New Orleans Class

New Orleans-Class Frigate

UNITED FEDERATION OF PLANETS: STARFLEET DIVISION

Standard Technical Specifications for the New Orleans-Class Production Vehicle
2379 Second Refit Edition

Accommodation	290 Officers and Crew, 60-110 visiting personnel	Locations of New Orleans-Class Construction
Classification	Frigate [Defensive/Explorer/Diplomatic]	San Francisco Fleet Yards, Earth
Development Project Started:	2334	Copernicus Fleet Yards, Luna
Production Start Date:	2339	Utopia Planitia Fleet Yards, Mars
Production End Date:	2359	40 Eridani-A Starfleet Construction Yards
Current Status:	In Service	Starbase 134 Integration Facility, Rigel VI
		Beta Antares Fleet Yard, Antares B

Note: Information present in this document should be assumed to be referring to the Second Refit of the New Orleans-class spaceframe, unless otherwise specified. Previous advanced technical specifications for this starship class are currently declassified and available in the Starfleet Database.

NEW ORLEANS-CLASS INTRODUCTION

MISSION OBJECTIVES

Pursuant to Starfleet Exploration Directives 902.3 & 913.6, Starfleet Defense Directives 137.2 & 154.2, Theoretical Propulsion Group Mandate 317.2 and Federation Security Council General Policy, the following objectives have been established for the New Orleans-Class Starship:

1. Incorporate and improve upon propulsion technologies created for the Springfield Class Development Project.
2. Incorporate latest advancements in isolinear computer core and subprocessor technologies.
3. Serve as a platform for ongoing testing of new technologies for projected ASDB interests.
4. Provide a mobile platform for a wide range of ongoing scientific, and defensive research projects.
5. Replace aging Excelsior, Renaissance and Miranda-class starships as the primary instrument of Starfleet's defensive programs.
6. Supplement Constellation, Nebula and Ambassador -class starships in medium-sized multi-mission applications [Added 2360].
7. Provide autonomous capability for full execution of Federation policy options in outlying border areas, Federation territories, and shipping lines.

DESIGN STATISTICS

Length: 345 meters
Width: 246 meters
Height: 75 meters
Weight: 1,100,000 metric tonnes
Cargo capacity: Dependant upon mission type
Hull: Duranium/Tritanium Hull
Number of Decks: 18

GENERAL OVERVIEW

Editor's Note: History written by Robert Siwiak - based on information found in Star Trek: First Contact, Star Trek: Voyager, Star Trek Encyclopedia, Star Trek: The Next Generation Technical Manual, Star Trek: Deep Space 9 Technical Manual, and Star Trek: The Magazine. Please keep in mind that this is a history developed based on canon information presented in various sources and filled in with logical conjecture.

The New Orleans Class Development Project began in 2334 with the intent of expanding upon the successful Springfield-class design and ushering in a new era of warp propulsion originally conceived for the Transwarp project. While falling far short of the expected speeds that the Transwarp project promised, new advances in warp geometry allowed computer simulations to postulate that speeds in excess of Warp 9.2 were possible, greatly improving over the Warp 8.9 limit that the Springfield suffered. While retaining the familiar saucer section of the Springfield, the most noticeable addition to the New Orleans spaceframe is the engineering section and redesigned warp nacelles. Coupled with a revolutionary isolinear computer system and the unique ability to be equipped with mission-specific pods, the New Orleans quickly became a favorite during the mid-24th Century.

Initial production of the New Orleans-class began at Starfleet's San Francisco Fleet Yards before spreading to several other production areas within the Federation, most notably the nearby Copernicus Fleet Yards and the ship building facilities at Starbase 134, as well as other yards specialized in the construction of frigates, light cruisers and medium cruisers.

Taking the Springfield design to the next level, an engineering hull was attached to the lower saucer and, unlike the Ambassador and later Galaxy-class, the absence of a connecting "neck" between the primary and secondary hull produced a smaller profile that was more difficult to hit. This design would see further development with the Nebula and Intrepid-class designs, which also lack the vulnerable connecting segment that was blamed for the loss of several Galaxy-class starships during the Dominion War. With the launch of a hull capable of separating and then reattaching some 20 years away, as well the New Orleans's relatively small size, it was deemed unnecessary to develop the ability to separate the ship in a manner similar to the Excelsior and Ambassador classes.

While conceived in an era of relative peace in the United Federation of Planets, Starfleet Intelligence anticipated potential flare-ups on the Federation border, most notably the Tholian, Cardassian and Talarian frontiers, as well as the anticipated return of the Romulan Star Empire to the galactic foreground. Running side-by-side in development with the Steamrunner-class, Starfleet Command required that, like the Springfield, the New Orleans would be superbly equipped to handle skirmishes and border conflicts because of developing delays with the Steamrunner, which was intended to become the choice defensive cruiser. The standard hull of the New Orleans sports a total of six phaser array segments and two torpedo launchers, quickly replacing both the Springfield and Merced-class as the premier frigate in Starfleet's inventory. When approached with the daunting task of upgrading the design to support further armament midway through the project, a young researcher proposed the idea of attaching pods to the outer hull. While opening the way for further developments, it also meant that specialized torpedo pods could be attached to further increase the fire power of the vessel.

These pods also saved the New Orleans from early retirement when the class took heavy losses in the Dominion War during the mid-2370's, for it allowed the surviving spaceframes to be equipped with various pods types to perform specific tasks outside the ship's original border patrol responsibilities, which has now been passed on to the completed Steamrunner line of starships.

It should be noted that the class preformed admirably during the Galen Border Conflicts of the 2350's, where the first production line of New Orleans-class vessels, serving alongside the aging Constellation-class, mounted a successful defensive against Talarian forces encroaching on the disputed Galen System. While the colony on Galen IV was destroyed in 2356, the heavy losses in the Talarian fleet resulted in the successful peace accords later that year. The Cardassian Wars of the 2350's and 60's was the result of the first large-scale conflict between the Federation and the Cardassian Union in the Galactic Northwestern most portion of the Federation's holdings in the Alpha Quadrant. Several New Orleans-class starships represented the bulk of a mixed fleet that included Miranda and newly produced Akira-class vessels responsible for defending established colonies in that region. The first disappointment in the New Orleans's service record occurred in the Borg Incursion of 2366, where a relatively small handful of ships were lost in the total of 39 at Wolf 359. That handful, however, contained the U.S.S. Kyushu which acted as the pride of New Orleans line. Her loss was somewhat dimmed by the overall scope of the battle, where many more ships of the line were destroyed while intercepting the Borg Cube on its way to Earth.

Many years prior to the engagement at Wolf 359, the first production line of the New Orleans-class was entering their 20th year of service and in 2359 the first of four scheduled refits in the spaceframe's 80-year expected lifetime began as the U.S.S. Salzburg entered Drydock 14 at Utopia Planitia Fleet Yards. On March 28, 2359, after nearly three months of overhauls, the Salzburg left the dock a practically new ship. The metal decks that had been a signature design feature for the past 100 years were now being replaced with carpeting and softer color tones throughout the ship, in some respects reflecting the change in overall look aboard Starfleet ships as Nebula and soon-to-be launched Galaxy-class starships did in promoting a family environment, even while these ships were on the edge of known space.

No New Orleans-class ships were present when the Borg attempted a second assimilation attempt of Earth in 2373, but the class incurred its heaviest losses to date in the same year as minor skirmishes erupted into a war on the Cardassian frontier. Forces of an alliance between the Cardassian Union and the Dominion engaged Federation and Klingon forces across the former Demilitarized Zone. Forced to take on larger Galor-class ships on their own in some instances, the shortcomings of the New Orleans became apparent. Further losses occurred at the unsuccessful defense in the Battle of Betazed while the Federation Tenth Fleet was caught out of position on a training exercise, allowing the planet to be taken and putting nearby Federation worlds at risk of invasion. Elements of the Fifth Fleet, including several New Orleans-class vessels, did however help in the rapid evacuation of key facilities in the area before the Dominion could secure its hold on the planet.

Pulled away from hotspots along the Cardassian border, the majority of the remaining New Orleans-class ships still in service were assigned interior defense duties or attached to outposts and deep space stations along the Federation's relatively quiet borders to the galactic west. The remaining vessels were immediately put into drydock where components originally destined for the class's second refit in 2379 were installed earlier to increase the effectiveness of the ship. Now revamped with Type-X phaser arrays and increased power output, as well as defense against Breen energy dampening weapons, several ships made it back to the frontlines to participate in Operation Return in 2374 when station Deep Space Nine was taken back from its Cardassian captors. Seeing only limited participation in the final Invasion of Cardassia Prime in 2375, the New Orleans remains a member of the peace keeping force in that area to date.

Approximately one-third of the remaining New Orleans-class vessels are presently equipped with their torpedo pods and on duty around the Federation border, steadily being replaced by the Steamrunner-class. The majority of the remaining two-thirds are presently assigned to various mission-specific tasks throughout the Federation, ensuring that while their numbers have fallen sharply, the class still stands as a proud symbol of the Federation. The remaining ships are in drydocks throughout the Federation, undergoing their second refit. Projections show that the class will most likely be retired before the end of the century, twenty years short of its original design lifetime. This early retirement is the result of current predictions in overall fleet production. Several hulls that were originally decommissioned or only partially completed prior to the end of the class's production run in 2359 were brought back to full operational status during and after the Dominion War in an effort to reinforce the falling numbers in the Federation fleet.

With most of the New Orleans-class's original mission objectives taken over by starships developed in the past half-century, it is not surprising to see that the ship has been tailored for more mission-specific applications. The use of the design's pods has allowed for the starship to easily be reassigned for multi-mission applications, making it one of the smallest designs capable of handling an endless amount of customized applications in the medium-sized starship range. Still, design shortcomings will no doubt eventually lead to the retirement of the class as state-of-the-art ships launch from various drydocks. Until that day, however, it will continue to be a lasting symbol of Federation ingenuity and pride.

CONSTRUCTION HISTORY

Construction of the New Orleans pathfinder vessel, designated NXP-1983NF, began in early 2336 - just one year after the project's official start date. The primary research team, based at Starfleet's San Francisco Fleet Yard, had already finished the overall hull structure and shape of the eventual spaceframe through knowledge gained from the Springfield Class Development Project. By the end of 2335, with the aide of computer models, sufficient progress had been made to the point that a working 1500 cochrane warp reactor could be used to power a warp field capable of exceeding its design specifications for limited amounts of time. While the reactant injectors for the primary M/ARA were indeed capable of increased firing rates before the project, problems existed in the containment of the warp plasma through the transfer conduits due to the higher rate of energy transfer.

The hulk of a partially-constructed Springfield-class starship was towed into Drydock 12 of Starfleet's Copernicus Fleet Yards in orbit above Earth's Moon while the primary research team transferred the final exterior hull configuration for a full-scale mockup test. By late 2336, the warp nacelles and coils had been completely redesigned three times as models indicated flaws that would result in microfracturing within the coils when field output crossed the Warp 9 threshold. Increased structural integrity field output was proposed, but the eventual solution came about when Dr. Tobin D'Strata proposed elongating the warp nacelles, allowing for the plasma output to be better spread across more warp coils and reduce overall tension on individual coils. Marginal improvements were also made to the three impulse engines mounted on the saucer and aft spine of the ship, allowing the starship to literally fly circles around larger vessels.

