Ericson Class Science Vessel

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Ericson Class Science Vessel
PHX Pathfinder
Class Overview
Class type: Science Vessel
Class name: Ericson Class Science Vessel
Preceded by: Starlight Class Science Ship (Obsolete)
Succeeded by: Gama Class Explorer
Operated by: The Phoenix Militia
General Characteristics
Length: 169m
Width: 120m
Height: 45m
Complement: 5 fleet officers, 10 science officers and 51 men
Powerplant: One Type 2 Mod 5 Warp Core with Emergency Fuel Cell System
Drives: -2 Nacelle-mounted Warp Engines rated at warp 8.25 (2.5 hour burst at 9.5)
-3 Ion and 2 small Impluse Sub-Light Engines
-24 thrusters
Weapons: - 4x Foward Type 1 Block IIA Disruptors
- 32x foward torpedo tubes, 12 aft
Shields: Primary Energy Shields, Secondary and Tertiary forcefields
Armor: Type 9 Welded Tritanium-Nahquada Composite Armor Plating over duranium skeleton
Auxillary Craft: 6 shuttles, 8 probes


"Ericson" Class Science Vessel
ericson2.jpg

Introduction

The Ericson Class Science Vessel was designed to run scans within Phoenix territory and to act as a communications relay hub although long range explortion or survey missions are sometimes performed by these vessels. Its main war time role is listed as a distracting "corvette" type vessel for delaying actions, but its communications abilites are more valued by the military. Its systems can let the Ericson class function as a sort of Space version of the ancient AWACS with its 3 boosted sensor/comm arrays providing real time battlefield information, jamming and direct communications links during hectic space combat. The Ericson-class Science Vessel was named for the ancient Viking explorer Leif Ericson, who was the first European to discover North America. The Phoenix Militia Fleet also has a military/diplomatic vessel named the PHX Leif Ericson, which is a Viking Class Cruiser but since it has the explorer's full name it does not conflict with the first of the Ericson class, the PHX Ericson. The Ericson class shares the same configuration as much less advanced Phoenix Dynamix | Type 54 Civil Starship which is used as a passenger, cargo, cruise, construction, ferry and toxic waste transport vessel, but the simmilarites are only visual

Weapons

Disruptors

A disruptor is a high powered energy weapon used in most TPM ships. Disruptor weapons carry more energy then standard phaser weapons, but lack a phaser-type weapon's accuracy and fast discharge. The Ericson-class has four foward mounted Type 1 Block IIA disruptors with regenerative charging coils embeded behind them , in the wing structure, to allow for rapid sustained fire.

Torpedos

Due to the lack of room for a Black Talon phaser bank, Phoenix Dynamix decided to compensate by adding numerous torpedo tubes. Able to fire large spreads of anti-matter, plasma-hybrid, advanced photon, or quantum torpedoes, its primary wartime function, which is delaying or distracting enemy forces, can be filled easily; if it needs to defend itself, it can deliver its torpedos using what is called a line drive attack. In a line drive attack, the ship accelerates to maximum sublight speed on a collision course with the target, and opens up with disruptor fire. Once evasion patterns are observed, the computer takes over and continues the drive towards the target, and once it gets close enough, it triggers all foward torpedo tubes to fire in an instant, almost like a "Metal Storm"-type weapon. The ship breaks off less than one half of a kilometer away from the target, ensuring 99.9% of the time that 'all' 32 torpedos hit the target at once. This type of attack is highly dangerous to both the target and the ship executing it, and is only used when other attacks or attempts to escape fail.

Specifications

Length: 169m
Width: 120m
Height: 45m
Crew: 51
Officers: 15
Speed
The Ericson is equpped to travel at high sub-light speeds with 3 large ion engines, and it has a pair of backup/stationkeeping and impulse engines. Its nacelle mounted warp coils are only rated at warp 8.25 but there is an emergency warp 9.5 burst avaiable.
Sensors
The Ericson has a ventral mounted old style disc type with sperical comm array and double ring sensor array, single dorsal mounted delta type 2 piece modular advanced sensor system
Protection
The Eriscon Class features standard Primary Energy Shields, Type 9 Welded Tritanium-Nahquada Composite Armor Plating and two layers of forcefields and intergrated color changing dynamic nano-paint.

The Eriscon Class replaced all Starlight Class Sicence Ships, but the Gama Class Explorer is threating to replace it in late 2506 as a more versatile science/exporation/diplomatic craft, although there is no doubt some Ericson class ships will reamain in service for the forseeable future, due to thier unmatched communications abilites. At first, all Ericson class ships were named, just as all warships are, but later, as they became more numerous, they were only assigned a number. It should be noted that those numbered Ericson class ships which distingushed themselves either in a battle, support or scientific role, were awarded names and properly christened into the fleet. After #0767 which was named the PHX "Beagle" all ships from #0768 to #0782 were launched without names.(#0783 was the first Gama Class, the PHX Gama)