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The return of....THE FNN!
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[QUOTE]Originally posted by JeffKardde: [QB] <h2>Miranda-Class Suffered Highest Losses With Longest Operational Time</h2> by Miguel Molina, special to the FNN The Miranda-Class starship has been a Starfleet fixture for almost one hundred and twenty years. At first an experimental program to cobble a starship out of common parts, the Miranda-Class became known as a Starfleet symbol -- the starship with the longest planned operational lifetime of 110 years. But only nine Miranda-Class starships have survived that time period, and major refits have extended their lifespan. The USS [i]Miranda[/i], prototype of the class, has recently returned to active duty after a three year overhaul. It is projected to be able to remain on duty for another twenty years, although Starfleet Operations refuses to comment on rumors that the [i]Miranda[/i] will be retired at that time. The one hundred and seventeen-year old starship is currently ferrying foodstuffs to Cardassia Prime, for the Starfleet Marine Expeditionary/Occupation Forces. Fifteen Miranda-Class Starships made up the first production run. The most famous of these is the [i]Reliant[/i], second ship of the class, which was destroyed by Starfleet forces in a top-secret action out near the Mutaran Nebula in circumstances which still remain classified today. Of the rest, the [i]Miranda[/i] is the only one still in service -- the others have been decomissioned, scrapped, or lost in action. "The Miranda-Class has served Starfleet and the Federation extremely well," Operations Chief Admiral Howard Weinstein commented. "We hope to keep them in service for quite some time." Over twenty-seven hundred Mirandas have been constructed across the Federation. Six hundred and eighty remain in service today -- the youngest is the USS [i]Salisbury[/i], which was launched on August 9th, 2351, the year when the Miranda-Class ended production. When they were first introduced, Mirandas were the most advanced and sleek of the fleet. They carried crews of two hundred plus, and rated a full rank captain to command. Now, many are crewed by no more than twenty officers and enlisted (three ships have a crew numbering only five), and the typical captain ranks a lieutenant. "It's a great first command," Lieutenant Patrick Hunt of the USS [i]Redstar[/i] said. "I've been out of the Academy for three years, and I've got my own ship." Hunt is especially proud -- his grandfather was the first captain of the seventy-six old year [i]Redstar[/i]. "He's jealous -- he had to wait until he was a Captain to take command," Hunt, who commands one ensign and fifteen enlisted crew, laughed. Hunt said that most Mirandas are largely used for transport and cargo missions. The [i]Redstar[/i] has been assigned to the regular cargo route running from Starbase Seventy-Four to colonies along the Andorian frontier for the last year. "It was more exciting when my grandpa was in command," Hunt observed. "He saw action against the Gorn and Tzenkethi." One hundred and seven Miranda-Class starships were lost during the Dominion War. An additional sixty-two were retired from service after recieving considerable damage deemed "too costly" by Starfleet Operations to repair. The Miranda-Class has recently been removed from "Combat Line Starships" by Starfleet Tactical. "The Miranda-Class has proven too vulnerable to modern weaponry," said Captain Chris Martin, Director of Tactical Fleet Operations, when asked to comment on the decision. "Up to date shield generators are too costly to install, and the spaceframe simply can't withstand a quantum torpedo launcher or phaser cannons." Critics charged that during the War, Miranda-Class ships were used as "cannon-fodder" by Allied commanders to draw Jem'Hadar kamikaze runs away from more powerful ships. Twenty-eight Mirandas have been retired from active service, stipped of military hardware, and sold to the civilian sector. One, USS [i]Haddington[/i], was purchased by eccentric idustrialist Hark Co'lawn, whose shipyards produced eighteen of the class in the 2320's. "It's a great ship," he said. "I've had it for thirty years, and I plan on keeping it for another thirty. No wonder she's stood in good use, she's sturdy and proud." [/QB][/QUOTE]
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