NXP-1983NF began warp flight tests within Sector 001 during Spring of 2337 and made use of an experimental deflector dish that preformed well in early test flights. The pathfinder vehicle, manned by a crew of 25, managed to reach Warp 9.1 with marginal strain on the warp propulsion system. Deemed a design breakthrough, the first full production vessel, NX-57012, had its primary frame members gamma-welded at a brief ceremony at the San Francisco Fleet Yard. Hull NX-57012, being built from the ground up, saw further design improvements while the pathfinder continued to relay data from the test site. Disaster came about in November of that year when a redesigned structural integrity field failed while at high warp. In addition to the shearing of the starboard warp nacelle, various sections on both hulls gave way from subspace stress, concentrated mostly at the forward most portions of the ship. Questioning of the 12 surviving test crewmembers, as well as investigation into salvaged computer records found an error in the computer-controlled regulation of the system. While some members of the Federation Council demanded a halt to the project, the majority recognized the need for the ship and pushed onward with NX-57012. The hulk of NXP-1983NF was towed back to Utopia Planitia where it participated in full-scale early weapons tests of the experimental Type-X phaser emitter and was subsequently destroyed.

During the following year, NX-57012 saw rapid construction and the spaceframe was ready for testing in late 2338. The New Orleans-class was one of the first classes to integrate isolinear-based computer systems, a system which is only recently being improved upon with advances in bioneural circuitry. Further design modifications allowed for the NX-57012 to reach Warp 9.2, and with all internal spaces and systems installed, the ship was ready for its official launch. However, a new mandate arrived late in the project from the ASDB as Starfleet Intelligence had learned of a powerful warship in development by the Cardassians, later known as the Galor-class. Concerns arose that the New Orleans-class would not be able to adequately defend against such a target. Increased firepower would be required, and the obvious choice was to install more torpedo launchers. Advanced computer simulations indicated that mounting internal launchers would require the removal of some 65-percent of the science labs in the forward saucer section, as well as several residential areas since the saucer was the only location to mount additional launchers, due mostly to the fact that the main deflector occupied almost the entire forward-most section of the secondary hull.

By April of 2339, two additional New Orleans spaceframes rested in drydock at San Francisco and Copernicus as arguments continued over the internal layout of the ship. It was obvious by this point that they would not scrap the overall proven design of the ship, and many on the team did not look forward to the ship being turned into the equivalent of a torpedo boat (A concept that would only be revisited during the Akira and Defiant class projects). The solution finally came later that month when several members of the development team were being pulled away to begin work on a new proposed Miranda-class refit, and after a heated discussion, the idea of mounting an outboard roll bar came about. This idea was quickly scrapped due to the instabilities that would result in creating a warp field to take into account the roll bar, but the idea later blossomed into the pod design that is in use on New Orleans-class ships to this day. Nathan Thormer, a young researcher being transferred to the Miranda team, was responsible for the idea after calculating locations within the warp field that would allow for enough manipulation to mount exterior pods without causing field degradation. Two areas on the dorsal surface of the primary hull, as well as one area on the ventral surface of the engineering hull, were chosen to be ideal places to handle exterior mission-specific pods. Originally designed to handle both a forward and aft launcher, as well as torpedo stores, more ideas sprung about as to the possible uses of the pod design. Ideas ranging from additional cargo spaces to sensor packages were discussed, and more pod designs would spring up long after full production began on the class.

A ceremony was held at Earth's Spacedock 1 in August of 2339 as hull NX-57012, christened the U.S.S. New Orleans, left the space doors and warped out of the system to begin its shakedown cruise near the Tholian border. In December and January, the U.S.S. Organia NCC-57267 and the U.S.S. Rutledge NCC-57295 launched from their respective drydocks, both bound for the Cardassian border. The class would see production until 2369, and while it has taken heavy losses defending the Federation during its many wars, the New Orleans is still a proud and familiar symbol of Starfleet's power to this day.

The estimated lifetime of the New Orleans spaceframe has been projected to be some 80 years, with scheduled refits and major overhauls to take place at 20-year intervals. Unlike minor layovers, repairs and restocking missions to major fleet yards and bases, these major refits were intended to update the class with technologies that have since emerged after production of the class began. While the class is no longer in production, more then a hundred and fifty New Orleans frigates are still in use by Starfleet as of this publication, and the spaceframe was designed to allow for easy upgrades during its entire operational lifetime. To date, the New Orleans-class starship has had two major refits after its initial launch.

First Refit:

The first refit for the New Orleans-class took place in January of 2359 when the U.S.S. Salzburg entered drydock 14 at Starfleet's Utopia Planitia Fleet Yards in orbit around Mars. While the average time for the refit was approximately 13 weeks, or roughly 3 months, the planning for the upgrades had taken some four years to complete.

This upgrade included:

• Installation of second-generation isolinear subprocessors throughout the vessel.
• Removal of both torpedo launchers and related systems, followed by the installation of two fixed-focus rapid fire torpedo launchers capable of firing eight torpedoes at one time for simultaneous launch.
• Enhanced warp plasma transfer conduits.
• Installation of new Class-5 M/ARA.
• Refurbishment of Impulse Propulsion System (IPS) and related systems.
• Carpeting to cover metal floors through most high-traffic areas of the ship, most notably areas surround crew quarters and support systems.
• Softer color palettes used on bulkheads and interior designs to coincide with planned uniform change expected to take place in the 2360's.
• Replacement of bridge module with upgraded design.
• Upgraded living accommodations.
• Installation of three holographic simulation chambers [later replaced with the standard holodeck after 2367].
• Redesign of mission-specific pod hard connections and latches for easier replacement between missions.

Second Refit:

Originally scheduled to take place around 2379, key events in the local galactic theater prompted an early review for the proposed second refit to the New Orleans class. In 2371, shortly after the discovery of the Jem'Hadar, Founders and Vorta on the Gamma Quadrant side of the Bajoran wormhole, Starfleet Intelligence and the Federation Council expressed major concerns over the status of Starfleet's assets. This concern became a reality when all out war broke loose along the Cardassian Demilitarized Zone when the Cardassian Union joined the Dominion, and declared its intent to take over the Alpha Quadrant. Federation and ally ship production went into full sway, and efforts were made to upgrade all existing spaceframes currently active in the fleet inventory. In addition, a number of decommissioned and mothballed hulls were brought back to operational status, among them were several retired or incomplete New Orleans spaceframes decommissioned for various reasons during the past two decades. Rearmed with Type-X phaser emitters, improved M/ARA for increased power and various other upgrades, the New Orleans played an active role in the defense of the Federation. With many advances for the spaceframe already tested in the field, several ships saw refits during and immediately after the war to help maintain the capabilities of the fleet. The remainder of the ships are seeing refits in the near future.

This upgrade includes:

• Installation of third-generation isolinear subprocessors throughout the vessel.
• Replacement of both port and starboard main computer cores with updated systems.
• Installation of Type-X phaser emitters.
• Installation of a Class-6 M/ARA.
• Refurbished warp nacelles with variable warp field geometry capabilities.
• Updated Warp Propulsion System (WPS) software to account for additional capabilities.
• Refurbishment of Impulse Propulsion System (IPS) and related systems.
• Replacement of bridge module with upgraded design.
• Replacement of primary and secondary graviton field generators.
• Upgrade to Main Shuttlebay and service facilities.

Notice: Not all upgrade information has been made available in this document for various reasons, including security concerns as well as length considerations.

COMMAND SYSTEMS

MAIN BRIDGE

The primary command and control center aboard a starship is its bridge, located on Deck 1 at the top of the primary hull. Though the entire bridge module can be replaced at a starbase layover with a variety of types, the most common found aboard New Orleans-class vessels is a model originally conceived as an upgrade to the Galaxy-class starship. Though only slightly different in terms of overall layout to the original Galaxy-class bridge that premiered with the launch of the class's first ship, and eventually found its way to use aboard Nebula, New Orleans and a handful of other ship classes.

Just like the commanding position of the bridge itself at the top of the saucer, the captain's chair is located at the center of the bridge atop a raised platform where all bridge consoles can be viewed with a simple rotation of one's chair. The captain's chair itself has built in consoles on both armrests, allowing the seat's occupant to access either issue commands, view data or even take control of ship functions with proper authorization. To the captain's right is a seat used by the ship's first officer, and while it lacks armrests, it does have a dedicated console with various access functions. Another seat mirrors the first officer's and is located to the captain's left, normally reserved for either a visiting dignitary, mission specialist, or one of the ship's senior staff.

Down a small set of stairs and to the front of the command area is the Ops and Conn stations, as well as the main viewscreen. Dominating the bridge, the main viewer measures 4.8 x 2.5 meters and often displays a feed from one of the forward optical scanners, though it can easily be reconfigured for communications, as well as displaying various types of data like any smaller console viewscreen. The display matrix includes omni-holographic display elements, allowing for information to be displayed in three dimensions. The flight control station, often simply referred to as "Conn," is located to the captain's right and features controls that regulate the actual physical movement of the starship, whether it be entering orbit of a planet or plotting a course for another starsystem. Mirroring this station in general appearance is the Ops station, responsible for helping to regulate starship operations, from shuttlecraft clearance, allocation of sensor time, communications and even power allocation.

To the left of the command area and raised on a platform next to a ramp that leads to the bridge's aft section is a series of consoles dedicated for scientific use. A forward console, reserved for the Chief Science Officer, gives primary access to the sensor arrays and allows for the seat's occupant to have full view of the main viewer. Three consoles run along the wall and can easily be reconfigured to display other types of data, such as information from the mission-specific pods. Mirroring the science station is the engineering station, which too has three consoles running along the wall which can be configured for various purposes, including damage control, environmental support, etc.

A large Master Systems Display (MSD) runs across the aft section of the bridge, flanked by a console on each side. The MSD features a cutaway of the starship, and displays information pertaining to the ship's status. The console to its left is typically configured as an environmental station while its sister console is configured as a mission operations center.

Between the command area and the MSD is the tactical railing, which is made of sturdy redwood and wraps around the command area. Three panels are built into the surface of the railing, allowing access to the ship's tactical systems. Though normally operated by one person, there is easily enough room for up to three crewmembers to work side-by-side.

The port side of the front of the bridge features access to a turbolift, as well as the Captain's Ready Room. A replicator is located just next to this junction allowing on-duty officers to take only a few steps to reach a refreshment. The port side provides access to an emergency-use turbolift that allows direct access to Main Engineering, should significant damage to the bridge force the crew to evacuate the room.

The port side of the aft section of the bridge features a standard turbolift, while the starboard side has access to the main observation lounge, as well as the bridge head.

MAIN ENGINEERING

Main Engineering is located on Deck 15 and is the central point for control of all engineering systems aboard the vessel, especially those relating to propulsion and power generation. Main Engineering also features the dilithium chamber housing for the Matter Antimatter Reaction Chamber, also known as the Warp Core. The main entrance to the room has a large monitor featuring a cutaway of the starship and is called the master situation monitor. Warp and impulse propulsion systems status displays on opposite walls allow for easy monitoring of starship propulsion, while a Master Situation Display (MSD) rests on a table top and permits duty engineers to gain an overall understanding of the "health" of the spacecraft. Towards the warp core is a duty engineer's station on the right, and the Chief Engineer's office on the left. The Chief Engineer's office is located behind a transparent aluminum window and has repeater displays of most key monitors in engineering. The workstation allows seating for the Chief Engineer, as well as two assistants.

The warp core itself has a railing running around it, permitting someone to view the entire six stories of the reactor by looking in either direction. The entire room can be sealed off through the use of isolation doors during emergency situations. Engineering also features easy access to surrounding Jefferies tube junctions, and the room can act as a command center should the main bridge be damaged.

TACTICAL SYSTEMS

PHASERS

The New Orleans class currently employs six Type-X phaser arrays at key locations throughout the ship's hull, although early versions made use of the older Type-IX phaser array. This upgrade was rather relatively simple to do, since the design of the New Orleans phaser system took into account the anticipated completion of the then experimental Type-X emitter. Starships older then the New Orleans, such as the Ambassador, Merced and Renaissance classes, had been designed during a time when the Type-IX phaser emitter was still the state-of-the-art phaser package. Traditionally the choice defensive weapon onboard Starfleet vessels since close to the dawn of the Federation, the standard emitter makes use of a particular class of superconducting crystals known as fushigi-no-umi, which allow high-speed interactions within atomic nuclei that create a rapid nadion effect, which in turn is directed into a focused beam at a target. The resulting beam is discharged at speeds approaching .986c, and as per standard tactical procedures, the frequencies of these beams are rotated to make it more difficult for a threat vehicle's shields to adjust to the beam. Through the use of ACB jacketed beams, phaser arrays now have limited capabilities in warp environments, though the power output is greatly limited and is by no means as useful as a torpedo weapon in this environment.

