Olympic class
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| Olympic | |
| Information | |
| Affiliation | |
| Role |
Frigate |
| Date Entered Service |
2360s |
| Crew Capacity | |
| Dimensions | |
| Propulsion | |
| Propulsion System |
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| Template:Specifications | |
The Olympic-class starship was introduced by the Federation Starfleet in the late 24th century primarily as a dedicated hospital ship, emergency relief vessel, and medical research platform.
History
Work on the Olympic-class starship began in the mid-24th century in response to the growing need for a designated hospital ship. Prior to that, Starfleet had long relied on the modification of existing starship classes (e.g. Hiawatha-type, Miranda-class) to fulfill this purpose. However, with many of these earlier vessels aging out or reaching the limit of their capabilities and demand only increasing, Starfleet Medical pushed for the creation of a new, dedicated ship type.
Throughout both the design and construction of this new class, the Starfleet Corps of Engineers worked closely with Starfleet Medical to ensure the Olympic would meet the need. Indeed, upon its launch in the late 2360s, it boasted the most advanced treatment and research facilities available including intensive care units, surgical facilities, and laboratories. This meant the Olympic, despite its relatively small size, would still be able to handle the vast majority of medical-related situations.
In addition to these new systems, designers felt the Olympic needed to be readily identifiable as a medical ship (and as non-threatening as possible). This resulted in a rather distinctive appearance that was evocative of the vintage Daedalus-class. It also resulted in a vessel that was only moderately shielded and minimally armed for self-defense.
Mission and Purpose
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Shipboard Life
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Ships Commissioned
- USS Olympic
Appendices
Background Information
Content Coming Soon
Writing Notes
If there is a medical crisis somewhere, an Olympic is not far from it. It is uncommon to see several of these vessels at once unless they are traveling in convoy or the situation is that severe or widespread. These ships are almost exclusively sent to respond to medical emergencies and/or relief work (i.e. Starfleet does not task them to other mission types). If they are going into a hostile situation and it is clear their status as a hospital ship may be disregarded, then they will typically be escorted by another vessel.
As far as crews go, the Olympic is essentially a mobile hospital. In other words, almost every member of the crew is of a medical background, including the command staff. The few that do not have medical experience are generally there to just keep the ship running and flying. Science personnel are typically from a medical research background (or adjacent field) to help deal with research and investigation of unusual cases. And these ships typically have extremely small security detachments.
Personnel with a medical background often find the work on an Olympic challenging, but right up their alley, seeing as they are essentially bringing the hospital to the patients. It is not uncommon for chief medical officers who have command aspirations to move into first officer and commanding officer duties on an Olympic-class vessel. Engineers find the work mundane and sometimes underappreciated, whereas security personnel take the posting either because they prefer Starfleet's humanitarian role or because security is a relatively minimal role on these ships.
Related Links
- Olympic class at Memory Alpha