & 3 Hi-Bay, Equipment Access |
| 14 | Shuttle Bays 2 & 3, Docking Latch Maintenance |
| 15 | Secondary Shuttle Operations, Flight Crew Quarters, Dorsal Interhull Structural Support |
| 16 | Primary Cargo Bay Hi-Bay, Stellar Cartography Hi-Bay, Science Labs |
| 17 | Primary Cargo Bay, Stellar Cartography Lab, Astrometrics Lab |
| 18 | Stellar Cartography Hologram Generators, Science Labs |
| 19 | Main Impulse Engines |
| 20 | Main Impulse Engines, Medical Lab #2 |
| 21 | Damage Control Central, Transporter Rooms 9-10 |
| 22 | Engineer Crew Accommodations, Forward Torpedo Magazine, Forward Torpedo Bay |
| 23 | Engineer Crew Accommodations, Forward Torpedo Magazine, Forward Torpedo Launcher, SIF Field Generators |
| 24 | Crew Accommodations |
| 25 | Crew Accommodations, Cargo Bay #3 Hi-Bay |
| 26 | Cargo Bay #3, Main Deuterium Tanks, Primary Matter Injector, Holodecks 9-10 Hi-Bays |
| 27 | Main Deuterium Tanks, Holodecks 9-10 |
| 28 | Main Deuterium Tanks, Aft Crew Mess, Transporter Rooms 11-12 |
| 29 | Engineering Labs |
| 30 | Aft Torpedo Bay, Aft Torpedo Magazine, Engineers Quarters, Deflector Control |
| 31 | Aft Torpedo Launcher, Aft Torpedo Magazine, Navigational Deflector Level 1, Medical Lab #3, Secondary Computer Cores Level 1 |
| 32 | Navigational Deflector Level 2, Secondary Computer Cores Level 2, Engineer Officers Quarters, Engineering Support Systems |
| 33 | Main Engineering, Warp Reaction Chamber, Navigational Deflector Level 3, Secondary Computer Cores Level 3, Plasma Transfer Conduits |
| 34 | Main Navigational Deflector Level 4, Secondary Computer Cores Level 4, Aft Primary Sensor Array, Machine Shops |
| 35 | Navigational Deflector Level 5, Secondary Computer Cores Level 5, Cargo Bay 4 Hi-Bay |
| 36 | Secondary Computer Cores Level 6, Cargo Bay 4 Upper Level |
| 37 | Main Navigational Deflector Level 5, Cargo Bay 4, Secondary Computer Core Control Rooms |
| 38 | Antimatter Storage Tanks, Main Navigational Deflector Level 6 |
| 39 | Antimatter Storage Tanks, Main Navigational Deflector Level 7 |
| 40 | Antimatter Injector, Main Navigational Deflector Level 8 |
| 41 | Engineering Support Systems, Warp Core Ejection Hatch |
| 42 | Main Tractor Beams, Antimatter Generator, Antimatter Loading Ports |