Phaser array arrangement: Two large phaser arrays located on the dorsal and ventral surfaces of the saucer section provide the largest firing arcs, and are thus equipped to handle the most energy through EPS taps that supply the one hundred plus emitter segments with the power needed to generate a sustained beam. Two additional arrays are located on the ventral surface of the engineering hull, although both are slightly blocked by the lower mission-specific pod - an oversight from the rushed production designs. Two final arrays are mounted on the nacelle pylons, just below the ejection assemblies for the warp nacelles and provide sweeping coverage of targets laterally.

Phaser Array Range: Maximum effective range is 300,000 kilometers.

TORPEDO LAUNCHERS

Even without torpedo pods mounted to the ship's exterior, the New Orleans is equipped by default with both a forward and aft launcher. Originally, these tubes were upgraded versions of launchers designed for the Ambassador and Niagra-class. During the class's first refit, these launchers were replaced with custom assemblies designed specifically for the New Orleans, with the added benefit of being able to fire weapons and probe packages that differ from the traditional photon torpedo casing. Like more recent ships in the Federation fleet, this allows for the New Orleans to handle quantum torpedoes and tri-cobalt devices - although it should be stressed that the class is only equipped with such devices for select special operations due to supply limits.

The forward torpedo launcher, like the aft, is a fixed-focus system consisting of a standard gas pressure chamber, elevator assembly, torpedo magazine and launcher, capable of holding eight torpedoes for simultaneous launch. It is located just above the main deflector on Deck 12, but due to the relatively short connecting neck between the hulls, its firing arc during launch is limited with the primary hull only a few decks up. Nonetheless, already-launched torpedoes have internal guidance systems that can maneuver the weapon towards targets not directly in the launcher's arc. The aft launcher is the only defensive weapon aboard the ship capable of firing directly to the aft of the starship, and is located on Deck 15.

Torpedo Pods: New Orleans-class vessels benefit by the ability to be equipped with specialized mission-specific torpedo pods, allowing for greater tactical flexibility in combat operations. These pods are equipped with both a forward and aft launcher that are both capable of tilting 12-degrees in all directions, allowing for the launchers to better line up with targets not directly along the vehicle centerline.

Type: All New Orleans-class vessels are currently equipped with a total of 85 Mark XXV photon torpedoes. Individual torpedo pods are capable of containing an additional 45 photon torpedoes each.

DEFLECTOR SHIELDS

Quite well defended for a ship of its size, the New Orleans-class makes use of a total of seven symmetrical subspace graviton generators feeding several strategically located deflector grids embedded into the ship's hull. Upgraded since the class's initial launch, these graviton field generators consist of a cluster of twelve 32 MW graviton polarity sources feeding a pair of 625 millicochrane subspace field distortion amplifiers. Three generators are located within the primary hull, two are located in the engineering hull and there is one generator located on each of the nacelle pylons, just below the nacelles themselves.

When compared to her precursor, the Springfield-class, the potential shield output on the New Orleans is a great improvement, thanks not only to the larger number of actual shield generators, but the additional clustering of graviton polarity sources to the total of twelve, up from the nine clustered sources on the Springfield. These same generators would be used throughout the rest of the design lineage, spreading on to the Cheyenne, Nebula and Galaxy classes. Shield regulation software continues to see upgrades, most notably during the last two Borg Incursions and the Dominion War. These relatively simple algorithms automatically cycle through shield nutations when being fired upon by both energy and projectile weapons. In the case of a particle beam or projectile energy device (such as a torpedo), the incoming beam or torpedo's energy signature is recorded, then analyzed by the ship's tactical officer. The shields can then be adjusted to match the energy frequency of the incoming energy signature, but switch to a different nutation to dramatically increase efficiency.

Near full-spectrum shielding prevents onboard sensors from gathering scientific and tactical information, so the operation of shields at full output is deemed undesirable and unrealistic if a ship is to make full use of its onboard sensors. Instead, Cruise Mode operating procedures dictate that the system always operate at 5% output at specific frequency bands necessary to protect the spacecraft's habitable volume to SFRA-standard 347.3(a) levels for EM and nuclear radiation.

Shields operate at two basic ranges when fully activated. The first is a large bubble field that has a common center within the ship and expands outward in the rough shape of the starship, allowing for objects close to the hull, such as smaller vessels, to be protected. The other is a mode that operates at a uniform distance from the hull, averaging ten to twelve meters. Both modes make use of relatively new design modifications that protect the spacecraft from new energy weapons, such as the Breen dampening device.

COMPUTER SYSTEMS

COMPUTER CORE

Number of computer cores: Two twin computer cores rest near the center of the primary hull, each spreading across a total of three decks. While a single core is capable of operating all computer functions aboard the ship, a second core not only offers redundancy should the first core fail, but gives the added benefits of increased storage capacity and processing speeds. The upper third of each core is capable of faster-then-light (FTL) processing speeds accomplished through the usage of subspace fields. Additionally, a network of 160 quadritronic optical subprocessors throughout the ship augment these processing abilities. These subprocessors also operate as a redundant backup system in the event that both cores are inoperable.

Currently, computer simulations indicate that upgrading the entire computer system to make use of bioneural gelpack processors is unfeasible and too costly in terms of labor and time. Like all other ships, the New Orleans class will receive periodic upgrades to various components and software through minor refits.

LCARS

Acronym for Library Computer Access and Retrieval System, the common user interface of 24th century computer systems, based on verbal and graphically enhanced keyboard/display input and output. The graphical interface adapts to the task being performed, allowing for maximum ease-of-use and efficiency. The New Orleans class operates on the most up-to-date LCARS build version to account for increases in processor speed and power. The operating version receives minor upgrades any time they are available when contact with another Starfleet vessel or facility is made.

SECURITY LEVELS

Access to all Starfleet data is highly regulated. A standard set of access levels have been programmed into the computer cores of all ships in order to stop any undesired access to confidential data.

Security levels are also variable, and task-specific. Certain areas of the ship are restricted to unauthorized personnel, regardless of security level. Security levels can also be raised, lowered, or revoked by Command personnel.

Security levels in use aboard the New Orleans class are:

Level 10 - Captain and Above
Level 9 - First Officer
Level 8 - Commander
Level 7 - Lt. Commander
Level 6 - Lieutenant
Level 5 - Lt. Junior Grade
Level 4 - Ensign
Level 3 - Non-Commissioned Crew
Level 2 - Civilian Personnel
Level 1 - Open Access (Read Only)

Note: Security Levels beyond current rank can and are bestowed where, when and to whom they are necessary. Often, members of the ship's senior staff are granted higher levels of access due to the their position. High-ranking staff in the tactical department, for instance, have access to key data regarding the ship's defenses. Medical staff have access to crew personnel reports and medical information. Aside from the command crew, the Operations Manager and Chief Engineer perhaps have the most unrestricted access to ship's files due to the responsibilities that come with their positions. All levels, however, are by default not allowed to access files marked private or files marked with specific eyes-only designations, such as Top Secret and so forth. Access logs are maintained by the main computer to monitor usage and possible abuse of access privileges.

The main computer grants access based on a battery of checks to the individual user, including face and voice recognition in conjunction with a vocal code as an added level of security for access to certain files.

UNIVERSAL TRANSLATOR

All Starfleet vessels make use of a computer program called a Universal Translator that is employed for communication among persons who speak different languages. It performs a pattern analysis of an unknown language based on a variety of criteria to create a translation matrix. The translator is built into the Starfleet commbadge, as well as handheld devices like PADDs and Tricorders.

The Universal Translator matrix aboard New Orleans-class starships consists of well over 100,000 languages and increases with every new encounter.

PROPULSION SYSTEMS

WARP PROPULSION SYSTEM

At the time of its launch, the New Orleans was equipped with the most capable Warp Propulsion System (WPS) Starfleet had to offer, breaking performance records with its revolutionary design. While the Niagara-class had already tested the general shape and structure of these new nacelles, they had not yet been fitted onto a starship with a similar shape of the ultimate accomplishment of this research - the Galaxy-class starship. While the New Orleans represented a scaled down version that appears to be most closest with the Nebula-class starship, the components in both of these classes would be the foundation upon which the Galaxy would be built. Many lessons had been learned through the failed Transwarp Development Project, and Starfleet made sure all of these advances were adequately tested. The most noticeable difference between the nacelles of the New Orleans and her cousins of larger size is the increased length. This was essentially a shortcut at the time to better regulate warp plasma to produce more efficient warp fields, though later advances would prove that procedure obsolete. Upgrades to the New Orleans WPS now allow ships of this class to travel up to Warp 9.98 for limited amounts of time.

The Matter/Antimatter Reaction Assembly (M/ARA) spreads across Deck 12-17, with the reaction chamber itself being located within Main Engineering on Deck 15. It is well protected within the engineering hull, located just forward of the area where the warp nacelle pylons meet the secondary hull, and just aft of the main deflector. The warp plasma transfer conduits, after exiting the reaction chamber, run vertically through Deck 10-15 before making 90-degree turns to travel through the nacelle pylons to be injected into the warp coils. EPS power taps allow for the transfer of produced energy to be used for ship functions at regular intervals throughout this expanse.

Ejection of the entire M/ARA and the ship's antimatter containment pods can be accomplished through a three-stage procedure. Should a mission-specific pod be attached to the underside of the secondary hull, explosive bolts blow the pod in a downward-aft direction to clear the way for ejected systems. Antideuterium and deuterium feeds to the M/ARA are cut off upstream, and the entire assembly is ejected from the ship. Shortly after, the antimatter pods exit the ship and all ejected devices can be programmed to detonate after reaching a safe distance, should the situation allow such leeway. Alternately, individual components may be ejected separately and/or recovered should scans show all components to be working properly. Both warp nacelles are held to the nacelle pylons by a series of explosive bolts that can also be detonated, should an undesirable overload or other incident warrant the need to remove these components from the ship.

Type: Theoretical Propulsion Group [TPG] Class-6 Matter/Anti-Matter Reaction Drive feeding two warp nacelles, developed by Theoretical Propulsion Group in conjunction with the Advanced Starship Design Bureau - San Francisco Division. Limited access to information about this drive is currently available on Starfleet Omnipedia Databases.

Normal Cruising Speed: Warp 6

Maximum Speed: Warp 9.98 for twelve hours

Note: Vessels equipped with the TPG M/ARA Drive System no longer have the maximum cruising speed limit of Warp 5, thanks to innovations discovered and utilized in the development of the Intrepid- and Sovereign-class starships. Pursuant to Starfleet Command Directive 12856.A, all starships have received upgrades to their WPS to prevent further pollution of subspace.

IMPULSE PROPULSION SYSTEM

Like the Ambassador-class, the New Orleans utilizes space-time driver coils within its impulse engines to create a non-propulsive symmetrical subspace field that effectively lowers the ship's mass, making it capable of pushing the entire spacecraft using less fuel. There are three impulse engines on the ship, two at the aft section of the saucer, and one along the main structural spine of the secondary hull. While all three engines are capable of propelling the entire vehicle up to .25c, or full impulse, alone, the main impulse engine in the secondary hull is typically used to provide all impulse propulsion in cruise mode. During combat situations, the saucer engines supplement the main impulse engine and, together with the main impulse engine, allow the ship to reach speeds approaching .75c, or maximum impulse. Due to time displacement concerns, speeds greater then .25c are avoided except during emergency circumstances. The saucer impulse units also provide additional thrust should the ship be equipped with a tractor towing pod, allowing it to ferry ships much larger then the New Orleans.

