posted
Next is the Danube runabout write-up by Enterprise. Unfortunately, it doesn't look like he's been around for the past half-decade, so he won't be able to comment about it. No diagrams with this one.
Starship Brief: DANUBE-class
Even before the 2360's it was clear a small, multipurpose starship was needed to fill a void. The void consisted of situations where a full sized starship was overbearing, and a shuttlecraft was underpowered. Starfleet was finally forced to look into a small-size starship capable of "doing anything and everything."
The term "Runabout Starship" had been applied to civilian starships for nearly 250 years. They are larger then shuttles, and carry more equipment for scientific study, transport, and defense. The first of the major runabout designs was the DANUBE-class.
A standard DANUBE-class has a crew of 4. The cockpit area of the ship includes the flight control stations, as well as a transporter pad. The mid-section is the definition of the phrase "hot-swapable." There are cargo modules, additional living space modules, passenger hold modules, laboratory modules, sensor modules, defense modules, and power generator modules. The aft-section contains the standard living area.
Construction began after a two-year vehicle-study program. Production of a prototype USS DANUBE began in 2365, and finished three years later. The final warp drive design brief consisted of a horizontally mounted warp core, and two warp nacelles. Maximum speed was between Warp 4.7 for standard-build models, and Warp 4.95 with the PlusOne refit.
During the Dominion War, the DANUBE-class served the roles fighter, freighter, and transport. Due to a near-massive shortfall of civilian ships near the end of the war, a civilian version was designed (although it had been in the works since 2370). [[[ The first of the civilian DANUBE's was built at the San Francisco Fleetyards, and was acquired by the shipyard's commander, Captain Brandon Grasmick. The ship was named SS Gary after Captain Grasmick's late father, and was givin a standard civilian registry. Grasmick know commands the USS SOVEREIGN (NCC-74222) and carries the runabout in her far aft shuttlebay. ]]]
Known Danube-class Ships:
USS Danube (NCC-72003) USS Rio Grande (NCC-72452) USS Yangtzee Kiang (NCC-72453) - destroyed in the Gamma Quadrant USS Ganges (NCC-72454) - destroyed by the T'Lani USS Orinoco (NCC-72905) - destroyed by sabotage USS Mekong (NCC-72917) - desroyed in Romulan/Cardassian/Dominion conflict (see below) USS Rubicon (NCC-72936) USS Shenandoah (NCC-73024) USS Volga (NCC-73196) Anonymous (NCC-73918) - (see below) USS Yukon (NCC-74602) - destroyed due to attempted theft by Changeling USS Ganda/er - (see below)
Notes:
The Mekong's registry is listed as either 72617 or 72917 in the Encyclopedia. The latter number seems to be correct, according to a diagram in "Whispers" (DS9).
An unnamed runabout appeared in the final episodes of Deep Space Nine.
The runabout in "Penumbra" (DS9) is called "Gander" by Ezri and "Ganda" by Sisko. However, Ezri's spoken statement ("Ganda/er here") would not allow the pronounciation of the final syllable as anything but "-er," due to limitations in human speech (Ezri does seem to falter in speaking the word). On the other hand, Sisko often changes -er sounds to -a when he speaks. There is a Gander river in Newfoundland, although the runabout does not necessarily have to be named after a river. (Oddly enough, the closed-captioning identified the ship as the Ganges).
-------------------- "Kirito? I killed a thing and now it says I have XPs! Is that bad? Am I dying?"
-Asuna, Episode 2, Sword Art Online Abridged
Registered: Mar 1999
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More "limitations in American speech". No-one around me had much of a problem.
I'm guessing the line was dubbed over. Someone must have remembered at the last minute that they haven't had a "Ganges" on the show for 5 years.
-------------------- Yes, you're despicable, and... and picable... and... and you're definitely, definitely despicable. How a person can get so despicable in one lifetime is beyond me. It isn't as though I haven't met a lot of people. Goodness knows it isn't that. It isn't just that... it isn't... it's... it's despicable.
Registered: Mar 1999
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Gander, Ganda, or Gandara? It got dubbed in Mexico as Gandara, and that river exists, too. I'd discard Ganda, actually.
Registered: Jan 2001
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Thanks for that tidbit about the dubbing, Jonas! I'll be adding that to the annotations of my shiplist! That's like what happened with the Intrepid from "Court Martial" (TOS) which in the German translation of the episode was called the Independence. Anyone know of any others?
-MMoM
-------------------- The flaws we find most objectionable in others are often those we recognize in ourselves.
Registered: Jun 2001
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Really, I didn't know that. Must confess though that I have never seen "Court Martial" in the German version.
-------------------- Lister: Don't give me the "Star Trek" crap! It's too early in the morning. - Red Dwarf "The Last Day"
Registered: Nov 1999
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