Steamrunner class starship - Definition and Overview

The USS Appalachia (NCC-52136), a Steamrunner class starship

In the Star Trek fictional universe, the Steamrunner class is a rarely seen type of starship produced and used by Starfleet. It probably entered service during the 2350s in response to the growing Cardassian threat to the Federation and was probably designed as a replacement for the Miranda class. The Steamrunner class served during the Dominion War and Borg incursions; at least one Steamrunner was lost in the explosion of the Borg cube during the Battle of Sector 001.

This unconventional ship has an angular saucer-shaped hull, and like the Saber class, the Steamrunner has two warp nacelles embedded in the saucer. It is theorized that this low-profile design may be optimized for atmospheric flight, influencing the design of the Intrepid class.

Instead of an engineering hull, an underslung secondary hull with a blue navigational deflector at the forefront is attached to the nacelles by a pylon running downward and inward at the aft end of each. The main bridge and the dorsal phaser array are embedded into the saucer to provide for better protection from enemy fire by blocking against attacks from the side. The primary hull's ventral side is dominated by the ship's ventral phaser array and lifeboats. Two impulse engines are located between the nacelles with one on each side of the ship.

In real life, the Steamrunner class was designed by Alex Jaeger at Industrial Light and Magic and rendered as a computer-generated visual effect. It was originally called the Streamrunner, named for the song "Streamrunner" by Fold Zandura but for some unknown reason the 'r' had been dropped.

Specifications

• Production facility: Utopia Planitia Fleet Yards, Mars
• Type: Destroyer
• Dimensions:
  • Height: 41 m
  • Length: 244 m
  • Beam: 179 m
• Accommodation: 250
• Propulsion:
  • One matter/antimatter reactor powering two warp engines
  • Two impulse engines
• Performance: Warp 9.5 for twelve hours
• Weaponry:
  • Several phaser arrays
  • Two torpedo launchers
• Defenses: Deflector shields
• Auxiliary vessels: Unknown shuttlecraft and/or other vessels in one unseen shuttlebay in the saucer section

Known Steamrunner class destroyers

• USS Appalachia (NCC-52136)
  • Named for the Appalachian mountain range, the starship Appalachia fought against the Borg in the Battle of Sector 001 circa stardate 50893.5 in 2373.
• USS Hiroshima (Registry unknown)
  • Named for the city of Hiroshima, Japan, no information is known about this starship.
• USS Steamrunner (Registry unknown)
  • The starship Steamrunner is the pathfinder of its class.

External links

• Steamrunner class (http://www.memory-alpha.org/en/index.php/Steamrunner_class) at Memory Alpha, a Star Trek WikiWiki
• Steamrunner class (http://www.lcarscom.net/fsd/starships/steamrunner.html) at LCARScom.Net
• "Steamrunner class" at the Neutral Zone Starship Database (http://www.neutralzone.de/database/Federation/StarFleet/Steamrunner.htm)