Type: Series 6 Mark-IV HighMPact impulse units, developed in conjunction between HighMPact Propulsion and the Theoretical Propulsion Group for usage by the Advanced Starship Design Bureau.

REACTION CONTROL SYSTEM

The Reaction Control System (RCS) thrusters are adapted from thruster packages from Ambassador-class vessels. A total of fourteen thruster groups are installed; four on the primary hull, two on the secondary hull and four at the aft of each nacelle. Deuterium is supplied by the primary tankage on Decks 14 and 15, as well as immediate-use tanks within thruster packages.

Output: Each thruster quad is capable of producing 4.2 million Newtons of exhaust.

UTILITIES AND AUXILIARY SYSTEMS

NAVIGATION DEFLECTOR

Without some sort of deflector system, space travel at high velocities, let alone warp speeds, would be impossible due to collisions with objects ranging from stray hydrogen atoms to large planetary fragments. Vessels of the New Orleans class make use of two scaled down deflectors systems of what was later developed to become the standard deflector systems aboard Nebula and Galaxy-class starships. The main navigation deflector is located at the forward-most part of the engineering hull and spreads across Decks 14-18, with the dual subspace field distortion amplifiers located on Deck 15. Composed of molybdenum/duranium mesh panels over a duranium framework, the dish can be manually moved 7.2° in any direction off the ship's Z-axis. The main deflector dish's subspace field and sensor power comes from three graviton polarity generators located on Decks 14 and 17, each capable of generating one hundred twenty-eight megawatts which feed into the two 550 millicochrane subspace field distortion amplifiers.

A backup deflector is located on the ventral side of the primary hull, and in addition to its role as a backup, the secondary deflector serves to reinforce the ship's warp field at speeds exceeding Warp 8.5. Originally seen as a means to augment the warp field due to technological limitations in graviton field generation during the development of the pathfinder vehicle, the saucer deflector is actually identical to the primary deflector of the Springfield-class and is more or less a carry-over in the design process.

TRACTOR BEAM

Type: Multiphase subspace graviton beam, used for direct manipulation of objects from a submicron to a macroscopic level at any relative bearing. Each emitter is directly mounted to the primary members of the ship's framework, to lessen the effects of isopiestic subspace shearing, inertial potential imbalance, and mechanical stress. Large steerable tractor emitters are located on the underside of the engineering hull at both the front and aft, allowing for easy towing or pushing of objects. Smaller mooring tractor emitters are located on each RCS thruster quad, which are located throughout the ship. A series of emitters, located around the Main Shuttlebay, allow for automated guiding of shuttles and small vessels into the ship's bay.

Output: Each tractor beam emitter is built around two variable phase sixteen megawatt graviton polarity sources, each feeding two 475 millicochrane subspace field amplifiers. Phase accuracy is within 2.7 arc-seconds per microsecond. Each emitter can gain extra power from the Structural Integrity Field by means of molybdenum-jacketed waveguides. The subspace fields generated around the beam (when the beam is used) can envelop objects up to one thousand meters, lowering the local gravitational constant of the universe for the region inside the field and making the object much easier to manipulate.

Range: Effective tractor beam range varies with payload mass and desired delta-v (change in relative velocity). Assuming a nominal five m/sec-squared delta-v, the primary tractor emitters can be used with a payload approaching 7'500'000 metric tons at less than one thousand meters. Conversely, the same delta-v can be imparted to an object massing about one metric ton at ranges approaching twenty thousand kilometers.

TRANSPORTER SYSTEMS

Number of Systems: 13

Personnel Transporters: 4 (Transporter Rooms 1-4)

Cargo Transporters: 4

Emergency Transporters: 5

COMMUNICATIONS

Standard Communications Ranges:

RF: 5.2 AU

Subspace: 22.65 LY

Standard Data Transmission Speed: 18.5 kiloquads per second

Subspace Communications Speed: Warp 9.9997

SCIENCE AND REMOTE SENSING SYSTEMS

SENSOR SYSTEMS

Long-range and navigational sensors are located behind the main deflector dish to avoid sensor "ghosts" and other detrimental effects consistent with the millicochrane static graviton field output of the deflector system. Lateral sensor pallets are located around the rim of the entire starship, providing full coverage in all standard scientific fields, but with emphasis in the following areas:

1. Astronomical phenomena
2. Planetary analysis
3. Remote life-form analysis
4. EM scanning
5. Passive neutrino scanning
6. Parametric subspace field stress
7. Thermal variances
8. Quasi-stellar material

Each sensor pallet, one hundred sixty in all, can be interchanged and recalibrated with any other pallet on the ship, including those in storage. In addition, the New Orleans class can be equipped with mission-specific sensor pods of various types to increase range and power.

TACTICAL SENSORS

There are twelve independent tactical sensors on the New Orleans Class. Each sensor automatically tracks and locks onto incoming hostile vessels or hazardous objects and reports bearing, aspect, distance, and vulnerability percentages to the tactical station on the main bridge. Each tactical sensor is approximately seventy-nine percent efficient against Electronic Counter Measures (ECMs).

STELLAR CARTOGRAPHY

The entrance to the main stellar cartography bay is located on Deck 9, within the Stellar Sciences Division. This dedicated bay has been recently upgraded with new holographic systems that are capable of rendering stellar locations in three dimensions. Comparable in ability to other medium-sized Federation vessels, the bay is only as good as the information it is capable of receiving. When equipped with dedicated sensor pods, the abilities of the bay are increased substantially thanks to the additional sensor power.

SCIENCE LABS

There are typically some thirty-five scientific research labs aboard a New Orleans-class vessel, though like almost all medium to large-sized starships developed in the last century, the internal volume of the ship can be rearranged to accommodate more labs for surveys, or less labs for other mission types. Only a handful of labs will remain under the same discipline of science during the ship's lifetime, and are typically in areas of basic sciences vital to Starfleet's mandates of knowledge and exploration. Most labs share the same basic design due to their modular nature, and can actually be compacted to fit into storage if space is at a premium. This modular design also creates a standard, which makes it relatively easy for mission specialists with specialized equipment to quickly come aboard and setup. All scientific experiments fall under the direct authority of the Chief Science Officer, as well as the Chief Medical Officer depending on the nature of said experiment or study. Sensor allocation time is still approved by the Operations Manager.

PROBES

A probe is a device that contains a number of general purpose or mission specific sensors and can be launched from a starship for closer examination of objects in space.

There are nine different classes of probes, which vary in sensor types, power, and performance ratings. The spacecraft frame of a probe consists of molded duranium-tritanium and pressure-bonded lufium boronate, with sensor windows of triple layered transparent aluminum. With a warhead attached, a probe becomes a photon torpedo. The standard equipment of all nine types of probes are instruments to detect and analyze all normal EM and subspace bands, organic and inorganic chemical compounds, atmospheric constituents, and mechanical force properties. All nine types are capable of surviving a powered atmospheric entry, but only three are special designed for aerial maneuvering and soft landing. These ones can also be used for spatial burying. Many probes can be real-time controlled and piloted from a starship to investigate an environment dangerous hostile or otherwise inaccessible for an away-team.

The nine standard classes are:

Class I Sensor Probe:

Range: 2 x 10^5 kilometers
Delta-v limit: 0.5c
Powerplant: Vectored deuterium microfusion propulsion
Sensors: Full EM/Subspace and interstellar chemistry pallet for in-space applications.
Telemetry: 12,500 channels at 12 megawatts.

Class II Sensor Probe:

Range: 4 x 10^5 kilometers
Delta-v limit: 0.65c
Powerplant: Vectored deuterium microfusion propulsion, extended deuterium fuel supply
Sensors: Same instrumentation as Class I with addition of enhanced long-range particle and field detectors and imaging system
Telemetry: 15,650 channels at 20 megawatts.

Class III Planetary Probe:

Range: 1.2 x 10^6 kilometers
Delta-v limit: 0.65c
Powerplant: Vectored deuterium microfusion propulsion
Sensors: Terrestrial and gas giant sensor pallet with material sample and return capability; onboard chemical analysis submodule
Telemetry: 13,250 channels at ~15 megawatts.
Additional data: Limited SIF hull reinforcement. Full range of terrestrial soft landing to subsurface penetration missions; gas giant atmosphere missions survivable to 450 bar pressure. Limited terrestrial loiter time.

Class IV Stellar Encounter Probe:

Range: 3.5 x 10^6 kilometers
Delta-v limit: 0.6c
Powerplant: Vectored deuterium microfusion propulsion supplemented with continuum driver coil and extended deuterium supply
Sensors: Triply redundant stellar fields and particle detectors, stellar atmosphere analysis suite.
Telemetry: 9,780 channels at 65 megawatts.
Additional data: Six ejectable/survivable radiation flux subprobes. Deployable for nonstellar energy phenomena

Class V Medium-Range Reconnaissance Probe:

Range: 4.3 x 10^10 kilometers
Delta-v limit: Warp 2
Powerplant: Dual-mode matter/antimatter engine; extended duration sublight plus limited duration at warp
Sensors: Extended passive data-gathering and recording systems; full autonomous mission execution and return system
Telemetry: 6,320 channels at 2.5 megawatts.
Additional data: Planetary atmosphere entry and soft landing capability. Low observatory coatings and hull materials. Can be modified for tactical applications with addition of custom sensor countermeasure package.

Class VI Comm Relay/Emergency Beacon:

Range: 4.3 x 10^10 kilometers
Delta-v limit: 0.8c
Powerplant: Microfusion engine with high-output MHD power tap
Sensors: Standard pallet
Telemetry/Comm: 9,270 channel RF and subspace transceiver operating at 350 megawatts peak radiated power. 360 degree omni antenna coverage, 0.0001 arc-second high-gain antenna pointing resolution.
Additional data: Extended deuterium supply for transceiver power generation and planetary orbit plane changes

Class VII Remote Culture Study Probe:

Range: 4.5 x 10^8 kilometers
Delta-v limit: Warp 1.5
Powerplant: Dual-mode matter/antimatter engine
Sensors: Passive data gathering system plus subspace transceiver
Telemetry: 1,050 channels at 0.5 megawatts.
Additional data: Applicable to civilizations up to technology level III. Low observability coatings and hull materials. Maximum loiter time: 3.5 months. Low-impact molecular destruct package tied to antitamper detectors.

Class VIII Medium-Range Multimission Warp Probe:

Range: 1.2 x 10^2 light-years
Delta-v limit: Warp 9
Powerplant: Matter/antimatter warp field sustainer engine; duration of 6.5 hours at warp 9; MHD power supply tap for sensors and subspace transceiver
Sensors: Standard pallet plus mission-specific modules
Telemetry: 4,550 channels at 300 megawatts.
Additional data: Applications vary from galactic particles and fields research to early-warning reconnaissance missions

Class IX Long-Range Multimission Warp Probe:

Range: 7.6 x 10^2 light-years
Delta-v limit: Warp 9
Powerplant: Matter/antimatter warp field sustainer engine; duration of 12 hours at warp 9; extended fuel supply for warp 8 maximum flight duration of 14 days
Sensors: Standard pallet plus mission-specific modules
Telemetry: 6,500 channels at 230 megawatts.
Additional data: Limited payload capacity; isolinear memory storage of 3,400 kiloquads; fifty-channel transponder echo. Typical application is emergency-log/message capsule on homing trajectory to nearest starbase or known Starfleet vessel position

CREW SUPPORT SYSTEMS

MEDICAL SYSTEMS

Sickbay: Protected within the inner-hull on Deck 8, the medical facilities actually consist of several separate areas surrounding the main sickbay. The primary sickbay facility houses some of the finest crew support technology available in Starfleet. A biobed at the center of the room is located directly beneath an overhead sensor cluster, which feeds a wall mounted display capable of showing vital statistics of a person or other lifeform. Four other biobeds line one of the walls, providing for care several individuals at one time. Attached to this area is the Chief Medical Officer's office.

