Schematics of the De Ruyter class.

The De Ruyter class was a mid-23rd century class of specialized ships designed for the research of the characteristics of subspace. The 5 ships of the class, all named after Dutch seafarers, were instrumental in mapping the subspace environment around major starship traffic routes, as well as the discovery and cataloguing of dozens of new subspace anomalies and related phenomena. The mapping of subspace densities and χ-factor values were instrumental in Federation planning of traffic routes and subspace radio relays.

Sawyer-class clipper, 2274. Note the mission module in the side elevation. Such modules could provide exta sensor equipment or weaponry.

Clippers had been in Starfleet service since the founding of the organization in the 22nd century. Like their ancient naval counterparts, clippers were small vessels built primarily for speed. Typically, they would perform roles as rapid response craft or couriers. After the Klingon conflicts in the 2250s, clippers were increasingly used as perimeter defense vessels, patrolling Federation border space to prevent or react to incursions quickly, instead of allowing invaders to reach strategic points in Federation space. In this capacity, clippers worked alongside destroyers and perimeter action ships, a new type of vessel introduced with the Kiaga and Agilis classes in 2247.

In 2265, advances in linear warp engines prompted Starfleet to consider a new class of clippers to supplement and eventually replace the existing Epsilon and Tar’hana classes. This new class would be equipped with linear warp drive, with the intent to achieve cruising speeds of warp factor 8, and top speeds beyond factor 10. It would be primarily suited for perimeter operations, supporting and providing back-up for perimeter action groups.

Mission patch of USS Sawyer.

By late 2266, the design of the new Sawyer-class clippers had been settled. The hull would be based on the typical secondary hull shape: a tapered cylinder, housing a navigational deflector at the front. A simple shuttlebay was fitted on the dorsal side, with room for one standard shuttle and access to the cargo holds. Originally the Sawyer would have been propelled by hybrid LS-4 warp engines. These engines essentially still used circumferential technology to create subspace distortions, but borrowed the power generation systems of the new linear drives. On the dorsal aft end of the hull was a connection point for various mission modules.

The development of the Sawyer class was unexpectedly put on hold in 2267, when Organian intervention enforced an uneasy peace along Klingon borders after a brief flare up in hostilities. The Organian Peace Treaty was an oppurtunity for pacifist members of the Federation Council to re-evaluate Starfleet budgets, and heavy cuts were made in the late 2260s.

It wasn’t until January 2274 that the Sawyer project was continued. In December of the previous year, the Cammell IV Council inquiries into Starfleet involvement in the Kzinti Incursion of 2272 led to a temporary hold in development of all Class One starships. This came at the moment Starfleet was considering replacing its perimeter fleet with the new Akyazi-class vessels. As a stop-gap measure, it was decided to use the existing Sawyer design to reinforce the perimeter fleets until the new perimeter action ships were ready. Clippers being Class Two starships, their development had not been as severely affected by the Federation Council’s wrath.

A total of 100 vessels were constructed, carrying the names of early starship captains. They were largely constructed as originally designed, except that the engines were replaced with fully linear LN-58(D) types.  The majority of ships were initially assigned to perimeter action groups, supplementing the 20+ year old Kiaga and Agilis. Sawyer-class clippers were also involved in policing Kzinti space as per the reinstated Sirius Treaty, and patrolling the Tressaurian border after their 2283 raid on Star Station Dallas during the Klingon Tal Taan offensive.

Twentyfive Sawyer-class clippers were decommissioned and put in surplus depots in 2294 as part of the demilitarization following the Khitomer Accords. By the early 24th century, the remaining clippers had been reassigned to local defensive tasks, often as automated craft. For example, USS Shumar (NCC-2292), USS Aaliyev (NCC-2345) and USS Smit (NCC-2386) were stationed as automated defense drones at the Mars Defense Perimeter base on Deimos from 2318 to 2360. The last Sawyer hulls (sold to the Tagrans in 2348, ex-Mercado, Schuller and Stevenson) in active duty were destroyed at Tagra VII during Dominion incursions into the Argolis Cluster in 2374.

History

The Douglas Yakovlev 100 series was one of the most important early spacecraft in Earth history, and a significant step towards permanent human presence in space and a global, unified space program for Earth.

In the late 1970s, the Soviet Union was the first nation to launch a manned flyby mission to Mars, prompting an immediate response from the United States. Faced with a troubled economy and an ever more succesful Soviet space program, President Reagan called for increased cooperation with the Soviet Union, focusing on exploration of the inner Solar System. In 1985, the international Multiple Application Space Transportation System (MASTS) was launched.

MASTS was in many ways an extension of the American Space Shuttle program. As the Space Shuttle was to provide the infrastructure to facilitate the construction and maintanence of space stations and sattelites, so would MASTS facilitate future exploration and colonization of the Moon and eventually Mars.

Douglas-Yakovlev (a cooperation between the American Douglas Aircraft Company and the Russian Yakovlev Design Bureau) was to become the prime contractor for the MASTS program. In 1988, the first orbital prototype of the so-called Near Space Transport, DY-099 Columbus, was launched from Baikonur Cosmodrome. It was a testbed for the new Interchangeable Payload Module system, but perhaps more importantly, it was the first significant cooperation between Russia and America.

Although the original MASTS program was mainly a Russian-American endeavour, very early on other international partners became involved in the project so that in the end, three more major blocks of power became involved in the program: the European Community, the People’s Republic of China and the Australian Commonwealth. In July 1988, it was decided that five Near Space Transports would be constructed initially, one for each partner.

Technology

The DY series was concieved as a modular system. The baseline specification described a spacecraft consisting of 8 major components. All components of the DY-100 class were constructed on Earth, and launched seperately into orbit by various rockets. Final assembly took place in lower orbit.

The first component to launch was the Habitat Module, launched atop a Russian Energia-built Ogon heavy launcher. The Habitat Module (HM) provided life support systems and was essentially a self-sufficient small space station. From the HM, the further orbital construction of the craft was overseen. Most modules were launched nearly flight-ready into orbit, but the Command Module (providing more living space and advanced control and docking systems) was launched in smaller components requiring actual in-orbit construction.

Coming soon:  An overview and short history of all 5 DY-100 spacecraft.