Starship Profiles: De Ruyter class science vessel
January 24th, 2009
De Ruyter-class science vessels were unique ships equipped for detailed scientific study of space.
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.
| Vessels commissioned |
|
|---|---|
| Service years | 2252-2317 |
| Length | 186m |
| Beam | 101m |
| Height | 38m |
| Mass | 635,150 tons |
| Cruise speed | wf 4 |
| Max. speed | wf 7 |
| Endurance | 2 years |
| Officers | 40 |
| Crew | 260 |
| Weapons |
|
| Auxiliaries |
|
1. John N. Ritter said:
About time you posted some stats on this ship. You have it faster than I thought she would be.
My impression was that this class of ship was pre breaking of the time barrier…
Mass – the Constitution is only 190,000 tons, so what gives?
2. John N. Ritter said:
Post script: What is you definition of the term ‘time barrier’?
3. Harry Doddema said:
Good question, not sure I’ve got a proper answer
It seems the intention was to show that the Enterprise’s “Time Warp” engines were more advanced than the one from the crashed transport. It’s tempting to connect that to the invention of warp drive, but we later learn that warp drive has been around for two centuries.
So, what is the “time barrier”? The only thing it can be is some kind of significant advance in warp drives in the last 18 years. Maybe an ENT-like incremental advance in the form of “Warp Seven” engine.
On review, you’re probably right that wf 7 is a bit high for a research ship. If you don’t mind, I will in fact sneakily edit the article for a somewhat slower ship
The mass is based on a million tonnes Enterprise, so it includes nacelle coils and other supermassive subspace-affecting oddities.
4. John N. Ritter said:
My answer to what is the time barrier will shock you. At this point in time it is counter to the lines of thought, that are current.
The time barrier is warp factor one. The Star Fleet et el, relied upon Cochrane’s factor to go any distance. There is a cavet here thought. Speeds in access of warp factor were possible, but couldn’t sustained due to two reasons. The first is rate of fuel use. The second is the amount of energy(heat) would melt the warp coils.
In other words it wasn’t practical to go above warp factor one over any practical distance – like going from here to Alpha Centuri. This is why navigator Jose’ Tyler was so exicited.
It took a long time to get any where. So long that resuce missions were considered a joke.
Yes they could get up to warp factor seven but the engines would melt very fast, to the point of being useless for any travel.
So how was the time bariier cracked?
My answer: forcefields that could protect the warp coils and the other componants, with out interfering the operation of the warp engines. Warp this way, and not some other way? Because for all practical purposes space is a vacuum, so any effects would be confined to the ship. Yes there would be drang out there, but not that much.
As to mass, I go with the 190,000 figure.
5. John N. Ritter said:
Thinking on the two year mission duration, is that the max? In other words are you coming from the position of the five year Enterprise mission?