Directly attached to sickbay is a secondary ward and the primary medical laboratory. Nearby also rests an intensive-care ward, a nursery, two dedicated surgical suites, and a physical therapy facility. All of these areas have recently been upgraded with holographic emitters that allow for the latest version of the Emergency Medical Holographic System to be used.

Counselor's Office: Located near the Arboretum on Deck 9, this office is a medium sized room created with comfort in mind to provide a relaxing environment for the ship's Counselor to perform his or her duty. Away from the busy medical centers on Deck 8, the Counselor's quarters are usually not far from the office.

CREW QUARTERS SYSTEMS

General Overview: Between the development of the Ambassador and Galaxy-class starships there was a major shift in the overall look and feel of Starfleet ships, turning away from the more militaristic bare-metal decks of a previous generation to the more family-friendly designs of today. During the first major refit of the class, the standard living quarters on Decks 2, 6, 7, and 9 were upgraded to residential apartments that provide more appropriate facilities for ship's crew with family aboard, as well as better accommodations for high-ranking officers and senior staff.

The arrangement of living quarters was designed to be modular, so that at any time, a particular area could be reconfigured to create larger or smaller residential areas. Individual areas make up what has come to be known as a "bay," which is equal to the size of the smallest available module. These modules are connected together to create all available standard living accommodations on the ship.

Standard Living Quarters: Located on Decks 8, 10, 11, 13, 14 and 16, these quarters are where the majority of the crew live.

Crew Quarters: Standard Living Quarters are provided for both Starfleet Non-Commissioned Officers, attached civilian personnel and officers holding the rank of Ensign. These persons are expected to share their room with another crewmate due to space restrictions aboard the starship, and after serving aboard the ship for six months, are eligible to bring family aboard and be relocated to Family Quarters.

Two NCO's or two Ensigns are assigned to a suite. A large living area spreads across two bays at the center of the dwelling. Furnished for comfort, it typically holds a personal holographic viewer, couch, two chairs and a work station as well as a standard replicator. This room is flanked on both sides with identical bedrooms, which each take up one bay in length and house room for a double-sized bed and room for personal belongings. A half-bathroom is located on the opposite side from the bedroom's entrance, and has a sonic shower, wash basin, mirror and several drawers. Provisions for small pets can be made available.

Enlisted crewmembers share quarters with up to four other people of the same gender. A large living area spreads across two bays at the center of the dwelling. Furnished for comfort, it typically holds a personal holographic viewer, couch, two chairs and a work station as well as a standard replicator. This room is flanked on both sides with identical bedrooms, which each take up one bay in length and houses a bunk for two occupants, as well as space for their belongings. A half-bathroom is located on the opposite side from the bedroom's entrance, and has a sonic shower, wash basin, mirror and several drawers. Pets are not allowed for enlisted crewmen.

Crewmen can request that their living quarters be combined to create a single larger dwelling.

Residential Apartments: Located on Decks 2, 6, 7, and 9, these quarters offer more privacy and flexibility for officers, as well as those with family onboard. Unlike the standard living quarters, these apartments can be configured to suit the needs of those living in them. Listed below is the base configuration for the living space, which can then be tailored by the resident for his needs.

Officers' Quarters: Starfleet personnel from the rank of Lieutenant Junior Grade up to Commander are given one set of quarters to themselves. In addition, department heads and their first assistant are granted such privileges as well, in an effort to provide a private environment to perform off-duty work. After six months, officers are permitted to bring family aboard the ship and a slightly larger room is allocated to them. Members of the Captain's Senior Staff can have these restrictions waved with the Captain's permission.

These accommodations typically include a two-bay living area at the center of the dwelling, which usually holds a personal holographic viewer, personal workstation, couch, replicator and a small dining area. Connected to this is a bedroom that occupies one bay and features a double-sized bed and room for personal belongings. Normally, the bedroom is connected by a half-bathroom with wash basin, mirror, several drawers and a sonic shower. This can be upgraded to a full-sized bathroom with a bathtub with permission from the Operations officer. Provisions can also be made available for pets.

Officers may request that their living quarters be combined to form one larger dwelling.

Family Quarters: The specifications for this type of living area mirrors that of an Officer's Quarters, however, more features are added to it depending on the size of the family. For wedded couples, the only differences made to the base specifications is the addition of a one-bay extension to the living area. For the first child, and every pair following the first, another bedroom module is added with space available for up to four children and two parents. Special permission is needed from the commanding officer for families larger then this to be stationed aboard a ship.

Executive Quarters: Executive quarters are specially designed to give both the Commanding Officer and Executive Officer added comfort and privacy to perform their duties.

The accommodations are similar to that of the Officer's Quarters, however, they feature a longer three-bay living area and a full bathroom by default. Slightly more luxurious furniture is also provided, since the Captain often uses this room as an informal meeting area for both private conferencing and reception of guests.

VIP/Diplomatic Guest Quarters: Located on Deck 2 near the conference lounges, diplomatic quarters are the same as Executive Quarters, but feature private communications terminals for secure conferencing and an additional living area(s) for diplomatic aides. Such facilities on Deck 2 are limited, and in cases involving transport of large numbers of diplomats, VIPs and ambassadors, several areas on Deck 7 can be converted to these quarters. In addition, these quarters can be immediately converted to class H, K, L, N, and N2 environments within a few hours notice.

Understandably, only a limited number of residential apartments exist aboard a starship. Allocation of available rooms falls under the authority of the Executive Officer, who is then responsible to make arrangements with Operations, Engineering, and the ship's Counselor concerning assignment of personnel.

RECREATION SYSTEMS

General Overview: Serving the Federation's needs on both extended border patrol and scientific missions, the New Orleans class is equipped with a large number of dedicated recreational areas that help to maintain the crew's morale.

Holodecks: There are three standard holodeck facilities on the New Orleans class located on Deck 7.

Phaser Range: Normal phaser recreation and practice is used with a Type-III phaser rifle or Type-II hand unit set to level 3 (heavy stun). The person stands in the middle of the room, with no light except for the circle in the middle of the floor that the person is standing in. Colored circular dots approximately the size of a human hand whirl across the walls, and the person aims and fires. After completing a round, the amounts of hits and misses, along with the percentage of accuracy is announced by the computer.

The phaser range is also used by security to train ship's personnel in marksmanship. During training, the holo-emitters in the phaser range are activated, creating a holographic setting, similar to what a holodeck does. Personnel are "turned loose" either independently or in an Away Team formation to explore the setting presented to them, and the security officer in charge will take notes on the performance of each person as they take cover, return fire, protect each other, and perform a variety of different scenarios. All personnel on board are tested every six months in phaser marksmanship.

There are 25 levels of phaser marksmanship. All personnel on board are trained in the operation of Types-II and I up to level 14. All security personnel on board must maintain a level 17 marksmanship for all phaser types. The true marksman can maintain at least an eighty percent hit ratio on level 23.

Gymnasium: Some Starfleet personnel can find solace from the aggravations of day-to-day life in exercising their bodies. The Security department on board encourages constant use of this facility; tournaments and competitions are held regularly in this room.

There is also a wrestling mat in the weight room, which can be used for wrestling, martial arts, kickboxing, or any other sort of hand-to-hand fighting. There are holo-diodes along the walls and ceiling which generate a holographic opponent, trained in the combat field of one's choice. The computer stores personal patterns of attack and defense as it gains experience on a particular user's style of fighting, and adapts to defeat him.

There are also racks of hand-to-hand combat weapons, for use in training. Ancient weapon proficiencies for Starfleet personnel are recommended by Starfleet's security division as phasers may not always be available for use in contingencies.

Swimming Pool: Located immediately next to the gymnasium, the swimming pool features four lanes which are each 25 meters in length. While most personnel choose to use the holodeck for their swimming needs, the pool exists mainly for physical fitness.

Arboretum: This area on Deck 9 is housed within the interior of the deck and is unique to each starship. Artificial sunlight simulates both day and night to the many different plant types that grow here.

Recreation Rooms: There are several such rooms located aboard the starship that provide entertainment in various forms. Such rooms can be used to feature films both ancient and holographic based to large audiences. Many tend to be equipped with various games such as terrestrial pool, dom-jot, dabo, kal-toh while some can be converted into small auditoriums for musical recitals or theatrical performances.

SEVEN-FORWARD

This large lounge is located at the forward-most portion of Deck 7, and serves as a place of social gathering for all members of the crew and their guests. Serving as the social center of the ship, it has a number of tables that line the six windows that grant a spectacular view of what lies ahead of the ship. A bar lines the length of the aft-facing wall of the room and is serviced by an on-duty bartender. Two replicators provide the crew with beverages and food, while a limited stock of alcoholic beverages is available beneath the counter. Most crews decide to give the lounge a nickname that in someway relates to the ship's name or history.

AUXILIARY SPACECRAFT SYSTEMS

MAIN SHUTTLEBAY

General Overview: One Main Shuttlebay serves all the necessary auxiliary flight needs of the starship. Spreading across Decks 3 and 4, the bay is also supported by machine shop and maintenance facilities below it on Deck 5. Approximately 35% of bay storage compartments is reserved for mission-specific craft of various types, as well as leaving space for craft from other vessels or stations to dock for the duration of their stay. Due to the nature of the ship's ability to be customized for mission-specific applications, Cargo Bays 7-9 are equipped with fuel transfer lines and necessary equipment to convert them into limited launch and recovery facilities for shuttle operations. This practice normally comes into use when the vessel is used for colonization activities, where the need for transfers of large amount of materials and people is hampered by local phenomena that prevent safe transport, such as some worlds undergoing terraforming activity that may interfere with transporter beams.

A landing on Deck 3 houses a sealed space/air-traffic control room known as "Flight Ops," which handles all flight operations locally. Flight Ops works in conjunction with the duty Operations Officer on the bridge by taking much of the burden of coordination involving scheduling, launch and recovering of shuttles and other auxiliary craft.

The standard shuttle loadout aboard a New Orleans-class vessel is as follows:

• Two Type-16 Shuttlepods
• Four Type-6 or Four Type-8 Shuttlecraft
• Two Type-9 Shuttlecraft
• One Type-10 Shuttlecraft
• Two Work Bees
• Ordinance and Fuel
• Flight Operations

SHUTTLECRAFT

TYPE-16 SHUTTLEPOD

Type: Medium short-range sublight shuttle.
Accommodation: Two; pilot and system manager.
Power Plant: Two 750 millicochrane impulse driver engines, four RCS thrusters, four sarium krellide storage cells.
Dimensions: Length, 4.8 m; beam, 2.4 m; height 1.6 m.
Mass: 1.25 metric tones.
Performance: Maximum delta-v, 12,250 m/sec.
Armament: Two Type-IV phaser emitters.

Like the Type-15, the Type-16 Shuttlepod is a two person craft primarily used for short-ranged transportations of personnel and cargo, as well as for extravehicular inspections of Federation starships, stations and associated facilities. Lacking the ability to obtain warp speeds, the Type-16 is a poor candidate for even interplanetary travel, and is traditionally used as a means of transport between objects only a few kilometers apart. The craft is capable of atmospheric flight, allowing for routine flights between orbiting craft or stations and planetside facilities, and its cargo capacity is slightly higher then that of the Type-15. Ships of this type are stationed aboard various starship classes and stations, both spaceborne and planetside.

TYPE-6 PERSONNEL SHUTTLE (UPRTD)

Type: Light short-range warp shuttle.
Accommodation: Two flight crew, six passengers.
Power Plant: One 50 cochrane warp engine, two 750 millicochrane impulse engines, four RCS thrusters.
Dimensions: Length, 6.0 m; beam, 4.4 m; height 2.7 m.
Mass: 3.38 metric tones.
Performance: Sustained Warp 3.
Armament: Two Type-IV phaser emitters.

The Type-6 Personnel Shuttlecraft is currently in widespread use throughout Starfleet, and is only recently being replaced by the slightly newer Type-8 Shuttle of similar design. The Uprated version of this vessel is considered to be the ideal choice for short-range interplanetary travel, and its large size makes it suitable to transport personnel and cargo over these distances. A short-range transporter is installed onboard, allowing for easy beam out of cargo and crew to and from their destination. Atmospheric flight capabilities allow for this shuttle type to land on planetary surfaces. Ships of this type are currently in use aboard virtually every medium to large sized starship class, as well as aboard stations and Starbases.

The Type-6 is perhaps the most successful shuttle design to date, and its overall structure and components are the foundations upon which the Type-8, -9, and -10 spaceframes are based.

Major technological advancements in the 2370's allowed for further upgrades to be made to the engine systems aboard shuttlecraft. These upgrades make this craft more capable of long-range spaceflight and, like its starship counterparts, no longer damages subspace.

TYPE-9 PERSONNEL SHUTTLE

Type: Medium long-range warp shuttle.
Accommodation: Two flight crew, two passengers.
Power Plant: One 400 cochrane warp engine, two 800 millicochrane impulse engines, four RCS thrusters.
Dimensions: Length, 8.5 m; beam, 4.61 m; height 2.67 m.
Mass: 2.61 metric tones.
Performance: Warp 6.
Armament: Two Type-VI phaser emitters.

The Type-9 Personnel Shuttle is a long-range craft capable of traveling at high warp for extended periods of time due to new advances in variable geometry warp physics. Making its debut just before the launch of the Intrepid-class, this shuttle type is ideal for scouting and recon missions, but is well suited to perform many multi-mission tasks. Equipped with powerful Type-VI phaser emitters, the shuttle is designed to hold its own ground for a longer period of time. Comfortable seating for four and moderate cargo space is still achieved without sacrificing speed and maneuverability. As is standard by the 2360's, the shuttle is equipped with a medium-range transporter and is capable of traveling through a planet's atmosphere. With its ability to travel at high-warp speeds, the Type-9 has been equipped with a more pronounced deflector dish that houses a compact long-range sensor that further helps it in its role as a scout. The Type-9 is now being deployed throughout the fleet and is especially aiding deep-space exploratory ships with its impressive abilities.

TYPE-10 PERSONNEL SHUTTLE

Type: Heavy long-range warp shuttle.
Accommodation: Two flight crew, two passengers.
Power Plant: One 250 cochrane warp engine, two 800 millicochrane impulse engines, four RCS thrusters.
Dimensions: Length, 9.64 m; beam, 5.82 m; height 3.35 m.
Mass: 19.73 metric tones.
Performance: Warp 5.
Armament: Three Type-V phaser emitters, two micro-torpedo launchers, jamming devices.

Developed specifically for the Defiant-class starship project, the Type-10 Personnel Shuttle is the largest departure from the traditional role of an auxiliary craft that Starfleet has made in the past century. Short of a dedicated fighter craft, the Type-10 is one of the most powerful auxiliary ships, with only the bulkier Type-11 being more heavily equipped. Nonetheless, the shuttle sports increased hull armor and the addition of micro-torpedo launchers, as well as a suite of tactical jamming devices. A larger warp coil assembly, as well as torpedo stores, makes the Type-10 much more heavier then other shuttles. Elements from the Defiant-class project that were incorporated into the shuttle include armored bussard collectors, as well as a complex plasma venting system for use during possible warp core breech situations. This bulky craft is equipped with a powerful navigation deflector that allows it to travel at high-warp, and a complex sensor system makes this shuttle suitable for reconnaissance work. Able to hold its own in battle situations, the Type-10 is seeing limited deployment on Defiant-class starships, as well as border patrol vessels and combat-ready ships.

WORK BEE

Type: Utility craft.
Accommodation: One operator.
Power Plant: One microfusion reactor, four RCS thrusters.
Dimensions: Length, 4.11 m; beam, 1.92 m; height 1.90 m.
Mass: 1.68 metric tones.
Performance: Maximum delta-v, 4,000 m/sec.
Armament: None

The Work Bee is a capable stand-alone craft used for inspection of spaceborne hardware, repairs, assembly, and other activates requiring remote manipulators. The fully pressurized craft has changed little in design during the past 150 years, although periodic updates to the internal systems are done routinely. Onboard fuel cells and microfusion generators can keep the craft operational for 76.4 hours, and the life-support systems can provide breathable air, drinking water and cooling for the pilot for as long as fifteen hours. If the pilot is wearing a pressure suit or SEWG, the craft allows for the operator to exit while conducting operations. Entrance and exit is provided by the forward window, which lifts vertically to allow the pilot to come and go.

A pair of robotic manipulator arms is folded beneath the main housing, and allows for work to be done through pilot-operated controls. In addition, the Work Bee is capable of handling a cargo attachment that makes it ideal for transferring cargo around large Starbase and spaceborne construction facilities. The cargo attachment features additional microfusion engines for supporting the increased mass.

FLIGHT OPERATIONS

MISSION TYPES

Officially designated as a Heavy Frigate, the New Orleans class has taken on increasingly more mission-specific applications during the past three decades. Unlike Starfleet's older workhorse, the Miranda class, a single New Orleans spaceframe can take on a variety of mission-specific roles during its operational lifetime. The Miranda, while later being converted into multipurpose work, was not as flexible and required the starship to be constructed to fit the primary role it would play, resulting in several variants. The pods and reconfigurable spaces within the hull of the New Orleans allows the class to be easily refitted for virtually any task.

However, it should be noted that the New Orleans is unlike its larger cousin, the Galaxy-class, in that it is not a true multi-mission platform. While the baseline configuration of the class makes it adequate to perform nearly all of the objectives set forth in Starfleet's charter, a ship of the class must undergo a great deal of reworking for these mission-specific applications, resulting in almost a relatively new ship in some cases. Approximately 35% of the internal habitable space of the vehicle can be customized, as can the bridge module and mission-specific pods. Even though these hardware swap-outs can be done in a relatively short amount of time, the aforementioned reasons force the ship to be classified as a Frigate, as opposed to an Explorer. In addition, the default build for the New Orleans makes the ship much like a "torpedo boat," for the internal arrangements and pods make it ideal for combat situations. While somewhat versatile, the class is foremost a defensive vessel.

Missions for a New Orleans-class starship may include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Tactical/Defensive Operations: With the ability to be equipped with increased firepower, the New Orleans class is capable of being deployed alone on border patrols or supplement larger taskforces in large operations.
• Ongoing Scientific Investigation: Even without the benefit of sensor pods, the New Orleans-class starship is equipped with a versatile array of scientific equipment to aide in increasing the knowledge bank of the Federation and her allies.
• Federation Policy and Diplomacy: A New Orleans-class starship may also serve a role in diplomatic operations on behalf of Starfleet and the United Federation of Planets. These missions may include transport of delegates, hosting of negotiations or conferences, courier for important people and/or items, and first contact scenarios.
• Contact with Alien Lifeforms: Pursuant to Starfleet policy regarding the discovery of new life, facilities onboard include a variety of exobiology and xenobiological suites, and a small cultural anthropology staff, allowing for limited deep-space life form study and interaction.
• Emergency/Search and Rescue: Typical missions include answering standard Federation emergency beacons, extraction of Federation or Non-Federation citizens in distress, retrieval of Federation or Non-Federation spacecraft in distress, and small-scale planetary evacuations - medium or large scale planetary evacuation is not feasible.
• Deep-space Exploration: The New Orleans is an ideal platform for deep-space exploration and long-term missions. Several vessels have already returned from three-year deep-space missions with great success.

The ability given to the New Orleans-class by the mission-specific pods allows for the ship to perform many different mission types required by Starfleet Command.

OPERATING MODES

The normal flight and mission operations of the New Orleans-class starship are conducted in accordance with a variety of Starfleet standard operating rules, determined by the current operational state of the starship. These operational states are determined by the Commanding Officer, although in certain specific cases, the Main Computer can automatically adjust to a higher alert status if it detects objects or events that may put the ship in jeopardy.

The major operating modes are:

• Cruise Mode: The normal operating condition of the ship.
• Yellow Alert: Designates a ship wide state of increased preparedness for possible crisis situations.
• Red Alert: Designates an actual state of emergency in which the ship or crew is endangered, immediately impending emergencies, or combat situations.
• External Support Mode: State of reduced activity that exists when a ship is docked at a starbase or other support facility.
• Reduced Power Mode: this protocol is invoked in case of a major failure in spacecraft power generation, in case of critical fuel shortage, or in the event that a tactical situation requires severe curtailment of onboard power generation. This mode is sometimes referred to as "Grey" mode.

During Cruise Mode, the ship's operations are run on three 8-hour shifts designated Alpha, Beta, and Gamma. Should a crisis develop, it may revert to a four-shift system of six hours to keep crew fatigue down.

Typical Shift command is as follows (though is subject to change at the CO's discretion):

• Alpha Shift - Captain (CO)
• Beta Shift - Executive Officer (XO)
• Gamma Shift - Second Officer / Night Conn

MAINTENANCE

Though much of a modern starship's systems are automated, they do require regular maintenance and upgrade. Maintenance is typically the purview of the Engineering, but personnel from certain divisions that are more familiar with them can also maintain specific systems.

Maintenance of onboard systems is almost constant, and varies in severity. Everything from fixing a stubborn replicator, to realigning the Dilithium matrix is handled by technicians and engineers on a regular basis. Not all systems are checked centrally by Main Engineering; to do so would occupy too much computer time by routing every single process to one location. To alleviate that, systems are compartmentalized by deck and location for checking. Department heads are expected to run regular diagnostics of their own equipment and report anomalies to Engineering to be fixed.

Systems Diagnostics All key operating systems and subsystems aboard the ship have a number of preprogrammed diagnostic software and procedures for use when actual or potential malfunctions are experienced. These various diagnostic protocols are generally classified into five different levels, each offering a different degree of crew verification of automated tests. Which type of diagnostic is used in a given situation will generally depend upon the criticality of a situation, and upon the amount of time available for the test procedures.

Level 1 Diagnostic: This refers to the most comprehensive type of system diagnostic, which is normally conducted on ship's systems. Extensive automated diagnostic routines are performed, but a Level 1 diagnostic requires a team of crew members to physically verify operation of system mechanisms and to system readings, rather than depending on the automated programs, thereby guarding against possible malfunctions in self-testing hardware and software. Level 1 diagnostics on major systems can take several hours, and in many cases, the subject system must be taken off-line for all tests to be performed.

Level 2 Diagnostic: This refers to a comprehensive system diagnostic protocol, which, like a Level 1, involves extensive automated routines, but requires crew verification of fewer operational elements. This yields a somewhat less reliable system analysis, but is a procedure that can be conducted in less than half the time of the more complex tests.

Level 3 Diagnostic: This protocol is similar to Level 1 and 2 diagnostics but involves crew verification of only key mechanics and systems readings. Level 3 diagnostics are intended to be performed in ten minutes or less.

Level 4 Diagnostic: This automated procedure is intended for use whenever trouble is suspected with a given system. This protocol is similar to Level 5, but involves more sophisticated batteries of automated diagnostics. For most systems, Level 4 diagnostics can be performed in less than 30 seconds.

Level 5 Diagnostic: This automated procedure is intended for routine use to verify system performance. Level 5 diagnostics, which usually require less than 2.5 seconds, are typically performed on most systems on at least a daily basis, and are also performed during crisis situations when time and system resources are carefully managed.

EMERGENCY OPERATIONS

EMERGENCY MEDICAL OPERATIONS

In some situations, the starship may be required to render aide to large numbers of people where rapid response is of the utmost importance, and the sickbay facilities are unable to handle such a load. The three holodecks aboard the ship are preprogrammed with holographic medical facilities that serve to supplement sickbay. The main shuttlebay, as well as the cargo bays throughout the ship, also have ready-to-use equipment modules in nearby storage that are designed to foldout into triage centers, with at least one module being dedicated as a morgue facility. Many living quarters on Deck 9 also feature hidden hookups that allow for gas and liquid feeds, and contain their own foldout medical supplies. All recreation areas, including the lounges and mess halls throughout the ship, are equipped with emergency medical equipment.

LIFEBOATS

The very nature of a starship's duties often require the vessel and crew to be taken into less then ideal circumstances that can vary well lead to the destruction of the entire vehicle spaceframe. As such, the New Orleans class has been equipped with a 3 x 3 x 3 m escape pod designated as an ASRV, or autonomous survival and recovery vehicle. With their successful testing aboard the last of the Renaissance-class starships, the U.S.S. Hokkaido, the standard ASRV is capable of supporting life for eighty-six person days, as well as being able to enter a planet's atmosphere and land on the surface. In addition, survivability while in space can be increased through use of a "gaggle" mode that connects various lifeboats together, sharing their resources amongst the larger group. All lifeboats are equipped with navigational sensors, microthrusters, and emergency subspace communication equipment.

RESCUE AND EVAC OPERATIONS

Rescue and Evacuation Operations for an New Orleans-class starship will fall into one of two categories - abandoning the starship, or rescue and evacuation from a planetary body, space station or another starship.

Rescue Scenarios

Resources are available for rescue and evacuation to an New Orleans-class starship include:

• The ability to transport 350 persons per hour to the ship via personnel transporters.
• The availability of the 4 Type 6 & 8 shuttlecraft to be on hot-standby for immediate launch, with all additional shuttlecraft available for launch in an hour's notice. Total transport capabilities of these craft vary due to differing classifications but an average load of 150 persons can be offloaded per hour from a standard orbit to an M Class planetary surface.
• Capacity to support up to 4200 evacuees with conversion of the shuttle bays and cargo bays to emergency living quarters.
• Ability to convert Holodecks, recreation rooms, spare quarters and lounges to emergency triage and medical centers.
• Ability to temporarily convert select crew quarters and Cargo Bays to type H,K, or L environments, intended for non-humanoid casualties.

Abandon-Ship Scenarios

Resources available for abandon-ship scenarios from an New Orleans-class starship include:

• The ability to transport 350 persons per hour from the ship via personnel and emergency transporters.
• The availability of the 4 Type 6 & 8 shuttlecraft to be on hot-standby for immediate launch, with all additional shuttlecraft available for launch in an hour's notice. Total transport capabilities of these craft vary due to differing classifications but an average load of 150 persons can be offloaded per hour from a standard orbit to an M Class planetary surface.
• Protocols also include the use of ASRV lifeboats, capable of moving the entire ship's compliment from the vessel.
• Environmental suits are available for evacuation directly into a vacuum. In such a scenario, personnel can evacuate via airlocks, the shuttle and cargo bays, or through exterior turbolift couplings. Environmental suits are available at all exterior egress points, along with survival lockers spaced through-out the habitable portions of the starship.

APPENDIX A - VARIANT DESIGNATIONS

NF - Frigate NFU - Frigate Uprated NFR - Frigate Refit NFS - Frigate Second Refit

APPENDIX B - BASIC TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

ACCOMMODATION

Officers and Crew: 290 Visiting Personnel: 60-110 (Additional) Evacuation Limit: 4,200

DIMENSIONS

Overall Length: 345 meters Overall Width: 246 meters Overall Height: 75 meters

PERFORMANCE

Maximum Velocity: Warp 9.2, Warp 9.6 (NFR), Warp 9.98 (NFS)

ARMAMENT

NF - 6 Type IX phasers, 2 torpedo launchers NFU - 6 Type IX phasers, 2 torpedo launchers NFR - 6 Type IX phasers, 2 torpedo launchers NFS - 6 Type X phasers, 2 torpedo launchers

TRANSPORT EQUIPMENT

Shuttlecraft

• Two Type-16 Shuttlepods
• Four Type-6 or Four Type-8 Shuttlecraft
• Two Type-9 Shuttlecraft
• One Type-10 Shuttlecraft
• Two Work Bees

Transporters

• Four personnel
• Four cargo
• Three emergency

APPENDIX C - DECK LAYOUT

Deck 1: Bridge, Captain's Ready Room, and Observation Lounge

Deck 2: VIP Guest Quarters and Conference Lounges

Deck 3: Upper Main Shuttle Bay, Escape Pods (4), and Ship's Museum/Forward Observation Lounge

Deck 4: Lower Main Shuttle Bay, Shuttlebay Support and Maintenance, Science Labs, and Maintenance

Deck 5: Shuttlebay Support and Maintenance, Machine Shop, Transporter Rooms 1-2, Armory, Security Office, Phaser Targeting Range, Holding Cells, Main Science Labs, and Escape Pods (10)

Deck 6: Residential Apartments, Captain's Quarters, Holodecks 1-3 (Upper Bay), Captain's Personal Mess, Officer's Mess (S), Crew Mess (P), Main Galley, Upper Pod Maintenance Access, Plasma Injector Control Room (Upper Level), and Escape Pods (32)

Deck 7: Upper Computer Cores 1-2, Executive Officer's Quarters, Fusion Reactor 1-2, Residential Apartments, Holodecks 1-3 (Main Entrance), Recreation Rooms 1-6, Seven-Forward Lounge, and Plasma Injector Control Room (Lower Level)

Deck 8: Mid Computer Cores 1-2, Living Quarters, Transporter Rooms 3-4, Sickbay, Medical Laboratories, Gymnasium, Swimming Pool, Saucer Impulse Engines (P/S), IPS Maintenance, Saucer RCS Thruster Quads (4), Docking Ports 1-3, and Escape Pods (50)

Deck 9: Lower Computer Cores 1-2, Residential Apartments, Arboretum, Counselor's Office and Quarters, Stellar Cartography, Stellar Sciences, Hydroponics Bays 1-4, and Biological Laboratories

Deck 10: Living Quarters, Environmental Support, Secondary Graviton Generators 1-2, Secondary Deflector Dish, Upper Cargo Bays 1-4, and Escape Pods (14)

Deck 11: Main Impulse Engines, IPS Maintenance, Phaser Control, Living Quarters, and Lower Cargo Bays 1-4

Deck 12: Main Impulse Engines, Deuterium Storage Tanks and Injection Assembly, Forward Torpedo Launcher, and Docking Ports 4-5

Deck 13: Deuterium Storage Tanks and Fill Ports, Living Quarters, and Science Labs

Deck 14: Living Quarters, Umbilical Connect Hardpoints, and Emergency Batteries

Deck 15: Main Engineering, M/A Reaction Chamber, Aft Torpedo Launcher, and Graviton Polarity Generators 1-2

Deck 16: Main Deflector Dish, Living Quarters, Environmental Support, and Long-Range Sensors

Deck 17: Antimatter Storage Pods and Injection Assembly, Upper Cargo Bays 5-9, Brig, and Graviton Polarity Generator 3

Deck 18: Antimatter Storage Pods, Antimatter Generator, Lower Cargo Bays 5-9, Secondary Graviton Polarity Generator 3, Main Forward and Aft Tractor Emitters, Lower Pod Maintenance Access, Escape Pods (12), M/ARA Exterior Hull Plate, and Antimatter Loading Port

APPENDIX D - MISSION-SPECIFIC POD TYPES

Unique to only a few starship classes in the Federation fleet, mission-specific pods are outboard equipment vessels that are attached to the ship's exterior.

Torpedo Pod: Equipped with both a forward and aft launcher, the torpedo pod was one of the two pod types originally designed for the New Orleans and was the default type equipped to newly launched vessels. Its internal stores are capable of holding 45 photon torpedoes in each pod, and service to the pod can be made by use of a maintenance walkway that allows access to the torpedo stores, elevator and conveyor assembly, as well as manual launch controls. Torpedo pods are normally deployed either as a set of three or as a pair on the saucer in conjunction with another pod, such as a towing pod when on police patrols of Federation shipping lanes and borders.

Towing Pod: This pod type is equipped with two fusion reactors that power both a forward and aft tractor emitter. In environments that interfere with graviton fields, the tow pod is also equipped with an aft-mounted grappler that has a range of ten kilometers. When having all three pods equipped with towing pods, New Orleans-class vessels have aided in the towing of prefabricated starbase and space station facility components from fleet yard to construction area. In addition, ships equipped with a lower-mounted tractor pod have aided in patrol activities along trade lanes and borders where impounding of vessels most commonly takes place.

Science Pod: The science pod group is actually a suite consisting of two different pod types. The lower-mounted pod consists of specialized planetary survey sensors which can perform geological, biological and meteorological scans of high resolution at faster rates that most Federation starships. The two upper pod emplacements are occupied by long-range sensor systems and lateral scanners designed primarily to assist in investigations of astronomical phenomena, greatly aiding in stellar cartography-related scans. Due to the complexities involved with establishing a stable warp field, usage of the long-range sensors on the pods is only permitted during select situations while the ship is at warp. Should such a situation arise, computer algorithms reshape the warp field surrounding the ship to create two additional holes in the field, allowing only little subspace interference. This process is similar to that of reconfiguring the warp field to allow for use of the bussard collectors.

Cargo Pod: The cargo pod is basically an enlarged storage facility that accomplishes the same task as shipboard cargo bays. The added advantage of having it detachable is that the cargo pod can easily be loaded on a starbase or station facility. Attachment to a ship, provided that there is an unoccupied pod bay, can be done in as little as two hours, allowing for the craft to depart for its cargo destination in rapid order. A single one-person turbolift allows for maintenance of the pod, which contains onboard backup batteries to power atmospheric processors and coolant for perishable cargo types.

Colony Pod: Two twin upper pods provide supplemental housing for colonists, allowing for the entire ship to carry some 500 colonists in decent comfort. Obviously, the ship is capable of transporting even larger numbers, into the thousands though accommodations throughout the ship will be severely taxed. The lower pod is actually a quick-deploy command center for the new colony and has enough fuel for a controlled automated landing from standard orbit. This command center also contains sufficient supplies for the new colony, though the starship's cargo bays do contain more which is transported down to the surface separately, along with the colonists. Once a permanent colony command hub is constructed, the colony landing pod is usually used for storage and lacks the necessary propulsion systems to reach orbit for another use.

Hospital Pod: Rarely seen outside of major disaster areas, the hospital pod group consists of two large elongated bubble-shaped pressure vessels which house medical facilities for use in emergency operations. Transporter pads are located near the center of the pod where they can easily be reached by medical personnel moving injured into the various triage centers. In addition, the pod is also equipped with stasis chambers to stabilize patients for later care and a morgue facility. Spare living quarters aboard the starship are often used to house treated patients, and emergency medical operations apply during this time. The lower pod is a converted cargo pod filled with various medical supplies for use in emergencies, as well as two large transporter emitters that serve to increase the speed with which injured may be transported aboard. This pod type is designed to be attached to a waiting starship in under two hours, though calibration of the transporter systems must be performed in route and warp travel is restricted to 8.5 due to the energy requirements of projecting a larger warp field to accommodate the larger pods.

Experimental Pod: Usually custom builds, the experimental pod is a generic label used to describe a large number of pod types used in various experiments. These range from testing upgraded torpedo launchers and weapons packages to dedicated scientific research pods and beyond. Some contain internal support systems that allow the pod to act as a free-floating craft, and all typically involve some sort of special starship operating mode.

APPENDIX E - AUTHOR'S NOTES

This is the one point in this entire page where you'll find that, for the first time, I've stepped out of the Star Trek universe and back into our own 21st Century mindset. The information presented on this page is a result of hours and hours worth of researching, more researching and then a rigorous and intensive process of compiling the best information from canon sources, and making an attempt to fill in the blanks. For the purposes of ST:EQ, these are the specs for the New Orleans-class vessel, like them or not. Now to address some of the problems found in compiling this information, followed by a brief explanation as to why a certain path was taken in these specs.

The Size: For those who have taken the time to memorize the specs for their New Orleans-class starship based upon ST:ACTD's old specs, you'll no doubt notice some rather large changes in terms of the ship's dimensions, crew compliment and a handful of other things. But in order to explain to everyone why these drastic changes were made, I must clear up the size of the ship. It is my best guess that the original ST:EQ specs were based off of the popular notion years ago that a New Orleans was basically an Ambassador class with pods mounted on it. I base this guess off an actual quote from the original specs: "The New Orleans class was built upon similar design specifications as the Ambassador class ships, with the addition of two modules on the aft of the saucer section that can be mission-outfitted with different sensor or weapons packages." This once popular belief was based largely off of the only official shot of the New Orleans on the screen, in the Next Generation episode "Best of Both Worlds" (BoBW), which featured the aftermath of the Borg battle at Wolf 359. As you can see in Figure 1, the ship is barely visible and only on screen for a matter of seconds before a new view is brought forth. It's blurry, gives no sense of real scale and quite difficult to make any guess at what an undamaged version looks like. Fortunately, other sources became available over the years.

The various versions of the Star Trek: Encyclopedia have each brought forth new images of the New Orleans, based on slightly touched up images of the original model before its damage effects were added for BoBW. Figure 2 is from the first edition, which only had black and white images. Figures 3 and 4 can both be seen in the second and third editions of the Encyclopedia, and add much detail to a previously unknown starship.

Figures 5 and 6 are photos of the actual studio model after damage effects were added to it. These six images make up all of the known canon images of a New Orleans-class starship, yet somehow it has become one of the most popular "unknown" starships in the Star Trek universe.

Well, now you have before you all the visual evidence of the ship, and as you can tell, the entire ship is constructed from model parts similar to Galaxy-class Enterprise-D. It was an AMT/ERTL 1/1400 Enterprise-D model kit to be exact, and it took two of them to create the ship. For exact model parts, I will refer you to Figure 7, which like most of the information here, was compiled by the good people at Ex Astris Scientia. After you're done here, I recommend you read their entire section covering the Battle of Wolf 359 in their "Starship Articles" section. Continuing on, the saucer section was sanded down and different window features added in to make the ship appear much smaller then a Galaxy-class. The size of the bridge, however, is much larger in proportion to saucer. The features appear to be the exact same size as that of the Enterprise-D. Since we know the dimensions of the Enterprise-D, it is possible to determine the length of the bridge module itself, then find the length of the New Orleans based off of that knowledge, which comes out to approximately 345 meters as opposed to ST:ACTD's original estimate of 425 meters. The engineering section is actually made up of two model Enterprise-D sections, which is why you see two phaser arrays on the ventral side. The longer warp nacelles are the result of adding on an additional end segment, and the equipment pods are actually painted highlighters. The eighteen deck number was based off of the rows of windows.

Visual observations of the ship's windows reinforce this size estimate for the ship, and Figure 6 will show you a scale image of some other familiar starship classes that we've seen countless times on screen. Please make note of the size relation between the New Orleans and that of the Intrepid and Excelsior-class ships.

Crew Size: Yes, the size of the crew was brought down from the original 550 to reflect the change in size. While some may think that it was too much, many on the team would have liked to see that number drop even more. An Intrepid-class starship, such as the U.S.S. Voyager, has only 150 crewmembers aboard the ship, and you'll find that a New Orleans isn't that much bigger. I've given the ship a large number of "visiting personnel" to reflect the fact that crew can be swapped out depending on the mission, and more importantly, because of the pods. For the most part, the majority of the people coming and going are science personnel, since the ship requires a static number of engineers and security officers to maintain operations. Nonetheless, certain mission types may see many engineers coming aboard because a pod type might require specialized overseeing, or the equipping of tactical pods might require additional security personnel to assist in its operations.

Room Locations: As mentioned before, the number of decks was based largely off of the location of windows throughout the physical model. Deck 1 has the same dimensions as that of Galaxy class, so the rooms are similar. The isolated location of Deck 2 made it ideal for VIP quarters and conference lounges. Deck 3 has several large forward-facing windows, which I decided to make a Ship's Museum, similar say to the room aboard the Enterprise-A in Star Trek V: The Final Frontier. The ship's main lounge was placed on Deck 7 due to the large number of forward-facing windows. Crew quarters and residential apartments were placed on decks that had the most windows. Support facilities, such as sickbay, were placed on decks with less or no windows. Deck 8 is the deck that is in the middle of the saucer when looked at from the side, basically the rim of the ship. It's also got the largest internal volume of any ship, and no large windows, making it ideal to place many of the support facilities. Docking ports were also placed on this deck, similar once again to the Galaxy class. All other locations were placed in a manner that mirrors the Galaxy and Nebula class.

Refits and Upgrades: Those of you who have at least glanced over many of our other starships specs are probably wondering why the New Orleans has had so many refits. According to the TNG Technical Manual, starships receive periodic upgrades at starbase layovers, and major upgrades every twenty years. Well, the class itself is rather old. The only ST:ACTD ships that beat it in terms of age are the Ambassador and Excelsior-class starships. For a ship to have a refit, it doesn't have to be something as dramatic as what the original Constitution-class Enterprise received in "Star Trek: The Motion Picture," or even the exterior design change that the Excelsior-class Enterprise-B was seen with in "Star Trek: Generations." Much of the changes take place within the starship, and I've tried to give the class much more depth in terms of history when it went from looking like a militaristic Ambassador-class Movie-era design to the softer tones and carpeted decks of the TNG-era.

Frigate Type V(a): I honestly don't know how that designation came about to begin with, but there has been nothing seen to date that refers to the class, or any ships in it, as being Type V(a). Once again, it seems like this was created to help distinguish the ship during the time that many felt it looked like an Ambassador-class, despite the fact that it was constructed exclusively from Galaxy-class parts. I really don't see a need for calling it a Type V, especially when it conflicts with the variant types established in Appendix B. I considered creating some sort of designation system based on the pod type that the ship was carrying, but this proved very time consuming in the end, as ships may be equipped with multiple pod types, and experimental pods may very well have their own designations. As with much of the information present in this document, I doubt that the average player would want to be burdened with a ship designation that's overly long.

Star Trek: Generations-style bridge

Bridge:

Close ups of the saucer do show that the bridge module appears to be similar to that of the Enterprise-D, so that's the course I took. Earlier model bridges would, however, be similar to that of the Ambassador-class Enterprise-C seen in TNG "Yesterday's Enterprise," but for ST:ACTD's timeline, the bridge you'll find aboard your ship is similar to a Galaxy class. For the sake of argument, I felt that the bridge seen aboard the Enterprise-D in the movie "Generations" would be the most ideal for this ship class. Why not just use the bridge module that that ship used for seven seasons of TNG? The simple answer is because of the structure that ST:ACTD has in terms of player positions. The CSO and SO both would have the Science and Science II stations, and perhaps there's room for both the CTO and TO on the tactical railing. The CEO has his station, but that leaves the EO, CMO, MO and CIV fighting for the last two open stations seeing that all others are filled with their traditional occupants. On top of that, think of how cramped the back of such a large bridge would be if seven people where standing there.

Riker and Data in a Generations bridge setting

One of the nice features that the "Generations" bridge gives us is several extra stations located on the sides of the bridge. After a lot of squinting and magnifying on my DVD player, you can see that the names of the five stations in the back remain as their usual Science I, Science II, Mission Ops, Environmental and Engineering. In the image to your right, you can make out "Communications" as the header on the console just over Riker's shoulder. Once again, due to ST:ACTD's format, I changed around the stations in the bridge layout to best accommodate our various positions in a roomy fashion. Also, controls for the mission-specific pods can easily be projected on the extra terminals as indicating in Section 2.1

As with the majority of information in here, these specs are meant to serve as a common baseline. While adding in another warp core or permanently giving the ship quantum torpedoes would involve a great leap in logic, having a different bridge module does not. Like whatever pods you chose to add onto your hull, this bridge is meant to be what the common New Orleans would have, but yours can be different. You could just as easily have the original Enterprise-D bridge, one of the various Nebula-class bridges or possibly even an Ambassador's bridge. However, I should point out that a Defiant, Sovereign and Intrepid bridge would have a hard time fitting atop your ship's hull in terms of size and shape, and the color schemes are much different than the TNG style that the ship's interior has. In addition, those bridges make use of bioneural gelpack subprocessors which I'm keeping out of this class's specs.

Weapons: By their very nature, frigates tend to be packed with a good deal of firepower in the traditional sense, and our fictional starship should be of a similar equivalent. Phasers were given the ST:ACTD standard of Type X, but because the Galaxy-class starship is established as being the first class with such phasers (TNG TM), the back history states the class was launched with Type IX, which is what the Ambassador class had (DS9 TM). As for torpedoes, popular speculation has been that those pods are capable of being equipped with both a forward and aft launcher, and so that was easy. Since the physical model was constructed using all Enterprise-D model parts, it was easy to locate the two shipboard torpedo launchers in their usual spots, one in the aft just like on a Galaxy, and one just above the deflector similar to the Nebula and Galaxy. It's pretty much an ASDB mandate that no ship classes other then the Defiant and Sovereign be equipped with quantum torpedoes on a regular basis. Tri-cobalts are even more volatile then quantums, and are not routinely carried aboard starships. This notion is based off of onscreen evidence, for in the Battle of Earth in First Contact only the Enterprise-E fired quantums and throughout DS9 and during the war sequences, all ships used photon torpedoes except the Defiant. Tri-cobalt knowledge is based off several onscreen situations, including Seven of Nine's comments in VGR "Voyager Conspiracy." These two weapon types will only be onboard the ship if they have a particular need during a specific mission.

Shuttles: The only bay visible on the physical model is in the same location as a GCS's main shuttlebay. The loadout for this ship, I think, gives it a variety of craft to perform many of its mission objectives. I'd like to discourage the use of a runabout aboard the New Orleans, firstly because there's barely any room in those bays to fit such a large thing and still have room for visitors to dock, and second because the shuttles onboard can all do the same thing. Type-9s are nice and fast, great for scouting. Type-6s and Type-10s can easily fit your entire bridge crew for an away mission. Runabouts are actual starships, and it would be a waste of allocation to have one stationed aboard a starship, much less a frigate. If something as large as the Enterprise-D only had a runabout for one episode (TNG "Timescape") where it was simply used to transport four officers, then there is no need to have ships much smaller then a Galaxy being equipped with runabouts. However, should a specific mission arc call for one, it will fit in your bay all the way and you shouldn't have trouble closing the bay door. Just don't expect to have one permanently assigned to your ship.

Captain's Yacht: Figures 3 and 5 will do the best job of explaining why this ship does not have a Captain's Yacht, despite several ship Captains trying push the issue on me. First off, you'll notice that the connecting neck between the saucer and engineering hulls covers the usual spot where the yacht would be located on a Galaxy or Nebula class. Second, you have to remember that the NO is much smaller then a Galaxy in terms of scale, and the Yacht would be even smaller still to fit into that location. There are no outboard locations on the ship giving any indication of a possible yacht location, and it is unlikely that a frigate would be so equipped. Sorry my four-pipped friends, the closest thing you have is a Type-10 shuttle...

Robert Siwiak, December 25, 2001 - May 27, 2002

APPENDIX F - CREDITS AND COPYRIGHT INFORMATION

NEW ORLEANS-CLASS SPECIFICATIONS CREATED BY: ROBERT SIWIAK

SOURCES USED:

1. Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Technical Manual
2. Star Trek: The Next Generation Technical Manual
3. The Star Trek Encyclopedia
4. Ex Astris Scientia, www.ex-astris-scientia.org
5. Star Trek: The Magazine (Various Issues)
6. Star Trek: TNG "Conspiracy," TNG "Best of Both Worlds, Part II," TNG "The Wounded," DS9 "Paradise"

Copyright 2001-2005 Star Trek: A Call to Duty.